Chapter 26 - 23: Fourth Brother, Save Me (4)
Everyone was aghast. "Vixen," "seductress"... such words shouldn’t come from a child’s mouth. A total failure of an education!
Qin Mei’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’I’m actually being called a vixen by a seven or eight-year-old kid.’ But the real issue wasn’t the insult, it was "Teacher Lin."
"Who’s this Teacher Lin?" Qin Mei asked, resting her chin on her hand, her dark brows knitted together. ’First, there was Su Wan’er, and now there’s a Teacher Lin. Just how many women has Jie Jingchen gotten tangled up with? Damn his charm, damn his good looks, and damn all these romantic entanglements.’
"Jie You." A faint hint of displeasure floated in Jie Jingchen’s amber eyes.
"What on earth are you saying? Who taught you to speak like that?" Xu Chunyan gave her son a little push, reprimanding him with a stern expression.
Jie You looked bewildered. He stared at his mother with wide, wronged eyes and started to say, "But Mom, you’re the one who..."
Xu Chunyan quickly clamped a hand over Xiao You’s mouth and shot him a warning glare. When she looked back at Qin Mei, her face was a mask of apology. "Qin Mei, please don’t be angry. He’s just a child and doesn’t know any better. He’s just spouting nonsense, so please don’t take it to heart."
"Of course not. How could I get angry with a little brat? Not a chance," Qin Mei said with a smile.
"Xiao Si, Qin Mei, I’ll take him back to our room and give him a talking-to." Jie Jingwei snapped out of it and, wilting under Jie Jingchen’s sharp gaze, pulled his son from Xu Chunyan and dragged him toward their rooms.
"Second Brother, a simple scolding isn’t enough. Spare the rod, spoil the child." Qin Mei’s implication was clear: if a son won’t listen, a good spanking will make him behave.
Jie Jingwei faltered, stumbling on his feet and nearly falling over. ’She’s actually telling me to beat my own son.’
Jie You was the eldest grandson. Since the third brother’s family only had a daughter, he was the only male heir of his generation so far. They all doted on him as if he were the most precious treasure; they couldn’t even bear to scold him, let alone lay a hand on him.
He had only said he’d take him back to be disciplined to smooth things over, but Qin Mei was actually taking him at his word.
"Qin Mei, Xiao You is just a child." Fiercely protective of her son, Xu Chunyan was instantly displeased by Qin Mei’s comment.
Qin Mei pinched the bridge of her nose and said softly, "A son’s lack of filial piety is the father’s fault. Lax teaching is the teacher’s laziness."
The color drained from Jie Jingwei’s face, and Xu Chunyan looked just as sour. Jie Jingwei was the father, and Xu Chunyan was not only the mother but also a teacher by profession.
In truth, Qin Mei had no idea Xu Chunyan was a teacher. The second part of her saying was aimed at the Teacher Lin whom Jie You had mentioned, even though she wasn’t there.
Xu Chunyan, however, didn’t see it that way. She was convinced Qin Mei was taking a veiled jab at her.
"Qin Mei!" Xu Chunyan snapped, so furious she dropped the formal title for a sister-in-law. She looked like she wanted to charge over and rip that mouth of hers apart.
"Second Sister-in-law, what’s all the commotion?" a teasing voice chimed in.
"Third Brother, this wife of Xiao Si’s is a real piece of work! She’s as petty as they come. Our Xiao You was just speaking his mind like a child, and she tried to get your second brother to beat him for it," Xu Chunyan accused furiously.
"So you’re Xiao Si’s wife?" Jie Jinghun ignored Xu Chunyan’s accusation, his deep gaze sizing up Qin Mei.
’He had his own issues with his second brother’s son, who was always bullying his daughter. To keep the peace in the family, he and his wife had been forced to send their daughter to live with her maternal grandmother.’
