"Well..." Sun’s mother didn’t know what to do.
Qin Mei gave a sly smile. She wasn’t just trying to scare Sun’s mother; she wanted to frighten Xu Chunyan too. Lowering her voice, she suggested, "How about we dig a hole and quietly bury her?"
At these words, Xu Chunyan was terrified. ’Just a moment ago Qin Mei was speaking up for me, and I thought it was strange. Now she wants to bury me in secret? This woman is truly vicious.’
’I really don’t know what Jing Si was thinking, marrying such a viper. If Jing Si had married Lin Yaru instead, then this whole mess between Jing Er and Lin Yaru would never have happened, and I wouldn’t have been forced by the Lin family to divorce him.’
’It was Qin Mei’s arrival that ruined everyone’s perfectly good lives. If it weren’t for Qin Mei, my Xu Family wouldn’t have run into trouble, and none of this would have ever happened.’
Xu Chunyan wished she could tear Qin Mei’s mouth to shreds.
"Quietly bury her?" Sun’s mother muttered, staring at Xu Chunyan on the ground. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Amie, that’s a good idea."
"Aunt Sun, this is the city, not the countryside. Where would we bury her?" Qin Mei asked, resting her cheek on her hand.
Sun’s mother thought for a moment. ’If we carry her out, we’ll be exposed if a neighbor sees us.’ Her eyes fell on the tree in the yard, and she suddenly had an idea. "We’ll bury her under the tree."
Qin Mei fell silent. She knew exactly what self-serving plan Sun’s mother was hatching.
Xu Chunyan couldn’t keep up the act any longer and was about to open her eyes, but then Qin Mei spoke. "Still, we should probably report this to the police."
Hearing Qin Mei suggest calling the police, Xu Chunyan decided to continue her act.
"Amie, didn’t you say we should quietly dig a hole and bury her?" Sun’s mother silently cursed Qin Mei for being so treacherous.
"Who buries a corpse in their own yard?" Qin Mei shot back.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Sun’s mother mumbled evasively, "Well, the situation forces our hand."
Qin Mei scoffed. "She was killed by your Sun Family, not our Jie Family. But in the end, you want the Jie Family to foot the bill? Aunt Sun, do you really think that’s fair?"
Sun’s mother gritted her teeth, her voice thick with resentment. "If we don’t bury her in the yard, then where do you suggest?"
"I said, we report it to the police," Qin Mei repeated, enunciating each word with perfect clarity.
"She died in this yard, so it’s already a murder scene. There’s nothing wrong with burying the body right here," Sun’s mother said. ’It’s not my house, anyway,’ she thought. ’Forget the yard, I’d bury her inside the house if I had to.’
The two were at an impasse, arguing back and forth. Sun Dexiang was too terrified to make a sound, while Jie You was sprawled over Xu Chunyan, wailing his heart out. Listening to the argument between Sun’s mother and Qin Mei, Xu Chunyan feigned extreme discomfort. Jie Jingling watched on coldly, Jie Jingchen was in the kitchen cooking, and Sun Tong and Jing Qi remained in their room.
"Well, well, what’s this little play you’re all putting on?" Second Auntie said, walking in with a basket of groceries. She’d been eavesdropping at the gate for a while and knew exactly what was going on. She knew Xu Chunyan’s type—a regular, unkillable Xiao Qiang. Others might not realize it, but Second Auntie saw right through her. Xu Chunyan was a master of putting on an act, especially playing dead.
She remembered when Xu Chunyan had just married into the Jie Family. She’d deliberately picked a fight with Doctor Qiao. Thinking of her as Second Daughter-in-law Jing, Doctor Qiao decided not to stoop to her level. But Xu Chunyan took a mile for every inch she was given. She ran home to her mother’s house to complain, insisting Doctor Qiao had bullied her and goading her mother and brother into coming to the Jie Family to raise hell. Her mother was a shameless shrew, throwing a tantrum on the floor and making a huge scene, forcing Doctor Qiao to pay them off just to get rid of them. And even then, Xu Chunyan wasn’t satisfied.
Somehow, in the chaos, her mother gave Doctor Qiao a shove, knocking her into Xu Chunyan. Xu Chunyan’s head hit a rock, and she immediately played dead. This scared Doctor Qiao out of her wits, and with Jing Er fanning the flames with his own accusations, the situation escalated. It got so big that not only did the neighborhood committee show up, but the police came as well.
"Second Auntie," Jie Jingling called out.
"Jing Ling, it’s so rare for you to be back! I bought some groceries; you have to try my cooking," Second Auntie said, walking toward Jie Jingling with a beaming smile. As she passed Xu Chunyan, she deliberately stomped hard on her hand.
"AH!" Xu Chunyan cried out in pain. She shot up from the ground, blowing on the fingers Second Auntie had just crushed.
The act was over.
Jie You stopped crying and stared at Xu Chunyan, completely dumbfounded.
