Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 75: Chapter 39: Teacher Lin Admires You

”Fifth Uncle is a bad guy! I don’t like him anymore.” SLAM! Jie You angrily slammed the window shut. He had never been hit before, but the thought terrified him.

”Jing Wu, do you still want to be with Aiyun?” Xu Chunyan asked. Her attitude was so infuriating, Qin Mei wanted to kick her.

’This is why you have to think twice when your sister-in-law introduces you to someone. The moment you disagree, she uses that person to control you.’

Jie Jingjue scratched his head, a hint of exhaustion on his face. He decided to just be honest. ”Second Sister-in-law, Aiyun and I broke up again.”

Qin Mei smiled, gloating. ’Good,’ she thought. ’Better that they broke up.’

Xu Chunyan eyed Jie Jingjue suspiciously, asking in disbelief, ”Broke up again?”

Clearly, Xu Chunyan was in the know. While they were dating, they were constantly breaking up and getting back together, as if it were all a game. She had never interfered, knowing deep down they were just being childish. They’d make up in a few days at most and be as lovey-dovey as ever.

”We’re broken up. For good this time,” Jie Jingjue said, ruffling his short hair.

”But didn’t you say that you and Aiyun...”

”I was lying,” Jie Jingjue cut her off.

Xu Chunyan was furious but could only swallow her anger for the moment. ’They can’t really be broken up.’ With no hope left for Teacher Lin, she was counting on Aiyun marrying into the family so they could team up against Qin Mei.

Xu Chunyan coaxed him in a soft voice, ”Jing Wu, Aiyun loves you. Having a little spat now and then helps prepare you for married life. Tell you what, I’ll pay a visit to Aiyun’s family tomorrow.”

”Second Sister-in-law, it’s over between us. I’m tired. I’m going to my room.” Jie Jingjue shoved the thorn stick into Xu Chunyan’s hand and headed for his room.

”Jing Wu!” Xu Chunyan called after him, but Jie Jingjue didn’t stop. She immediately rushed to catch up, following close behind and pleading with him to reconcile.

With the show over, Qin Mei ushered Jie Jingshan back into her room. Jie Jingchen headed for the kitchen, determined to claim it first this time, but he was still too late.

”Third Sister-in-law.”

Shen Qing was boiling bathwater. Her gaze was as cold as ever, but her voice had softened a bit. ”Bring a bucket to fill.”

”Thanks.” Jie Jingchen didn’t stand on ceremony and turned back to his room to get a bucket.

Jie Jingchen brought two buckets, filling each a little over halfway with hot water. There was a faucet in the bathroom, so Qin Mei could add cold water herself.

”Jing Si, your wound?” Shen Qing asked, a hint of worry coloring her cold gaze.

She had seen everything that happened yesterday. Jie Jingchen had shielded Qin Mei, intentionally letting Xu Chunyan wound him in a ruse of self-inflicted injury. She didn’t know what he had been thinking at the time, but in any case, she felt it wasn’t worth it.

”It’s nothing, just a minor wound,” Jie Jingchen said nonchalantly, moving to lift the buckets.

”Jing Si.” Jie Jinghun came into the kitchen carrying his own bucket and immediately stopped him. ”What are you doing? Piling a new wound on top of an old one? Don’t you want to heal? Put those down. I’ll carry them.”

Jie Jinghun wasn’t a naturally charitable person. But after Jie Jingchen’s advice, he’d had a sudden awakening, finally seeing the situation clearly from an outsider’s perspective.

He didn’t feel any deep brotherly affection for Jie Jingchen, his half-brother. When they were children, he and Second Brother had bullied him plenty. Now that Jie Jingchen was grown, sharp and capable, they couldn’t bully him anymore. It was a blessing he didn’t turn the tables on them.

If Jie You hadn’t bullied Xiao Duo, and if Second Brother and his wife hadn’t just stood by and watched, he and Second Brother would still be scheming against Jie Jingchen together.

”Thanks.” Jie Jingchen let go, standing aside with a hand on his lower back.

Jie Jinghun gave Jie Jingchen a subtle glance, then effortlessly lifted both buckets and carried them out of the kitchen, taking them straight to the bathroom.

Jie Jingchen went to Jie Jingshan’s room to tell Qin Mei the bath was ready. Qin Mei was surprised and asked in confusion, ”So soon?”

Jie Jingchen’s gaze darkened slightly as he said flatly, ”Third Sister-in-law was boiling the water.”

”Oh.” That explained it. Though Shen Qing was as cold as ice, she was a good person. Qin Mei turned to Jie Jingshan and said, ”I’ll explain the rest after my bath.”

”Okay.” Jie Jingshan smiled and nodded.

Qin Mei went back to their room to get a change of clothes. Not seeing the buckets, she frowned. ”Where are the buckets?”

