Chapter 81 - 41: Deny It to the Death
Granny Guo’s expression changed, turning grim. She asked tentatively, "Is my daughter-in-law carrying a girl?"
Qin Mei’s expression soured, and she clenched her jaw. "I don’t know."
No matter how Granny Guo pressed her, Qin Mei adamantly insisted she didn’t know.
The two were at a standstill until finally, Granny Guo gave in, storming off with the meat and canned fruit.
After Granny Guo left, Jie Jingchen sat down in the wicker chair and looked at Qin Mei, who was slumped over the stone table.
"It’s a girl?" Jie Jingchen asked in a low voice.
Qin Mei tilted her head, gazing at Jie Jingchen. She touched her cheek and asked, "Is it that obvious?"
Jie Jingchen said nothing. Qin Mei’s reaction was answer enough.
"Jie Jingchen, Granny Guo isn’t going to force Su Kexin to go to the hospital to..." Qin Mei couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. ’It’s too cruel.’
"Probably not." But Jie Jingchen wasn’t sure either.
"Jie Jingchen, should I have just stayed out of it?" Qin Mei asked weakly. She had a sinking feeling she’d just brought trouble upon herself.
She had lived in a listless but peaceful daze with the Sun Family for half a year. Now, only a few days after coming to the Jie Family’s home with Jie Jingchen, it felt like she was stumbling from one disaster to the next.
"Your professional ethics wouldn’t allow you to stand idly by in a matter of life and death." As he said this, the look in his eyes grew complicated. ’The Qin Mei before her amnesia... forget standing idly by, it would have been an act of mercy for her not to kick someone when they were already down.’
’Professional ethics?’ Qin Mei averted her gaze and coughed softly. "What professional ethics? I’m not a doctor."
Jie Jingchen didn’t argue. Whatever she said, went.
"SIGH!" Qin Mei was restless and kept sighing.
"If you’re that worried, I’ll take you over to Granny Guo’s to have a look," Jie Jingchen suggested.
"I’m not going." Qin Mei refused without a second thought.
’To her, Granny Guo’s house was a trap right now. Was she stupid enough to just walk right into it?’
A moment later, Second Aunt’s anxious voice rang out. "Fourth Wife of Jing, something’s happened! Something terrible!"
Hearing the four words "Fourth Wife of Jing," Qin Mei felt her head was about to split.
Second Aunt rushed in, grabbing Qin Mei’s hand. "Fourth Wife of Jing, quick, come to Granny Guo’s house with me! Granny Guo is saying you told her that the Hero’s wife is carrying a girl, and now she’s raising a fuss at home, insisting on forcing the Hero’s wife to go to the hospital and get the baby aborted."
Qin Mei looked to the heavens, feeling wronged. "I didn’t say Su Kexin was carrying a girl."
"Then it’s a boy? That can’t be right! A grandson is all Granny Guo has hoped for, day and night. She’d wake up laughing in her sleep just dreaming about it. Why would she force the Hero’s wife to go to the hospital and get rid of her grandson?" Second Aunt couldn’t figure it out.
Qin Mei raised her hand and rubbed her brow, saying wearily, "I didn’t say it was a boy, either."
"So, is the Hero’s wife carrying a boy or a girl?" Second Aunt asked.
"It’s a..." Qin Mei almost blurted out the answer. She eyed Second Aunt warily. ’Is she trying to pry the information out of me?’ Then again, she thought it was unlikely. What Su Kexin was carrying had nothing to do with Second Aunt. Still, she cautiously insisted, "I don’t know."
"You really don’t know?" Forget Granny Guo; even Second Aunt didn’t believe her.
"I really don’t." Qin Mei felt a bit insecure, but she didn’t dare let it show.
Granny Guo and Second Aunt were both shrewd. Second Aunt recalled what Qin Mei had said yesterday, and her expression shifted continuously.
Second Aunt leaned into Qin Mei’s ear, lowering her voice to ask, "Is the Hero’s wife really carrying a girl?"
Qin Mei’s heart skipped a beat. Looking at Second Aunt, she could see poorly suppressed schadenfreude in her expression.
’Is this what being neighbors is all about? Harmonious on the surface, but secretly competing with each other underneath.’
’This was a classic case of, ’You can live well, but you can’t live better than I do.’’
"Second Aunt, I really don’t know." Qin Mei’s resolve didn’t waver.
She was terrified Second Aunt would pry the truth from her, then gloatingly run to Granny Guo to add fuel to the fire. In fact, she wouldn’t even need to add fuel to the fire; just telling Granny Guo that she had confirmed Su Kexin was carrying a girl would be enough to make Granny Guo fall apart.
