Chapter 803 Where Is Jing Si? Where the Hell Did He Go?

"Legs weak." Qin Mei gritted her teeth, spitting out two words.

Jie Jingchen’s gaze paused for a moment before a knowing smile formed on his lips. He asked ambiguously, "Didn’t you take a medicinal bath?"

Qin Mei glared at him, refusing to speak further, and closed her eyes to rest.

Suddenly, Jie Jingchen swept Qin Mei into his arms. Startled, she reflexively wrapped her arms around his neck. "Jie Jingsi, what are you doing?"

She wondered if he was planning to carry her all the way to buy groceries. In this era, merely holding hands in public was treated as a grave offense. If he carried her to the market, they would absolutely be subjected to pointing fingers and endless gossip. If they ran into the neighborhood aunties wearing red armbands, they would likely be chased down several streets.

"Back to the room, to rest." Jie Jingchen turned and strode forward with Qin Mei in his arms.

"Put me down." Qin Mei pinched and punched Jie Jingchen. After a flurry of struggling, she was completely exhausted, but Jie Jingchen remained unmoved. He stubbornly carried her back to the room, gently laid her on the bed, and covered her with the quilt.

Qin Mei was speechless. Her legs were just weak; she wasn’t crippled or disabled.

"Be good and rest well." Jie Jingchen dropped a kiss on her forehead and gently pinched her cheek before reluctantly stepping out of the room.

The moment Jie Jingchen left, Qin Mei got out of bed. Walking with a slightly awkward gait, she sat down on a rattan chair and began toying with a leaf.

Her peace didn’t last long before several uninvited guests barged in.

"Qin Mei, I’m going to kill you!" Li Axiu was burning with rage, brandishing a kitchen knife in her hand. Seeing Qin Mei sitting comfortably on the rattan chair, she thought of her pitiful daughter and her unborn grandson. Consumed by anger, Li Axiu’s eyes overflowed with murderous intent.

Jie Anlin and Xu Chunyan followed closely behind Li Axiu.

Xu Chunyan’s face was full of anticipation. She hoped the knife would chop Qin Mei to death. Even if she didn’t die, she had to be crippled. It would be best to slash Qin Mei’s face and disfigure her. She had ended up in her current miserable state entirely thanks to Qin Mei. She was filled with so much hatred that she wished she could drink Qin Mei’s blood and gnaw on her bones. If Qin Mei hadn’t appeared, their family of three would be happy and perfect, and nothing would have happened to the Xu Family. Whether it was her or the rest of the Xu Family, they would have had Qiao Yanqiu completely under their control.

Qin Mei showed no trace of fear. Smiling brightly, she watched Li Axiu charge at her with the kitchen knife.

"Aunt Li." Jie Anlin quickly caught up to Li Axiu and pulled her back. It was enough to just scare her symbolically; she couldn’t actually hack at her. If Qin Mei got hurt, his heart would ache.

Seeing Jie Anlin stop Li Axiu, Xu Chunyan felt furious, though she didn’t intervene. She had finally managed to persuade Jie Anlin to collude with her. If Jie Anlin got cold feet at the crucial moment, that would be a minor issue, but if he switched sides entirely, it would be a disaster.

"An Lin, let me go! I’m going to hack her to death and avenge my pitiful grandson!" Li Axiu’s eyes were full of hatred. Her grandson was the hope of the Lin Family and the bargaining chip for her son to return to the city.

Recalling the doctor’s words, Li Axiu hated Qin Mei even more, wishing she could grind her bones to dust and scatter her ashes. Yaru had been pregnant, yet her relationship with Jing Er was already in deep waters. Now that the child was gone and Yaru could no longer bear children, Jing Er would definitely despise her. With Xu Chunyan, his ex-wife, glaring like a tiger watching its prey, wasn’t their divorce just a matter of time? They had painstakingly forged marriage ties with the Jie Family. Before they could even get her son back to the city, their relationship with the Jie Family was turning into a pipe dream. What was to happen to her son? If her daughter couldn’t have children after a divorce, how could she ever remarry?

"Aunt Li, please calm down first. Murder is illegal," Jie Anlin coaxed.

"Murder is illegal, but Qin Mei killed my grandson! A life for a life—Qin Mei ought to pay with her life!" Li Axiu’s eyes were bloodshot, her fury surging like turbulent waves.

"Aunt Li, your grandson hadn’t been born yet. Theoretically speaking, it doesn’t count as..." Jie Anlin’s voice came to an abrupt halt. The anger in Li Axiu’s eyes was already threatening to burn towards him. Jie Anlin looked to Xu Chunyan for help, hoping she could persuade Li Axiu.

Xu Chunyan pretended not to understand Jie Anlin’s signal, feigning a bewildered expression.

A faint smile lingered on Qin Mei’s lips. Jie Anlin wasn’t saving her; he was saving Li Axiu. Xu Chunyan knew exactly what she was capable of, which was why she kept a safe distance.

