Jie Jingchen rubbed his sore thighs and stood up. Sitting on the stool was too uncomfortable; he’d rather stand.

"Can she get along with your second and third sisters-in-law?" Having asked about the in-laws, Qin Xiang now inquired about the wives of the brothers. ’As long as she can get along with her mother-in-law, her father-in-law’s attitude doesn’t matter. Once the mother-in-law is handled, the father-in-law can’t stir up any trouble, no matter how much he dislikes her.’

"She’s polite and distant with my third sister-in-law, but she and my second sister-in-law are like fire and water," Jie Jingchen answered honestly.

"Tell me the details." Qin Xiang was intrigued. He needed to figure out who his little sister got along with and who she didn’t.

Jie Jingchen held nothing back, nor did he embellish the story. After listening, Qin Xiang fell into deep thought, his expression grave and serious.

"Where in the Northwest was Xu Anshan sent?" Qin Xiang asked coldly. ’Daring to hurt my little sister... I’ll make Xu Anshan pay the price.’

Jie Jingchen named the place, and Qin Xiang committed it to memory. Once his family leave was over and he returned to the army, his first order of business would be to "take care of" Xu Anshan.

Jie Jingchen had already made some moves behind the scenes. He wouldn’t stop Qin Xiang if he wanted to get involved. This time, they would make Xu Anshan learn his lesson and regret ever messing with Qin Mei. Just because he had connections didn’t mean he could provoke whomever he pleased.

"From what I can see, your Granny and my little sister don’t get along." Qin Xiang didn’t mention Grandpa; he could already tell that Grandpa wasn’t the one in charge. Granny was the one who called the shots.

Jie Jingchen’s face was expressionless as he scoffed. "I don’t even get along with my Granny. You expect her to get along with Qin Mei? Who are you trying to make things difficult for? My Granny, or Qin Mei?"

"Heh." Qin Xiang chuckled dryly, rising to walk over to Jie Jingchen and patting his shoulder. "I’m just worried my little sister is going to anger your Granny to death."

A flicker crossed Jie Jingchen’s eyes. "My Granny is tough. I haven’t managed to anger her to death yet, so there’s no way Qin Mei can."

"The atmosphere in your Jie Family is terrible." Qin Xiang was disdainful. ’Shouldn’t a family be loving and affectionate? I’ve only just arrived and I’m already seeing all this scheming.’

’It’s a good thing the Jie Family isn’t some old, distinguished clan. If they were, it would probably be even more chaotic.’

"My Grandpa and Granny are only staying with us for a month. They’ll go home after that." Jie Jingchen had been about to say, ’They’ll be gone, but you’ll still be here.’ Qin Xiang had a two-month leave this time, and he wasn’t sure if his brother-in-law planned to stay here with Qin Mei for the whole two months.

Qin Xiang fell silent. His Qin family was a large clan. Whether they were paternal or maternal cousins, everyone maintained good relationships. They had many brothers, and the whole family was loving and affectionate—the atmosphere couldn’t be better.

Qin Xiang said, "It’s nice for a family to live together, but if you can’t get along, forcing it just makes everyone uncomfortable. It’s better to live separately. If you don’t have the means to live apart, then there’s no choice but to squeeze in together. But your Jie Family has the means to live separately; there’s no need to force everyone into one house."

Qin Xiang had his own motives. He didn’t just want Qin Mei to live well; he wanted her to live happily.

Jie Jingchen nodded in agreement. Qin Xiang slung an arm around Jie Jingchen’s shoulders and sighed. "This is Shijiu City. If this were Yangcheng City, our Qin family could provide a nice place for you two."

Jie Jingchen looked at Qin Xiang, speechless. ’Does he think I need my wife’s family to provide us with a home?’

Then Qin Xiang continued, "Jing Si, my little sister married you. If she had married anyone else, we would have done whatever it took to convince that man to marry into our Qin family. How can we rest easy with a daughter of the Qin family living with her in-laws?"

Jie Jingchen really wanted to ask Qin Xiang why, after he and Qin Mei got their marriage certificate, he never saw the Qin family interfere in her affairs. He had left Qin Mei with his eldest sister for half a year, and not a single person from the Qin family had shown any concern for her.

Jie Jingchen felt that the Qin Family’s attitude was that once their daughter was married to him, they could wash their hands of her. If it weren’t for Qin Xiang constantly boasting about Qin Mei in front of him, he would have suspected that the Qin family didn’t actually value their daughter very much.

