"Xiao Si, what’s with that look?" Mr. Xie demanded, his expression cold.

"Figure it out for yourself." Jie Jingchen unlocked the kitchen door. He found the light switch and flipped it on, illuminating the room. He then walked in and expertly started to cook.

"There’s no one else here. Who are you trying to keep out?" Mr. Xie demanded coldly. "Locking your own room, I can understand. But locking the kitchen? That’s just petty."

"The kitchen is where we keep all the food. Why would I lock it? Who would I be trying to keep out? Dad, are you telling me you don’t know?" Jie Jingchen said as he lit the honeycomb briquette stove and started making congee.

Mr. Xie fell silent. He knew full well his son wasn’t worried about thieves. He was worried someone might tamper with their food to be malicious.

Second Daughter-in-law Jing and Zhang Hongying had done it before—they’d put something in Qin Mei’s chicken soup. Jie Jingchen used that incident as a reason to formally split their household from the main family.

"Here." Mr. Xie offered Jie Jingchen a cigarette, his usual authority gone, replaced by an attempt to curry favor.

Jie Jingchen didn’t take it. He just raised an eyebrow at his father, a detached smile playing on his lips. "Dad, I quit smoking."

Mr. Xie froze, his brow furrowing deeply. "When did you quit?" he blurted out. "Who told you to? Your wife?"

’Yan Qiu never liked my smoking, either. I tried to quit a few times, but I always failed. In the end, she just gave up and laid down the law: no smoking in the house.’

Displeasure flickered in Jie Jingchen’s eyes. His low voice was laced with ice. "Dad, stop blaming Qin Mei for everything. My quitting smoking and drinking has nothing to do with her."

"Then why did you quit?" Mr. Xie demanded. His issue with his daughter-in-law, Qin Mei, stemmed entirely from Jing Si’s insistence on splitting the household. Initially, he’d been quite pleased with her, especially when she offered to find treatment for Jing Qi’s leg. He hadn’t held out much hope, but he’d been happy she was trying.

"My injuries were too severe. I had no choice," Jie Jingchen’s deep voice was devoid of any emotion.

Hearing his fourth son’s nonchalant words left a bitter taste in Mr. Xie’s mouth. He felt a pang of guilt. His son had been injured, and he had been powerless to help. His son had quit smoking and drinking, and he hadn’t even known. He’d been too busy with work to pay his son enough attention.

"Dad, if you have something to say, just say it." Jie Jingchen was certain his father hadn’t come here just for a friendly chat. He wouldn’t be squatting by the kitchen door, smoking, for no reason.

Mr. Xie’s lips thinned into a line. He looked like he wanted to say something, but then thought better of it.

"Dad," Jie Jingchen pressed. His father wasn’t speaking, but he wasn’t leaving either. He was just standing there like a statue, and Jie Jingchen couldn’t exactly ignore him.

Mr. Xie clenched the cigarette butt between his teeth. After a few seconds of contemplation, he spat it onto the ground and crushed it with his foot. "Xiao Si, your grandpa and granny are getting on in years."

"And?" Jie Jingchen’s face was a blank mask. He crossed his arms, suppressing the turmoil bubbling up inside him as he stared coldly at the man before him.

Mr. Xie’s tone softened. "Your mother and I both have jobs. Your mom’s workload at the hospital is especially heavy, and I often see her completely drained. Your second brother, Jing Er, is away on business, and his wife has to work while also looking after Xiao You. Your third brother and his wife... sigh. We can’t count on them. Jing Wu is unreliable, and with Jing Qi’s condition..."

"Get to the point," Jie Jingchen cut in coldly, raising a hand to rub the bridge of his nose. ’He’s laid it on this thick. I’d have to be an idiot not to know where this is going.’

"Jing Si, your grandpa and granny are only staying with us for a month. So, I was hoping..." Mr. Xie trailed off, finding the words difficult to say.

"You want me to quit my job and stay home to take care of them?" Jie Jingchen asked, deliberately twisting his words. Mr. Xie was stunned; that wasn’t what he meant. Jie Jingchen continued, "Dad, we’ve split the household. Qin Mei and Jing Qi are depending on me to support them. If I don’t work, who’s going to provide for them?"

"I’m not telling you to quit your job. I mean, have your wife take care of them," Mr. Xie said.

Jie Jingchen scoffed. "Have Qin Mei take care of them?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Dad, would you really be able to rest easy?"

"I’ll have a word with your granny. I’ll tell her not to give your wife a hard time," Mr. Xie said. "Everyone else has a job; your wife is the only one who’s free at home. She’s already looking after Xiao Qiao anyway. Taking care of two elderly people on top of that would be no trouble at all for her."

