Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”Sob... Mom... sob...” Lin Yaru wailed in Liu Axiu’s arms. The image of Jie Jingchen walking away so resolutely, especially the look in his eyes as he shut the main gate, brought Lin Yaru to the brink of collapse.

She loved him so much, yet he was so heartless toward her.

The way Jie Jingwei held her filled her with disgust, and she struggled with all her might. But she, too, had been drugged. As the drug took effect, her resistance slowly faded into compliance, and then they...

Xu Chunyan bringing her parents to catch them in the act was something she and Xu Chunyan had arranged beforehand. But now, she hated Xu Chunyan with a passion. ’Calling her parents would have been enough, so why did she have to bring Second Auntie and Granny Ning?’

What could have been a private matter settled between their two families had been blown up by Xu Chunyan’s little stunt. Now, Lin Yaru was too humiliated to even go on living.

”Crying? Is that all you can do? You slut, you have the nerve to cry after seducing my husband? I’ll kill you!” Xu Chunyan’s mind was flooded with images of them together, the intimate sounds they must have made echoing in her ears. The more she thought about it, the more furious she became, until she snatched a serving bowl from the table and hurled it at Lin Yaru.

”Xu Chunyan, have you lost your mind?” Liu Axiu cried, pulling Lin Yaru into a protective embrace. The serving bowl smashed against her back, soaking her clothes with soup. Already seething with anger, she was now utterly livid.

In the corner, Jie Jingwei silently put on his pants and shirt. In the dim light, his chiseled profile was cast in deep, gloomy shadows.

Mrs. Xie brought a set of her own clothes and pants and handed them to the Second Auntie. ”Help her get dressed.”

The Second Auntie took the clothes and, with Granny Ning’s help, began to dress Lin Yaru. Seeing the marks covering her body was a shocking sight, even for women of their age.

’They had daughters of their own. If one of their girls had to endure something like this, their hearts would absolutely break.’

Mr. Lin stood in the courtyard, chain-smoking one cigarette after another. Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei were also in the courtyard. Qin Mei had wanted a closer look, but Jie Jingchen forbade it. Considering Jie Jingwei and Lin Yaru were still naked, Qin Mei didn’t press the issue, content to watch from a distance in her rattan chair.

Watching Liu Axiu and Xu Chunyan turn on each other, Qin Mei’s lips curled into a smirk. ’If Xu Chunyan had been just a little more cautious, she wouldn’t have brought Second Auntie and Granny Ning. Second Auntie is one thing, but Granny Ning is on the neighborhood committee.’

”Cold?” Jie Jingchen asked.

”A little,” Qin Mei nodded, pulling her collar tighter. As night fell, the temperature dropped, and her light jacket felt a bit too thin for the season.

”I’ll go get you a coat.” Jie Jingchen stood up and went inside to fetch his military overcoat for Qin Mei.

As he draped the military overcoat over her, the chill vanished instantly. A smile, as vibrant and dangerous as a poppy, slowly bloomed on Qin Mei’s lips. ”Why not just bring out a whole comforter and tuck me in?” she teased.

Jie Jingchen raised an eyebrow, shooting a sidelong glance at Qin Mei. ”A comforter would be overkill for this time of year.”

Qin Mei smiled but said nothing, her attention shifting back to the main hall.

Smoking a short distance away, Mr. Lin found the scene painful to watch. ’They had come here full of hope, expecting to catch his daughter with Jing Si...’

’The man with his daughter wasn’t Jing Si. It would have been better if it were Jing Wu, or even Jing Si’s punk brother-in-law. Why, of all people, did it have to be Jing Er, a married man?’

As the Second Auntie and Granny Ning helped Lin Yaru get dressed, Liu Axiu and Xu Chunyan began to brawl. Mrs. Xie simply leaned against the doorframe, watching with cold detachment and no intention of intervening.

Seeing them scuffling, Granny Ning roared, ”That’s enough! Stop it!”

The two women paused for a second before ignoring her and going right back to clawing at each other. Their hair was a mess, and their faces and necks were already covered in angry red scratches.

When they ignored her, Granny Ning felt her authority had been challenged. She bent down, picked up a serving bowl that hadn’t broken in the earlier chaos, and smashed it hard on the ground. ’Doctor Qiao is rich, anyway,’ she thought. ’He can spare one bowl.’

A loud, sharp CRACK echoed through the room, followed by Granny Ning’s threatening voice. ”Do you two want to take this to the police station?”

The threat startled Liu Axiu and Xu Chunyan into letting go of each other. Both were looking worse for wear. Granny Ning glanced at the two disheveled women, then turned to the Second Auntie, and finally to Mrs. Xie.

The Second Auntie stepped forward, tugged on Granny Ning’s sleeve, and whispered, ”Ning, why are you looking at Mrs. Xie? You know how hard it is to be a stepmother.”

Granny Ning felt put on the spot. ’Of course I know, I’m a stepmother too,’ she thought. ’But with Director Jie not at home, how is this supposed to be handled?’

No one cared about what caused all this anymore. The priority now was to resolve it.

”Zhuzi!” Granny Ning called out.

Hearing Granny Ning call his name, Mr. Lin, a cigarette still dangling from his lips, shot a venomous glare at Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen before striding toward the main hall.