"Mom, what should we do?" Qin i asked Mrs. Xie, who was beside her. To get caught on her very first trip to the black market... her luck was just plain rotten.
Mrs. Xie stared at the basket of potatoes, lost in thought. ’What’s our story now? Are we selling these potatoes or buying them?’
’Getting caught scalping potatoes is a serious offense.’
"Mom, aren’t we going to run?" Qin i asked again, watching the people scattering in every direction. Her mother-in-law was being far too calm.
’Does she have connections? Is that why she isn’t afraid of being caught?’
’We need to run,’ Qin i thought. ’I don’t even care about those spicy fried potatoes anymore. What’s a little craving compared to getting arrested?’
’I should have checked the almanac before leaving the house. Following Mom to the black market so rashly was just asking for trouble.’
"Run!" Mrs. Xie finally reacted, grabbing Qin i to make a break for it. But it was too late.
Qin i and Mrs. Xie were spectacularly arrested for scalping potatoes at the black market. Jie Jinghun and Jie Jingchen ca to get them, and only because Jie Jinghun pulled so strings were they reclassified as custors buying potatoes, not scalpers.
As a favor to Jie Jinghun, they were even allowed to take the whole basket of potatoes ho with them.
In Mr. Xie’s car, Jie Jinghun drove, Jie Jingchen sat in the passenger seat, and Mrs. Xie and Qin i sat in the back. The two won kept their heads down, utterly humiliated.
During questioning, Mrs. Xie hadn’t dared to reveal her identity. Qin i, on the other hand, had been perfectly composed. ’What’s done is done.’
’I don’t have a job, so I don’t have to worry about word getting back to a work unit. Besides, Mom was the one who dragged to the black market. If the Jie Family loses face over this, she’s the main culprit. So really, I have nothing to stress about.’
"Aunt Qiao, Qin i, why on earth would you two sneak off to the black market in the middle of the night to scalp potatoes?" Jie Jinghun asked the million-dollar question.
"We weren’t scalping! We were really buying potatoes. If you don’t believe , ask Xiao i," Mrs. Xie corrected, feeling a helpless sense that she couldn’t clear her na no matter what she said.
’Thank goodness Qin i had the foresight. I didn’t get what I went for, but she told to buy so potatoes. Otherwise, I’d have no idea how to explain why we were at the black market.’
Qin i did not, in fact, have any foresight. If she did, she never would have gone to the black market with Mrs. Xie in the first place.
’The only reason we bought potatoes was because I was craving those spicy fried ones and thought we could make them at ho. But the young guy selling them was such a good salesman, he talked Mom into buying a whole twenty-two pounds.’
’Then the patrol showed up. The kid seized the chance to snatch a yuan from Mom’s hand and pawned off the entire basket on us—potatoes, basket, and all. With this many potatoes, forget what they thought, even *I* was starting to suspect we were scalpers.’
"Mom," Jie Jingchen said, his expression darkening. ’What happened to her promise to help wash up? Instead, she goes to the black market with Mom. Fine, go, but at least tell soone. A mother and daughter-in-law wandering the black market at night... the very thought makes break out in a cold sweat. Do they have any sense of self-preservation at all?’
’I knew Mom had snuck out with her. I assud they were going to the hospital. I never would have dread she’d take her to the black market. And to buy potatoes in the middle of the night? Who would believe that?’
’Soone ca to the house and told my third brother, who then told . We snuck out without waking anyone. They got arrested as scalpers... We’re even hiding this from Dad because we don’t want him to worry.’
"Xiao i," Mrs. Xie said, tugging on Qin i’s sleeve to prompt her.
Receiving her mother-in-law’s signal, Qin i imdiately chid in, "Right. We weren’t scalping. We were really just buying potatoes."
"Going to the black market in the middle of the night to buy potatoes? And that many?" Jie Jingchen sneered. ’They have to be out of their minds.’
Ignoring Jie Jingchen’s sneer, Qin i put on an innocent expression and retorted, "Is there a rule against it?"
Jie Jingchen’s mouth twitched as he gritted his teeth. "What do you think?"
’They just got arrested, and she still doesn’t get that she was wrong. Arguing with so self-righteously... who gave her the nerve?’
Qin i rubbed her nose, feeling a pang of guilt, but she refused to back down. "We just had a run of bad luck. Next ti, we’ll definitely have to check the almanac before we go out."
Jie Jingchen’s voice dropped, becoming almost chilling. "You’re planning a ’next ti’?"
