Chapter 697 - 241: Grandma Gao Has Her Eyes On Qin Mei (3)

Grandma Gao was conflicted. She couldn’t figure out Qin Mei’s attitude. ’What if Qin Mei is just testing me? If I fail to secure a match with a young lady from the Qiao family and also ruin my grandson’s marriage to Xu Jiali, it wouldn’t be worth it.’

"Mom," Mrs. Gao said, giving Grandma Gao a gentle warning.

Qin Mei turned her head, her gaze meaningful. Mrs. Gao’s heart skipped a beat, and she offered Qin Mei a smile. Qin Mei smiled back before turning to look at Grandma Gao beside her.

"We’re here to discuss their marriage," Grandma Gao said. ’If I say otherwise,’ she thought, ’I’ll probably be thrown out.’

Following behind them, Mr. and Mrs. Gao breathed a sigh of relief. They had been genuinely worried that their mother would lose her composure.

’The Qiao family’s maternal granddaughter is only fourteen or fifteen. Is this person in front of us really that young? Maybe the Qiao family sent someone to test us.’

Qin Mei had figured it out. ’I’m not sure whether Mr. and Mrs. Gao are satisfied with Xu Jiali, but I’m certain this old woman is not.’

Grandma Gao had mistaken her for the Qiao family’s granddaughter and was overly enthusiastic. The Gao family clearly only valued Xu Jiali for her status. After this test, Qin Mei started to feel sorry for her.

If they encountered someone with a higher status than Xu Jiali, they would drop her in a heartbeat. Gao Qiang wasn’t a saint, either. He was all lovey-dovey with Xu Jiali, yet he was secretly giving Qin Mei flirtatious looks.

’All right, maybe "flirtatious looks" is an exaggeration. But what’s with sneaking glances at another woman right in front of the girl you supposedly love?’

"Since that’s the case, this has nothing to do with me. I’ll take my leave." Qin Mei released her hold on Grandma Gao’s arm, strode past Xu Jiali and Gao Qiang, and waved at Xu Jiali. "Auntie, I’m leaving."

"Xiao Mei," Xu Jiali called out, stopping her.

Qin Mei stopped and looked at Xu Jiali. Seeing her hesitate, she asked, "What is it?"

Xu Jiali gave an awkward smile and shook her head. "It’s nothing."

"I’m off then." Qin Mei turned and left without a backward glance.

Xu Jiali grew pensive. Qin Mei’s unreadable smile gave her a bad feeling.

Gao Qiang turned his head, questioning his parents with a look.

Mrs. Gao gave a bitter smile, Mr. Gao offered him a reassuring glance, and Grandma Gao was lost in thought.

"Mom, watch your step," Mrs. Gao reminded her.

Grandma Gao snapped back to reality and shot Mrs. Gao an irritated glare. ’Don’t interrupt me when I’m thinking! An old person’s memory is already failing. Now that I’ve been disturbed, I’ve forgotten what I was even fussing about.’

"Jiali, are you close with that niece of yours?" Grandma Gao asked, quickening her pace to catch up with Gao Qiang and Xu Jiali.

Collecting her thoughts, Xu Jiali looked at Grandma Gao with a complicated expression. "We get along well."

’She and Gao Qiang had been walking in front, but she had still overheard what Grandma Gao said to Qin Mei, even though they had lowered their voices.’

"I think that niece of yours is very pretty. I’d like to introduce her to my other grandson," Grandma Gao said.

’So that’s what this is about.’ The gloom hanging over Xu Jiali lifted. She let go of Gao Qiang’s hand and took Grandma Gao’s arm. "Granny, that won’t work."

"And why not?" Grandma Gao asked, displeased.

’Qin Mei isn’t my niece, she’s my niece-in-law,’ Xu Jiali wanted to say. But then she remembered that Qin Mei hadn’t corrected Grandma Gao’s misunderstanding. She didn’t know why Qin Mei was doing it, but since she was, Xu Jiali couldn’t be the one to mess up her plan.

"It just won’t work, that’s all." Xu Jiali let go of Grandma Gao’s arm and went back to holding Gao Qiang’s hand.

This business of taking her arm one moment and dropping it the next was starting to irritate Grandma Gao.

’But this is the Qiao residence, not the Gao residence. I have to control my temper.’

"Jiali, is it because you think my other grandsons aren’t good enough for her?" Grandma Gao asked.

"They really aren’t," Xu Jiali said bluntly.

Her words left Grandma Gao speechless. ’Even if Xu Jiali is telling the truth, if she marries Gao Qiang, she’ll be a granddaughter-in-law of our Gao family. Once she marries in, she has to put our family first in everything, especially when it comes to respecting me.’

