Chapter 663 - 230: I’m Not Incapable (Part 3)

That afternoon, Mrs. Xie returned from a gathering with Jie Jingshan. She learned from the butler what had happened that day, including how she had been set up by her own father. Mrs. Xie was furious, not because her father had used her, but because Qin Mei had used herself as bait.

’To deal with a German merchant by sacrificing my daughter-in-law’s reputation... it’s just not worth it. As for my own reputation, just like they said, I couldn’t care less. After what I’ve been through, my reputation is worthless.’

"Ma’am, please don’t blame the old master," the butler advised.

"Uncle Qiao, don’t you know me by now? That whole reputation thing—I really don’t care about it," Mrs. Xie said nonchalantly.

The butler wanted to say more, but seeing that Mrs. Xie’s expression wasn’t the least bit feigned—she truly didn’t care—he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t disturb her further and went out to attend to his duties.

Mrs. Xie sat in the living room, lost in thought.

"Yan Qiu." Her mother came down from upstairs.

Mrs. Xie collected her thoughts. She turned to look at her mother walking toward her, her expression momentarily dazed. Then, she smiled, stood, and helped her mother to the sofa. "Mom, why didn’t you sleep a little longer?"

"Sigh!" Her mother sighed, her kind voice tinged with helplessness. "I’m getting old. My sleep quality has declined. If I nap too long in the afternoon, it’s hard to fall asleep at night."

Looking at her aged mother, Mrs. Xie felt a pang of sorrow. She rested her head on her mother’s arm, her voice choked with emotion. "Mom, I’m sorry. I haven’t been a good daughter."

"You haven’t been, it’s true. But you’re our only daughter. Even so, we can’t help but love you." Thinking of her rebellious daughter, her mother felt a pang of sorrow as well.

’My daughter is too independent. She never consults us and always acts rashly, making us worry endlessly.’

’She’s rebellious to the core; we could never rein her in.’

’In the past, we had hoped for her to achieve greatness. Now, we just hope she stays alive.’

’Marrying Jie Jianguo wasn’t without its rewards. Her three children are the best reward of all.’

Mrs. Xie’s eyes were red. "Mom, if there’s a next life, I’ll be your daughter again. I promise I won’t disappoint you. I’ll be an obedient daughter."

Her mother tilted her head and lowered her gaze. After a few seconds of hesitation, she decided not to be discouraging and simply nodded along. "Alright."

’Trying to make up for this life’s regrets in the next is just a way to ease one’s own guilt. She hasn’t even figured out this life, yet she’s already pinning her hopes on the next one.’

"Did Qiao Fu tell you about that German merchant?" her mother asked.

"Yes, he did." Mrs. Xie raised a hand and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.

"What are your thoughts on it?" her mother asked again.

"He dared to covet my daughter-in-law? I’ll kill him." A sinister look appeared in Mrs. Xie’s beautiful eyes, and a bloodthirsty hint touched the corners of her lips.

Her mother was speechless, staring at her with a strange look. "That daughter-in-law of yours is quite formidable. She stabbed the man 108 times. If Jing Chen hadn’t stopped her, she would have turned him into a human pincushion."

"Serves him right," Mrs. Xie sneered.

"That daughter-in-law of yours is a real heroine. Who did you find to introduce her to Jing Chen?" her mother asked curiously.

"They fell in love on their own. They got their marriage certificate while Jing Chen was still in the army. He only told us after he was injured and discharged. We didn’t believe him since we’d never met her. Then he got hurt on a business trip to Shanghai, and Xiao Mei went there to take care of him. Only then did he bring her back to Shijiu City." Mrs. Xie recalled the first time Qin Mei came to their home, when she had arranged a blind date for Jing Si. ’Thinking about it now still makes me feel so awkward and guilty. Luckily, Xiao Mei is magnanimous and didn’t hold it against me; otherwise, I don’t know how I would have explained myself.’

"The army arranged a match for Jing Chen?" Her mother seemed conflicted. ’Leaving aside family background, with my eldest grandson’s looks, did he really have to be reduced to having the army find him a partner? Still, anyone vetted by the army would definitely have an impeccable background.’

