Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 136: Chapter 59: Jie Jingchen, You Lied to Me (Part 2)

As an experienced older woman, Second Aunt should have known to make a tactful exit when she walked in on the couple being intimate. But when she remembered that Qin Mei was still in confinement after her miscarriage, she was furious. Second Aunt stormed into the room and yanked Jie Jingchen off of Qin Mei.

”This is outrageous! You two are being completely reckless.”

Jie Jingchen was mortified but forced himself to remain calm. ”Second Aunt,” he said.

Second Aunt pointed a finger at Jie Jingchen’s nose and scolded, ”Jing Si, I’m not trying to pick on you, but your wife is still recovering from her miscarriage! She’s young and doesn’t know any better, but you’re a grown man. How can you be so thoughtless? Leading her on like this... It’s only been a few days since her confinement began, and you already can’t control yourself? If I hadn’t walked in, would you two have gone all the way? I understand that you’re young and full of vigor, but you have to think about your wife’s health. What if something happens? What if it affects her ability to get pregnant in the future?”

”She’s the one who seduced me,” Jie Jingchen said, turning the tables on her.

Qin Mei shot him a glare and sat up. She didn’t bother refuting Jie Jingchen’s accusation, simply rolling her eyes. ”Childish.”

Second Aunt was taken aback, her weathered face flushing. She didn’t blame Qin Mei, instead continuing to lecture Jie Jingchen. ”Jing Si, even if she did seduce you, you have to hold back! It’s excusable for her not to know any better, but for you to go along with it is your fault. No, this won’t do. I have to tell Doctor Qiao about this. For safety’s sake, I’m going to suggest that you two sleep in separate rooms.”

Qin Mei had no objection to sleeping in separate rooms. She had already suggested it to Jie Jingchen, but he had refused.

”Second Aunt, I hurt my back. What could I possibly do to her?” Jie Jingchen said, clutching his lower back as he slowly walked out of the room.

It instantly dawned on Second Aunt. She tapped her forehead. ”Oh, dear! Look at me, my memory’s just not what it used to be. I’m getting old. How could I have forgotten about Jing Si’s back injury? Fourth Wife of Jing, was I too harsh on him just now?”

”Not at all, not at all,” Qin Mei repeated, trying to stifle a laugh.

Second Aunt’s expression turned stern as she began to lecture Qin Mei. ”Fourth Wife of Jing, you have to cherish your own body. You’re recovering from a miscarriage, so you can’t be reckless. Listen to my advice. I’ve been through this before; I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Second Aunt had taken Jie Jingchen’s ”She’s the one who seduced me” at face value. Qin Mei didn’t argue or try to defend herself, simply nodding obediently. ”I understand.”

”Just saying it isn’t enough; you have to take it to heart. It’s your own body—if you harm it, you’re the one who will suffer.” Second Aunt thought for a moment before adding, ”Fourth Wife of Jing! Just look at me. I’m a perfect example. I didn’t have a proper confinement, and I ended up with all sorts of postpartum ailments. Whenever the weather changes, especially when it rains, my joints ache. If I catch a cold, my whole body hurts, and it never seems to go away. I leak a little when I cough, and my eyes... I can’t even see things clearly anymore.”

Qin Mei listened patiently, but the more she heard, the more she felt something was off. ’Are those really postpartum ailments? Joint pain when the weather changes... isn’t that just rheumatism? Isn’t it normal for your whole body to ache when you have a cold, depending on your constitution? Never getting better... how could it, if she never got the right treatment? Leaking when she coughs is from a lack of postpartum recovery. As for her eyes, everyone’s eyesight gets worse with age.’

”Second Aunt, I will take your words to heart,” Qin Mei promised. Seeing Second Aunt look at her, wanting to say something but hesitating, Qin Mei raised her hand. ”I can swear on it.”

”No, don’t! You’re so young, why would you make such a vow? Don’t say such things so lightly; they might come true.” Second Aunt was rather superstitious.

Qin Mei smiled without saying a word. ’Swear an oath and it’ll come true? Honestly, she didn’t believe it.’

”The food’s ready. Do you two want to eat now, or wait for your in-laws to get back?” Second Aunt asked.

”We’ll wait for them to come back and eat together,” Qin Mei replied.

Second Aunt’s face lit up with a smile, and she patted Qin Mei’s shoulder. ”Fourth Wife of Jing, you’re such a good, dutiful child.”

”It’s only right,” Qin Mei said with a modest smile.

”I’m heading home now. Remember what I said, and don’t you be tempting Jing Si into any more foolishness.” Before leaving, Second Aunt didn’t forget to remind Qin Mei with a stern expression.

”Second Aunt, thank you.” Qin Mei was truly grateful to her. They weren’t related in any way, and she had only been here for a few days. To have someone genuinely and sincerely concerned for her well-being made Qin Mei feel grateful from the bottom of her heart.

”I’m off, then.” Second Aunt looked at Qin Mei, seeming to have something more to say but holding back.

”Take care, Second Aunt,” Qin Mei said with a smile, waving at her.

Second Aunt hesitated for a few seconds. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back. She kept looking back every few steps, a reluctant look in her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation that eventually turned to disappointment.

Qin Mei was completely baffled. It wasn’t until Second Aunt was out of the house that she belatedly realized what the look of anticipation in the older woman’s eyes had meant.