Shen Qing was speechless. She was a mother, watching her daughter get bullied by Xiao You while his parents did nothing to stop him. Their father was busy, and when he got ho from work, Xiao You would always cling to him, so Xiao Duo was ignored.
If Aunt Qiao saw Xiao You bullying Xiao Duo, she would scold him. But when his mother found out, she would drag Xiao You over to confront Aunt Qiao. They called it a confrontation, but really, she just berated Aunt Qiao.
After removing the last of the silver needles, Qin i put them away, tucked Jie Jingchen in, and tiptoed out of the room.
Qin i went to the kitchen. Bathwater was heating in a large pot. She didn’t care who had prepared it; she just turned and went back to her room to grab a bucket.
After her bath, Qin i felt completely refreshed. She was carrying the bucket back to her room when she passed Jie Jingjue’s window and he called out to her. "Fourth Sister-in-law."
Qin i stopped and looked at Jie Jingjue standing by the window. Her eyes flickered. "You’re not asleep yet?"
"It’s too early. I can’t sleep." Jie Jingjue was young and loved to go out, often coming ho very late. "Fourth Sister-in-law, is my fourth brother okay?"
"He’ll live," Qin i replied.
"A little wound like that could never kill my brother," Jie Jingjue said, looking smug.
The corner of Qin i’s mouth twitched. ’Are they even real brothers?’ she wondered. "Your fourth brother was slashed by your second sister-in-law. What is there to be so smug about?"
Jie Jingjue glanced warily behind Qin i, but then decided his caution was unnecessary. Still, he lowered his voice. "My fourth brother did it on purpose. He’s incredibly capable. A woman like Second Sister-in-law would never have been able to actually hurt him."
Qin i froze. If even Jie Jingjue could see through it, then of course the sly old Mr. Xie could. No wonder he let Xu Chunyan off the hook so easily.
’Everyone in the Jie Family was a piece of work.’
Qin i lifted her chin. "What’s wrong with being a woman? Jing Wu, don’t look down on won. Haven’t you heard the saying? ’The fangs of a viper, the stinger of a wasp—neither is as venomous as a woman’s heart.’"
The corner of Jie Jingjue’s mouth twitched. Seeing that Qin i was about to leave, he quickly stopped her. "Fourth Sister-in-law."
"What is it?" Qin i asked, in no mood for nonsense.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, I want to head out for a bit. Could you watch Xiao You for ?" Jie Jingjue asked tentatively.
Jie Jingjue hadn’t been there for their first eting, when Jie You had called Qin i a vixen. He wasn’t there the second ti it happened, either. In short, he had no idea that Jie You had gotten on Qin i’s bad side.
His reason for asking Qin i for help was simple: no matter what conflicts the adults had, the child was innocent. They were all family; she wouldn’t take her anger out on a kid.
"What did you just say?" Qin i thought she must have misheard. ’Jie Jingjue wants to watch Jie You? Is he kidding ?’
Jie Jingjue scratched his head awkwardly. "Second Sister-in-law’s face is in bad shape, so Second Brother took her to the hospital. They’re not back yet. Dad’s furious with Third Brother, so I don’t dare get on his bad side right now. And since Xiao You always bullies Xiao Duo, there’s no way Third Brother will agree to watch him."
Qin i looked up, a dark glint in her almond-shaped eyes. "Jie Jingjue, are you out of your mind?"
"Fourth Sister-in-law," Jie Jingjue pleaded, a sliver of hope in his phoenix eyes.
"Your second sister-in-law chased with a knife. Your fourth brother got slashed protecting . And now you want to watch her kid? Jie Jingjue, does that sound remotely possible? Are you delusional, or have I lost my mind?" Qin i demanded coldly.
"SHHH!" Jie Jingjue pressed a finger to his lips. "Fourth Sister-in-law, calm down! Keep your voice down."
"Psycho," Qin i muttered, grabbing her bucket and walking away.
When Jie Jingjue saw her leaving, he panicked, vaulted right out of his window, and ran after her. "Fourth Sister-in-law, wait! Don’t go! Just listen to ! Xiao You is a good kid, and he’s already asleep. You just have to make sure he doesn’t kick off his blankets. It’s not like you have to stare at him. You could even sleep in there with him."
"I can’t. I can’t sleep in unfamiliar beds," Qin i said, annoyed.
Jie Jingjue had a ready solution. "That’s easy. I’ll just carry Xiao You to your and Fourth Brother’s room. It’s perfect! You two can get so practice taking care of a kid. That way, you won’t be totally lost when your own baby is born."
Qin i stopped in her tracks. Seeing this, Jie Jingjue rejoiced inwardly.
Qin i glared at Jie Jingjue, taking several deep breaths to suppress the urge to throttle him. "Jie Jingjue, let’s put aside the issues between and Xu Chunyan for a mont. In Jie You’s mind, his fourth aunt is supposed to be Teacher Lin. He can’t accept the fact that I’m the one who married your brother. The very first ti we t, he called a vixen. Jie Jingjue, do you really think I’m going to babysit a child who called a vixen?"
That had happened? Jie Jingjue was stunned. He had no idea. Still, he tried to persuade her. "Fourth Sister-in-law, Xiao You’s just a kid. He doesn’t know any better. You’re the adult, so be the bigger person and don’t hold it against him."
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