"I'll let both grandfathers worry about this. I don't want to crack my head over such things," Qiao Mei said.
By the time it was late at night, everyone settled down in the rooms that Qiao Mei had prepared for them. She did not have to worry about the crockery and cutlery as the helper was in charge of cleaning up. As there were not enough rooms to go round, Xia He finally had the chance to bunk over in Qiao Mei's room. She was very happy to have her wish come true as she had long wanted to sleep in the same room as Qiao Mei!
Tan Jing lay on the bed for a long time, unable to calm her jealous frame of mind. She originally thought that Qiao Mei had only gained everyone's favor temporarily and that not every member of the Xia family would like her.
However, it seemed to her today that Qiao Mei had easily won the favor of all the Xia family members. Xia Jun even gave her a gift. Putting aside what the gift was, it was a privilege that Tan Jing had never enjoyed before.
She was chock full of hatred. She hated the fact that someone like Qiao Mei appeared in her life. She also hated the fact that although Qiao Mei's family background was not as good as hers, yet everyone treated Qiao Mei the nicest.
In the years she had been in the Xia family, Tan Jing always felt that she had to behave dutifully so as not to make Xu Lan angry. However, even as Qiao Mei joked around so casually with Xu Lan, she did not get into any trouble and everyone still continued to favor her.
It could only be because of the babies. Tan Jing wondered if she would be able to gain a foothold in the Xia family like Qiao Mei if she also became pregnant.
Tan Jing looked at Xia Wen intently and her hands started to move all over Xia Wen's body. It had been a long time since they had been intimate. It was already rare for them to kiss or even hold hands.
Xia Wen grabbed Tan Jing's hands tightly and said, "Don't mess around. We're at Qiao Mei's house now and all our relatives are sleeping in the rooms nearby. Don't do anything stupid."
"Why! Do you despise me so much!" Tan Jing said furiously.
"Can you please be more clear-headed and take a look at where we are. Is it appropriate to do this now?" Xia Wen roared at her while keeping his voice low.
Tan Jing lay down aggrievedly as tears flowed down her cheeks and spent the night like that.
In fact, Tan Jing knew very well that she was the one who could not get pregnant. When she was young, she often went out to work in very thin clothing. Even in winter, she did not have any padded cotton jacket to wear.
Jiang Yi gave all the good things at home to her younger siblings. As the eldest sister, she could only bear with the tough life. As time passed, her health became affected. The doctor had told her countless times that her body was considered too cold in the concept of traditional Chinese medicine and it would probably be very difficult for her to have children.
However, she kept lying to herself and Xia Wen. She even blamed Xia Wen for being the cause of their unhappy marriage because he was infertile.
This was all a self-directed show that she put up to lie to everyone.
Some time ago, Jiang Yi had come to look for Tan Jing. This time, it was not to discuss the matter of the house. Instead, she wanted Tan Jing to adopt a child from a distant relative of the Tan family. The little boy was six years old and quite good-looking. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes and was very likable. This family had too many children and they could not afford to raise this child, so they were looking to find someone to adopt him.
Jiang Yi immediately thought of Tan Jing. If Tan Jing adopted this child, it could be considered as her giving the Xia family a descendant! Then Tan Jing would have a more stable status in the Xia family.
"Xiao Jing, what do you think about this idea?" Jiang Yi asked obsequiously.
"It's better that you revert to calling me a wretched girl. I feel uncomfortable when you use my name," Tan Jing said stubbornly.
If Jiang Yi had not gone to Qiao Mei's place to cause a scene, Tan Jing's relationship with Xia Wen would not have reached this stage and Xia Wen would not make himself so busy every day that he could not go home. All of this was Jiang Yi's doing!
"You wretched girl, do you feel uncomfortable if I don't scold you for a day! Just answer me! Do you want this child or not!" Jiang Yi said impatiently.
Tan Jing rejected Jiang Yi without a second thought. She knew what Jiang Yi was up to. Jiang Yi wanted a child from the Tan family to become a member of the Xia family. After Xia Jun and Xia Mao died, the child would then have a share of the family's assets.
Although the child's surname was Xia, he was still a part of the Tan family. Therefore, the assets should belong to the Tan family!
"Don't even think about it. I'll have my own child. I don't need to adopt any child! You'd better give up those thoughts!" Tan Jing said fiercely.
"Don't be ungrateful! You know very well whether you can have children or not! You don't have to pretend in front of me!" Jiang Yi scolded.