Chapter 209 - 83: What’s with Jie Jingchen (2)
At the sound of Qin Mei’s voice, the little one grew very unhappy, his eyes filled with hostility. His Fourth Uncle used to dote on him, but ever since he married a fox spirit, his Fourth Uncle no longer liked him and was always yelling at him.
"Fox spirit, are you the one clinging to my Fourth Uncle, not letting him open the door for me?" Jie You demanded viciously.
Qin Mei was already used to Jie You calling her a fox spirit and couldn’t be bothered with him.
She soaked her feet while cracking melon seeds, utterly content.
"Fourth Uncle, open the door! Fourth Uncle, I feel sick! Fourth Uncle, I’m dying! Fourth Uncle, open up, I’m really about to die!" Jie You yelled, kicking frantically at the door.
’Kids will be kids,’ Qin Mei thought. ’He doesn’t even know how to properly fake being sick. If he were curled up at the door, gasping for breath, I would’ve immediately opened it to check. But having the energy to kick the door? Is that what ’about to die’ looks like?’
Seeing that Jie You couldn’t get the door open, Aunt Zhang and Xu Chunyan couldn’t help but wonder if Jie Jingchen was really in the room. Qin Mei was definitely in there; her voice had just been heard.
"Xiao You, what are you doing? Get back here," Xu Chunyan hissed, immediately scolding her son when she sensed movement from her father-in-law’s room.
"Xiao You, what are you up to again?" Mr. Xie’s scolding voice rang out.
"Grandpa, my tummy hurts! Fourth Uncle has medicine, so I came to get some from him! Boo hoo hoo... Grandpa, Fourth Uncle doesn’t like me! He won’t open the door!" Jie You wailed pitifully.
"His tummy hurts?" Mr. Xie’s stern gaze turned sharp as he looked at Xu Chunyan. "What’s going on?"
"Dad, don’t worry. Xiao You probably just overate. Doesn’t his Fourth Aunt know acupuncture? I figured I’d have Xiao You find his Fourth Uncle and ask his aunt to give him a few needles, to see if it would help his digestion," Xu Chunyan explained.
Jie Jingwei couldn’t sit still any longer and came out of his room. "Dad, you go back and rest. I’ll handle this."
’What a mess,’ he thought. ’It’s one thing to be plotting with Aunt Zhang, but to go and disturb Dad over it...’
"Hmph!" Mr. Xie snorted coldly, gave Jie Jingwei a warning look, and turned to go back to his room.
Qiao Yanqiu sat by the window. Seeing Mr. Xie return, she shot him a cold glance before continuing to read her medical book.
Mr. Xie didn’t dare disturb Qiao Yanqiu while she was reading her medical book. He just rubbed his nose sheepishly. ’Who ever said having many children is a blessing?’ he thought. ’It’s just one giant headache.’
"Jie You, get back here," Jie Jingwei barked, his face stern.
Jie You plopped right down on the ground and began to bawl, still yelling, "Grandpa won’t help me, Daddy’s being mean to me, and Fourth Uncle doesn’t love me anymore! He only loves that fox spirit! Boo hoo hoo..."
’This is getting irritating,’ Qin Mei thought. ’If he wants to cry, he should go back to his own room. What’s the point of bawling at my door?’
’And that couple, Jie Jingwei and his wife... just standing there yapping from a distance. With a little brat like that, you just drag him back to his room and deal with him. All talk and no action. What a waste of breath.’
Jie Jingchen emerged from the bathroom, his expression grim. He was in his pajamas, his hair still wet, with droplets of water dripping from the ends.
"Jie You." Jie Jingchen threw open the door, grabbed the little one by the collar, and hauled him inside, slamming the door shut and locking it.
"F-Fourth... Uncle." Jie You’s arrogant bravado was extinguished the moment he met Jie Jingchen’s cold gaze, his small body trembling.
So Jie Jingchen was in the room. They had really made up. Xu Chunyan stared at Aunt Zhang in disbelief. It was true what they say about lovers’ quarrels, that they fight and make up in the bedroom, but this reconciliation was just too fast.
She had used her son to confirm the situation, and they had just been in the bathroom arguing over who should get close to Jing Si. Yet here the couple was, good as new in no time. Wasn’t he supposed to have been locked out? Aunt Zhang was beginning to suspect Xu Chunyan had deliberately been playing her for a fool.
"Aunt..." Xu Chunyan said, looking mortified.
"Jing Si just hauled Xiao You into the room. You should be more worried about your own son’s predicament," Aunt Zhang reminded her.
Xu Chunyan’s mouth twitched. Xiao You was Jing Si’s nephew; she wasn’t worried about his well-being. What she was worried about were her own blunt words from earlier, and that Aunt Zhang might hold them against her. "Aunt, I wasn’t trying to put Wan’er down. I meant no harm, I just..."
"That’s enough. Say no more," Aunt Zhang cut her off, then added pointedly, "I know exactly what you meant."
Xu Chunyan was left speechless. When Jie Jinghun came out of the bathroom, Aunt Zhang went in, resuming her task of washing Xiao You’s shorts.
"Second Sister-in-law." A smile played on Jie Jinghun’s lips, his gentle voice laced with a thread of mockery.
"Third Brother." Seeing the usual gentle smile on Jie Jinghun’s face, Xu Chunyan was visibly mortified. She had no idea how much of her conversation with Aunt Zhang in the bathroom he had overheard.
Jie Jinghun didn’t linger to chat with Xu Chunyan. He took a deliberate detour to walk past Jie Jingwei. As he brushed shoulders with him, he paused and spoke pointedly. "Second Brother, what Dad wants is for all of us siblings to be close and love one another. After all, a harmonious family is a prosperous one."