Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 45: Chapter 30: Fourth Sister-in-law, Are You an Idiot?

”Are you so sure?” Qin Mei turned her head and looked at Jie Jingchen, who was sitting on the bed reading a book. ’He’s a strange one.’ He acted as if nothing was wrong when they were out, but became bedridden again the moment he was home. ”Why?”

Jie Jingchen’s gaze lifted from his book. He glanced at Qin Mei before returning to the page and murmuring, ”Bai Aiyun is Second Sister-in-law’s cousin.”

”Who’s Bai Aiyun?” Qin Mei asked.

”Jing Wu’s girlfriend,” Jie Jingchen said.

The corners of Qin Mei’s eyes lifted slightly, her expression vexed. ’So Xu Chunyan is trying to use her cousin to win over Jie Jingjue.’ Suddenly, a sly smile appeared on her face. ”Jie Jingchen, be honest with me. Has Xu Chunyan ever tried to set you up with someone?”

Jie Jingchen looked up, his gaze cold as he stared at Qin Mei. He answered ambiguously, ”You guess.”

”Is there even a need to guess? It’s a no-brainer.” Qin Mei rolled her eyes. ’His relationship with Teacher Lin is murky. Teacher Lin is Jie You’s teacher and Xu Chunyan’s colleague. Since my predecessor managed to marry Jie Jingchen first, Xu Chunyan didn’t confront me directly. Instead, she used her own son to throw down the gauntlet.’

”Oh? And what did you guess?” Jie Jingchen asked, looking intrigued.

Qin Mei’s eyes curved into crescents as she gave him a taste of his own medicine. ”You guess.”

”Childish.” A hint of annoyance colored Jie Jingchen’s amber eyes.

”I suppose it is,” Qin Mei agreed. She turned her head to see Jie Jingjue carefully carrying an enamel basin out of the kitchen. Xu Chunyan followed him out, reminding him to go slowly. Qin Mei sighed to herself.

’If it ever came down to a choice between family and love, I wonder which one Jie Jingjue would choose.’

Jie Jingjue came in with the hot water. ”Fourth Sister-in-law, I’ve brought the hot water.”

Qin Mei pushed her thoughts aside and gave Jie Jingjue a complicated look. ”Thank you.”

Jie Jingjue set the basin down. Qin Mei sat on a chair and placed her fair feet into the water, hoping for a comfortable soak. The temperature, however, left her speechless. ”Jing Wu, I wanted to soak my feet, not just wash them. This water isn’t hot enough. It won’t do anything for my fatigue.”

”I’ll go get fresh water right away.” Jie Jingjue picked up the enamel basin and hurried toward the kitchen.

A moment later, Jie Jingjue returned.

This time, Qin Mei was satisfied. Seeing that Jie Jingjue was just standing there with no intention of leaving, she raised an eyebrow and asked, ”Is there something else?”

”I’m waiting for your instructions,” Jie Jingjue said with a broad, eager-to-please smile.

Qin Mei frowned. ”I don’t need anything else.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Jie Jingjue asked, ”Fourth Sister-in-law, when will you start the treatment for Jing Qi’s leg?”

”Tomorrow,” Qin Mei replied.

Jie Jingjue couldn’t suppress his excitement. ”Great! I’ll take the day off work tomorrow.”

Qin Mei looked up at Jie Jingjue, confused. ”I’m the one treating Jing Qi. Why are you taking a day off?”

”Treating Jing Qi’s leg is a big deal. I want to be a part of it,” Jie Jingjue said with a serious expression.

”I get the feeling you’re just using this as an excuse to skip work.” Qin Mei narrowed her eyes. ’Treating Jing Qi’s leg won’t be a one or two-day affair. It’s not realistic for Jie Jingjue to be involved unless he quits his job.’

”I’ll be here. What are you worried about?” Jie Jingchen interjected. ”Your sister-in-law hasn’t asked for your help, so you should go to work. If she really needs you, she’ll say so.”

”Fourth Brother,” Jie Jingjue said, looking at Jie Jingchen.

”That’s enough. There’s nothing for you to do here. Get out,” Jie Jingchen ordered.

Jie Jingjue refused to budge, and the two brothers were locked in a standoff. Seeing the situation and thinking of Xu Chunyan, Qin Mei was about to say something when Jie Jingshan’s voice rang out.

”Fifth Brother.”

Jie Jingjue jolted and, turning around, walked out of the room.

Qin Mei found it strange. Jie Jingjue was usually at Jie Jingshan’s beck and call. She glanced at Jie Jingchen and remarked, ”Jing Wu is... different when it comes to Jing Qi.”

”Jing Qi’s accident happened when Jing Wu had taken her out,” Jie Jingchen said.

Qin Mei froze. ’No wonder Jie Jingjue had been so emotional, sobbing uncontrollably while clutching her leg.’

Jie Jingchen lowered his book, his amber eyes fixed on Qin Mei. ”Qin Mei, if you can truly heal Jing Qi’s leg, you won’t just be saving Jing Qi. Jing Wu will be redeemed as well.”

Suddenly, Qin Mei felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Seeing her silence, Jie Jingchen said no more and went back to his book.

The water had grown cool, so Qin Mei was done soaking. After drying her feet, she slipped on her shoes, picked up the enamel basin, and went out to dump the water.

”Qin Mei,” Shen Qing called out, stopping her.

Qin Mei paused, a flicker of surprise in her almond-shaped eyes. It was hard to imagine the frosty Shen Qing stopping her to talk.

”Third Sister-in-law, is something wrong?” Qin Mei asked with a bright smile. Shen Qing’s genuine concern for Jing Qi had left a good impression on her.