When Xia Ying arrived at the kitchen, Jiao Qinqin was sitting by the stove. Seeing her come in, Jiao Qinqin stood up and said, “Don’t say I’m bullying you. Both the pot and the bowls are dirty. I’ll let you choose first—you take whichever task you want, and I’ll do the other.”
She spoke with a condescending tone, as if she had already won, yet her posture feigned humility. This was something Jiao Qinqin had often done in private in their previous life.
Xia Ying didn’t dwell on how she had handled it back then. That life was over.
Now, she stood motionless at the doorway, her voice not deliberately lowered: “I won’t choose, and I won’t do either.”
Jiao Qinqin rubbed her ears in disbelief. “Xia Ying! What… what did you say?”
Xia Ying kindly repeated herself: “I said, I won’t choose, and I won’t do either.”
Jiao Qinqin was furious. She didn’t dare confront Xiang Meilan head-on—not only because Xiang Meilan’s sharp tongue put her at a disadvantage, but also because of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hierarchy, and because she feared upsetting Zhou Yiming if she fought with Xiang Meilan. But she wasn’t afraid of Xia Ying. Wasn’t it common for rural sisters-in-law to fight?
Besides, based on her understanding of Zhou Yiming, she could clearly see that he currently disliked Xia Ying intensely. In such a situation, if she fought with Xia Ying, Zhou Yiming might even like her more afterward!
Her expression instantly changed, and she looked ready to charge at Xia Ying. “What did you say? Say it again!”
Xia Ying rolled up her sleeves. “What, want to fight? Come on!”
Having her intentions exposed, Jiao Qinqin hesitated.
“I’m not afraid of fighting. Afterward, I won’t contribute a single cent, and we’ll see how Zhou Yiming treats you. It’s all because of you that I refuse to give any money. If Zhou Yiming fails to get into university because of this…” Xia Ying extrapolated further, quickly pinpointing Jiao Qinqin’s weakness. “Forget that for now. Let’s just see what happens if you don’t cook this meal because you’re busy fighting me, or if you break a few bowls and plates. I wonder if your mother-in-law will deal with you later?”
Of course she would!
The Zhou family was not well-off—bowls and plates cost money!
More importantly, there was Zhou Yiming. If she caused him to miss out on university, not only would Xiang Meilan skin her alive, but Zhou Yiming would also be furious. Besides… Zhou Yiming getting into university would benefit her too. She would then be the wife of a university student and might even get to live with him in a big city someday. Wouldn’t Xia Ying be green with envy then? Wouldn’t she be furious?
Thinking this, Jiao Qinqin’s anger gradually subsided, replaced by a hidden sense of smugness.
“But you can’t just refuse to work, can you? You agreed with Mom earlier that you’d help me.” Still, she didn’t want to do the chores alone.
This time, Xia Ying simply ignored her, leaning against the doorframe with an indifferent expression.
Time was running late, and Jiao Qinqin hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning. By now, she was starving.
And Xia Ying stubbornly refused to help!
After a moment of hesitation, Jiao Qinqin had no choice. Fuming, she worked quickly with a dark expression, cursing Xia Ying bitterly in her heart.
She didn’t dare say it out loud, and Xia Ying pretended not to notice.
Xia Ying not only didn’t help wash the pots and dishes, she didn’t even assist with the cooking later on. Today, Zhou Xiaocao was kept indoors by Xiang Meilan and didn’t come out, so this entire lunch was prepared by Jiao Qinqin alone. Country girls, even from relatively better-off families, learn to do chores from a young age, let alone Jiao Qinqin whose family circumstances were not good. Although her cooking skills couldn’t be called excellent, she had no problem preparing a meal for the whole family.
However, it was certainly tiring. After all, since her elder sister got married, there were only her and her parents left in the Jiao family. Cooking for three people was definitely easier than cooking for the seven members of the Zhou family.
Once the meal was ready, Xia Ying did help bring the dishes to the table, and by then, Zhou Xiaocao had also come over to lend a hand.
Jiao Qinqin was exhausted. After setting the table, she didn’t even bother going to the East Wing Room to call Zhou Yiming and simply plopped down in her seat.
Xiang Meilan was starving and uncomfortable, so she had no energy to pick on Jiao Qinqin at the moment. She took the initiative to push open the door to the East Wing Room and went inside. “Yiming, come have lunch! You didn’t eat breakfast, so you must be starving by now.”
Zhou Yiming lay motionless on his back like a corpse, ignoring Xiang Meilan.
Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Xiang Meilan had no choice but to walk closer to the bed and give him a push. “Yiming, you…”
As soon as her hand touched Zhou Yiming, he rudely swatted it away. “Aren’t you annoying? Eat, eat, eat—how could I possibly have any appetite for food right now!”
Instead of getting angry at her son’s behavior, Xiang Meilan grew even more worried. “Yiming, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Seeing Xiang Meilan reach out to touch his forehead, Zhou Yiming hurriedly dodged inward and sat up.
His face looked terrible, filled with weariness, which only made Xiang Meilan more concerned. “Yiming, if you’re not feeling well, tell your mother. Don’t hold it in. I’ll take you to see a doctor right away.”
Seeing Zhou Yiming like this, Jiao Qinqin couldn’t sit still either. She hurried into the room and chimed in, “Yes, Brother Yiming, are you feeling unwell somewhere? Otherwise, Mom and I can take you to the hospital?”
There were three people Zhou Yiming least wanted to see right now. Zhou Qingbai and Xia Ying were naturally among them, but the one at the top of the list was Jiao Qinqin, standing right before him. She was the person he least wanted to see at this moment! If it weren’t for her, how could things have turned out like this? He was now worried that if Xia Ying refused to provide the money, how would he manage his tutoring fees later?
