Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: I Won’t Peep on Him Bathing

Jie Jingjue wasn’t a fool. He saw something was wrong from Jie Jingchen’s indescribable expression and asked dubiously, ”Fourth Brother, does Fourth Sister-in-law love you?”

’Love? Is there any love between them?’ Jie Jingchen didn’t even doubt that when Qin Mei drugged him, it wasn’t out of love, but out of possessiveness—a twisted desire for conquest.

’And him? It was just a sense of a man’s responsibility toward a woman. Nothing more.’

A hint of impatience flashed in Jie Jingchen’s eyes. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and urged, ”Go get a bucket of hot water.”

’He was the injured one, his back was in pain. She’d just forcibly stuck a few needles in him and then made him go heat up her porridge. If he got sick from all this, would she even sit by his bedside and take care of him?’

Jie Jingjue didn’t dare to delay. When he got to the kitchen, Qin Mei had already finished her porridge and was about to wash the bowl. Upon seeing him, she raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion, ”What is it?”

”The water’s too cold,” Jie Jingjue replied. He picked up the nearby bucket, filled it halfway with scalding water, and carried it to the bathroom.

”Cold?” Qin Mei raised an eyebrow. ’I tested the temperature, it was perfect. I even made it a little warmer than what I use, considering he’s injured.’

The pot of water was now half empty. Qin Mei hadn’t immediately noticed that it had started to boil, and by the time she reacted, it was too late to add any cold water.

’Damn it,’ Qin Mei thought in frustration. At the same time, she noticed that aside from the sediment left after boiling, there was no grease or anything else floating in the water.

’So, Sun’s mother really hadn’t washed the pot properly.’

After washing the bowl, Qin Mei stepped out of the kitchen and heard Jie Jingjue’s voice coming from the bathroom.

”Fourth Brother, are you sure you don’t need me to help you bathe?” Jie Jingjue asked.

”Thanks, but I’m sure,” Jie Jingchen’s voice was laced with impatience.

”How about I get Fourth Sister-in-law to come help you?” Jie Jingjue asked again.

”Get out,” Jie Jingchen growled. Startled, Jie Jingjue fled the bathroom as if escaping a natural disaster.

Their eyes met, and both of them froze for a second. Qin Mei spoke first, pointing toward the kitchen. ”The water in the cistern...”

”Don’t worry, I won’t tell my mom,” Jie Jingjue cut in.

Qin Mei’s brow furrowed and the corner of her mouth twitched. ’Was that what I meant?’

”No, I meant I washed out the cistern and filled it up with fresh water,” Qin Mei explained. ’What I don’t get,’ she mused, ’is why they need a cistern to store water when there’s a faucet right there.’

”Oh, I get it. Don’t worry, Fourth Sister-in-law, I won’t tell anyone you washed your hands in the cistern,” Jie Jingjue promised.

”I didn’t wash my hands in the cistern.” Qin Mei wanted to explain but felt it was too complicated. ’Forget it. Let them think whatever they want. I was the one who wasted the water, so I’ll accept the blame.’

Seeing Qin Mei walk toward their room, Jie Jingjue called out to stop her. ”Fourth Sister-in-law, Fourth Brother is in the middle of a bath...”

”Don’t worry, I’m not going to peep on him,” Qin Mei cut him off.

At her words, Jie Jingjue’s face darkened with exasperation. ”Fourth Sister-in-law, what I meant was, I saw him holding his back when he was walking. Knowing my brother, his back must be killing him. Shouldn’t you go in and help?”

’He hurt his back, he’s not crippled.’ That was what Jie Jingchen had snapped at her. Qin Mei considered repeating it, but decided it would sound too heartless coming from her. After all, they were brothers, flesh and blood. Instead, she said, ”Don’t worry, he knows his own limits. If he really can’t manage on his own, he’ll ask you for help.”

Qin Mei went into the room, leaving Jie Jingjue to stand guard outside the bathroom. He strained his ears, listening for any noise from within, ready to charge in and rescue his brother if he heard him fall.

At the same time, he was filled with doubt. ’Are they really husband and wife?’

