Chapter 15: Are You Flipping a Turtle?
"So, you’ve finally decided you need bed rest?" Qin Mei shot him a look and chided, "Serves you right. Doctor Li told you not to leave the hospital, but you just had to. I don’t know what you were so stubborn about. If you were going to leave, you could have at least found a place to rest quietly for a few days. But no, you wouldn’t listen and insisted on coming back. Look what happened. You brought this on yourself. Serves you right."
Jie Jingchen’s face darkened, but he didn’t dare to argue. For every word he said, she’d have ten waiting for him.
But for all her sarcasm, Qin Mei was genuinely concerned about his health. They were husband and wife, after all. Regardless of whether they lived as a typical married couple in the future, it was better for her if Jie Jingchen was healthy. If his body gave out and he couldn’t do heavy labor, he would just become a burden.
"Lie on your stomach," Qin Mei said, her voice a command.
"What for?" Jie Jingchen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I’m going to give you some acupuncture." As she spoke, Qin Mei moved past Jie Jingchen to get off the bed. She stood beside it, surveying the room.
The room was ten or so square meters, furnished with three chests of drawers, two chairs, a four-door wardrobe, and a desk stacked neatly with books. Next to the headboard was a dressing table. It was brand new, obviously a recent purchase. Her small cloth crossbody bag sat on it, and from inside, Qin Mei pulled out a small box of silver needles.
𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
When she turned and saw Jie Jingchen still hadn’t moved, Qin Mei’s brows furrowed, and her voice grew cold. "Lie on your stomach."
Jie Jingchen ignored her, his gaze fixed on her, sharp and scrutinizing.
Qin Mei sat on the edge of the bed, forcing herself to be patient. Her tone softened. "What are you worried about? Trust me, I’m a professional."
"Isn’t it just a hobby?" Jie Jingchen asked. He had only seen her use acupuncture once. Xie Jingchen had been in too much pain to sleep, but after she stuck him with a few needles, he’d quieted down and fallen into a deep slumber. Her explanation? She’d knocked him out with the needles.
He had joked that she should give him a dose of the same treatment, but she refused. He hadn’t seen her touch a needle since.
Qin Mei’s brow tightened. ’He’s questioning my acupuncture skills.’
She saw the way Jie Jingchen was looking at her—scrutinizing, speculating.
Qin Mei took a deep breath. ’For the sake of the courtyard house, and for the sake of him not becoming a burden in the future, I’ll forgive his suspicion.’ "Even a hobbyist can achieve mastery with enough practice," she said.
The corner of Jie Jingchen’s mouth twitched. ’Mastery? She’s got some nerve.’ "Who taught you acupuncture?"
The word "Grandpa" nearly slipped out, but Qin Mei slammed the brakes on it right at the tip of her tongue. "...Your sister," she said instead.
’Jie Jingling is a barefoot doctor, so it’s perfectly normal for her to know acupuncture,’ she reasoned. ’Besides, that ageless mother-in-law of hers is a doctor, so it makes sense she would have taught her eldest daughter some medical skills.’
’But I’m still confused,’ Qin Mei thought. ’My mother-in-law looks even younger than my sister-in-law. How did she even give birth to her?’
’The mother-in-law is a case of extreme upkeep, while the sister-in-law is aging gracefully. If I had to choose, I’d go with the extreme upkeep.’
"My sister?" A complex look flickered in Jie Jingchen’s deep eyes, but as he stared at Qin Mei’s guileless expression, his gaze gradually settled.
’My sister knows a bit of medicine, but she’s hardly an expert. She scrapes by as the village’s barefoot doctor, and she can handle common colds or a few bumps and bruises. For anything more serious, though, she’s completely at a loss, and people have to go to the commune hospital.’
’And as for acupuncture, he was certain his sister didn’t know the first thing about it.’
