Chapter 159 - 67: Diligence Is Only Enough for Subsistence
’Hu Wan’er is a woman, not a man. So what if I stare a little?’
’If Hu Wan’er has the guts to stand in front of me like that, then I have the guts to lie here and stare. Hu Wan’er herself doesn’t seem to mind, so why is he making a fuss?’
Qin Mei figured that it was a good thing she was the one on the ground. If it had been Jie Jingchen, given Hu Wan’er’s feelings for him, she probably would have shown up wearing nothing underneath.
"Focus," Jie Jingchen reminded her, his face cold.
Qin Mei gave him a sly smile and asked unabashedly, "Instructor Jie, should I focus on the exercises, or on...?"
"Qin Mei," Jie Jingchen cut her off sharply. He slammed the thorn stick in his hand onto the stone tabletop with intimidating force.
It was unclear if Qin Mei was intimidated, but Hu Wan’er certainly was. She turned tail and ran, which suggested she’d been hit with a thorn stick more than a few times as a child.
Qin Mei dawdled, needing to use the restroom one moment and drink water the next, finding one excuse after another. She finally completed all the exercises just before lunch.
"Fourth Brother, is Fourth Sister-in-law done with her exercises?" Jie Jingshan asked, opening the door.
"She’s done," Jie Jingchen said, glancing at Qin Mei, who was drinking water. A slight curve touched his cool, thin lips.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, get changed. Let’s go out to eat. My treat," Jie Jingshan said generously. She glanced at Aunt Zhang and added, "You, me, and Fourth Brother—the three of us will go to the state-run restaurant for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall."
A dark cloud settled over Aunt Zhang’s face, and a strange, bloodthirsty smile twisted her lips. ’They only invited Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen, deliberately leaving me out. This wretched girl is declaring war on me. Fine. Very good. She’s getting arrogant, thinking I won’t do anything to her just because Jie Jingchen is at home recovering from his injury.’
’Hmph! No matter how bad the injury, he’ll recover one day. Once Jie Jingchen goes back to work, we’ll see how I deal with this wretched girl.’
"Great!" Qin Mei smiled. ’Looks like what I hinted at during the acupuncture session got through to Jie Jingshan.’
’Just as Jie Jingchen said, Aunt Zhang is a servant. A servant who dares to shit on her master’s head is completely out of line. You don’t fire a wicked servant like that; you keep her around to torment her.’
Qin Mei went back to her room, quickly changed her clothes, and locked the door. She even made a point to check the lock on Jing Qi’s room to make sure it was secure. Once she was certain, Qin Mei happily pushed Jie Jingshan’s wheelchair, and they headed out.
Just as they left the courtyard gate, they ran into Second Great-Aunt. When she asked where they were going, Qin Mei said they were going to eat. Second Great-Aunt paused for a moment, then glanced into the courtyard. A look of understanding crossed her face, and she invited them to eat at her house instead.
With Aunt Zhang back, she didn’t feel it was right to go over to the Jie Family’s house to cook for them anymore.
Her son and daughter-in-law were at work, and her two grandchildren were at school, so Second Great-Aunt was home alone. She simply stir-fried three dishes, and the three of them ate with gusto.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. There was a rap at the door.
"Who is it?" Second Great-Aunt called out, then added, "The door’s unlocked!"
"Heh heh, Elder Sister, it’s me," Granny Guo said with a chuckle.
Hearing Granny Guo’s voice, Qin Mei felt a massive headache coming on. Granny Guo lived in the same courtyard as Second Great-Aunt. Suddenly, she felt like a lamb being led to the tiger’s den.
"Sister Guo, do you need something?" Second Great-Aunt asked, then teased, "This is a rare sight. You actually knocked before coming into my house."
Granny Guo gave an awkward laugh, her gaze sweeping past Qin Mei to land on the dinner table. "Oh, you’re eating?"
"We just started," Second Great-Aunt replied, then asked politely, "Sister Guo, have you eaten? If not, why don’t you join us?"
"Well, Elder Sister, I won’t be shy then." Granny Guo grabbed a stool. Ignoring the empty seats, she squeezed herself between Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen. Considering they were in Second Great-Aunt’s home, Qin Mei got up and moved her stool over.
’Granny Guo’s intentions were all too obvious. She hadn’t come to Second Great-Aunt’s to freeload a meal; she had come for me.’
Second Great-Aunt’s question had only been a polite courtesy, but Granny Guo had taken it seriously. She got up to get a bowl and chopsticks and serve her some rice.
"Sister Guo." Second Great-Aunt handed the bowl of rice and chopsticks to Granny Guo.
"Thank you," Granny Guo said with a smile as she took them. She gave Qin Mei a meaningful look and said, "Sigh. My son’s wife went to stay with her mother for a while, and I have no idea when she’ll be back. I’m so worried my first grandson will be born into the Su family."
Second Great-Aunt understood perfectly. She glanced at Qin Mei before placing a piece of meat in Granny Guo’s bowl. "Sister Guo, eat up. Don’t worry yourself over nothing. Even if the baby is born at the Su family’s home, it’s still a child of the Guo Family."
If Granny Guo had been listening carefully, she would have caught the meaning behind Second Great-Aunt’s words. In the past, she would have gone along with Granny Guo and called him her "first grandson," but this time, she hadn’t. She had only said "child."
Qin Mei felt the pressure. ’Can’t you people just talk without looking at me every time? If I’d known this was going to happen, I never would have come here to freeload.’