Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”It’s hot out here. Let’s go inside and chat,” Mrs. Xie said to Sun’s mother, her face wreathed in smiles.

Guests who came from afar were honored guests and should be treated well.

”You...” Knowing when to quit while she was ahead, Sun’s mother also plastered a fake smile on her face. She was struggling with what to call Mrs. Xie. ’Should I call her my in-law? But she isn’t Jie Jingling’s birth mother.’ In Sun’s mother’s eyes, no stepmother was a good person, so Mrs. Xie’s kindness toward Jie Jingling must be an act.

Jie Jingling’s father was a factory director. It was perfectly normal for a woman to pretend to be nice to his daughter just to curry favor with him.

There were a few wicked stepmothers in her village, and their viciousness made her shudder just thinking about it.

”Mom, this is my Aunt Qiao,” Jie Jingling introduced.

’Just ”Aunt,” not ”Mom,”’ Sun’s mother mused. ’Looks like their relationship isn’t as harmonious as it seems on the surface.’ ”Sister Qiao, a stepmother is still a mother, wouldn’t you say?”

”You’re right, Sister Sun,” Mrs. Xie replied with an accommodating smile.

”Sister Qiao, forgive me for being blunt, but you must be younger than Jing Ling, right?” Sun’s mother’s scrutinizing gaze darted back and forth between Mrs. Xie and Jie Jingling.

Qin Mei stared at Sun’s mother. ’What a masterfully crafted question.’ Her mother-in-law had been hostile toward Sun’s mother, but a comment like that could probably turn them from enemies to friends.

Mrs. Xie was taken aback for a moment, then she broke into a gentle smile. This was a roundabout way of complimenting her on her youth. ”Sister Sun, I’m forty-six.”

”Huh?” Sun’s mother was stunned. ”Jing Ling is thirty-three, and you’re forty-six? You’re only thirteen years older than her? Are you serious?”

Filled with suspicion, Sun’s mother carefully sized up Mrs. Xie, then compared her again to Jie Jingling. ”It can’t be. You must be lying.”

’Sister Qiao is forty-six? No way. I wouldn’t even doubt it if she said she was twenty-six.’

”It’s true,” Mrs. Xie said, grinning from ear to ear.

”Jing Ling, is it really true?” Sun’s mother asked, still in disbelief.

”It’s true,” Jie Jingling confirmed.

”Good heavens! That’s just unnatural! Sister Qiao, are you sure you’re human and not some kind of spirit who’s taken human form?” Sun’s mother slapped her thigh.

Everyone fell silent. They had expected Mrs. Xie to be offended at being called a spirit, but not only was she not angry, she took Sun’s mother by the hand and led her toward the main hall, looking as if they were long-lost friends who regretted not meeting sooner.

Qin Mei saw everyone heading to the main hall and started to follow, but Jie Jingchen pulled her back.

”What are you doing?” Qin Mei frowned at him.

”I should be asking you what you’re doing,” Jie Jingchen retorted.

”What do you think?” Qin Mei rolled her eyes at him. ”Everyone’s going to the main hall. If I don’t go, am I supposed to be making a statement or something?”

”Eldest Sister’s mother-in-law is so over-the-top. Didn’t you see how Mom was beaming at her flattery?” Jie Jingchen’s eyes were filled with disdain.

”She’s not that emotionally intelligent, and she wasn’t deliberately trying to flatter Mom. It was a genuine, spontaneous reaction,” Qin Mei said. ’Your mother can tell the difference between fake flattery and heartfelt words. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have pulled Sun’s mother into the main hall like that.’

Jie Jingchen said nothing. Qin Mei poked him in the chest. ”Jie Jingsi, search your heart. Can you honestly say Mom doesn’t look young?”

”She looks younger than other people her age,” Jie Jingchen admitted, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

”Just younger than people her age?” Qin Mei challenged. ”Your eldest sister is thirty-three, and your mom is forty-six. If they stand together and you ignore their actual ages, who looks younger?”

After a slight pause, Jie Jingchen said, ”My eldest sister.”

”Tell the truth.” Seeing him lie so blatantly, Qin Mei poked his chest with more force.

A complicated emotion flickered in Jie Jingchen’s eyes. He grabbed Qin Mei’s hand. ”My mom.”

’If you didn’t know the situation, no one would believe Mom is Eldest Sister’s stepmother. They’d be more likely to believe she was her younger sister.’

’When he went out with his mom, people who didn’t know them would assume they were brother and sister, not mother and son.’

Mr. Xie called Jie Jingwei out, intending to give him a harsh scolding. But when he saw Jie Jingchen and his wife standing under the eaves, his face darkened. ”What are you two doing standing here?”

