Kong Lu picked up a piece of fish for Xu Lan and said respectfully, “Mother, have some fish.”
Xu Lan tossed the fish out of her bowl without even looking at it. She stood up and said, “I’m full. Take your time, everyone.”
Kong Lu was like a child who had done something wrong. He sat motionlessly in his seat and watched Xu Lan go upstairs. At this moment, Xia Zhe also stood up and said to Kong Lu, “Let’s go and have a chat.”
Xia Wen gave Xia Zhe a meaningful look. Xia He lowered her head and remained silent. She knew what Xia Zhe wanted to do, but she did not want to stop him.
“Are you going to have a heart-to-heart talk with your brother-in-law?” Qiao Mei said with a smile.
Xia Zhe casually patted Qiao Mei’s head to let her know she need not worry. Qiao Mei blinked and said, “Go on. Elder sister and I will clean these up.”
“Why do you have to go out and talk!” As soon as Liu Fen stood up, Qiao Mei pulled her back.
“Second Aunt-in-law, you’re not done eating, right? I see that you’ve been so focused on brother-in-law that you haven’t eaten much yourself. Eat more, I’ll accompany you,” Qiao Mei said with a grin.
At this moment, Xia Zhe and Kong Lu had already arrived at the backyard. There was no sign of the two of them in the living room anymore.
“You! I’m not hungry! Xia He, why don’t you go and take a look at your husband! And you, Xia Wen! Why don’t you keep an eye on your brother!” Liu Fen said anxiously in an accusatory manner.
Xia Wen shrugged and said, “Second Aunt-in-law, Xiao Zhe has grown up and I can’t keep an eye on him. Jing Jing is waiting for me at home, so I’ve got to go now.”
“Take care, elder brother.” Qiao Mei sent Xia Wen off with a smile.
“Let go of me! You’re just causing trouble! Hurry up and let go!” Liu Fen reached out to pull Qiao Mei’s hand away.
Qiao Mei held on to Liu Fen’s arm tightly and forced her to sit down.
Liu Fen was shocked as she sat on the chair. Opposite her, Zhou Hua and Xia He also looked at Qiao Mei in disbelief. Liu Fen was so frightened that she did not dare to move. She was very aware that the woman holding on to her was pregnant, yet the force that was pressing down on her was terrifyingly strong.
“Second Aunt-in-law, you should just stay here and eat more. Don’t waste all the good food on the table.” Qiao Mei smiled at Liu Fen. Her smile looked sweet and alluring, but her eyes were filled with menace and coldness.
“Do… do… do you know what they’re doing? Aren’t you afraid that something will go wrong?” Liu Fen asked fearfully.
“I know, but Second Aunt-in-law, you also said that there are things that should be handled by men. It’s none of our business,” Qiao Mei said.
“What if he hurts him!” Liu Fen said anxiously.
“Don’t worry, Xia Zhe knows his limits.” Qiao Mei picked up a piece of potato with her chopsticks and placed it in Liu Fen’s bowl. “Second Aunt-in-law, you should eat more.”
“Xia He! How can you indulge your brother!” Seeing that she could not do anything to Qiao Mei, Liu Fen vented her anger on Xia He.
“Second Aunt-in-law, don’t make things difficult for elder sister. Brother-in-law bullied elder sister. Isn’t it only right for Xia Zhe to stand up for his sister?” Qiao Mei said.
“When did Kong Lu bully your sister? As a woman, you should act like one. Look at how Xia He has been married for so many years and still doesn’t have children. She’s still busy with work outside and doesn’t care about the family. Who wants to have such a daughter-in-law!” Liu Fen said angrily.
Liu Fen turned around and said to Xia He, “Which family doesn’t have to deal with conflicts? If you ask me, Xia He, your mother-in-law is already not bad. She doesn’t hit you or scold you, but she still cooks for you and cleans up your house. Why are you still dissatisfied?”
Xia He lowered her head and did not want to repeat the hardships she had suffered for so many years. At this moment, she finally understood what kind of life Tan Jing had been living all these years. She had only needed to go through it for one day, but Tan Jing had to bear with it for years. Xia He muttered softly, “You’ve said this kind of thing 800 times. Look what you’ve done to my sister-in-law…”
“You!” Liu Fen was about to point at Xia He and scold her when Qiao Mei pulled her back.
Qiao Mei took the dish in front of Xia He and put them in front of Liu Fen before she said, “Second Aunt-in-law, I see that you want this dish. Come, have some.”
“Don’t you understand human language!” Liu Fen shouted angrily.
Qiao Mei did not get angry. She was in no hurry to argue with Liu Fen.
