At dawn, the sky began to lighten. Mr. Xie rose early and went to the kitchen to cook porridge for his parents.

Grandpa was old and woke before daybreak. He wanted to get up, but then he remembered this was his eldest son’s house, so he didn’t presume to. He lay in bed with his eyes open, and only when he heard sounds from outside did he finally get dressed and get up.

The kitchen light was on. Grandpa went to the kitchen and saw his eldest son cooking. "Son."

"Dad, what are you doing up?" Mr. Xie was washing rice, about to put it in the pot.

"You sleep less when you get old." Grandpa walked into the kitchen and sat down on a small stool.

"Dad, you don’t need to tend the fire," Mr. Xie said quickly. Cooking on the honeycomb briquette stove didn’t require it.

"It’s fine. I’m used to it. I can’t stay idle even if you ask me to." Grandpa didn’t tell his son that back home, he was always the one who got up to make breakfast. He even cooked the other meals; only dinner was made by his second daughter-in-law after she got off work.

"Dad, I’m sorry," Mr. Xie said guiltily.

SIGH! Grandpa sighed. "Your mother... sigh! She’s been overbearing her whole life, and even now that she’s old, she refuses to yield. Son... sigh! We’ve caused you trouble. You know your mother’s temper. She doesn’t listen to a word I say."

"Dad, don’t say that. I’m your eldest son. By rights, I should be..." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Grandpa cut Mr. Xie off. "Son, that’s enough. You’re already a very filial son. Don’t take what your mother says to heart. And you need to explain things properly to your wife. One month. After one month, I promise you, I’ll drag her home whether she agrees or not."

Mr. Xie’s heart ached. He pressed his lips together, unable to utter a single word.

"Son, this wife you have now is a good woman. You have to cherish her," Grandpa said. After a moment’s thought, he added, "Hong Yan was a good woman, too. It’s a shame your mother didn’t like her. Sigh! Hong Yan never had a single good day after marrying you."

’Grandpa felt a mix of guilt and sorrow for his former daughter-in-law. He saw it all with perfect clarity: Hong Yan’s status as the wife of the eldest son had been her undoing. He was filled with endless regret for having just stood by and watched. Hong Yan had been the most filial of all his daughters-in-law. She had respected them with genuine sincerity and served them with all her heart, but in return... Sigh!’

Mr. Xie’s eyes reddened as he sank into deep remorse and endless self-blame.

Grandpa sniffled, waved his hand dismissively, and said, "Let’s not talk about this. It won’t change anything. Son, live in the present and cherish what you have in front of you. Once you lose it, you’ll regret it forever."

Mr. Xie remained silent, pouring the washed rice into the pot.

"’Son, it’s still early. Go back to your room and get some more sleep. I’ll make breakfast,’ Grandpa said to Mr. Xie. Grandpa’s philosophy was to avoid burdening his children whenever possible. He preferred to do things himself, unless he was one day bedridden and unable to move."

’As for Granny, her thinking was: I gave birth to you, so you must obey my every command. And not just you, but the wife you marry and the children you have must obey my every command as well.’

’She was used to being domineering and always wanted to control everyone. Her husband and children had let her have her way for too long; no one had ever defied her. To put it bluntly, they had spoiled her.’

’After Zhang Hongyan died and Xie Jian Country married Qiao Yanqiu, everything changed. Zhang Hongyan’s death had been a wake-up call for Xie Jian Country, and he stopped his foolish filial piety. He sided with Qiao Yanqiu, which meant Granny could no longer bully her. Besides, Qiao Yanqiu was wealthy and accustomed to solving any problem with money.’

’In that era, life wasn’t easy for anyone, so when someone offered to solve problems with money, Granny certainly wasn’t one to refuse. She had kept quiet for over twenty years, but now she was looking to stir up trouble again and meddle in her eldest son’s family.’

Jie Jingchen opened his eyes and looked at Qin Mei sleeping soundly in his arms. His gaze was hot, tender, and lingering, and a satisfied smile played on his lips.

Jie Jingchen lowered his head, planting a kiss on her forehead. Qin Mei was using his arm as a pillow, so he carefully slid it out from under her. He sat up, rubbing his sore arm. Lifting the covers, he got out of bed as quietly as he could. He went to the bathroom to wash up, changed his clothes, then left the room, carefully closing the door behind him before heading toward the kitchen.

Jie Jingchen saw his father squatting by the kitchen door, smoking. His eyes flickered, and he called out impassively, "Dad."

"Up to make breakfast?" Mr. Xie exhaled a puff of smoke, his face etched with worry as he watched Jie Jingchen approach.

Jie Jingchen glanced toward the lit-up old kitchen. "Grandpa’s cooking?"

"Mhm," Mr. Xie affirmed. Seeing the meaningful look in Jie Jingchen’s eyes, Mr. Xie raised an eyebrow and explained, "I didn’t ask your grandpa to cook. He insisted on doing it himself."

Jie Jingchen said nothing, merely staring at Mr. Xie with an unsettling gaze that made his father’s skin crawl.