’The Qin Mei before her amnesia wouldn’t have known how, either. Qin Xiang was always complaining to him that Qin Mei had been a good-for-nothing her whole life. The Qin Family was well-off, but she’d refused to go to school, managing to slip through the cracks of the literacy programs.’
’The Qin Family had doted on her, spoiling her so much she became completely unruly. As she got older, her behavior grew more and more outrageous, and it was only then that the Qin Family realized they had spoiled her rotten.’
’It was too late for regrets, and there was nothing they could do to fix it. All they could do was grit their teeth and keep spoiling her.’
"If you don’t trust me, you should at least trust your sister, right?" Qin Mei thought she was being clever, using Jie Jingling as cover at the crucial moment.
Jie Jingchen stared at her, his expression conflicted. ’The thing is, I don’t trust my sister either.’
"Jie Jingchen, it’s about trust. The trust between two people, you know?" Qin Mei pressed. "We’re a married couple. I could betray anyone, but I wouldn’t betray you. A husband and wife are one entity. We prosper together and we suffer together. I understand that much."
Jie Jingchen’s expression remained impassive, but the corner of his eye twitched. ’The more she says things like that, the less I want to try this. We don’t have some love as deep as the ocean, nor have we built some unbreakable bond of trust. The idea that I’d willingly be her guinea pig is completely out of the question.’
"Relax. I’m still counting on you to provide for me. I’m not about to risk widowhood by messing you up," Qin Mei said bluntly. When Jie Jingchen remained unmoved, she lost her patience. Her expression hardened. "Jie Jingchen, are you going to lie down on your own, or am I going to have to force you?"
"Forced?" Jie Jingchen wondered what exactly she meant by that. ’Does she really think she can use force on me? What a joke. Six months ago, I let my guard down around her for Qin Xiang’s sake, and that’s how she got me. This time, I’m ready for her. There’s no way she’ll pull one over on me again.’
Qin Mei opened the box, plucked a silver needle from inside, and dangled it in front of Jie Jingchen’s face. She grinned like a sly fox. "Believe me, I guarantee I can knock you out with one prick."
Jie Jingchen’s lips tightened into a thin line, a vein throbbing at his temple. A storm was brewing in the depths of his eyes.
"Forget it. You can’t force a horse to drink. I won’t make you." But before the words were even out of her mouth, a cunning glint flashed in her eyes and she raised her voice to a shout. "Mom! Jie Jingchen’s back—"
Before she could get the "—hurts!" out, Jie Jingchen slapped a hand over her mouth. Qin Mei just stared up at the furious man, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Qin. Mei." Jie Jingchen ground out her name through clenched teeth, his dark eyes filled with menace. The last thread of his composure finally snapped.
"So are you going to lie down?" Qin Mei’s voice was muffled, but she was completely unfazed by his threats.
’A mother-in-law doesn’t just keep her daughter-in-law in line; she can also control her obedient son.’
Jie Jingchen relented. Through clenched teeth, he forced out two words. "I will."
"That’s more like it." A triumphant, smug smile spread across Qin Mei’s face. Total victory.
’Heh. As if I can’t handle a punk like you.’
His back was injured, and her "ageless" mother-in-law was extremely cautious. Qin Mei was certain that if she just started wailing about how much his back hurt, her mother-in-law would ignore his protests, drag him to the hospital, and have him admitted on the spot.
Jie Jingchen released her, fuming. He’d been played by Qin Mei again, and he hated the feeling.
Seeing him dawdling, Qin Mei prompted, "Hurry up and get on your stomach. I’m hungry. The sooner I finish this, the sooner I can eat."
"My back hurts. I can’t move." In truth, Jie Jingchen’s back only ached faintly, and the pain was perfectly bearable. It was nowhere near as bad as he was making it sound.
"I’ll help you." Not bothering to call his bluff, Qin Mei helped him lie back down, then forcefully rolled him over.
"AH!" A sharp pain shot through Jie Jingchen, and he couldn’t help but cry out. "Are you trying to flip me like a turtle?!" he roared.