Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”What could a blind person like me teach them? How to count beans?” Qin Mei leaned back against her seat. Seeing the little one sleeping so soundly in Jie Jingchen’s arms made the drowsy Xiao Duo look even more adorable, and she couldn’t resist poking the baby’s cheek.

”Meimei, don’t bother her. If she wakes up, I won’t be able to get her back to sleep,” Jie Jingchen said, looking at Qin Mei with doting eyes.

”Don’t worry. Her dad’s right here; he can put her back to sleep.” Qin Mei poked her again. The little one pouted and snuggled deeper into Jie Jingchen’s arms. Qin Mei thought she was about to wake up, but the baby just found a more comfortable position and continued to snooze away.

”I really can’t get her back to sleep.” And Jie Jinghun truly couldn’t. When the little one was woken up before she was ready, she had a terrible temper and a powerful set of lungs. She would either not cry at all or cry for a very long time.

Qin Mei felt the urge to call him out. ’What an irresponsible father. Spending time with your child is important. If you don’t accompany her now, she’ll grow up and won’t need you anymore.’ But then she recalled Jie Jinghun and Shen Qing’s situation. Their child was being raised by her maternal grandmother, and they couldn’t visit her mother-in-law’s house every day.

”If she wakes up, I’ll do it,” Qin Mei volunteered.

”You? You think you can do it? Do you even know how? You think just having breasts makes you a mother?” Jie Jingchen fired off a series of soul-crushing questions.

Qin Mei felt like kicking him. ’Just listen to the garbage coming out of his mouth!’

Realizing what he had just said, and remembering Jie Jinghun was also in the car, Jie Jingchen promptly shut his mouth.

Jie Jinghun, however, couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Feeling a sharp glare on him, he cleared his throat. ”Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, since you like children so much, why don’t you have one of your own?”

Jie Jingchen’s eyes flashed as he answered coldly, ”We can’t.”

There’s a big difference between ”can’t have” and ”don’t want to have.” Assuming Jie Jingchen was just being moody, Jie Jinghun decided to press the issue. ”Who says you can’t?”

”My mother,” Jie Jingchen said through clenched teeth, his tone frigid.

Jie Jinghun took the hint and didn’t press further. But then Jie Jingchen added, ”Why don’t you just give Xiao Duo to me?”

Give Xiao Duo to him? Jie Jinghun would never agree to that.

Qin Mei’s eyes lit up. ’They say childbirth is like a trip to death’s door,’ she thought. She already felt a connection with Xiao Duo. ’Who would say no to a ready-made daughter?’ ”I think that could work,” she said.

”Work? What do you mean ’work’? Xiao Duo is my daughter. The answer is no,” Jie Jinghun said, feeling the urge to stop the car and snatch his daughter right out of Jie Jingchen’s arms.

”I’ll pay you,” Qin Mei said.

Jie Jinghun’s expression turned grim. ’Taking money would be like selling my own daughter. What on earth made her think I had any intention of doing that?’ ”Wait a minute. Shen Qing and I are not divorced. My daughter has a mother and a father. Why are you two scheming to take her?”

”Maybe you’ll get divorced later,” Qin Mei said bluntly. ’With both of your exes circling like vultures, even the strongest marriage can’t withstand an attack from a former flame.’ Recalling the two times she’d spotted Shen Qing at the department store with an unfamiliar man, Qin Mei felt that Shen Qing’s defenses were already crumbling.

’When a couple divorces, the child is the one who suffers.’ Looking at the adorable Xiao Duo, Qin Mei couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity for her.

Jie Jinghun was so furious he was at a loss for words. ’This conversation is impossible,’ he thought. ’They always say it’s better to tear down ten temples than to ruin a single marriage, so why does it feel like Qin Mei breaks up every marriage she comes across? She wrecked things between Second Brother and Xu Chunyan, and now she’s setting her sights on me and Shen Qing.’

Qin Mei waited a long time for Jie Jinghun to respond, but he remained silent. She started to feel a flicker of exasperation. ’I’ve already given him a hint, and he’s still this slow on the uptake.’

’Do I really have to grab him by the ear and scream, ”Your wife has been meeting up with her ex! You need to get a clue!”’

”Third Brother, I think...”

”Second Brother and Xu Chunyan are divorced, and he’s already remarried. His new baby will be born in a few months, so no one’s looking after Xiao You. Why don’t you two take him?” Jie Jinghun cut in, interrupting Qin Mei.

Qin Mei was speechless. ’Does he really think I’m trying to convince him to give us Xiao Duo? I’m trying to warn him that his wife is about to cheat on him!’

’Take Xiao You? Am I crazy?’

’The first time Xiao You met me, he called me a homewrecker, his eyes full of hostility. But the first time Xiao Duo met me, she obediently called me Fourth Auntie.’

’Even if she and Jie Jingchen could never have children, they would rather grow old together, just the two of them, than ever take responsibility for Xiao You.’

’Under Xu Chunyan’s influence, Xiao You has already gone astray. He doesn’t understand gratitude. A child like that will just grow up to be an ungrateful brat, no matter how much effort you pour into raising him.’

”I’m sexist,” Qin Mei said.

”Sexist against women?” Jie Jinghun asked. ’That’s just old-fashioned misogyny.’

”I’m sexist against men,” Qin Mei snapped.

”Fourth Brother, your wife is sexist against you.” A sly glint appeared in Jie Jinghun’s otherwise gentle smile.