Granny Guo’s expression changed, turning grim. She asked tentatively, "Is my daughter-in-law carrying a girl?"
Qin i’s expression soured, and she clenched her jaw. "I don’t know."
No matter how Granny Guo pressed her, Qin i adamantly insisted she didn’t know.
The two were at a standstill until finally, Granny Guo gave in, storming off with the at and canned fruit.
After Granny Guo left, Jie Jingchen sat down in the wicker chair and looked at Qin i, who was slumped over the stone table.
"It’s a girl?" Jie Jingchen asked in a low voice.
Qin i tilted her head, gazing at Jie Jingchen. She touched her cheek and asked, "Is it that obvious?"
Jie Jingchen said nothing. Qin i’s reaction was answer enough.
"Jie Jingchen, Granny Guo isn’t going to force Su Kexin to go to the hospital to..." Qin i couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. ’It’s too cruel.’
"Probably not." But Jie Jingchen wasn’t sure either.
"Jie Jingchen, should I have just stayed out of it?" Qin i asked weakly. She had a sinking feeling she’d just brought trouble upon herself.
She had lived in a listless but peaceful daze with the Sun Family for half a year. Now, only a few days after coming to the Jie Family’s ho with Jie Jingchen, it felt like she was stumbling from one disaster to the next.
"Your professional ethics wouldn’t allow you to stand idly by in a matter of life and death." As he said this, the look in his eyes grew complicated. ’The Qin i before her amnesia... forget standing idly by, it would have been an act of rcy for her not to kick soone when they were already down.’
’Professional ethics?’ Qin i averted her gaze and coughed softly. "What professional ethics? I’m not a doctor."
Jie Jingchen didn’t argue. Whatever she said, went.
"SIGH!" Qin i was restless and kept sighing.
"If you’re that worried, I’ll take you over to Granny Guo’s to have a look," Jie Jingchen suggested.
"I’m not going." Qin i refused without a second thought.
’To her, Granny Guo’s house was a trap right now. Was she stupid enough to just walk right into it?’
A mont later, Second Aunt’s anxious voice rang out. "Fourth Wife of Jing, sothing’s happened! Sothing terrible!"
Hearing the four words "Fourth Wife of Jing," Qin i felt her head was about to split.
Second Aunt rushed in, grabbing Qin i’s hand. "Fourth Wife of Jing, quick, co to Granny Guo’s house with ! Granny Guo is saying you told her that the Hero’s wife is carrying a girl, and now she’s raising a fuss at ho, insisting on forcing the Hero’s wife to go to the hospital and get the baby aborted."
Qin i looked to the heavens, feeling wronged. "I didn’t say Su Kexin was carrying a girl."
"Then it’s a boy? That can’t be right! A grandson is all Granny Guo has hoped for, day and night. She’d wake up laughing in her sleep just dreaming about it. Why would she force the Hero’s wife to go to the hospital and get rid of her grandson?" Second Aunt couldn’t figure it out.
Qin i raised her hand and rubbed her brow, saying wearily, "I didn’t say it was a boy, either."
"So, is the Hero’s wife carrying a boy or a girl?" Second Aunt asked.
"It’s a..." Qin i almost blurted out the answer. She eyed Second Aunt warily. ’Is she trying to pry the information out of ?’ Then again, she thought it was unlikely. What Su Kexin was carrying had nothing to do with Second Aunt. Still, she cautiously insisted, "I don’t know."
"You really don’t know?" Forget Granny Guo; even Second Aunt didn’t believe her.
"I really don’t." Qin i felt a bit insecure, but she didn’t dare let it show.
Granny Guo and Second Aunt were both shrewd. Second Aunt recalled what Qin i had said yesterday, and her expression shifted continuously.
Second Aunt leaned into Qin i’s ear, lowering her voice to ask, "Is the Hero’s wife really carrying a girl?"
Qin i’s heart skipped a beat. Looking at Second Aunt, she could see poorly suppressed schadenfreude in her expression.
’Is this what being neighbors is all about? Harmonious on the surface, but secretly competing with each other underneath.’
’This was a classic case of, ’You can live well, but you can’t live better than I do.’’
"Second Aunt, I really don’t know." Qin i’s resolve didn’t waver.
She was terrified Second Aunt would pry the truth from her, then gloatingly run to Granny Guo to add fuel to the fire. In fact, she wouldn’t even need to add fuel to the fire; just telling Granny Guo that she had confird Su Kexin was carrying a girl would be enough to make Granny Guo fall apart.
"You really don’t know?" Second Aunt wouldn’t give up. She had been there yesterday when Qin i perford acupuncture on Su Kexin and had seen everything clearly. With just a few needles, Su Kexin had started to recover.
