"Cooking?" Xu Chunyan was stunned. Xiao You couldn’t even bathe himself and sometimes needed her to feed him. The idea of Xiao You learning to cook seemed like a complete fantasy to her.

"That’s right, cooking. First, teach him how to cook, then teach him how to look after his little sister. Once he’s learned, have Jing San bring Xiao Duo back over. He and his wife don’t have time to look after her, so Xiao You can help. Besides, Xiao Duo will be starting school soon. She’ll be in class during the day, and Xiao You can watch her when school lets out. He won’t have to watch her anymore once Jing San and his wife are off work." Grandpa laid out the plan perfectly clearly.

Xu Chunyan was terrified. ’Have Xiao You take care of Xiao Duo? Is that even possible? It would be a miracle if Xiao You didn’t bully her.’

When Grandpa saw that Xu Chunyan was silent, he just went on, "If you’re not saying anything, I’ll take that as a yes."

"Haha..." Xu Chunyan gave an awkward laugh. She didn’t argue with Grandpa, mainly because she didn’t dare.

When Mr. Xie saw his mother walk toward Jie Jingchen and his wife’s room, he was startled and rushed to stop her, but Jie You called out to him.

"Grandpa, I don’t know how to write this word," Jie You said, holding his notebook and tugging on Mr. Xie’s hand, wheedling. "Grandpa, please write it for me."

"Xiao You, be a good boy. Grandpa’s busy. Go ask your granny to teach you," Mr. Xie said, patting Xiao You’s head.

"No! I want Grandpa to teach me!" Jie You latched onto Mr. Xie’s leg.

Mr. Xie could only watch helplessly as his mother entered the room belonging to Jie Jingchen and his wife. It was too late to stop her. ’Oh well,’ he thought, ’I’ll just have to wait and see what happens.’

"Dad, what’s going on?" Jie Jingjue asked, emerging from the kitchen after washing the dishes.

Mr. Xie was in no mood to talk to him now. He handed Jie You over to him. "Help Xiao You with his homework."

"Dad, you can’t be serious," Jie Jingjue said, looking at Mr. Xie in horror.

"Do I look like I’m joking?" Mr. Xie asked, his expression stern.

Jie Jingjue cried out in misery. "Dad, my second sister-in-law is the teacher! You want me to help Xiao You with his homework? You really give me too much credit."

"You can’t even help an elementary schooler? What are you going to do when you get married and have kids of your own? How will you help them with schoolwork when they’re older?" Mr. Xie aimed a kick at Jie Jingjue, but he dodged it.

"My kids’ mother can help them," Jie Jingjue said with confidence.

Mr. Xie was livid. "And what if your kids’ mother is illiterate?"

"Would I marry an illiterate woman? Do you think I’m crazy?" Jie Jingjue glanced at Jie You, who was still clinging to his father’s leg. He’d rather live next to Jing San and his wife than his second brother and sister-in-law, all because of this little demon.

"You never know what life will throw at you. Don’t be so absolute," Mr. Xie said, glaring at Jie Jingjue.

"Dad, was there anything else?" Jie Jingjue asked. When Mr. Xie didn’t answer, Jie Jingjue beat a hasty retreat.

"Grandpa, I don’t want Fifth Uncle to teach me! I want you to teach me!" Jie You whined, squirming his chubby little body.

"All right, all right. Grandpa will teach you," Mr. Xie conceded with a sigh, leading Jie You toward the main hall.

Qin Mei sat by the window while Jie Jingchen leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. They both watched the old woman sitting on the edge of their bed. Her wrinkled hands roamed over the bedding, touching this and that without a word.

Qin Mei didn’t understand what Granny was doing, but Jie Jingchen knew perfectly well. ’The more Qin Mei finds her dirty, the more Granny will go out of her way to annoy her.’

"Granny, have you had your fill of touching things?" Jie Jingchen asked with a sigh.

Granny didn’t answer or even look at Jie Jingchen. Her gaze was fixed provocatively on Qin Mei. As if just touching wasn’t enough, she gave the pillow Qin Mei slept on a firm squeeze.

Qin Mei met Granny’s provocative stare, finding it completely baffling.

"You two chat. I’m going to the bathroom," Qin Mei said, getting up and heading for the toilet.

