Chapter 87 - 43: You Actually Dared to Strike
Jie Jingchen’s eyes glinted, his expression cool. "You’re a daughter-in-law, not a son. Liu Guihua knows that very well. If she’s pushed into a corner, she can abandon her daughter-in-law, but never her son."
"..." Qin Mei was left speechless.
She found she had no response to Jie Jingchen’s words.
’Husband and wife are like birds in the same forest—when disaster strikes, they fly their separate ways. That’s even more true for a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law. A son is her own flesh and blood, impossible to abandon. A daughter-in-law is someone else’s child, disposable at any moment.’
"Chunyan, what do we do now?" Liu Guihua asked, tugging on Xu Chunyan.
"Mom, don’t panic. Let me think of something." For a moment, Xu Chunyan didn’t know what to do next either.
"UUUH... UUUH..." Xu Chunwang tugged at Xu Chunyan, wanting them to take him to the hospital, but he couldn’t speak and could only make whimpering sounds.
Liu Guihua wasn’t good at coming up with ideas or plans. Her real talent lay in throwing tantrums and making a scene. This tactic had worked like a charm on Qiao Yanqiu every time, but she had hit a brick wall with Qin Mei.
She hadn’t even had a chance to put on her performance before Qin Mei caught her off guard. Now Qin Mei had just left. Without an audience, who was she supposed to make a scene for? The neighbors? Qiao Yanqiu wasn’t here, and neither was Qin Mei. What was the point of throwing a fit for the neighbors?
"Mom, Chunwang, I’ve got a plan," Xu Chunyan said with a smile.
"What is it?" Liu Guihua asked eagerly.
"Wait." Xu Chunyan smugly uttered a single word.
"Wait?" Liu Guihua frowned.
"We’ll wait for them to come home from work. When everyone’s back, especially when the neighbors are home from work, that’s when you’ll act. Qiao Yanqiu cares most about her reputation. Mom, you can go all out then and use the opportunity to demand more money," Xu Chunyan said.
The mention of money was a powerful temptation for Liu Guihua. She hadn’t come to make trouble at the Jie Family’s home for nearly a year and was running out of cash.
"Daughter, how much money do you think we should ask for this time?" Liu Guihua asked, grabbing Xu Chunyan’s hand. This daughter of hers had never disappointed her. It hadn’t been a waste to pull strings and get her a spot to return to the city back then. If her daughter hadn’t returned, she never would have met Jie Jingwei, and if she hadn’t met Jie Jingwei, she never would have married into the Jie Family.
If her daughter hadn’t married into the Jie Family, the Xu and Jie families wouldn’t be in-laws, and she would have no excuse to come and make a scene. Getting paid every time she caused a fuss—it couldn’t be better. Jie Jianguo was the truly clever one, marrying a wife from Xiangjiang.
"A hundred?" Liu Guihua asked worriedly when she saw Xu Chunyan hold up her index finger. "Daughter, isn’t asking for a hundred at once a bit too much?"
Whenever she came to the Jie Family’s home to make trouble, she never got more than fifty. Asking for a hundred this time felt like overdoing it, even to Liu Guihua.
Xu Chunyan shook her head, her eyes filled with greed. "Mom, not a hundred. A thousand."
"A... a thousand." Liu Guihua’s jaw dropped, and she nearly fell off the stone stool.
"Mom, we’ll split it evenly. Five hundred for you, five hundred for me," Xu Chunyan said.
"Five hundred for me, five hundred for you... Daughter, you’ve really got some nerve." Liu Guihua disagreed. "A thousand is too much. I wouldn’t have the guts to ask for it."
"Mom, look at me and Chunwang! Look at what that little bitch Qin Mei did to us! Asking Qiao Yanqiu for a thousand isn’t going too far." Xu Chunyan pointed to her own face, then to the miserable and pitiful-looking Xu Chunwang beside them.
Liu Guihua didn’t feel sorry for her daughter’s face, but the sight of her son was like a knife to the heart. "But... SIGH! If I ask for a thousand, will Qiao Yanqiu just obediently hand it over? Daughter, I’m worried that asking for too much will backfire and we’ll end up with nothing."
"Mom," Xu Chunyan said, refusing to compromise.
"Daughter, what if Qiao Yanqiu can’t come up with that much money? How about we ask for two hundred? One hundred for you, one hundred for me," Liu Guihua said. A thousand was really too much; even two hundred felt like a lot to her.
She knew how to play this game. For the past few years, she’d come to the Jie Family’s home to make a scene, and Qiao Yanqiu would pay her off every time. She never asked for too much. While a few dozen yuan was a lot, it wasn’t much for Qiao Yanqiu, who could afford it. If she asked for too much and Qiao Yanqiu refused, it wasn’t like she could just rob her.
