Jie Jingchen rubbed his sore thighs and stood up. Sitting on the stool was too uncomfortable; he’d rather stand.
"Can she get along with your second and third sisters-in-law?" Having asked about the in-laws, Qin Xiang now inquired about the wives of the brothers. ’As long as she can get along with her mother-in-law, her father-in-law’s attitude doesn’t matter. Once the mother-in-law is handled, the father-in-law can’t stir up any trouble, no matter how much he dislikes her.’
"She’s polite and distant with my third sister-in-law, but she and my second sister-in-law are like fire and water," Jie Jingchen answered honestly.
"Tell the details." Qin Xiang was intrigued. He needed to figure out who his little sister got along with and who she didn’t.
Jie Jingchen held nothing back, nor did he embellish the story. After listening, Qin Xiang fell into deep thought, his expression grave and serious.
"Where in the Northwest was Xu Anshan sent?" Qin Xiang asked coldly. ’Daring to hurt my little sister... I’ll make Xu Anshan pay the price.’
Jie Jingchen nad the place, and Qin Xiang committed it to mory. Once his family leave was over and he returned to the army, his first order of business would be to "take care of" Xu Anshan.
Jie Jingchen had already made so moves behind the scenes. He wouldn’t stop Qin Xiang if he wanted to get involved. This ti, they would make Xu Anshan learn his lesson and regret ever ssing with Qin i. Just because he had connections didn’t an he could provoke whover he pleased.
"From what I can see, your Granny and my little sister don’t get along." Qin Xiang didn’t ntion Grandpa; he could already tell that Grandpa wasn’t the one in charge. Granny was the one who called the shots.
Jie Jingchen’s face was expressionless as he scoffed. "I don’t even get along with my Granny. You expect her to get along with Qin i? Who are you trying to make things difficult for? My Granny, or Qin i?"
"Heh." Qin Xiang chuckled dryly, rising to walk over to Jie Jingchen and patting his shoulder. "I’m just worried my little sister is going to anger your Granny to death."
A flicker crossed Jie Jingchen’s eyes. "My Granny is tough. I haven’t managed to anger her to death yet, so there’s no way Qin i can."
"The atmosphere in your Jie Family is terrible." Qin Xiang was disdainful. ’Shouldn’t a family be loving and affectionate? I’ve only just arrived and I’m already seeing all this scheming.’
’It’s a good thing the Jie Family isn’t so old, distinguished clan. If they were, it would probably be even more chaotic.’
"My Grandpa and Granny are only staying with us for a month. They’ll go ho after that." Jie Jingchen had been about to say, ’They’ll be gone, but you’ll still be here.’ Qin Xiang had a two-month leave this ti, and he wasn’t sure if his brother-in-law planned to stay here with Qin i for the whole two months.
Qin Xiang fell silent. His Qin family was a large clan. Whether they were paternal or maternal cousins, everyone maintained good relationships. They had many brothers, and the whole family was loving and affectionate—the atmosphere couldn’t be better.
Qin Xiang said, "It’s nice for a family to live together, but if you can’t get along, forcing it just makes everyone uncomfortable. It’s better to live separately. If you don’t have the ans to live apart, then there’s no choice but to squeeze in together. But your Jie Family has the ans to live separately; there’s no need to force everyone into one house."
Qin Xiang had his own motives. He didn’t just want Qin i to live well; he wanted her to live happily.
Jie Jingchen nodded in agreent. Qin Xiang slung an arm around Jie Jingchen’s shoulders and sighed. "This is Shijiu City. If this were Yangcheng City, our Qin family could provide a nice place for you two."
Jie Jingchen looked at Qin Xiang, speechless. ’Does he think I need my wife’s family to provide us with a ho?’
Then Qin Xiang continued, "Jing Si, my little sister married you. If she had married anyone else, we would have done whatever it took to convince that man to marry into our Qin family. How can we rest easy with a daughter of the Qin family living with her in-laws?"
Jie Jingchen really wanted to ask Qin Xiang why, after he and Qin i got their marriage certificate, he never saw the Qin family interfere in her affairs. He had left Qin i with his eldest sister for half a year, and not a single person from the Qin family had shown any concern for her.
Jie Jingchen felt that the Qin Family’s attitude was that once their daughter was married to him, they could wash their hands of her. If it weren’t for Qin Xiang constantly boasting about Qin i in front of him, he would have suspected that the Qin family didn’t actually value their daughter very much.
