Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”Where’s Dad?” Jie Jingshan asked.

”Forget about him.” Mrs. Xie took a sip of her congee. Paired with the cold cucumber salad, it was whetting her appetite.

Jie Jingshan looked at her, wanting to say something but holding her tongue. In the end, she said nothing at all. It was best not to discuss such things during a meal; it would ruin everyone’s appetite.

A moment later, Mr. Xie came in with a grim expression. No one greeted him, so he had to get his own bowl and chopsticks.

Qin Mei finished half a bowl of congee and half a bowl of pumpkin and mung bean soup. The kitchen was too stuffy, and with everyone gathered around, even three fans weren’t enough to cool the air. She put down her chopsticks. ”Mom, Dad, Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, please take your time.”

Qin Mei was leaving the table just as Mr. Xie was sitting down, which gave him yet another reason to be displeased with her. But with his wife and fourth son both defending Qin Mei, he didn’t dare voice his opinion.

Jie Jingshan was full, so she also put down her chopsticks and left the table.

”Mom, Dad, Fourth Brother, please take your time.” Shen Qing left as well.

Jie Jingchen put down his chopsticks and was also about to leave when Mr. Xie called out to him. ”Jing Si.”

”What is it?” Jie Jingchen asked coldly.

Looking at Jing Si’s cold and indifferent attitude, a wave of anger washed over Mr. Xie. ’This son has such a rebellious streak,’ he thought. ’I’d really like to knock some sense into him.’

”What? Now that you’re married, can we only talk when there’s a problem?” Mr. Xie slammed his bowl and chopsticks on the table, the implication being that Jie Jingchen had forgotten his father now that he had a wife.

”Can’t you speak properly?” Mrs. Xie’s beautiful eyes were filled with displeasure.

”Wife, I’m disciplining our son. Can you please stay out of it?” Mr. Xie had a headache. Whenever his wife got involved, his authority as a father completely vanished.

”I wouldn’t stop you from disciplining our son, provided he’s actually done something wrong. But it’s obvious he hasn’t, so I won’t allow you to be so passive-aggressive with him.” Mrs. Xie fiercely defended her son.

Mr. Xie’s brow furrowed. He knew all too well how protective his wife was of their children. In his eyes, his son was wrong—completely and utterly wrong. But in her eyes, their son could do no wrong.

Jie Jinghun didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire of this silent war. He quietly put down his chopsticks, preparing to slip away unnoticed.

”Jing San,” Mr. Xie called out sharply, stopping Jie Jinghun in his tracks.

Jie Jinghun stopped and put on a gentle, refined smile as he waited for his father to continue. He didn’t dare provoke his father like Jing Si did. Jing Si had someone to protect him, but he didn’t. Jing Si had the luxury of being willful, a luxury he couldn’t afford.

Jie Jinghun sighed to himself. ’A child with a mother’s favor is a treasure, but one without is just a weed.’

Mr. Xie gave the two brothers a stern look, then ran his tongue over his back molars before speaking. ”Jing Er came to see me at the factory today.”

As expected, none of the three showed the slightest bit of surprise.

Mr. Xie looked at them, waiting for a reaction, but they remained silent. He had already started, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue.

”The apartment the machinery plant assigned to Jing Er isn’t great. It was barely manageable for him and Xiao You, but now that he and Yaru are married, the Lin family doesn’t want Yaru moving to the plant. As you know, Yaru is pregnant. The Lin family wouldn’t feel at ease with her living at the plant with Jing Er, and it wouldn’t be convenient for them to take care of her. To make it easier to look after the pregnant Yaru, they want Jing Er and his family to move back here.”

Jie Jinghun remained silent. He had no say in the matter; he was just an observer.

Mrs. Xie gave a scornful sneer but said nothing. Jie Jingchen’s gaze turned cold and menacing, making Mr. Xie feel a little unnerved.

Mr. Xie cleared his throat. Not daring to meet Jing Si’s gaze or look his wife in the eye, he fixed his imposing stare on Jie Jinghun. ”Jing San, what do you think?”