Chapter 169: Chapter 70: Fourth Brother, Lend Me 2000 (Part 2)

"Don’t be in a rush to get revenge. Discuss it more with Aunt Zhang." After speaking, Jie Jingwei closed his eyes again.

"I know." Xu Chunyan got up, left the room, and walked toward the kitchen.

After Xu Chunyan left, Jie Jingwei opened his eyes, a profound meaning hidden in their depths.

Qin Mei put the money away and locked it up, then turned to Jie Jingchen and said, "It isn’t safe to keep so much cash in the house. We’ll go to the bank tomorrow and deposit it."

Jie Jingchen met her gaze and nodded in agreement. "Alright."

"What are we doing for dinner?" Qin Mei asked. The question had been weighing on her mind.

"We’ll be eating in a moment," Jie Jingchen said.

Qin Mei faltered. She glanced through the window toward the kitchen, where Xu Chunyan and Hu Wan’er were bringing out dishes. In front of Jie Jingchen, Qin Mei was blunt. "I wouldn’t dare eat any food Aunt Zhang made."

"Afraid she’ll poison you?" Jie Jingchen teased.

Qin Mei shot him a glare. "Poison me? She’s not capable enough for that. My nose is very sensitive to certain chemicals. I’m afraid she’d spit in my food."

Jie Jingchen fell silent. He couldn’t guarantee that wouldn’t happen. Aunt Zhang wanted to control Qin Mei, and Qin Mei wasn’t one to indulge her. Given Aunt Zhang’s personality, it was entirely possible she would tamper with Qin Mei’s food.

Aunt Zhang stood at the kitchen door and shouted, "Dinner’s ready!"

Her voice was as loud as a megaphone.

Qin Mei understood now. ’So around here, communication is all about shouting.’

People started trickling into the main hall. Jie Jingjue pushed Jie Jingshan toward it. Qin Mei stood by the window, conflicted. ’Should I just go with the flow? Or should I just ignore it?’

The entire family was there. It would look bad if only she and Jie Jingchen didn’t show up.

"What should we do?" Qin Mei turned to look at Jie Jingchen.

Jie Jingchen chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He arched an eyebrow, giving Qin Mei a teasing look. "You decide."

"You’re the man, the pillar of the family. You decide." Qin Mei unceremoniously passed the buck to Jie Jingchen with a heavy dose of flattery.

"Let’s go." Jie Jingchen got up, took Qin Mei’s hand, and strode out of the room.

Qin Mei followed stiffly. Jie Jingchen had long legs; for every one of his steps, she had to take two. She struggled to keep up with his pace.

Seeing they hadn’t arrived, Mrs. Xie came out to call for them. When she saw them approach, she waved to Qin Mei. "Xiao Mei."

"Mom," Qin Mei called out, slipping her hand from Jie Jingchen’s grasp and jogging over to Mrs. Xie.

In the spacious main hall, a large round table had appeared from somewhere. There hadn’t been a table like this in the hall when Qin Mei first came to the Jie Family’s house.

Mr. Xie, Mrs. Xie, Jing Er’s family of three, Jing San and his wife, Jing Si and his wife, Jing Wu, and Jing Qi, plus Aunt Zhang and Hu Wan’er—a full thirteen people—were gathered around the round table, and it still didn’t feel crowded.

"Aunt Zhang called for dinner a while ago, yet Jing Si and his wife are sauntering in late. What matter of national importance were you two discussing in your room?" Xu Chunyan sneered at Qin Mei, seizing the opportunity.

Qin Mei glanced at Xu Chunyan and let out a contemptuous scoff. "Matters of national importance aren’t for us to discuss. We were counting money until our hands went numb, so we were taking a break."

Xu Chunyan was momentarily stunned speechless. She didn’t blow up in front of everyone. "Right. You’re from the countryside, where conditions are harsh. You probably never saw so much money before marrying Jing Si. Two thousand must be a fortune to you. You’d have to count it carefully."

"That’s right. Conditions in the countryside are harsh, so you have to earn more money to improve your family’s life." As Qin Mei said this, her gaze landed on Aunt Zhang, her expression holding a strange, profound meaning that made Aunt Zhang’s conscience prickle.

"My dear sister-in-law, using your husband’s family’s money to subsidize your maiden family... you truly are a devoted daughter," Xu Chunyan said sarcastically. Mimicking Qin Mei, she cast a meaningful glance at Mrs. Xie.

"My Qiao Family has money. We can afford to subsidize my daughter-in-law’s family, let alone all of her distant relatives," Mrs. Xie said with magnanimity. How could she not realize Xu Chunyan was trying to sow discord between her and her daughter-in-law?

Jie Jingjue shot his mother a resentful look. ’So generous to her fourth son’s wife, yet she refused to lend me two thousand. Is she even my real mother?’

Mr. Xie was silent, and Jie Jingshan also kept quiet. Jie Jinghun and his wife were detached, cold observers. Jie Jingchen lowered his gaze in deep thought, and it was impossible to tell what he was contemplating. Hu Wan’er and Aunt Zhang, on the other hand, were burning with anxiety, while Jie You simply gnawed on a chicken leg.

’My mother-in-law is so impressive and supportive!’ Qin Mei, not to be outdone, chimed in. "Speaking of subsidizing maiden families, our second sister-in-law is the real devoted daughter. If you were number two, no one would dare claim to be number one."

Xu Chunyan was struck speechless again, a flash of intense hatred in her eyes. She had intended to sow discord and create a conflict between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, only to find them turning on her together.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com