Free Web NovelChapter 434: Chapter 156: If You Want to Live, You Must Amputate
The old woman still felt dizzy. Having just been yanked over the wall, she’d had a moment of pure regret while her body was airborne. She would rather have been caught by the patrol team than take such a risk. What if the young lad hadn’t caught her? What if she’d been badly injured in the fall?
"Phew! Oh my heavens, my heart!" The old woman patted her chest, the fear hitting her after the fact. At her age, this was her first time going over a wall.
"Your eggs," Qin Mei said.
"Thank you." The old woman hurriedly took the basket. Though her face was pale with fright, she still managed to force a grateful smile at Qin Mei. After checking the eggs in the basket and confirming they were all intact, she took out two to thank them. "Here, this is from me to thank you, young couple."
’Great! Another blind one,’ Qin Xiang thought. He was about to explain, but then reconsidered. ’We don’t even know her, so what’s the point?’
Qin Mei had no intention of explaining either. She smiled and politely refused. "Ma’am, it was nothing, really. Not worth mentioning. You should keep these two eggs and sell them next time."
"Is it not enough? Then I’ll give you two more." The old woman took out another two eggs, handing all four to Qin Mei, though her heart ached to part with them.
She hadn’t sold a single egg today, and now she was giving four away. Life was hard for everyone these days, and eggs were a precious commodity.
"Ma’am, I really can’t take your eggs." One was insistent on giving, the other on refusing. Qin Mei then added, "We’re allergic to eggs."
"What? Allergic?" the old woman asked, raising her eyebrows.
"It means we can’t eat them. A bad reaction could be fatal," Qin Mei said, lying through her teeth.
Qin Xiang’s mouth twitched as he shot Qin Mei a complicated look.
The old woman froze when she heard it could be fatal.
"Ma’am, do you know where Old Zhang’s house is?" Qin Mei asked, changing the subject.
"I do," the old woman nodded.
"Ma’am, how about this? Since you want to thank us, you can just lead us to Old Zhang’s house," Qin Mei said.
"What are you going to Old Zhang’s house for?" The old woman was wary.
"To buy some herbal medicine," Qin Mei replied.
The old woman was skeptical, but after a moment’s consideration, she agreed to take them to Old Zhang’s house.
The old woman turned out to be quite the chatterbox; once she started talking, she didn’t stop.
Her younger daughter-in-law had just given birth, but the baby had no milk to drink. The family was broke and couldn’t afford formula. Her daughter-in-law’s mother had sent over a basket of eggs, so she’d brought them to the black market. She planned to use the money to buy pig trotters and soybeans to make a soup to stimulate milk production. But as luck would have it, she ran into the patrol team.
The old woman often sold things at the black market, but almost always at night, rarely in the daytime.
"Ma’am, it’s your lucky day you ran into me. Come on, let’s go to your place first," Qin Mei said, deciding on the spot to see her good deed through to the end by giving the old woman’s daughter-in-law a free massage.
"To my house?" The old woman stopped in her tracks, looking at Qin Mei defensively.
"Sis," Qin Xiang cautioned her. This sudden change of plans to go to the old woman’s house... Forget the old woman; even he was starting to suspect his sister had ulterior motives.
"Ever heard of the Qin Family’s lactation massage technique?" Qin Mei asked.
Qin Xiang shook his head. He really hadn’t.
The old woman, however, nodded vigorously, the guarded look on her face replaced by dejection. "It’s too expensive. We don’t have the money."
Qin Mei patted her chest. "I am the inheritor of the Qin Family’s lactation massage technique. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll help your daughter-in-law with her milk production for free."
"PFFT!" Qin Xiang couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
Qin Mei shot Qin Xiang a glare, regretting she’d brought him along. He was always messing things up.
No trust had been established between them. Without a second thought, the old woman refused outright. "No, thank you. We don’t need it."
Qin Mei rolled her eyes. ’I’m offering to do it for free and she’s still refusing. She must think I’m a con artist.’
"Ma’am, if I were you, I’d be willing to try anything at this point..."
"Young lady, what a thing to say! My daughter-in-law is just having trouble producing milk, it’s not like she has some terminal illness! ’Try anything at this point’? Do you even know how to talk properly?" the old woman interrupted, clearly displeased.
"Ma’am, your family is dirt poor. What could I possibly gain by scheming my way into your house?" Qin Mei said, feeling a little defeated. ’Aren’t people from this era supposed to be simple and trusting? Why is this woman so guarded?’
The old woman thought it over and realized Qin Mei had a point. Her family was so poor, even a thief wouldn’t bother visiting.
The old woman relented, but she didn’t completely let down her guard.
The old woman’s home was a single-story house where her family of four lived. The interior was simple, yet kept very neat and tidy.
At this time of day, only the old woman’s younger daughter-in-law and the nursing baby were home. The little one was wailing with hunger, its voice already hoarse from crying. It was a heartbreaking sound.
Qin Xiang waited outside. The old woman, not trusting Qin Mei alone with her daughter-in-law, stood to one side holding the wailing baby. Qin Mei had warned them in advance that the massage would be very painful. She was afraid that if she didn’t, the old woman might see her daughter-in-law scream in pain and attack her.
