Chapter 219 - 86: Qin’s Ointment (3)
"Haste makes waste." She had reminded Jing Qi of this many times, but Jing Qi was so desperate to get out of her wheelchair that her words fell on deaf ears. Jing Qi usually listened to her more than anyone, but when it came to her exercises, she was especially stubborn.
’Oh, well.’ She herself didn’t like to exercise, so she couldn’t really stop Jing Qi from doing it. ’Let her exercise however she wants. At worst, I’ll just change her medicine and buy her more nutritious food.’
"I still can’t walk normally, but I can manage a couple of steps," Jie Jingshan confessed, her voice laced with guilt. Her fourth sister-in-law had warned her that haste makes waste, but she just couldn’t help herself. The day she’d first managed to stand, her heart had been pounding with excitement. She had been disabled for four years, and that time had worn down her will.
She had already given up, holding no hope of ever standing again. The arrival of her fourth sister-in-law had rekindled that extinguished hope, like a brilliant light illuminating her gray world and allowing her to face a life full of promise once more.
And as it turned out, her sister-in-law hadn’t been tricking her or just humouring her. In just over a month, not only could she stand up, but she could even take a couple of steps.
Qin Mei simply smiled without a word and continued pushing Jie Jingshan’s wheelchair.
Jie Jingshan was surprised. She had expected her sister-in-law to lecture her, telling her to exercise in moderation or risk it backfiring. But this time, her sister-in-law didn’t try to persuade her otherwise.
"Sister-in-law," Jie Jingshan called out tentatively. ’Did I make her angry by disobeying and secretly exercising more?’
"Hm?" Qin Mei grunted in acknowledgment, signaling for Jie Jingshan to say what was on her mind.
"Sister-in-law, are you angry with me?" Jie Jingshan asked nervously.
Qin Mei saw how Jie Jingshan’s hands, resting on her lap, were anxiously picking at her fingertips. She shook her head with a helpless sigh. ’If I don’t say something, this girl will think I’m actually mad.’ "I’m not angry. Your progress has exceeded my expectations. Jing Qi, you’re very brave. As long as you don’t force yourself and get proper rest, I won’t try to stop you anymore. You don’t need to exercise secretly behind my back."
Qin Mei’s voice was like a flowing spring, bringing a sense of deep, soothing comfort. Jie Jingshan was thrilled. "Really?"
"Really. We’ll do whatever makes you happy," Qin Mei said with a smile.
"Sister-in-law, I actually lied to you. It’s not just that I can ’manage’ a couple of steps. I can walk a few more, and it’s not a struggle at all," Jie Jingshan said happily.
"Our Jing Qi is just that amazing." Qin Mei was generous with her praise. To Jing Qi, every extra step was a momentous achievement worth recording. ’I don’t have a video camera,’ she thought, ’but if I did, I’d definitely be filming this.’
"Hehe." Jie Jingshan laughed happily, then added a request, "Sister-in-law, you have to help me keep it a secret. When I can walk normally again, I want to give everyone a surprise."
"No problem," Qin Mei agreed, then asked, "Not even your fourth brother?"
"Nope. Only you and I will know," Jie Jingshan said, treating everyone the same.
Qin Mei thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
When Qin Mei went grocery shopping, she naturally bought things she liked to eat. She loved chili peppers, but they weren’t in season. This era wasn’t like the future, where you could get different kinds of chilies year-round. Here, you could only buy seasonal vegetables.
Since there were no chili peppers, Qin Mei felt it didn’t really matter what she bought. She turned to Jie Jingshan. "Jing Qi, what do you want to eat?"
"Sister-in-law, I want to eat pig’s trotters," Jie Jingshan said. She wasn’t a fan of vegetables.
Qin Mei had already figured out that Jie Jingshan was a carnivore. She casually bought a few seasonal vegetables before pushing the wheelchair over to the butcher’s stall.
"Jing Qi." The butcher was very surprised to see Jie Jingshan. In the past, she used to come to the non-staple food store to buy meat with Aunt Zhang, so he’d gotten to know her over time. Ever since her accident, he hadn’t seen her at the store with Aunt Zhang again.
"Uncle Li," Jie Jingshan greeted politely, then tugged on Qin Mei’s sleeve to introduce her. "Uncle Li, this is my fourth sister-in-law. Sister-in-law, this is Uncle Li."
"Hello, Uncle Li," Qin Mei said politely as well.
This wasn’t Qin Mei’s first time at the non-staple food store, but it was her first time buying meat here.
Qin Mei was beautiful, and she dressed in a distinctive way. Even in a simple white shirt and black pants, she had a unique flair. Uncle Li had seen her a few times and knew she was the Fourth Wife of Jing, but they had never spoken.
