Chapter 162 - 68: You Had a Miscarriage, Was the Child Jing 4’s?
"Don’t look at me like that. If you want me to do something, just say it." Jie Jingchen closed his book and looked at the two of them with a serious expression.
The two of them could chat all they wanted, but why did they keep looking at him while they talked? ’What’s that supposed to mean?’
"Fourth Brother, when are you going back to work?" Jie Jingshan came right out and asked.
Jie Jingchen visibly stiffened. He didn’t answer Jie Jingshan, instead turning to Qin Mei with a teasing glint in his eyes.
Qin Mei felt completely innocent. ’I can tell from his look he thinks I put Jing Qi up to this. I’m being framed! This is a total miscarriage of justice.’
’Honestly, Jing Qi... I haven’t even started nagging Jie Jingchen about going back to work, but she’s already getting impatient.’
’Jing Qi is the Qiao Family’s heir, after all. Under her leadership, the family is thriving. She’s a true capitalist exploiter! She’ll squeeze anyone dry, family or not.’
Qin Mei gave a light cough, cleared her throat, and said, "There’s no rush. Your recovery is the priority. Your body is your most important asset. Without good health, you can’t go far or fly high."
"Is that so?" Jie Jingchen gave her a roguish smile, his eyes deep as he stared at Qin Mei.
A forced smile touched Qin Mei’s lips. "Every word is the truth, straight from the heart."
Jie Jingchen ignored her, reopening his book to continue reading. ’That mouth of hers,’ he thought, ’is full of nothing but lies.’
"Fourth Sister-in-law, what are we having for dinner tonight?" Jie Jingshan asked. Having spent some time together, she knew her sister-in-law didn’t care for wheat-based dishes. She, on the other hand, loved them. Eating rice once in a while was fine, but she couldn’t stand having it for every meal.
Dumplings were her favorite; she could eat them for every meal and never get tired of them.
Qin Mei looked conflicted. "What we eat isn’t the important thing. The important thing is *where* we eat."
’I really don’t dare to eat Aunt Zhang’s cooking. You can offend anyone, but you must never offend the person who cooks your food or the one who serves it. Otherwise, you’re the one who will suffer.’
As for going to the second aunt’s house, aside from not wanting to face Granny Guo, there was another, more important reason she’d overlooked at lunchtime: she was still supposed to be in confinement, recovering from her miscarriage.
No one wants a woman recovering from a miscarriage visiting their home. If everything in the household was going well, it might be fine. But if even the slightest thing went wrong, they would start looking for someone or something to blame.
The three of them were lost in their own thoughts when Shen Qing returned from work. Jie Jingshan called out, "Third Sister-in-law."
Shen Qing answered, parked her bicycle, and untied a rope on the back rack. She lifted a heavy stack of books and walked over to Jie Jingshan.
"Jing Qi, the books you wanted." Shen Qing placed the stack of books on the stone table.
"Thank you, Third Sister-in-law." Jie Jingshan was overjoyed, looking at Shen Qing with gratitude.
Qin Mei was taken aback. ’These are all high school textbooks.’ The books looked brand new, but Qin Mei was certain they hadn’t just been bought.
"My younger sister finished high school, and these books were just collecting dust at home." Shen Qing’s voice was gentle. She stared at Jie Jingshan and hesitated for a few seconds. "It’s just... Jing Qi, will you be able to understand them?"
"If I don’t understand something, I’ll ask Fourth Sister-in-law," Jie Jingshan said, thrilled. She had only mentioned it to her third sister-in-law that morning, and she’d already brought the books back after work.
Shen Qing looked at Qin Mei in surprise and asked bluntly, "You went to high school?"
’Not just high school, I graduated from a top university,’ Qin Mei dared only to think, not say it aloud. The original owner of this body was illiterate.
Glancing at Jie Jingchen, Qin Mei rubbed her nose and shook her head. "No."
"Then can you understand high school textbooks?" Shen Qing pressed.
"Well..." This was giving Qin Mei a headache. ’How am I supposed to explain this? I didn’t go to high school, but I can understand the books.’ She looked at Jie Jingchen, and inspiration struck. She pointed at him. "He understands. He can teach me, and I can teach Jing Qi. Heh, killing three birds with one stone."
Shen Qing fell silent, her gaze turning inquisitive as she stared at Qin Mei.
’Killing three birds with one stone? Only she would come up with something like that.’ Jie Jingchen’s brow furrowed, but a roguish, wicked grin played on his lips. "I only finished one year of high school before I enlisted."
The corner of Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. He was calling her bluff. She had to counter. Her original plan was to suggest tactfully that they could all learn together and overcome any difficulties, but the words changed just as they left her lips. She volunteered bravely, "I understand them."
Jie Jingshan believed her without question, Jie Jingchen was half-convinced, and Shen Qing was completely unconvinced.
"Jing Qi, if you don’t understand something, come find me," Shen Qing told Jie Jingshan before turning and heading toward her own room.
Qin Mei picked up the book on top, flipped through it casually, and asked, "What’s Third Sister-in-law’s educational background?"
"She studied abroad," Jie Jingchen replied.
Qin Mei gulped. "No wonder she works at a translation agency."
Qin Mei closed the book, placed it back on the pile, and gazed up at the sky, rocking the rattan chair so much that it might as well have been a rocking chair.
"Now that her sister has finished high school, is she planning to follow in Third Sister-in-law’s footsteps?" Qin Mei asked.
"I’m not sure." Jie Jingchen shook his head. ’It wouldn’t be my place to get involved in his third sister-in-law’s sister’s affairs. People would think I had ulterior motives.’