Chapter 730 - 252: Daring to Love and Hate, Well Done

"There are plenty of fish in the sea, so why get hung up on just one?" Qin Mei had come to Xu Jiali’s hospital room not to counsel her through her heartbreak, but to find out her state of mind after learning about her condition.

Seeing that Xu Jiali refused to talk about her illness, Qin Mei found it hard to bring it up herself. ’Did she not take Old Madam Gao’s words to heart?’

’Was she ignoring her own mortality, or did she see Old Madam Gao’s words as a curse?’

Xu Jiali lowered her gaze, a sour bitterness welling up inside her. Her expression was heavy and desolate. "I love him."

Love. When you meet the right person, to say "I love you" is happiness. When you meet the wrong one, it’s a tragedy.

"He isn’t worthy of your love," Qin Mei said bluntly.

Xu Jiali looked up, staring resentfully at Qin Mei. She opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words to argue.

After a long moment, Xu Jiali gave a bitter smile and said with grim finality, "I don’t love him anymore. I hate him."

’Just like that, her love has turned to hate.’ Qin Mei had to admire her for it.

"Daring to love and daring to hate. That’s the spirit." Qin Mei gave Xu Jiali a thumbs-up.

Xu Jiali froze for a second, then began twisting her fingers, looking at Qin Mei as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t.

"If you have something to say, just say it," Qin Mei encouraged, having a vague idea of what Xu Jiali wanted to ask.

"Grandma Gao came to my room and cursed me out," Xu Jiali said. Qin Mei waited for the rest of the story, but after a long pause, Xu Jiali still hadn’t continued.

Qin Mei deliberately twisted her meaning. "What? You want me to take you to Gao Qiang’s hospital room so you can yell back?"

The corner of Xu Jiali’s mouth twitched. ’You yell at me, I yell at you... what’s the point of a vicious cycle?’ "Xiao Mei, you have to answer me honestly. Don’t you dare lie."

Qin Mei held her breath, her expression turning serious as she nodded. "Okay. I won’t lie."

Xu Jiali took a deep breath and asked in a rush, "Do I have stomach cancer?"

"Yes," Qin Mei replied instantly, without a second of hesitation.

Xu Jiali stared at Qin Mei in astonishment. ’So direct. She doesn’t beat around the bush at all.’

Qin Mei’s face was calm, betraying no emotion.

After those words were spoken, a deathly silence fell.

Xu Jiali had seemed to take life and death lightly, but she was still afraid.

"Are you scared?" Qin Mei asked.

Xu Jiali remained silent. To say she wasn’t scared would be a lie. After staring into Qin Mei’s eyes for a long moment, she asked, "Can you treat it?"

"I’m not entirely sure," Qin Mei answered truthfully.

"Were you sure when you treated Jing Shan’s leg?" Xu Jiali asked. If she could fix Jing Shan’s leg, her medical skills had to be extraordinary.

"Not entirely," Qin Mei lied, then added, "It was a last-ditch effort."

Xu Jiali fell silent again.

Qin Mei didn’t push her. She just sat there quietly, patiently waiting for Xu Jiali to make a decision.

She had originally planned to keep it from Xu Jiali, perform the surgery, and then explain afterward. But Grandma Gao had shattered her plan. ’It must be fate.’

Now that Xu Jiali herself knew, there was no point in Jie Jingchen and the others deliberating.

"Jiali." Grandma’s eyes were red and swollen.

Upon seeing her grandmother, Xu Jiali burst into tears. "Auntie."

Grandma hugged Xu Jiali tightly, her heart aching, and the two of them sobbed. Grandpa stood off to the side, his eyes red as he watched quietly. Jie Jingchen pulled Qin Mei out of the room.

Jie Jingchen led Qin Mei from the hospital. Once they were in the car, Qin Mei glanced sideways at him. "Where are you taking me?"

"Home," Jie Jingchen replied with a single word.

Qin Mei said nothing. Her gaze shifted from Jie Jingchen to the world outside the car window. ’He’s taking me home. Grandma’s decision is clear enough.’

"Grandma doesn’t support the surgery?" Qin Mei asked quietly.

Jie Jingchen’s silence was a tacit agreement. Qin Mei understood.

Jie Jingchen took Qin Mei home, gave a few instructions to the butler, and then left.

Qin Mei was full of questions. ’What on earth did they decide?’

’Jie Jingchen knows what I can do, yet he’s sidelining me.’

"Sister-in-law." Jie Jingshan saw her fourth brother bring Qin Mei home and immediately ran downstairs. Grabbing Qin Mei’s hand, her worry unconcealed, she asked urgently, "Sister-in-law, how is my aunt?"