Seeing her father-in-law’s foul mood, Qin Mei pressed her lips together and remained silent.

”Dad, this is the west wing. My territory.” The implication was clear: ’My house, my rules. You can’t tell me what to do here.’

Mr. Xie’s expression grew even darker. He glanced at Jie Jingwei out of the corner of his eye and was relieved to see his face was impassive. He then turned to scold Jie Jingchen, ”Your eldest sister rarely comes home. Instead of keeping her company, what are you doing just standing here? Posing as statues?”

”Dad, *your* eldest daughter rarely comes home. Instead of asking how she’s doing, what are you doing pulling Second Brother out here? To discuss his wedding?” Jie Jingchen shot back.

Mr. Xie gritted his teeth. ’This rebellious son has never once pulled his punches with me.’

The father and son traded barbs, neither backing down. Furious to the point of sputtering, Mr. Xie could bear it no longer and threw his shoe at Jie Jingchen.

Jie Jingchen made a move to take off his own shoe and throw it back, which nearly sent Mr. Xie to an early grave from sheer rage.

”You rebellious whelp, are you trying to start a rebellion?” Mr. Xie cursed.

”Dad, Dad, calm down! Fourth Brother, don’t be rash! Sister-in-law, quickly pull Fourth Brother back inside!” Jie Jingwei could no longer stand by and watch. If he didn’t intervene, they might actually start fighting for real.

Qin Mei made a token gesture of pulling Jie Jingchen, not expecting him to actually move. To her surprise, he went along with a single tug. Speechless, she had no choice but to pull him back into their room.

Qin Mei shut the door and glared at Jie Jingchen. ”We have guests, and you’re fighting with Dad like this. Aren’t you afraid of embarrassing yourself?”

’It’s normal for a father to scold or hit his son, but for a son to raise a hand to his father is an unforgivable offense. If word of this got out, isn’t he worried he’d be branded as unfilial?’

”Embarrass myself how?” Jie Jingchen asked.

The corner of Qin Mei’s eye twitched. She took a deep breath. ”Aren’t you worried about your eldest sister?”

”But you’re here,” Jie Jingchen answered, deflecting the question.

Qin Mei gritted her teeth. She really wanted to punch him. ”What good is me being here? Can I stop you from arguing?”

”You can,” Jie Jingchen said with conviction.

Qin Mei stared at him, her gaze flickering. She understood exactly what he meant. She gave him a push and walked toward the bathroom.

”Dad, please calm down,” Jie Jingwei soothed Mr. Xie.

Mr. Xie took several deep breaths to suppress his fury. ’This just proves it once again: the fourth one wasn’t born to repay a debt of gratitude, but to collect on a grudge.’

”Where’s your wife?” Mr. Xie looked coldly at Jie Jingwei, having almost forgotten his purpose in his anger at his fourth son.

”At the Lin Family’s home,” Jie Jingwei answered.

”Second Son, I’m not trying to criticize you, but your eldest sister came all this way for your wedding banquet. Xiao You is at Xu Chunyan’s place, and I can understand you not bringing Xiao You, but Lin Yaru is right there at the Lin Family’s home. How could you come back to see your sister without bringing her?” Mr. Xie was very disappointed that he had returned alone.

”Dad...” Jie Jingwei felt wronged. He had gone to the Lin Family’s home right after work and asked Lin Yaru to come with him, but she refused, using the excuse that she wasn’t feeling well. Not only did her parents not help him, but they also urged him to be understanding of the hardships of pregnancy. They said if she wasn’t feeling well, he shouldn’t force her, otherwise they would all regret it if something happened.

Jie Jingwei was furious but didn’t dare lose his temper with her parents. Besides, it wasn’t like anyone at home was eager to see Lin Yaru anyway. He was also worried she might do something crazy if she saw his fourth brother.

’They already had their marriage certificate, and the banquet was the day after tomorrow. She was carrying his child. If she lost face, he would lose face too.’

’The memory of Lin Yaru’s reaction the last time she saw his fourth brother was a direct challenge to his pride as a man.’

”Dad, it’s not like you don’t know. Yaru had a scare with the pregnancy last time. Our banquet is the day after tomorrow, so I just want her to rest quietly at the Lin Family’s home for two more days,” Jie Jingwei explained, offering an excuse.

Mr. Xie glared at him without a word. He couldn’t argue with the excuse about a pregnancy scare.

”Besides, Dad...” Jie Jingwei hesitated for a few seconds, glanced toward the main hall, and added, ”Aunt Qiao and my fourth brother and his wife don’t want to see Yaru at the Jie Family home either.”

Mr. Xie was rendered speechless. He knew his second son was just shifting the blame, but he couldn’t bring himself to scold him.