Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”Your dad remarried,” Qin Xiang pointed out. It was because Jing Si’s father had remarried—and Jing Si had three older half-siblings whom his mother treated as her own—that he’d wanted to test the waters. He admitted he hadn’t thought it through; it was just a whim.

With his parents home, Jie Jingchen kept his voice low as he warned, ”I don’t want what happened today to ever happen again.”

Qin Xiang didn’t push it. ”Got it.”

”Call me when breakfast is ready.” Satisfied, Jie Jingchen finally let him go, though he was no longer in the mood to cook.

After Jie Jingchen left the kitchen, Qin Xiang, frustrated, kicked the stove. ’What did I do to deserve this?’

When Mrs. Xie entered the room, Mr. Xie’s survival instincts kicked in. He pulled a washboard out from under the bed and knelt on it.

”Honey, I was wrong.” Mr. Xie was experienced in these matters. When his wife was unhappy, it didn’t matter who was right or wrong; a proactive apology was guaranteed to calm her down.

”And what exactly were you wrong about?” Mrs. Xie walked over, sat on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed, and stared coldly at Mr. Xie on the washboard.

Mr. Xie froze for a second, recalling the phone call to the machinery factory when his wife had ripped into him. ”Wrong... Honey, I didn’t realize that girl An Qi was getting so out of hand. And my mom and second brother, too. One’s her granny and the other’s her father! They knew she was in the wrong, but instead of stopping her, they...”

He couldn’t bring himself to say ”aided and abetted her.” After all, they were his mother and brother.

”Honey, since things haven’t gotten completely out of hand yet, please forgive me.” Mr. Xie knelt with his back hunched. At his age, his knees were starting to protest against the washboard.

”Kneel up straight.” Worried the children might hear, Mrs. Xie kept her voice gentle, sparing his dignity.

Mr. Xie jolted and immediately straightened his back, a flicker of suppressed pain crossing his face.

”An Qi is acting recklessly, and your mother and second brother are encouraging her nonsense. Have you forgotten who Xiao Xiang is? He’s only letting this slide for Xiao Mei’s sake. If he decides to make a real issue of it, I’d like to see how you’ll clean up this mess.” Mrs. Xie wasn’t making an idle threat. None of them were fools. If this incident blew up, it wouldn’t just be An Qi’s reputation on the line—it would be the reputation of the entire Jie Family.

Forget about the potential impact on the careers of the men in the Jie Family. If word got out that they raised such a shameless girl, what respectable family would dare propose marriage? And An Qi wasn’t the only daughter in the Jie Family.

Mr. Xie had also realized the gravity of the situation. That was why, despite Granny’s tearful tantrums, he had taken a firm and unyielding stance, telling Grandpa and Granny to move back home.

Mr. Xie tried to be optimistic. ”But it hasn’t...”

”Hasn’t what?” Mrs. Xie snapped. This time, she didn’t care about sparing his feelings. If the children heard, so be it. If he refused to see reason, she would divorce him.

”Nothing,” Mr. Xie didn’t dare argue back. ”Honey, I was wrong. Please, just give me one more chance.”

Mrs. Xie looked at her husband, a flicker of sorrow in her eyes. He was the director of the machinery factory, a man of status, and he was genuinely good to her. He even stood up for her against his own tyrannical mother.

She had the Qiao Family behind her, so his mother wouldn’t dare bully her the way she had bullied Zhang Hongyan. But she still wanted to control her. The greed in his mother’s eyes was blatant, her selfish calculations all too clear.

’Sometimes she wondered, if he had been able to stand up for Zhang Hongyan back then, to stop his mother from tormenting her, would Zhang Hongyan still be alive? But if Zhang Hongyan hadn’t died, then the one who died would have been her. Recalling that moment, even two decades later, the memory was still as vivid as ever, undimmed by the passage of time.’

Mrs. Xie’s breathing grew ragged, and her expression twisted almost imperceptibly. The hands crossed over her chest clenched into tight fists. She fought to suppress a soul-deep fear, yet she managed to maintain her elegant posture on the edge of the bed.

Mr. Xie noticed the change in his wife but mistook it for anger. He knew she highly valued the woman Jing Si married. Her affection for Qin Mei naturally extended to her brother. ’She’s truly furious this time.’

