"Thank you, but given my physical condition, I don't think I need to eat those things."
Qin Yuhe refused to eat the bull whip.
Old Madam Qin wore an "I understand" expression on her face. Men, after all, always cared deeply about this sort of thing.
Even if they could only last three seconds in bed, they would puff themselves up and brag about going for at least two hours a time, standing tall and exceptionally enduring.
Of course, Old Madam Qin didn't think Qin Yuhe had any problems in that department.
She had experienced firsthand just how excellent the Qin family men were, and she believed that with the Qin family's excellent genes, Qin Yuhe's masculine charm must be outstanding as well.
But still, there was no harm in taking some supplements; the more the better.
Old Madam Qin placed a bowl of bull whip soup in front of Qin Yuhe. "Why are you so stubborn, child? Just drink it when you're told. Would your grandmother harm you?"
Song Xinya glanced into the soup and saw a long object coiled inside.
Looking at that thing, Qin Yuhe's face turned even greener.
Song Xinya looked at Qin Yuhe, her eyes curving with a smile, gloating cheerfully, "Drink it, it's good for your health."
Old Madam Qin said, "See, even Yaya is urging you."
Qin Yuhe turned his head to look at Song Xinya. Was she implying he was useless?
He hadn't wanted to drink it, but after Song Xinya's remark, Qin Yuhe picked up the bowl of bull whip soup and downed it in one gulp.
Song Xinya suddenly had an ominous premonition, her waist aching fiercely in anticipation.
Qin Yuhe turned his face to look at her, his dark eyes deep and heavy, and asked, "Do you want me to drink another bowl?"
Song Xinya buried her head in her rice. "N-no need."
Although she said there was no need, for the rest of the meal, Qin Yuhe's chopsticks picked up every single dish of stewed mutton, steamed oysters, scrambled eggs with chives, and boiled okra.
Song Xinya felt a twinge of fear in her heart.
After the meal, everyone congratulated Qin Yuhe and Song Xinya, presented their gifts, and sensibly took their leave without overstaying.
Only Old Madam Qin, Old Master Qin, Jiang Yaoxue, Qin Hanxiao, Song Xinya, and Qin Yuhe remained in the huge living room.
Old Madam Qin brought out a box made of golden thread nanmu wood. Its surface sparkled like flowing gold, its design antique and elegant, with traces of time embedded in its patterns.
Opening the box, a pair of tender, vibrant green jade bracelets caught Song Xinya's eyes.
The jade was like congealed fat, the emerald color even, stunning at first glance, with a delicate and flawless texture.
It was top-tier imperial green jade, brimming with Oriental charm.
Old Madam Qin picked up the bracelets and slipped them onto Song Xinya's wrists.
"This is the Qin family's heirloom. It is only passed down to daughters and daughters-in-law, never to sons. On the day I married into the Qin family, my mother-in-law passed them to me, and now I am passing them to you."
Song Xinya had a question in her heart. According to seniority, shouldn't Old Madam Qin pass this pair of jade bracelets to her daughter-in-law, Jiang Yaoxue?
She looked up at Jiang Yaoxue.
Jiang Yaoxue's expression was calm, her gaze indifferent, and she said gently, "Yaya, this pair of bracelets should be passed to you. I don't have the right to wear them."
No right...
Coupled with the fact that Jiang Yaoxue and Qin Hanxiao were seated apart, Song Xinya guessed a certain possibility.
She had long heard that the internal relationships of the Qin family members were complicated, and her experience today certainly confirmed it.
"Do you like these jade bracelets?" Old Madam Qin patted the back of Song Xinya's hand.
Song Xinya snapped back to reality and said, "I like them. Thank you for your kindness, Grandma."
"No need to thank me," Old Madam Qin said with a hidden meaning. "I hope you and Little He will forever be of one heart, your feelings for each other unwavering, and that you will grow old together."
Jiang Yaoxue's expression changed slightly, and she said, "It's getting late. You all should rest early. I'll be leaving first."
Qin Hanxiao, who had been stealing glances at Jiang Yaoxue, spoke up, "Didn't your car get rear-ended? It's not easy to get a taxi halfway up this mountain. Why don't you stay here tonight?"
Jiang Yaoxue's face and voice were both cold and devoid of warmth. "No need. Someone is coming to pick me up."
Qin Hanxiao's face darkened.
Jiang Yaoxue bid farewell to Old Master Qin and Old Madam Qin, walked up to Song Xinya, took a gift box from her Hermes Birkin bag, and placed it in Song Xinya's hand.
