Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

If not him, then who?

”No, no, I was wrong! I brought this on myself. Fourth Sister-in-law, it’s hot out here. You should go back inside and cool off by the fan.” Jie Jingjue just wanted Qin Mei to leave as quickly as possible.

When Qin Mei saw Jie Jingchen walking over, she didn’t want to get Jie Jingjue into any more trouble, so she turned and gave Jie Jingchen a beaming smile.

”I’m going to go see Mom.” Before the words were even out of her mouth, Qin Mei was already running toward the courtyard gate.

When she reached the gate, Mrs. Xie was no longer under the tree outside. ’She must have been called away to someone’s house for a medical visit,’ Qin Mei thought. Not wanting to go back inside, she stepped over the threshold and walked toward the tree.

Jie Jingchen didn’t rush after Qin Mei. Instead, he walked over to Jie Jingjue and looked down at him, his brow laced with a frosty severity.

Jie Jingjue played dead, but under Jie Jingchen’s silently intimidating pressure, he finally begged for mercy. ”Fourth Brother, I was wrong. I promise I’ll change.”

Jie Jingchen’s thin lips parted, releasing a voice as cold and spectral as a ghost’s. ”It seems to me you’re incapable of learning.”

Jie Jingjue felt deeply wronged. ’How am I incapable of learning? It’s the same mistake. Fine, I’ll just make it again next time.’

’Ever since Fourth Sister-in-law joined the family, Fourth Brother has rarely laid a hand on me. I thought he’d mellowed out after getting married. Who knew he was just letting it all build up.’

”This time, I swear I’ll learn my lesson! I absolutely promise I’ll change,” Jie Jingjue vowed.

The corner of Jie Jingchen’s mouth lifted into a barely-there curve as he raised his foot...

”AAH!” Mistakenly thinking Jie Jingchen was about to kick him, Jie Jingjue covered his head and let out a pathetic shriek. But Jie Jingchen was just taking a step toward the courtyard gate. Mortified, Jie Jingjue met his brother’s disdainful gaze and cracked an awkward smile.

When Jie Jingchen came out, he saw Qin Mei sitting alone under the tree, staring blankly into space. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice him approach.

”What are you so lost in thought about?” Jie Jingchen asked, sitting down beside her.

Qin Mei, startled, turned to look at Jie Jingchen. She rested her head on his shoulder, her voice tinged with a hint of melancholy. ”I miss home.”

Jie Jingchen froze. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. ’It’s my fault,’ he thought. ’I’ve been neglectful. She’s the apple of the Qin Family’s eye. After marrying me, I left her with my eldest sister for six months, and then I brought her here to Shijiu City. It’s been a year, and she hasn’t been back to her parents’ home once. Only Qin Xiang has come to see her. It’s only natural that she’s homesick.’

’Marrying someone far away isn’t like marrying someone local. When a daughter marries close by, she can go home whenever she feels homesick. But for a daughter who marries far from home, it’s much harder to make the trip back.’

Jie Jingchen made a silent vow. ’If we ever have a daughter, I will never allow her to marry someone far away. Her entire world will have to be within the bounds of Shijiu City.’

”If you miss home, then I’ll take you back,” Jie Jingchen said.

Qin Mei felt a sting in her nose. Her eyes reddened and welled up with a mist of tears, blurring her vision.

”I can’t go back,” Qin Mei said, her voice choked with a desolation that seemed to come from the very depths of her soul.

’The original owner of this body died, and my soul took her place,’ she thought. ’I don’t know if dying again would let my soul return, but I don’t dare to try. What if this body dies and my soul is just... extinguished? Then it would really be all over.’

’It’s best not to attempt something when you’re not sure of the outcome.’

”I’ll drive you back,” Jie Jingchen said, mistaking her meaning. He thought she was worried about the train ride; she got motion sickness on trains and buses, but not in smaller cars.

Qin Mei looked at him steadily, knowing he had misunderstood. But how could she possibly explain? She had none of the original owner’s memories and felt no sense of longing for the home she was supposed to miss.

’It’s true I get motion sickness on trains, but Jie Jingchen was underestimating the courage of a homesick person. When you desperately want to go home, never mind getting sick on a train—you wouldn’t even be afraid to walk the whole way.’

’The home she missed was *her* home, not the original owner’s.’

”It’s too far.” Qin Mei shook her head. The ”far” she spoke of wasn’t a matter of distance, but a span of several decades.

’The odds of returning suddenly were slim. However, she could live her way back. If she just lived for a few more decades, she would be back in her own time. It was just that by then, she would be old.’

”It’s not far.” Jie Jingchen squeezed her shoulder. He had his reservations about taking her back to her family. The secret about her that he’d tried so hard to hide would likely be revealed. But if she was this homesick, then they would just have to face whatever came their way.

Qin Mei knew she couldn’t explain it to him, and her bout of homesickness had already faded. She answered perfunctorily, ”We’ll see.”

”Alright. Whenever you want to go back, just tell me. I can take you anytime.” Jie Jingchen gazed at her, his eyes brimming with doting affection.

Qin Mei felt herself nearly drowning in his gentle, adoring gaze. Neither of them spoke. They simply sat shoulder to shoulder under the tree, watching the beautiful, dazzling afterglow of the sunset on the horizon.

It was a wonderfully warm and blissful moment.

In the distance, someone sat perched on the courtyard wall, sketching the backs of the two figures under the tree, capturing the tender scene on paper.