Chapter 712 - 246: Hunger Strike Protest (Part 3)

Qin Mei sat on the edge of the bed, hesitated for a moment, then pulled open the drawer. It was full of medication, all for treating stomach problems. Qin Mei set a medicine bottle down and closed the drawer.

"Is there something wrong with the medicine?" Xu Jiali asked.

Qin Mei shot her a sidelong glance. ’If there was a problem with the medicine, then there’d be a problem with Doctor Zhang. Xu Jiali’s status isn’t so important that someone would go to such lengths to harm her.’ "The medicine is fine."

Xu Jiali met Qin Mei’s gaze, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Xiao Mei, the medicine you just gave me works much better than what Doctor Zhang gave me. What is it? Can I get it at the hospital?"

Qin Mei shook her head. "It’s a pill I concocted myself. They don’t have it at the hospital."

"You make medicine for stomach problems, too? Who do you make it for? It couldn’t be for yourself, could it? Xiao Mei, do you have stomach problems too?" Xu Jiali fired off a volley of questions at Qin Mei.

Qin Mei’s lips twitched. What she’d given Xu Jiali wasn’t medicine for her stomach, but a painkiller.

"I’ll lend you the money. Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to the hospital," Qin Mei said suddenly.

"What?" Xu Jiali sat bolt upright, staring at Qin Mei in disbelief. ’Didn’t she say she wouldn’t lend me the money? Why the sudden change of heart? And the condition is that I have to go to the hospital with her.’ "Xiao Mei, be honest with me. Has my stomach problem gotten worse?"

"Shouldn’t you know better than anyone if your stomach problems have gotten worse?" Qin Mei countered.

Xu Jiali rubbed her stomach. "I don’t feel any difference?"

Qin Mei was speechless. ’Her stomach is acting up constantly, she’s taking larger doses of medicine, and she calls that ’no change’? Does she have to be coughing up blood to finally realize how serious this is?’

Qin Mei took a deep breath and reminded her, "You haven’t had a check-up at the hospital in three or four years."

"Lend me the money, and I’ll go right now," Xu Jiali said, smiling brightly at Qin Mei.

"We’re going tomorrow. I’ll accompany you." Qin Mei raised a hand to rub the space between her brows.

"Okay." Xu Jiali’s spirits lifted. She patted her stomach, threw back the covers, and slipped on her slippers. "I’m hungry. I’ll go check if the millet congee is ready."

After Xu Jiali left, Qin Mei immediately returned to her room to look for Jie Jingchen.

Jie Jingchen wasn’t in the room. Qin Mei grew frantic. ’Where did that guy run off to now?’

She stood at the window and looked out into the courtyard, where Jie Jingchen was speaking with a strange man.

Qin Mei immediately went downstairs to find Jie Jingchen in the courtyard.

Seeing Qin Mei approach, Jie Jingchen shot the man a look. The man took the hint, turned, and walked away.

"Jie Jingsi, I need to talk to you." Qin Mei was breathing hard from her hurry, a sheen of sweat on her forehead.

Jie Jingchen pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the sweat from her brow, his gaze full of affection. "You convinced her."

Qin Mei glanced around warily, then tugged on the leg of Jie Jingchen’s pants. "Let’s talk back in the room."

"We’ll talk in the car. I’m taking you somewhere." Jie Jingchen took Qin Mei’s hand and led her toward the garage.

Jie Jingchen drove with Qin Mei in the passenger seat. As soon as the car was clear of the Qiao Family’s property, Qin Mei took a deep breath and said to Jie Jingchen, "I checked your aunt’s pulse. It’s... stomach cancer."

The tires screeched as the car lurched to a halt. Jie Jingchen snapped his head to the side, his expression one of utter shock as he stared at Qin Mei. "What did you just say?"

Qin Mei didn’t repeat herself. She knew he had heard her. "We’ll take her to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow. Once the results are in, we’ll decide on a surgical plan."

Jie Jingchen’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. His thin lips were pressed into a hard line, and his amber eyes, now full of gloom, stared coldly at Qin Mei.

Qin Mei looked straight at him and didn’t say anything more, giving Jie Jingchen time to absorb her words.

After a long silence, Jie Jingchen finally asked, his voice bitter, "Did you tell her?"

Qin Mei shook her head. "No."

Jie Jingchen’s brows knitted together, a grim shadow falling over his dangerously handsome face. ’Why is this happening?’ He didn’t even have the courage to tell their grandmother.

Qin Mei reached out, placing her palm over the back of his hand where it gripped the steering wheel. "I’ll save her."

Jie Jingchen’s jaw tightened. He forced himself to take a deep breath and looked at Qin Mei. "Will she die?"

