Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 146: Chapter 62: I Married You to Pamper You

Mrs. Xie was not to be trifled with, and neither was Jie Jingchen.

They were both tough, and neither of them liked Aunt Zhang, so why was she still able to live with the Jie Family?

What surprised Qin Mei was that for Aunt Zhang to come back, Jing Wu actually had to drive her father-in-law’s car to the countryside to pick her up. She must be a real big shot!

Mrs. Xie had originally planned to walk them to the hospital entrance but was called away by another doctor. Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei went to the bicycle parking area, only to find their bicycle was gone.

”Where’s the bike?” Qin Mei asked.

”Wait here, I’ll go look for it.” Jie Jingchen let go of Qin Mei and searched the area, but he couldn’t find the bike. He had to face the facts.

The bicycle was stolen.

”Stolen?” Qin Mei showed no regret, no hint of gloating, and not a single word of blame.

”Yeah.” Jie Jingchen nodded, his expression dark. A thief had stolen from *him*. If his army buddies found out, they’d laugh at him for half a year straight.

”It’s fine. Just think of it as a small loss to ward off a greater disaster,” Qin Mei soothed. This was the price for not locking the bike. It wouldn’t have taken much time, but he had been in such a hurry.

The hospital wasn’t his private courtyard, after all. Bicycles were a hot commodity in this era. You needed money *and* a bicycle ration ticket to buy one; money alone wasn’t enough. It was an unlocked bike in a public place—of course it was going to get stolen.

Jie Jingchen pursed his lips, saying nothing. To him, having his bike stolen was a personal affront.

”How are we going to get home now?” Qin Mei asked. This was her main concern. She got motion sick on the bus, and as for walking... Qin Mei glanced down at her legs, her eyes filled with resistance.

”Wait here. I’ll go get the keys from Mom.” Jie Jingchen turned and walked back into the hospital.

Qin Mei didn’t wait long before Jie Jingchen returned with the keys. He quickly found Mrs. Xie’s bicycle and rode home with Qin Mei on the back.

They went to the hospital for her eye and ended up losing a bicycle. That was a pretty steep price. Mrs. Xie was well-off and wouldn’t say anything, but if Second Daughter-in-law Jing found out, she’d be so heartbroken she’d beat her chest and stamp her feet, cursing the thief and all eighteen generations of their ancestors.

Outside the Jie Family’s courtyard, Qin Mei’s gaze darkened slightly as she looked at the parked car.

Before she even entered the courtyard, Qin Mei heard the voice of Second Daughter-in-law Jing.

”Zhang, you’re too kind! Look at you, bringing me so many things. How can I possibly accept all this!” Second Daughter-in-law Jing’s polite words couldn’t conceal her excitement.

”Second Sister, it’s all just local produce from the countryside, nothing valuable. Jing Wu told me you were the one cooking for them while I was away. Thank you for all your hard work, Second Sister.”

The voice was unfamiliar to Qin Mei, but she knew who it was without having to guess: Aunt Zhang.

”Hard work? What hard work? I just did the cooking, nothing else. You know Doctor Qiao’s character better than I do—she repays even the smallest drop of kindness with a gushing spring,” Second Daughter-in-law Jing said with a wide smile.

”Doctor Qiao is indeed a good person,” Aunt Zhang agreed.

Second Daughter-in-law Jing and Aunt Zhang exchanged a few more pleasantries. Then, clutching the local products Aunt Zhang had given her, she left happily, her attention so focused on the bag that she didn’t even notice Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei.

Qin Mei hopped off the bicycle and watched Second Daughter-in-law Jing’s retreating figure, a complicated mix of feelings in her heart.

”Jing Si.” Seeing Jie Jingchen, Aunt Zhang didn’t even glance at Qin Mei beside him. She beckoned to him. ”Jing Si, come over here quickly and help me move these things to the kitchen. They’re too heavy; I can’t move them by myself.”

Qin Mei looked at the several large urea sacks in the courtyard, all stuffed to the brim. There were two large bags of sweet potatoes, one of potatoes, and another of vegetables. There were also a few live chickens and ducks, some wild game, cured meats, and a basket of eggs.

No wonder Jing Wu had to drive to pick her up.

”Aunt Zhang, I’m recovering from an injury.” Jie Jingchen’s calm gaze held a hint of detachment.

