Jie Jingchen didn’t refuse, leaning his entire body against her. Qin i struggled to support him as they walked.
As they stepped through the courtyard gate, they saw a figure sitting under a tree. It was none other than Mrs. Xie.
"Mom," Jie Jingchen said.
"Mom," Qin i said.
They spoke in unison.
Seeing Qin i struggling to support Jie Jingchen, worry filled Mrs. Xie’s eyes. She got up, walked over, and helped Qin i guide him back to his room.
Mrs. Xie didn’t ask any questions, simply instructing Qin i, "Xiao i, his wound can’t get wet for the next few days. Don’t let him take a shower. If he gets too uncomfortable, you’ll have to give him a sponge bath."
’A sponge bath?’ Qin i’s eyes flickered. Although they were husband and wife, they had never been naked together. Back at Modu Hospital, she’d had the wrong person, and he’d been wrapped up like a mummy anyway. She had only fed him and given him water—she hadn’t done anything more intimate.
"I know, Mom. It’s getting late. You should go rest. You have work tomorrow," Jie Jingchen said, trying to usher her out.
Mrs. Xie thought for a mont, then looked at Qin i. "Tomorrow you have to start treating Jing Qi’s legs, and now Jing Si is injured. Why don’t I take the day off work tomorrow and stay ho to help you?"
"There’s no need, Mom. I can handle it," Qin i politely refused.
"I’m worried you’ll be overwheld," Mrs. Xie said, voicing her concern. "If Jing Si hadn’t been wounded by Second Brother’s wife, he could have assisted you. But with him hurt, you don’t even have anyone to run errands. How can I possibly rest easy?"
Qin i smiled and glanced at Jie Jingchen, who was lying face down on the bed. "I wasn’t counting on his help to begin with," she told Mrs. Xie. "Don’t worry, Mom. I can manage. You have to trust ."
Since Qin i insisted, Mrs. Xie didn’t press the issue. She took Qin i’s hand, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Xiao i, if you really manage to heal Jing Qi’s legs, you’ll be a great benefactor to both the Xie Family and the Qiao Family."
Qin i had only learned Mrs. Xie’s surna was Qiao after hearing her called "Doctor Qiao." She was surprised that not only the Xie Family, but the Qiao Family as well, held Jing Qi in such high regard.
Qin i didn’t dwell on it. She squeezed Mrs. Xie’s hand reassuringly. "Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t let you down."
"You’re a good child. Mom believes in you." Mrs. Xie’s voice was choked with emotion. She glanced at her son, then turned back to Qin i. "It’s Jing Si’s great fortune that he married you. Jing Qi gets to benefit from it too. This must be a blessing for him."
Mrs. Xie was a sensible woman. She knew that if Jing Si hadn’t married Qin i, they would never have even known who she was, let alone find her to treat Jing Qi’s legs. It was destiny, a blessed destiny.
Mrs. Xie secretly vowed to treat her daughter-in-law, Qin i, with kindness and to cherish her.
Hearing this, Qin i didn’t grow smug or prideful. Instead, she lowered her gaze, her cheeks flushing as she spoke shyly, "It’s my good fortune to have married Jie Jingchen, too, Mom."
Lying on the bed, Jie Jingchen jolted. His heart began to race as he turned his head, his amber eyes fixed intently on Qin i.
’Were those words from the heart, or was she just trying to please Mom?’
Qin i’s words went straight to Mrs. Xie’s heart. Overco with emotion, her eyes reddened as tears welled up.
"Mom!" Qin i exclaid, startled.
Mrs. Xie wiped the corners of her eyes and sniffled. "These are just tears of joy. I won’t disturb you two any longer. I’ll head back to my room now."
Qin i saw Mrs. Xie to the door and watched until she had entered her own room before going back inside and shutting the door.
After glancing at the dicine Mrs. Xie had left on the table, Qin i walked to the bedside. She stared down at the prone form of Jie Jingchen and asked, "Can you manage on your own?"
"The needles first," Jie Jingchen answered, deflecting the question.
The corners of Qin i’s eyes lifted slightly. ’This is the first ti he’s actually asked for the needles. His back must really be in pain.’
Qin i fetched the silver needles. Staring at his back, she leaned down and simply ripped his shirt open.
Jie Jingchen tensed up at the sound of tearing fabric. ’She’s as rough as ever.’ "That shirt could’ve been sewn up and worn again."
