Free Web NovelChapter 451: Chapter 161: Stealing Her Man (Part 3)
Second Auntie and Jing Qi saw that everyone else had started eating. They exchanged a look, then picked up their bowls and chopsticks to eat.
The atmosphere at the table was off. Second Auntie cautiously sized everyone up, while Jing Qi kept glancing toward the door. The hope in her eyes turned to disappointment by the time everyone had finished eating and set down their chopsticks.
Second Auntie started clearing the table. Jie Jingchen offered to help, but she stopped him and told him to go keep Qin Mei company.
"Second Auntie, thank you for your hard work," Jie Jingchen said to her.
"Hard work? Don’t be so polite with me." Second Auntie shot Jie Jingchen a look, but inwardly, she was bubbling with joy.
After tidying up the kitchen, Second Auntie took the radio Jing Qi had given her and went home happy.
Qin Mei was strolling in the courtyard to aid her digestion. Taking a nap right after eating was an easy way to gain weight. She pinched the flesh on her waist—’I feel like I’ve gained a whole size’—then pinched her cheeks. ’No weight gain in my face, but it’s all gone to my body.’
She wandered over to the grapevine trellis and was surprised to see many grapes had grown. Qin Mei saw a bucket under the water trough with a ladle in it, clearly meant for watering the trees and plants in the courtyard.
Qin Mei filled the bucket halfway, carried it over to the trellis, and scooped out a ladleful of water for the grapevines.
She watered everything equally, not just the flowers and plants, but also used nearly half the bucket on the trees.
This was the first time since coming to this home that Qin Mei had felt the sudden urge to water them.
Qin Mei was standing under the trellis when, at some point, Jie Jingchen came up behind her. "It’s the middle of the day."
Qin Mei turned her head, shot him a look, then glanced up at the blazing sun. The light was too harsh, and she blinked uncomfortably before saying irritably, "I know it’s the middle of the day."
Jie Jingchen chuckled. He wrapped an arm around her waist, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her under the trellis. "No one waters plants at noon."
Qin Mei frowned. She had never done any farm work, nor did she have a fondness for gardening, so she had no knowledge of this. "What happens if you do?"
Jie Jingchen lowered his gaze to meet Qin Mei’s curious eyes and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead. "Nothing will happen. Just don’t do it again. It’s best to water them in the morning."
Qin Mei huffed. ’If nothing will happen, then why tell me not to do it?’ She pushed him away, not wanting to deal with him.
"Meimei, why isn’t your older brother back yet?" Jie Jingchen changed the subject.
"If you’re so worried about him, why don’t you hurry up and go look for him?" Qin Mei’s tone was unfriendly. ’I’m not even worried, so what’s he getting worked up about?’
Qin Xiang was a grown man; he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even if he got lost.
"Meimei, don’t worry. You go inside and take a nap. I’ll go find him," Jie Jingchen said.
Qin Mei froze in astonishment, watching as Jie Jingchen rode off on his bicycle. ’That guy is so impulsive. He actually went to look for him.’
Qin Mei lingered in the courtyard for a moment before going inside to change into her pajamas for a nap. Just as she had them on, Second Auntie came running over, knocking urgently on the door. "Fourth Wife of Jing."
Qin Mei raised an eyebrow. The door wasn’t locked from the inside, but she went to open it for Second Auntie anyway. "Second Auntie, what’s wrong?"
"Fourth Wife of Jing, what are you...?" Second Auntie saw that Qin Mei had changed her clothes. ’Is she about to take a nap?’
Qin Mei’s brow furrowed. "Second Auntie, if there’s something you need, just say it."
"Come on, come with me to the Lin Family’s place to watch the drama." Second Auntie grabbed Qin Mei’s hand, her face full of schadenfreude.
"The Lin Family?" Qin Mei paused. ’Is it the Lin Family I’m thinking of?’ "Lin Yaru’s family?"
Second Auntie nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, yes, Lin Yaru’s family."
"I’m not going." Qin Mei wasn’t interested. The thought of Lin Yaru coveting her man was as disgusting as swallowing a fly. Jie Jingwei and Xu Chunyan were divorced, and he had moved out of the family home with Jie You. It was only a matter of time before he married Lin Yaru. Even though they wouldn’t be living under the same roof, she and Lin Yaru would become sisters-in-law, and that relationship would only be for the worse.
"You’re really not going?" Second Auntie asked. Seeing Qin Mei nod, she said in an excited tone, "Xu Chunyan and her mother are raising a ruckus at the Lin family’s house right now."
