Chapter 767 - 264: They Came Home

"One yuan each," Jie Jingchen replied.

Qin Mei fell silent. ’This labor is really cheap.’

But on second thought, some people in this era couldn’t even earn one yuan a day.

In the alley, they ran into neighbors who cast envious glances their way. Some offered a few perfunctory greetings.

Qin Mei wasn’t popular with the neighbors, so Jie Jingchen was the one who politely responded to everyone.

When they arrived home, no one was there since it was working hours. The courtyard gate was locked, and neither Jie Jingchen nor Qin Mei had a key. Jie Jingchen told the three helpers to leave the items by the entrance, paid them, and the trio departed happily.

"Should we climb the wall to get in?" Qin Mei asked Jie Jingchen.

Jie Jingchen shook his head. He found a thin iron wire from somewhere, fiddled with the lock for a moment, and it clicked open.

Qin Mei gave him a thumbs-up. ’A master locksmith!’

After opening the gate, the two of them moved the things into the courtyard. Jie Jingchen went to the kitchen, found the key, and unlocked the door to their room. Meanwhile, Qin Mei was squatting in the yard, opening her "blind boxes."

There were no expensive valuables as she’d half-expected. It was all food. Even the bag Jing Qi had prepared for her was full of food.

Qin Mei looked up at the sky. ’In their eyes, am I just a foodie?’

The room hadn’t been lived in for a long time, so Jie Jingchen started cleaning and tidying up. Qin Mei sat on a wicker chair, leisurely eating snacks.

"Jie Jingsi, you want any help?" Qin Mei asked perfunctorily.

"Just rest," Jie Jingchen’s considerate voice came from inside the room.

Qin Mei was great at taking advice. "Alright then."

Since Jing Qi hadn’t returned, Jie Jingchen only tidied their own room, and he was finished before long.

"I’m going to buy groceries. Are you coming?" Jie Jingchen asked Qin Mei.

Qin Mei raised her eyes, gave Jie Jingchen a sidelong glance, and shook her head. "Nope."

Jie Jingchen didn’t press her and went out to buy groceries. Qin Mei divided the things into several portions. After allocating them all, she had very little left for herself.

One share for her parents-in-law, one for Jie Jinghun and Shen Qing, one for Shen Tong, one for Ah Bing and Zhang Haoyuan, one for Old Zhang and Grandma Hua, one for Second Great-Aunt, and one for Granny Ning.

Qin Mei got on her bicycle and first went to deliver the share to Old Zhang and Grandma Hua.

At the entrance to the alley, Qin Mei saw Grandma Hua pushing Old Zhang in his wheelchair, waiting for someone. Qin Mei found it a bit strange. She hadn’t told them she was coming to give them anything, so clearly, the elderly couple wasn’t waiting for her.

Grandma Hua and Old Zhang saw Qin Mei too. Their eyes flickered, and they wondered if they were seeing things.

"Dear, I think I see that girl Qin," Grandma Hua said.

"I think I see her too," Old Zhang said, also uncertain.

It wasn’t until Qin Mei was right in front of them that they were sure. She asked teasingly, "Were you two waiting for me?"

"Is it really you?" Grandma Hua was shocked. "Weren’t you in Xiangjiang?"

"I’m back." Qin Mei parked her bicycle, took the net bag hanging from the handlebars, and handed it to Grandma Hua. "Grandma Hua, this is for you. Some specialties from Xiangjiang I brought back for you to try."

"You thoughtful girl." Grandma Hua was very touched. She took the net bag and handed it to her husband.

Old Zhang smiled benevolently, clutching the net bag tightly to his chest. ’The girl was thinking of us even while she was in Xiangjiang. I’ll never be able to repay her kindness in this lifetime.’

"Who are you waiting for?" Qin Mei asked curiously.

"We’re waiting for Ah Bing," Grandma Hua replied with a smile.

Qin Mei paused, then asked, "You’re not keeping your distance from him anymore? You’re not afraid of implicating him?"

"No one here knows about my relationship with Ah Bing," Grandma Hua said in a low voice.

Qin Mei smiled and didn’t pursue the topic. She chatted with Grandma Hua and Old Zhang for a while, but Ah Bing didn’t show up. Qin Mei asked Grandma Hua to tell Ah Bing to stop by her place later, then got on her bike and left.

Next, Qin Mei took a share to Granny Ning’s house. Granny Ning wasn’t home. Her daughter-in-law said she had gone out to earn money.

Granny Ning was now very skilled in the Qin Family’s lactation massage techniques. She received nothing but positive reviews, and someone had even given her a decorative banner in gratitude.

Qin Mei didn’t stay long. She just dropped off the items and left.

When she returned home, Jie Jingchen had already finished cooking and was chatting with Ah Bing in the courtyard. Seeing Qin Mei return, Jie Jingchen went to the kitchen to set out the bowls and chopsticks.

