Her goal achieved, Granny went happily to the kitchen to share the news with Grandpa.

After Granny left, Qin Mei looked at the spot where she had just been sitting, her brow twitching. Granny had leaked. She’d sneezed just a moment ago and leaked urine, but she hadn’t reacted at all. ’Is she so used to it that she doesn’t even realize, or is it something else...?’

For the elderly of this era, leaking urine when coughing or sneezing was a common occurrence.

With no birth control and no family planning policies, women gave birth to any child they conceived. Forget having several children; even a single birth could leave a woman with lasting health issues.

Qin Mei got up, stripped the soiled sheet from the bed, and replaced it with a fresh one. She had wanted to just throw the old one away, but then she remembered the harsh realities of this era.

’Should I just leave it for Jie Jingchen to wash when he gets home?’ Qin Mei wondered. After a moment’s thought, she decided against it. She took the sheet to the washroom and struggled with it for a long time, using all her strength to just barely wring it dry.

Granny was in the kitchen keeping Grandpa company while he cooked. Hearing a noise in the courtyard, she went out to investigate. When she saw Qin Mei hanging a bedsheet out to dry, her expression instantly changed, and her good mood vanished.

"Fourth Wife of Jing!" Granny roared.

Qin Mei froze for a second but didn’t spare Granny a glance, continuing to hang the sheet. "What is it?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Grandpa jumped in fright. After decades of marriage, he could tell just from his wife’s tone whether her anger was real or feigned. This time, it was definitely real, and it was directed at the Fourth Wife of Jing.

Forgetting all about cooking, Grandpa grabbed Granny just as she was about to charge out, trying to soothe her. "Dear, calm down."

"Calm down my ass! This is too much, just too much!" Granny was livid.

Qin Mei turned to look at the furious Granny, her face a mask of confusion. ’What did I do to set her off this time?’

"Dear, think of your most beloved grandson," Grandpa reminded her. Although he was just as bewildered, at the mention of Jie Anlin, Granny’s body went rigid. She was so furious that she began to tremble uncontrollably in Grandpa’s arms.

Qin Mei watched them, completely baffled.

"Fourth Wife of Jing, you go on about your business. Don’t mind us," Grandpa said, waving at Qin Mei with a forced smile. He pulled Granny back toward the stove. She was so angry that tears began to stream down her face. Grandpa froze. Even when Jing Si had talked back to her yesterday, she had been furious but hadn’t cried. His wrinkled hand gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Dear, what’s wrong?"

Granny was heartbroken, her face streaked with tears. Her voice was choked with sobs. "She’s disgusted by me."

"Who’s disgusted by you?" Grandpa asked.

"Who else could it be? The Fourth Wife of Jing," Granny said.

Grandpa blinked. ’How is his wife disgusted by her? I didn’t see anything like that.’ "Dear," he said, "are you sure you haven’t misunderstood something?"

Granny shook her head, her voice full of hurt. "I only sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, and she immediately went to wash the bedsheet. Old man, if that isn’t disgust, what is?"

For Granny, Qin Mei’s action was more hurtful to her pride than if she had just come out and said, "I find you disgusting."

The elderly are most sensitive to being seen as dirty by the younger generation.

Grandpa’s expression grew solemn. It was true that Granny had gone into Qin Mei’s room, and it was also true that Qin Mei was washing the bedsheet.

"Old man, she actually thinks I’m dirty." The more Granny thought about it, the more heartbroken she became.

Grandpa said nothing, simply patting Granny’s back as he listened to her incessant tirade. Although Granny was hurling insults, she never once uttered a true curse against her junior.

Granny went on cursing for a long time, until her throat was dry and she was exhausted. She pushed Grandpa away and flopped onto the small stool by the fire pit. "I need some water."

"I’ll get it for you." Grandpa went to pour her some water and returned a moment later, handing Granny an enamel mug.

Granny took the mug, had a sip, and, still holding it, looked ready to start her tirade all over again.

"Dear, let’s just go back to the machinery plant," Grandpa suggested.

Granny froze, looking up at Grandpa, her anger flaring anew. "Go back to the plant? Why? The eldest told us to stay here for a month, and this is only the first day! I’m not leaving. If you want to go, go by yourself."

