Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Jie Jingchen was taken aback for a moment, then a gentle smile appeared. He nuzzled his face against her palm. ”I’ll do it.”

”But, my brother...”

”Your brother is just looking out for you. You don’t have to cook, but you need to know *how* to cook,” Jie Jingchen interrupted Qin Mei. He and Qin Xiang were comrades-in-arms and understood each other well. He knew exactly what Qin Xiang was thinking.

Qin Mei sniffled. ”I know. He’s afraid I’ll starve to death.”

’It’s better to rely on yourself than on others.’ Qin Mei understood. Qin Xiang’s reasoning was simple: as long as she knew how to cook, she could fend for herself.

In this era of scarcity, just having enough to eat and stay warm was a major accomplishment.

The smile on Jie Jingchen’s face faded slightly. He looked deeply at Qin Mei. ”Meimei, your brother can entrust his life to me, but he can’t bring himself to entrust you to me. To be honest, I agree with him. Meimei, you don’t have to cook, but you need to know how.”

Qin Mei felt a headache coming on. Thinking about the developments of the future, she didn’t say anything more and just nodded silently.

”Fourth Brother.” A delicate, sweet voice called out.

Qin Mei was very familiar with that voice. It was Jie Jingchen’s cousin, Jie Anqi.

Hearing the voice, Jie Jingchen’s brows knitted tightly, his expression turning gloomy.

Jie Anqi had her hair in two braided pigtails, which swung back and forth as she ran.

”Your cousin’s here,” Qin Mei said, watching Jie Anqi run straight toward their room from outside the window.

Jie Jingchen stood up and watched Jie Anqi run inside.

When Jie Anqi saw that Qin Mei was in the room besides Jie Jingchen, she froze for a few seconds before calling out, ”Fourth Sister-in-law.”

”What are you doing here?” Jie Jingchen asked coldly. He did not welcome Jie Anqi.

Jie Anqi didn’t beat around the bush. She pushed Jie Jingchen aside, stood in front of Qin Mei, and said bluntly, ”Fourth Sister-in-law, I’ve taken a liking to your brother. I want to be your sister-in-law.”

Qin Mei was stunned. ’Jie Jingchen’s cousin is way too direct. Honestly, Jie Anqi and Qin Xiang aren’t a good match at all. No matter how you look at it, they just don’t fit.’

”Ahem.” Qin Mei cleared her throat and was just as direct. ”Sorry, my brother isn’t interested in you. You can’t be my sister-in-law.”

Jie Anqi was taken aback, not expecting Qin Mei to be even more blunt than she was. She lifted her chin haughtily and asked, ”Where is your brother?”

Qin Mei glanced at Jie Jingchen, asking with her eyes, ’Does your cousin not understand plain language?’

Jie Jingchen gave a helpless smile, then looked at Jie Anqi with a cold expression. ”Go back where you came from. Don’t come here and cause a scene.”

Jie Anqi was not pleased. She said to Jie Jingchen, ”Fourth Brother, how am I causing a scene? It was love at first sight. I thought about it all night, and I’ve decided to marry your brother-in-law.”

Jie Jingchen’s face darkened, his gaze turning chillingly cold. His lips pressed into a merciless line. ”You may want to marry him, but he has to be willing to marry you. Didn’t you understand what your fourth sister-in-law said? My brother-in-law isn’t interested in you.”

Qin Mei thought Jie Anqi would be furious, but to her surprise, Jie Anqi wasn’t angry at all. ”It doesn’t matter that he’s not interested in me. What matters is that I’m interested in him.”

’Now I see it,’ Qin Mei thought. ’Jie Anqi’s personality is just like Granny’s—forceful and domineering.’

Jie Jingchen was speechless. Jie Anqi had always had ridiculously high standards. Many people had tried to introduce her to potential partners, but she was always too picky. How could she have fallen for Qin Xiang at first sight?

”Fourth Brother, he’s your brother-in-law. And Granny said he was your comrade-in-arms, so you two are really close. He even introduced his own sister to you. It’s only fair that you introduce me to him. You married his sister, he marries your cousin. It’ll make our families even closer. Why wouldn’t you want that?” Jie Anqi said.

She was really going all out. She had finally found someone she liked, and she was determined to get what she wanted, no matter what.

”Make our families closer? In your dreams.” The icy words escaped Jie Jingchen’s thin lips, devoid of any warmth.

’He knew perfectly well why he had married Qin Mei, even if others didn’t.’

