Free Web NovelChapter 460: Chapter 164: Jing San’s First Love (3)
Her face and skin looked weathered and ravaged. To put it bluntly, she had the look of an educated youth who had only recently returned to the city.
Jie Jingchen’s eyes flickered, a trace of contempt flashing through them. After a few seconds of silence, he called out coolly, "Sister Xingnan."
Qin Mei froze. ’Xingnan... Wen Xingnan. Jie Jinghun’s ex.’
Qin Mei sized up Wen Xingnan. ’If Shen Qing is cold as ice, then Wen Xingnan is sentimental and melancholic. If Shen Qing is a cold, stunning beauty, then Wen Xingnan is delicate and bewitching.’
It was a shame. Life in the countryside really took its toll. Though Shen Qing and Wen Xingnan were the same age, Wen Xingnan looked several years older.
"What kind of taste does your third brother have?" Qin Mei muttered. Because of her first impression, she was already biased toward Shen Qing, even though she had twice run into Shen Qing at the department store with an unknown man.
Jie Jingchen gave a helpless, bitter smile. "The years have left their mark on her."
Thinking of Jie Jingling, Qin Mei fell silent. Her mother-in-law was thirteen years older than Jie Jingling, yet she looked even younger.
Time was kind to those who lived in the city, but it ravaged those in the countryside.
"I shouldn’t have said that. My mistake," Qin Mei murmured. ’I shouldn’t judge people so harshly. I don’t know Wen Xingnan, and I’m not that familiar with Shen Qing either.’
Jie Jingchen smiled, not holding it against her. His gaze shifted to Wen Xingnan, who was standing at the door. "Sister Xingnan, do you need something?" he asked.
Wen Xingnan hesitated for a moment, then covered her nose with a handkerchief and stepped over the threshold. She walked toward them, her brow furrowed as the smell of the medicine grew stronger with her approach. "Jing Si, I’m pregnant."
Jie Jingchen raised an eyebrow. He deliberately misinterpreted her meaning, a mocking smile on his face as he asked, "My third brother’s?"
Qin Mei nearly knocked over the medicine pot. She looked up at Jie Jingchen. ’This man and his mouth!’
Wen Xingnan was stunned, clearly not expecting him to say that. Her expression was unnatural, and her voice stammered. "N-N-No... It’s not. J-J-J... Jing Si, don’t talk nonsense."
"Oh." Jie Jingchen nodded, then added another infuriating comment, "You came to my house. I just assumed you were here to make my third brother take responsibility."
Jie Jingchen had a real problem with Wen Xingnan. The only reason he was still willing to call her Sister Xingnan was for the sake of being neighbors; their houses were right next to each other.
Wen Xingnan’s face was deathly pale and her expression was mortified. She gritted her teeth and said to Qin Mei, "I’m pregnant, and I can’t stand the smell of Chinese medicine."
This was a complaint, brought right to their door. For someone not used to it, the smell of Chinese medicine was pure torture. They had been back for some time now; it must have taken a lot for her to finally come over.
Qin Mei didn’t speak, instead looking to Jie Jingchen. She was the one "polluting" the air, so she couldn’t act with complete conviction. But it was unrealistic to stop now. She had time, but the young man she was treating did not.
"You’ll get used to it if you smell it enough," Jie Jingchen said bluntly.
Wen Xingnan didn’t expect him to say that, and her composure broke. "I can’t get used to it. She’s been brewing this in the courtyard for more than a day or two. Today, the smell is just too awful. I really can’t take it anymore."
Jie Jingchen shot Wen Xingnan a look and pursed his lips. A cold voice slipped from his throat. "If you can’t stand it, go back to your husband’s family."
Wen Xingnan caressed her slightly swelling belly, a trace of sadness in her eyes. "My parents-in-law are in poor health, and now that I’m pregnant, I need someone to look after me. They can’t do it, so I can only..."
"Your aunt and uncle passed away two years ago. Your husband has to work. Living here, you still have no one to take care of you," Jie Jingchen cut her off, his deep voice dripping with undisguised disgust.
Wen Xingnan was at a loss for words. Her husband worked during the day and was only home at night. Sometimes, when her in-laws were hospitalized, her husband would go to the hospital after work and couldn’t look after her at all.
Even so, she was unwilling to live with her in-laws. Staying in her family home had many advantages. It was close to the Jie family’s residence. She was pregnant, and with Doctor Qiao nearby, she felt reassured in case anything went wrong. Besides, if something were to happen, she didn’t believe Jing San would simply watch and do nothing to help her.