Mrs. Xie didn’t know all the details, so she only shared what she knew. "Xiao Mei is the sister of one of Jing Chen’s comrades. She went to visit the military base, and the two of them hit it off right away. After just a few days, they were deeply in love, so Jing Chen applied to get married. Later, Jing Chen had to go on a dangerous mission, so they got the certificate. I suspect they rushed to get married because they wanted to have a child. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned, and Xiao Mei didn’t get pregnant. Then Jing Chen injured his back... sigh..."

"It’s a good thing she didn’t get pregnant. If Xiao Mei had gotten pregnant and Jing Chen had died on a mission, what would she have done, left alone with a child?" Her mother was not a conservative old woman. Even though Jing Chen was her eldest grandson, in matters like this, her first instinct was to consider things from Qin Mei’s perspective.

Mrs. Xie’s eye twitched. She reminded her, "Mom, Jing Chen is your eldest grandson."

"Selfish and irresponsible. It doesn’t matter if he’s my eldest grandson." Her mother glared at Mrs. Xie. On some matters, she was fiercely protective of her own, but on others, she was the very embodiment of justice.

"But Jing Chen didn’t die, and Xiao Mei didn’t get pregnant. And now look, they can’t have a baby even if they wanted to." Mrs. Xie selfishly thought, ’If Xiao Mei had gotten pregnant before Jing Chen left for his mission, their child would have been born by now.’

"But what if Jing Chen had died and Xiao Mei had been pregnant? What would you have expected her to do?" her mother asked, pressing the hypothetical.

"Huaxia provides benefits for the families of martyrs." Mrs. Xie thought for a moment, then added, "If Xiao Mei were to remarry, she could just give me the child to raise."

"Let’s say Jing Chen died. Xiao Mei shows up at your door with a baby, tells you it’s her and Jing Chen’s child, says she wants to remarry and doesn’t want to raise it, and asks you to. Would you believe her?"

"Of course I’d believe her. Why wouldn’t I?" Mrs. Xie retorted.

The mother and daughter went back and forth on this hypothetical topic for a long time. The nanny standing to the side was left speechless. ’Can’t they talk about something else? Jing Chen is perfectly fine upstairs, napping with his wife, yet here they are, assuming he’s dead and arguing endlessly over a child they just made up.’

Their throats dry from arguing, the nanny thoughtfully served them both tea.

Ending the hypothetical conversation, her mother thought of something and said to Mrs. Xie, "If Jing Chen can’t have children, then he can’t. Don’t bring up the topic in front of them, and especially don’t make sarcastic remarks or act like you look down on him for it."

Mrs. Xie stared at her mother. "Mom, in your eyes, am I really that clueless? Am I rotten from the inside out? Jing Chen is my son. Would I really trample on his pride? Having children should happen naturally. You can’t rush them; it’ll just put pressure on them. And with more pressure, the chances of having a baby become even slimmer."

"Jing Chen can’t even have children anymore, and you still haven’t given up hope?" her mother poked Mrs. Xie’s head in exasperation.

"Xiao Mei is incredible. Give her time, and I believe she can definitely cure Jing Chen." Mrs. Xie pinned all her hopes on Qin Mei, adding, "Jie Anlin is a living example."

Her mother recalled what Jie Jingchen had told her and looked at Mrs. Xie with a complicated expression. ’Jie Anlin, a living example... If Qin Mei were to repeat that "cure,"’ she thought, and couldn’t help but shudder.

"I heard from Jing Chen that Xiao Mei didn’t actually cure Jie Anlin’s hidden ailment," her mother said.

"Impossible. Jie Anlin’s wife is pregnant." Mrs. Xie refused to believe it. Zhao Hong’s pregnancy was the best proof. ’Wait... who told you that?’ Her expression twisted. "Whose child is in Zhao Hong’s stomach, then?"

"I don’t know whose child is in her belly. All I know is that if Xiao Mei tries that same trick, your son is going to be cuckolded," her mother said, gloating.

Mrs. Xie was rattled. ’Jie Anlin’s hidden ailment wasn’t cured, yet Zhao Hong is pregnant. This is a scandal for the Old Xie Family, and the fact that Jing Si and Xiao Mei hid it from me leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.’

Jie Jingchen was a light sleeper. Hearing the butler’s voice, he slowly opened his eyes. Seeing that the person in his arms hadn’t been woken, Jie Jingchen released her, quietly got out of bed, and tiptoed toward the door.

He opened the door. The butler was about to speak, but Jie Jingchen put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. He gently closed the bedroom door and went into another room.

"What is it?" Jie Jingchen asked.