"Sew it?" Qin i froze. ’Right. In this era, everything is scarce, especially in the countryside. People patch their clothes and wear them for years and years.’ A wave of regret washed over her. ’That was rash.’ "Can you sew? I can’t."
Jie Jingchen fell silent. ’He couldn’t sew, and neither could his mom.’
’The Jie Family was wealthy, and the Qiao Family was even more so. It was only after spending a few years in the army that he had learned to be frugal.’
Jie Jingchen felt relief the mont Qin i inserted the first needle. He wasn’t sure if it was a placebo effect or if her skills were truly that miraculous. By the ti the final needle was in place, he had fallen asleep.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Mr. Xie knocked on the door, asking in a hushed voice, "Jing San, are you and your wife asleep?"
’The family was in such an uproar, yet Jing San and his wife hadn’t stirred from their room. His daughter-in-law had a cold personality and wouldn’t deign to get involved, but what about him? His second brother and sister-in-law were on one side, and his fourth brother and sister-in-law were on the other. I don’t expect him to pick a side, but he could at least try to diate.’
’Then again, maybe it’s for the best that he stays out of it. He’s still holding a grudge over what happened with Xiao You and Xiao Duo. He’d probably just use this as a chance to add fuel to the fire.’
’Jing Si was already clinging to the fact that Second Brother’s wife had wounded him and tried to sow discord between him and his wife. If Jing San started fanning the flas, things would beco even more difficult to resolve.’
Shen Qing saw Jie Jinghun leaning against the window, his expression blank. With his long legs crossed and arms folded over his chest, he didn’t make a sound or show any sign of opening the door. "Dad is calling for you," she reminded him in a low voice.
Jie Jinghun felt a headache coming on. "I heard him," he replied in a low voice.
"Aren’t you going to get the door?" Shen Qing asked quietly.
"I think he’s at the wrong room," Jie Jinghun muttered. ’Right now, it would make more sense for Dad to be at Second Brother’s room. Why co here? What does he want from ? To counsel Second Brother and his wife? Or to counsel Fourth Brother and his wife?’
Shen Qing was utterly speechless. She put down her pen and stood up to open the door herself.
"Dad, is sothing wrong?" Shen Qing’s voice was as cool as ever, but it held the proper respect a junior owed an elder.
"Third Daughter-in-law, are you and Jing San not in bed yet?" Mr. Xie asked, just for the sake of asking.
"I have a bit of work to finish up," Shen Qing replied.
"Working this late?" Mr. Xie’s gaze passed over Shen Qing and into the room. His eyes lingered on the desk for a few seconds before sweeping over to Jie Jinghun by the window. He then turned back to Shen Qing with a kind, apologetic smile. "My apologies for interrupting your work, Daughter-in-law."
"If you knew you were interrupting, then why did you co?" Jie Jinghun answered before she could.
Shen Qing shot a glance at Jie Jinghun before saying to Mr. Xie, "Please, co in and have a seat, Dad. I’ll go check on Jing Qi."
"Shen Qing," Mr. Xie stopped her. "I ca to discuss sothing with both of you."
Hearing that word, Shen Qing glanced at Jie Jinghun and stepped aside to let Mr. Xie into the room.
"There’s nothing to discuss. I can’t help you," Jie Jinghun said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
’Seeing Jie Jinghun’s distant attitude,’ Mr. Xie thought, ’it’s clear he really does resent because of his daughters.’
’Sigh... I was too careless. If Jing Si hadn’t warned , I still wouldn’t have realized how serious this problem is.’
"I haven’t even said what it is. How could you know you can’t help?" Mr. Xie walked into the room, sat down at the desk, and casually picked up a book that Shen Qing had been in the middle of translating.
"Dad, don’t touch my wife’s things," Jie Jinghun interjected. "If you ss them up, she’ll have to waste ti reorganizing everything."
’Does this son of mine have to disrespect at every turn?’ Mr. Xie’s hand froze on the book. He silently placed it back in its original spot.
"It’s not as serious as Jing San says, Dad," Shen Qing said, trying to diffuse the awkwardness for her father-in-law. She then shot Jie Jinghun a cool, reproachful glance.
Jie Jinghun averted his eyes, avoiding Shen Qing’s gaze. Seeing how deep his third son’s resentnt ran, Mr. Xie sighed softly.
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