Chapter 30 - 25: Mrs. Xie is a Stepmother
Jie You was Jing Er’s son. He’d also doted on Jie You, but he had his limits—and his daughter was his bottom line. As Jie You repeatedly crossed that line, his affection for the boy had worn thin.
A child not knowing any better could be forgiven. But what about the parents behind him? Did they not know any better either?
When Jie You bullied his daughter, his second brother and sister-in-law simply watched without stopping him. How could he not be furious?
"Teacher Lin is my fourth auntie," Jie You declared, puffing out his little chest.
Jie Jinghun didn’t press the matter, knowing some things were better left unsaid. A gentle smile remained on his lips, but the look he gave Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen held a deeper meaning.
"Xiao You, come here," Mr. Xie said, his voice full of authority.
But Jie You wasn’t afraid of Mr. Xie in the slightest. His grandfather doted on him the most and would never dream of hitting him. Emboldened, he glared at Qin Mei, and what he spat out next was shocking. "Get out! Our family doesn’t welcome you. Tomorrow after school, I’m bringing Teacher Lin home. The person my fourth uncle likes is Teacher Lin, not you!"
Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei remained impassive. Mrs. Xie was barely restraining her anger, but Mr. Xie flew into a rage. He roared, "Jie You, get over here!"
Jie Jingwei and Xu Chunyan jumped. Seeing that his father was truly furious, Jie Jingwei quickly tried to placate him. "Dad, Xiao You is just a child. He doesn’t know any better, he’s just spouting nonsense. Please don’t be angry."
"That’s right, Dad. You know what Xiao You is like, don’t you?" Xu Chunyan added, trying to explain. "He just latches onto whoever is nice to him. Teacher Lin is his homeroom teacher, and he adores her. He’s always pestering everyone to make Teacher Lin his fourth auntie. Now that his fourth uncle is married... sigh! Xiao You doesn’t understand any of it. His way of thinking is very simple. He’s convinced his new auntie stole his uncle, and that’s why his favorite Teacher Lin can’t be his auntie."
Soothed by the couple’s words, Mr. Xie finally calmed down a little and beckoned to Jie You. "Xiao You, come to Grandpa."
But Jie You ignored him, his eyes fixed on the dumplings in Qin Mei’s lunchbox. Jie Jingchen had already finished eating, but Qin Mei had barely touched her food.
Qin Mei sneered inwardly. ’He calls me a vixen, yet he’s staring at the dumplings in my lunchbox? I’d feed them to a dog before I gave him a single one.’
"Xiao You." Jie Jingwei looked at his son, utterly speechless. ’He calls the woman a vixen, and now he’s staring at her lunchbox.’
Xu Chunyan strode toward Jie You, grabbed his arm, and started to drag him away.
"Mom, I want dumplings!" Jie You whined as he was pulled away, his mind still fixated on the dumplings.
Xu Chunyan had the urge to spank him but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she reminded him, "Your grandpa called for you. Didn’t you hear him?"
When brought before Mr. Xie, Jie You called out meekly, "Grandpa."
"Come inside with Grandpa." Mr. Xie took Jie You’s small hand. He then took the bowl and chopsticks from the boy, handed them to a nearby Jie Jingwei, and said to Mrs. Xie, "I’m taking Xiao You inside to set him straight."
Mrs. Xie said nothing, but her look toward Mr. Xie was filled with displeasure. Nevertheless, she stepped aside to let them pass.
Mr. Xie sighed. Every family had its own problems.
As Mr. Xie led Jie You inside, Xu Chunyan shot Mrs. Xie a defiant look. ’Dad might favor Jing Si,’ she thought, ’but everyone knows the bond with a grandchild is special. Jie You is his first grandson, and *I’m* his mother. As long as I play my cards right with Jie You, the factory director position will definitely go to Jing Er.’
Jie Jinghun also went inside. With a grim expression, Mrs. Xie strode toward Qin Mei.
"Mom," Qin Mei called out. She had seen the defiant look Xu Chunyan gave Mrs. Xie and was baffled. ’In this day and age, a daughter-in-law is supposed to walk on eggshells around her mother-in-law. For a daughter-in-law to openly challenge her? That isn’t courage, that’s a direct challenge to the matriarch’s authority. No matter how understanding Mrs. Xie might be, she could never tolerate such a provocation. And yet, she acted as if she hadn’t seen it. What on earth is going on here?’
"Xiao Mei, we’ll let it slide this time," Mrs. Xie said, her elegant face filled with anger. "But if it happens again, don’t hold back. You teach him whatever lesson he needs. Jing Er and his wife spoil Xiao You rotten, with no limits. You don’t have to swallow your pride and endure it."
Qin Mei was stunned. She had expected Mrs. Xie to tell her not to stoop to a child’s level. Instead, she was being encouraged to discipline Jie You. One was her daughter-in-law, the other her grandson. Shouldn’t they both be precious to her? For her mother-in-law to side with her so openly... it was heartwarming, but also deeply suspicious.
’Is Jie You really her biological grandson?’
"Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t lower myself to a child’s level," Qin Mei said with a faint smile. ’Until I figure out what Mrs. Xie is really thinking, I need to take the high road. Arguing with a little brat is a losing battle, even when you’re in the right.’
"Xiao Mei, sometimes you have to make an issue of things. You can’t just let it slide because he’s young," Mrs. Xie urged.