Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Studying abroad was not part of the plan. Jing Qi could only stay in Shijiu City or Xiangjiang. When she reached a marriageable age, her family would help screen potential husbands for her, after which she would get married and have children. With her own family’s wealth to back her up, it wouldn’t matter if her husband’s family was poor. As long as he treated Jing Qi well, she wouldn’t need to work and could just be a homemaker, taking care of her husband and children.

’One of them was building castles in the air, and the other was happily buying into it. Could they really rain on their parade?’

A complex emotion flickered in Jie Jingchen’s eyes as he looked at Qin Mei. He seemed to want to say something several times but held back, merely pursing his lips without another word.

"Jing Wu, you’re not getting any younger. Your fourth brother is already married, so when are you going to tie the knot?" Gao Hai deftly turned the conversation back to Jie Jingjue.

Jie Jingjue rolled his eyes. "I’m only twenty-two. My fourth brother got married at twenty-five. What’s the rush?"

SLAP! Gao Hai smacked Jie Jingjue on the back of the head. "Twenty-two isn’t that young. The sooner you marry, the sooner you can have kids."

"Gao Hai, use your words, not your hands!" Jie Jingjue snapped.

"So what if I used my hands? What are you going to do about it? Go on, hit me!" Gao Hai smacked him on the back of the head again.

Jie Jingjue shot to his feet, glaring furiously at Gao Hai. He let out a couple of frustrated yelps, rubbed his nose, and then shuffled back into the house. ’If I can’t win against him, I can at least run away, right?’

"Pathetic." Jie Jingchen sneered, glancing at Jie Jingjue’s retreating figure. He picked up his enamel mug and took an elegant sip.

"This brother of yours... ugh!" Gao Hai sighed, then picked up his enamel mug and took a huge gulp, draining half of it. He set it down and wiped his mouth. "Well, I’ve eaten and had my tea, and it’s getting late. I should get going. Thank you for your warm hospitality. And Jing Qi, get well soon."

"Goodbye, Gao Hai," Jie Jingshan said, smiling and waving.

Qin Mei stood up, a little embarrassed. She had invited Gao Hai over as a guest, but he ended up being the one who cooked. "You should bring your wife and kids over sometime."

"Sounds good," Gao Hai readily agreed. "No need to see me out. I’m off."

"Ride safe, and be careful on the road," Qin Mei added politely.

Jie Jingchen suddenly grew sullen. He sat in his wicker chair, staring at Qin Mei. ’She never says things like that to me when I leave the house, but she’s so considerate with my comrade. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth.’

Qin Mei had no idea what Jie Jingchen was thinking. If she had, she would have definitely argued back. ’Jie Jingchen almost always leaves in the morning while I’m still asleep. If he wakes me up, the only thing I’m going to do is get mad. Tell him to be careful on the road? Not a chance.’

Qin Mei hadn’t planned on walking him out, but when she glanced down and saw Jie Jingchen sitting there as still as a statue, she figured he should at least stand up. She nudged his foot with hers. "Aren’t you going to see him off?"

"See him off? Why? He’s a grown man, what’s there to see off?" Not only did Jie Jingchen not move, he even crossed his legs.

Qin Mei sat back down in her wicker chair. ’I was worrying for nothing.’

Gao Hai didn’t seem to mind at all. He walked his bicycle to the main gate, lifted it over the threshold, waved to them, and then got on and rode away.

Jie Jingchen had gotten off work early today, so they’d had an early dinner. The others were just starting to trickle home from work, with Mrs. Xie and Mr. Xie being the last to arrive.

"Dad, Mom," Jie Jingshan called out.

"Dad, Mom," Qin Mei called out.

"Dad, Mom," Jie Jingchen said perfunctorily.

Mr. Xie was still angry and ignored them, heading back to his room with his briefcase tucked under his arm.

"Xiao Mei, don’t overthink it. That’s just how your father is," Mrs. Xie said to Qin Mei, explaining with a smile.

’Jing Si is his son and Jing Qi is his daughter. No matter how bad their fights get, blood is thicker than water. But Qin Mei is different. She’s a daughter-in-law. Conflicts like this will only make their relationship more strained, and without a blood tie, it’s very difficult to mend things.’

"Mom, I’m not overthinking it. I wasn’t the one who suggested splitting the household, so Dad’s not targeting me," Qin Mei said, deliberately playing dumb.

Jie Jingchen gave Qin Mei a meaningful look. ’Does she really not know the meaning of "misplaced anger"?’

Jie Jingshan remained silent, but Mrs. Xie was at a loss for words. What could she possibly say when Qin Mei had put it like that?