"AHH!" Sun Dexiang let out a piercing shriek, her face a mask of terror. She pointed a trembling finger at Xu Chunyan and blurted out, "Mom, the corpse reanimated!"
"You silly girl, what nonsense are you spouting?" Sun’s mother smacked her daughter, who was as dumb as a post. ’Can’t she see it? Qin Mei played us for fools.’
She had been genuinely scared a moment ago. She had pinched the pressure point under Xu Chunyan’s nose with all her might—so hard she’d drawn blood—and still, Xu Chunyan hadn’t reacted.
The woman was just too good an actress. She had actually believed her, especially after Jing Ling examined her and said nothing. Now, thinking back on Qin Mei’s words, Sun’s mother seethed with anger. From her perspective, Qin Mei’s actions were a case of repaying kindness with malice.
Sun Dexiang froze for a second. As slow as she was, she finally understood. The terror on her pale face was instantly replaced by fury. "Qin Mei, how dare you scare us like that?"
"I was scaring you. What are you going to do about it?" Qin Mei admitted freely. ’If I deny it,’ she thought, ’they’ll just take their anger out on Jie Jingling. They always go after the easiest target.’
"You—!" Sun Dexiang truly wanted to strangle Qin Mei. ’She’s so vicious! Scaring us like that... I was nearly scared to death! That’s practically murder!’
"Ah Xiang, it’s too hot out here. Let’s go back inside and stand by the fan," Sun’s mother said, pulling Sun Dexiang toward the house.
"Mom, Qin Mei is despicable!" Sun Dexiang fumed, her anger not easily appeased.
"That’s enough, stop talking," Sun’s mother snapped, glaring at Sun Dexiang. A wise person knows not to fight a losing battle. This was the Jie Family’s home, not the Sun Family’s. She could never win an argument against Qin Mei’s sharp tongue, and now Second Auntie was here too. Xu Chunyan was no weakling in a fight either. If they all ganged up, how could she and her daughter possibly stand a chance against them?
’She couldn’t out-argue them, but could she win in a brawl? And what if Jie Jingchen got involved? No matter how tough she was, she couldn’t take on Jie Jingchen.’
"I can’t just swallow this insult!" Sun Dexiang stomped her foot. She had been scared out of her wits just moments before.
"You’ll swallow it whether you like it or not," Sun’s mother said. "This is the Jie Family’s home; no one here is going to indulge us. Besides, we should be thankful Qin Mei was only trying to scare us. If a life had really been lost, we’d be in serious trouble."
Sun Dexiang touched her cheek, still sore where Xu Chunyan had hit her, her heart filled with resentment.
Seeing her daughter’s expression, Sun’s mother’s heart ached with pity. Still, Xu Chunyan had gotten the worse end of it, beaten black and blue. She muttered to herself, "I knew it. City folk aren’t that fragile. As if a few of my punches and kicks could actually kill someone."
"SOB... Mom, you weren’t beaten to death! That’s wonderful!" Jie You cried, throwing himself into Xu Chunyan’s arms.
Xu Chunyan ached all over, especially her face, but she still comforted her child. "Xiao You, don’t cry. Mommy’s okay. I was just pretending to be dead."
"With Xiao You right here, you shouldn’t be playing dead. Look how scared you made him," Second Auntie couldn’t help but chime in.
Xu Chunyan gritted her teeth and glared at Second Auntie. ’I hate it when people stick their noses into how I raise my child. He’s my son. I’ll raise him however I want, and it’s none of anyone’s business.’
"Second Auntie, you stepped on my hand," Xu Chunyan said, holding up her reddened fingers.
Looking at Xu Chunyan’s bruised and swollen face, Second Auntie felt a bit awkward. ’She got beaten this badly by Jing Ling’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law, yet she’s picking a fight with me over a single stomp on the hand.’
’Is she just picking on the weak and fearing the strong?’
"Second Daughter-in-law Ji—oops, listen to me," she said with a clap of her hands. "Chunyan, my apologies. I’m just so used to calling you Second Daughter-in-law Jing, it’s a hard habit to break. I’m so sorry. You and Jing Er are divorced, and he’s already married Teacher Lin. They’re even holding the wedding banquet tomorrow! How could I be so muddle-headed? If Axiu heard me say that, she’d give me another earful." Second Auntie spoke apologetically, but her eyes were full of contempt for Xu Chunyan.
Xu Chunyan gritted her teeth. ’Second Auntie is definitely doing this on purpose to humiliate me.’
"By the way, Chunyan, why did you bring Xiao You to the Jie Family’s home again?" When Xu Chunyan remained silent, Second Auntie showed no signs of letting her off the hook.
Qin Mei pulled Jie Jingling to one side to watch Second Auntie in full-on attack mode. Back when Xu Chunyan was still married to Jing Er, Second Auntie had to show some restraint. But now that they were divorced, she didn’t give Xu Chunyan an inch of ground. It was clear Xu Chunyan must have given her a lot of grief in the past.