Qiao Mei had to cough twice to pull Tan Jing back from her thoughts.
“Um… how have you been recently? How’s your health? Do you feel any discomfort?” Tan Jing asked politely.
These consecutive questions were all just pleasantries. Even Qiao Mei’s neighbors would not ask such questions. The person you were asking about was sitting right in front of you. If she was not feeling well, would she still welcome you into the house?
The more Xia He looked at Tan Jing, the more annoyed she became. She also did not know why. In the past, she used to feel that Tan Jing was pitiful and so she always tolerated Tan Jing. Even when Tan Jing was greedy for small gains or caused trouble for Xia Wen, Xia He would turn a blind eye. She felt that Tan Jing had a hard life and so she would help whenever she could.
Ever since Xu Lan told everyone about the Tan family’s various demands over the years, it was out of respect for Tan Jing that Xia He did not go to the Tan family’s house to cause a scene. However, Tan Jing still managed to find her own way here to make Xia He feel disgusted.
Then Tan Jing should not blame her for being rude!
“Qiao Mei is not well! She’s not well at all! She needs more tonics now. Eldest Sister-in-law, I see that you have come empty-handed today. Didn’t you say that you are here to visit Qiao Mei? Why do you come without any gift, and why haven’t my eldest brother come with you. Has my eldest brother forgotten to remind you about such etiquette? Or did your mother forget to teach you such etiquette,” Xia He asked with a smile.
Qiao Mei looked at Xia He reproachfully. Xia He was speaking too viciously. She was openly and covertly saying that Tan Jing had a bad upbringing and that Tan Jing did not even know basic etiquette.
Tan Jing immediately blushed. The thought of getting a gift had never crossed her mind. She was here to ask for the house. Qiao Mei did not deserve to get so many good things. Was such superficial etiquette still needed within a family?
“I… I came out in a hurry and didn’t have time to bring anything. Next time! I’ll definitely bring them next time!” Tan Jing said.
Xia He leaned back in her chair in dissatisfaction and stared at Tan Jing without saying anything. She knew that if she continued to argue, Qiao Mei would reprimand her and there would be no dinner for her.
“Sister-in-law, elder sister bumped into a ghost this morning and she’s not in a good mood. Please cut her some slack. I’m in good health and I’m fine. Thank you for still thinking about me,” Qiao Mei said.
Xia He secretly glared at Qiao Mei. This little girl had said this morning that Xia He was mistaken, and now she was saying that Xia He had bumped into a ghost. Qiao Mei was just taking advantage of the fact that Xia He cared for her a lot. Otherwise, with Xia He’s temper, she would have lost her temper long ago.
Tan Jing used to have a good relationship with Xia He, so she could tell how much Xia He liked Qiao Mei. Xia He liked Qiao Mei more than she liked Tan Jing back then.
Not only did Qiao Mei snatch away Xia Wen’s attention, but she also snatched away Xu Lan’s care, Xia He’s bias and the love and affection of all their relatives. All these originally belonged to Tan Jing, so how could she not be jealous? It was Qiao Mei’s appearance that took away everything that belonged to her. As long as Qiao Mei disappeared…
“Eldest Sister-in-law? Eldest Sister-in-law, what are you thinking about? Why are you so engrossed? We’ve been speaking for a long time,” Qiao Mei reminded her.
Only then did Tan Jing wake up from her daze. She suddenly remembered why she was here today and said softly, “Qiao Mei, I have come to speak to you about something. Your eldest brother was supposed to come and talk to you, but he’s been really too busy recently, so he asked me to come over myself. Do you still intend to rent out your house? Do you think you can rent it to my family?”
This was the real reason why she was here today. She could finally not hide her fox tail anymore.
“Oh it’s about this matter. Elder Sister-in-law, what do you have in mind?” Qiao Mei asked calmly.
When Tan Jing saw that Qiao Mei seemed receptive, she quickly said, “Don’t you have six rooms in that house? My parents, second brother’s family, youngest sister’s family, and my second brother’s eldest son will like to live there. How much is the monthly rent? We’ll pay for it.”
Qiao Mei was not agitated at all. She smiled and said, “Your father came to talk to me about this before. They were not very satisfied with the rent I quoted, so they left. I didn’t expect Eldest Sister-in-law to bring this up again today, so I’ll tell you what I think.”