Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

His wife could sleep in the next day, but he had to go to work. Besides, pulling an all-nighter was bad for one’s health.

Jie Jingchen was miserable but couldn’t complain. Whether or not he went back to the room to sleep wasn’t his decision to make.

He wasn’t sure what kind of medicine Qin Mei was concocting, but since she was in such a hurry to make it before Qin Xiang left, it had to be something potent.

Jie Jingchen wondered, ’If I hadn’t retired and were still in the military, would Qin Mei rush to make medicine for me like this before a mission?’

Jie Jingchen stepped out of the kitchen and, by the light spilling into the courtyard, watched the figure sitting there. He was even jealous of Qin Xiang—and they were her own brother and sister.

A bitter smile touched his lips. Jie Jingchen shook his head and walked past Qin Xiang’s room. The lights were out, but he knew Qin Xiang wasn’t asleep. He was probably standing at the window at this very moment, watching Qin Mei in the courtyard.

Qin Xiang had no idea that Qin Mei was so engrossed in making medicine for him that she was forgoing food and rest. And Jie Jingchen had no intention of telling him. ’Let him be miserable.’

Jie Jingchen went back inside and returned with a military-issue greatcoat, which he draped over Qin Mei’s shoulders.

”I’m not cold,” Qin Mei said, trying to refuse.

”Keep it on,” Jie Jingchen insisted.

Qin Mei furrowed her brow but relented, allowing Jie Jingchen to settle the greatcoat on her. He even thoughtfully pulled it tighter around her.

An hour later, Qin Mei had finished concocting four pills. ”Mission accomplished!” she declared, overjoyed.

Jie Jingchen was dumbfounded. After all that frantic effort, she had only made four pills? ’The yield is ridiculously low.’

”Jie Jingsi, don’t you underestimate these four pills,” Qin Mei said smugly. ”These are Life-saving Pills.”

”Life-saving Pills?” Jie Jingchen was stunned, half in disbelief.

”I had two already, so with these four, that makes six,” Qin Mei said excitedly. ”If I give these six Life-saving Pills to my brother, it’s no exaggeration to say I’m giving him six extra lives.”

”For real?” Jie Jingchen still found it hard to believe. He didn’t doubt Qin Mei’s medical expertise, but were the pills really that magical?

Jie Jingchen picked one from Qin Mei’s palm and examined it closely. It looked no different from the other little pills she normally made.

”If you’re on the brink of death, one of these pills can keep you alive for three days. As long as I can treat you within that three-day window, you have a ninety-percent chance of survival,” Qin Mei said, full of confidence. ’Bringing the dead back to life is impossible, but as long as you’re not dead yet, preserving your life for three days is doable.’

”And if they don’t get treatment from you within three days?” Jie Jingchen asked.

”Stone-cold dead,” Qin Mei replied, her brow knitted as she uttered the three words.

Jie Jingchen fell silent for a long moment. Then, with a grave expression, he asked Qin Mei, ”Meimei, would you be willing to hand over the formula?”

The corner of Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. She knew what he was thinking. ’Such a noble sense of duty!’ ”Even if I wanted to hand over the formula, it can’t be mass-produced.”

”Why?” Jie Jingchen asked in confusion.

”One of the herbs is extremely hard to find, and then there’s the medicinal catalyst...” Qin Mei didn’t continue. She didn’t trust Jie Jingchen enough to reveal all her secrets without holding back. Forget Jie Jingchen; she wouldn’t even tell Jie Jingling everything.

He could tell she was holding back. Jie Jingchen was a little disappointed, but he wasn’t angry.

Qin Mei snatched the pill Jie Jingchen had been fiddling with, placed it in a small vial, and got to her feet. She stood up too abruptly, and a wave of dizziness made her stagger.

”Meimei!” Jie Jingchen jumped to his feet and steadied her, his eyes overflowing with concern.

”I’m fine.” Qin Mei waited a moment for the feeling to pass before pushing Jie Jingchen away.

Jie Jingchen still looked unconvinced, so Qin Mei did a little spin in front of him. ”See? I’m really fine. I just got light-headed from standing up too quickly. It’s gone now.”

The military greatcoat slid from her shoulders. Qin Mei froze for a moment, then bent to retrieve it, but Jie Jingchen beat her to it, picking it up and draping it back over her.

Qin Mei smiled and walked toward the house. Jie Jingchen let out a breath of relief, thinking she was finally going to bed. He switched off the light in the courtyard and followed her inside, only to find her rummaging through drawers and cabinets for something.

Jie Jingchen didn’t ask questions or try to stop her; he simply sat on the edge of the bed and watched.

Qin Mei was being meticulous. For each medicine, she wrote down its purpose, dosage, and instructions on a small slip of paper, which she then tucked into the corresponding vial. All in all, there were more than a dozen vials of various sizes.

As Jie Jingchen watched Qin Mei’s bustling figure, he was overcome with jealousy and envy.

’His own wife is busy doing all this for Qin Xiang.’ Jie Jingchen was perplexed. ’Does Qin Xiang really need that many medicines?’

”Meimei, you’re giving him so many medicines. If he doesn’t end up using them, it’ll be a waste,” Jie Jingchen couldn’t resist saying.

Qin Mei shot him a cold glare. ”When it comes to medicine, it’s better to have it and not need it. I’d rather it all went past its expiration date than for him to ever have to use it—especially the Life-saving Pills.”

Jie Jingchen was left speechless.

Qin Mei put the vials into a cloth bag and cheerfully left the room. Jie Jingchen didn’t stop her. ’Qin Xiang is still awake, anyway,’ he thought. ’Better to give it to him now than to wait until morning.’