"Boss Qin is back," Ah Bing said teasingly.

Qin Mei shot Ah Bing a look. "Loose lips sink ships. Are you trying to get me killed?"

Ah Bing covered his mouth and said apologetically, "Sorry, I got carried away."

"Ah Bing, you need to be careful with your words and actions. Getting carried away can lead to a terrible end," Qin Mei warned. ’If something really happened, I have the ability to fend for myself, but does he?’

"Sister-in-law, I..."

"Alright, enough. Just be more careful next time." Qin Mei tossed a net bag directly to Ah Bing.

Ah Bing caught it. His eyes lit up as he looked at the contents. "Sister-in-law, is this for me?"

"It’s for you and Zhang Haoyuan," Qin Mei said.

"Thanks, Sister-in-law," Ah Bing said. Qin Mei then handed him another net bag. Just as Ah Bing was about to say thank you again, he heard Qin Mei’s next words.

"This one’s for Shen Tong. Give it to her when you get back. Don’t gobble it all up yourself," Qin Mei said.

Ah Bing froze for a moment, then handed the net bag back to Qin Mei. "Shen Zhiqing has returned to the city."

Qin Mei tapped her forehead. ’The college entrance exams are just around the corner. How could I have forgotten?’

After seeing Ah Bing off, Qin Mei smelled the delicious aroma of food and cheerfully headed to the kitchen.

"Wash your hands. Time to eat." When Jie Jingchen saw only Qin Mei enter the kitchen, he glanced behind her and asked, "Where’s Ah Bing?"

"He left," Qin Mei said, walking over to the sink to wash her hands.

After Qin Mei had washed her hands, she noticed that Jie Jingchen had served three bowls of rice. In comparison, she seemed rather stingy. She rubbed her nose. "Should I... go call him back?"

"No need. Let’s eat." Jie Jingchen handed Qin Mei her chopsticks. ’Ah Bing left, so it’s his loss. Can’t blame Qin Mei for being stingy.’

During her time in Xiangjiang, she had eaten all sorts of exotic delicacies. Qin Mei actually quite missed Jie Jingchen’s simple, home-cooked meals.

The two had just picked up their chopsticks when Second Great-Aunt arrived, heading straight for the kitchen. "Well now! Already eating, are we?"

"Second Great-Aunt, have you eaten?" Qin Mei asked politely.

"Not yet, I just got back." Second Great-Aunt was all smiles. She was happier than anyone to see Qin Mei back. During the time Qin Mei was in Xiangjiang, although her own money-making wasn’t affected, Second Great-Aunt had felt uneasy, as if she’d lost her backbone. She was genuinely afraid that Qin Mei might stay in Xiangjiang and not return.

Every few days, she would come to the Jie Family’s house to find Doctor Qiao and ask when Qin Mei was coming back. She had been wishing on every star, and she had finally wished her back.

"Eat with us," Qin Mei invited. She didn’t even need to serve a new bowl, simply handing Second Great-Aunt the one Jie Jingchen had prepared for Ah Bing. "Jie Jingsi must be clairvoyant. See? He even served you a bowl of rice already."

Jie Jingchen remained silent. Second Great-Aunt was flattered. "Jing Si, ever since you married Qin Mei, you’ve really become more and more personable."

Jie Jingchen just smiled without speaking, and Qin Mei didn’t respond either.

After the meal, Second Great-Aunt didn’t help with the dishes. Instead, she pulled Qin Mei into her room and took out several wads of cash from her crossbody bag. "After paying for the medicinal herbs, there’s five hundred seventy-three yuan, fifty-seven cents left. Jing Si’s wife, you count it."

’It’s an exact amount, down to the last cent. What’s there to count?’

Qin Mei didn’t count it, just putting the money away. "Second Great-Aunt, you’ve worked hard during this time."

"Not at all," Second Great-Aunt said with a cheerful laugh. As long as she could make money, no amount of work was too hard. Besides, compared to her life before, this was nothing. She had also weathered through difficult times. "Jing Si’s wife, you two just got back, so I won’t disturb your rest."

Qin Mei was a bit surprised. Second Great-Aunt actually didn’t pull her aside to gossip.

Second Great-Aunt was too busy making money to have time for gossip.

Qin Mei didn’t try to make her stay, simply handing the net bag to Second Great-Aunt.

"What’s this?" Second Great-Aunt was surprised. Some of the things in the bag she had never seen before, while others she recognized as being very expensive.

"Specialties from Xiangjiang," Qin Mei said with a smile.

"Oh, you child! Sigh!" Second Great-Aunt was very moved. Without any false pleasantries, she said a simple "thank you" and headed home happily with the net bag.

Jie Jingchen came back into the room and saw Qin Mei putting the money into a cookie tin. He walked over with elegant, unhurried steps, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and rested his chin on her fragrant shoulder. His breath tickled her ear. "How much did you earn this time?"