’She looks down on our family, yet she still wants to marry into it. Isn’t she worried I’ll put her in her place?’

Grandma Gao was fuming inside but could only suppress it.

Seeing no one in the first-floor living room, Qin Mei ran directly to the third floor. Jie Jingchen wasn’t in his room, so Qin Mei went to the study on the second floor.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! Qin Mei knocked on the door.

"Come in." It was her grandmother’s voice.

Qin Mei pushed the door open and peeked inside. Her grandfather was sitting behind the desk, while her grandmother and Jie Jingchen were seated to the side. ’They must be discussing something important.’ Not wanting to barge in, she asked, "Am I interrupting?"

Jie Jingchen stood up, walked over to Qin Mei, and pulled her in. He said irritably, "This is your home too. What are you being so sneaky for?"

Qin Mei felt she was being unfairly accused. ’When was I being sneaky?’

Qin Mei pinched Jie Jingchen’s waist and muttered, "You’re the sneaky one."

Watching Qin Mei "assault" her eldest grandson, the grandmother recalled how Qin Mei had nearly crippled him with a kick just yesterday. ’His future looks bleak,’ she mused.

"The Gao family is here. You all can go down," Grandpa said.

Grandma looked at her husband, shook her head in resignation, but still asked, "And you?"

"No need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut," Grandpa said with disdain.

Grandma didn’t say anything more. She led Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei out of the study. When they reached the top of the stairs, Grandma said to Qin Mei, "Xiao Mei, go get Jing Shan."

"Jing Shan is studying. Let’s not disturb her," Qin Mei said to her grandmother with a smile.

"Auntie! Auntie!" Xu Jiali’s voice bellowed up from the first-floor living room.

Grandma’s brows knitted together, her expression grim. ’This Jiali... So improper, and so desperate to get married.’

"They’re already here, so we should at least be polite," Jie Jingchen reasoned. "If the marriage falls through, it’s no big deal. But if it happens and we’re harsh to them now, they’ll take it out on Jiali after she marries into their family."

"As long as the Qiao family stands, they wouldn’t dare treat Jiali badly," Grandma said authoritatively.

"Grandma, remember what happened before," Jie Jingchen reminded her gently.

Grandma’s confidence deflated.

Qin Mei scratched Jie Jingchen’s palm and whispered, "If your mom hadn’t married your dad back then, the three of you wouldn’t exist."

Hearing Qin Mei’s words, Grandma’s face filled with melancholy.

Jie Jingchen pressed his lips into a faint smile. "I wouldn’t mind."

Seeing Jie Jingchen speak so nonchalantly, Qin Mei clicked her tongue. "If you didn’t exist, who would I marry?"

Jie Jingchen looked momentarily stunned, then his gaze softened as he looked at her, his grip on her delicate hand tightening. "Then it’s a good thing Mom was so fixated on Dad back then."

"You think your mom was fixated on your dad?" Grandma cut in, her voice filled with frustration and anguish. "She only insisted on marrying him to repay a life-saving debt to Zhang Hongying! That’s why she agreed to take care of Zhang Hongying and your father’s three children."

’Three children with his first wife—two sons and a daughter. And three children with Yan Qiu—also two sons and a daughter. Four sons and two daughters in total. So many children, so many blessings. Jie Jianguo really is a lucky man.’

At the thought of the children, a sharp pain seized the grandmother’s heart. Yan Qiu had actually given birth to four children. One was ill-fated and died shortly after birth, a tragedy that still caused deep sighs of regret.

Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen tactfully fell silent. This was not a topic to delve into. If their grandmother became too agitated, her health couldn’t take it. And if she collapsed, who would be left to negotiate with the Gao family over Xu Jiali and Gao Qiang’s marriage?

"Auntie!" Xu Jiali was an impatient person. When no one came downstairs, she decided to go up and get them herself. She was delighted to see them at the top of the second-floor stairs. Lifting her skirt, she hurried over to her aunt, took her arm, and announced triumphantly, "Auntie, my boyfriend’s Granny came too!"

Grandma reined in her thoughts and shot Xu Jiali a glare. "The prestige of the Qiao family is plain to see. You’re marrying down into the declining Gao family. Never mind Old Madam Gao; even if Old Master Gao himself were still alive, he would be expected to pay a personal visit."

Xu Jiali playfully stuck out her tongue, but inwardly, her heart sank a little. ’It’s true that for the Gao family to marry into the Qiao family is for them to marry up. But I’m not a true daughter of the Qiao family, just my aunt’s niece.’

Not seeing her uncle, Xu Jiali couldn’t help but ask, "Auntie, where’s Uncle?"