Too Much Noise

"This place is my home. You just can't kick me out! Who exactly do you think you are?" Zhu Wenjie retorted loudly.

"You're a daughter who has been married off. You should go back to your mother-in-law's house," Lin Qing said in a sour voice. She was not in the best of spirits and seeing Zhu Wenjie just lounging around in her house like that made her even angrier.

In the early days of her marriage, she had to endure a lot of suffering from this sister-in-law. Lin Qing could hardly stand to look at her face for long.

Now that the old woman had taken ill, this was her chance to show Zhu Wenjie who was the boss.

Zhu Wenjie was feeling very annoyed in her heart. She had dropped out of school at an early age and she had picked up many street smart skills. It never occurred to her to give up in a fight. The only thing running through her mind when she was being bullied was that she must use both her fists to fight Lin Qing tooth and nail once the woman provoked her.

Lin Qing was not about to be upstaged by Zhu Wenjie. When Nanny Zhou heard the ruckus going on in the living room, she rushed out to see two middle-aged women fighting each other viciously. They were pulling hair, tugging on clothes, and biting each other fiercely. No dirty trick was too dirty for them.

Nanny Zhou stood there watching this scene, too shocked to make a move.

When she recovered, she immediately went over to pull them apart. Once the two of them started fighting, it was hard to get the other person to let go. Occasionally, a swear word or two could be heard shouted out in loud barks by the two women. There was very little Nanny Zhou could do. None of them would let the other go.

When Zhu Xiangxiang and Zhou Ying heard the racket, they rushed forward and pulled each other's mother apart.

"Lin Qing, you bitch. No wonder my brother is cheating on you. It would be a wonder if my brother would like such a shrew like you. Just you wait and see. Sooner or later, you will be pushed out of the way by that mistress. When that time arrives, no one in this house will even remember you." Zhu Wenjie felt a boost of energy after she said these words. She waited, expecting Lin Qing to go absolutely crazy on her, but she was let down. Lin Qing showed no shock at her words. Although she was looking very frazzled from the fight, her anger was directed at Zhu Wenjie, not over what she said at all.

Zhu Wenjie was mystified. Was she hard of hearing or did she simply not understand? Why didn't she appear shocked when she heard that her husband was having an affair?

On the other hand, Zhu Xiangxiang's face was skeptical. She said in an angry voice, "Aunt, what in the world are you talking about? That sounds like utter nonsense."

"I'm the one talking nonsense? It has spread throughout the company ranks that your father has a mistress from the office. It's already been a few months. I heard that she goes everywhere with him. That they're inseparable and that they are deeply in love. I think it won't be long before she takes your mother's place."

Zhu Wenjie would not just rattle on and on about something with nothing to support her words. Zhu Xiangxiang turned to look at Lin Qing and found that the expression she had on her face was very calm. She could only open her mouth to say, "Mother…"

There was a sneer on Lin Qing's face. "Yes, my husband cheated on me. I just found out, but you, on the other hand, seem to know all about it."

Zhu Wenjie said in a proud voice, "The closest person to my brother is Zhou Ping right now. But let's not just talk about the rumors in the company. Let's talk about facts. Zhou Ping knows first-hand just how affectionate my brother is to his mistress. Not only is she young and beautiful, but she also has a good figure. She is better than you in every conceivable way. Sister-in-law, if my brother saw your shrewd face just now, he would really hate you even more. But if you were nicer to me, I could still plead for your case. I can have Brother give you more money so that you wouldn't have to continue living in misery. But right now, everything is too late."

She looked like she was getting plenty of pleasure out of Lin Qing's misfortune.

Lin Qing's heart felt pierced by all those harsh words. However, she kept her face devoid of all emotions.

It turned out she was the last to know her husband was keeping a woman on the outside.

"Don't worry about it. You should mind your own business. Nanny Zhou, please walk our guest out." With that, Lin Qing turned around wearily and made her way up the stairs.

"You have no right to chase me out. I want to wait here for my brother to come back. I'll let him know how you bullied me. I want to see how he punishes you for the atrocious way you treated me." Zhu Wenjie sat down on the sofa with her arms crossed over her chest, looking totally unfazed. Her appearance took on the look of a hostess even though she was more guest than hostess by any means.

Zhou Ying snuck up behind Zhu Wenjie and asked in a hushed voice, "Mom, is Uncle really cheating on Aunt?"

