Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Second Auntie paused, then shook her head decisively. ”It’s not realistic. The Lin Family has a son. Even though he was sent to the countryside to be an educated youth, they’re still pulling strings to get him back to the city. The reason the Lin Family wants to marry their daughter into the Jie Family is so the Jie Family will help them bring their son back.”

Qin Mei was surprised. She hadn’t known about this. ’So it turns out the Lin Family has been scheming this whole time,’ she thought. ’They know perfectly well that Jie Jingchen is married, but they’re still fantasizing about him.’

Second Auntie added, ”The Lin family is so inflexible. Why insist on clinging to Jing Si? If they could just convince Teacher Lin to switch her target and lock down Jing Wu, it would be a better outcome than going after Jing Er.”

Qin Mei was taken aback once more. ’Wow, this Second Auntie’s mind is really something else!’

Honestly, that dolt Jing Wu wasn’t popular with the older generation. Parents would rather let their daughters become spinsters than marry them to him.

Then Second Auntie continued, ”Jing Er has a wife and son, and he isn’t even Doctor Qiao’s biological son. Jing Wu, on the other hand, is single and *is* her biological son. If Teacher Lin marries Jing Wu, she’ll be Doctor Qiao’s actual daughter-in-law. Even if Doctor Qiao can’t treat all her sons the same, she wouldn’t kick Jing Wu out. And even if she did, she’d make sure he was set up with a decent place to live.”

Qin Mei was left completely speechless. ’So this is the advantage of being born rich,’ she thought.

Second Auntie chattered on, growing more animated with every word. Qin Mei didn’t get a word in, simply listening in silence until Jie Jingchen came home from work, at which point the auntie finally took her leave.

Qin Mei felt rescued. She shot Jie Jingchen a grateful look and, trying to curry favor, handed him a slice of watermelon. ”Long day at work? Here, have some watermelon.”

”Hold on.” Jie Jingchen went to the bathroom first, then came out and took off his button-down shirt, leaving him in just his undershirt.

Qin Mei sat in her chair, enjoying the breeze from the fan and watching Jie Jingchen with a wide grin.

Jie Jingchen washed his hands and walked over to her. He took the watermelon slice from her and took a bite. ”This is really sweet. Did you buy it?”

”How could I have? I haven’t stepped out all day. Second Auntie brought it,” Qin Mei said, not daring to take the credit.

Jie Jingchen looked at the languid Qin Mei. She hated being too hot or too cold. The cold was an easy fix—he just had to hold her. The heat, however, was infuriating. Whenever he got close, she would complain about it. In bed, she kept her distance. He wanted to be intimate, but she always refused, using the heat as her excuse.

”Meimei,” Jie Jingchen said, moving closer to Qin Mei.

”It’s hot. Let’s maintain a cool, comfortable distance,” Qin Mei said, sticking her legs out to block him.

”Is it really that hot?” Jie Jingchen asked, feeling helpless as he watched her exaggerated reaction. She was dressed for the weather in a T-shirt and shorts, and the sight of her fair, smooth skin made him want to act on his impulses.

”It is. It’s really, really hot,” Qin Mei insisted.

”Meimei, how long has it been? Are you really going to make me look but not touch all summer long?” Jie Jingchen gave her a woeful look. He was a man accustomed to a feast, and being forced to fast was pure torture.

”Stop right there. Don’t always be thinking about that kind of stuff. In this heat, you should be free of worldly desires. That’s the key to a pure heart and a long life,” Qin Mei preached earnestly. She wanted to do *that* with him too, but it was just so incredibly hot. She couldn’t stand the heat; it made her so irritable she couldn’t even think about getting physical.

”I’m not some seventy-year-old geezer, and I’m not planning on becoming a monk! What do I need a long life for? What do I want with a pure heart?” Jie Jingchen glared at Qin Mei, his gaze scorching. All he wanted was his feast.

”Have some watermelon. It’ll cool you down.” Qin Mei offered him another slice.

”I don’t want watermelon, I want *you*. You’re the only one who can put out this fire,” Jie Jingchen said. He snatched the slice from her and, in a fit of frustration, tossed it into an enamel basin.

”I’m not as tasty as watermel—MMPH!” Qin Mei’s protest was smothered by his kiss.

Qin Mei already thought the fan was just circulating hot air. Now, being held and kissed by Jie Jingchen, the thin fabric of their clothes was no match for his body heat. She was soon drenched in sweat.

They hadn’t done anything more than kiss, yet both of them were already slick with sweat.

Jie Jingchen was breathing heavily, his large hand cradling the back of Qin Mei’s head. Their foreheads pressed together, noses touching, faces slick with sweat.

”See? Hot, isn’t it? What did I tell you? And you refused to believe me,” Qin Mei said with a smug, I-told-you-so look.

Jie Jingchen stared at her, at a loss for words. ’Was he really afraid of the heat?’ he thought. No, he was concerned that it wasn’t dark yet. If they were to get carried away in the living room and his parents came home, she would be mortified.

”What do you want for dinner? I’ll go make it.” Jie Jingchen let go of Qin Mei, turned his back to her, and put his shirt back on without buttoning it.

”It’s too hot, I don’t have an appetite. Just make whatever you feel like eating,” Qin Mei said, breathing a sigh of relief as she wiped the sweat from her face.