Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Suddenly, Qin Mei felt this matter was becoming difficult. She recalled the grand promises she’d made to Zhang Haoyuan and found herself in a bind.

”Um, that’s not what I meant. Is it really so terrible of me to arrange a job for Zhang Haoyuan?” Qin Mei asked, dejected.

Jie Jingchen stroked her hair, not lecturing her about the dire consequences as his father had. ”What kind of job do you want to arrange for him?”

”I’ll have Ah Bing take him up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs,” Qin Mei said. ’It’s the perfect use of his abilities. Gathering herbs is the most suitable job for him.’

”The Zhang family has a long history with traditional Chinese medicine. I’m afraid he’ll be the one leading Ah Bing, not the other way around,” Jie Jingchen said.

Qin Mei’s eyes lit up. The light wasn’t on, and in the darkness, she couldn’t see the expression on Jie Jingchen’s face. ”You’re not going to stop me?” she asked excitedly.

”Why would I stop you?” Jie Jingchen asked with a smile.

’Jie Jingchen definitely inherited his mother’s audacity, not his father’s timidity,’ Qin Mei thought. ”If I get into trouble, I’ll drag you all down with me.”

”What trouble could you possibly get into? You haven’t provoked the Zhang family,” Jie Jingchen said in a casual tone.

Qin Mei was baffled. ’What does he mean by that? I’m about to give Zhang Haoyuan a job. How is that *not* provoking the Zhang family?’ It felt like they were talking about two different people. She was talking about Zhang Haoyuan, but he seemed to be referring to someone else.

’Is he against this, or for it?’

”The person you’re helping is Qin Haoyuan,” Jie Jingchen said meaningfully.

”It’s Zhang Haoyuan,” Qin Mei corrected. ’He even changed the man’s surname.’

”Qin. Hao. Yuan,” Jie Jingchen said, enunciating each word clearly.

Qin Mei was stunned. Even she wasn’t dense enough to miss the implication. ”What do you mean?”

”Qin Haoyuan is your distant cousin. He went down the wrong path, which cost him his wife and child. Now, he’s seen the error of his ways and has left that place of heartbreak, Yangcheng City, to seek refuge with you in Shijiu City. Being from the countryside, he isn’t used to city life. He happened to run into Ah Bing, and they hit it off immediately. So, you’re entrusting him to Ah Bing, and they’ll go into the mountains together to gather herbs,” Jie Jingchen explained with a perfectly straight face.

Qin Mei listened, dumbfounded. He had fabricated a completely new identity for Zhang Haoyuan. ’Can that actually work?’

’Jie Jingchen’s mind really does work faster than most,’ she thought. ’His way of handling this is completely different from his father’s.’

”Will... will that work?” Qin Mei asked doubtfully.

”It will,” Jie Jingchen said.

”What about the letter of introduction?” Qin Mei asked. ”Without one, you can’t get anywhere. How could a fictional person possibly travel from Yangcheng City to Shijiu City?”

”Leave it to your brother. Let him figure something out,” Jie Jingchen said.

”Isn’t my brother on a mission?” Qin Mei asked.

”The mission is over. He’s already back at his base,” Jie Jingchen said.

”He came back alive?” Qin Mei blurted out. The moment the words left her mouth, she slapped it lightly. ”Tsk! I shouldn’t have said that. What a jinx.”

Qin Mei was overjoyed that Qin Xiang had made it back safely. The heavy weight on her heart was finally lifted.

”Don’t you worry about Qin Haoyuan’s identity. I guarantee I’ll get it all sorted out,” Jie Jingchen said, then added, ”But the fewer people who know about this, the better.”

That made sense to Qin Mei. ”We have to tell Old Zhang, Grandma Hua, and your sister.”

’If Jie Jingling doesn’t know, she’ll never be at ease. And if we don’t tell Old Zhang and Grandma Hua, they won’t be able to live in peace. Worrying about their son all day could shorten their lives.’

”Alright,” Jie Jingchen said. ”But you must remind them. They just need to know the truth internally. When it’s time to put on an act, they have to make it convincing.”

”Of course,” Qin Mei promised. Giving Zhang Haoyuan a new identity was a brilliant solution. As long as they weren’t exposed, everyone would be fine. She cupped Jie Jingchen’s face. ”Jie Jingsi, I don’t even know how to praise you.”

”You don’t need to praise me. You just need to...” Jie Jingchen leaned in and whispered in her ear.

’A reward. I must reward him.’

No longer holding back, Qin Mei gave him a passionate kiss.

