Chapter 612 - 214: Stirring Up Trouble Before Leaving

"If it weren’t for your mother, I would have been the one to die." Aunt Qiao believed in repaying kindness, and Jie Jingling knew how to be grateful as well.

No one wanted to dredge up the past. Jie Jingling relented. Satisfied, Aunt Qiao smiled and pulled Jie Jingling into a hug.

Jie Jingling’s body went rigid. Aunt Qiao’s embrace was warm, and Jie Jingling stiffly raised her arms to hug her back. She closed her eyes, greedily savoring the warmth.

"Jing Ling, this will always be your home. You can come back whenever you want, even with your family of three..."

"Aunt Qiao," Jie Jingling cut her off, opening her eyes to look at her. "Thank you."

"Silly child, we’re family. There’s no need to be so polite." Aunt Qiao let go of Jie Jingling and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Watching this, Qin Mei’s heart ached. Her mother-in-law was older than her sister-in-law, yet she looked younger. Time hadn’t left a trace on her mother-in-law’s face, but it had etched its lines upon Jingling’s.

"Safe travels." Aunt Qiao patted Jie Jingling, held back her tears, and turned to leave the kitchen.

After Aunt Qiao left, Qin Mei stepped forward, pulled a passbook from her pocket, and gave it to Jie Jingling.

"Amie," Jie Jingling said, looking at Qin Mei with a helpless expression.

"You already accepted my mom’s, so there’s no reason not to accept mine." Qin Mei stuffed the passbook into Jie Jingling’s pocket and gave it a pat.

Jie Jingling didn’t refuse, merely looking at Qin Mei in resignation. "Amie, if you and Aunt Qiao give me passbooks, my mother-in-law will covet them."

"So you have to hide them well and not let your mother-in-law see," Qin Mei said with a smile.

"Big Sis." Jie Jingshan entered the kitchen.

’Another one here to deliver a passbook.’ Qin Mei took two steps back to make way for Jie Jingshan. ’I’m starting to think like Jing Qi and my mother-in-law. I have to admit, giving out passbooks is a simple solution.’

"Big Sis, this is for you." Jie Jingshan shoved the passbook into Jie Jingling’s hand, giving her no chance to refuse before turning and walking out of the kitchen.

Jie Jingling felt both helpless and moved. It was one thing to accept the passbooks from Aunt Qiao and Qin Mei, but she was genuinely too embarrassed to take the one from Jing Qi.

"Jing Qi!" Jie Jingling called out, starting to go after them to return the passbook.

"Sis," Qin Mei said, grabbing Jie Jingling’s arm. "Just accept it. Jing Qi has money."

"Jing Qi is still a child," Jie Jingling protested.

"Sister-in-law." Sun Dexiang’s voice cut in. Jie Jingling instinctively shoved the passbooks into her pocket and turned to scoop some rice.

"Ah Xiang, where’s Mom? Tell her to get up and eat. After we eat, we should head to the train station early," Jie Jingling said with her back to Sun Dexiang.

Sun Dexiang paid her no mind. She saw Qin Mei in the kitchen and figured that since her sister-in-law was leaving soon, the two of them would have a lot to talk about. ’This is my chance!’ Sun Dexiang’s eyes lit up, and she rattled off, "Sister-in-law, you two take your time and chat. I’ll go get Mom for dinner."

"Okay." Jie Jingling didn’t think much of it.

Qin Mei, however, sensed something was amiss. The expression on Sun Dexiang’s face had been too obvious. ’She’s about to do something desperate.’ Qin Mei didn’t stop her; she was also curious to see how Sun Dexiang planned to seduce Jie Jingchen.

Sun Dexiang was in too much of a hurry. She practically ran toward Jie Jingchen’s room, fumbling with the buttons on her clothes as she went. A mixture of fear and excitement made her hands tremble.

Time was short. Nothing physical actually had to happen. All she needed to do was run out of Jie Jingchen’s room with her clothes disheveled and accuse him of acting improperly. He wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of it.

The crime of "hooliganism" was a serious one. If Jie Jingchen dared refuse to take responsibility, she would report him. She would drag him down with her if she had to, just to latch onto him.

With her blouse half-unbuttoned, Sun Dexiang stood at the door. She took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and pushed the door open. Jie Jingchen was nowhere in sight. Sun Dexiang raised an eyebrow, wondering where he’d gone, when she heard a sound from the bathroom. Her heart pounded. She spun around, locked the bedroom door, and tore off her outer clothes, leaving her in just a thin camisole before she charged toward the bathroom.

"AAAAH!" A piercing scream echoed through the house.