"I’ll go! Wait a moment, I need to change." Qin Mei slammed the door shut with a BANG and quickly changed her clothes. ’I’m not interested in Lin Yaru’s drama, but I’m very interested in Xu Chunyan’s. And thinking about Xu Chunyan’s mother... with that mother-daughter pair causing a scene at the Lin residence, and the Lin family being no pushovers themselves...’
’Wow! It’s going to be an absolute explosion. I can’t wait to see it!’
Qin Mei seriously suspected that Jie Jingchen hadn’t gone looking for Qin Xiang at all, but had gone to the Lin family’s place to watch the show. ’That scoundrel! So uncool of him, going to watch the drama by himself without me. He has no sense of sharing at all.’
After changing, Qin Mei locked her door and urged, "Second Auntie, hurry, hurry, let’s go!"
"Fourth Sister-in-law." Jing Qi opened her door and called out to them. "I want to go too."
"You’re too young. This kind of drama isn’t for you. I’ll take you to a movie another day." Qin Mei rejected Jing Qi without a second thought.
Liu Guihua had no filter and would spout all sorts of profanities. She was bound to say many things not suitable for a child’s ears. ’For Jing Qi’s sake, it’s better not to dirty her ears with that.’
"Jing Qi, you be a good girl and stay home. Your sister-in-law will be back in a little while." Second Auntie also felt it was inappropriate for Jing Qi to go.
"Okay." Jie Jingshan didn’t insist. She said to Qin Mei, "Fourth Sister-in-law, wait a second."
Jie Jingshan turned and went back into her room. When she came out, she was holding a dagger. Qin Mei recognized it as the one Jie Jingchen had given her for self-defense.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, take this for protection," Jie Jingshan said, handing the dagger to Qin Mei.
Qin Mei was silent for a moment. She was going to watch a show, not get into a fight. She handed the dagger back to Jing Qi. "Jing Qi, I don’t need this. You keep it for your own protection."
Second Auntie stared, dumbfounded. ’Jing Qi actually has a dagger!’
"Fourth Sister-in-law, you should take it, just in case." Although Jie Jingshan was young, she wasn’t naive. In her eyes, her sister-in-law going to the Lin family’s house was like a sheep walking into a tiger’s den. She really couldn’t rest easy if she went without some means of self-defense.
"Jing Qi, I don’t need a dagger for protection. If I get caught in the crossfire, they’ll be the ones who suffer for it," Qin Mei said, full of confidence.
Jie Jingshan had witnessed Qin Mei’s skills firsthand. Even Xu Chunwang couldn’t get the upper hand against her and ended up getting scammed out of a large sum of money.
"Jing Qi, don’t worry. With me here, I won’t let your sister-in-law get bullied," Second Auntie said, patting her chest in assurance.
Jing Qi was unmoved by Second Auntie’s guarantee. It was because she trusted in Qin Mei’s abilities that she didn’t insist on forcing the dagger on her.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, strike first to gain the upper hand. Don’t worry about the consequences. If anything happens, Mom and Fourth Brother will have your back," Jie Jingshan said, her words carrying a deeper meaning.
Qin Mei understood the profound meaning behind Jing Qi’s words. Even if it came to someone losing their life, they would protect her.
’Killing someone would be breaking the law. I’m a law-abiding citizen; I won’t do anything illegal.’
"Don’t worry." Qin Mei gave Jing Qi a reassuring smile and left with Second Auntie.
Second Auntie led Qin Mei down a shortcut. As it is with shortcuts, it was not an easy path, but in no time, they arrived at the Lin family’s home.
The gate to the Lin family’s courtyard was shut tight. A crowd of people was squeezed together at the entrance, pressing their ears against the door to eavesdrop. Many others were gathered by the wall.
Even the neighbors who shared the courtyard with the Lin family had been driven out. They had been in their own homes when Li Axiu suddenly burst in, dragged them out of their houses, and chased them out of the courtyard. They were so angry they wanted to curse up a storm, but their family was one of intellectuals; they couldn’t bring themselves to use profanity, nor were they skilled in physical altercations, so they could only allow themselves to be meekly kicked out.
Second Auntie pulled Qin Mei into the crowd to eavesdrop with them.
"You Lins! You’d better give me an explanation today!" Liu Guihua’s voice was booming. She had rested for a day, and her energy was clearly much improved.
Her daughter’s crying had frayed her nerves. She didn’t dare cause trouble at the Jie Family’s home, but she had no fear about making a scene at the Lin Family’s place.
She had also figured things out. The Xu Family was ruined anyway. They had no chance of ever getting ahead in this life. The worst that could happen was their family being shattered and its members scattered. For her daughter’s sake, she was going all out today. She would show the people who bullied them that the Xu Family wouldn’t just take any abuse lying down.