"Jie Jingsi, it’s cancer." ’Even in the future, let alone in this day and age, cancer is a terminal diagnosis.’

’I will save Xu Jiali, but I can’t guarantee she won’t die. The most I can do is try to prolong her life and ensure her death is less painful. As for dying with dignity... what cancer patient ever dies with dignity?’

Her words hung in the air, followed by another dead silence.

After finishing a bowl of millet congee, Xu Jiali waited for a moment when the butler and servants weren’t looking, then stealthily slipped out of the house.

Xu Jiali hailed a taxi and went straight to the Gao family’s residence.

Outside the Gao family residence, Qiao Wei sat in her car, touching up her makeup. Every so often, she would glance toward the main gate. ’If Gao Qiang doesn’t come out, how am I supposed to ’run into’ him? And if I can’t run into him, how am I supposed to seduce him?’

Her thoughts were interrupted when a taxi pulled up to the Gao family’s main gate. Qiao Wei put away her lipstick, her posture suddenly alert. When she saw Xu Jiali get out of the car, her mind filled with questions. ’What’s going on? Isn’t Xu Jiali on a hunger strike at the Qiao Family’s house? Why would she show up at the Gao family’s place? How did she even get out? And where’s my cousin?’

Xu Jiali had stayed with the Gao family for a few days before, so everyone recognized her. No one stopped her or went inside to announce her arrival.

Inside the Gao family home, Grandma Gao had convened a family meeting to discuss Gao Qiang and Xu Jiali’s marriage.

"The Qiao Family is demanding a betrothal gift of one million. What does everyone think about that?" Grandma Gao asked the group.

"The Qiao Family’s prestige is undeniable, so a one-million betrothal gift is to be expected," said Mr. Gao. "In the past, one million would have been a trivial sum for the Gao family, but we simply can’t afford that now."

After Mr. Gao spoke, silence followed. No one else said a word. This was a matter for the first branch of the family, and those from the second, third, and fourth branches wanted no part in it. The old matriarch’s intentions were painfully obvious: whenever there was good fortune, she thought only of the first branch and her own daughters, but when it came time to pool money, she suddenly remembered the other branches.

The second, third, and fourth branches were all descended from the old master’s concubines. While the old master was alive, their lives had been decent enough. But ever since his death, the old matriarch had taken control, and their days had become difficult. She constantly suppressed them.

The matriarch was a vicious woman; she had tormented the concubines one by one until they had all "gone to accompany the old master" in death. She hadn’t thrown their children out onto the street, but it wasn’t out of mercy. She knew that if the Gao family fell apart now, it would be doomed. Sticking together was their only chance of survival; at the very least, there was strength in numbers.

"’Second Brother,’ Grandma Gao said, singling him out. ’What does your branch of the family think?’"

"Elder Aunt, what our family thinks isn’t important," Second Brother said. "What matters is the opinion of you and Eldest Brother’s family." He was no fool; passing the buck was the wisest move right now.

Grandma Gao was well aware of Second Brother’s personality. He dodged responsibility at every turn and could never be trusted with anything important. To put it bluntly, he was useless.

"And Third Brother? What does your family think?" Grandma Gao’s gaze shifted to the third branch.

"Xu Jiali is just Madam Qiao’s niece, not a legitimate young lady of the Qiao Family," Third Brother said, his meaning clear.

Grandma Gao rolled her eyes at him. ’That’s as good as saying nothing.’ Her questioning gaze shifted to Fourth Brother. "And you, Fourth Brother?"

Fourth Brother was a straightforward man and got right to the point. "How much is the Qiao Family providing as a dowry?"

All eyes turned to Grandma Gao and the members of the first branch. Fourth Brother had voiced the question on everyone’s mind: the size of the Qiao Family’s dowry would determine whether it was worth it for the Gao family to scrape together one million for the betrothal gift.

If the dowry from the Qiao Family was greater than the betrothal gift, they would grit their teeth and come up with the money. But if it was less, it would be like throwing a meat bun at a dog—a total loss. No one wanted to be a sucker.

At the mention of the dowry, Grandma Gao and the first branch grew visibly vexed. She was too embarrassed to say it, while Mr. and Mrs. Gao remained silent, their hearts heavy with frustration.

Gao Qiang, with no outlet for his own anger and frustration, finally said in a defeated tone, "The Qiao Family isn’t providing a dowry."

"What?" The crowd was stunned.

"The Qiao Family is rich and powerful, why wouldn’t they provide a dowry?" Fourth Brother asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Could it be because Xu Jiali isn’t a ’legitimate’ young lady of the Qiao Family?" Fourth Brother’s wife asked pointedly.