"Fourth Wife of Jing, I heard you’re treating Jing Qi’s legs," Uncle Li said to Qin Mei, his face beaming. He sincerely hoped she could cure Jing Qi’s legs.
"Mhm," Qin Mei nodded with a smile. She had no ill feelings toward anyone who genuinely wished for Jing Qi’s recovery.
"Good, good, good," Uncle Li said, at a loss for other words.
Qin Mei could tell Uncle Li wasn’t much of a talker, and any further conversation would just be awkward. There was still a lot of meat left, but only one pig’s trotter remained.
Qin Mei found this a bit strange. People of this era were very frugal; they would rather buy meat than pig’s trotters.
"It’s the end of the month, so most people are out of meat rations," Uncle Li explained, picking up his cleaver. "Fourth Wife of Jing, how much meat do you want? For the three of you, two pounds should be enough."
Everyone knew about the Jie Family splitting up, and Uncle Li was no exception. When people chatted privately, they all complained on Jing Si’s behalf. What kind of family split was that? Who splits the family by only casting out the fourth son and his wife, and saddling them with a disabled younger sister?
Jing Qi’s situation made her a burden.
"Uncle Li, we’re not buying meat," Qin Mei spoke up just as he was about to cut a piece.
Uncle Li paused his cleaver. ’If they’re not buying meat, what are they doing at my stall? Just here for a chat?’ Thinking of the couple’s circumstances and glancing at Jing Qi, he lowered his voice and asked, "No money? No ration tickets?"
Other than the Jie Family, no one knew that Jing Qi had money. With Qin Mei unemployed and Jing Qi in her condition, while Jing Si had only just recently gone back to work, it was understandable why someone would assume they had no money or ration tickets.
Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. Uncle Li was treating them like some poor souls who could only stare at the meat to satisfy their cravings.
"Uncle Li, I have money," Jie Jingshan said. She had money, just no ration tickets.
"And I have the tickets," Qin Mei added immediately.
Uncle Li clearly didn’t believe them. His own family barely scraped by, and he wasn’t one to put on airs, but taking pity on them, he was about to give them a pound of meat out of kindness.
"We’re not buying meat, we’re buying pig’s—" Before she could say the word "trotters," a booming voice cut her off.
"Xiao Li, I’ll take that pig’s trotter."
"You got it, Sister Ahua." Uncle Li grinned and picked up the pig’s trotter to hand it to Lin Ahua.
"Uncle Li, wait a second," Qin Mei called out, pointing to the trotter in his hand. "I want that pig’s trotter. First come, first served. You should sell it to me."
Uncle Li looked baffled. ’Did the Fourth Wife of Jing say she wanted a pig’s trotter?’ He replayed Qin Mei’s interrupted sentence in his mind. ’Could she have been about to say "pig’s trotter," only to be cut off by Lin Ahua before she could finish?’
"Well..." Uncle Li was in a tight spot. This was getting awkward.
Lin Ahua didn’t spare Qin Mei a glance, only looking at Jing Qi before snatching the pig’s trotter directly from Uncle Li’s hand. Without even giving him a chance to speak, she skillfully handed over the money and ration tickets. She had been coming to the stall to buy pig’s trotters frequently of late. "Here, Xiao Li. The money and tickets. Take them."
Lin Ahua turned to leave but was blocked by Qin Mei. "First come, first served."
"Did you pay for it?" Lin Ahua’s hostility was palpable, but Qin Mei didn’t understand it. ’To be this hostile at our very first meeting... It’s completely baffling.’
"Fourth Wife of Jing, Sister Ahua’s daughter-in-law just gave birth. The baby has no milk to drink, so she needs this pig’s trotter to make soup to help with lactation," Uncle Li said, trying to play the peacemaker.
Now that Uncle Li had said that, Qin Mei felt too embarrassed to keep arguing. She looked at Jing Qi. She herself didn’t care about eating the trotter, but Jing Qi was the one who wanted it. If Jing Qi was insistent, she would fight to get it back.
Jie Jingshan looked up at Qin Mei and said, "Sister-in-law, we can just have meat instead."
Seeing the look of resignation on Jing Qi’s face as she settled for second best, Qin Mei felt a surge of annoyance. They had been standing at the stall for so long, only to watch the pig’s trotter get bought right out from under them.
"Ahua, your daughter-in-law can’t finish a whole pig’s trotter by herself. How about you split it with me? My granddaughter-in-law has no milk either, and she’s still in her postpartum confinement. The little baby is wailing with hunger, it’s just pitiful to see. The whole family is sick with worry," another older woman chimed in, trying to reason with Lin Ahua in a friendly tone.