"No! Absolutely no next ti! Xiao i didn’t an it," Mrs. Xie cut in hastily, giving Qin i a tug. ’Jing Si is angry. This is not the ti to be provoking him.’
Qin i shot a look at Mrs. Xie, then pressed her lips together and fell silent. ’Mom even made an appointnt with that kid to et at the black market again in a month. I have no idea what she’s planning to buy from him, and as curious as I am, I’m not going to ask. If she wants to tell , I’m all ears. If not, I’ll just pretend I don’t know a thing.’
’Knowing too much cos with the risk of being silenced, after all.’
’I was still thinking about finding another chance to go to the black market for dicinal herbs. My original plan was to wait until Mom finished her shopping, then take her to buy that one specific herb. But buying the potatoes took up too much ti, and then the patrol showed up.’
"Aunt Qiao, what were you planning to do with all those potatoes?" Noticing the tense atmosphere in the car, Jie Jinghun tried to steer the conversation back to the potatoes.
"We didn’t an to buy so many! The patrol showed up, and the boy just forced them all on us," Mrs. Xie said, looking a bit sheepish. She then added gratefully, "Jinghun, I’m sorry to have troubled you."
"Aunt Qiao, please don’t say that. We’re all family." A flicker of embarrassnt crossed Jie Jinghun’s eyes. He had disliked his stepmother at first, often teaming up with his second brother, Jing Er, to make things difficult for her. His attitude only changed after he married Shen Qing and had his own daughter. Only then did he truly accept her.
The word "family" deeply moved Mrs. Xie. She had always treated her husband and the children from his first marriage with sincerity, and it seed her efforts were finally being recognized.
"Jinghun, just hearing you say that makes all the grievances I’ve held in my heart for all these years lt away," Mrs. Xie said, her voice filled with relief.
Jie Jinghun glanced at Jie Jingchen beside him. After a mont of internal conflict, he said sincerely, "Aunt Qiao, we were just kids and didn’t know any better. We’re sorry."
"Don’t say that. I understand," Mrs. Xie said gently. "It’s never easy being a stepmother, especially when there are people stirring up trouble. How could a young child be expected to know any better? It was only natural for you to resent ."
’Once he grew up, got married, and could think for himself... well, Jing Er married a woman who can’t stand and is constantly whispering in his ear. So our relationship is polite on the surface, but that’s all.’
An expression of deep guilt crossed Jie Jinghun’s face. "Aunt Qiao," he said, "Dad was lucky to marry you. We all were."
"Hmph! My mom marrying your dad... now *that* was a tragedy," Jie Jingchen scoffed, biting down hard on the last words as if forcing them through his clenched teeth.
Qin i sat bolt upright. ’What did Jie Jingchen an by that? Don’t tell he isn’t Mr. Xie’s biological son?’
Her eyes, filled with curiosity, darted between the three of them. ’This is killing !’
A helpless smile touched Jie Jinghun’s lips. His voice was low. "Jing Si, you say that as if he isn’t your father."
Hearing this, Qin i’s eye twitched. ’Okay, my imagination is running away with . I need to rein it in.’
’Jie Jingchen already told that his father was on his second marriage while his mother had never been married before. People were so conservative back then. Having a child out of wedlock happened, but it was very rare.’
Jie Jingchen fell silent. Jie Jingwei sighed, his voice full of sorrow. "When Aunt Qiao married Dad, he had already changed. My mother marrying him... that was the real tragedy."
Jie Jinghun’s eyes instantly darkened, a deep, sorrowful emotion swirling within them.
The atmosphere in the car turned strange and oppressive. With those words hanging in the air, the car plunged into a dead silence.
Jie Jingchen raised a hand and patted Jie Jinghun’s shoulder in a gesture of silent comfort.
Jie Jinghun’s body stiffened. He turned his head, his gaze complicated and conflicted as he looked at Jie Jingchen.
"Focus on driving," Jie Jingchen reminded him.
Jie Jinghun snapped back to reality and focused on the road. Visibility was poor late at night; a mont of distraction could easily cause an accident.
Qin i’s mind started racing again. ’There’s a story here. There’s definitely a story here. A gut-wrenching, tragic one.’
’I’m so curious, but I don’t dare to ask. The suspense is killing !’
"Aunt Qiao, about my second brother..." Jie Jinghun started, but trailed off, unsure of what to say.
Mrs. Xie smiled, waving it off. "It’s all right. Having you and Jing Ling be so understanding is more than enough. As for Jing Er... with Xu Chunyan in the picture, I don’t expect him to ever truly accept ."
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