”Yan Qiu, I was wrong, I...”

”Mom.” Jie Jingchen’s voice came from the doorway.

Hearing his fourth son’s voice, a towering rage surged in Mr. Xie’s chest. ’This tattletale of a son. I don’t know whether to love him or hate him!’

Jie Jingchen’s voice seemed to jolt Mrs. Xie from her nightmare. Her gaze was vacant for a few seconds before she came to her senses. Collecting her thoughts, she took a deep breath. ”Come in.”

”Wait a second!” Mr. Xie said hurriedly. He scrambled to his feet, but a sharp pain in his knees forced him right back down. His face contorted as he suppressed a groan. ”HISSS!”

When it came to his parents, Jie Jingchen only ever listened to his mother.

Mrs. Xie hadn’t locked the door when she came in, so Jie Jingchen simply pushed it open. He saw his father kneeling on the washboard, his face a mask of pain, but there wasn’t a trace of surprise in his amber eyes. It was as if he’d expected it all along.

”Still kneeling, Dad?” Jie Jingchen said mockingly.

”You... HISSS! You brat, shut the door.” Seeing that Jie Jingchen wasn’t closing it, Mr. Xie couldn’t hide the panic in his eyes. If anyone saw him kneeling on a washboard, he’d be utterly humiliated.

Jie Jingchen ignored him and looked toward his mother on the edge of the bed.

Mrs. Xie took out a handkerchief and elegantly dabbed the cold sweat from her forehead. Her voice was gentle. ”Go ahead and close it.”

Jie Jingchen turned and closed the door, which only made Mr. Xie even more furious. ’This brat only has eyes for his mother, not his father. He’s always talking back to his granny, too. Talk about playing favorites! Then again... have I ever treated everyone fairly?’

”Jing Si, come help me up,” Mr. Xie said.

Jie Jingchen glanced at his mother again. When she nodded, he stepped forward, crossed his arms, and looked down on his father. His gaze was deep and unreadable.

”What are you staring for? Hurry up and help me. Your mother said you could,” Mr. Xie urged. ’He really was getting old; he had to admit it. In the past, whenever his wife let him off the washboard, he could leap to his feet and even swing her around in his arms. His stamina used to be incredible.’

’But now? He couldn’t do it. He hadn’t even been kneeling that long, but his knees were in agony. He couldn’t even stand up on his own. That failed attempt just now, the moment he collapsed back onto his knees, had nearly been the end of him.’

’He couldn’t be so quick to kneel on the washboard anymore. Looks like he’d have to try harder not to make his wife angry in the future.’

In the end, Jie Jingchen still felt a pang of pity for his father. He reached out and pulled him to his feet. The moment his father was standing, Jie Jingchen started to let go, but Mr. Xie was one step ahead. Before his son could pull away, he latched onto Jie Jingchen’s arm and leaned his weight against him.

”Dad,” Jie Jingchen said, completely thrown by the maneuver.

”I can’t,” Mr. Xie said. ”My knees are killing me. Help me to the bed. I need to lie down for a bit.”

Seeing that his father didn’t seem to be faking it, Jie Jingchen raised an eyebrow and helped him toward the bed. It was less like supporting him and more like hauling him, with Mr. Xie leaning his entire weight on his son.

’Was kneeling on a washboard really this painful?’ Jie Jingchen suspected his father was putting on an act to get their mother’s sympathy.

Mrs. Xie dropped her stern facade and rose to help. Together, the mother and son helped him onto the bed and laid him down.

”Easy, easy! AHHH, it hurts, it hurts!” Mr. Xie was in genuine pain. He felt like he’d completely wrecked his knees.

”Are you being this dramatic?” Jie Jingchen asked skeptically.

”Should I get some hot water for a compress?” Mrs. Xie asked, her eyes filled with worry. For a man his age, kneeling on a washboard was a harsh punishment.

He wasn’t young anymore. The moment she saw him voluntarily kneel on the washboard, more than half of her anger had vanished. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let him off so easily.

In truth, Mrs. Xie hadn’t wanted to actually punish him, just see his willingness to repent.