’The way they interacted, he couldn’t see the slightest resemblance to a normal married couple.’

When Jie Jingchen finished his bath, he felt completely refreshed. Opening the door, he saw Jie Jingjue standing guard outside. A flicker went through his eyes as he raised an eyebrow and asked, ”Waiting to use the bathroom?”

Jie Jingjue rolled his eyes and said in an annoyed tone, ”I was worried about you.”

Jie Jingchen’s thin lips parted as he said coolly, ”I hurt my back, I’m not a cripple. What’s there to be worried about?”

”You two really are a matched pair,” Jie Jingjue muttered, feeling his concern had been completely pointless. He turned and started walking back to his room to sleep.

”Jing Wu,” Jie Jingchen called after him.

”What is it?” Jie Jingjue stopped in his tracks.

”Your fourth sister-in-law needs to bathe, too.” The unspoken implication was that Jie Jingjue should go fetch the water.

Jie Jingjue’s mouth twitched. He was still bitter about what happened before. When his fourth sister-in-law had fainted, he’d carried her into his brother’s room, only for his girlfriend to see them. She hadn’t believed his explanations, no matter how he tried, and they’d broken up over it. And now, his brother was telling him to fetch bathwater for her. Jie Jingjue desperately wanted to refuse. He felt like his sister-in-law was his personal jinx.

Resentful but not daring to refuse, Jie Jingjue turned back. He went into the bathroom, grabbed the bucket, and headed for the kitchen. He returned with one bucket of cold water and one of boiling water, left them in the bathroom, and then went back to his room.

Jie Jingchen went back to the room and told Qin Mei she could go bathe.

When Qin Mei got to the bathroom, she breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn’t an outhouse like the one at the Sun Family’s home.

Staring at the two full buckets, Qin Mei put a hand to her forehead. ’What a genius,’ she thought sarcastically. ’How am I supposed to mix these?’

’Does he expect me to douse myself with cold water, then boiling water?’

’I’d either be scalded to death or frozen to death.’

Jie Jingchen sat on the edge of the bed, reading a book. He didn’t lie down, waiting for Qin Mei to return. After a good while, she still wasn’t back. ’She’s taking way too long to bathe.’

After waiting a little longer, Jie Jingchen couldn’t stand it anymore. He put down his book, pushed himself up while supporting his back, and walked out of the room.

Outside the bathroom, Jie Jingchen knocked on the door and called out in a low voice, ”Qin Mei.”

There was no response, not a sound. Jie Jingchen’s expression grew heavy.

”Qin Mei,” Jie Jingchen’s voice was still low, but an undercurrent of worry was now audible.

”Stop shouting, I’m still alive.” The words had barely left her mouth when Qin Mei opened the door. Having just bathed, her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink. She had a hazy, seductive allure that tugged at the heartstrings, making her look like an enchantress.

Jie Jingchen was hit by the bewitching fragrance that wafted from her. His gaze deepened as an uncontrollable emotion surged in his chest.

”It’s cold at night. If you take too long, you’ll catch a chill.” Seeing that she had also washed her hair, Jie Jingchen’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

Qin Mei lazily lifted her eyelids. Her shimmering eyes met his amber ones as the corner of her lip curled into a slight smile. ”My mother-in-law is a doctor. I won’t need to go to a hospital even if I catch a cold.”

Jie Jingchen was left speechless by her comment.

Back in the room, Jie Jingchen lay down to sleep. Qin Mei, having washed her hair, had no hairdryer and could only let it air-dry. She thought about going to sit under the tree in the yard, but then she considered how late it was. ’It’s pitch-black out there. If someone comes out to use the bathroom and sees a disheveled figure sitting under a tree, they might get the scare of their life. I’d be in deep trouble then.’

She moved a chair over to the window, casually picked up a book, and prepared to sit and read by the window.

By the window, Qin Mei leaned back in the chair, her damp hair spilling over the backrest in a casual, relaxed manner. An overcoat was draped across her lap.

Only then did Qin Mei notice the book she had grabbed: *One Hundred Thousand Whys*.