The selfishness of human nature was on full display in Wen Xingnan.
"Jing Si, I really can’t stand the smell of Chinese medicine." Wen Xingnan looked at Jie Jingchen pitifully, hoping to gain his sympathy.
But Jie Jingchen was not the least bit moved. He gave a contemptuous sneer, his voice cold. "We’re brewing this in our courtyard, not yours."
Even Qin Mei felt a little embarrassed hearing Jie Jingchen’s self-righteous words. He wasn’t wrong, but she still felt a pang of guilt.
"I’m pregnant! Can’t you have a little compassion? The child in my belly is innocent!" Wen Xingnan’s voice was on the verge of breaking.
Jie Jingchen’s gaze was piercing as his thin lips parted. "So what?"
"You..." Wen Xingnan’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Jie Jingchen with a resentful gaze.
Qin Mei tugged on Jie Jingchen. ’Arguing with a pregnant woman is a bad idea. If she gets overly emotional and something happens here in our courtyard, we’ll never be able to explain ourselves.’
"Um, Comrade Wen, why don’t you head back first? You can’t expect me to just stop halfway. I promise, after I finish for today, I won’t brew this particular medicine again," Qin Mei said to Wen Xingnan.
Wen Xingnan was a smart woman. Qin Mei was offering her an out, and she took it. "Are you serious? You won’t brew any more medicine after today?"
"Not that I’m stopping completely, just that I won’t be brewing this specific medicine anymore," Qin Mei corrected. Before Wen Xingnan could protest, she added, "Comrade Wen, trust me, smelling more of the Chinese medicine will actually help you when it’s time for you to give birth."
"Really?" Wen Xingnan asked doubtfully.
"Really." Qin Mei nodded with a smile. ’As if,’ she thought. ’It’s just like telling someone to imagine plums to quench their thirst.’ She just wanted to get Wen Xingnan out of there as quickly as possible.
Wen Xingnan didn’t suspect a thing. After returning, she’d heard the neighbors gossiping that Jing Si’s wife possessed outstanding medical skills. She had saved the pregnant hero’s wife and even Granny Guo, who had been trying to kill herself. The only problem was her character—she refused to treat anyone who didn’t pay, not at all like the kind-hearted Doctor Qiao.
The neighbors all acknowledged the medical skills of Jing Si’s wife. Most importantly, Jing Si’s wife didn’t have a job, so she was home during the day. If something were to happen to her, she’d be nearby. ’They say doctors have benevolent hearts,’ she thought. ’I refuse to believe Jing Si’s wife would stand by and let me die.’
"Jing Si’s wife, I believe what you said. Thank you. From now on, I’ll be counting on you to look after me," Wen Xingnan said to Qin Mei with a smile.
Qin Mei’s lips twitched. ’Look after her? She had no desire to get close to Wen Xingnan. It felt like she would be betraying Shen Qing.’
"Sorry for the intrusion." Wen Xingnan turned and walked away, but she kept looking back every few steps. She gazed at Qin Mei with eyes full of sorrow and hope, a look that made Qin Mei’s skin crawl. Qin Mei only breathed a sigh of relief after Wen Xingnan had finally left the courtyard.
"What did Wen Xingnan mean by that just now?" Qin Mei asked Jie Jingchen, hoping she had misunderstood.
"That she wants you to look after her," Jie Jingchen said.
"Look after her, my ass," Qin Mei swore. Then her tone immediately shifted, and she said with a grin, "Fine. If she pays, I’ll look after her."
Jie Jingchen watched her, his eyes full of gentle, doting affection. He gently tapped the tip of her nose. "You little money-grubber."
Qin Mei shrugged nonchalantly. So what if she was a money-grubber? ’Humans die for wealth, and birds die for food.’ That was an immutable law of the universe.
"Jie Jingsi, your prejudice against her runs deep," Qin Mei remarked.
Jie Jingchen hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "Back then, Third Brother and Wen Xingnan were already discussing marriage. But she fell in love with someone else. She chose to follow that man to the countryside to be an educated youth rather than marry my third brother."
Qin Mei thought for a moment, then reached out and began fiddling with a button on Jie Jingchen’s shirt. "Your third brother didn’t use the Jie Family’s influence to try and force her into marriage back then, did he?"
"Hmph!" Jie Jingchen snorted with disdain. "If my third brother had tried to force her, she would have been my third sister-in-law long ago. I’m glad he didn’t do that. Compared to her, Shen Qing is far more suited to be my third sister-in-law."
