Chapter 236 - 92: Qin Mei, Give Me Back My Grandson
When Qin Mei named the ointment after the Qin Family, she never expected to be able to keep to herself, so her first thought was that Qin’s ointment had been reported.
Second Auntie froze, panting as she looked at Qin Mei. Realizing Qin Mei had misunderstood, she grabbed her arm and hastily explained, "A misunderstanding! It’s a misunderstanding! It’s not... Oh! The hero’s wife had her baby!"
’So Su Kexin had her baby,’ Qin Mei thought. ’Calculating the time, it was about right.’
Relieved that it wasn’t about Qin’s ointment, Qin Mei sighed. "So she had the baby. You gave me a scare, Second Auntie."
"Second Auntie," Jie Jingchen greeted, picking up the enamel mug Gao Hai had used and heading for the kitchen.
"Fourth Wife of Jing, aren’t you worried?" Second Auntie followed Qin Mei. Seeing her calmly sit down in the wicker chair and take a sip from an enamel cup, Second Auntie grew extremely anxious.
"Worried about what?" Qin Mei asked with a smile, picking at the rim of her cup with a fingernail.
"Guo Xiaofang is going to come settle the score with you," Second Auntie said, looking utterly frantic.
"And why would Granny Guo want to settle scores with me?" Qin Mei asked.
Second Auntie sat on a stone stool, resting one arm on the stone table and her other hand on her knee. "The hero’s wife had a daughter! Guo Xiaofang’s dream of a grandson is ruined, and you were the one who thumped your chest and guaranteed that the hero’s wife was carrying a son..."
"Second Auntie, Second Auntie," Qin Mei said twice, cutting her off. "Let me remind you, *you* were the one who thumped your chest and swore up and down that Sister Ke Xin was carrying a son. You even proclaimed that Granny Guo would definitely get her grandson. You’re the experienced one, so Granny Guo believed you without a doubt. Not me. I never once revealed the baby’s gender in front of Granny Guo."
Second Auntie froze. Thinking back, she realized Qin Mei really hadn’t revealed a thing. She had been the one doing all the talking, and she knew exactly what she’d said. It would’ve been one thing if she hadn’t known the baby’s gender, but she’d made that boast even when she knew the truth.
Feeling a pang of guilt, Second Auntie said to Qin Mei, "Fourth Wife of Jing, Guo Xiaofang is a real lunatic when she gets worked up. Shouldn’t we go hide out somewhere?"
"I’m not going." Qin Mei shook her head. ’When it came to the gender of Su Kexin’s baby, my lips were sealed in front of Granny Guo. I didn’t say a word. On what grounds could she possibly come after me?’
Second Auntie’s face fell. ’So Qin Mei isn’t willing to hide out with me.’
"Second Auntie, have some tea." Jie Jingchen placed the enamel mug of freshly brewed tea in front of her.
"Thanks," Second Auntie said. She lifted the lid of the enamel mug and took a huge gulp. It all happened so fast that Jie Jingchen didn’t have time to stop her. "PTUI! It’s scalding!"
Second Auntie spat the scorching tea back out, set the mug down, and opened her mouth wide, fanning it frantically with both hands.
"I just brewed that tea," Jie Jingchen said helplessly.
Once she’d recovered, Second Auntie looked at Jie Jingchen and said with regret, "Good tea. A shame about that mouthful."
Jie Jingchen fell silent, and Qin Mei was left speechless. ’Her mouth is literally burned, and she’s still worried about the tea she spat out.’
Second Auntie had a knack for making money, but she was also frugal to a fault.
Getting back on topic, Second Auntie took a deep breath and said to Qin Mei, "Fourth Wife of Jing, from what I know of Guo Xiaofang, she won’t let you off easy."
"I never promised her anything. So what if she comes for me?" Qin Mei wasn’t afraid. ’I never lied to Granny Guo, nor did I tell her anything. For her son to take his wife to stay at his mother-in-law’s, and for the baby to be born there... I refuse to believe Granny Guo didn’t sense something was amiss. Her unwavering faith in Second Auntie’s words was just a case of self-deception.’
Second Auntie sighed. "Fourth Wife of Jing, you’ve never seen Granny Guo throw one of her fits. When she decides to be unreasonable, she gives even the ladies from the neighborhood committee a headache."
Qin Mei fell silent. Second Auntie thought she had finally gotten through to her, but then Qin Mei said, "She’d better not start with me. When I get angry, even I’m scared of what I might do."
Jie Jingchen couldn’t help but laugh. This made Second Auntie even more frantic, especially seeing Qin Mei’s completely unyielding attitude. ’Qin Mei might be able to get away, but I’m stuck here,’ she fretted. ’Granny Guo and I live in the same courtyard. Even if I run, what about my son, my daughter-in-law, and my grandsons? My son and daughter-in-law have to work, and my two grandsons have to go to school. I have to pick them up and take care of them. I can’t just run away.’
"I’m going to get the neighborhood committee," Second Auntie declared. "Fourth Wife of Jing, if Guo Xiaofang shows up, don’t provoke her. Just try to stall her and wait for me to bring them back to talk some sense into her." She then picked up her mug, blew on the tea, took a sip, and bolted out the door to find the committee members.