Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

The sight of Qiao Yanqiu doting on Qin Mei was always a thorn in her side. She would fantasize, ’If Yaru had become Qiao Yanqiu’s daughter-in-law, would she have treated her with the same wholehearted devotion?’

Xu Chunyan held Jie You’s hand while carrying a tin of malted milk in the other, cheerfully making her way toward the Jie Family’s home.

”Ms. Xu, what brings you here...?” The neighbors, cooling off in the shade of a tree, all stared curiously when they saw Xu Chunyan leading Jie You by the hand.

”Xiao You missed his grandpa, so I brought him over to see him.” Xu Chunyan didn’t shrink away or look embarrassed. She greeted the neighbors with poise and even told Jie You to say hello.

The little one was quite haughty. He just tilted his head back and refused to greet anyone.

”Well, aunties, I’ll let you get back to your chat. I’m taking Xiao You now.” After Xu Chunyan led Jie You away, the neighbors began to whisper.

”Jing Er divorced her and married the Lin family’s daughter. To think something like this could happen... It’s a good thing the Xu Family doesn’t live in this alley. Otherwise, the Xu and Lin families would be like fire and water,” a neighbor said.

”Sigh!” another neighbor lamented. ”It’s just one of fate’s cruel jokes. Teacher Lin was in love with Jing Si, but he married someone else. In the end, Jing Er divorced his wife and married Teacher Lin. They tell everyone it was true love, but none of us are fools. We all know what kind of dirty business went down. We just keep it to ourselves out of neighborly courtesy.”

”Jing Er and Teacher Lin are holding their wedding banquet in a couple of days. With Ms. Xu bringing Xiao You to the Jie home now, we’re in for another good show,” an auntie in a floral shirt said, clearly enjoying the drama.

”A show at the Jie Family’s expense? You actually dare to watch?” another neighbor said sarcastically.

”Heh, I might not dare, but someone else does,” the auntie in the floral shirt said, waving her cattail fan.

”You mean Second Auntie.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

”So where is Second Auntie?” another, older auntie asked.

”Who knows? Second Auntie has been so elusive lately.” The neighbors all shook their heads.

Xu Chunyan stood with Jie You outside the courtyard gate. She gazed at the familiar yard, overcome with nostalgia. Her eyes locked onto the middle room of the south building—the room she had shared with Jing Er. The large, conspicuous lock on its door pierced her heart like a dagger.

’The one silver lining is that after we divorced, Jing Er was also kicked out and sent to the machinery factory.’

’If Jing Er and Lin Yaru lived in the room I had shared with him after they married, it would only make me feel worse.’

Xu Chunyan looked down at her son beside her. He was a timid boy, still too scared to sleep alone at eight years old. ’After Jing Er and Lin Yaru get married, will Lin Yaru agree to let our son sleep with them? Obviously not.’

’Lin Yaru is pregnant, too. If Mom is right and she gives Jing Er a son, what will happen to my Xiao You?’

Slowly, the heartache and bitterness in Xu Chunyan’s eyes gave way to a cold viciousness. ’Jing Er and I loved each other deeply. He was forced to divorce me because of threats from the Lin family. As long as Lin Yaru can’t give him a child, we’ll still have Xiao You as a bond between us. One day, Jing Er will divorce Lin Yaru and come back to me.’

”Mama, why aren’t we going inside?” Jie You asked, tilting his head and looking up at her with wide, confused eyes.

In Jie You’s heart, this was his home.

The vicious glint in her eyes vanished. Xu Chunyan forced a gentle smile and patted Xiao You’s head. ”Xiao You, call out for your grandpa. Loudly.”

Jie You obediently did as he was told this time, shouting at the top of his lungs, ”Grandpa!”

Hearing Jie You’s voice, Jie Jingchen came out of the kitchen to check. But upon seeing Xu Chunyan leading Jie You into the courtyard, he immediately turned around and went back to cooking.

”Fourth Uncle!” The moment Jie You saw Jie Jingchen, he yanked his hand free from Xu Chunyan’s and bolted toward the kitchen.

Neither Jing Qi nor Qin Mei came out of their room, and Jie Jingchen had pointedly ignored her, but Xu Chunyan didn’t feel awkward at all. Aside from bringing Xiao You to see his grandfather, she had another objective: finding Qin Mei.

Xu Chunyan walked directly into Qin Mei’s room. Qin Mei was in the middle of bookkeeping. Seeing Xu Chunyan enter, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, and she closed her ledger.

”Dad isn’t home from work yet. You can wait for him in the courtyard,” Qin Mei said, her voice devoid of emotion.

