Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”Eat,” Jie Jingchen said, his tone a bit forceful.

”Okay.” Qin Mei didn’t refuse this time. Her stomach was already growling with hunger.

”Wait here. I’ll go heat up the food for you.” Jie Jingchen got up and walked toward the kitchen.

Qin Mei turned her head. The light stretched his shadow long across the ground, and she felt a little dazed.

When Jie Jingjue returned and saw Qin Mei sitting in the courtyard, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He blinked, then asked in disbelief, ”Sister-in-law, why are you still up?”

Qin Mei’s eye twitched when she saw how flamboyantly Jie Jingjue was dressed. He looked like a punk; she didn’t even have to guess to know the guy had been out carousing again.

Qin Mei gave him a mischievous smile. ”Waiting for you.”

Jie Jingjue stumbled back in fright. He glanced warily at his brother and sister-in-law’s room—the light was on and the door was open, but his brother was nowhere to be seen. His voice trembled as he spoke. ”Sister-in-law, don’t joke like that. It’s not funny at all.”

Qin Mei just smiled without a word.

Jie Jingjue glanced around. ”Sister-in-law, where’s my brother?”

”In the kitchen.” Qin Mei raised her hand and pointed.

Only then did Jie Jingjue notice the kitchen light was still on. He walked closer to Qin Mei and looked at the items on the stone table. ”Sister-in-law, are you making medicine?”

”Yeah.” Qin Mei nodded.

”Sister-in-law, not to criticize, but you have all day. Do you really have to make medicine in the middle of the night?” Jie Jingjue asked, confused. ’Staying up late to make medicine in the courtyard, isn’t that going to wake everyone up?’

”I do.” Qin Mei looked at Jie Jingjue with a smile, her gaze fixed on the collar of his flashy shirt. A bright red lipstick mark was a glaring eyesore. After hesitating for a few seconds, she offered a piece of advice. ”Jing Wu, if you change partners too often, it’s easy to catch something.”

Jie Jingjue froze. His handsome face flushed crimson, and he became tongue-tied. ”S-Sister-in-law, I didn’t.”

Qin Mei shook her head. ”No need to deny it. I’m just your sister-in-law, not your wife. It’s your business who you see. As your sister-in-law, I’m just giving you a friendly warning for your own good.”

”Sister-in-law, I’m not denying it, because there’s nothing to deny! I really didn’t do anything, you’ve completely misunderstood,” Jie Jingjue said, desperate to explain himself.

Qin Mei pointed to the lipstick mark on his collar. ”The evidence says otherwise.”

Jie Jingjue glanced down at his collar. He stared at the lipstick mark, a dangerous glint in his eyes. ’Who... who did this? If I find out who it was, I swear I’ll kill her.’

”Jing Wu, take your sister-in-law’s advice. It’s time to settle down. Find a suitable woman, get married, and build a proper life with her.” ’She wasn’t even hoping he’d find a *good* girl. Jing Wu was such a philanderer that just finding someone *suitable* would be a miracle.’

Jie Jingjue was at a loss for words. Just then, Jie Jingchen came out with the heated food. He set it on the stone table and handed the chopsticks to Qin Mei.

Qin Mei took them and began to eat. ’Now that Jie Jingchen was here, it wasn’t her place to lecture Jing Wu.’

”Brother, is there any food left? I’m hungry too,” Jie Jingjue said, his head hanging in defeat.

”Yes.” Jie Jingchen didn’t even glance at his brother; he only had eyes for Qin Mei.

”Really?” Jie Jingjue’s eyes lit up, his sullen mood vanishing in an instant. ”You guys saved some for me?” he asked, touched.

Jie Jingchen shot his brother a sidelong glance and said bluntly, ”No. I saved it for your sister-in-law. She has a small appetite, and I made too much for her.”

Qin Mei pretended not to hear, focusing on her meal.

Jie Jingjue didn’t care. As long as there was food, he was happy. ’He’d even take his sister-in-law’s leftovers.’ He trotted gleefully toward the kitchen.

Seeing Qin Mei start to choke a little, Jie Jingchen said, annoyed with himself, ”I forgot to heat up the soup. I’ll go get it.”

”Jie Jingsi,” Qin Mei said, stopping him. ”I’ll just have some water.”

”Okay, I’ll go get it for you.” Jie Jingchen went back inside to pour her a glass of water.

When Qin Mei finished eating, Jie Jingchen took her bowl and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. He saw Jie Jingjue was still eating, so he placed them in the wash basin.

”Wash them when you’re done,” Jie Jingchen told his brother.

”Okay,” Jie Jingjue mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Jie Jingchen didn’t leave. He stood in front of Jie Jingjue, his dark gaze fixed on the lipstick mark on his brother’s collar. It was a real eyesore.

Jie Jingchen exuded an imposing aura that was impossible to ignore. Alarm bells went off in Jie Jingjue’s head. He quickly swallowed his food and asked nervously, ”Brother, is something up?”

”What your sister-in-law said...”

”I’ve taken it to heart!” Jie Jingjue interrupted, his survival instincts on full display.

Seeing Jing Wu so cooperative, the tense look on Jie Jingchen’s face visibly softened. ”See that you do.”

Jie Jingjue chuckled nervously and nodded furiously. ”Brother, it’s the middle of the night. You and Sister-in-law should get to bed. You have work tomorrow.”