"You really don’t know?" Second Aunt wouldn’t give up. She had been there yesterday when Qin Mei performed acupuncture on Su Kexin and had seen everything clearly. With just a few needles, Su Kexin had started to recover.
"I swear," Qin Mei said, raising her hand.
"Oh, there’s no need for that." Second Aunt pulled Qin Mei’s raised hand down. ’Whether Su Kexin was having a boy or a girl didn’t really concern her anyway. Su Kexin wasn’t her daughter-in-law. Besides, her own daughter-in-law had made her proud by giving her two grandsons.’
"Second Aunt, you’re a kind person. A life is at stake, and you all live in the same courtyard. You should hurry back and check on them," Qin Mei said.
The flattery was very effective on Second Aunt, who immediately hurried away.
"Jie Jingchen, nothing terrible is actually going to happen, right?" Qin Mei asked him worriedly.
"Second Aunt will persuade Granny Guo," Jie Jingchen said with a smile. Before Second Aunt had arrived, he wasn’t sure, but now he was certain.
"Can Second Aunt really persuade Granny Guo?" Qin Mei was skeptical.
A slight smile touched Jie Jingchen’s lips. "Don’t doubt Second Aunt’s ability to persuade people. Besides, deep down, she hopes Granny Guo ends up with a granddaughter."
Thinking of the schadenfreude on Second Aunt’s face, Qin Mei was speechless for a moment.
’You can never truly know a person’s heart!’
"What do you want for lunch?" Jie Jingchen changed the subject.
"Whatever." Qin Mei had no energy, slumping listlessly on the table.
"When Jing Qi wakes up, I’ll take you both out to eat," Jie Jingchen said.
"Whatever." Qin Mei had no objections, idly picking at the tabletop with her fingernail.
"I’ll take you over to Granny Guo’s to have a look," Jie Jingchen suggested.
Qin Mei hesitated. She was someone who liked to see things through to the end, not give up halfway. Since she had stepped in to help Su Kexin, she felt she had to see it through, unless Su Kexin herself couldn’t take Granny Guo’s pressure and agreed to go to the hospital to get rid of the child.
’They say a mother’s heart is connected to her child’s. That baby has been in Su Kexin’s womb for seven months. To have its right to be born stripped away just because it’s a girl... It was just too cruel.’
"Where’s Jing Wu?" Qin Mei asked.
"He went out," Jie Jingchen replied.
"If we go to Granny Guo’s house, then there’ll be no one here watching Jing Qi." Qin Mei was uneasy about leaving Jing Qi home alone while he slept.
Jie Jingchen smiled. ’Qin Mei is truly good to Jing Qi. No wonder Jing Qi is so generous toward her.’
"Jie Jingchen, you stay here and watch Jing Qi. I’ll go sneak a peek," Qin Mei said.
"Okay," Jie Jingchen nodded.
With Jie Jingchen’s approval, Qin Mei immediately got up and ran out.
Qin Mei didn’t rush into the courtyard. She leaned against the wall, panting, and peeked through a hole in the wall. The yard was empty. Qin Mei’s heart instantly tensed.
’Am I too late? Did Granny Guo already take Su Kexin to the hospital?’
’This is their family’s business. As an outsider, could she rush to the hospital and stop them? No.’
Qin Mei looked up at the sky, her brow furrowed with melancholy. ’This way of thinking, valuing boys over girls, is truly destructive.’
Just as Qin Mei turned to leave, the door to Granny Guo’s house opened. Granny Guo and Second Aunt came out, their faces wreathed in smiles. The two walked into the courtyard, and Granny Guo even took a handful of White Rabbit candies from her pocket.
"Here, Second Sister, take these for your two grandsons." Granny Guo placed the White Rabbit candies into Second Aunt’s hand.
Second Aunt accepted them with a chuckle and put them in her pocket. "Sister Guo, you’re a blessed woman. Heaven will surely treat you well. The Hero’s wife is definitely carrying a boy this time. You can stop all this fussing. I have experience, I’m sure it’s a boy."
Qin Mei pressed a hand to her forehead. ’When the baby is born, isn’t Second Aunt afraid that Granny Guo will come to settle accounts with her?’
"Second Sister, I’ll take you at your good word. I believe you. That whole scene I made today... sigh! Second Sister, thank you so much. If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have taken my daughter-in-law to the hospital. If it really is a grandson and I got rid of him because of my fussing, I would have become a sinner in the eyes of the Wu Family." The lingering fear was palpable even as Granny Guo thought back on it.
"We live in the same courtyard. It’s only right that we help each other out," Second Aunt said, patting Granny Guo’s shoulder.
"Second Sister, did the Fourth Wife of Jing really tell you that my daughter-in-law is carrying a boy?" Granny Guo was still a little uneasy. Compared to Second Aunt’s experience, she trusted Qin Mei’s words more.