Chapter 25: Unexpected Turn

“Mother, don’t worry. Qin Ci will wake up soon,” Qin Youtian said, his face drawn with exhaustion. He hadn’t slept a wink for three days, tending to Hua Qin Ci. Qin Mingyue had tried persuading him several times, but he simply wouldn’t listen, and she was at her wits’ end.

Meanwhile, the pile of IOUs kept growing, so much so that even selling the entire household wouldn’t be enough to cover the debts. This weighed heavily on her heart, and she found herself growing resentful of Hua Qin Ci.

“Tian’er, what are we to do now? They—they’ve already come by several times just this morning. I even saw your cousin, Liu Bingbing, sitting under the big tree at the entrance to the village, staring at our house. She wouldn’t come in, just kept watching. I can’t imagine what she’s up to.”

Qin Mingyue felt a headache coming on just thinking about Liu Bingbing. Ever since that day she made a scene at Qin Youtian’s wedding, and later tried to harm Hua Qin Ci, Qin Mingyue couldn’t guess what mischief she might be plotting this time. She had even considered chasing her out with a broom if she dared to cause trouble again, yet the girl simply sat there all morning, unmoving.

When Hua Qin Ci had given money to Constable Zhao and asked him to take Liu Bingbing away, Qin Mingyue assumed Liu Bingbing would be gone for three to five days. Yet she’d returned so soon. At the time, she’d allowed Hua Qin Ci to have Constable Zhao take her away, thinking the girl had grown too unruly and needed a lesson. She knew the Liu family would find a way to get her out, so she hadn’t intervened.

These past few days, with little else to do, she found herself mulling over the incident again and again—until a chilling realization struck her: Liu Bingbing had truly meant to kill Hua Qin Ci that day.

The thought left Qin Mingyue drenched in cold sweat, her hand clamped over her mouth, unable to utter a word. The more she dwelled on it, the more terrifying it seemed.

Hearing that Liu Bingbing had returned, Qin Youtian felt a pang of regret when he recalled what had happened; perhaps he shouldn’t have let Hua Qin Ci handle things as she did. Yet at the time, Hua Qin Ci had gripped his hand, her eyes full of resolve. Considering how Liu Bingbing had caused a scene at the wedding and then deliberately shoved Hua Qin Ci, he had thought she deserved some punishment. After all, he had indulged her for three years—long enough.

“Mother, it’s all right. We’ve survived tougher times before. If we must, we’ll just start over again.”

“But your cousin…” Qin Mingyue’s brow creased with worry.

“Don’t fret, Mother. She’s just a child. When she’s older, we can talk to Aunt and find her a good family to marry into. Once she’s married, perhaps her temperament will improve.”

As he spoke, Qin Youtian’s thoughts drifted to the old Hua Qin Ci. On their wedding night, he had pretended not to recognize her, testing her reaction. In truth, he had once seen her gathering herbs on the mountain with her cousin. They’d been chatting and laughing together. Back then, Hua Qin Ci had been gentle as a breeze, her smile sweet and soft, her eyes pure as water, her figure delicate and willowy. But on their wedding night, it was as if she’d turned into someone else entirely—he couldn’t help but suspect she’d been replaced.

“You’re right, Tian’er. That way, we won’t owe the Liu family anything anymore,” Qin Mingyue mused.

“Don’t say that, Mother. Bingbing will always be my cousin, now and in the future,” Qin Youtian replied, gently holding Hua Qin Ci’s small hand, a faint smile at his lips.

“Is the eldest sister-in-law of the Qin family home? Sister-in-law?” A voice called from outside.

Qin Mingyue was about to say more, but with visitors arriving again, she hurried out to greet them.

“Sister-in-law from the Wei family, what brings you here? Come in and sit for a while.” Incidents like this had happened countless times in recent days; Qin Mingyue had grown used to dealing with them.

“No need to sit, I just wanted to ask—tomorrow will make three days now. Has your daughter-in-law improved at all? Has she woken up?”