Free Web NovelChapter 479: Chapter 171: Encountering Shen Tong
The next day, Qin Mei woke up. She put on her jacket, got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, folded her bedding, and stepped out of the room.
The country air was so fresh. Qin Mei stood in the courtyard and stretched lazily.
"You must be hungry, dear?" the old woman’s voice suddenly called out.
Qin Mei froze, turning to look at the old woman behind her. Her face was wreathed in a benevolent smile. She was a very kind-looking grandmother and left a wonderful impression. "Grandma."
The old woman didn’t respond, her kind smile only deepening. "You must be hungry, dear?"
"Grandma, I’m not hungry." Qin Mei truly wasn’t. She had eaten a steamed bun in the middle of the night and didn’t feel hungry now.
"You want to eat white-flour steamed buns?" the old woman asked, a little uncertain.
"No, Grandma. I’m saying, I’m not hungry," Qin Mei said.
"What? You want to eat two white-flour steamed buns?" The old woman was still unsure.
"No, Grandma, you’ve misunderstood." ’If she weren’t speaking Mandarin—if she were speaking any dialect, I wouldn’t understand her. But she *is* speaking Mandarin, so how is there a communication barrier between us?’
"Dear, you just wait a moment. I’ll go get you two steamed buns." The old woman was now certain.
Qin Mei felt a vein throb in her forehead. ’This is like a chicken talking to a duck!’
The old woman came out with two white-flour steamed buns. Worried that Qin Mei might choke while eating them, she had even thoughtfully poured a bowl of warm water.
"Here, dear, eat up. Don’t starve yourself." Qin Mei couldn’t bring herself to refuse the old woman’s kindness.
"Thank you, Grandma," Qin Mei said. Under the old woman’s kind gaze, she accepted the bun and began to eat. After she finished the first one, the old woman handed her the bowl of water. Qin Mei accepted it with a smile and took a sip. Then the old woman offered her the other bun. Qin Mei was already full and tried to politely decline. "Grandma, I’m full."
"I’m not eating it, you eat it," the old woman said, her face beaming.
"No, Grandma. I said, I’m full," Qin Mei said, raising her voice.
"Dear, I’m really not eating it. You have it," the old woman said.
Qin Mei’s head was buzzing. ’We’re both speaking standard Mandarin, and pretty clearly at that. Why is there a communication barrier?’
Qin Mei wracked her brain, and by using a combination of gestures and words, she finally made the old woman understand.
"Really full?" the old woman asked.
"Full," Qin Mei said, nodding vigorously.
"Oh, dear, your appetite is too small. No wonder you’re so thin," the old woman said with a note of pity, then picked up the bun and started eating it herself.
Qin Mei blinked. ’Didn’t she just say she wasn’t going to eat it?’
"Dear, you need to eat more. You’ll only be healthy if you put on some weight. That’s how you’ll give Jingchen a big, healthy baby boy." The old woman’s gaze locked onto Qin Mei’s waist.
Qin Mei said nothing. No matter what she said, the old woman would just go off on her own tangent anyway.
The old woman rambled on, talking mostly about having children. Qin Mei listened awkwardly until she saw Jie Jingchen and Ah Bing returning from a distance, carrying firewood. She let out a sigh of relief. If they hadn’t come back soon, the old woman would have probably started naming her and Jie Jingchen’s future children.
Seeing the two of them return with firewood, the old woman immediately went into the kitchen and poured them two bowls of warm water.
"Jingchen, you’ve worked hard. Have some water." As soon as Jie Jingchen put down the firewood, the old woman handed him the water.
"Thank you, Grandma," Jie Jingchen said, taking the bowl and having a sip.
The old woman then handed a bowl to her grandson. Ah Bing took it and downed it in one go.
"Grandma, she has something to tell you!" Ah Bing yelled.
Qin Mei, who was standing in the doorway, jumped at the sound of Ah Bing’s shout.
"Dear, what did you want to say?" the old woman asked Qin Mei.
Qin Mei took a piece of paper with the names of herbs written on it from her jacket pocket and handed it to the old woman with both hands. "Grandma, do you recognize the herbs written here?"
The old woman took it and stared at Qin Mei with a blank expression.
"She’s asking if you recognize the herbs written on here!" Ah Bing shouted in his grandmother’s ear.
Qin Mei understood in an instant. ’Ah Bing communicates with his grandmother entirely by shouting. If you don’t shout, she communicates with you entirely by guessing.’
"Her hearing isn’t good," Jie Jingchen said, walking over to Qin Mei.
"I figured," Qin Mei said, lifting her gaze to meet his.
The old woman unfolded the paper and glanced at it. Her cloudy eyes filled with shock. "These herbs are incredibly rare and just as difficult to find. What do you need them for?"
"To treat illnesses and save lives," Qin Mei replied, giving a perfect and noble reason.
The old woman didn’t hear her and didn’t seem to want to guess anymore, so she looked toward her grandson.
Ah Bing immediately understood and shouted in her ear, "To treat illnesses and save lives!"
"You’re a doctor?" the old woman asked, looking at Qin Mei in surprise.
’A doctor? What a classic term.’
Qin Mei didn’t deny it, just smiled and nodded.
"We have a doctor in our village," the old woman said.
Qin Mei had a bad feeling about this. ’Surely the grandma doesn’t think I’m here to steal business from the other doctor?’
