Chapter 566 - 596: Enemies on a Narrow Road
Shen Feng saw the calculating look in Lin Nian’s eyes and didn’t continue the conversation.
’After all, whether it was a boy or a girl, it wouldn’t be Qin Jiao’s child, so he had no expectations either way.’
However, Lin Nian’s pregnancy provided the perfect excuse for Shen Feng to escape the constant arguments of the Shen Family.
Li Xiaomei had been worn down these past few years. Though only in her forties, she’d already entered menopause and was even getting gray hairs.
Her conflicts with Old Mrs. Shen and Shen Xiaoya were constantly escalating. They had a small argument every three days and a major fight every five.
At first, Li Xiaomei would always give in to them, but she soon discovered that the more she yielded, the more they took advantage.
With too many other worries on her mind and the onset of menopause, Li Xiaomei stopped backing down, leading to furious arguments every day.
Li Xiaomei wanted to vent her frustrations to her son, but ever since he married that Lin Nian, he had moved out and rarely returned.
’This life is nothing like what I had imagined.’
’Shouldn’t the life of a pampered Mrs. Shen be all about shopping every day? I even quit my job at the hospital for this very reason.’
’After all, what wealthy man’s wife still works as a nurse or a doctor?’
But the atmosphere at home was just too suffocating. After thinking it over, Li Xiaomei called her cousin, Ji Yuehong, and asked her to go shopping to lift her spirits.
Ji Yuehong laughed. "Oh, you. You’re just making trouble for yourself. Let the men handle the money-making. And don’t worry so much about your sister-in-law. After this whole ordeal, she’s learned her lesson. ’Once bitten, twice shy,’ as they say. She won’t be causing any more trouble for a while. As for the old lady, just let her have her way. She is Shen Zhengfeng’s mother, after all."
"I know, but sometimes I just feel so frustrated."
"Think about something happy! Isn’t Lin Nian about to give birth? You’ll be a grandmother soon. Now that’s something to be happy about!"
The thought of having a grandson soon did make Li Xiaomei a little happier.
She said, "I may look down on that Lin Nian’s background, but at least she’s cut ties with her family back home. As long as she’s willing to settle down, take good care of Xiao Feng, and give him a big, healthy son, I won’t ask anything more of her, provided she knows her place."
Ji Yuehong smiled. "You’re such a kind mother-in-law, Xiao Mei. Oh, by the way, let’s go browse that gold shop over there. Aren’t you going to buy a big gold lock for your grandson?"
A large gold lock would cost a small fortune. Although Li Xiaomei was wealthy, Shen Zhengfeng had been claiming business was slow and hadn’t given her any spending money in a long time.
But not wanting to lose face in front of her cousin, she nodded. "We can go take a look, but I’m worried they won’t have any nice designs. And what if the young couple doesn’t like it? It might be better to just give them the money and let them buy whatever they want."
Ji Yuehong felt a pang of envy but still said, "It can’t hurt to look."
Ji Yuehong’s family was well-off, but they were nowhere near as wealthy as the businessman Shen Zhengfeng, so she was genuinely envious of her cousin.
Regardless of their private thoughts, the two women entered the gold shop with their chins held high, expecting a salesperson to rush over and attend to them. Instead, they saw several employees fawning over a group of three women, eagerly showing them merchandise.
Those three were none other than Qin Jiao, out shopping with her mother and mother-in-law.
Shen Yi and Beidou had gone to the South, and Qin Jiao, worried her mother-in-law Du Liya would get bored, had invited her out for a walk. Qin Jiao herself had been cooped up inside for a while and was going stir-crazy.
Xiao Shi and Xiao Cheng were at school, and Little Gu Duo was playing at Qin Na’s house. The three women planned to browse for a while before going to pick up Little Gu Duo.
And so, the two groups ran into each other.
Enemies always cross paths.