"What’s there to be afraid of? I’m here. It’s not like she can eat you alive." Granny grabbed Xu Chunyan and forcefully dragged her along. Granny was getting on in years, so Xu Chunyan didn’t dare struggle with her. If there was an accident, she couldn’t bear the responsibility.
"Granny, she’s Jing Er’s aunt, after all," Xu Chunyan said, distressed and conflicted.
"If she had just kept to herself, we could have left each other alone. But she’s the one who started this. If I don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll really think I’m dead. Daring to sabotage my eldest son’s marriage? She’s asking for it," Granny said viciously.
She couldn’t control Qiao Yanqiu, but she was very satisfied with her as a daughter-in-law. Zhang Hongyan couldn’t earn money, and her family had none either. Qiao Yanqiu, on the other hand, could make good money, and her family was wealthy. Even if Qiao Yanqiu was too busy with work to visit them at the machinery factory during the holidays, she never failed to send them a generous amount of money.
Not only did Zhang Hongyan not give them any money, but she even tried to convince the eldest son not to give them too much either. It would have been a miracle for Granny to like such a daughter-in-law, especially when she was the wife of the Jie Family’s eldest son.
Qin i stood at the kitchen doorway, watching as Granny dragged Xu Chunyan toward Aunt Zhang’s room. ’What a fearso sight!’
"Jie Jingchen, your granny just dragged your second sister-in-law to Mrs. Zhang’s room. Aren’t you going to go check on them?" Qin i turned her head to look at Jie Jingchen, who was slicing potatoes.
Jing Qi had been carrying the groceries she bought, but then she was sent back to Second Aunt’s place. The only food at ho was potatoes. They lasted a long ti, so whenever Qin i bought potatoes, she always bought a lot.
"Where’s my third brother?" Jie Jingchen asked as he julienned the potatoes. His knife skills weren’t as good as Second Aunt’s—hers were fine and even, while his slices were a mix of thick and thin.
"Your third brother went out with your third sister-in-law," Qin i replied. Jie Jinghun and Shen Qing had been about to go back to their room, but they must have overheard sothing. Jie Jinghun’s expression had turned grim. Even though they were already at their doorway, he pulled Shen Qing around, walked toward the courtyard, and they left on his bicycle.
Jie Jingchen seed to understand. He pressed his lips together but said nothing more.
Since Jie Jingchen wasn’t talking, Qin i couldn’t guess what he was thinking. His stance was clear: he was staying out of it.
Curiosity killed the cat. Qin i had just taken a single step when Jie Jingchen, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, called out to her. "Qin i."
Qin i froze and turned to look at Jie Jingchen.
"Don’t go." Jie Jingchen didn’t turn around or stop slicing the potatoes.
Qin i paused, stunned. "I’m curious," she said.
"Don’t go, even if you’re curious," Jie Jingchen said.
"Why?" Qin i asked, confused.
Jie Jingchen finished julienning the potatoes and soaked them in an enal basin. He then turned to Qin i, took her by the wrist, pulled her into the kitchen, and shut the door. "Help with the fire."
Qin i stared at him, her gaze probing. Unable to read any emotion on his face, she asked doubtfully, "Jie Jingchen, are you really not worried?"
"My dad is fine now. What do I have to worry about?" A roguish smile touched the corners of Jie Jingchen’s lips, and his amber eyes held an unreadable emotion.
Qin i thought for a mont. "Your granny."
Jie Jingchen’s eyes glinted with scorn. "My granny is formidable. She doesn’t need to worry about her."
’The old woman was domineering when she was young, and she’s only gotten more so with age, always wanting to control everything. Before my mother married my father, everything was under her thumb. But after my father’s first wife died, he married my mother, and that taught the old woman a harsh lesson.’
Qin i fell silent. She was just curious, and not being able to satisfy that curiosity was killing her.
Qin i tended the fire, straining her ears for any commotion outside. When the al was ready, she wanted to go to Second Aunt’s house to call Jing Qi ho for dinner, but Jie Jingchen stopped her.
"Jing Qi is at Second Aunt’s place. You think Second Aunt would let her go hungry?"
Qin i looked at the dining table, where there was only a dish of stir-fried shredded potatoes. ’Jing Qi loves at, and the deli food I bought was all at... Oh well. I’ll just listen to Jie Jingchen.’
Qin i ate one bowl of rice, and Jie Jingchen ate two. Afterward, Jie Jingchen washed the dishes while Qin i watched him. She didn’t open the kitchen door until she heard a commotion in the courtyard.
Mr. Xie, having changed into clean clothes, stood under the eaves with a grim look on his face. Grandpa stood beside him, watching him worriedly.
Aunt Zhang was bound and gagged, making muffled whimpering sounds through her nose. She glared at Xu Chunyan, her eyes filled with resentnt and disappointnt. Jie Jingjue simply hoisted her onto his shoulder and, ignoring her struggles, forcibly shoved her into a car.
Xu Chunyan packed all of Aunt Zhang’s belongings into the trunk. anwhile, Granny sat in the courtyard, muttering curses under her breath. She seed to run through every vicious insult she knew, though she kept her voice low, likely so the neighbors wouldn’t hear.
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