Chapter 605 - 212: Cooling Off Under the Crooked Neck Tree (Part 2)
Qin Mei was stunned. Jie Anlin was more resourceful than Jie Jianjun—at least Jie Anlin knew to use the expert right in front of him. Jie Jianjun, by contrast, had prevented her from examining Granny and had just taken her straight to the hospital. A stomachache during pregnancy was no small matter, and she couldn’t tell if the pain on Zhao Hong’s face was real or an act.
"Amie, hurry and check on her." As a mother herself, Jie Jingling couldn’t stand by and watch this happen. For a moment, she’d even forgotten that she was a doctor.
"Sister, there’s no need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. You’re a doctor yourself," Qin Mei said with a smile, looking at Jie Jingling.
Realization dawned on Jie Jingling. She tapped her forehead and stepped forward to examine Zhao Hong.
Qin Mei wanted to ask, ’Sister, you didn’t forget you were a doctor on purpose, did you?’
Jie Jingling’s examination revealed that Zhao Hong was fine, with no signs of a miscarriage. Unfortunately, Jie Anlin and Zhao Hong didn’t trust Jie Jingling’s medical skills and insisted that Qin Mei check her pulse. Qin Mei had no intention of getting involved, but she relented out of respect for Jie Jingling when she asked.
But while she’d show respect, she also had to make some money.
Qin Mei walked over to Zhao Hong. As she took her pulse, she said, "Out of respect for my sister, I’ll give you a fifty-percent discount. That’ll be fifty yuan."
"What? Fifty yuan?" Zhao Hong dropped the act and snatched her hand back. "I don’t want you to examine me."
"Honey, it’s fine. If it’s fifty yuan, it’s fifty yuan. Granny will pay for us." Jie Anlin had unshakable faith in Qin Mei’s medical skills. She had cured his ’hidden ailment,’ and the results were remarkable—Zhao Hong’s pregnancy was the best proof of that.
Qin Mei looked at Jie Anlin with contempt. ’He leeches off Granny so shamelessly.’ Jie Anlin was unbelievably thick-skinned. He had a job, worked diligently, and earned a salary every month, yet he was too stingy to spend a single cent of his own. He simply saved his own money and spent his elders’.
’I already felt something was off when I took her pulse just now,’ Qin Mei thought. Seeing that Zhao Hong’s expression hadn’t changed, it was clear the woman was underestimating her medical skills.
Zhao Hong looked conflicted. She glanced at Jie Anlin, seeming to hesitate, then gritted her teeth and pointed at Qin Mei. "She’s a quack!"
Jie Jingling raised an eyebrow. Jie Anlin pulled down Zhao Hong’s pointing finger. "She’s not a quack."
In Jie Anlin’s mind, Qin Mei was a miracle worker—the divine doctor who had cured his hidden ailment. He was so grateful he even considered paying out of his own pocket to have a commemorative plaque made for her.
Zhao Hong grew agitated. "I don’t care! I don’t want her examining me! Take me to the hospital!"
"Alright, alright, I’ll take you to the hospital." For the sake of the baby in her belly, Jie Anlin had no choice but to give in.
Riding a bicycle would be too risky, and Jie Jingchen had already taken the car to drive Granny to the hospital. All Jie Anlin could do was help Zhao Hong to the bus stop.
Watching the two of them leave, Jie Jingling turned to Qin Mei. "Amie, is her baby really alright?"
Qin Mei paused for a second, a sly glint flashing in her eyes. She linked her arm through Jie Jingling’s. "Sister, why are you worrying about her? They’re not important. They aren’t worth your time or energy."
"But..." Jie Jingling mulled it over for a few seconds, then sighed. ’Forget it. I’m not getting involved. It’s not like I could do anything anyway.’ She couldn’t even manage her own younger brothers, let alone her cousin and his wife.
"Sister, let’s head back," Qin Mei said with a grin.
"Wait, I’ll go lock the door." Jie Jingling took two steps and stopped.
"It’s not our house, why bother locking up? Sister, let’s go." Qin Mei grabbed Jie Jingling’s arm to stop her. ’If it were my house, I’d double-check everything before leaving. But it’s not. If something goes missing, I’m not the one who’s going to feel the loss.’
"But if we don’t lock it, what if something gets stolen?" Jie Jingling said, concerned.
"Who cares? It’s not our stuff," Qin Mei said with a shrug, her expression seeming to say, ’They should just be grateful I’m not the one robbing them.’
"We’re the last ones to leave. If the house actually gets burglarized, knowing Granny and Second Aunt, they’ll definitely decide we were the ones who did it," Jie Jingling said.
Qin Mei didn’t doubt her sister-in-law’s concern but replied nonchalantly, "If they can produce evidence, I’ll take the blame and pay them back the full value, even though I didn’t steal anything. But if they can’t, then that’s false accusation, which is a crime in itself."
Jie Jingling fell silent. Qin Mei was full of twisted logic, and she could never win an argument against her.
Just in case, Qin Mei pulled Jie Jingling along, greeting all the neighbors they passed. Even though she didn’t know a single one of them, it didn’t stop her from being friendly, creating a public record that they hadn’t taken anything.
They hadn’t taken anything, of course. The whole display was simply a case of "better safe than sorry."
The two had just walked out of the alleyway when they saw Jie Jingchen’s car approaching in the distance.
Qin Mei was still debating whether they should walk home or take the bus. Walking would be an ordeal for both her and Jie Jingling. If they took the bus, however, only she would suffer.