Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Qin Mei rolled her eyes. They were supposed to shower together, but he’d gone out to argue with Granny. Was she supposed to wait for him in the bathroom for as long as his argument took?

”What is your granny thinking? Coming to me for money... where does she get the nerve to think I’d just hand it over?” Respecting one’s elders was a traditional virtue, and Qin Mei was willing to do so, provided the elder in question was worthy of her respect and she could do it willingly. But filial piety born from moral blackmail? Was that even filial piety at all?

Even Jie Jingchen, her own grandson, wasn’t blindly obedient. Was it realistic to expect her, the granddaughter-in-law, to be?

”She said she wanted to borrow it,” Jie Jingchen said, walking toward Qin Mei. He wanted to pick up where they’d left off.

”Hmph! ’Borrow and repay, and borrowing again is easy. Borrow and don’t repay, and borrowing again is hard.’” Qin Mei scoffed. She still had the IOU Grandpa had written. Jie Jingchen had already warned her that Granny would never pay back the one thousand yuan. The old woman was incredibly stingy. Did she really think Qin Mei was some kind of sucker?

Jie Jingchen chuckled, teasing, ”I should’ve let you go out there and give Granny a piece of your mind.”

”I wouldn’t dare chew out your granny,” Qin Mei said, shaking her head. ”If I angered her and something happened, I couldn’t take that responsibility. If something really went wrong with Granny, forget about your dad—all her other children and grandchildren would probably gang up on me.”

”Don’t worry. I’ll take you and we’ll run for it,” Jie Jingchen said, ever the protective husband.

”Only wanted criminals run for it.” A warmth spread through Qin Mei’s heart. He still chose to protect her, even in a situation like this. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t moved. Qin Mei lowered her head, her voice barely audible. ”It’s just... if a man’s promise is reliable, then pigs can fly.”

’In reality, men from this era weren’t that complicated. When they were simple, they were truly simple. When they were devoted, they were truly devoted. And when they were blindly obedient to their parents, they were truly and utterly so.’

The corner of Jie Jingchen’s thin lips twitched. He ignored her comment and lifted her chin, the pad of his thumb stroking her swollen lips. ”Meimei, let’s go to Xiangjiang. My grandpa and grandma will definitely love you.”

Qin Mei’s eyes sparkled. She looked at Jie Jingchen, blinked, and asked with a hint of teasing, ”Not worried about my motion sickness anymore?”

Jie Jingchen paused for a moment, his eyes filled with affection as he gazed at her.

Qin Mei slapped away the hand stroking her lips. ”Jie Jingsi, let me tell you, I get seasick, too.”

A slight smile touched Jie Jingchen’s lips. His gaze fell on her lips, as red and delicate as rose petals, looking utterly kissable. Licking his own lips, Jie Jingchen leaned in to kiss her.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! A knock echoed from the door.

Mere inches away, Jie Jingchen was forced to stop. His amber eyes darkened, a dangerous flame flickering in their depths. His deep voice was ice-cold. ”Who is it?”

Qin Mei suppressed a smile and took a step back, putting a safe distance between herself and Jie Jingchen.

’A frustrated man is not to be trifled with!’

”Fourth Brother, it’s me.” Jie Jingshan’s voice came from outside.

Hearing Jie Jingshan’s voice, Jie Jingchen took a deep breath to suppress his simmering rage. He turned and opened the door. He saw Jie Jingshan leaning against the wall for support, dressed only in thin pajamas without so much as a robe.

”Come in.” Jie Jingchen frowned slightly and helped Jing Qi into the room.

”Jing Qi.” Seeing the situation, Qin Mei raised an eyebrow. She stepped forward, took over from Jie Jingchen, and helped Jing Qi sit on the edge of the bed. She pulled the covers over and wrapped them around the girl. ”You can’t catch a cold. In your condition, it would be bad for your leg’s recovery.”

”Sister-in-law, I’m not cold,” Jie Jingshan said, pushing the covers away. Qin Mei, realizing she was also just in her pajamas, turned to grab a robe for Jie Jingshan to wear. Jie Jingshan didn’t refuse this time. She pulled the robe around herself and reached into her pajama pocket, about to pull something out for Qin Mei. But then she noticed Qin Mei’s swollen lips and asked worriedly, ”Sister-in-law, why are your lips so swollen?”

Qin Mei was instantly mortified, especially under Jie Jingshan’s concerned gaze. ”Um... I...”

’Jing Qi is too young,’ Qin Mei thought, unsure how to explain. She shot a pleading look toward Jie Jingchen.

’Wait, where’s Jie Jingchen?’

Qin Mei looked at Jing Qi and braced herself to explain. ”It’s nothing. Just an allergic reaction. It’ll be fine after a night’s sleep.”

”Fourth Brother kissed you,” Jie Jingshan stated, not asked.

Qin Mei froze, a stiff smile plastered on her face. ’All right, so I was the one overthinking things. I thought Jing Qi was too young to understand, but it turns out she understands everything.’

”Sister-in-law, this is for you,” Jie Jingshan said, handing an envelope to Qin Mei.

Qin Mei raised an eyebrow. She took the envelope and opened it. ’Whoa! Well, what do you know.’ It was more money. She had already given Qin Mei her savings passbook, yet Jing Qi still had more cash to give. Qin Mei was genuinely impressed.