"I didn’t do it!" Qin Jiao’s eyes instantly reddened as she spoke. "Grandpa, you don’t have to believe me, but you can’t just trust a total stranger! They’re just being malicious—they’re trying to sling mud at the Qin family!"

Mr. Qin looked thoughtful.

Qin Jiao knew that her grandfather valued his reputation above all else.

Feng Lan quickly interjected, "And why would they single you out, huh? Why not someone else?"

Su Yun, standing nearby, immediately shot back, "Will you ever stop? Who exactly said this? You bring them here, and we’ll confront them. If you can’t produce this person, then you’re the one just spouting nonsense!"

"I..." Feng Lan was speechless again. ’Where was she supposed to find anyone?’ she thought. She stammered, "I just heard people talking. That’s what they were all saying..."

Mr. Qin shot her a cold look. "Are you going to be specific or not? Who exactly said it?"

"Dad, I... I was just at the sundry shop, and I heard them talking. They described it in such vivid detail..."

At this, tears began to stream down Qin Jiao’s face. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

She said, "Auntie, I know Xiao Shi and I have eaten meat at your place a few times these past days, and I know it made you furious. But it was just a few mouthfuls of meat! Do you really have to go this far and try to ruin my reputation? If this gets blown out of proportion, what will people think of the Old Qin Family? You’re a member of the Old Qin Family too! How could you do such a thing?"

"I didn’t!" Feng Lan panicked. ’How had things escalated to this point?’

Mr. Qin finally understood. So that was it. Feng Lan was angry because they had been going to the front courtyard to eat meat. ’But,’ he mused, ’wasn’t she the one who told them to come?’

’Was she just spouting nonsense because she thought the two girls were eating too much?’

Mr. Qin snapped, "Next time, no one is to speak such baseless nonsense!"

Feng Lan sullenly nodded.

But Mr. Qin was never one to be harsh with his third son’s family. So after saying his piece, he simply got up and left. It was his usual habit: make big problems small and small problems disappear. He didn’t even offer a single word of comfort to Qin Jiao.

Qin Jiao no longer expected anything from her grandfather. With her eyes still red, she turned her calm gaze to her father, Qin Zhonghui.

Qin Zhonghui understood his daughter’s unspoken message. If he had been hesitant about the idea of splitting the family before, what had just transpired only served to strengthen his resolve.

’I absolutely cannot let my children suffer this kind of injustice again!’

Qin Zhonghui suddenly spoke up. "Dad, Mom, I went to the county hospital today for my hand. The doctor said... he said this hand of mine needs surgery."

Mr. Qin was taken aback, and the old woman beside him immediately exclaimed, "It’s that serious?"

They couldn’t see his hand because it was completely wrapped in bandages.

Qin Jiqun and his wife, standing to the side, were also stunned. This was something they had been worried about. Qin Jiqun quickly asked, "Ah, so, Brother, can your hand still be fixed?"

"Yes, but it requires surgery. It’ll cost... a thousand yuan!" Qin Zhonghui finally managed to get out the words he had rehearsed.

After letting out a breath, he looked up to gauge the expressions of Mr. Qin and the others.

Although he was furious about what had just happened, Qin Zhonghui was still filled with a sliver of hope. ’No matter what, they’re my own father and brother. Surely they still care about me, even a little.’

’Besides, he’d brought home plenty of money over the years. Not to mention, he had paid for half of this big, tile-roofed house in the front courtyard.’

But as Qin Zhonghui looked at the indifference in his father’s eyes and the shock in the eyes of his third brother and sister-in-law, his heart sank.

Su Yun stood protectively beside her two daughters without saying a word. She, too, was waiting—waiting to see how the others would treat this matter.