"Heh, just being a Good Samaritan," Qin Mei cut Doctor Li off again.
Doctor Li gave her a suspicious look. He'd seen how meticulously Qin Mei had cared for Xie Jingchen these past few days. He was even starting to suspect she was a professional nurse.
"Doctor Li, I'm Xie Jingchen's wife. My name is Zhou Hongyi," Zhou Hongyi announced.
Doctor Li's gaze darted between the two women. He was utterly confused. 'So who is Xie Jingchen's wife?' he wondered.
Just as Xie Jingchen was about to explain, Jie Jingchen cut in. "Doctor Li, when can I be discharged?"
Discharged?
Qin Mei immediately perked up at his words.
Her thinking was simple. Once Jie Jingchen was discharged, they would go their separate ways, never to contact or interfere with each other again.
She wanted to return to the Sun Family to find Jie Jingling. She felt a strong sense of dependence on her; after all, Jing Ling was the first person she saw when she woke up. In this new era, Jie Jingling was the only one she trusted and the only one she felt she could rely on for the time being.
"Jing Si, I suggest you stay in the hospital for a few more days." Doctor Li adjusted the glasses on his nose, his gaze on Jie Jingchen warm and affectionate.
"Uncle Li, I want to go back to Shijiu City," Jie Jingchen said firmly.
"Sigh!" Doctor Li let out a breath and grumbled, "You're just as stubborn as your mother."
Jie Jingchen shot a cool glance at Qin Mei, his tone resolute. "Uncle Li, I'm being discharged tomorrow."
"Absolutely not," Doctor Li refused flatly. He thought for a moment, then his tone became serious, though with a hint of compromise. "How about this: when your wife gets here, we'll ask her opinion. If she agrees to your discharge, then I'll allow it."
"Honey, do you agree to me being discharged?" Jie Jingchen asked, turning to the silent Qin Mei.
Doctor Li was left reeling. 'What is going on? Whose wife is Qin Mei, anyway?'
Qin Mei froze. 'He's totally setting me up,' she thought. 'And I'm sure of it.'
She wanted Jie Jingchen to be discharged so they could go their separate ways. But there was a world of difference between a doctor approving a discharge and a patient demanding one. She hadn't examined Jie Jingchen herself; she had no idea what his actual condition was. What if he wasn't fit to leave, but he insisted on it with her support? If something went wrong, who would be responsible?
"Well... I..." Qin Mei felt like she was being roasted over a fire. 'Can everyone just forget this whole 'wife' business for a second?' she wanted to scream. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I can't make a decision on this, and I can't offer an opinion. It has yet to be determined if I'm even his wife at all."
'Pass the buck. The farther, the better.'
A sly smile played on Jie Jingchen's lips. He enunciated each word with perfect clarity. "The marriage certificate serves as proof."
'Why does that sound so familiar?'
She had said the same thing to Zhou Hongyi.
'If you're shameless and aggressive enough, even the other woman can overpower the actual wife.'
"Then show me the proof," Qin Mei challenged, looking at Jie Jingchen provocatively.
She wasn't actually questioning that Jie Jingchen was her husband. She was gambling on the fact that he couldn't possibly have their marriage certificate on him.
Obviously, she lost her bet. Jie Jingchen truly was something else; he actually did carry the marriage certificate with him.
It read: Jie Jingchen, male, age; Qin Mei, female, age; have voluntarily entered into marriage. After review and in accordance with the provisions of the Marriage Law... this certificate is hereby issued.
Below was the date and a large, red official seal.
Qin Mei marveled at how simple marriage certificates were in this era. They didn't even require a photo.
Qin Mei folded the certificate, handed it back to Jie Jingchen, and said with doe-eyed obedience, "You're the head of the household. I will unconditionally submit to all your decisions."
Qin Mei had said *submit*, not *support*. She wasn't a fool. When it came time to evade responsibility, she knew how to play the coward.
Thanks to Jie Jingchen's insistence, he was discharged the next day.
Standing at the hospital entrance, Qin Mei supported Jie Jingchen. She looked up at him and asked worriedly, "Are you going to be okay?"
Jie Jingchen's voice was clear. "I'll be fine. Just keep holding me."
Qin Mei wanted to snap back. 'You were the one who insisted on being discharged, so you can damn well walk on your own!'
"So, what's your plan now?" Qin Mei asked.
Jie Jingchen lowered his gaze to look at her, considered for a moment, and answered, "Go back to Shijiu City."
'Back to Shijiu City?' Qin Mei raised an eyebrow. 'He really plans on going.'
"In your current condition, I suggest you find a place to rest and recuperate first," Qin Mei said.
"I know my own body perfectly well. Let's go to the train station." Jie Jingchen was adamant, completely ignoring her suggestion.
Qin Mei gritted her teeth, wanting to curse him out. 'He knows jack shit! If he really knew his body, he wouldn't have insisted on being discharged.'
"Jie Jingchen, don't say I didn't warn you. Your health is your wealth. If you keep abusing your body like this, it will have major consequences down the line. Especially in... certain areas," Qin Mei reminded him pointedly.
Qin Mei was sure Jie Jingchen understood her implication. Any normal man would be more cautious after hearing a warning like that.
However, Jie Jingchen was not a normal man. He wouldn't listen to reason.
"To the train station," Jie Jingchen said in a commanding tone.
"Hmph!" Qin Mei snorted, stomping her foot in frustration. "Don't listen to your elders, suffer the consequences. You'll regret this!"
A small cloth satchel was slung over Qin Mei's shoulder, Jie Jingchen's pack was on her back, her own luggage was in one hand, and she still had to support Jie Jingchen with the other. Thanks to his stubbornness, she had no choice but to bear the burden without complaint.
When they reached the train station, Qin Mei's plan remained unchanged: get Jie Jingchen on the train, and then they would part ways for good.
While they were in line to buy tickets, Jie Jingchen asked, "Where's your letter of introduction?"
Qin Mei assumed he was going to buy her ticket along with his, so she put down her luggage, pulled the letter of introduction from her small satchel, and handed it to him. "Here."
When they reached the front of the line, Jie Jingchen passed both his and Qin Mei's letters of introduction through the ticket window. "Two tickets to Shijiu City."
Hearing this, Qin Mei lost her cool. She grabbed his sleeve and said urgently, "Jie Jingchen, I'm not going to Shijiu City!"
Jie Jingchen completely ignored her. After buying the tickets, he tucked both their letters and the tickets into his pocket, then leaned his full weight unceremoniously against Qin Mei. "I've been standing too long. My back hurts. Help me to the waiting room."
Jie Jingchen was five-foot-eleven while Qin Mei was only five-foot-three. With him leaning on her, she could barely hold him up. Glancing at the bustling crowd, Qin Mei gritted her teeth, bit the bullet, and struggled to help him to the waiting room.
The waiting room was packed, with no seats to be found. Qin Mei glanced at Jie Jingchen, a hint of worry coloring her features. With the inevitable crush of people boarding the train, it would be easy for something to go wrong.
Qin Mei made a quick decision. "Come on," she said to Jie Jingchen, "let's find an employee and ask for help."
Jie Jingchen didn't object, letting Qin Mei help him over to find a station employee.
"Ma'am," Qin Mei began, her voice already thick with tears, "we've been married for six months. Four months ago, he injured his back acting heroically to save someone. We've seen all the best doctors, but the prognosis isn't good. We're still so young, and we don't have any children yet... If he's permanently... what are we going to do?"