"Jing Si, look at this! Look at the kind of wife you married! She thinks I’m dirty! She acts like I’m dirty right in front of you. Who knows how she scorns me behind your back." Granny sounded deeply hurt. ’She can look down on me for anything else, but she can’t say I’m dirty.’

’How am I dirty?’

’I bathe often, wash my hands and feet constantly, and my clothes are always clean. Among all the other elderly folks, I’m practically the cleanest one. And yet, Qin Mei dares to act like I’m dirty.’

’Has Qin Mei ever even seen an old person who’s actually filthy?’

"Granny, are you trying to make things difficult for her, or for yourself?" Jie Jingchen asked.

He had been secretly watching Qin Mei’s expression. Ever since Granny came in, she hadn’t shown a trace of disgust—only resignation. And it wasn’t just Qin Mei who felt resigned; he felt the same way watching his grandmother barge in.

’Forget whether or not Qin Mei actually thinks Granny is dirty. Even if she does, so what? Granny is *his* grandmother, not Qin Mei’s. He can’t even bring himself to like her, so how could he possibly force Qin Mei to?’

’It’s normal to feel disgusted by people you don’t like. Besides, Granny really does have a certain smell about her.’

"She thinks I’m dirty! Well, the more she disdains me, the more trouble I’ll make for her! She likes washing bedsheets? Fine, I’ll give her more than enough to wash. I won’t just make her wash the sheets, I’ll make her wash the pillows and the comforter too!" Granny bellowed.

"Granny, have you considered that since I’m home, she’ll just ask me to do the washing?" Jie Jingchen pointed out. ’And if Qin Mei asks me to wash them, can I really say no?’

Granny was stunned. She pointed a trembling finger at Jie Jingchen. "You... Your wife finds me dirty, and not only do you not reprimand her, you’re encouraging this behavior! Jing Si, tell me the truth. Do you also think I’m dirty? Is that why you won’t let me and Grandpa stay in the room next to yours?"

Jie Jingchen raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose. A thoughtful glint flashed in his cool eyes. "Granny," he asked, "if I say yes, will you and Grandpa go home?"

"Hmph!" Granny snorted resolutely. "We will not."

’Jie Jingchen admitting he found her dirty didn’t even make her angry. Compared to that, Qin Mei’s behavior was far more hurtful.’

’The more they disdain me, the more I’ll make their lives miserable.’

"Granny, stop making trouble. I’ll help you back to your room." Jie Jingchen had no more energy to deal with his grandmother. He knew exactly how difficult she could be; Qin Mei had already fled to the bathroom to escape.

’A month isn’t a long time, but it’s not short, either. With Granny around stirring up trouble, it’ll be impossible to have any peace.’

’Aunt Zhang wasn’t even a blood relative, and she still managed to turn the house upside down. A blood-related grandmother would be even worse. Aunt Zhang and Granny weren’t even in the same league.’

’Go back to my room? Not a chance. I haven’t caused nearly enough trouble yet.’

Granny waved her hand dismissively and kicked off her shoes. "Tonight, you can go sleep with your grandpa. I’ll sleep with your wife. It’ll be a perfect chance for you to bond with your grandpa, and for me to bond with my granddaughter-in-law." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Jie Jingchen’s expression turned thunderous. His hands clenched into tight fists as he stared at Granny with a menacing gaze.

A triumphant look spread across Granny’s face. This grandson was always roasting her without mercy, shutting her down and making her lose face. Now, finally, she felt a sweet rush of vindication.

"ACHOO!" Granny sneezed, then crudely wiped her nose.

Jie Jingchen gave up on the idea of a verbal assault. He took a deep breath, turned his head, and yelled, "Mom!"

Hearing Jie Jingchen call for his mother, the color drained from Granny’s face. This was her daughter-in-law’s courtyard, not her own turf, so she wasn’t on solid ground. Despite her domineering claims that this courtyard belonged to the Jie Family, she knew deep down that trying to take over her daughter-in-law’s property was indefensible and would only earn her contempt.

"What are you calling your mother for?" Granny demanded, sitting bolt upright and glaring at Jie Jingchen. ’This grandson of hers has even less Wude than she does.’

’Her eldest son, Mr. Xie, cherished his wife, Qiao Yanqiu. He had defied her countless times for Qiao Yanqiu’s sake, to the point that she didn’t dare make things difficult for that daughter-in-law of hers.’