"Li Axiu, if you dare hurt my daughter-in-law, I’ll fight you to the death!" Mrs. Xie panted as she ran into the courtyard.

Li Axiu remembered her daughter’s warning: target only Qin Mei and avoid clashing with anyone else, especially Doctor Qiao. Faced with Mrs. Xie’s reprimand, Li Axiu didn’t retort angrily, but merely glared at Qin Mei with a fierce and malicious look.

Mrs. Xie rushed toward Qin Mei. Qin Mei immediately stood up as Mrs. Xie grabbed her, looking her up and down with a face full of concern. "Xiao Mei, are you all right?"

"Mom, I’m fine," Qin Mei reassured her. After a moment of thought, she added, "I was just a little spooked."

"Where’s Jing Si? Where the hell did he die off to?" Mrs. Xie was incredibly distressed not seeing Jie Jingchen around.

Qin Mei felt helpless about how her mother-in-law had no filter when it came to her own son. She held Mrs. Xie’s hand. "Mom, he went to buy groceries."

"Buying groceries? He didn’t go earlier, and he didn’t go later. He just had to go at a time like this. He really knows how to pick his moments," Mrs. Xie complained. Regardless of what happened, it was always her own son’s fault.

Qin Mei smiled but didn’t speak. She and Jie Jingchen had slept in, and after waking up, they had tumbled around in bed for a while. Afterward, Jie Jingchen had cooked while she took a medicinal bath. He hadn’t rested for a single moment.

"Mom, did Lin Yaru lose the baby?" Qin Mei asked, knowing the answer full well. With Li Axiu showing up at her door with a kitchen knife, screaming about killing her, anyone could figure out what had happened with just their toes. Xu Chunyan had used Jie Jingchen as bait and successfully tricked Lin Yaru into getting rid of the child. The two of them had probably conspired to frame her and make her take the fall. Tch, making her the scapegoat? Did they think she was a professional fall guy?

"She didn’t keep it." Mrs. Xie shook her head. Was she feeling regretful? A little. The child was innocent. If she didn’t want the baby, she should have gotten rid of it earlier. To abort it when she was nearly five months pregnant was truly cruel. Mrs. Xie felt relieved that her son didn’t like Lin Yaru. She absolutely did not want such a heartless person to become her daughter-in-law.

"Did she lose her life along with the baby?" Qin Mei asked.

Mrs. Xie froze for a moment. "The mother was saved."

Qin Mei didn’t ask further. Mrs. Xie leaned in close and whispered, "Her life was saved, but she’s lost the ability to be a mother."

Qin Mei was astonished. She could no longer have children—the price was simply too steep. Qin Mei really wanted to go and ask her: was it worth it?

"Deserved it." Qin Mei’s voice was barely audible. Mrs. Xie, being close by, heard the two words and didn’t comment. Lin Yaru indeed deserved it; sympathizing with her would be a total waste of emotion.

Mr. Lin and Mr. Xie ran into the courtyard at the same time. Seeing that no one was hurt, Mr. Xie breathed a sigh of relief. Mr. Lin walked over to Li Axiu and snatched the kitchen knife from her hands. They were in the right, but if Axiu actually injured the Fourth Wife of Jing, they would be in the wrong.

"Old Lin, give me the knife!" Li Axiu roared. With Jie Anlin holding her back and restricting her movements, she could only watch helplessly as the knife was taken away.

"Axiu, if she harms others, the law will naturally punish her. But if you commit a crime, you will be punished by the law too," Mr. Lin reminded her.

"I am getting revenge for our unborn grandson!" Li Axiu bellowed.

Noticing neighbors approaching, Mr. Xie immediately closed the courtyard gates. The Jie Family was about to become a laughingstock once again.

"Every injustice has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. If you want revenge, you shouldn’t come to me. You should go to her." Qin Mei pointed at Xu Chunyan.

Xu Chunyan didn’t show a hint of guilt, keeping her head high and her chest puffed out. "You need evidence to accuse someone, Fourth Wife of Jing. You can’t just bite at whoever you find displeasing."

Qin Mei didn’t beat around the bush, stating bluntly, "Xu Chunyan used Jie Jingchen as bait to trick Lin Yaru into aborting the baby in her belly."

CLAP CLAP CLAP.

Xu Chunyan clapped her hands, smiling as she looked at Qin Mei. "Words alone are no proof. Do you have evidence?"

Qin Mei remained silent, staring coldly at Xu Chunyan with an unreadable expression.

"I don’t know anything about what happened at the hospital. From beginning to end, I never even stepped foot inside. Qin Mei, you’ve got the wrong person if you’re trying to frame me." Xu Chunyan revealed a smug look.

Xu Chunyan had never stepped foot in the hospital? Then who did she see at the hospital? A ghost?

Qin Mei mocked, "To know about Lin Yaru’s miscarriage without even stepping into the hospital... Mr. Xu, you are truly well-informed."