"I swear," Qin i said, raising her hand.
"Oh, there’s no need for that." Second Aunt pulled Qin i’s raised hand down. ’Whether Su Kexin was having a boy or a girl didn’t really concern her anyway. Su Kexin wasn’t her daughter-in-law. Besides, her own daughter-in-law had made her proud by giving her two grandsons.’
"Second Aunt, you’re a kind person. A life is at stake, and you all live in the sa courtyard. You should hurry back and check on them," Qin i said.
The flattery was very effective on Second Aunt, who imdiately hurried away.
"Jie Jingchen, nothing terrible is actually going to happen, right?" Qin i asked him worriedly.
"Second Aunt will persuade Granny Guo," Jie Jingchen said with a smile. Before Second Aunt had arrived, he wasn’t sure, but now he was certain.
"Can Second Aunt really persuade Granny Guo?" Qin i was skeptical.
A slight smile touched Jie Jingchen’s lips. "Don’t doubt Second Aunt’s ability to persuade people. Besides, deep down, she hopes Granny Guo ends up with a granddaughter."
Thinking of the schadenfreude on Second Aunt’s face, Qin i was speechless for a mont.
’You can never truly know a person’s heart!’
"What do you want for lunch?" Jie Jingchen changed the subject.
"Whatever." Qin i had no energy, slumping listlessly on the table.
"When Jing Qi wakes up, I’ll take you both out to eat," Jie Jingchen said.
"Whatever." Qin i had no objections, idly picking at the tabletop with her fingernail.
"I’ll take you over to Granny Guo’s to have a look," Jie Jingchen suggested.
Qin i hesitated. She was soone who liked to see things through to the end, not give up halfway. Since she had stepped in to help Su Kexin, she felt she had to see it through, unless Su Kexin herself couldn’t take Granny Guo’s pressure and agreed to go to the hospital to get rid of the child.
’They say a mother’s heart is connected to her child’s. That baby has been in Su Kexin’s womb for seven months. To have its right to be born stripped away just because it’s a girl... It was just too cruel.’
"Where’s Jing Wu?" Qin i asked.
"He went out," Jie Jingchen replied.
"If we go to Granny Guo’s house, then there’ll be no one here watching Jing Qi." Qin i was uneasy about leaving Jing Qi ho alone while he slept.
Jie Jingchen smiled. ’Qin i is truly good to Jing Qi. No wonder Jing Qi is so generous toward her.’
"Jie Jingchen, you stay here and watch Jing Qi. I’ll go sneak a peek," Qin i said.
"Okay," Jie Jingchen nodded.
With Jie Jingchen’s approval, Qin i imdiately got up and ran out.
Qin i didn’t rush into the courtyard. She leaned against the wall, panting, and peeked through a hole in the wall. The yard was empty. Qin i’s heart instantly tensed.
’Am I too late? Did Granny Guo already take Su Kexin to the hospital?’
’This is their family’s business. As an outsider, could she rush to the hospital and stop them? No.’
Qin i looked up at the sky, her brow furrowed with lancholy. ’This way of thinking, valuing boys over girls, is truly destructive.’
Just as Qin i turned to leave, the door to Granny Guo’s house opened. Granny Guo and Second Aunt ca out, their faces wreathed in smiles. The two walked into the courtyard, and Granny Guo even took a handful of White Rabbit candies from her pocket.
"Here, Second Sister, take these for your two grandsons." Granny Guo placed the White Rabbit candies into Second Aunt’s hand.
Second Aunt accepted them with a chuckle and put them in her pocket. "Sister Guo, you’re a blessed woman. Heaven will surely treat you well. The Hero’s wife is definitely carrying a boy this ti. You can stop all this fussing. I have experience, I’m sure it’s a boy."
Qin i pressed a hand to her forehead. ’When the baby is born, isn’t Second Aunt afraid that Granny Guo will co to settle accounts with her?’
"Second Sister, I’ll take you at your good word. I believe you. That whole scene I made today... sigh! Second Sister, thank you so much. If you hadn’t stopped , I would have taken my daughter-in-law to the hospital. If it really is a grandson and I got rid of him because of my fussing, I would have beco a sinner in the eyes of the Wu Family." The lingering fear was palpable even as Granny Guo thought back on it.
"We live in the sa courtyard. It’s only right that we help each other out," Second Aunt said, patting Granny Guo’s shoulder.
"Second Sister, did the Fourth Wife of Jing really tell you that my daughter-in-law is carrying a boy?" Granny Guo was still a little uneasy. Compared to Second Aunt’s experience, she trusted Qin i’s words more.
User Comments
0 comments from readers