For all these years, Old Madam Shi had been unable to sleep well. Jiang Mi had secretly laughed about it countless times, believing it was Old Madam Shi’s retribution.
“This Yi’an Doctor looks capable, but how could I let you, you vicious old hag, escape your suffering? This is the price for looking down on me… I never expected your grandson to be so clever. He actually pretended to be you just to catch me. Since I’ve fallen into this trap today, I’ll accept my fate.”
“You rich people are all the same—so arrogant, always acting superior, never treating others as equals!” Jiang Mi cursed as tears streamed down her face.
Smack!
A figure rushed out from the group of nannies and slapped Jiang Mi across the face.
It was Jiang Mi’s aunt, Chen Rifang.
Furious, Chen Rifang pointed at Jiang Mi and scolded, “I got you into Jingyuan Estate to work! Why would you do something like this? If she earned Old Madam’s favor, that’s because of her own ability! Why couldn’t you accept that?”
“I just couldn’t accept it! That old hag did it on purpose! She deliberately treated those two stupid girls well while treating me badly. Those two girls only have bachelor’s degrees that are just a little better than mine! Aunt, you’re only working here. You didn’t sell yourself to this family. Why are your knees so weak?”
“Jiang Mi, it isn’t that your aunt’s knees are weak. It’s that you’re far too full of yourself.”
Old Madam Shi spoke in a deep, steady voice.
“You came here to work. We signed a contract. You did your job, and I paid your salary on time. That settled everything between us. Why should I have to like you?”
“To be honest, before tonight, I didn’t dislike you either. You were simply an employee here. As long as you did your job well, I was satisfied.”
“You said I deliberately treated those two girls well while distancing myself from you. Then you’ve misunderstood me.”
“When those two girls worked at Jingyuan Estate, after finishing their duties, they would come and read the great Western classics to me. They practiced tai chi with me every morning and even helped me take care of my flowers. That’s how we gradually got to know each other.”
“I sympathized with how they struggled to study their way out of their remote mountain village and into a big city’s university. They were both intelligent and outstanding, yet their parents wanted them to return home after graduation, marry, and use their bride price to help their younger brother afford a wife. Going abroad wasn’t just for further education—it was also to escape their original family.”
“But what about you? What have you ever done for me?”
“You only did the work you were supposed to do, and I paid you the wages you deserved. What exactly are you dissatisfied with? I sponsored those two girls’ overseas studies because they gave me something in return. They made me happy. They let me revisit the great Western classics without straining my eyes. You never gave anything to me. Why should a complete stranger give something to you?”
Jiang Mi froze.
“I-It was only reading some Western classics. They were just tricking you into sponsoring them.”
“Even if they were trying to trick me, they still provided something of value that I wanted. Our exchange was equal.”
“But you did nothing and still expected me to give to you. That is fundamentally unequal.”
“You’re not my granddaughter. I have no reason to give to you for nothing.”
“Old Madam, she’s lost her mind—that’s why she did something like this. I’ll have her pack her things immediately and send her back to our hometown. Please, Old Madam, since there’s still room to make things right, don’t send her to prison.”
Chen Rifang kowtowed repeatedly as she begged for mercy.
The moment Jiang Mi heard the words “go to prison,” panic spread across her face, and her complexion gradually turned pale.
“For something like this, even if it were reported to the police, it would be hard to say what would happen. At most, she’d be detained for a few days before being released. What lesson would that teach her?”
“Ah Fang, you’ve worked at Jingyuan Estate for twenty years. You’ve worked hard.”
“Go pack your luggage. Leave together with your niece.”
“This old woman doesn’t have the courage to keep employing members of your family.”
“Thank you for your mercy, Old Madam.”
Knowing the family’s temperament, Chen Rifang understood that further pleading was useless. She quickly packed her belongings and left Jingyuan Estate with Jiang Mi.
Late that night, after the aunt and niece had been driven out of Jingyuan Estate, Chen Rifang couldn’t hold back anymore and gave Jiang Mi a thorough beating.
“I told you not to stir up trouble! I told you not to stir up trouble!”
“Now I finally understand why you couldn’t find a job after graduation! With your personality, you think everyone should worship you no matter where you go. It’s a miracle if anyone would hire you!”
“I’ve lost over twenty years’ worth of stable employment and benefits because of you, you wretched girl!”
“I regret it so much!”
With the matter resolved, Jing Mocong instructed the staff to rearrange Old Madam Shi’s room according to Yan Yu’s previous recommendations before helping her settle down for the night.
That night, Old Madam Shi slept exceptionally well.
She slept straight through until morning.
When she got out of bed, her face was filled with smiles.
Yan Yu arrived early that morning.
Old Madam Shi personally told her everything that had happened the previous night.
Yan Yu was completely dumbfounded.
She had never expected there to be someone like that among the maids working in the estate.
“Little Doctor, you’re truly remarkable. I slept wonderfully last night. Thank you.”
Old Madam Shi looked much more energetic. As the saying went, happy events lifted a person’s spirits.
“This is what I should do. You hired me to treat your illness, after all.”
Yan Yu answered calmly.
She also brought several sachets she had made herself, each filled with calming herbs, and gave them to Old Madam Shi.
“Keep one with you. It’ll help improve your sleep at night.”
After finishing everything, Yan Yu left.
Not long after she had gone, Jing Mocong arrived.
Unfortunately, they passed each other by.
He never saw her.
Having lived through much in her life, Old Madam Shi understood everything at a glance. She raised an eyebrow.
“You brat, have you fallen for the little doctor?”
“I like her too. If you want to pursue her, I’ll help you.”
Jing Mocong pressed his lips together, his expression unreadable.
“Forget it.”
“What? You don’t trust me?”
“Back then, your grandfather wasn’t interested in me at all. Among all the women who liked him, I wasn’t even the prettiest. But with my emotional intelligence, I still managed to win him over. He ended up loving me so much he couldn’t bear to be apart from me.”
“If you’re willing, I can pass down my secret handbook on love.”
A restless urge stirred within Jing Mocong’s heart.
He had never been in love before.
He had absolutely no idea how to pursue a woman.
But the moment he thought of Yan Yu’s children, those ambitious thoughts immediately died down. His voice was filled with frustration.
“Old Madam, your love handbook has nowhere to be used.”
“She has a husband and children.”
“What?!”
Old Madam Shi was genuinely shocked.
“That little doctor already has children at such a young age…”
“Exactly. At her age, she should have been focusing on her career. Instead, she went and got herself a man and children. No wonder she still hasn’t become one of the top authorities in the medical world.”
The moment Jing Mocong finished speaking, Old Madam Shi threw a pillow straight at his head.
Yes.
She deliberately aimed for his head.
“Listen to how sour you sound.”
“You couldn’t have the grapes, so now you’re saying they’re sour.”
“Aren’t you just upset because you met the little doctor too late and someone else beat you to her?”
“Jealousy really makes people ugly.”
“…”
Jing Mocong fell silent.
Judging by the age of the little girl he had seen before…
He had actually met Yan Yu first!
“If the little doctor were only dating someone, I could still teach you.”
“You could wait until they broke up, then start pursuing her while she was heartbroken and make her fall in love with you.”
“But unfortunately, she’s married and has children. Once a woman has children, getting a divorce becomes much more difficult.”
Jing Mocong’s lips twitched.
His expression remained indifferent, but inwardly, he was extremely excited.
“Old Madam… why is getting a divorce so difficult?”