"I'm really fine, I promise," Jie Jingchen said.
Hearing his promise, Mrs. Xie breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her son into the house.
Qin Mei rolled her eyes. 'Jie Jingchen forced his own discharge from the hospital, rushed straight to the train station, bought a ticket back to Shijiu City, and spent a day and a night on the train without any decent rest. What could he possibly guarantee?'
Not seeing Mr. Xie there to greet him, Jie Jingchen couldn't help but ask, "Mom, where's Dad?"
"Don't even ask. Something came up at the plant, so he went there. Just forget about him. In his heart, the machinery plant will always come first," Mrs. Xie complained. They had agreed to take the day off to wait for their son's return, and she had even specially arranged for a colleague to come over for a blind date with him. But when someone from the plant came calling, he just left.
Jie Jingchen remained silent. His father was passionate about his work, and he wouldn't comment on it.
Qin Mei was completely ignored. Jie Jingchen hadn't introduced her, and Mrs. Xie acted as if she didn't exist. Watching the mother and son walk toward the main hall, Qin Mei hesitated. 'Should I follow them quietly, or should I turn and leave in a huff?'
Just as she was wrestling with her decision, Jie Jingjue came out of Jie Jingchen's room after putting away the luggage. Seeing Qin Mei standing at the entrance like a statue, he asked in a low voice, "Fourth Sister-in-law, why don't you come in?"
Qin Mei gave an awkward smile. 'Is it that *I don't want* to come in? They didn't just fail to give me a warm welcome; they completely ignored me.'
Qin Mei sized up the courtyard house before her. She counted about ten rooms. The courtyard was large, with a big tree in the center, and it was swept clean.
Money. Qin Mei smelled the scent of money.
"Fourth Sister-in-law," Jie Jingjue called out.
"Ah!" Qin Mei snapped back to reality. She awkwardly touched her nose, hiding the greed in her eyes. 'If for no other reason than this courtyard house, I'm latching onto Jie Jingchen. He's my golden ticket.'
"Come on, let's go into the main hall," Jie Jingjue said. 'Dad went back to the plant, and I don't see Mom's colleague. I guess Mom didn't arrange for her to have a blind date with Fourth Brother today after all.'
"Oh, okay," Qin Mei nodded and followed behind Jie Jingjue.
The moment he stepped over the threshold, Jie Jingjue was dumbfounded.
"Director," a delicate voice sounded.
"Jingchen, this is my colleague, Su Wan'er. She's twenty-one and a recent graduate from medical university, specializing in surgery. Wan'er, this is the son I've told you so much about, Jie Jingchen. He's twenty-five, the fourth in our family. He retired from the military a few months ago and now works at the machinery plant. You can just call him Jing Si," Mrs. Xie said, her face wreathed in smiles.
"Jing Si." Su Wan'er stood up. As she looked at Jie Jingchen, a bashful blush colored her beautiful face.
Seeing Jie Jingchen in person, Su Wan'er felt that Mrs. Xie hadn't exaggerated her son's description one bit. Jie Jingchen's looks perfectly matched her criteria for a partner. She was very satisfied with the handsome man before her.
Jie Jingchen fell silent, his dark eyes fixed on his mother as an uncontrollable emotion surged in his chest.
He wasn't a fool. He knew exactly what game his mother was playing.
A gentle smile filled Mrs. Xie's beautiful face as she asked directly, "Wan'er, are you satisfied with my son?"
"I am," Su Wan'er blurted out. Realizing what she'd just said, her cheeks flushed, and she shyly lowered her head.
"Heh heh." Mrs. Xie laughed aloud, pleased. "What's there to be shy about? You're both single, your ages are a good match, and you're pleased with each other. Wan'er, I'm so glad you don't dislike my son. Don't worry, Wan'er. As long as you marry him, I promise to treat you well and dote on you as if you were my own daughter."
Jie Jingjue slapped a hand to his forehead. 'She really did arrange a blind date.' He secretly glanced at Qin Mei behind him. She was perfectly composed, looking like an outsider enjoying a good show, not at all angered by his mother setting up a blind date for his fourth brother.
'I even gave her a heads-up that Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law were back. Did Mom only hear "Fourth Brother" and tune out "Fourth Sister-in-law," or did she deliberately ignore my mention of her and insist on going through with this blind date?'
Qin Mei was speechless at the sight of this ageless-looking mother-in-law. She remained silent, watching coolly from the sidelines to see how Jie Jingchen would react.
"Mom." There was a hint of warning in his deep voice. Jie Jingchen's head ached, and he raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Ignoring her son's warning, Mrs. Xie took a step forward, grabbed Su Wan'er's hand, and asked amicably, "Wan'er, when can we arrange for your parents to meet with us?"
Qin Mei narrowed her eyes, her sharp gaze landing on Jie Jingchen's face. 'Mrs. Xie wants to settle this quickly and get it all done in one go, and from the looks of it, he seems quite willing to cooperate.'
'My original plan was to go back to Dazhuang Village and find Jie Jingling. He was the one who convinced me to come back to Shijiu City with him. And now he's going along with his mother's matchmaking right in front of my face? Does he really think I'm invisible?'
This time, Su Wan'er was more reserved. She didn't rush to state her position, instead gazing shyly at Jie Jingchen, seeking his opinion. Seeing this, Mrs. Xie grew even more satisfied with her.
"Mom, I told you, I'm married," Jie Jingchen said, his low voice laced with restrained displeasure. He had already told her he was married when he came home after retiring from the military, and he was furious that his mother had arranged this blind date with Su Wan'er.
Hearing this, Su Wan'er stiffened, her pupils constricting as she fixed a questioning gaze on Mrs. Xie.
Mrs. Xie's face went deathly pale, her expression cracking. She raged, "What nonsense are you spouting? When did you get married? Jie Jingchen, I'm your mother! You think I wouldn't know if you were married or not? If you're against the blind date I arranged, just say so! Wan'er's such a great catch—men who want to marry her are a dime a dozen! If it weren't for me, would you even have the chance to meet her? Married? Hmph! Just because you say you're married, that makes it true? Stop trying to fob me off with such a lame excuse! If you were really married, why didn't you bring your wife home?"
Jie Jingchen's face darkened. He looked at Qin Mei, who was standing behind Jie Jingjue, and raised his voice. "Qin Mei, come in."
Having been called out, Qin Mei could no longer remain a spectator. She took a deep breath, stepped over the threshold, and stood confidently beside Jie Jingchen.
Compared to Su Wan'er, Qin Mei looked disheveled. After a day and a night on the train without so much as a drop of water, everything she looked at seemed to be swaying.
Mrs. Xie pointed an elegant finger at Qin Mei. "Who is she?"
With Su Wan'er as a benchmark, Qin Mei made a terrible first impression on Mrs. Xie: sloppy and unkempt. However, Mrs. Xie was still struck by the beauty of Qin Mei's face.
'If she knew how to dress herself up and wasn't so slovenly, she would be an absolute, world-stunning beauty.'
"My wife. Your daughter-in-law." To prove his point, Jie Jingchen reached out, wrapped an arm around Qin Mei's waist, and pulled her into his embrace.
A shiver ran through Qin Mei, and her body tensed. When she had been supporting Jie Jingchen earlier, he had leaned his full weight on her, nearly crushing her petite frame. Now, held so intimately in his arms, smelling his unique scent, and all in front of his mother... the bizarre atmosphere of the scene made her skin crawl and her whole body feel awkward.