Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 63: Chapter 35: The Clueless Fifth Brother

Qin Mei gritted her teeth, tempted to write off Jie Jingjue as an enemy. She forced a smile. ”Fine. Bring him to your fourth brother’s and my room.”

”You agreed? Thank you, Sister-in-law! You’re such a good person, beautiful inside and out.” Afraid Qin Mei would go back on her word, Jie Jingjue turned to leave, but he froze after taking just one step as she continued to speak.

”If you’re so sure, go ahead and bring Jie You to our room. New grudges on top of old ones... the son pays for the mother’s debts. Once he’s in my hands, if I don’t kill him, I’ll cripple him.” Qin Mei forced the last few words through her clenched teeth.

Jie Jingjue shuddered. ’Qin Mei’s voice, paired with the look on her face... it’s horrifying!’

”What are you standing there for? Go get him. I’m waiting.” Qin Mei shot Jie Jingjue an eerie smile, one so strange it felt suffocating.

Jie Jingjue stared at Qin Mei in horror. ’The look she’s giving me... it’s like she’s debating whether to chop off Jie You’s head first, or his hands, or maybe his feet...’

Jie Jingjue snapped back to his senses and hastily said, ”Never mind, Sister-in-law. It’s really late. You should go back to your room and get some rest.”

”It’s fine. I’m not sleepy. I have plenty of energy, perfect for playing with Jie You.” Qin Mei dragged out the word ”playing,” infusing it with menace.

”Really, there’s no need.” Jie Jingjue hurried back to his room, shutting the door and windows, terrified that Qin Mei would barge in and snatch the boy.

’I was so naive. How could I have even thought of it? With things this bad between my second and fourth sisters-in-law, asking her to watch his child... isn’t that just sending a lamb to the slaughter?’

When Qin Mei returned to their room, Jie Jingchen was already awake and getting dressed.

Broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist, a perfect inverted triangle.

His skin was the color of bronze, his back covered in old scars and one new, long gash. Seeing the vicious scar at his waist didn’t inspire revulsion or fear; instead, it stirred a sense of pity and heartache.

The muscles of his arms were sleek and defined. He had a firm backside and long legs encased in trousers. Shirtless, he radiated a wild, sensual aura that sent the imagination racing.

Jie Jingchen pulled on a white tank top and turned to face Qin Mei. ”Seen enough?”

Qin Mei snapped out of her daze and shot him a glare, though a hint of shyness colored her voice. ”Not yet. Are you going to take it off so I can look my fill?”

Jie Jingchen’s eyes sharpened, and he felt his ears grow warm. In a stern tone, he asked, ”Qin Mei, have you no shame?”

”What’s there to be ashamed of? I’m the one looking at you, not the other way around.” Qin Mei’s comeback left Jie Jingchen speechless.

After a long silence, Jie Jingchen began to lecture her. ”Qin Mei, is this really about who’s looking at whom? You’re a woman. Whether you’re the one being looked at or the one doing the looking, it’s... Ugh! Forget it. For every one thing I say, you have ten comebacks waiting.”

Seeing no point in arguing, Qin Mei set down the bucket and asked Jie Jingchen, ”Do you want to bathe?”

Jie Jingchen’s face darkened. ’Did she just let Mom’s instructions go in one ear and out the other? Mom told her to watch me and not let me bathe. She agreed so cheerfully, only to forget it the next second.’ ”Qin Mei.”

”Heh,” Qin Mei chuckled. ”I was just asking. I wanted to see if you’d behave yourself.” She then picked up the bucket and left the room again.

Qin Mei came back carrying a bucket more than half-full of water. She wasn’t strong, and it was a struggle for her to carry. She poured the water into a foot basin and a washbasin, then tossed Jie Jingchen’s towel into the latter. Seeing him remain as still as a statue, she raised an eyebrow.

”Jie Jingchen, you don’t expect me to wash your face and feet for you, do you?”

Jie Jingchen moved, quickly washing his face and feet. When he was finished, he returned to the bed and lay face down.

Qin Mei emptied the basins of water before getting into bed. She closed her eyes but felt wide awake.

”Jing Wu doesn’t think things through,” Jie Jingchen said in a low voice. ”Don’t take what he said to heart.”

Qin Mei opened her eyes and turned her head to stare at his profile. ’Jie Jingchen’s profile is so handsome. His looks are off the charts; he’s perfect from every angle.’

”He really is clueless,” Qin Mei agreed, then asked, ”I thought you were asleep. When did you wake up?”

’So he heard my conversation with Jie Jingjue. We both kept our voices down so we wouldn’t disturb anyone.’

Jie Jingchen opened his eyes, turning his head to meet her gaze. ”You two woke me up.”

