"What’s this?" Mrs. Xie looked at the small medicine vial. It seemed familiar, but Qin Mei had torn off the label, so she couldn’t tell what kind of medicine it was. The number "1" was written on the vial, but Mrs. Xie had no idea what it meant.

She had been the one to secretly bring these empty vials back from the hospital for Qin Mei. At the time, she’d thought it was strange. Qin Mei hadn’t asked for medicine, just empty vials, and she had wondered what Qin Mei wanted them for. Now, she understood.

"It’s a pill I made." Seeing that Mrs. Xie wasn’t paying it much mind, Qin Mei thought for a moment before saying solemnly, "Mom, don’t underestimate this pill. At a critical moment, it could save your life."

Hearing the words "save your life," Mrs. Xie instantly grew serious. She stared at the smiling Qin Mei, and for a moment, didn’t know what to say.

She had witnessed Qin Mei’s abilities before. Gripping the vial tightly in her hand, she finally spoke after a long pause. "Thank you."

That "thank you" was laden with meaning. Qin Mei didn’t have a Mind Reading Technique, so she couldn’t know what Mrs. Xie was truly thinking; she simply assumed it was an expression of gratitude.

Mrs. Xie had given her a bankbook, and she had said thank you. Now she was giving Mrs. Xie a pill, and Mrs. Xie was saying thank you to her. It seemed perfectly reciprocal.

Mrs. Xie wasn’t in a hurry to leave. She had Qin Mei sit and chat with her about Jie Jingchen’s childhood. Qin Mei listened quietly, eager to learn more about him as a boy. As they talked, Mrs. Xie would sigh from time to time. Qin Mei couldn’t understand why her mother-in-law was sighing, but she didn’t interrupt to ask.

Outside in the yard, under a large tree, Mr. Xie sat smoking. Jie Jingchen leaned lazily against the trunk, watching his father light one cigarette after another. Before long, a small pile of cigarette butts had formed at Mr. Xie’s feet.

"Dad, what did you want to talk to me about?" Jie Jingchen finally asked.

Mr. Xie shot Jie Jingchen a cold look, his expression grave. He took another drag from his cigarette, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

"Stop smoking." Unable to take it anymore, Jie Jingchen strode forward, snatched the cigarette from his father’s hand, and threw it on the ground, stamping it out with his foot.

Surprisingly, Mr. Xie didn’t get angry. He just looked at Jie Jingchen with a conflicted expression.

Jie Jingchen was a little surprised. He’d just snatched his father’s cigarette, yet his father hadn’t blown up at him. A flicker of concern crossed his face. "Dad, are you okay?"

Mr. Xie still didn’t speak, merely staring at him.

Seeing his father like this, Jie Jingchen grew more worried. "What’s wrong?" he asked.

Mr. Xie remained silent.

"Trouble at work?" Jie Jingchen guessed.

Mr. Xie rolled his eyes before asking gravely, "Xiao Si, if you had to choose between us and Qin Mei, who would you pick?"

"Qin Mei," Jie Jingchen answered without a shred of hesitation.

Mr. Xie erupted. "Your mother and I, your Granny and Grandpa—we’re your family, your blood! In your heart, are the four of us worth less than an outsider like Qin Mei?"

Jie Jingchen’s expression became exceptionally grim. Instead of answering, he countered with a question of his own, "Dad, what exactly happened?"

The answer stung Mr. Xie. He looked at his son and took a deep breath. "You got off work before I did. Didn’t your wife tell you what happened at home today?"

Jie Jingchen raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "My wife doesn’t share every little thing with me."

Mr. Xie let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "Right. Why would she tell you about something like this? Jie Jingchen, you’ve married such a ’fine’ wife. She has no respect for her elders. Look at how she normally treats Xiao You! Someone who doesn’t know how to respect the old and cherish the young is a person of poor character. Jie Jingchen, the Jie Family does not need a daughter-in-law with such a corrupt moral compass."

Jie Jingchen fell silent for a moment, a sharp, cold glint appearing in his deep eyes. "Dad, you know what Granny is like. None of us get along with her, let alone Qin Mei. Forget everyone else—look at me. I’m her own flesh and blood, and even I don’t coddle her. Do you really expect Qin Mei to indulge her? Is that realistic?"

Before Mr. Xie could retort, Jie Jingchen continued, "Dad, letting Grandpa and Granny stay here for a month was a mistake. Mom can’t handle the dynamic with her mother-in-law, which is why she insisted on living separately in the first place. As soon as Grandpa and Granny arrived, Third Brother took his wife and left for his mother-in-law’s house. The rest of us have to work, so during the day, it’s just Qin Mei and Jing Qi at home to deal with them. I don’t need to remind you how Granny treats Jing Qi, do I? Qin Mei is fiercely protective. She’s fond of Jing Qi and won’t let anyone say a single bad word about him. Aunt Zhang is a perfect example."

Jie Jingchen pieced it together. ’Qin Mei and Granny must have had a fight during the day. When Dad got home, Granny probably complained to him. As her father-in-law, he’d be too embarrassed to confront her directly, so he came to find me instead.’

Mr. Xie didn’t like hearing that. In the past, he had practiced blind filial piety. And while he had changed, he was still very devoted to his parents—he just no longer obeyed his mother’s every command without question. But for his own son, a grandson, to speak of his elders that way... Mr. Xie found it jarring. And yet, everything Jie Jingchen had said was the truth.