Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”After the stunt you just pulled, do you think the Jie Family will still have you?” Sun’s mother asked coldly. ’This time, Ah Xiang couldn’t stay. Her original plan was for them to go back, wait a while, and then she’d find a way to get Ah Xiang to return and even make the Jie Family take her in. But now... great. After the scene Ah Xiang had caused, they’d probably shut the door in her face even if she did come back.’

”I didn’t expect the person in the bathroom to be...”

”Shut up,” Sun’s mother snapped, poking Sun Dexiang on the head. ”What did you promise me?”

”But weren’t you just making a fuss, demanding he take responsibility for me?” Sun Dexiang asked, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

”I had no choice! What else was I supposed to do but go along with it?” ’Sun’s mother really felt like throttling her daughter.’

”Mom, what do we do now?” Sun Dexiang asked, her head hanging low. ’This was utterly humiliating. What would the Jie Family think of her now? If she weren’t so thick-skinned, she wouldn’t have the face to stay here a moment longer.’

”What else can we do? We’re going home,” Sun’s mother said, glaring at Sun Dexiang. ’We’ll figure out a long-term plan once we’re back.’

”I don’t want to go home,” Sun Dexiang said, unwilling to accept it.

”You’re going back whether you want to or not. Go pack your things.” Sun’s mother’s stomach rumbled. She rubbed it, then shamelessly went to eat breakfast.

After breakfast, Jie Jingling left with Sun’s mother, Sun Dexiang, and Sun Tong. Qin Mei offered to see them off at the train station, but Jie Jingling declined.

Back in the room, Qin Mei sprawled on her desk, the fan blowing on her, feeling completely listless.

Jie Jingchen came into the room and saw the listless Qin Mei. He sat down beside her. ”Meimei,” he said, ”how about I take some extended leave, and we can go visit my eldest sister?”

Qin Mei grabbed Jie Jingchen’s hand and glanced at her watch. ”Your sister hasn’t even boarded the train yet.”

Jie Jingchen said nothing. ’He’d only made a casual suggestion, but she’d taken him seriously. Truth be told, he really didn’t want to go to the Sun Family’s home, especially with Sun Dexiang eyeing him like a predator.’

’After what happened this morning, if he’d been the one in the bathroom, he would’ve been completely unable to defend himself.’

”Or,” Qin Mei suggested, ”you could take extended leave, and we could go visit my family.”

”I can’t take extended leave,” Jie Jingchen refused flatly.

Qin Mei’s brows knitted together slightly as she studied Jie Jingchen with a scrutinizing gaze. He hid it well, though, and she couldn’t spot anything obvious. It was precisely this that made her feel something was off. He seemed incredibly resistant to the idea of visiting her family.

Qin Mei blinked and asked tentatively, ”Jie Jingsi, are you afraid of meeting your in-laws?”

”I am a little scared, yes,” Jie Jingchen admitted freely. ’It was a classic trope, wasn’t it? The pressure a son-in-law feels when meeting his in-laws.’

’He’s actually scared? It’s hard to believe. This is the same guy who’s not afraid to sass his own father and grandmother, yet he’s intimidated by his in-laws? How bizarre.’

”Why?” Qin Mei’s interest was piqued. ’There’s a hidden story here. There’s definitely a hidden story.’

”Their daughter is just too wonderful. I’m afraid they’ll think I’m not good enough for you,” Jie Jingchen said, reaching out to stroke her head, his amber eyes full of adoration.

Everyone loves to hear sweet talk, and Qin Mei was no exception.

Qin Mei patted Jie Jingchen on the shoulder and beamed. ”Not bad. Very self-aware. I like it.”

’It wasn’t that Qin Mei really wanted to go home. They were the parents of this body’s original owner, and she had none of those memories. She couldn’t find her way home, let alone recognize her own parents if they were standing right in front of her.’

’Jie Jingchen didn’t pay much mind to her previous words, but those two little words, ”I like it,” made his heart blossom with joy. If she had only added ”you” to the end, he would have been over the moon.’

’They had been married for a year, living together for six months, and they were compatible in bed. He had poured his heart out to her, but Qin Mei had never once seriously told him she liked him. Not even when, in the heat of the moment, he pressed her until she was forced to say the words he longed to hear.’

’But those words always sounded forced. In their day-to-day life, they never talked about feelings or love, which left him feeling insecure, with that constant, frustrating fear of losing her.’

Jie Jingchen rubbed his face in frustration. ”Meimei...”

”Fourth Wife of Jing!” Ma’s mother’s voice called out from outside the courtyard.

’Qin Mei wasn’t close with many of her neighbors. Take the people in the next courtyard, for example. She was only close with the Second Aunt herself. She was barely acquainted with Granny Guo and didn’t know Ma’s mother at all.’

Qin Mei glanced out the window at the sun, then said to Jie Jingchen, ”You go see what she wants.”

”She’s here for you, not me.” Despite his words, Jie Jingchen was tactful enough to get up and head outside.

Ma’s mother didn’t enter the courtyard, just stood at the gate. Seeing Jie Jingchen emerge, she asked, ”Jing Si, where’s your wife?”

”Aunty, my wife’s in the bathroom. Did you need something?” Jie Jingchen asked, walking over to the grape trellis. He plucked two bunches of grapes and brought them over to Ma’s mother.