Chapter 814 - 280: Qin Mei Reports Xu Chunyan

Perhaps Ms. Liu had harbored too much resentment and was on the verge of a breakdown. If her in-laws’ actions were the straw that broke the camel’s back, Qin Mei’s words were the wake-up call she needed. Ms. Liu’s rebellious spirit was fully ignited. With tears of gratitude, she said to Qin Mei, "Ms. Qin, thank you. I know what I must do now. Doctor Qiao, while I’m grateful to you, I’m also sorry."

"Sorry?" Qin Mei looked at Mrs. Xie. What was she sorry for?

Mrs. Xie snapped back to reality. Gathering her thoughts, she gave Qin Mei a complex look before saying to Ms. Liu, "There’s nothing to be sorry for. Standing up for yourself is a good thing for both you and your daughters. Ms. Liu, we won’t disturb your rest any longer. Jing Si, Xiao Mei, let’s go."

Leaving the ward, Qin Mei asked Mrs. Xie curiously, "Mom, what did Ms. Liu mean when she said she was sorry?"

Mrs. Xie hesitated for a moment before looking at Qin Mei. "Ms. Liu’s in-laws despise this baby girl. Considering that Jing Si can’t have children, I thought about letting you two adopt her."

"Adopt?" Qin Mei was astonished. She looked up and suddenly met a pair of eyes as deep and dark as a serene pool. Jie Jingchen’s expression couldn’t be any worse. A mischievous gleam flashed in Qin Mei’s eyes. "Mom, why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"I didn’t discuss it with you beforehand because I was worried you might be resistant to the idea. I figured I’d have you come to the hospital to see her first. If you liked her, I’d bring up the adoption," Mrs. Xie said helplessly.

"I like her. I quite like her," Qin Mei said half-heartedly. "I even praised her for being pretty."

Mrs. Xie didn’t have the heart to expose her. Her praise had been entirely too perfunctory. Too embarrassed to criticize her daughter-in-law, she instead complained about her son, whose face was livid. "Jing Si doesn’t like her."

"You don’t like her?" Qin Mei nudged Jie Jingchen’s arm with her elbow. "Why not?"

"She’s not mine," Jie Jingchen answered honestly.

"Yours? Can you even have kids?" Mrs. Xie rolled her eyes, showing her son no mercy.

Jie Jingchen ignored her. Explanations were redundant. When he and Qin Mei were ready for a child, he would prove it to her with facts. Then, he would wipe away this humiliation.

Mrs. Xie shoved Jie Jingchen aside and took Qin Mei’s arm, smiling affectionately. "Xiao Mei, are you really not opposed to adopting a child?"

"Uh..." Qin Mei looked at Jie Jingchen. Truthfully, she was opposed to it. It wasn’t like they couldn’t have children themselves, so why adopt a child with whom they had no blood relation? If she really had to adopt, she would rather fight Jie Jinghun and Shen Qing for Jie Duo than take in an orphan of unknown parentage.

Mrs. Xie glared at Jie Jingchen and said, "Xiao Mei, why are you looking at Jing Si? His opinion isn’t important. As long as you’re willing, that’s all that matters."

He would be the child’s father; how could his opinion not be important?

"Well..." Qin Mei gritted her teeth and said with a smile, "I don’t oppose it. I won’t have to go through the hardships of pregnancy or endure the pain of childbirth. All I have to do is sign a paper, and I get to be a ready-made mother. Of course I wouldn’t object."

"That’s wonderful." Mrs. Xie was overjoyed and patted the back of Qin Mei’s hand. "Xiao Mei, could you accept the orphan of a martyr?"

Qin Mei gave a sly smile and said, "I can accept that. The orphan of a martyr would be best. Mom, just don’t find one that was recently born. They scare me just looking at them."

"Taking care of a newborn is indeed troublesome. Xiao Mei, what is your ideal age range?" Mrs. Xie asked. She had given birth to four children. Her sixth child had passed away prematurely. As for the other three, she hadn’t bothered her in-laws to take care of them. Instead, she had sent them to Xiangjiang to be raised by her parents. Jing Si was brought back when he was ten, Jing Wu at seven, and Jing Qi at four. Therefore, she had no experience caring for babies either. She was busy with work and didn’t have time to help look after one. Adopting a three or four-year-old child would be perfect—not too old, and not too young.

"As for the age..." Qin Mei actually thought about it seriously for a moment. "Over eighteen and under forty."

"PFFT." Jie Jingchen burst out laughing. Was this adopting a child? This was more like finding a husband. A husband? A fierce look surfaced between Jie Jingchen’s brows.

Mrs. Xie wasn’t stupid. Her daughter-in-law wasn’t willing at all; she was clearly against it.

"Pretend I never brought this up. You two go home. I need to get back to work." Mrs. Xie let go of Qin Mei and headed downstairs.

Qin Mei blinked in confusion.

Once Mrs. Xie’s figure disappeared from sight, Qin Mei murmured, "Your mom is angry."

"Ignore her. Let’s go, I’ll walk you home," Jie Jingchen said, taking a step forward and grabbing Qin Mei’s hand.

"You don’t need to see me off. I came on my bicycle," Qin Mei refused.

"Meimei, you ride too fast." Jie Jingchen still felt a lingering fear whenever he thought about how fast she rode her bicycle.