Qin Xiang sighed and continued, "Ah, fate is a tricky thing. We wanted to keep our little sister close, but she ended up marrying so far away. There were so many single comrades in the army, but she didn’t like a single one of them. She just had to fall for you."
The Qin Family could control the lives of others, but they couldn’t control Jie Jingchen’s.
"Am I not good enough?" Jie Jingchen’s eyes, deep as the sea, stared at Qin Xiang with an inscrutable expression. His icy face was devoid of warmth.
’To think he wanted to marry Qin i off to another comrade.’ Jie Jingchen was furious. The thought of Qin i marrying any man other than him brought a suffocating pain.
"You’re great, it’s just..." They were comrades, good brothers. Qin Xiang knew very well how outstanding Jie Jingchen was. If Jing Si hadn’t been injured on a mission and forced to retire, his current position would have belonged to Jing Si.
"Just what?" Jie Jingchen’s voice rose, filled with suppressed anger.
"My little sister isn’t good enough for you." Qin Xiang didn’t want to admit it, but he had to.
Jie Jingchen froze for a mont. The answer was unexpected. His anger vanished, and a roguish smile played on his lips. "Qin i is wonderful. She’s more than good enough for ."
That was what Qin Xiang wanted to hear. He glanced at his watch, raised an eyebrow, and let go of Jie Jingchen, pushing him toward the door. "You should go wake my little sister up. She’s been napping for too long."
In a good mood, Jie Jingchen strode toward the adjacent room.
Seeing that the courtyard was empty, Qin Xiang thought for a mont and decided to go sit outside. The sll of dicinal herbs in the room was too strong; he needed to get so fresh air.
’When Jie Jingchen ca in just now, he didn’t look bothered at all. He must be used to the sll of herbs. There were so many of them, and Jie Jingchen had even warned him not to touch anything, saying that if he ssed them up, his little sister would have to clean up. Moving the herbs out of the room was unrealistic, so it seed he’d just have to get used to it.’
"Qin i," Jie Jingchen called out.
"Mm," Qin i murmured, opening her eyes to see Jie Jingchen sitting by her bed. Her sleepy gaze was a little dazed.
Seeing Qin i close her eyes again, ready to go back to sleep, Jie Jingchen pulled her directly out from under the covers and into his arms. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Your brother asked to wake you. He’s worried if you sleep too long, you won’t be able to sleep tonight."
Qin i snuggled into Jie Jingchen’s embrace, finding a comfortable position. "What ti is it?"
"A little after four," Jie Jingchen replied.
"It’s after four already?" Qin i was startled. She had fallen asleep at two and woken up at four—she’d slept for two hours. ’Oh god! I’m definitely not going to sleep tonight.’ She pushed lightly against Jie Jingchen’s chest, her voice a soft, flirtatious rebuke. "Why didn’t you wake up sooner? I slept for so long, how am I supposed to sleep tonight?"
Jie Jingchen’s gaze burned as he stared at Qin i. He leaned close to her ear and said suggestively, "Don’t worry, I have my ways of making you fall asleep."
Qin i understood his hidden aning and lightly tapped his chest. "Overindulgence is bad for your health. You should take it easy."
Qin i couldn’t possibly understand. For a man who had been abstinent, it was all or nothing. Once he got a taste, it was like an addiction.
"Qin i, your brother is still outside, and the door isn’t locked." Jie Jingchen squeezed her small hand. ’Doesn’t she realize how alluring she is? Especially right after waking up, she makes him want to devour her, to watch her beauty bloom.’
"Jie Jingchen." Qin i desperately wanted to pry open his head and see what on earth was inside.
Jie Jingchen lowered his head and kissed her red lips. Qin i was used to his kisses and didn’t coyly push him away. She responded with equal passion. Whenever Jie Jingchen kissed her, Qin i always revealed her own ardor.
The two kissed for a long ti. Just as things were about to escalate, Jie Jingchen released her and pulled away. He couldn’t keep kissing her. If he continued, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t lose control.
Jie Jingchen took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his stirring desire.
"You get changed. I’ll go check on your brother." Jie Jingchen made a quick excuse and fled the room as if escaping a disaster.
Watching Jie Jingchen’s sowhat flustered retreat, Qin i stretched languidly, a bewitching smile slowly spreading across her face.
"Heh. As if I can’t handle you."
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