Grandpa sighed in resignation. ’If I go back, what will she do? I can’t leave her here all by herself.’ "Dear, yesterday was the first day."

"Yesterday doesn’t count," Granny declared.

"Dear..." Grandpa started to reason with her again but didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to stay either. To him, there was a world of difference between being an annoyance and being seen as disgusting.

"The more disgusted she is, the more I’m going to stay put! I am Jing Si’s own grandmother, let’s see what she can do about it! Hmph! So she thinks I’m dirty and likes washing sheets, does she? Fine, I’ll give her plenty to wash. From now on, whenever Jing Si goes to work, I’m going to go sit on their bed. If I can’t gross her out, I’ll wear her out!" Granny declared belligerently.

"Dear, why do you have to be like this?" Grandpa sighed. ’Trying to disgust others will only hurt you in the end.’

"When the eldest and his wife get home from work, I’m going to tell them. Especially his wife! I’ll let her see what kind of daughter-in-law Jing Si married for her. If she can be disgusted by me now, then she’ll be disgusted by her own mother-in-law when she gets to be our age!" Granny seethed.

"Dear, peace in the family brings prosperity to all," Grandpa pleaded, wanting only harmony.

"I don’t care. She started it by being disgusted with me," Granny retorted, refusing to listen.

Jie Jingjue emerged from Jing Qi’s room in high spirits. He saw the bedsheet hanging in the courtyard. ’Who hung this? Did they not wring it out first?’

After finishing breakfast, Qin Mei came out of the kitchen to see Jie Jingjue standing in the courtyard, staring with distaste at the bedsheet she had hung up.

"Is it not clean?" Qin Mei asked casually.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, did you wring it out?" Jie Jingjue asked with a smile. Because Qin Mei had healed Jing Qi’s leg, his attitude toward her was sycophantic and eager to please.

"I did," Qin Mei stated plainly.

Jie Jingjue reached out, grabbed a corner of the sheet, and squeezed. A gush of water poured out, soaking his sleeve. "You call this wrung out?"

Qin Mei said nothing. This was the first time she had ever washed a bedsheet. Back home, her family had a maid. After she transmigrated to this world, her eldest sister in the Sun Family did the laundry. Her sister washed everything for her except her undergarments. Then, after joining the Jie Family, Jie Jingchen took care of the large items. Now, he even washed all her clothes for her. She never would have washed it herself if Granny hadn’t leaked on the sheet.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, it’ll never dry if you don’t wring it out completely," Jie Jingjue explained. He had never washed sheets or duvet covers himself, but even he knew they had to be wrung out properly, or they would be impossible to dry.

Qin Mei looked down at her hands and remained silent.

A look of understanding dawned on Jie Jingjue’s face, and he broke into a warm, considerate smile. "Fourth Sister-in-law, if you need to wash sheets or covers in the future, just call me. I’ve got the strength for it."

Jie Jingjue took the sheet down, wrung it dry, and hung it up again properly.

"Jing Wu, don’t you have work today?" Qin Mei asked suddenly. Jing Wu was never very diligent about his job and was always finding an opportunity to skip out.

Jie Jingjue paused, then turned back to Qin Mei with a grin. "Heh, Fourth Sister-in-law, I had to take Aunt Zhang back to her hometown yesterday. By the time I got back, it was super late, so I figured I’d take a day off to rest."

Qin Mei raised a delicate eyebrow. Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed as she studied Jie Jingjue. "What’s your monthly salary?"

"Heh heh." Jie Jingjue rubbed his nose and answered sheepishly, "A little over fifty."

"A little over fifty?" Qin Mei rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "You make just over fifty a month, and you’re already working by fits and starts? At this rate, when are you ever going to pay back the money you owe me?"

Jie Jingjue fell silent. Two thousand yuan... on his current salary, it would take him over three years to save that much, and that’s if he didn’t spend a single cent. "Fourth Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I won’t skip out on my debt. I’ll pay you back someday."

Qin Mei couldn’t be bothered with him anymore and waved a hand dismissively. "Just go back to your room and rest."

But Jie Jingjue ignored her, darting over to her side. He glanced toward the kitchen and lowered his voice. "Fourth Sister-in-law, Jing Qi said that Grandpa and Granny are staying for a month... and they’re supposed to be in my room..."