Jie Jingshan peeled an egg, her eyes filled with happiness and hope for the future.
Qin i placed a peeled egg into Jie Jingshan’s bowl. Jie Jingshan paused, looking up at Qin i. "Sister-in-law."
"Eat more eggs. You need the nutrition," Qin i said, smiling at Jing Qi as she picked up a sweet potato and took a bite.
Jie Jingshan stared for a mont, then gave Qin i a grateful look. She didn’t refuse, eating two eggs, a sweet potato, and drinking a bowl of milk.
’This month’s ration tickets are all used up.’ Qin i thought, considering a trip to the black market.
After breakfast, Jie Jingshan returned to her room while Qin i went to the courtyard to turn the herbs she was sun-drying. Aunt Zhang, having finished the laundry, decided today was the day she’d pick a fight with Qin i, sothing she’d been itching to do for a month. She deliberately hung the dripping wet clothes right above Qin i’s herbs. When water dripped onto them, Qin i was furious.
"Mrs. Zhang, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?" Qin i asked coldly.
"Fourth Wife of Jing, you’re drying herbs and I’m drying clothes," Aunt Zhang sneered. "This courtyard is huge. You could have put your herbs anywhere, but you just had to put them right under my clothesline. Who’s to bla for that?"
Qin i took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. "First co, first served."
"That’s right! First co, first served," Aunt Zhang said, pausing for effect. "I ca to this family when Jing Si was still in Doctor Qiao’s womb."
Qin i gritted her teeth. ’Was she really twisting "first co, first served" to an who joined the family first?’ "Mrs. Zhang, are you dead set on starting sothing today?"
"Fourth Wife of Jing, I’m not the one starting a fight. You are," Aunt Zhang shot back, turning the accusation around.
Qin i had reached her limit. She snatched Aunt Zhang’s clothes off the line and, instead of tossing them on the ground, threw them right at the woman.
"Qin i!" Now soaking wet, Aunt Zhang was livid. She flung the laundry back onto the clothesline and scattered Qin i’s drying herbs.
Enraged, Qin i tore down all of Aunt Zhang’s clothes and pants, throwing them onto the ground. Aunt Zhang rushed forward to stop her, and the two imdiately started grappling.
Hearing the commotion, Jie Jingshan ca out of her room. She grew anxious when she saw the two of them fighting, afraid Qin i would get hurt, and she moved to help.
"Jing Qi, stay put! Don’t move! This old hag is no match for ." Qin i was locked in a fierce struggle with Aunt Zhang, but still had to spare a mont to stop Jie Jingshan.
"Sister-in-law..." Seeing that Qin i had the upper hand, Jie Jingshan breathed a sigh of relief and started cheering her on. "Go, Sister-in-law! You’ve got this!"
"Jie Jingshan, you ungrateful wretch!" Aunt Zhang yelled.
"You’re the ungrateful wretch, you old hag! My mom treated you so well, and what did you do? You repaid her kindness with cruelty! If you had shown Jing Qi even a shred of decency, she wouldn’t have..."
"She *is* an ungrateful wretch! The kind you can never ta!" Aunt Zhang cut Qin i off, unleashing another string of curses.
Qin i was done talking. It was ti for action.
Aunt Zhang was a poor fighter. Soon, Qin i was straddling her, yanking her hair with one hand while pinching and clawing at her with the other, specifically targeting sensitive spots.
"AH! Help ! She’s killing ! The Fourth Wife of Jing is crazy! She’s trying to kill !" Aunt Zhang shrieked.
"This’ll teach you to ss with ! If I don’t put you in your place, you’ll never learn who’s boss!" These herbs had been drying for so long and were almost ready, and now Aunt Zhang had ruined them. Of course Qin i was livid.
"Excuse , what’s...?" The voice trailed off as its owner took in the spectacle in the courtyard.
Qin i turned to see an unfamiliar man at the gate. Her eyes flickered, but she calmly asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"I’m looking for Jie Jingchen’s wife," the man said. "Which one of you is she?"
Qin i’s heart sank. She released her grip on Aunt Zhang’s hair and got off her, though not without giving the woman one last kick. She calmly straightened her ssy hair and clothes. "That’s . What is it?"
"Sothing’s happened to Jie Jingchen," the man said.
"What?" Qin i’s composure vanished. ’It’s his first day back at work, and sothing’s happened again?’
’Is Jie Jingchen just not cut out for factory work?’
"Sister-in-law!" Jie Jingshan’s face was filled with alarm.
"Jing Qi, don’t worry. I’ll go check on him." Qin i soothed Jing Qi, then shot a look at Aunt Zhang, who was lying on the ground gloating. She instructed her, "Jing Qi, go back to your room, lock the door from the inside, and have your dagger ready."
"Okay." Jie Jingshan nodded. Qin i escorted her into the room and only left after hearing the bolt slide shut. She then went to her own room to grab her satchel, making sure to lock her door, and the kitchen door as well.
The man watched this whole sequence of events with a puzzled expression. ’Her husband’s in trouble, yet she’s so calmly giving her sister-in-law instructions? And all this locking... Locking the room is one thing, but the kitchen too?’ He couldn’t help but wonder if she was really Jie Jingchen’s wife.
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