Xu Chunyan persuaded her, "Mom, Jie Jingchen is retired from the military, and he’s married a fierce wife. You’ve seen them; that couple is not to be trifled with. This is your last chance to come to the Jie Family’s home and make a scene with a legitimate reason. It’s a rare opportunity. Once you miss it, you’ll never get another chance. Mom, trust me, a thousand isn’t much for Qiao Yanqiu. The Xiangjiang Qiao Family—you’ve heard of them, right?"
"No, I haven’t," Liu Guihua said, shaking her head.
"The Xiangjiang Qiao Family is Qiao Yanqiu’s maiden family. Their wealth is beyond your imagination." Xu Chunyan gesticulated wildly, very excited. Liu Guihua didn’t really understand, but Xu Chunwang, who was sitting nearby, did.
"UUUH... UUUH..." Xu Chunwang whimpered, tugging at Liu Guihua, urging them to make a decision quickly so they could take him to the hospital.
"Fine, a thousand it is," Liu Guihua said, deciding to go for broke.
Xu Chunyan was satisfied. She reminded her, "After we get the money, it’s five hundred for you and five hundred for me."
"Fine," Liu Guihua agreed, but she didn’t really mean it. ’A married daughter is like spilled water,’ she thought. Once the money was in her hands, she would be the one to decide how it was split.
"UUUH... UUUH..." Xu Chunwang whimpered again. Seeing them staring at him blankly, he pointed toward the door and began gesticulating wildly. Xu Chunyan understood what he meant.
"Chunwang." Xu Chunyan pulled Xu Chunwang down to sit on a rattan chair and soothed him, "Chunwang, we can’t take you to the hospital just yet. As soon as we get the money, we’ll take you."
Xu Chunwang frowned, clearly displeased.
"Son, listen to your sister. Just bear with it for a little while." Liu Guihua knew very well that the more miserable her daughter and son looked, the more justified her demands would seem.
Xu Chunwang whimpered, clearly unwilling, but there was nothing he could do.
"Daughter, your brother and I are hungry. Go get us something to eat." Liu Guihua patted her fleshy stomach. The scare from Qin Mei had made her ravenous.
"Mom, in his condition, can Chunwang even eat anything?" Xu Chunyan asked worriedly.
"He can’t, but I can." As far as Liu Guihua was concerned, anyone could go hungry, but not her.
"Alright, I’ll go see what’s in the kitchen," Xu Chunyan said, getting up and heading toward the kitchen.
The three of them arrived at the Guojing Restaurant. Qin Mei ordered two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup—all her favorites. Jie Jingshan liked dumplings, so she ordered a plate of them. Jie Jingchen wasn’t a picky eater; he’d eat whatever Qin Mei ordered.
Just as all the dishes were served and Qin Mei was picking up her bowl and chopsticks, Jie Jingjue’s voice rang out.
"Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, Jing Qi, what are you all doing here?" Jie Jingjue sounded surprised.
Qin Mei looked up, her gaze drawn to the woman beside Jie Jingjue. She was a radiant beauty, absolutely gorgeous.
"Fifth Brother, Sister Aiyun." Jie Jingshan gave Bai Aiyun a polite smile.
"Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, Jing Qi." The smile on Bai Aiyun’s face was strained, especially when she saw Qin Mei. ’Jing Wu hadn’t been lying to her; this really was his fourth sister-in-law.’
She had misunderstood the relationship between Jing Wu and Qin Mei last time. Jing Wu had sought her out to explain, and though she was only half-convinced, she had still forgiven him. Now, hearing Jing Wu call Qin Mei "Fourth Sister-in-law," her suspicions were finally put to rest.
Qin Mei offered a small smile, then lowered her gaze and went back to eating.
Jie Jingchen had no intention of engaging with them and simply placed a piece of food in Qin Mei’s bowl.
"Fifth Brother, have you and Sister Aiyun eaten yet?" Jie Jingshan asked.
"Not yet." Jie Jingjue pulled Bai Aiyun down to sit with them, glanced at the dishes on the table, and ordered two more.
Qin Mei glanced at Jie Jingchen. Seeing that he didn’t object, she bit her lower lip and said nothing. ’If they were sharing the table, so be it.’
In contrast to Jie Jingjue’s casual demeanor, Bai Aiyun was very reserved.
Because of her connection to Xu Chunyan, Qin Mei didn’t have a very good impression of Bai Aiyun. Bai Aiyun was Jie Jingjue’s girlfriend, and regardless of how their relationship turned out, with a sister-in-law like Xu Chunyan in the picture, her own relationship with Bai Aiyun as a fellow sister-in-law could never be friendly.
Qin Mei just found it strange. Only yesterday, Jie Jingjue had declared that he and Bai Aiyun had broken up, even saying it was for good this time. And yet today, they were already back together.
After leaving the Guojing Restaurant, Jie Jingchen saw Jie Jingshan and Bai Aiyun following behind them. He stopped and asked Jie Jingjue, "When are you going home?"