"That’s impossible," Mrs. Xie said without a hint of hesitation, the word practically blurting out.
Qin Mei was stunned. ’Is this beautiful woman in front of me really Jie Jingchen’s mother, or is she mine?’ Logically, no mother-in-law would ever doubt her own son. She would just assume it was the daughter-in-law’s fault. Even if she knew it was her son’s problem, she’d find a way to make the daughter-in-law take the blame.
"I’m his mother. I’m well aware of his physical condition," Mrs. Xie said, patting the back of Qin Mei’s hand as her eyes filled with guilt. "Xiao Mei, this must be so hard on you."
’Hard on me? What’s hard on me?’
"Mom, are you really sure you know about his physical condition?" Qin Mei asked doubtfully.
Mrs. Xie glanced around warily. There were some things she didn’t dare say at home, afraid the walls might have ears. Out here, with no one around, she had no such concerns. "Jing Si has had several close brushes with death. During the worst of it, I was mentally prepared to lose my son. His body... sigh!"
Qin Mei froze. ’Her mother-in-law must be talking about Jie Jingchen’s old injuries.’ Thinking of his half-crippled right hand, Qin Mei studied Mrs. Xie with a probing gaze.
’But she’s Jie Jingchen’s own mother.’ Qin Mei didn’t want to entertain the thought.
"Mom, his right hand... was that your doing?" Qin Mei asked gingerly.
Mrs. Xie went rigid, a flicker of guilt in her eyes. Qin Mei’s medical skills were extraordinary; trying to deceive her would be nearly impossible. She might as well confess. "It was me."
Qin Mei fell silent. Her eyes were a mixture of disbelief and astonishment, her expression unreadably complex.
’In this day and age, it was rare for a highly capable soldier to retire completely unscathed.’
Her question had been answered, but Qin Mei’s heart only grew heavier.
"Mom, after doing something like that, aren’t you worried he’ll resent you when he finds out?" Qin Mei looked up, gazing at the setting sun. Jie Jingchen had such a bright future, and he loved being in the military. Mrs. Xie had single-handedly destroyed it all. He had no real passion for his job at the machinery factory.
’With Jie Jingchen’s capabilities, he could have risen to a very high rank. You’d probably only ever see him on television.’
"I’d rather he resent me than be grief-stricken over losing my son." Mrs. Xie had no regrets. If she had to do it over, she would make the same choice.
Qin Mei fell silent. She didn’t have children of her own, so she couldn’t possibly fathom a mother’s resolve.
"Xiao Mei, the truth is, back then, I really..."
"Jie Jingsi," Qin Mei called out, seeing Jie Jingchen emerge. She cut Mrs. Xie off mid-sentence.
Mrs. Xie froze for a second. When she turned and saw Jie Jingchen walking toward them, she felt a pang of guilt and quickly forced a benevolent smile. "Jing Si."
"What are you two doing out here?" Jie Jingchen asked curiously.
Qin Mei noticed he was walking with a slight wince and immediately grew worried. ’I didn’t kick him that hard, but I hit a very vulnerable spot... I really hope I didn’t break anything.’
’If I broke it, Jie Jingchen’s family line would really end with him.’
Lost in their own thoughts, neither the mother- nor the daughter-in-law answered Jie Jingchen.
Jie Jingchen walked over and sat down beside Qin Mei, asking again, "What are you two doing out here?"
"Just chatting," the two answered in unison.
"Chatting about what?" Jie Jingchen asked.
"About all the trouble you caused when you were little," Qin Mei said.
"About when you two are going to have children," Mrs. Xie said.
They hadn’t coordinated their stories and gave different answers. They exchanged a look and simultaneously corrected themselves.
"About when we’re going to have children," Qin Mei said.
"About all the trouble you caused when you were little," Mrs. Xie said.
"Do you two want to get your story straight first?" Jie Jingchen’s voice was calm, but it masked his true feelings.
Qin Mei and Mrs. Xie exchanged a look. Qin Mei remained silent, so Mrs. Xie spoke up. "An Lin’s wife is pregnant."
"That fast?" Qin Mei said, surprised. ’If I use the news of curing Jie Anlin’s private condition to promote my skills, I might attract some rich and powerful clients with similar issues.’
’When it came to her practice, Qin Mei tailored her fees to her patients. For ordinary families, she wouldn’t necessarily work for free, but a small token payment would be enough. However, if the rich and powerful came knocking, she would charge an exorbitant price.’
’Though, so far, she hadn’t had a single rich and powerful patient.’
"Absolutely not." Jie Jingchen’s expression darkened, nipping Qin Mei’s fantasy right in the bud. ’How could he possibly allow his wife to treat men for their private conditions?’
’He had been present when Qin Mei treated Jie Anlin. She had only taken his pulse and hadn’t examined anything she shouldn’t have. If she had needed to examine... *that area*, he would have absolutely forbidden it. Men’s private conditions could be all sorts of strange things. What if taking the pulse wasn’t enough and a physical exam was needed? It was better to cut this idea off at the root, just in case.’
"That’s a ridiculous way to think. In a doctor’s eyes, there’s no such thing as male or female," Mrs. Xie said, glaring at her son.