Chapter 641 - 223: Maternal Grandfather is Gravely Ill (3)

It was the middle of the workday. ’Why is my mother-in-law back?’ ’Given how dedicated she is to her job, she wouldn’t skip work and come home unless it was for something important.’

Mrs. Xie didn’t call for her, so Qin Mei stayed in her room.

It was unclear what Mrs. Xie had said to Jie Jingchen, but when he returned to the room, his expression was heavy with worry.

"What happened?" Qin Mei asked.

"Grandfather is seriously ill," Jie Jingchen said as he started packing.

"Huh?" Qin Mei was stunned. Her first thought was that Jie Jingchen wanted her to treat his grandfather.

Qin Mei watched Jie Jingchen. It wasn’t so much that he was packing as it was that he was gathering all their bankbooks.

’Those are my bankbooks. Does he want me to pay for his grandfather’s medical bills? No, that can’t be it,’ she thought. ’His grandfather is far wealthier than I am.’

’If we’re all leaving, it wouldn’t be safe to leave the bankbooks at home. It’s better to take them with us.’ Qin Mei watched as Jie Jingchen stuffed all the bankbooks into her crossbody bag before closing and locking the cabinet.

Qin Mei was speechless. ’He has no idea what’s truly valuable. The herbs in that cabinet are the real treasure. All of these bankbooks combined wouldn’t even be enough to buy a single one of them.’

’If Jie Jingchen doesn’t recognize their value, then it’s certain no one else will either. Compared to the bankbooks, my herbs are actually safer here.’

As Qin Mei thought about the journey—by car, then train, then ship, just to reach Xiangjiang—her scalp prickled with dread. ’I get carsick, trainsick, *and* seasick. Can’t I just stay behind?’

But then she followed Jie Jingchen and the others to an open field and saw a helicopter parked there. Qin Mei was dumbfounded. ’They sent a helicopter for us? Is he really on his deathbed?’

’I’ve been on planes in my past life, but never a helicopter. I never imagined that after traveling to this resource-starved decade of the seventies, I’d get to experience a helicopter ride.’

"Mom, where’s Fifth Brother?" Jie Jingshan asked Mrs. Xie.

"Never mind him." Mrs. Xie helped Jie Jingshan board the helicopter.

Once Jie Jingshan and Mrs. Xie were settled inside, Jie Jingchen noticed Qin Mei staring blankly at the helicopter. He patted her shoulder and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Don’t be scared."

The corner of Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. ’Which one of his eyes saw me being scared? I’m obviously just intrigued, all right?’

’Thinking back to what I told Jie Jingchen, my right eye is twitching for a reason. Flying in a helicopter right now feels incredibly risky.’

"What if I get airsick?" Qin Mei asked.

"I came prepared," said Jie Jingchen.

Qin Mei glanced at the contents of his net bag and was rendered speechless. He’d even brought a spittoon and a water bottle.

’Seriously? Me, sitting in a helicopter, hugging a spittoon and puking my guts out? How mortifying! It’s beyond humiliating. My shame will be known all the way to Xiangjiang.’

"You’re just so thoughtful," Qin Mei said through clenched teeth. ’Even Jie Jingjue can skip this, so why must I, the mere granddaughter-in-law, go? My medical skills might be good, but no matter how good they are, I can’t perform miracles on a dying man!’

"The helicopter is fast; it won’t be a long ride. Just hang in there." Of course, Jie Jingchen could tell that Qin Mei didn’t want to go.

If Qin Mei really insisted on not going, it’s not like he could knock her unconscious and drag her along.

Qin Mei took a breath, gave Jie Jingchen a pitiful look, and asked, "Can I maybe not hang in there?"

"Meimei, my grandparents have been wanting to meet you for a long time." The implication was clear: she was the main event.

No matter how tough Qin Mei was, her heart instantly softened at the news. An elderly man on his deathbed wanted to meet her. How could she not fulfill his last wish? Could she really use airsickness as an excuse and let him die with regrets?

Noticing Mr. Xie was nowhere to be seen, Qin Mei asked curiously, "What about your dad? Isn’t he coming with us?"

’Her mother-in-law is obviously beside herself with worry. It’s one thing to leave Jie Jingjue behind, but to not even bring my father-in-law? His own father-in-law is on his deathbed, and he, the son-in-law, isn’t going to be there? That’s just improper.’

Jie Jingchen gave Qin Mei a complicated look, as if it were a long story. After a moment of consideration, he said, "My grandparents... they don’t like my dad."

Qin Mei fell silent. ’Jie Jingchen is putting it mildly. It’s probably not just dislike; they likely loathe him. It makes sense, though. Given Mr. Xie’s situation back then, bringing three kids—three burdens—into the marriage... it’d be a miracle if his in-laws approved.’

’The old man is already knocking on death’s door. Bringing Mr. Xie along for the shock value would probably be enough to finish him off.’

"What about Jing Wu? Do they dislike him too?" Qin Mei asked.

"Not at all," Jie Jingchen replied. "My grandparents’ problem is only with my dad. They never took their anger out on us kids."

"Then why didn’t you bring Jing Wu?" Qin Mei asked, puzzled.

"Jing Wu wasn’t home," Jie Jingchen answered.

Qin Mei’s brow furrowed. ’That excuse is too weak; it’s not convincing at all.’ "I know where Jing Wu is."