"Stomach cancer." Qin Mei didn’t hide it from Jie Jingshan; from the look on her face, she clearly already knew.

"It’s really stomach cancer?" Jie Jingshan’s face was filled with disbelief. She tightened her grip on Qin Mei’s hand as if clutching a lifeline. "Sister-in-law, is she going to die? Can you save her?"

Qin Mei looked at Jie Jingshan, her expression complex and conflicted. She wanted to operate on Xu Jiali, but the problem was, no one would agree.

The medical equipment of this era wasn’t advanced; everything depended on a doctor’s experience. She was confident, but it was a case of a hero having no place to use her skills.

’Any surgery carries risks. I can understand why they don’t want to take a chance and are opting for conservative treatment.’

What Qin Mei couldn’t understand was why they wouldn’t risk it all. The success rate was high, and the postoperative survival rate was significant.

"Jing Qi, I want to go into the mountains to gather herbs," Qin Mei said.

She wasn’t familiar with Xiangjiang and needed a guide to go herb gathering in the mountains. Jing Qi wasn’t her first choice as a guide, but she might know someone who could lead the way.

Hearing Qin Mei’s plan, Jie Jingshan’s eyes lit up. "We can ask Uncle Qiao to be our guide!"

Qin Mei shook her head and said in a low voice, "Uncle Qiao isn’t a good fit for this."

"Why not?" Jie Jingshan was confused. She thought the butler was perfect for the job.

"It’s a secret." The implication was clear: ’This is between you and me. Uncle Qiao is too loyal. He wouldn’t conspire with us. The moment he found out, he’d report it.’

"We can’t tell Fourth Brother either?" Jie Jingshan asked.

"He’s too busy anyway," Qin Mei said with a wave of her hand. Jie Jingchen was always busy. The thought of the last time he took her into the mountains to gather herbs brought a blush to her cheeks. ’When he’s around, I turn into a helpless damsel.’

Jie Jingshan, on the other hand, was free. She scratched her head and said, a little embarrassed, "But I’m not familiar with the terrain in Xiangjiang either!"

The corner of Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. She’d rather risk alerting the butler than even consider letting Jie Jingshan lead. Given Jie Jingshan’s current condition, bringing her along to gather herbs would be, to put it bluntly, like dragging dead weight.

"Jing Qi, think hard," Qin Mei said. "We need someone who isn’t afraid of your fourth brother, knows the Xiangjiang terrain like the back of their hand, and is willing to take orders from me."

Jie Jingshan blurted out, "My aunt."

Qin Mei was speechless.

Xu Jiali was like a mouse seeing a cat whenever Jie Jingchen was around. Still, you had to admire her guts.

Realizing what she’d just said, Jie Jingshan scratched her head in embarrassment. After wracking her brain for a few more minutes, she finally thought of the perfect person.

「The next morning」

Qiao Wei drove up to the Qiao family residence.

"Miss Wei," the butler greeted her respectfully.

"Uncle Qiao, where are my cousins?" Qiao Wei asked. She was dressed in a sexy, flamboyantly glamorous style.

"They are in the living room," the butler replied.

"Uncle Qiao, I’ll go find them. Don’t mind me, you go on with your work." Qiao Wei strode off on her high heels, her walk confident and alluring.

Qin Mei was pouring coffee into a military-style canteen, with Jie Jingshan helping her. At the sound of footsteps, Jie Jingshan knew who had arrived.

"Sister-in-law, my cousin is here," Jie Jingshan said to Qin Mei.

Qin Mei paused. She turned her head to see the sexy and charming Qiao Wei walking in. Looking at her outfit, the corner of Qin Mei’s eye twitched. ’Didn’t Jing Qi make it perfectly clear on the phone?’

’We’re going into the mountains, not out for a night on the town. Dressed like that, is she planning to seduce the woodland creatures?’

"Cousin," Jie Jingshan called out.

Before Qiao Wei could even respond, she stared at them in utter shock. "Cousins, what are you two doing?"

"Pouring coffee," Qin Mei said, turning back to continue filling the canteen.

"Pouring coffee into a canteen?" Qiao Wei was incredulous. ’Coffee is meant to be sipped elegantly. Are you planning to chug it like an animal?’

Qiao Wei wasn’t fussy about drinking water, but she was incredibly particular about her coffee. She had to have a specific type of cup, and... well, she had a whole list of demands.

Qin Mei shot her a sideways glance and asked nonchalantly, "Is there a rule against it?"

"Of course not!" Qiao Wei launched into a frantic tirade, but Qin Mei and Jie Jingshan just ignored her, letting her ramble on.

Once the military canteen was full to the brim, Qin Mei was finally satisfied. "Alright, it’s ready."