Jie Jingchen emerged from the kitchen just in time to hear that sentence. He staggered, his sharp brows knitting together. A frosty glint appeared in his eyes, and though his tone was cold, it was unshakeably firm. "I’d rather die than marry you."

Qin Xiang was stunned, then the corner of his mouth twitched. ’Jing Si is actually taking this seriously.’ "I was saying ’if’! If I were a girl, my parents wouldn’t have had my little sister. If you weren’t going to marry me, who would you marry?"

"Qin. Xiang. Mei." Jie Jingchen enunciated each word, his voice crystal clear.

Huh? Qin Mei looked at Jie Jingchen, her expression one of horror. ’He really just ran with it; he even came up with a name. Jie Jingchen isn’t very creative with names. If Qin Xiang were a girl, he would just tack the word for "sister" onto the end of his name.’

’Qin Xiang Mei. It’s true, the name was instantly feminized.’

"Jie Jingchen." Qin Xiang’s entire face darkened. He abruptly clenched his hands into fists, and his almond-shaped eyes began to gleam with a frosty light, full of intense warning.

Hearing the three words "Qin Xiang Mei," Mr. Xie and Mrs. Xie glanced at each other. Jing Si had mentioned he was very close with a comrade-in-arms named Qin Xiang Mei. When Jing Si told them, they had even teased him about the name, wondering how desperate his parents must have been for a daughter to name their son "Xiang Mei," which meant "wishing for a little sister."

"You’re Jing Si’s comrade, Qin Xiang Mei?" Mr. and Mrs. Xie asked in unison.

"Jie Jingchen!" Qin Xiang was at his breaking point. He was dying of regret, absolutely kicking himself. He had shared everything with Jing Si without holding back, even telling him that his parents had once considered naming him Qin Xiang Mei. At the time, Jing Si hadn’t laughed at him. But now, Jing Si was actually using this name to attack him. It was too much, completely out of line.

Qin Xiang shot to his feet and threw a punch at Jie Jingchen, who agilely dodged it.

"You dare to dodge!" Qin Xiang, furious and exasperated, threw another punch at him. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Seeing this, Mrs. Xie grew worried about her son’s back injury. ’His injury has already affected their marital life. If Qin Xiang aggravates it, the problem will become serious.’ "Xiao Mei, quickly, stop them! Jing Si’s back can’t take another injury."

Qin Mei was still a bit dazed, watching Qin Xiang attack Jie Jingchen. ’Jie Jingchen’s back injury is already healed, so why is he only dodging instead of fighting back?’

"Xiao Xiang, the name Qin Xiang Mei is quite nice, too," Mr. Xie said.

"You shut up," Mrs. Xie glared at Mr. Xie. ’He just loves to stir up trouble. It’s obvious from Xiao Xiang’s reaction that he despises the name.’

’The name Qin Xiang Mei was fine for a girl, but it really wasn’t good for a boy.’

’It wasn’t a big deal during childhood, but as he got older, especially in his later years, if people called him "Xiang Mei," even if they had the guts to say it, Qin Xiang would probably be too embarrassed to answer.’

Qin Mei fell silent. ’In Yangcheng City, not just in this era but even in later generations, many families desperate for a boy would use names like Zhaodi (Welcome a Brother), Laidi (Come, Brother), and Pandi (Hope for a Brother)...’

’Names like Zhaomei (Welcome a Sister) or Xiangmei (Want a Sister), however, were truly rare.’

"Xiao Mei, if you don’t stop them, something bad is really going to happen," Mrs. Xie said anxiously.

"It’s fine. As long as they don’t die, I can heal them," Qin Mei said arrogantly. She had no intention of stopping them at all. ’If they want to fight, let them have at it.’

"Xiao Mei." Mrs. Xie was stunned. ’Her daughter-in-law has spoken. What more can I possibly say?’

Hearing the commotion, Grandpa and Granny both came out of the kitchen. Seeing Qin Xiang and Jing Si fighting, they looked at each other in confusion. Granny looked at Mr. Xie, who was sitting in the courtyard, and asked, "Eldest, what’s wrong with them?"

"Dad, Mom, don’t come over. Be careful, they might hurt you," Mr. Xie said.

"What’s going on?" Granny asked again.

"It’s nothing, they’re just sparring," Mr. Xie said, getting up and walking around the scuffle toward his parents.

"Go, go, Fourth Uncle, go!" Jie You, completely naked, stood under the eaves, clapping and cheering.

"Xiao You!" Xu Chunyan chased after him with his clothes. She had been giving Xiao You a bath when she heard the sounds of fighting, and the little guy had run out without putting anything on. "Hurry and get dressed, or you’ll catch a cold! If you catch a cold, you’ll have to take medicine and get shots."

Xu Chunyan draped the pants over her shoulder and started to dress her son.

"Fourth Uncle, to your right! Ah! Fourth Uncle, you can’t just dodge, you have to fight back! Go, Fourth Uncle, take him down!" Seeing his uncle only dodging, Jie You started jumping up and down in frustration.

Xu Chunyan had complained in front of him that his Fourth Aunt’s older brother didn’t like him. His Great-Granny and Great-Grandpa had given out red envelopes, and so had Uncle An Lin, but he and his mom didn’t get one. The little guy’s logic was simple: not getting one meant that person didn’t like him, and he despised anyone who didn’t like him.

Mr. Xie walked past Jie You and flicked the little guy’s forehead with his finger. "What’s all this ruckus? Hurry up and let your mom get you dressed. Look at you, what a sight."