She didn't laugh at her aunt's misfortune at all. Instead, she felt very sorry for her aunt. Although her aunt maintained a very fierce look, there was nothing more sorrowful for a woman than to find out their husband had betrayed them.

She turned to look at Zhu Wenjie, clearly confused. Her mother had encountered the same thing. At that time, the tears wouldn't stop flowing out of her eyes. Why was it when the same thing happened to her aunt, not only did her mother not sympathize with her at all, but she also added insult to injury?

The world of adults was just too harsh!

...

At 6 pm, Ming Jing headed down the stairs to monitor Grandma Zhu's pulse.

This would be about the second time that she had gone down the stairs today.

Zhu Wenjie was wondering about her when she did not see her at lunch. When she asked Nanny Zhou about Ming Jing, Nanny Zhou made no comment, so Zhu Wenjie had no idea what was going on.

The first time she laid her eyes on Ming Jing, she had a bald head. But now that she was wearing a wig, she appeared very different from last time. When Zhou Ying saw Ming Jing, she got up and said, "So you're really home. I knocked on your door for a long time. Was it too much trouble for you to get up and answer it?"

Ming Jing said simply, "I was sleeping."

Then, without giving either of them another look, she went straight into Grandma Zhu's room.

Zhu Wenjie followed behind her and saw that Ming Jing knew her way around. Zhu Wenjie had heard the news of what happened this morning from the lips of Nanny Zhou. It never occurred to her that a little girl's medical advice would overshadow that of the experts in a big hospital.

"Ming Jing, where did you get your medical skills from?"

Ming Jing opened the cloth bag and rummaged through it, knocking a few silver needles together in the process. Nanny Zhou was scared that Zhu Wenjie's words would distract her, so she replied, "Miss Ming Jing's master is a renowned doctor. So it was only natural that she handed down her teachings to Miss Ming Jing."

Zhu Wenjie said with a smile on her face, "Really? An old nun is a famous doctor? Is that some sort of joke? Make sure you are careful. At her old age, my mother really can't take it. If anything were to happen to her, I will never find it in my heart to forgive you."

Ming Jing said with a frown on her face, "You're being too noisy."

At that very moment, it was like the temperature of the room had dropped by a few degrees. The atmosphere of the room felt very chilly.

Ming Jing's slender fingers grabbed the silver needles and quickly inserted them one by one into Grandma Zhu's chest. Ming Jing's dispassionate and professional technique made Zhu Wenjie shiver at her spot by the door.

After Ming Jing applied the needles, Grandma Zhu finally opened her eyes. When she saw Ming Jing by her side, she had a loving look in her eyes. She grabbed Ming Jing's hand and said in a warm voice, "Ming Jing, it must be so hard on you. I heard everything that you had to endure from Nanny Zhou."

Ming Jing tucked the old woman back under her blankets as the old woman momentarily closed her eyes. "Your health is good. It will be no problem for you to live a long life. Don't think too far ahead. I'm here and will always be here for you."

When Grandma Zhu reopened her eyes again, they were a little moist. "Don't be angry with your mother. It shouldn't be easy for her either. She's going through a lot of things right now. Give her some time. She'll come around. I hope it won't be too late for the two of you when the time comes."

Ming Jing was quiet for a while. "I know. Don't you worry about it. Be sure to rest well."

After giving Nanny Zhou some instructions, she made her way out of the room.

"Mom, do you really believe in this girl? She's only 16 years old. How can she know what to do from a medical standpoint? I'll have you sent to the hospital."

Grandma Zhu rolled over in bed and turned her back to her. "If there's nothing else you want to bring up, quickly go back to your house. Don't bother me right now."

Zhu Wenjie started grumbling, "This is my house too. How can you throw me out?"

"Did you think I couldn't hear anything when you started quarreling with your sister-in-law this afternoon? Didn't I specifically tell you not to cause trouble at home? What good does that do to you if your sister-in-law is living a miserable life? Why did I give birth to such a brainless daughter like you?"

Grandma Zhu could feel a headache coming on. She was too lazy to continue arguing with her and got Nanny Zhou to chase her away.

"Cousin Ming Jing, are you avoiding me?" Just as Ming Jing was heading down the stairs, Zhou Ying suddenly jumped out to stop her.