His grades weren’t as good as Xiang Meilan boasted to others. In reality, although he had the ambition to climb higher, his grades only barely placed him in the top ten of his class. In a school like theirs, being in the top ten of the class meant that getting into university would require nothing short of a miracle.
Therefore, he absolutely had to hire a teacher for last-minute intensive tutoring.
The teacher at his school had been teaching graduating classes since the college entrance exams were reinstated, accumulating nearly a decade of experience by now. Only with his intensive tutoring in the final stretch would Zhou Yiming have a chance of passing the exams.
But because of Jiao Qinqin, he might have already lost this opportunity!
So he ignored Jiao Qinqin, tightly closed his eyes, and said, “I’m fine, I just have no appetite. You two can leave now.”
Perfectly fine, how could he suddenly have no appetite?
Could it be because he was angry about her making a scene at the Jiao family?
Xiang Meilan felt a bit aggrieved. Although she had gone to make a scene, hadn’t she failed? Besides, even if she had gone to make a scene, wasn’t it all for him? After waiting a moment and seeing that Zhou Yiming truly had no intention of speaking further, Xiang Meilan stood up first. With a hint of malice in her eyes, she stared at Jiao Qinqin for a while before saying, “You stay with him!”
In Xiang Meilan’s view, Zhou Yiming and Jiao Qinqin were in love, so naturally, Jiao Qinqin was needed at a time like this.
What could Jiao Qinqin do?
She could only stay with him on an empty stomach. However, she did have genuine feelings for Zhou Yiming, so she was willing to do so.
The door to the East Wing Room closed. Outside at the table, the four people had almost finished their meal. Xiang Meilan was heartbroken by her son’s behavior, but this time she didn’t say anything harsh. Instead, she went to the kitchen, fetched a clean bowl, and scooped out a generous portion of the best dishes, setting it aside for Zhou Yiming to eat later.
“Yiming, what’s wrong?” Jiao Qinqin gently placed her hand over Zhou Yiming’s.
Zhou Yiming opened his eyes, and when he saw Jiao Qinqin’s face, a clear look of disdain flashed in his eyes.
This was a superficial disdain—not because he blamed Jiao Qinqin for his current state, but because even the prettiest girl wouldn’t look her best after spending over an hour in the kitchen on a hot summer day and then rushing to eat without washing her face or tidying up. In the past, he and Jiao Qinqin had indeed been in love, but back then, she would always dress up nicely to see him, even wearing a hint of fragrance. But now…
Under such a stark contrast, the heat and his mood made him irritable. Zhou Yiming took one look and didn’t want to see her again.
He pulled his hand away indifferently and said, “It’s nothing.”
How could it be nothing? His expression clearly said otherwise.
Jiao Qinqin racked her brains but couldn’t imagine that the matter had anything to do with her. The idea of putting medicine in the wine had even been suggested by Zhou Yiming first. She had helped analyze it and thought it feasible, so the two of them had decided to proceed. It could be said that this was something they had done with a shared goal. She never imagined that Zhou Yiming would end up blaming her.
If he wasn’t blaming her, then he must be blaming Xia Ying and Zhou Qingbai.
Jiao Qinqin couldn’t help but complain about how Xia Ying had done nothing during the cooking earlier, while she had been exhausted—washing pots and dishes, and bustling around the stove alone to prepare lunch. Finally, she added, “But it’s fine. I’ll put up with her for now. Once she gives us the money and you get into university, I won’t have to endure her anymore!”
Zhou Yiming only focused on one point: “Give money? She’s willing to give money?”
Jiao Qinqin nodded. “Yes, she’s willing. But I’ll have to do more work, even her share. Don’t worry about it, Yiming. I used to do all sorts of chores back at my parents’ home, so helping her with a bit is no big deal. Once you get into university, land a good job, and earn big money, we won’t have to put up with her anymore. On the contrary, by then, she might even come begging to us. I really don’t believe that Zhou Qingbai, who didn’t even finish high school, could get into university!”
Zhou Yiming didn’t believe it either.
Zhou Qingbai was just blowing hot air! Sooner or later, his face would be slapped red!
However, since Xia Ying was willing to give money, hearing this made him view Jiao Qinqin in a much more favorable light. The situation was already like this, and there was no changing it, but since Xia Ying was willing to pay, things would be easier. He instructed Jiao Qinqin, “Alright, then you should work harder. Don’t worry, once I get into university, I’ll take you to live in the big city, making everyone in our village envy you!”
Jiao Qinqin couldn’t help but imagine their future life, saying, “By then, Xia Ying will surely regret it to death!”
Zhou Yiming also couldn’t resist following along with the fantasy.
Yes, when he achieved success and became someone everyone had to look up to, his wife would also be the object of envy and jealousy among many women. By then, he would stand tall in front of Xia Ying and thoroughly enjoy watching her regretful expression!
But by that time, Xia Ying would likely be old and faded. Even if she knelt down and begged him, he wouldn’t want her!
·
After lunch, Xia Ying went straight back to her room.
In the Zhou household, she had no intention of being a good daughter-in-law, so she did everything according to her own wishes.
Zhou Qingbai also quickly put down his bowl.
Zhou Zheng hurriedly said, “Come with me to the fields this afternoon. The wheat in the fields can’t wait!”
Zhou Qingbai didn’t reply, got up, and returned to his room.
Hearing the sound, Xia Ying immediately stood up, first closed the door, and then led Zhou Qingbai toward the bed.
Zhou Qingbai took large strides, but his ears turned an unnatural shade of red. What was this about? Closing the door in the middle of the day and leading him to the bed—was Xia Ying planning to make up for their wedding night?
Should he agree? Or agree? Or agree?
Zhou Qingbai hesitated for a moment, then quickly turned around to draw the curtains.