Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Qin Mei opened the door and went inside. Seeing Jie Jingshan sitting at her desk, her eyes flickered, and she asked, ”Jing Qi, am I disturbing your studying?”

”Fourth Sister-in-law, you’re just in time. I can’t figure out this problem,” Jie Jingshan said.

Qin Mei moved closer to Jie Jingshan and took the pen she offered, patiently helping her with the solution. Jie Jingshan was very smart and had a great memory. Qin Mei only needed to explain something once for her to understand it and even apply the concept to other problems.

If Jie Jingshan were to attend school, she’d be a total star student—the kind who brings honor to her school.

”Fourth Sister-in-law, did you need to see me about something?” Jie Jingshan asked. Qin Mei wouldn’t normally disturb her when she was studying in her room unless she had a reason.

Qin Mei glanced at the wheelchair in the corner, then looked at Jing Qi and asked with a smile, ”Jing Qi, do you still use your wheelchair?”

”I don’t use it anymore.” Jie Jingshan shook her head. Aside from going out or for a short stroll around the courtyard, she didn’t need the wheelchair at all.

When she had been in the wheelchair, her sister-in-law would always take her along whenever she went out. Now that she no longer needed it, her sister-in-law left without her. Jie Jingshan couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

”Jing Qi, how about you give the wheelchair to me?” Qin Mei said. Jing Qi was so good at hiding her feelings that Qin Mei couldn’t guess what she was thinking.

”Give it to me?” Jie Jingshan raised an eyebrow, her gaze dropping to Qin Mei’s legs. ”Fourth Sister-in-law, what do you need a wheelchair for?”

”I’m giving it away,” Qin Mei replied.

Jie Jingshan didn’t ask any more questions and let Qin Mei wheel it away.

When Jie Jingchen saw Qin Mei moving Jing Qi’s wheelchair into their room, a look of dazed astonishment crossed his bewitchingly handsome face. Her idea was exactly the same as his.

Qin Mei pushed the wheelchair into a corner and patted it. Looking at Jie Jingchen, she said, ”Jing Qi doesn’t need it anymore. It’s a waste to just let it sit at home, so it’s better to give it to someone who can use it.”

Jie Jingchen smiled in understanding. The ”someone who can use it” Qin Mei was talking about was, of course, Old Zhang.

Old Zhang’s situation was a delicate one. If they bought him a new wheelchair, he would certainly refuse it. But they would feel more comfortable accepting a used one.

Jie Jingchen walked over to Qin Mei and stroked her hair, his eyes filled with admiration. ”Meimei, you’re so incredibly thoughtful.”

”Oh, cut it out.” Qin Mei remained level-headed, not letting herself get swept away by Jie Jingchen’s praise. ”I’m the one who amputated Old Zhang’s leg. Grandma Hua already gave me an earful about it. I can’t give him his leg back, so a wheelchair is the least I can do.”

”Grandma Hua did that on purpose to try and drive you away. Deep down, she’s grateful to you,” Jie Jingchen said.

Qin Mei shot him a look. ”Oh, so you’re the clever one? I’m not stupid. I knew perfectly well what Grandma Hua’s intentions were. Otherwise, when faced with her being so deliberately difficult and irrational, I wouldn’t have just reasoned with her. I would have hit back, an eye for an eye and blood for blood.”

”My wife is the smartest and most understanding person there is,” Jie Jingchen praised.

”But of course.” Qin Mei lifted her chin and puffed out her chest proudly.

With Granny no longer stirring up trouble and Xu Chunyan not around to be a nuisance, life became much more pleasant. Jie Jingchen personally taught her how to ride a bicycle. After half a month of lessons, Qin Mei, as expected, finally got the hang of it.

Granny Yu would take the bus to meet her, and then Qin Mei would give her a ride on her bicycle. They’d go to the homes of new mothers, where Qin Mei would perform lactation massages. She gave Granny Yu ten yuan for every client she referred. Motivated by the money, Granny Yu was full of drive. When business was good, she might introduce Qin Mei to three clients in a single day. Of course, there were also slow times when days would go by without a single job.

Lactation massage wasn’t exactly a grand affair that would benefit the entire nation, but it did solve a family’s worries. The mother could produce milk, the baby could eat its fill, and everyone was happy. Some people were green with envy, but her skills were genuine and she helped many families. No matter how jealous they were, no one dared to report her.

For one thing, reporting Qin Mei meant offending the Jie Family. But even setting that aside, Granny Yu herself was not someone to be trifled with. If you crossed her, she was the type to bring a small stool, plant herself at your doorstep, and curse you out for all to hear. Qin Mei was paying her a referral fee, and as the saying goes, cutting off someone’s livelihood is as unforgivable as murdering their parents.

By contrast, the second granny didn’t earn nearly as much as Granny Yu. For the medicinal plasters, Qin Mei still kept a strict daily limit. The second granny had suggested increasing the amount several times, but Qin Mei rejected the idea each time. Though disappointed, the second granny wasn’t angry.

Every so often, Ah Bing would come to the house with herbs he had gathered, and Qin Mei would buy all of them. Mrs. Xie had let Qin Mei use the room previously occupied by Jie Jingwei and Xu Chunyan for storing the herbs. All the money Qin Mei earned from her lactation massages and medicinal plasters went toward buying more.

As for the house she had bought near the train station, Qin Mei put Jie Jingjue in charge of it. She asked him to find a few reliable people to renovate it discreetly. She gave the finished blueprints to Jie Jingchen, since her drawing skills were so poor that only he could understand them.