”Just go straight to the bathroom,” Jie Jingchen said.

Qin Mei’s gaze flickered as she frowned at Jie Jingchen. ”Did you carry them?”

Jie Jingchen shook his head. ”No. I filled them, and Third Brother helped carry them to the bathroom.”

Qin Mei said no more. As long as it wasn’t Jie Jingchen, she didn’t care who had done it. They were family; it was normal to help each other out. ’Still,’ she thought, ’some brothers and sisters-in-law are better than others. Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law certainly don’t measure up.’

While Qin Mei was bathing in the bathroom, Jie Jingchen stood guard outside. Xu Chunyan was a vindictive woman, and her grudge against Qin Mei ran deep. There was no telling if she’d try to pull a dirty trick while Qin Mei was in the bath. ’You can never be too careful,’ he thought. ’It pays to be vigilant.’

After her bath, Qin Mei washed her clothes as well, since no one was waiting to use the bathroom after her.

The bathroom door opened, and steam billowed out. Qin Mei emerged in her pajamas, a bucket in each hand. Her damp black hair was tied up messily, a style that only enhanced her bewitching beauty. A few wet strands clung to her cheeks, making her look all the more alluring and captivating.

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips glistening, and she radiated an intoxicating charm.

Framed by the billowing steam, she was like a winter plum blossom: proud, solitary, and overwhelmingly fragrant.

’She really is a temptress,’ he thought. ’The kind of siren that could topple nations.’

When Qin Mei saw Jie Jingchen standing guard outside the bathroom like a knight, her expression faltered for a moment. Then her eyes danced, shimmering with light. ”Do you want to take a bath?”

Jie Jingchen’s gaze was deep. Shaking himself from his reverie, he stepped forward and draped the army greatcoat he was holding over her shoulders. ”It’s cold. Don’t catch a chill.”

Qin Mei didn’t refuse, allowing him to drape the greatcoat over her. ”Are you going to bathe? I can go fetch the water for you.”

”Let’s go back to the room.” ’She’s too alluring like this,’ Jie Jingchen thought. ’I don’t want any other man to see her.’

Qin Mei hadn’t felt cold in the steamy bathroom, but when Jie Jingchen tugged her by the wrist out into the courtyard, a cold wind hit her, and she couldn’t help but shiver.

Back in their room, Qin Mei hung her undergarments to dry inside. The Jie Family was particular about such things; only outerwear was to be hung in the courtyard.

Qin Mei turned to see Jie Jingchen picking up one of the buckets. Her eyes widened in alarm. ”Jie Jingchen, my clothes!”

”You stay here. I’ll hang them up.” Jie Jingchen didn’t hang the clothes in the main courtyard but under the eaves. No one in the family hung laundry out in the open after dark.

It was Qin Mei’s habit to wash her clothes right after bathing. The others, however, did not. They would wash their clothes in the morning before work and then hang them in the courtyard.

Before, Aunt Zhang used to wash everyone’s clothes. She had gone back to her hometown, saying she’d only be gone a few days, but no one knew when she would actually return. They couldn’t just let the laundry pile up until she came back. Not only would it start to smell, but after a few more days, they’d run out of clothes to wear—especially their work uniforms.

Xu Chunyan was sitting by the window, helping her son with his homework and knitting a sweater. After keeping her head down for so long, her neck was sore. She looked up and rolled her neck, just in time to see Jie Jingchen hanging clothes under the eaves. She realized with a sneer that they were Qin Mei’s.

A malicious glint appeared in her eyes, and her lips curled into a sneer. ”Helping his wife hang laundry. How pathetic.”

In Xu Chunyan’s eyes, a husband who helped his wife was a pathetic wimp. Ever since she had married Jie Jingwei, she had boiled his bathwater, filled the buckets, and carried them to the bathroom for him. All Jie Jingwei had to do was grab his clothes and go wash. She’d never even made him wash his own underwear; she waited on him hand and foot.

Jie Jingwei glanced out the window, the corner of his lip twitching in disdain. His chauvinism was on full display. ”Hanging his wife’s laundry. He’s a disgrace to the men of the Jie Family.”

”Hmph!” Xu Chunyan snorted. ”He’s just asking for trouble. That Qin Mei is a walking disaster. One look is all it takes to see she’s not the type to settle down and live a proper life. Teacher Lin is so much better—virtuous, gentle, and deeply in love with Jing Si. If he had married her, Teacher Lin would never dream of making him lift a finger. She would have waited on him hand and foot. But no, he had to pass up the good life and go looking for trouble, marrying such a vicious woman.”

”That’s enough. Stop going on about ’Teacher Lin’ all day,” Jie Jingwei snapped. He might despise Jing Si for doing his wife’s laundry, but that didn’t mean he approved of him marrying Teacher Lin either.