This just goes to show, you should never burn your bridges.
"Come now, Second Aunt. So what if I’m divorced from Jing Er? Xiao You is still our son. Big Sister rarely gets to come home, so I brought Xiao You to see his aunt. Do you have a problem with that?" Xu Chunyan said, looking at Second Aunt with a provocative glare.
At this point, the only shield Xu Chunyan had left was Xiao You.
"What problem could I have? It’s thoughtful of you. Proves your conscience hasn’t been completely corrupted yet," Second Aunt said before continuing, "Chunyan, are you taking Xiao You to Jing Er and Teacher Lin’s wedding banquet tomorrow?"
Qin Mei had to suppress a smile. Second Aunt’s question was a real stab to the heart.
It wasn’t just that Jie Jingwei and the Lin Family would never invite the ex-wife; even if they did, Xu Chunyan would be too ashamed to go.
Xu Chunyan’s expression could no longer be described as merely "ugly." Already bruised and swollen, her face twisted into a hideous scowl.
"If Xiao You wants to go, I’ll take him," Xu Chunyan bluffed. Of course she wouldn’t actually go, but she refused to back down in front of Second Aunt.
"Brave of you," Second Aunt said, giving her a thumbs-up. She then ignored Xu Chunyan and took Jing Ling’s arm. "Jing Ling, come on, let’s go to the kitchen."
"Alright," Jing Ling said with a smile and a nod.
"Big Sister," Xu Chunyan called out to stop Jing Ling. She then pinched Jie You in her arms, and the little one cried out in pain. Xu Chunyan prompted, "Xiao You, don’t you miss your aunt?"
As if remembering something, Jie You pulled away from Xu Chunyan’s embrace, looked at Jing Ling, and called out, "Auntie."
Jing Ling looked at Jie You’s chubby little face, her expression softening.
"Second Aunt, why don’t you go to the kitchen first? I’ll have a word with her," Jing Ling said to Second Aunt with a smile.
Second Aunt frowned. ’Jie You doesn’t even know Jing Ling. They have no bond, so how could he possibly miss her?’
"Fine. Fourth Wife of Jing, let’s go to the kitchen." Second Aunt let go of Jing Ling and took Qin Mei’s hand.
As the two of them walked toward the kitchen, Qin Mei leaned close to Second Aunt’s ear and whispered, "Did you sell it all?"
"Mhm," Second Aunt couldn’t suppress the smile on her face. She pulled Qin Mei’s hand and placed it on her bulging pocket. "We made a lot of money. Fourth Wife of Jing, I’ll slip you the money in a bit."
"Second Aunt, don’t be so conspicuous. Be careful or someone jealous will target us. If they report us, we’re screwed," Qin Mei warned.
"Don’t worry, I’m being extremely careful," Second Aunt promised again, her tone solemn. "Fourth Wife of Jing, I’ll say it again: when I handle things, you can rest easy. If anything really happens, I’ll take the blame. They could beat me to death, and I’d never sell you out."
Qin Mei didn’t respond. ’Before trouble hits, they’re all just empty words. You only find out what’s true and what’s not when things go south.’
The news that the college entrance exam was being reinstated was about to be announced; they were just waiting for the Reform and Opening-Up policy to come down.
"Jing Si, you’re already cooking this early?" Second Aunt asked when she saw Jie Jingchen in the kitchen peeling potatoes. The heat was intense, and his forehead was covered in sweat. His shirt was soaked through, but he hadn’t taken it off. He could have just worn an undershirt at home, as there weren’t any outsiders—then she remembered Jing Ling’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who most certainly were.
’Jing Ling’s mother-in-law was one thing, but that sister-in-law of hers was bad news.’
Jie Jingchen paused his potato-peeling. ’Early? Didn’t she come to the kitchen to cook?’
"Jing Si, you go out and rest. I’ll do the cooking," Second Aunt said, setting down her vegetable basket.
Jie Jingchen looked over at Qin Mei. ’The kitchen is so hot, why did she follow them in? Isn’t she afraid of the heat?’
"Are you hungry?" Jie Jingchen asked Qin Mei.
Qin Mei rubbed her stomach. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t hungry; she had only had breakfast and skipped lunch. "A little."
Jie Jingchen got up and left the kitchen.
Qin Mei sat down where Jie Jingchen had just been sitting, picked up the knife and a potato, and began to peel it.
"Where did Jing Si go?" Second Aunt’s back had been to him, and when she turned around, he was gone. Instead, she saw Qin Mei peeling potatoes.
"Didn’t you just tell him to go rest?" Qin Mei didn’t look up at Second Aunt, concentrating on peeling the potato. This was a kitchen knife, not a peeler, and one careless slip could lead to a cut.
The corner of Second Aunt’s mouth twitched. "He’s being so obedient."
’I was just saying that offhandedly, and Jing Si actually took me seriously.’
Second Aunt saw that rice was steaming on the honeycomb briquette stove. She stepped forward, lifted the lid of the pot, and glanced inside. There clearly wasn’t enough rice. No matter. Once the rice was done, she’d cook some mung bean soup. One should drink plenty of mung bean soup in the summer.
She didn’t start prepping the other dishes right away. Instead, she switched out the pot. Seeing this, Qin Mei smiled knowingly and didn’t stop her.
’Second Aunt has gotten addicted to making money. As long as she’s happy, I won’t get in her way.’
"Fourth Wife of Jing, stop peeling potatoes for a moment. Go prepare the medicinal herbs first," Second Aunt said to Qin Mei as she added water to the pot.