’She and Jie Jianguo had been married for over twenty years; how could she not see what was on his mind? Jing Si was the one who suggested splitting the household. But why now? He hadn’t brought it up before he was married, only after. Jing Er and Jing San hadn’t asked to split the household for their wives, but Jing Si did. He was clearly taking his anger out on Qin Mei.’

’Jing Si was protecting Qin Mei, and she herself had agreed to let them split off—even letting Jing Qi go with them. Jie Jianguo had been the dominant figure in the family his whole life and felt his authority was being challenged. He was furious but didn’t dare say anything, so he was just stewing in his frustration.’

"Have you eaten?" Mrs. Xie changed the subject.

"We’ve eaten," Qin Mei replied. Seeing the surprised look on Mrs. Xie’s face, she added, "Jie Jingchen got off work early today and invited a comrade over, so we had an early dinner."

"A comrade?" Mrs. Xie looked at her son, instantly guessing who it was. "Xiao Gao."

"Mhm," Qin Mei nodded.

"Xiao Gao is Jing Si’s childhood friend and also his comrade. He’s a great guy." Mrs. Xie had a very high opinion of Gao Hai. She then said with a regretful look, "It’s a shame I only have one daughter, Jing Qi, and she’s too young. If Jing Wu were a girl, I would definitely have married her off to Gao Hai."

Thinking about Jing Wu and Gao Hai interacting, the corner of Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. ’Good thing Jing Wu is a boy.’

"Yan Qiu, dinner’s ready," Mr. Xie called out to Mrs. Xie from the doorway of the main hall, his face grim.

"Coming," Mrs. Xie said, glancing at Mr. Xie before turning back to the three of them with a smile. "I’m going to eat now."

"Okay." ’Suddenly,’ Qin Mei thought, ’having Aunt Zhang around does have its benefits. At least she ensures everyone has a hot meal after work, and she handles the laundry and cleaning.’

’You can hire a maid as long as you pay them; it doesn’t have to be Aunt Zhang. But since Aunt Zhang is my father-in-law’s former wife’s younger sister, and even my mother-in-law is okay with her working here, I shouldn’t worry about it.’

Qin Mei looked at Jie Jingchen and couldn’t help but say, "Jie Jingchen, your mom has a really high opinion of Gao Hai."

"She’s always liked him," Jie Jingchen agreed.

"You two are childhood friends?" Qin Mei asked. Jie Jingchen nodded. Qin Mei thought for a moment, then asked, "Doesn’t being childhood friends mean you grew up together and formed a deep bond? I thought Gao Hai’s family doesn’t live around here."

’She remembered Jie Jingchen saying that Gao Hai lived near the black market.’

"His maternal grandmother’s family lives here. Their courtyard is the third one from the alley entrance. Gao Hai lived with his grandmother when he was a kid," Jie Jingchen answered.

"No wonder," Qin Mei nodded in understanding.

Jie Jingchen’s long fingers brushed through Qin Mei’s hair. The soft strands slipped through them. He looked relaxed and content, a smile playing on his lips as he said, "Your hair is dry."

Qin Mei tossed her hair, then picked up a strand and toyed with it. "Wash it early, it dries early."

"Qin Mei, from now on, wash your hair during the day, not at night," Jie Jingchen said again.

"I know, I know." Her ears were about to fall off from hearing it so many times.

"Especially during... your special time of the month," Jie Jingchen said, looking a little awkward.

Qin Mei paused, looking at the mother-hen-like Jie Jingchen. "Today was an exception."

’She couldn’t stand the smell of milk in her hair if she didn’t wash it.’

"Don’t let it happen again." He couldn’t stand the smell of someone else’s milk on her, either.

’If she wanted her business to grow big and strong, the startup phase was crucial. If it happened to coincide with her period, was she supposed to just postpone things?’

"I’ll try to avoid it," Qin Mei said, not giving him the easy agreement he wanted.

"Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, I’m going back to my room to study," Jie Jingshan said.

"Okay, go on. Study hard, but remember to balance it with rest," Qin Mei reminded her.

Seeing that Qin Mei wasn’t getting up, Jie Jingchen stood and ushered Jie Jingshan back to her room. Qin Mei narrowed her eyes, watching him. ’And here I was thinking he’d taken root in that wicker chair.’

"Fourth Wife of Jing! Fourth Wife of Jing!" Second Auntie’s urgent voice called out.

’Second Auntie was normally a level-headed person. For her to be this frantic, something must have happened.’

Qin Mei’s eyes snapped open. She shot up from the wicker chair and rushed forward to meet the approaching Second Auntie, grabbing her by the arm. Her face paled slightly as she asked in a low voice, "Were we reported?"