Chapter 480 - 171: Meeting Shen Tong 2
"Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I’ll go talk to my grandma," Ah Bing said to Qin Mei.
Qin Mei breathed a sigh of relief. It was much better for Ah Bing to talk to his grandma than for her to try.
Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen sat on a bench in the courtyard. Ah Bing and his grandma were in the kitchen, and his yelling was loud enough for the neighbors to hear clearly.
A few minutes later, Ah Bing came out of the kitchen. "Brother Jie, Sister-in-law, my grandma agreed."
"We heard," Qin Mei said, smiling at Ah Bing. ’He was yelling so loudly, I’d have to be deaf not to.’
"Here’s our address." Jie Jingchen handed the written address to Ah Bing.
Ah Bing took it with a grin, glanced at it, and slipped it into his pocket.
With the herb gathering left in Ah Bing’s hands, Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen no longer needed to go into the mountains themselves. They said their goodbyes, and though his grandma urged them to stay for lunch, they declined. The old woman insisted, however, and pressed two steamed buns into each of their hands.
Ah Bing walked them to where they had parked, and they ran into an acquaintance along the way.
"Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law," Shen Tong said, her eyes widening in pleasant surprise.
Jie Jingchen wasn’t surprised to see Shen Tong, but Qin Mei was stunned. "Shen Tong."
"Fourth Sister-in-law, it’s me!" Shen Tong ran over and threw her arms around Qin Mei in excitement.
"You’re one of the educated youth here?" ’What a coincidence.’ Qin Mei glanced at Jie Jingchen. There wasn’t a shred of surprise on his face; clearly, he already knew Shen Tong was here.
Because of a single comment from Qin Mei, Shen Tong had given up her plans to study abroad, a choice that had completely altered the course of her life. Afterward, the Shen family had never confronted her about it. Her third sister-in-law hadn’t said a word, either. ’Shen Tong’s parents and Shen Qing are reasonable people,’ Qin Mei thought. ’I only made a suggestion. The final decision was Shen Tong’s to make.’
’For Shen Tong to end up as an educated youth here, her mother-in-law must have pulled some strings behind the scenes.’
"Yes, I am! Fourth Sister-in-law, thank you." Shen Tong was deeply grateful, seeing Qin Mei as a savior who had appeared at a turning point in her life. She squeezed Qin Mei’s hand. "Fourth Sister-in-law, did you come all this way just to see me?"
Qin Mei swallowed. "No..." she started to deny.
"Shen Tong, hurry up! We’re going to be late!" someone shouted.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, I have to run! Wait for me and Fourth Brother at the Educated Youth Center. I’ll head back as soon as I’m off work." With that, Shen Tong ran off.
Qin Mei put a hand to her forehead, shaking her head helplessly as she watched Shen Tong leave in a flurry.
Before running into her, she truly had no idea that Shen Tong was serving as an educated youth here.
"And you two are...?" Ah Bing asked curiously. He knew Shen Tong, but after hearing how she addressed them, he was unsure of their relationship.
"She’s my third sister-in-law’s younger sister," Qin Mei replied with a smile.
’A sister-in-law’s sister is still a sister,’ Ah Bing thought. He puffed out his chest and declared, "Don’t you worry, Sister-in-law. I’ll look out for her. I guarantee no one in this village will dare to bully her."
"Thanks." Jie Jingchen clapped Ah Bing on the shoulder. It was a favor he would be sure to return.
"Don’t mention it, Brother Jie," Ah Bing said with a smile.
Ah Bing led them on, and a little over ten minutes later, they were back where they had parked the car yesterday. Qin Mei got in first while Jie Jingchen gave Ah Bing a few last-minute instructions before getting in himself.
Once they were a good distance away, Qin Mei couldn’t help but ask, "What did you tell Ah Bing?"
"I told him to go to the Educated Youth Center and wait for Shen Tong," Jie Jingchen replied.
It was only then that Qin Mei remembered what Shen Tong had said. She tapped her forehead in frustration. "I completely forgot."
Jie Jingchen simply smiled without a word.
It was already noon by the time they got home. Jie Jingjue had bought dumplings, and he and Jing Qi were just starting to eat when they heard them arrive. Jie Jingjue came out to see who it was. Seeing his fourth brother and sister-in-law, he raised an eyebrow. "Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, where’d you two go after taking Brother Qin to the station yesterday morning? You didn’t come back all night."
Jie Jingchen ignored him and headed for the kitchen—not to cook, but to heat water for a bath.
Qin Mei paid him no mind either, heading back to their room to use the restroom.
"Fourth Brother," Jie Jingshan called out.
"Yeah," Jie Jingchen grunted in acknowledgment as he switched out the pot to heat more water.
"Fourth Brother, are you and Fourth Sister-in-law having dumplings?" Jie Jingjue asked.
"No," Jie Jingchen said, shooting Jie Jingjue a cold glance.
"Suit yourselves." Jie Jingjue shrugged. ’It’s not like I have any extra,’ he thought. ’I didn’t know when they’d be back, so I only bought enough for me and Jing Qi.’ "So where did you two spend the night?"
’Curiosity killed the cat,’ he mused. ’It was normal for me to stay out all night, but for Fourth Brother to stay out all night with Fourth Sister-in-law? That wasn’t normal at all.’
Jie Jingchen had no intention of humoring him. The corners of his thin lips curled with a hint of coldness, and his amber eyes were deep and unreadable. Jie Jingjue flinched and backed down, not daring to press the matter further.
Once the water was hot, Jie Jingchen went to their room to get the bucket. Qin Mei bathed and washed her hair, then sat comfortably on a wicker chair to sunbathe while waiting for her hair to dry. After Jie Jingchen finished his own bath, he still had to wash their clothes.