Qin Mei felt guilty and her heart ached for him. "Didn’t you say it didn’t hurt?"

"Qin Mei." Jie Jingchen was deeply conflicted. ’Find an old person dirty?’ He just couldn’t believe it. He thought about how Qin Mei took care of Jing Qi. She had never shown any disgust toward her, not even when Jing Qi had an accident. Qin Mei had never once ignored it. ’If she isn’t repulsed by Jing Qi’s messes, how could she be repulsed by an old woman being a little dirty?’

’The Qin Mei before the amnesia? Jie Jingchen couldn’t say for sure. But the Qin Mei after the amnesia? He was certain.’

’But...’ Jie Jingchen looked at the bedsheets drying outside the window. ’They’d only been changed a few days ago. It’s not like Qin Mei would suddenly get a whim to wash them just for fun.’

Qin Mei took out an ointment and gently dabbed it on Jie Jingchen’s face. A mixture of herbal scents wafted up, filling his nostrils and instantly clearing his head. Setting aside its medicinal properties, the aroma alone was enough to sharpen the senses.

"Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law." Jie Jingjue’s voice came from the doorway, followed by a knock.

Qin Mei was left speechless. ’When the door was closed, he didn’t bother to knock. Now that it’s wide open, he decides to knock?’

Remembering how he had interrupted them earlier, Jie Jingjue was quite embarrassed. Eager to make up for it, he announced, "Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, the food’s cooked. Time to eat."

’Fourth Brother made the rice, and I bought and cooked the vegetables. The original plan was for me to buy and him to cook, but he and Fourth Sister-in-law were busy trying to make a baby. So, to avoid getting in the way of their baby-making, I just cooked everything myself.’

Jie Jingjue then went to get Jing Qi. She had dropped the act and had even abandoned her wheelchair. Jie Jingjue supported her as she walked toward the kitchen.

When Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei arrived in the kitchen, Jie Jingjue had already dished out the rice. He and Jing Qi were sitting upright at the table, waiting for the two latecomers.

There was a roast duck, a vegetable dish, and the soup was simply the water the rice had been cooked in.

Meat and vegetables. Perfect.

Jie Jingjue wasn’t much of a cook; the vegetables were barely edible. After the meal, Qin Mei helped Jing Qi back to her room, Jie Jingjue washed the dishes, and Jie Jingchen started boiling water for their baths.

"Fourth Brother, did Dad hit you?" Jie Jingjue finally asked, unable to hold back any longer. He had noticed during dinner but had kept quiet. The atmosphere had been obviously tense.

Jie Jingchen remained silent, so Jie Jingjue pressed on curiously, "What did you do to set Dad off this time?"

"I didn’t do anything. It was your sister-in-law who upset him," Jie Jingchen said with a sigh.

"My sister-in-law?" Jie Jingjue was skeptical. "No way. I’ve been home all day. Aside from Granny making a bit of a fuss this morning, she hasn’t caused any other trouble."

"What kind of fuss did Granny make?" Jie Jingchen asked.

"What else? She can’t stand to see us sleeping in, so she did everything she could to make a racket and wake us up." Jie Jingjue didn’t mention that Granny had only been targeting Qin Mei. He purposely said "us" so his brother wouldn’t think Granny was playing favorites.

"Jing Wu," Mr. Xie’s voice called out.

Hearing his father’s voice, Jie Jingjue’s scalp prickled with dread. ’He’s calling for me now? He must want to ask about Aunt Zhang.’

"Jing Wu," Mr. Xie called out again.

Seeing that Jie Jingjue was pretending not to hear, Jie Jingchen reminded him, "Dad’s calling you."

"I hear him," Jie Jingjue replied.

"Now. Immediately. At once. Get out here," Mr. Xie ordered, his voice full of authority.

"Okay!" Jie Jingjue answered quickly, but he made no move to leave, continuing to wash the dishes at a snail’s pace. "Fourth Brother, is Dad still mad about what happened yesterday?"

Jie Jingchen shot Jie Jingjue a look. ’Still mad? That’s an understatement. He’s absolutely furious because he thinks Qin Mei said Granny was dirty.’

"Fourth Brother, Dad even hit you. Do you think he’ll hit me?" Jie Jingjue asked. He felt like they were brothers in misery. Their second brother was away on business, and their third brother had taken his wife to visit her mother’s family. Of the four of them, only he and his fourth brother were left to face their father’s wrath.

"He won’t," Jie Jingchen replied.

"You sound so sure. Why?" Jie Jingjue asked, surprised.

"Because I’m the defiant one," Jie Jingchen said, his eyes turning cold.

Jie Jingjue’s lip twitched. ’That’s true,’ he thought, recalling his father’s attitude. ’He’s strict with me, but he’s never called me a defiant son. He’s always calling Fourth Brother that. But weirdly enough, Dad has the highest hopes for his "defiant" fourth son.’

’And me? Dad’s expectations for me aren’t high at all. Just stay alive, and that’s good enough.’

"Jie Jingjue, get out here!" Mr. Xie had clearly lost all patience.

"Coming! I’ll be out as soon as I finish the dishes!" Jie Jingjue called back.

After a long moment, Mr. Xie’s voice drifted in, dripping with sarcasm. "Pathetic."

Seeing that his father hadn’t stormed in but was waiting for him, Jie Jingjue felt a desperate urge to flee. His movements as he washed the dishes grew even slower.

"Do you have a guilty conscience?" Jie Jingchen asked.

"No!" Jie Jingjue answered hastily.

"If you haven’t done anything wrong, what are you so afraid of?" Even Jie Jingchen was losing his patience.

"I’m afraid of getting beaten," Jie Jingjue admitted. He was well aware of his standing in the family. If their father hit him, no one would protect him. If their father hit Fourth Brother, their mother would step in. But if their father hit *him*, his mother would just stand on the sidelines and applaud. As for Grandpa and Granny, they would protect anyone before they’d protect him.