Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Qin Mei stood by the window, watching Jie Jingchen. The corner of her mouth twitched. ’When did this guy’s emotional intelligence get an upgrade?’

’These grapes are too sour. If they were as sweet as the ones from the future, I would’ve devoured them ages ago. They’re so sour that not even the birds will touch them.’

”It’s not that I was looking for her. I was just at the general store buying some things when a call came in for your wife. The shopkeeper asked me to pass on the message. They’ll call back in half an hour, so have your wife go take the call,” said Ma’s mother.

Jie Jingchen handed two bunches of grapes to Ma’s mother, who didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted them with a smile. Jie Jingchen then asked, ”Auntie, do you know who called?”

”The shopkeeper said it was your wife’s brother,” Ma’s mother replied.

”Okay, I understand. Thank you, Auntie,” Jie Jingchen said.

”Don’t mention it. We’re all neighbors. It was no trouble at all.” Ma’s mother left, smiling cheerfully while carrying the two bunches of grapes.

Inside, Qin Mei perked up her ears. ’A call from my younger brother.’ She had initially wanted to let Jie Jingchen go, but after a moment’s thought, she decided to go herself.

When Jie Jingchen returned to the room, Qin Mei was already fully armed. ”Let’s go.”

Jie Jingchen’s mouth twitched. She had changed out of her shorts and short-sleeved shirt into long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. She had even wrapped her face tightly with gauze, leaving only her two eyes exposed.

This woman who acted like she wanted to wear nothing at all at home had decked herself out like this just to go outside. Jie Jingchen was speechless. ”Aren’t you hot?”

”Of course I am!” But compared to the heat, Qin Mei was more afraid of the sun.

Qin Mei said a word to Jing Qi, then headed out holding an umbrella and fanning herself with a cattail fan. Jie Jingchen followed helplessly behind her. ’With a getup like that, she either looks like a thief or someone heading to the black market.’

Under the scorching sun, the neighbors who were home had no desire to go out, choosing instead to hole up inside.

They occasionally ran into a few people. With Jie Jingchen there, Qin Mei didn’t have to greet them. Jie Jingchen wasn’t a talkative person either, and the neighbors, well aware of his personality, would just offer a simple greeting before passing by.

Halfway there, Jie Jingchen remarked, ”We should have ridden our bikes.”

Qin Mei stopped in her tracks and shot Jie Jingchen a fierce glare. ’I can’t believe I forgot about the bikes when we left. We’re already halfway there. A little late for that suggestion, don’t you think?’

At the general store, Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen waited by the phone. After about ten minutes, it rang. Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen stared blankly at each other, neither making a move to answer. They weren’t sure if it was Qin Xiang calling. The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, picked up the receiver, and said, ”Hello.”

”Are they there?”

”They’re here.” The shopkeeper handed the phone to Qin Mei. ”It’s your brother.”

Qin Mei took it and chirped happily, ”Little Bro!”

Silence on the other end.

”Little Bro, I’ve missed you to death! When’s your next leave? You should come visit me! But, I think before you visit me, you should take a trip back home. You might be able to scrape together some ’love’ for me from Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, my other brothers, and my sisters-in-law.” Qin Mei stopped just short of explicitly saying, ”Give me money.”

The person on the other end was still silent.

Jie Jingchen’s face was a picture of helplessness. ’Is his family starving her, or does she lack for clothing? Does she really need to use Qin Xiang to scrounge things from her own family?’

The silence from the other end didn’t affect Qin Mei’s one-sided monologue in the slightest. She chattered on, spewing a stream of meaningless nonsense. The shopkeeper beside her was gobsmacked. ’Phone calls are expensive, you know!’

This was probably the first time she had ever encountered someone who took a phone call like Qin Mei. In the past, whether making or receiving calls, people got straight to the point. Pleasantries were skipped entirely. The main goal was to be as concise as possible to save money.

But Qin Mei did the exact opposite, filling the time with utterly pointless chatter. The Jie Family might be rich, but even they couldn’t afford to be this extravagant.

