Her son was clearly her pride, why has he become this way? Xie Lingzhi couldnât understand for a moment, her mind muddled, her vision becoming increasingly blurry.
"Oh dear, Xiao Chi, Xiao Chi, come down quickly, your mom has fainted."
Mei Langchi had just settled into the study when he heard his grandmotherâs call. Upon hearing that his mom had fainted, he hurried downstairs.
"What happened, Grandma?"
"Quickly call an ambulance, your mom suddenly fainted," said Old Mrs. Mei, pointing at Xie Lingzhi who was lying on the living room floor, looking panicked.
Without a word, Mei Langchi quickly dialed the phone and then hurriedly carried his mom onto the sofa.
"What happened?"
Mei Langchi wasnât asking Old Mrs. Mei, but Ye Qing who was standing nearby, watching indifferently.
Ye Qing was attentively wiping the table with a cloth but didnât avoid Mei Langchiâs gaze when he looked over.
Calmly, she replied, "Just now, Mom complained that I ruined her clothes while washing them, argued with me for a couple of sentences, and suddenly fainted. Maybe she felt distressed about her clothes." Ye Qing said this, pouting, "Iâll buy two new pieces for Mom tomorrow. Langchi, letâs take Mom to the hospital first."
"Hmph, Ye Qing, youâre really good at pretending in front of my grandson," Old Mrs. Mei wouldnât let her distort the facts like that.
Of course, Mei Langchi wasnât going to listen to her either and scoffed, "Ye Qing, you just wait for me. See if I wonât sort you out when I get back," Mei Langchi said, quickly making a phone call.
Ye Qing lowered her eyes and said, "Whatever."
"Ye Qing, quickly go and kneel before the ancestors for me."
"Grandma, why?"
"Because you entered our Mei Family and caused your mother-in-law to faint," Old Mrs. Meiâs words brooked no refusal.
"Ye Qing..."
Ye Qing, unwilling, wanted to retort, but was frightened by Mei Langchiâs ominous glare and didnât dare be too presumptuous.
She knew when to stop.
But she definitely wouldnât kneel before the ancestors.
Ye Qing lowered her head, her eyes darting around. After a while, she spoke again.
"Langchi, it was my fault; I didnât expect Mom would be so upset... The ambulance is here, letâs hurry to the hospital, Iâll accompany you."
"Hmph," Mei Langchi accepted it, quickly carrying Xie Lingzhi onto the ambulance, Ye Qing followed suit.
After arriving at the hospital, they were busy for most of the day; the moment the needle was attached, Xie Lingzhi came to.
The doctor said it was high blood pressure; this condition cannot be aggravated by anger. Diet needs attention.
Once Xie Lingzhi woke up and saw Ye Qing, she pointed at her and started up again.
"Get out, I donât need you to tend to me."
"Ye Qing, you step outside first," Mei Langchi saw how Xie Lingzhi was and quickly asked Ye Qing to leave.
Ye Qing was of course happy to oblige, gave Xie Lingzhi a glance, then turned and left the ward.
"Look at her, she is getting more brazen in our household, this worthless woman. Tell me what you think, why would you want to be with her."
"Mom, the doctor said this condition shouldnât be exacerbated by anger; getting angry could trigger it."
"Hmph, my condition was aggravated by Ye Qing. Xiao Chi, canât you stop this, Iâm begging you, divorce her, afterward you can find anyone you want, I will agree as long as itâs not her." Xie Lingzhi was heartbroken for her son, yet her son simply refused to let her intervene.
"Mom, I will, but not now. Just treat her as air from now on."
"As air? How can I treat her as air? Sheâs right there in front of me. Xiao Chi, tell me, why not now?"
"Mom, donât ask about this, I have my plans," Mei Langchi was unwilling to elaborate; he had his own intentions.
"You... and Ye Qing said you spend more than one thousand a month, is that true? Langchi, our family may have money, but we cannot spend like that."
"Mom, donât listen to her nonsense, sheâs saying that to annoy you."
"... Xiao Chi, if you care about Mom, either get divorced or donât let her come over on Sundays anymore."
"Mom, I promise you, I will definitely divorce her, in a year."
"Really? Youâre not lying to Mom?"
"No."
He had long figured out the previous matters; never expected Ye Qing to go to such lunatic lengths for Han Yi. And he was still foolishly thinking of forgiving this woman, how stupid of him.
Since she was unrepentant, daring to treat Mei Langchi like a fool, sheâs mistaken.
Ye Qing wandered outside the hospital for a while, but it was too cold, so she sat on a bench in the corridor.
By the time Mei Shuping learned about it, it was already evening.
"Ye Qing, I warn you, if you want to stay in my family, be obedient as the Mei familyâs daughter-in-law. Or else, leave early. We, the Mei Family, donât have daughters-in-law who antagonize their mothers-in-law." Mei Shuping had never been polite to Ye Qing, disdaining her wholeheartedly.
What Ye Qing hated most was that she couldnât retaliate against Mei Shuping, but she was quite pleased to hear about his career setback.
Having angered Xie Lingzhi into hospitalization today was enough. She didnât want to provoke communal rage further. So when Mei Shuping said those words, she remained silent.
Since the ward didnât require her, she simply left the hospital, had dinner outside, intending to go back later to put Hua Hua to sleep.
She strolled around the Capital City streets until after nine, assuming Old Mrs. Mei and Mr. Mei would have gone to bed by then.
Unexpectedly, when she returned home, Old Mrs. Mei had not slept yet, sitting in the living room, sternly waiting for her.
"Youâre back?"
"Mm," Ye Qing replied reluctantly.
Old Mrs. Mei didnât raise her head, sipping her tea, "Kneel. You may not get up until two are bright."
"I."
"This time, you have no right to retort. My words, for decades, havenât been refuted by anyone in the Mei Family; Ye Qing, youâre no exception."
Ye Qing couldnât discern Old Mrs. Meiâs expression, but tonight her aura resembled those esteemed old ladies of prominent families, pressuring the juniors into submission without a word of complaint.
Ye Qing didnât know whether to retort or comply.
"Donât want to, huh? Fine, Iâve got ways," Old Mrs. Mei paused and added, "Did you see the car parked at the entrance when you came back? Itâs from the precinct police station. If you donât want to kneel before the ancestors, you can spend a night in jail. Itâs your choice."
"I... Iâll kneel, Grandma, Iâll kneel now," Ye Qing realized at that moment how formidable the Mei Family was; Old Mrs. Mei even more formidable. She underestimated the Mei familyâs influence.
It seemed ordinary, just plain folks, yet sometimes it was different, like now. Old Mrs. Mei could even have her spend a night in jail. That was the subtle strength.
Ye Qing feared; the place she dreaded most in her life was reformatories, the jail.
As soon as she spoke, she hurried to the altar in the living room and obediently knelt down.
Old Mrs. Mei cast a mocking glance at Ye Qingâs current posture, sighed, sometimes without special means, Ye Qing wouldnât know fear.
A mere neighborhood policeman terrified her, how cowardly. Despite living in the city for so many years, she couldnât shake off being from the countryside.
Such trivial situations could frighten Ye Qing.
"In the future, donât be so conceited. As I mentioned, I can ensure you wonât succeed in business in the Capital City, and I can ensure it. Ye Qing, donât attempt to challenge my bottom line. Consider today as a warning. I advise you to be more reserved, like before. Otherwise, you might not even know how youâll die."