”I’m not looking for Dad. I’m looking for you.” Xu Chunyan’s eyes scanned the room. ’Qiao Yanqiu is so biased,’ she thought. ’The furniture she bought for Jing Si is the best of the best, but what she got for Jing Er was so half-hearted.’

This was purely a product of Xu Chunyan’s own mind. Qiao Yanqiu had treated everyone equally when furnishing the home. But in Xu Chunyan’s heart, she was convinced Qiao Yanqiu showed favoritism. She even suspected that the items bought for her were inferior to the ones given to Shen Qing.

”What for?” Qin Mei raised an eyebrow. ’A visit from Xu Chunyan could never be good news.’

Xu Chunyan had changed a great deal. She looked utterly haggard, and the light in her eyes was gone.

If the Xu Chunyan of the past had been radiant, the woman before her now was like a wilted flower that had lost all its sheen.

’The divorce has clearly done a number on her,’ Qin Mei mused, but it was an observation, not sympathy. She felt no pity for Xu Chunyan. ’She brought this all on herself.’

’We were sisters-in-law, living in the same courtyard. I hadn’t expected us to treat each other like honored guests, but was it too much to ask that we just mind our own business? Apparently, it was for Xu Chunyan. She just had to scheme, had to cause trouble for me, had to try and push Lin Yaru and Jie Jingchen together using the most despicable means. Well, I’m no saint myself. When someone is trying to take a crap on your head, you don’t just stand there and take it.’

’If I kept on enduring it, I’d become a spineless turtle. I hadn’t really fought back; I just let Xu Chunyan suffer the consequences of her own actions.’

’Xu Chunyan was the instigator, so she was far from innocent. Lin Yaru was the one who acted on it and reaped the benefits, making her even more guilty. As for Jie Jingwei... well, he wasn’t my husband, so I couldn’t care less about his problems.’

’Faced with the Lin Family’s threats, he’d cut ties with Xu Chunyan in a heartbeat. Utterly selfish. He was no prize, that one. It just proved the old saying: husband and wife are like birds in the same wood—when calamity strikes, they fly their separate ways.’

”Jing Er and Lin Yaru got married. And she’s pregnant,” Xu Chunyan said.

Qin Mei froze. ’Lin Yaru’s pregnancy... Weren’t the Lin and Jie families the only ones who knew? How did Xu Chunyan find out?’

’Getting pregnant out of wedlock was a disgrace. The Lin family wouldn’t be broadcasting it, not if they cared about Lin Yaru’s reputation.’

”Comrade Xu Chunyan,” Qin Mei began, her tone disinterested, ”Second Brother divorced you so he could marry Lin Yaru, didn’t he? Is it really so strange that she’s pregnant?”

Xu Chunyan took a deep breath. ”Everyone knows Lin Yaru has feelings for Jing Si. Now she’s married Jing Er, making you two sisters-in-law. How do you plan to get along?”

Qin Mei’s almond eyes were deep pools as she looked at Xu Chunyan. ”I’ll interact with her as I see fit.”

”You...” Xu Chunyan was infuriated by Qin Mei’s indifferent attitude. ’Here I am, willing to forget our past grievances and work with her, and she’s the one putting on airs!’

Xu Chunyan took another deep breath to quell her rage. ”Qin Mei, do you know what a win-win is?”

”Sorry, I must be illiterate, because I haven’t a clue.” Qin Mei’s sharp tongue could be lethal. Xu Chunyan’s intentions were obvious—she was here to propose an alliance, a so-called ”win-win.”

’Tch! Only the weak need partners,’ Qin Mei thought. She considered herself strong; she had no need to form factions. ’Besides, even if I did need help, the last person I’d turn to is Xu Chunyan.’

’Working with her meant risking a knife in the back.’

Swallowing her anger, Xu Chunyan said solemnly, ”I know Lin Yaru. Her obsession with Jing Si is deep-seated. Even married to Jing Er, even after giving him a child, she won’t give up on Jing Si. Proximity gives her an advantage.”

”I’m standing guard. She won’t get far. I’ll kick her to the curb without a moment’s hesitation.” Qin Mei’s expression was perfectly placid, like the surface of a still lake without a single ripple.

Completely impervious. Xu Chunyan was furious. ”If we cooperate—”

”We can’t,” Qin Mei cut her off.

”I haven’t even finished my proposal and you’re already shooting it down! You’ll regret this,” Xu Chunyan said, on the verge of losing her composure.

”The enemy of my enemy can be my friend,” Qin Mei reminded her. ”But, Comrade Xu, we do not share a common enemy.”