Free Web NovelChapter 473: Chapter 169: Going into the Mountains to Gather Herbs
Qin Mei took it and downed a large mouthful. Fruit soda. It tasted so much better than the drinks from later generations that were full of artificial ingredients.
"This is delicious." The soda cured Qin Mei’s gloomy mood. She took another sip and sighed, "Sweets really can fix a bad mood."
"I’m glad you like it," Jie Jingchen said, looking at her with deep affection.
Qin Mei saw that Jie Jingchen wasn’t drinking and asked curiously, "Aren’t you having any?"
"I’m not a fan," Jie Jingchen said, taking her hand and leading her toward the car.
Jie Jingchen wasn’t lying. He really didn’t like soda. He only ever drank tea or plain water.
"If you don’t like it, why’d you buy two?" Qin Mei grumbled. When she saw him buy two bottles, she’d assumed it was one for him and one for her.
"But you love it," Jie Jingchen said, smiling.
Qin Mei looked up, gazing at Jie Jingchen’s profile. His features were as perfect as a sculpture—exquisitely, demonically handsome. His shimmering, captivating amber eyes were especially mesmerizing, holding within them a devilish charm, a cold nobility, and a sharp, calculating gleam.
"Aren’t you thirsty?" Qin Mei asked.
"I brought a water bottle." Bringing a water bottle whenever he went out was a habit of Jie Jingchen’s.
Qin Mei fell silent. She took a sip of her soda and rested her head on Jie Jingchen’s arm. With the man so handsome and the woman so pretty, passersby couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at them. Of course, some people also shot them looks of contempt.
In this era, some people were still very conservative. In a public place, forget an intimate gesture like this—even just holding hands could earn you a scolding for offending public decency.
In the car, Jie Jingchen didn’t start the engine right away. He glanced sideways at Qin Mei, and after hesitating for a few seconds, his lips parted. "Meimei, don’t take what Grandma Hua said to heart. Her terrible attitude was because she doesn’t want you getting close to them. They’re worried about implicating you."
"I understand. Don’t worry, I didn’t take it to heart." Qin Mei understood perfectly. Many people had already been politically rehabilitated, but Old Zhang and Grandma Hua hadn’t. ’I really hope they’re rehabilitated soon. I don’t expect them to go on to achieve great things in their fields again; I just want them to be able to live out their later years in peace.’
"Meimei, thank you for being so considerate and understanding." Jie Jingchen breathed a sigh of relief, a gratified smile spreading across his face.
Qin Mei stared intently at Jie Jingchen. "Jie Jingsi, you’re very respectful toward Grandma Hua."
Jie Jingchen was never one to show mercy to unreasonable, pestering old folks. His own Granny was a perfect example; when he argued with her, he didn’t hold back in the slightest. But he was different with Grandma Hua. Even when Qin Mei had been fuming at the woman’s words, Jie Jingchen hadn’t gotten involved.
A faint bitterness washed over Jie Jingchen’s bewitching face. When he spoke, his tone was earnest and solemn. "She deserves it."
Qin Mei didn’t reply. ’Some elderly people deserve respect, and some don’t.’
Jie Jingchen collected his thoughts, then gazed at Qin Mei with a smile and asked, "Meimei, where do you want to go?"
Qin Mei blinked and asked, "Aren’t we in a hurry to get home?"
Jie Jingchen gently swiped his finger across the tip of her nose. "We’re out now, so don’t worry about things at home. I’ll take you wherever you want to go."
Qin Mei rubbed her nose. ’I’m not worried about home, I’m just thinking about Jing Qi.’ "How about we go home and pick up Jing Qi?"
"No," Jie Jingchen refused outright, his gaze turning somewhat plaintive. "Meimei, I want to be alone with you."
The corner of Qin Mei’s eye twitched. ’When we’re alone... it’s easy for things to get...’
Qin Mei patted her cheeks. ’What am I thinking? It’s broad daylight, and we’re outside. I refuse to believe Jie Jingchen would be that reckless.’
’Overindulgence isn’t good for you; it’ll drain your body.’
"Meimei, your face is so red. What are you thinking about?" Jie Jingchen asked suggestively. ’The only thing that could make her blush and her heart race like that must be the thought of us making love.’
"I wasn’t thinking about anything!" Qin Mei said, her guilt showing. His gaze was too suggestive, too sharp, leaving her with the awkward feeling of having nowhere to hide.
Jie Jingchen leaned closer to Qin Mei, his warm breath fanning over her ear. His lips would even intentionally brush against her earlobe from time to time, making her heart race and her cheeks and ears burn a furious red.
"Jie Jingsi," Qin Mei cried, unable to bear it. ’There are people walking by! If anyone outside sees this, how can I ever show my face again?’
Jie Jingchen stopped immediately, not daring to tease her any further. He was afraid he’d end up playing with fire and getting burned himself.
"I’ll stop teasing you." Jie Jingchen cleared his throat, sat up straight in his seat, and gripped the steering wheel. "Meimei, have you decided yet? Where to?"
"Old Zhang can’t gather herbs anymore, and we’re running low on medicinal supplies at home," Qin Mei said. "Why don’t we go to the mountains to gather some?"
The corner of Jie Jingchen’s mouth twitched. ’They still had plenty of herbs at home, but in her eyes, it was already ’running low.’’