At his words, a grim and unpleasant look clouded Jie Jingchen’s features. The sullen cast of his expression was unsettling.

"Dad, was I not clear last night?" Jie Jingchen asked coldly. Without giving Mr. Xie a chance to speak, he continued in an icy, unwavering tone, "Qin Mei can’t cook, and she certainly can’t take care of people. If you want someone to look after Grandpa and Granny, find someone else."

"She can learn to cook. And who says she can’t take care of people? I think she’s taking good care of Xiao Qiao," Mr. Xie said.

Jie Jingchen laughed, but there was no humor in it, only pure anger. A chilling light filled his eyes. His low voice was both domineering and defiant. "Qin Mei is not going to learn."

"It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t learn. Your grandpa knows how to cook. He can do the cooking, and your wife just needs to... Xiao Si, where are you going?" Mr. Xie grabbed his son’s arm as he started to walk away.

"To find Mom." Jie Jingchen looked for all the world like a child about to go tattle to his mother.

Mr. Xie’s face fell. He gripped Jie Jingchen’s arm and refused to let go. ’If Yan Qiu finds out about this, she’ll kick me out right along with them.’ "Xiao Si, your mother can’t know about this. She’ll raise hell with me. It will ruin the peace in our family."

"If you want peace in the family, then send Grandpa and Granny home," Jie Jingchen said bluntly.

Mr. Xie’s anger flared. "Xiao Si, how can you be so heartless? They’re your grandpa and granny! They’re old, and they don’t have many years left. You’re their grandson. Is showing them a little filial piety so difficult?"

"Am I their only grandson?" Jie Jingchen shot back, his voice frigid.

"It’s about filial piety..."

"Mom!" Jie Jingchen shouted.

"Don’t shout for your mother! Let her sleep in a little," Mr. Xie said, his face a mask of anxiety. He lunged to cover Jie Jingchen’s mouth, but his son dodged him easily.

"Mom!" Jie Jingchen called out again.

Mr. Xie’s heart hammered in his chest. His eyes filled with a rage so intense he looked like he wanted to strangle his son. "Jie Jingchen, I told you not to shout! You want to shout? I’ll give you something to shout about!"

Mr. Xie resorted to violence, swinging his fists at Jie Jingchen. He was the father. No matter how rebellious his son was, Jie Jingchen wouldn’t dare to hit back.

"Jianguo!" Grandpa walked over. Seeing his son hitting his grandson, he was horrified and rushed forward to pull Mr. Xie back. "Jianguo, what do you think you’re doing?"

"Dad, get back so you don’t get hurt," Mr. Xie said, moving Grandpa to the side. "Today, I’m going to teach this unfilial brat a lesson and show him who’s boss!" He then turned to hit Jie Jingchen again.

Jie Jingchen was no fool; he wasn’t about to stand there and take a beating. When Mr. Xie saw him walking toward his and his wife’s room, he was scared out of his mind. Forgetting all about whether Grandpa was steady on his feet, he immediately gave chase.

"Jie Jingchen, you stop right there! Don’t you dare disturb your mother."

"Mom!" Jie Jingchen called out as he walked.

Mrs. Xie emerged from the room in her pajamas with a coat thrown over them. "What is it?"

"Mom, Dad told me to have Qin Mei take care of Grandpa and Granny. When I said no, he started hitting me," Jie Jingchen tattled to his mother.

’Seriously?’ Mr. Xie was speechless. ’How old is he, still running to his mother? Has he no shame?’

"Jie Jianguo!" Mrs. Xie’s face changed in an instant. She glared at her husband, her eyes dark and fierce, filled with undisguised fury.

A look of pure terror crossed Mr. Xie’s face. "Honey, I was wrong," he blurted out.

"Jie Jianguo, do my words just go in one ear and out the other?" Mrs. Xie strode toward him, planting her hands on her hips. All semblance of her usual good breeding, self-restraint, and elegance vanished. In that moment, she was like a common shrew, grabbing him by the ear. "Jie Jianguo, are you trying to end this marriage?"

Mr. Xie’s will to survive was off the charts. He immediately adopted a penitent attitude and admitted his fault. "Honey, I was wrong. I have come to the profound realization that I was terribly, horribly wrong. I will absolutely reflect on my actions and I guarantee it will never happen again."

"Get back in the room." Still pinching his ear, Mrs. Xie began to drag him back toward their bedroom.

"Honey, gentler, gentler! My ear’s going to come off!" Mr. Xie stumbled pathetically after his wife, shooting a resentful glare at Jie Jingchen, who was clearly enjoying the show.