Mrs. Xie glared at him and said irritably, "Your father is really looking for you, so hurry up. Let me warn you, when your father got home from work, Grandpa pulled him aside. I don’t know what Grandpa said to him, but your father looked to be in a very bad mood."

Jie Jingchen didn’t overthink it. He gave Qin Mei a long, meaningful look before letting go of her hand and striding out of the room.

"Um, Mom, please have a seat." Qin Mei was beyond awkward. ’Logically, when a mother-in-law walks in on her son and daughter-in-law doing... you know... shouldn’t she thoughtfully and quietly leave? What on earth was *my* mother-in-law thinking? Not only did she not leave, she came right into the room and even made up an excuse to shoo Jie Jingchen out.’

’Is she planning to lecture me in private?’

’These are intimate matters between a husband and wife. How could her mother-in-law, an experienced woman herself, have the audacity to interfere?’

Mrs. Xie took Qin Mei’s hand, and the two of them sat on the edge of the bed. With a grave expression, Mrs. Xie looked at Qin Mei, seeming to want to say something but hesitating several times.

"Mom, if there’s something on your mind, please just say it." Qin Mei could see her mother-in-law’s struggle. ’This awkward silence isn’t getting us anywhere. I’m going to get chewed out one way or another, so I might as well face the music.’

After a few seconds of deliberation, Mrs. Xie chose her words carefully. "Xiao Mei, I need you to be honest with me. Is there... a problem with Jing Si’s body?"

Jie Jingchen was her son. She wasn’t going to let pride get in the way of a serious issue; if there was a problem with his body, they would seek treatment. She recalled how passionate her daughter-in-law had been just moments ago, while her son had been like Liu Xia Hui, whose self-control in the face of temptation was so complete it made her heart pound with fear. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

This daughter-in-law of hers had both beauty and a great figure. Moreover, she was the woman her son had chosen to marry himself, so their feelings for each other had to be genuine. When a delicate, flower-like beauty like her made the first move, any real man would be driven by impulse. Unless... he wasn’t a real man.

SOB... Mrs. Xie was so upset she wanted to cry. Her fourth son, who had the looks and the build... had become a eunuch.

She knew it. An injury to his back... if they weren’t careful, there could be lasting complications. ’It’s true what they say,’ she thought, ’your worst fears always come true.’ Her poor, poor fourth son.

Qin Mei lowered her eyes, lost in thought. Jie Jingchen’s old, hidden injuries and his partially disabled right hand were certainly problems. She was in the process of treating him, and the internal injuries were nearly healed. As for his right hand...

"Xiao Mei." Mrs. Xie’s urging voice broke the silence.

Shaking off her thoughts, Qin Mei looked up and gave a small smile. "There’s nothing wrong."

Mrs. Xie looked at Qin Mei, her heart a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. At the same time, she felt a profound sense of comfort. ’Qin Mei’s love for Jing Si is real. It’s a love that has overcome everything.’ Even though her son had this... flaw, Qin Mei not only stood by him, but she was even taking care to protect his dignity.

"Sigh!" A thousand words of gratitude dissolved into a single sigh as Mrs. Xie patted the back of Qin Mei’s hand. "Wait here a moment."

Mrs. Xie got up and walked out. Qin Mei sat still, looking completely baffled as she tried to decipher the meaning behind her mother-in-law’s words.

Before long, Mrs. Xie returned in a flash. Qin Mei’s eyelid twitched when she saw what her mother-in-law was holding. ’Surely that’s not for me, is it?’

Mrs. Xie sat down beside Qin Mei, took her hand, and placed the passbook into it. Qin Mei looked at her mother-in-law, simultaneously surprised and not surprised at all. "Mom."

"Xiao Mei, I’m busy with work and don’t have time to go to the bank," Mrs. Xie said, her voice gentle and kind. "You take this passbook. If you’re short on cash, just make a withdrawal. Take as much as you need."

Qin Mei looked down at the passbook in her hand, speechless. ’My sister-in-law gave me a passbook this morning, and now my mother-in-law is giving me one. Did I unlock a cheat code or something?’

’Or am I just a money pit?’

’I absolutely adore my sister-in-law and mother-in-law. They just throw money and passbooks at me for no reason at all.’

’Should I refuse? I’d probably have to accept it in the end anyway, and refusing would just feel hypocritical. Since I’m going to take it, I might as well just accept it graciously.’

Qin Mei’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "Thank you, Mom."

Mrs. Xie smiled, but a shadow of sorrow clouded her features. ’My son has become a eunuch. How is Xiao Mei’s life any different from that of a widow with a living husband?’ She had a daughter of her own. If Jing Qi found herself in such a predicament, she would without a doubt urge her to divorce. People are selfish, after all. Jing Si was her son, so of course she was partial to him. As for Xiao Mei...

’As long as Xiao Mei doesn’t leave my son, I will compensate her materially. I’ll make sure she never has to worry about food or clothing and provide her with a comfortable, prosperous life.’

"Xiao Mei, this is so unfair to you," Mrs. Xie said, her voice full of pity and guilt.

Qin Mei looked at her mother-in-law, confused. ’She just gave me a passbook. What do I have to feel wronged about?’

Since courtesy demanded reciprocity, and Qin Mei was not a stingy person, she stood up, used a key to open a cabinet, and took out a small medicine bottle with its label torn off. She handed it to Mrs. Xie. "Mom, this is for you."