Qin Mei paused, looking at the refined, scholarly-looking man. She didn’t need an introduction from Jie Jingchen; Xu Chunyan had already made his identity clear. This was Jie Jinghun, Jie Jingchen’s third brother.
Jie Jinghun didn’t look like Jie Jingwei; instead, he resembled Jie Jingling.
’The Jie family’s genetics are a mess,’ Qin Mei thought. ’Jie Jingwei looks like no one else. Jie Jinghun and Jie Jingling resemble each other, but I can’t see a hint of their mother in either of them. Jie Jingchen and Jie Jingjue take after their mother, especially Jie Jingshan. As for Jing Liu, I haven’t met them yet.’
’I guess the first three children take after their father, and the last four take after their mother,’ Qin Mei mused.
That theory was completely debunked the moment she saw Mr. Xie. Of the seven children, only the second, Jie Jingwei, resembled him.
’Jie Jingling and Jie Jinghun don’t resemble their father or their mother. I’m starting to wonder if they were adopted.’
"Say ’Third Brother’," Jie Jingchen said, nudging her shin with his foot when he saw she was spacing out.
Qin Mei shot Jie Jingchen a glare. ’We’re just talking, what was the kick for?’
"Third Brother," Qin Mei said, turning to Jie Jinghun with a polite smile.
"Not bad taste, Xiao Si," Jie Jinghun commented before picking up his aluminum lunch box and heading into his room.
𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Jie Jingwei also pulled his angry wife and son back into their room, leaving only Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen in the courtyard.
Qin Mei got the distinct impression that the Jie brothers didn’t get along. ’Are they fighting over the family inheritance?’ She glanced around the courtyard. A house like this wasn’t worth much back then, and they would have had no way of knowing just how valuable it would one day become.
’So it can’t be about the house. Then what is it?’
The sound of another bicycle broke the silence. Qin Mei turned to see a fashionable, stunningly beautiful woman with a cold demeanor hurrying into the courtyard. She pushed her bicycle in and casually leaned it against a wall.
"Third Sister-in-law," Jie Jingchen called out.
Shen Qing gave a slight nod. Her cool gaze flickered over Qin Mei for just a moment before she headed for Jie Jingshan’s room.
Qin Mei wasn’t offended by Shen Qing’s dismissiveness. In fact, she was surprised. Of the four family members who had just returned, she was the only one who went into Jie Jingshan’s room.
A moment later, Shen Qing emerged carrying a bedpan. She went to the latrine, then returned the clean bedpan to Jie Jingshan’s room. After that, she went directly to her own room without saying a single word.
Once Shen Qing had gone inside, Qin Mei couldn’t help but ask Jie Jingchen, "Is it your third sister-in-law’s job to take care of Jing Qi?"
"No." Jie Jingchen shook his head. He glanced at Qin Mei and explained, "Jing Qi has a dedicated caretaker, but Aunt Zhang had a family emergency and had to go back to her village for a few days."
"Oh," Qin Mei murmured. ’Jing Qi’s condition requires constant care. The rest of the Jie family all have jobs, so they have to hire someone. And it has to be someone consistent. Knowing Jing Qi’s temperament, she wouldn’t accept a substitute, not even for a few days.’ "So, your third sister-in-law...?"
"My third sister-in-law has a good heart." This explained why Jie Jingchen hadn’t bothered to greet Jie Jingwei’s family when they returned but had taken the initiative to greet Shen Qing.
’So Shen Qing has a good heart, but she’s as cold as ice, putting on an air that keeps everyone at arm’s length.’
"People with good hearts tend to have good fortune," Qin Mei remarked, then asked, "What does your third sister-in-law do for a living?"
Jie Jingchen shot Qin Mei a sidelong glance and replied, "She’s a translator."
"Impressive." Qin Mei gave him a thumbs-up. ’My own mother was a translator. If I hadn’t been transported to this era, I might have become one too.’
"She is," Jie Jingchen agreed. "My parents both acknowledge her talent."