Qin Mei was speechless. ’We weren’t arguing, and we weren’t being loud. If that was enough to wake him, he must be a very light sleeper.’

’That’s not good. I’ll have to help him with that.’

”Jie Jingchen, are you sure you and Jing Wu are full-blooded brothers?” Qin Mei asked.

”Guaranteed genuine,” Jie Jingchen replied flatly.

’Starting with Jie Jingchen, all the children were born to Mrs. Xie. Jie Jingjue was the fifth. If he were the son of Mr. Xie and his first wife, then Jie Jingchen would have to be as well. The only way around that would be if Mr. Xie got together with Mrs. Xie before his first wife died.’

’But given Mrs. Xie’s upbringing, she never would have gotten together with Mr. Xie while his first wife was still alive. Besides, Mrs. Xie wasn’t with him for his money—the Qiao Family was much wealthier than he was.’

”He asked me to look after Jie You, and even wanted to bring the boy into our room to sleep. Where did he get the nerve to think I’d agree?” Even just thinking about it, Qin Mei found Jie Jingjue’s idea laughably naive.

Jie Jingchen said nothing.

Seeing his silence, Qin Mei dropped the subject. ’They’re blood brothers, after all. I can’t expect him to join me in criticizing his own sibling.’

Suddenly, Qin Mei recalled something Jie Jingjue had said. ”Dad got angry because of Jing San.”

”Jie Jingchen, Jing Wu said your father got angry with your third brother. What was that about?” Qin Mei asked, thoroughly confused. ”With everything that happened today, if your dad was going to be mad, shouldn’t it be at your second brother’s family or ours? Your third brother never even showed his face, so what’s there to be angry at him for?”

Jie Jingchen’s gaze focused slightly. ’The two words ”our family”... she said them so naturally.’ His eyes softened as he looked at her. He chose his words carefully. ”Because of Xiao Duo.”

”Xiao Duo?” Qin Mei froze for a second before it clicked. ”Your third brother’s daughter?”

’Qin Mei hadn’t forgotten. To lure the enemy into his trap, Jie Jingchen had used two children. And suddenly, she understood. ’Is this man’s mind a maze? He’s so full of schemes.’’

’Killing two birds with one stone! He not only lured Xu Chunyan into his trap but also gave Mr. Xie and Jing San a wake-up call.’

’To put it bluntly, did he use Jie Duo to drive a wedge between Jie Jinghun and Mr. Xie? Was his motive really that despicable? Or did he simply want to remind Mr. Xie to value his own granddaughter?’

”Many fathers and sons grow estranged because of their children,” Jie Jingchen said wistfully. ”Over time, resentment builds. The grudges fester until they finally burst, and the relationship shatters.”

”Using your confrontation with Xu Chunyan to settle other matters at the same time... I’m impressed!” Qin Mei made a fist-and-palm gesture at Jie Jingchen, her face a mask of admiration. Then she threw cold water on his parade. ”However, it looks like things didn’t quite go according to your plan.”

”That’s not important,” Jie Jingchen said. ”What’s important is that my father realized the serious consequences of his own carelessness.” He had only intended to give them a nudge, not predict how things would play out. After all, his third brother never played by the book.

Qin Mei gazed at Jie Jingchen, her expression shifting and unreadable. ’This man was born in the wrong era,’ she thought. ’He should have been born into the ancient imperial court. Among all the Princes scrambling for the throne, he would have undoubtedly been the one to emerge victorious.’

”Does your father really have that old-fashioned mindset of favoring sons over daughters?” Qin Mei asked.

’That kind of sexism is deeply rooted. It’s not something that can be changed with a few words from an outsider.’

”I don’t know,” Jie Jingchen replied. ”If you’re that curious, you can ask him yourself.” ’He had asked his father in front of everyone, and his father had denied it on the spot. As the director of a machinery factory, there couldn’t be any issues with his ideology or work ethic.’

”I wouldn’t dare,” Qin Mei said bluntly, rolling her eyes at him. ’What kind of daughter-in-law asks her father-in-law if he’s a sexist?’

A glint appeared in Jie Jingchen’s eyes. ”What about you?” he asked.

”What about me?” Qin Mei asked, looking blank.

”Do you prefer to have a boy or a girl?” Jie Jingchen asked.

Without a second thought, Qin Mei blurted out, ”As long as it’s one I give birth to, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl.”

’This was a woman’s advantage. For instance, any child she gave birth to was guaranteed to be hers. Whether it was Jie Jingchen’s... that wasn’t a certainty.’

Jie Jingchen stared at her, his amber eyes full of profound meaning. His mind started to wander. ’They’re both good-looking. If they had a child together, it would surely be beautiful.’