Aunt Zhang froze for a moment, then quickly recovered, slapping her forehead as she spoke with regret. ”Oh, look at my memory! How could I have forgotten you were injured? Jing Si, that was thoughtless of me. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

Qin Mei sized up Aunt Zhang. She was dressed fashionably, her face was well-cared-for, and she had a full figure. She was two years older than Mrs. Xie, though Mrs. Xie looked younger. Compared to Jie Jingling, however, Aunt Zhang looked younger. It was clear Aunt Zhang was living a very comfortable life in the Jie household.

Listening to Aunt Zhang’s words, it sounded a lot like she was trying to guilt-trip him.

Jie Jingchen didn’t respond. He dropped the bicycle to one side and took Qin Mei’s hand, leading her toward the house.

”You must be Jing Si’s new wife, then?” Aunt Zhang’s gaze was full of unconcealed scrutiny as she looked at Qin Mei. Second Daughter-in-law Jing had written in a letter that Jing Si had married a siren, and Qin Mei’s looks were indeed stunning.

’Marrying a woman like this is dangerous. A family without any power wouldn’t be able to protect her. She’d attract too much unwanted attention, and she wouldn’t be easy to tame.’

’But it was undeniable that Jing Si and Qin Mei were a good match—a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven.’

Jie Jingchen didn’t deny it, and Qin Mei said nothing.

”Fourth Wife of Jing, come here.” Aunt Zhang beckoned to Qin Mei, ready to give her a task. ”Fourth Wife of Jing, Jing Si is recovering and can’t lift heavy things. You come and help me carry these things into the kitchen.”

Qin Mei ignored Aunt Zhang. Instead, she shot Jie Jingchen a sidelong glance and asked, ”Jie Jingchen, did you marry me just to have me do manual labor?”

”No.” Jie Jingchen shook his head. He looked at Qin Mei, who was squinting with one eye closed. Her left eye was a little swollen, and his own eyes filled with heartache and guilt. ”I married you so you could live a life of comfort.”

”Mrs. Zhang, did you hear that?” Qin Mei smiled faintly, looking at Aunt Zhang with her one good eye. She had deliberately dropped the ”Aunt” from her title.

Aunt Zhang’s expression stiffened, her eyes flashing with indignation. ”Mrs. Zhang” was a title for a servant. With Jie Jingchen present, however, Aunt Zhang didn’t lash out at Qin Mei. She took a deep breath. ’I’ll remember this,’ she thought.

”Fourth Wife of Jing, I’m not telling you to do labor. Look at all this stuff. It’s too heavy, and I can’t move it by myself. I just wanted you to lend a hand,” Aunt Zhang explained.

Qin Mei sneered inwardly. After a moment of thought, she said, ”Mrs. Zhang, have you heard the story of the Foolish Old Man who moved the mountains? If you can’t move it all at once, just move it bit by bit. It won’t take long to move a small pile like this.”

Seeing Jie Jingchen condone Qin Mei’s disrespect, Aunt Zhang gritted her teeth. ’No blood ties, so of course he’s not on my side. An ungrateful wolf you can’t tame.’ ”Fourth Wife of Jing, it’s not my place to say, but before you married into the Jie family, didn’t your mother teach you to be observant and diligent? You need to have an eye for work that needs to be done. The Jie Family doesn’t support idlers.”

Qin Mei gave a sly smile, looking at Aunt Zhang with an expression of pure innocence. ”Nope. My mother only told me that the Jie Family is wealthy and has servants. She warned me again and again that I was marrying into a life of comfort, not a life of hardship. She especially told me not to snatch work away from the servants. If I did their work, what would they do? So, Mrs. Zhang, you should be glad I’m lazy. If I were diligent, you’d be out of a job. And just as you said, the Jie Family doesn’t support idlers. They’d have to send you packing.”

Aunt Zhang was livid. Qin Mei’s use of ”Mrs. Zhang” had her fuming with rage. It was a complete show of disrespect—even Qiao Yanqiu had to treat her with a certain degree of courtesy!

”Get out!” An angry roar came from Jie Jingshan’s room.

Hearing Jie Jingshan’s outburst, the corners of Aunt Zhang’s mouth lifted into a smirk. Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen were both stunned. Ever since Qin Mei had started treating Jing Qi’s leg, she hadn’t had such an extreme emotional reaction, let alone an angry outburst.

’Was Jing Qi’s ”Get out” aimed at Aunt Zhang?’

”Sister Jing Qi, my mom said that since you’re disabled, I should stay in the same room with you to make it easier to take care of you.” A young woman’s voice sounded out.

”GET OUT!” Jie Jingshan roared. The shout was immediately followed by the sound of things being thrown.

”Sister Jing Qi... AHH! Help! Murder! Mom, save me! AHH...” The young woman’s terrified screams echoed through the air.