Chapter 202 - 81: All You Can Do Is Be Envious
He was starting to worry about Jing Qi now, afraid that under Qin Mei’s influence, he might do something unacceptable.
"If she told you to go die, would you do it?" Shen Qing asked.
"Of course not." Jie Jinghun shook his head firmly, stepping forward to hug Shen Qing from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his lips brushing suggestively against her neck as his voice dropped to a low, husky rasp. "Qing, let’s..."
"I’m too worried right now. I’m not in the mood," Shen Qing said, turning and pushing him away.
Jie Jinghun was a little disappointed, but not heartbroken. They hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and everyone else was home from work. Aunt Zhang could call them to eat at any moment. ’He’d just have to wait until after their evening baths if he wanted to get intimate with her,’ he thought.
"Honey, it’ll all work out. Don’t worry so much. I’ll go talk to Jing Si," Jie Jinghun said comfortingly.
Shen Qing started to say that she had already run into Jing Si on her way back and spoken to him, but Jie Jinghun was already walking out the door. She decided to just let him go.
Jie Jinghun went to Jie Jingchen’s newly built kitchen and saw him cooking. He was filled with envy. He, too, wanted to live a small, separate life with his wife, just like Jie Jingchen.
But he was different from Jie Jingchen. Jie Jingchen could be as willful as he pleased, but he couldn’t afford to act so impulsively.
"Living the good life, I see," Jie Jinghun teased.
Jie Jingchen paused his chopping. He raised an eyebrow and shot a sideways glance at the teasing Jie Jinghun. His voice was cool as he asked, "Something you need?"
Jie Jinghun put on his usual refined smile and stepped inside. He took a good look around the new kitchen; it was his first time inside since Jie Jingchen had it built. "Jing Si, I’m not kidding. I’m genuinely jealous."
Jie Jingchen shot him a cold look, his voice icy. "And jealous is all you’ll ever be."
Jie Jinghun froze for a second, an eyebrow twitching. Jie Jingchen’s taunt had gotten under his skin. "Believe it or not, when Dad gets home from work, I’m going to demand we split the household, too. I’ll build my own kitchen and bathroom."
’He was genuinely green with envy over the bathroom Jie Jingchen had built. A private bathroom, all to himself inside his own quarters. No more waiting in line for the toilet, no more waiting in line for a shower. It was simply perfect.’
’So many of them had to share a single toilet, while Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei had their own private ones. What was truly outrageous was that the couple had one bathroom for their personal use, while another sat locked up in a spare room that was also kept locked.’
"And where exactly do you plan on building a bathroom?" Jie Jingchen asked coolly.
Jie Jinghun fell silent. Behind his room was the neighbor’s wall. There wasn’t even enough space for a person to squeeze by, let alone build a bathroom.
He felt a crushing blow to his ego. ’If I stay here any longer,’ he thought, ’I’m afraid my jealousy will spiral out of control and I’ll give in to the urge to punch someone.’
"Jie Jinghun." Qin Mei almost collided with him head-on. Luckily, she was quick on her feet, stopping short and sidestepping just in time.
"Mm," Jie Jinghun acknowledged coolly before striding off.
Qin Mei was taken aback. Her usually gentle and refined brother-in-law had just dropped his polite facade. ’Was it because of me?’ she wondered. But his attitude didn’t seem to be directed at her.
"Jie Jingchen, your brother seems upset. Is it because of Shen Tong?" Qin Mei asked.
"No," Jie Jingchen said. When he saw she didn’t believe him, he elaborated, "He wants to build a bathroom, but his room backs up against the neighbor’s property wall. There’s no space, so now he’s sulking."
"That’s an easy fix," Qin Mei said dismissively. "He should just negotiate with the neighbors. Offer them enough money to move their wall back a little and make room." ’It’s just a property wall, not the wall of their actual house,’ she thought. ’It should be easy to solve. If you offer enough money, they wouldn’t just move the wall; they’d probably agree to tear it down entirely.’
An odd expression appeared on Jie Jingchen’s face. He gave Qin Mei a complicated look, one that was hard to put into words.
"Did I say something wrong?" Qin Mei asked. She thought her suggestion was perfectly reasonable. ’What’s that look for?’
"You’re not wrong," Jie Jingchen said, looking back down at the vegetables he was chopping. "But that’s his problem. Don’t meddle."
Qin Mei paused. Since Jie Jingchen had put it that way, there was nothing more for her to say. It wasn’t like she enjoyed meddling in other people’s affairs anyway.
Looking around the entire courtyard, besides the rooms occupied by Jie Jingchen, Jie Jingjue, and Jie Jingshan, which had space for expansion out back, none of the others could be extended. They were all blocked by a neighbor’s property wall or the wall of a neighbor’s house. There might be some hope with a property wall, but if it was a house wall, there was absolutely no chance.
Once the food was ready, Qin Mei went to wheel Jie Jingshan into the kitchen to eat. They had two dishes and a soup: shredded potatoes, stir-fried greens, and egg drop soup. Compared to the four meat and three vegetable dishes Aunt Zhang made, their meal was incredibly simple. There wasn’t even a pinch of ground meat.