And so, they made love, their passion so intense it seemed to make the very moon hide shyly behind the clouds.

With Jie Jingling in the next room, Qin Mei had the presence of mind to hold back at first. But she couldn’t withstand Jie Jingchen’s ferocity and soon lost all reason, sinking into passion with him.

The couple was rather loud, and Jie Jingling and Mrs. Xie were tormented to no end. Fortunately, both were experienced women, so it wasn’t awkward between them. Mrs. Xie regretted her decision to sleep with Jie Jingling. The young couple’s ruckus made it impossible to sleep, and several times she was tempted to abandon Jie Jingling and retreat to her own room.

They went on very late into the night. Mrs. Xie was amazed; her son’s stamina was truly formidable. Even when Xiao Mei was begging for mercy, he wouldn’t let her go. Mrs. Xie couldn’t help but mutter, ”What a beast.”

The next day, Mrs. Xie, having gone to bed late, couldn’t get up. Jie Jingling, an early riser, went to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone.

Xiao Wang arrived, parking his bicycle in the courtyard. When he saw no signs of activity, he was completely puzzled.

”And you are?” Jie Jingling asked as she came out of the kitchen. She didn’t recognize the man standing in the courtyard.

”I’m the factory director’s driver, Xiao Wang. You can just call me Xiao Wang, Ma’am,” he said with a smile. ’The director’s elder daughter is back.’ He’d overheard the director talking to Doctor Qiao yesterday. ’The director’s daughter came back without her husband, bringing only her daughter, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law.’

Seeing that this woman looked older than Doctor Qiao, Xiao Wang mistook her for Jie Jingling’s mother-in-law.

’Ma’am?’ Jie Jingling froze for a second, then smiled and introduced herself. ”Driver Xiao Wang, I’m the factory director’s elder daughter.”

Xiao Wang froze, mortified, and quickly apologized. ”I’m so sorry, I got it wrong. I thought you were...”

The more he tried to explain, the worse it got, so Xiao Wang simply shut his mouth.

Jie Jingling smiled, unconcerned. ”It’s alright. You’ve never met me before, so it’s a normal mistake.”

Xiao Wang gave an awkward laugh. The whole situation made him question reality. It also made him question the director’s moral character. The director had remarried, taking Doctor Qiao, a woman who looked younger than his own daughter, as his new wife. The director’s image in Xiao Wang’s mind took a serious hit.

”Driver Xiao Wang, please wait a moment. I’ll go get my dad,” Jie Jingling said, walking toward Mr. Xie’s room.

”Thank you,” Xiao Wang said. The car keys were with the director. Feeling restless waiting in the courtyard, he decided to step outside to wait.

”Dad,” Jie Jingling said, knocking on the door.

Mr. Xie opened the door, a briefcase tucked under his arm. He looked exhausted and his expression was grim.

”Dad, you didn’t sleep well?” Jie Jingling asked.

Mr. Xie hardly knew how to face his eldest daughter. Seeing her acting as if nothing was wrong, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, ”Where is your Aunt Qiao?”

”She’s sleeping,” Jie Jingling replied.

”Still not awake?” Mr. Xie was surprised.

”Aunt Qiao went to bed very late last night,” Jie Jingling said, looking a little uncomfortable. ”Should I go wake her up to go to work with you?”

”No need. Let her sleep,” Mr. Xie said. He felt a secret sense of satisfaction, wishfully thinking, ’She couldn’t sleep without me by her side. I couldn’t sleep either.’

Seeing he was about to leave, Jie Jingling stopped him. ”Dad, aren’t you going to have breakfast?”

”You made breakfast?” Mr. Xie asked, surprised. Jie Jingling nodded. He glanced toward the kitchen, then at his watch. ”I’ll skip it.”

Jie Jingling walked Mr. Xie to the courtyard gate. She watched as he handed the car keys to Xiao Wang, got into the car, and was driven away. Only when the car had completely disappeared from sight did she turn and go back inside.

She found Mrs. Xie awake, sitting up in bed and rubbing her temples. She obviously hadn’t slept well.

At her age, a poor night’s sleep really took its toll.

”Aunt Qiao, are you going to work today?” Jie Jingling asked with a smile.

”Yes, I am,” Mrs. Xie replied. Her mind still seemed a bit foggy as she looked at Jie Jingling. ”What are you doing up so early?”

’Neither of them had slept well. She doesn’t even have to go to work, so there’s no need to force herself to get up so early.’

”I’m used to waking up early,” Jie Jingling said with a smile.