Chapter 356 - 131: Here, Chop the Neck
"Pork ribs," Jie Jingshan said, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
Qin Xiang had made two bowls of braised pork ribs with potatoes. He set one down in front of Qin Mei and the other in front of Jie Anqi. But then, with a long reach, he snatched away Jie Anqi’s bowl of ribs and swapped it with the plate of green vegetables in front of Jing Qi.
"Brother Xiang, I want to eat pork ribs too!" Jie Anqi protested.
Qin Xiang ignored her, picking up a piece of pork rib and placing it in Jing Qi’s bowl. "Jing Qi, have a taste of my cooking."
Under Jie Anqi’s furious glare, Jie Jingshan picked up her chopsticks, lifted a rib from her bowl, and took an elegant bite. "Delicious."
"Brother Xiang, I want pork ribs too! Get me a piece," Jie Anqi demanded.
Qin Xiang continued to ignore her. He simply picked up another rib, placed it in Jing Qi’s bowl, and looked at her dotingly. "If you like it, have some more."
"Mm, okay," Jing Qi nodded obediently.
Jie Anqi was seething, glaring furiously at Jing Qi as she nibbled on the rib.
Qin Mei watched them, amused. ’Looks like my brother’s gotten himself into a messy romantic entanglement with Jie Anqi. He’s going to have a hard time shaking her off.’
"Don’t just stand there watching. Go on, eat." Jie Jingchen placed a piece of pork rib in Qin Mei’s bowl.
Qin Mei shot Jie Jingchen a sidelong glance before picking up her chopsticks and starting on the rib. Qin Xiang’s cooking was miles better than Jie Jingchen’s, but with Grandpa and Granny present, Qin Mei didn’t praise her brother.
Jie Anqi was fuming. Since Qin Xiang wouldn’t serve her, she helped herself. Grandpa looked a little embarrassed; his wife and Anqi had practically dragged him here to freeload.
Granny, however, felt that as an elder, it was only natural for the younger generation to be filial. She kept piling food onto Grandpa’s plate, which only made him more embarrassed.
"Dear, that’s enough, that’s enough," Grandpa said in a low voice. His old face flushed with embarrassment as he looked at the mountain of food piled in his bowl.
"Hurry up and eat," Granny urged.
Grandpa gave a resigned smile, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and started to eat.
With seven people eating a meal meant for four, everyone except Granny and Jie Anqi only ate until they were about seventy percent full.
Once they had eaten their fill, Grandpa offered to stay and wash the dishes, but Granny pulled him away. Before leaving, she reminded Jie Anqi to head back to the machinery factory soon.
Qin Xiang got up to clear the dishes. Seeing this, Jie Anqi immediately stopped him. "Brother Xiang, you’re the guest. I’ll take care of it."
Qin Mei looked at Jie Anqi, who had eagerly volunteered. ’The power of love is truly something else.’
Qin Xiang didn’t argue with her. If she wanted to put on a show, he’d give her the chance. He stood up, helped Jing Qi out of the kitchen, and Jie Jingchen pulled Qin Mei away as well, leaving Jie Anqi alone to deal with the aftermath.
"Brother, it looks like Jie Anqi wants to be my sister-in-law," Qin Mei said.
Qin Xiang stopped, turned to look at Qin Mei, and asked, "Do you like her?"
"Nope." Qin Mei shook her head, answering honestly.
"Me neither," Qin Xiang said with a shrug.
"It was love at first sight for her. And she looks pretty stubborn—she’ll probably pester you shamelessly. She even asked Jing Si for help, hoping he’d set you two up," Qin Mei said with a laugh.
Qin Xiang rolled his eyes, then fixed his gaze on Jie Jingchen, who was standing beside Qin Mei. "Jing Si, if you dare help her, we’re done."
’Of course,’ Qin Xiang thought, ’if Jie Jingchen helps Jie Anqi, I’m the one who’ll suffer first.’
"You’re more important to me than she is," Jie Jingchen stated his position clearly. He would help anyone before he’d help Jie Anqi. He’d already made it very clear to her that she wasn’t good enough for Qin Xiang.
Qin Xiang was satisfied but reminded him, "She’s your cousin."
"And you’re my brother-in-law." Jie Jingchen’s thin lips curved into a roguish smile. He lowered his gaze, his eyes full of deep adoration as he looked at Qin Mei.
A mischievous glint flashed in Qin Xiang’s handsome, almond-shaped eyes. He patted Jie Jingchen’s shoulder and turned to Jing Qi. "Jing Qi, want to go for a walk?"
"Huh?" Jie Jingshan looked surprised.
"Brother, Jing Qi can’t walk very far," Qin Mei reminded him.
"Who said anything about walking? We’ll go for a bike ride." Qin Xiang reached out and tweaked Qin Mei’s nose. "Come on, let’s all go together."
"Nope," Qin Mei refused. "I’m going to take a nap."
Qin Xiang didn’t press the issue. He looked at Jie Jingchen. "You?"
"I’m not going either." At the moment, Jie Jingchen only had eyes for Qin Mei. If she went, he would go; if she stayed, he would stay.
"Fine, suit yourselves. Jing Qi, let’s go." Qin Xiang, who had been supporting Jing Qi by the arm, now started pulling her along.
"I..." Jing Qi stumbled to keep up as Qin Xiang pulled her along. ’I don’t want to go either,’ she thought frantically. ’I have to study, and exercise, and take a nap!’
"Come on, let’s go back to our room for a nap." An infinite tenderness flowed in Jie Jingchen’s deep voice.
Qin Mei stared blankly at Jie Jingchen, her eyes full of resistance. ’With him around, could she really get any sleep?’ Her cheeks flushed. Qin Mei pulled her hand from his grasp, took a step back, and watched him warily. "I just ate, so it’s not a good time for a nap. If you’re tired, you can go back to the room first."