Sun’s mother was just coming out of the bathroom when she heard her daughter’s scream erupt from Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen’s room. Seeing Jie Jingling and Qin Mei emerge from the kitchen, she felt as if she’d been plunged into an ice cave. A chill shot up from her feet to her heart, immediately followed by a wave of furious anger.

’She promised me she wouldn’t try anything with Jie Jingchen, and now she pulls a stunt like this at such a critical moment! I just don’t get it. Why not go after Jie Huating, who works at the Grain Bureau? Why insist on seducing Qin Mei’s husband? Besides his handsome face, Jie Jingchen has nothing on Jie Huating and his stable government job!’

It wasn’t that Sun’s mother particularly liked Jie Huating as a person; it was his job she coveted. The Grain Bureau!

"Sun Dexiang!" Sun’s mother roared, charging toward Jie Jingchen’s room.

Jie Jingling’s face fell. She gripped the rice ladle in her hand so tightly her knuckles whitened. She was filled with regret. She never should have brought her sister-in-law here.

’If Amie and Fourth Brother get a divorce because of my sister-in-law, I’ll feel guilty for the rest of my life.’

Seeing Jie Jingling trembling with rage, Qin Mei went to her and took her hand. "Sis."

"Amie, I’m sorry." Jie Jingling was so ashamed she didn’t dare to look Qin Mei in the eye.

"Sis, you have to have faith in Jie Jingchen," Qin Mei said calmly. ’With his abilities, there’s no way he’d fall for Sun Dexiang’s little tricks. Not unless he wanted to.’

Jie Jingling was mortified. She trusted her fourth brother, but she had zero trust in her sister-in-law. When she thought about all the things her sister-in-law had pulled back in their village, she just wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

"Open the door!" Sun’s mother, unable to contain her fury, pounded on the bedroom door.

Jie Jinghun came out of the room where Jie Jingling was staying. "What’s going on?"

Jie Jingshan stood at her doorway. After a moment, Sun Tong came out of the bathroom and stood beside Jie Jingshan, watching Sun’s mother pound on the door.

The bedroom door opened, and Sun Dexiang burst out. In her panic, she had buttoned her clothes all wrong. Sun’s mother gasped. ’Did she actually pull it off?’

’Good heavens! All I did was go to the bathroom, and Ah Xiang managed to stir up this much trouble.’

’It takes two to tango in situations like this. Jing Ling’s fourth brother must be no good, either.’

’With everyone watching, I can’t exactly blame my own daughter. I’ll have to play the situation by ear. The first step is to make sure Ah Xiang can stay. If marrying Jie Huating is off the table, then I’ll just have to force Jie Jingchen to divorce his wife and marry Ah Xiang.’

In that short span of time, Sun’s mother had already accepted this new reality.

Seeing Ah Xiang try to flee, she grabbed her and held on tight. Sun’s mother had the strength of someone who’d worked in the fields her whole life, while Sun Dexiang was spoiled and lazy. There was no way she could break free.

"Ah Xiang, did Jing Ling’s fourth brother take advantage of you?" Sun’s mother shouted, her voice deliberately loud so everyone could hear.

"Mom, stop it!" All Sun Dexiang wanted to do right now was run away.

Sun’s mother froze. ’Ah Xiang orchestrated this whole thing, and I’m trying to back her up. Why isn’t my daughter pressing her advantage?’

"Ah Xiang, if he took advantage of you, then he has to take responsibility for you!" Sun’s mother declared righteously.

"Mom," Jie Jingling said, her face cold. Desolation and hatred began to surface in her eyes. She could tolerate anything her in-laws did to her, but she would not stand for them targeting her family.

’I’m drowning in self-blame. I was the one who led the wolf into the fold. This is all my fault.’

"Amie, I’m so sorry, so sorry," Jie Jingling said, gripping Qin Mei’s hand tightly as she repeated the apology again and again.

"Sis, this isn’t your fault." Qin Mei raised her gaze, her almond-shaped eyes fixing on Sun’s mother with a cold, sinister glint.

Jie Jinghun was dumbfounded. ’Fourth Brother and Big Sis’s sister-in-law? How is that possible? Given what she looks like, has Fourth Brother gone blind?’

"Is there some kind of misunderstanding here?" Jie Jinghun asked.

"Misunderstanding? It’s as plain as day! What misunderstanding could there be?" Sun’s mother shot back, planting a hand on her hip with an air of aggressive righteousness.

"Aunt Sun, did you actually catch them in bed together?" Jie Jinghun pressed, his brow furrowed. "When I came out, you were still pounding on the door."

"That’s right! I caught them red-handed," Sun’s mother declared, puffing out her chest, utterly confident.