Qin Xiang sighed and continued, "Ah, fate is a tricky thing. We wanted to keep our little sister close, but she ended up marrying so far away. There were so many single comrades in the army, but she didn’t like a single one of them. She just had to fall for you."

The Qin Family could control the lives of others, but they couldn’t control Jie Jingchen’s.

"Am I not good enough?" Jie Jingchen’s eyes, deep as the sea, stared at Qin Xiang with an inscrutable expression. His icy face was devoid of warmth.

’To think he wanted to marry Qin Mei off to another comrade.’ Jie Jingchen was furious. The thought of Qin Mei marrying any man other than him brought a suffocating pain.

"You’re great, it’s just..." They were comrades, good brothers. Qin Xiang knew very well how outstanding Jie Jingchen was. If Jing Si hadn’t been injured on a mission and forced to retire, his current position would have belonged to Jing Si.

"Just what?" Jie Jingchen’s voice rose, filled with suppressed anger.

"My little sister isn’t good enough for you." Qin Xiang didn’t want to admit it, but he had to.

Jie Jingchen froze for a moment. The answer was unexpected. His anger vanished, and a roguish smile played on his lips. "Qin Mei is wonderful. She’s more than good enough for me."

That was what Qin Xiang wanted to hear. He glanced at his watch, raised an eyebrow, and let go of Jie Jingchen, pushing him toward the door. "You should go wake my little sister up. She’s been napping for too long."

In a good mood, Jie Jingchen strode toward the adjacent room.

Seeing that the courtyard was empty, Qin Xiang thought for a moment and decided to go sit outside. The smell of medicinal herbs in the room was too strong; he needed to get some fresh air.

’When Jie Jingchen came in just now, he didn’t look bothered at all. He must be used to the smell of herbs. There were so many of them, and Jie Jingchen had even warned him not to touch anything, saying that if he messed them up, his little sister would have to clean up. Moving the herbs out of the room was unrealistic, so it seemed he’d just have to get used to it.’

"Qin Mei," Jie Jingchen called out.

"Mm," Qin Mei murmured, opening her eyes to see Jie Jingchen sitting by her bed. Her sleepy gaze was a little dazed.

Seeing Qin Mei close her eyes again, ready to go back to sleep, Jie Jingchen pulled her directly out from under the covers and into his arms. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Your brother asked me to wake you. He’s worried if you sleep too long, you won’t be able to sleep tonight."

Qin Mei snuggled into Jie Jingchen’s embrace, finding a comfortable position. "What time is it?"

"A little after four," Jie Jingchen replied.

"It’s after four already?" Qin Mei was startled. She had fallen asleep at two and woken up at four—she’d slept for two hours. ’Oh god! I’m definitely not going to sleep tonight.’ She pushed lightly against Jie Jingchen’s chest, her voice a soft, flirtatious rebuke. "Why didn’t you wake me up sooner? I slept for so long, how am I supposed to sleep tonight?"

Jie Jingchen’s gaze burned as he stared at Qin Mei. He leaned close to her ear and said suggestively, "Don’t worry, I have my ways of making you fall asleep."

Qin Mei understood his hidden meaning and lightly tapped his chest. "Overindulgence is bad for your health. You should take it easy."

Qin Mei couldn’t possibly understand. For a man who had been abstinent, it was all or nothing. Once he got a taste, it was like an addiction.

"Qin Mei, your brother is still outside, and the door isn’t locked." Jie Jingchen squeezed her small hand. ’Doesn’t she realize how alluring she is? Especially right after waking up, she makes him want to devour her, to watch her beauty bloom.’

"Jie Jingchen." Qin Mei desperately wanted to pry open his head and see what on earth was inside.

Jie Jingchen lowered his head and kissed her red lips. Qin Mei was used to his kisses and didn’t coyly push him away. She responded with equal passion. Whenever Jie Jingchen kissed her, Qin Mei always revealed her own ardor.

The two kissed for a long time. Just as things were about to escalate, Jie Jingchen released her and pulled away. He couldn’t keep kissing her. If he continued, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t lose control.

Jie Jingchen took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his stirring desire.

"You get changed. I’ll go check on your brother." Jie Jingchen made a quick excuse and fled the room as if escaping a disaster.

Watching Jie Jingchen’s somewhat flustered retreat, Qin Mei stretched languidly, a bewitching smile slowly spreading across her face.

"Heh. As if I can’t handle you."