This was something he couldn’t share with Jie Anqi. He was afraid she would try to copy Qin Mei. He didn’t want his good friend to experience the same bitter feeling of being forced into marriage. Qin Mei had lost her memory and her character had improved, but such a bizarre thing had happened to her; he couldn’t expect the same to happen to Jie Anqi.

”Fourth Brother, I’m your cousin!” Jie Anqi stomped her foot.

”Forget cousin, this wouldn’t happen even if you were my own sister,” Jie Jingchen complained internally. ’Granny really knows how to stir up trouble. Trying to set up Qin Xiang and Jie Anqi... where does she get the confidence to think Jie Anqi is good enough for Qin Xiang?’

”Jing Qi is only fourteen, she’s too young for him. Whether it’s age or looks, he and I are a perfect match,” Jie Anqi gave a flirtatious smile.

”PFFT!” Qin Mei couldn’t help but snort. ’Where does Jie Anqi get this confidence? Is this about age? Is it about looks? The real problem is that my brother isn’t interested in her in the slightest.’

”Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law is laughing at me,” Jie Anqi whined to Jie Jingchen, pointing at Qin Mei.

Qin Mei seriously suspected that Jie Anqi wasn’t too bright. Qin Xiang was *her* brother. For Jie Anqi to ignore her and ask Jie Jingchen for help instead... it really proved the saying: ’if your direction is wrong, all your effort is wasted.’

”And is your fourth sister-in-law wrong to laugh at you? Stop being a toad lusting after a swan’s flesh. Don’t you have any self-awareness? You’re not good enough for him.” A few glimmers of impatience flashed in Jie Jingchen’s icy eyes.

Qin Mei looked up and stared at Jie Jingchen. ’A toad lusting after a swan’s flesh... no matter how she heard it, that phrase sounded strange.’

”Fourth Brother!” Jie Anqi grabbed her pigtails with both hands and stomped her foot. ”Fourth Brother, I’m your cousin! How can you compare me to something as disgusting as a toad?”

”Are you really that stupid, or are you just playing dumb? Is that the point? The point is that you’re not good enough for him.” Jie Jingchen really wanted to throw Jie Anqi out.

”Fourth Brother, how am I not good enough for him?” Jie Anqi asked, deeply hurt but relentless.

Jie Jingchen looked Jie Anqi up and down and said heartlessly, ”In every way.”

”I’m your cousin,” Jie Anqi reminded him again. ”We’re family, flesh and blood. Didn’t Grandpa always teach us that family has to help each other? Fourth Brother, I don’t care. I like him, and I’m going to marry him. He’s your brother-in-law and your friend. You have to help me.”

”I refuse to be an accomplice in your scheme.” Jie Jingchen felt it was impossible to reason with her. Jie Anqi’s personality was very similar to Qin Mei’s before she lost her memory: headstrong, completely inconsiderate of others’ feelings. If they weren’t a match, she would force them to be.

However, comparing Jie Anqi to the old Qin Mei, Qin Mei was a cut above. When Jie Anqi took a liking to Qin Xiang, she came to him for help matchmaking. When Qin Mei took a liking to *him*, she didn’t ask anyone for help. She just drugged him, they did the deed, and he was forced to marry her. It was clean, efficient, and utterly terrifying.

Jie Anqi knew full well that the more forceful she was, the more thoroughly Jie Jingchen would reject her. She took a deep breath. If the hard approach didn’t work, she’d try the soft one. Jie Anqi worked herself up, her eyes turning red. She looked pitifully at Jie Jingchen, reached out to gently tug his sleeve, and said in a choked voice, ”Fourth Brother.”

Qin Mei was dumbfounded. ’Jie Anqi can change her tune so fast! Look at that expression, that look in her eyes... such perfect control. She’s a born actress.’

”Fourth Brother, I’m your cousin. You have to consider my feelings...”

”Why should I consider your feelings? I’ve never seen you consider mine,” Jie Jingchen cut her off.

”I’m already twenty. If I don’t get married soon, I’ll become an old maid. Fourth Brother, we’re family. We prosper and fall together. If no one wants me, it’ll be a disgrace for you too,” Jie Anqi said pitifully.

”Jie Anqi, is it that no one wants you? Or are your standards just too high? Jie Anqi, on account of you being my cousin, let me give you a piece of advice: lower your standards for a partner a little, and think a little more about what you have to offer.” Jie Jingchen wasn’t falling for her act. ’Doesn’t she know her own worth? It’s one thing to want to marry up, but she also has extremely high standards for looks. She never stops to consider whether she’s even worthy of someone with good prospects who is also handsome.’