Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Gao Hai’s mouth twitched. ’So precise.’ "That’s not the point. The point is having kids. My wife got pregnant just a month after we got married. Jing Si, you two need to get to work. Aim to have a baby by next year."

"We don’t plan on having kids so soon," Jie Jingchen said dismissively.

"Why not? Getting married and having kids is the standard procedure," Gao Hai said, disapproving.

"My wife is still young. We’ll wait a few years before we consider having children," Jie Jingchen said. ’Get married, have kids—’ he had thought the same way, but considering Qin Mei’s age, he didn’t want to have a child so soon.

Jie Jingchen was twenty-five. He’d never expected to marry a woman several years his junior. If she were only a year or two younger, he would have been perfectly happy to have children right after getting married.

"A few years?" Gao Hai was shocked. "Is that what your wife wants?"

"No, it’s my idea." Jie Jingchen shook his head. They had been married for nearly eight months, but they had only been together that one time before the wedding. They were separated for six months after, and for the past two months, they had been sharing a bed without crossing that final line. For the first month, he had been recovering from a back injury; ’the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak’. Afterward, he had wanted to, but he considered her feelings. He didn’t want to scare her, so he could only force himself to hold back.

Just yesterday, they had finally decided to be open with each other and become a real husband and wife. But as luck would have it, Qin Mei’s period arrived early, so they had to call it off.

Gao Hai tried to persuade him. "Jing Si, I’m not trying to nag you, but you’re not getting any younger. People our age have kids old enough to run errands. Forget other people, just look at me! We’re the same age, you’re only a day older than me, and my kid is already walking. Your wife can afford to wait a few years, but can you? Jing Si, don’t wait until you’re thirty with no children. Even if you two aren’t worried, your parents will be frantic. People who don’t know any better will start wondering if there’s something wrong with you two physically."

Jie Jingchen fell silent. It wasn’t that he was pondering Gao Hai’s words; he just didn’t want to deal with him.

If he wanted to have a child, he would have one. If he didn’t, no amount of persuasion would work. Once he made a decision, no one could change his mind.

Gao Hai knew Jing Chen well and grew exasperated. "If you don’t listen to your elders, you’ll be the one to suffer."

"And are you an elder?" Jie Jingchen asked out of the blue.

"You..." Gao Hai shot Jie Jingchen a furious glare. "Fine, I was being nosy," he said in a huff. "I’m done with you. Do whatever you want. In the end, you’ll be the one with regrets, not me."

Gao Hai finished chopping the vegetables, then heated oil in the wok and began to stir-fry.

"What about Xu Anshan?" Jie Jingchen asked.

Gao Hai’s expression turned serious. "Just as you wanted. He’s been sent to the Northwest for labor reform. He won’t be back for several years."

"Gao Hai, even though Xu Anshan has been sent to the Northwest for labor reform, we can’t let our guard down. Don’t forget his cousin," Jie Jingchen reminded him. ’Since retiring from the military and being assigned to the machinery factory, there are many things I can’t control, factions I can’t reach. I can only pull strings through my connections.’

The thought of Xu Anshan’s cousin made Gao Hai’s head ache. The man was even more difficult to deal with than Xu Anshan. If Xu Anshan was a vicious wolf, his cousin was a cunning fox—a powerful old fox, at that.

"Jing Si, I find it strange. Why didn’t his cousin get involved in this business with Xu Anshan?" Gao Hai wondered aloud. "If he had interfered, sending Xu Anshan to the Northwest for labor reform wouldn’t have been easy. Everything went too smoothly this time."

A heart-stopping darkness surfaced in the depths of Jie Jingchen’s amber eyes. A wild, arrogant, and wicked smirk played on his lips as he said lazily, "He was suppressed. If he wanted to interfere in Xu Anshan’s affairs, he would have had to be ready to retire from public life."

Hearing that phrase, Gao Hai’s heart skipped a beat. ’To put it nicely, it’s called ’retiring from public life.’ To put it bluntly, it’s being forced out of...’

"You used other connections?" Gao Hai asked, surprised. When Jie Jingchen nodded, Gao Hai sucked in a sharp breath. He shot a wary glance at the door and lowered his voice. "Was it worth it to raise such a ruckus just for one Xu Anshan?"

"It was worth it." The corners of Jie Jingchen’s lips curled up, his smile exceptionally wicked.

Gao Hai paused, stunned, then spoke with a hint of disapproval. "Xu Anshan isn’t worth it."

"Xu Anshan isn’t, but my wife is," Jie Jingchen said slowly. At the thought of Qin Mei, the coldness in his expression softened, but his tone remained frigid. "He dared to make a move on my wife. He had to pay a terrible price."

Gao Hai thought for a moment, then said, "You could have just had him killed. Why bother using that connection for his sake?"

Jie Jingchen remained silent, the cold smirk on his lips growing even more wicked and inscrutable.