Qiao Yanqiu was also generous. When it came to showing respect with money, she never held back. She was so lavish, Granny felt like she ought to build a shrine to her.

Her eldest son hadn’t brought home a daughter-in-law, but the God of Wealth.

For over twenty years, she hadn’t dared to get into a red-faced argument with Qiao Yanqiu. A falling-out over this just wasn’t worth it.

"Mom," Jie Jingchen called out again.

"Stop shouting, stop shouting! What’s the big deal? Is it necessary to get your mother involved? I won’t sleep with your wife, is that good enough?" Granny conceded, bending down to pick up her shoes and put them on. "Jing Si, it’s not that Granny is picking on you, but you’re being so thoughtless. Your mother worked a long shift at the hospital—it’s exhausting! And you won’t even let her rest when she gets home."

"Honey." Upon seeing Mrs. Xie emerge from her room, Mr. Xie left Jie You behind and rushed out of the main hall. "Honey, where are you going?"

"Jing Si called me. I’m going to see what’s wrong," Mrs. Xie answered, looking up at her husband’s tense expression. "Didn’t you hear him?"

’How could he not have heard? He’d heard Jie Jingchen’s very first shout.’

Mr. Xie put on a placating smile. "I heard him, honey. You go back inside and rest. I’ll go see."

"Jing Si called for me," Mrs. Xie said.

"I know, but it’s fine. You get some rest. I’ll go." Mr. Xie grasped Mrs. Xie’s shoulders and gently pushed her back toward the room.

Seeing his insistence, Mrs. Xie didn’t argue. She only reminded him, "Talk things over properly. No hitting."

"Got it, got it. I promise I won’t lay a hand on him." ’Unless Jing Si managed to provoke him. In that case, Mr. Xie couldn’t make any promises.’

Still worried about his mother, Mr. Xie took off at a run. Jie Jingchen was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. There was no sign of Qin Mei inside the room, only Granny sitting on the edge of the bed, putting on her shoes.

Jie Jingchen wasn’t surprised to see his father arrive. He simply turned sideways to let him into the room.

Mr. Xie went inside and helped Granny to her feet, whispering in her ear, "Mom, why did you even take your shoes off?"

"I wanted to sleep with the Fourth Wife of Jing, but Jing Si wouldn’t allow it," Granny replied.

’Mr. Xie’s expression sank, and a corner of his mouth twitched. ’Forget Jing Si being unhappy—if his own mother wanted to sleep with Yan Qiu, he wouldn’t be happy either.’’

"Mom, stop causing trouble. Yan Qiu really treasures this wife of Jing Si’s. If she finds out you’ve been bothering the young couple, she’ll force me to send you both back to the machinery factory," Mr. Xie said in a low voice. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"I wasn’t bothering the young couple, I was..."

"Don’t say another word. I’ll help you back to your room." Mr. Xie cut Granny off. As her son, how could he not know what his own mother was trying to do?

Jie Jingchen moved aside and watched his father escort Granny away. When he heard the bathroom door open, he turned his head and smiled at Qin Mei.

Meeting his gaze, Qin Mei had an odd expression on her face. She had overheard enough from the bathroom to understand what had happened. Washing the bedsheets had made Granny mistakenly believe that she thought Granny was dirty.

Elderly people, no matter how clean they are, have a certain scent, commonly known as "old person smell."

’Her own grandmother and grandfather bathed daily, and they had that same smell. She had never been bothered by it, so how could she possibly be disgusted by the scent on Jie Jingchen’s Granny?’

Qin Mei’s gaze fixed on the red palm print on Jie Jingchen’s face. Her expression faltered, and then she asked, "Did your dad hit you because he thought I found your Granny... dirty?"

Jie Jingchen remained silent. He walked over to Qin Mei, running his long fingers through her smooth hair in a gentle caress. A soft, indulgent fondness rippled in his amber eyes.

"Qin Mei, Granny has a certain smell. It’s perfectly normal if you’re not used to it." Jie Jingchen’s low voice was laced with boundless affection.

Qin Mei tilted her head back to look at Jie Jingchen, a sudden panic flaring in her heart. He was being so diplomatic that any attempt she made to explain herself would sound weak and defensive.

’Jie Jingchen hadn’t blamed her for this. He hadn’t even uttered a single word of reproach. His relationship with Granny wasn’t deep, so his expectations of her were low. But if his bond with Granny had been stronger, would he be holding this against her now?’

Just then, from the bathroom, Qin Mei had heard Granny sneeze. She knew showing him the proof would be far more convincing than trying to explain herself.

Qin Mei pulled Jie Jingchen by the hand over to the bed. Just as she had expected, there was a small, damp spot on the sheet where Granny had been sitting.

Qin Mei pointed to the damp patch on the bedsheet. Looking up at his stunningly handsome face, she asked, "Should it be washed?"

Jie Jingchen’s gaze followed her pointing finger. It froze on the spot, and a flicker of surprised doubt crossed his face.

"Many women suffer irreversible damage from childbirth. Accidental urine leakage during activities like sneezing, coughing, running, or lifting heavy objects is a common phenomenon. It’s called stress urinary incontinence," Qin Mei explained.