"Yesterday at the Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong, I won a pair of natural pearl earrings. Wear them the next time you put on an evening dress; they will definitely suit you."
Her gaze then shifted to Qin Yuhe. "Little He, I'm leaving."
Qin Yuhe lowered his head, bent over, and bowed to her. His attitude was respectful, but entirely devoid of emotion and warmth. "Be careful on the road. Take care."
Thinking back to the child she had carried for ten months, who used to love being held by her when he was little, affectionately hugging her neck and saying in a milky voice, "Mommy, Little He will always love you."
The past was like a dream, as if it were an illusion that had never happened.
But Jiang Yaoxue knew that the transformation of their mother-son relationship from deep and affectionate to the current distant and cold state was not Qin Yuhe's fault, but entirely hers.
Back then, her determination to leave the Qin family was so resolute. Qin Yuhe, still a child, had hugged her leg, crying and begging her not to leave, but she had kicked him away.
That kick had not only pushed Qin Yuhe away but also severed their mother-son bond.
But Jiang Yaoxue had her own bitter difficulties back then. Who would ruin a perfectly good life just to cause trouble? It was truly because of the situation at the time; she simply couldn't go on living with Qin Hanxiao.
Jiang Yaoxue turned and walked out. As she passed Qin Hanxiao, her back was perfectly straight, and she never once looked at him.
Qin Hanxiao watched her with a reluctant and longing gaze.
After failing to get a response from her, he sneered coldly, "Passionate and fiery in front of others, but when facing me, as cold as a block of ice."
Qin Yuhe said, "You were the one who wronged her first. Isn't it normal for her to be cold to you? Her coldness towards you now isn't called differential treatment; it's what you deserve."
Qin Hanxiao replied, "Now that you're the head of the family, things are different. You even lecture your own father as you please."
Qin Yuhe said, "Not only can I lecture you, but I can also deduct your bonuses and dividends, leaving you penniless, so you have to scrape around just to buy a pack of cigarettes."
"You..." Qin Hanxiao didn't dare to continue.
Old Madam Qin asked Qin Yuhe and Song Xinya for their opinion, "Little He, Yaya, do you plan to stay at the old mansion tonight?"
If she were to speak her true thoughts, Song Xinya definitely preferred to go back to their own home where it was more comfortable.
But out of politeness, it wasn't appropriate for her to say this.
Qin Yuhe saw through her thoughts and spoke up, "My wife and I will go back to our place tonight."
Old Madam Qin had always been open-minded and went along with it, "Going back is good, it's more convenient. Transportation is so easy nowadays, and we're in the same city. You can come over whenever you want. If you're too busy with work, I'll go see you when I miss you. It's no big deal. As long as we are happy and harmonious, anything goes."
Old Master Qin looked at Qin Yuhe. "Come to the study; I have two things to discuss with you."
In the study, Old Master Qin spoke with earnestness, "Now that you are married, as a man, first, you must still prioritize the family business and focus on your work. Second, you are not getting any younger; it's time to consider having a child."
Qin Yuhe: "Grandpa, don't you think what you're saying is contradictory? On one hand, you want me to focus on work, and on the other, you want me to have a baby. There are only twenty-four hours in a day. I'm not the Monkey King; I can't clone myself. If I focus on one end, how can I possibly take care of the other?"
Old Master Qin: "What do you mean by that?"
Qin Yuhe: "I am way too busy right now."
Old Master Qin: "Busy to what extent?"
Busy to the point of having no sex life, with no time to be intimate with his wife.
Qin Yuhe pinched the bridge of his nose.
Seeing his hesitation, Old Master Qin figured it out and said, "I will take over a portion of the corporate group's affairs from now on, so you can have some time to spend alone with your wife."
Qin Yuhe nodded in agreement. Thinking back on it, he had never even taken her out on a proper date.
.........
Inside the Rolls-Royce, Song Xinya asked Qin Yuhe, "What did Grandpa talk to you about?"
Qin Yuhe looked into her dewy eyes and asked, "You want to know?"
Song Xinya replied, "Yes."
"Grandpa said..."
Qin Yuhe leaned in close, his firm chest pressing against her soft curves, his thin, reddish lips hovering right beside her ear as he spoke.
"He told me to hurry up and have a baby with you."
Whether it was the scorching heat of his breath as he spoke, or the sheer impact of his words, Song Xinya's ears flushed bright red.
Qin Yuhe's palm rested over her thigh. The temperature of his hand was searing, deeply intimate, and teasing.
"We can't let that ox penis soup go to waste. How about we make a baby tonight..."