The shopkeeper looked at Jie Jingchen with pity. ’He married such a spendthrift. Even a mountain of gold wouldn’t be enough for her to squander. Without his parents’ help, I doubt Jie Jingchen’s salary is enough to support this money pit.’

Qin Mei talked for over ten minutes, until her mouth was dry, without hearing a single word in response. If not for the occasional soft cough from the other end, she would have suspected the line was dead.

’My little bro is acting weird today. I’ve said so much, and he hasn’t made a peep. Is this even a conversation? It feels more like my own personal stand-up routine.’

”Little Bro, are you there?” Qin Mei asked tentatively. For a split second, the worst-case scenario flashed through her mind: ’My brother’s been injured! He’s on his last breath, calling me for help, and here I am, just blabbering on the phone for over ten minutes!’

The person on the other end coughed lightly, his steady voice tinged with a hint of amusement. ”Little Six, it’s your eldest brother.”

Qin Zhao. Qin Zhaomei.

Qin Mei froze as if struck by lightning, her pupils contracting, perfectly illustrating her silent bewilderment. ’How am I supposed to respond to that? My stranger of an eldest brother.’

”What’s wrong?” A hint of worry colored Jie Jingchen’s amber eyes.

Qin Mei snapped out of it, covered the mouthpiece with her hand, and turned to look at Jie Jingchen with an indescribable expression. ”It’s not my little bro. It’s my eldest brother.”

Jie Jingchen was also taken aback and didn’t know what to say for a moment. Among the Qin Family, he was only familiar with Qin Xiang. He had never even met the others.

’So she just spent the last ten minutes rambling to the wrong person.’

”What do I do?” Qin Mei pleaded with Jie Jingchen for help, wanting nothing more than to just shove the phone into his hands.

”I don’t know. I’m not familiar with your eldest brother.” Jie Jingchen gave Qin Mei a helpless look and took two steps back to prevent her from forcing the phone on him.

’He and his younger brother-in-law were practically blood brothers; they could talk about anything. But he’d never even met his eldest brother-in-law. Expecting him to chat on the phone with a stranger—especially a stranger who was his eldest brother-in-law—wasn’t just putting him in a tough spot, it was setting him up for disaster.’

Watching Jie Jingchen’s reaction, Qin Mei felt he was completely spineless. ’When something like this happens, instead of stepping up, he backs off and gives it a wide berth. What do I do if I want to trade him in for a new husband?’

Qin Mei’s mouth moved, and she managed to say, ”I’m not familiar with him either.”

PFFT! The shopkeeper nearby was amused by Qin Mei’s words. ’So close with her younger brother that they can talk about anything, but so distant from her eldest brother that she’s at a loss for words? Who would believe that if you told them?’

The shopkeeper couldn’t help but chime in, ”An eldest brother and a younger brother, aren’t they both just your brothers?”

Qin Mei shot the snickering shopkeeper a speechless look. ’Anyone can make sarcastic comments. I’m going to file a complaint against her later.’

On the other end of the line, Qin Zhao didn’t press Qin Mei, patiently waiting for her to adjust to his identity. ’Amnesia... it’s really a pain.’

’How does a perfectly fine person just get amnesia after getting married? Qin Xiang wasn’t specific, but the Qin Family members aren’t fools. How could a perfectly healthy person lose their memory unless they injured their head?’

’Then again, her amnesia might not be a bad thing for Little Six. Especially after hearing from Xiao Wu that she’s like a whole new person after losing her memory—more mature, considerate, and quite likable.’

’But for the Qin Family, whether it was before or after her amnesia, as long as she was their Little Six, they would dote on her.’

”Meimei, don’t keep your eldest brother waiting too long,” Jie Jingchen reminded her. It wasn’t that he was worried about the phone bill; he was purely concerned that his eldest brother-in-law might not have much patience. After all, his younger brother-in-law certainly didn’t.

Qin Mei gritted her teeth. ’Jie Jingchen is useless.’ She couldn’t just hang up—that would be too rude. Taking a deep breath, she stiffly forced out two words. ”Eldest Brother.”

That ”Eldest Brother” sounded so forced, it was almost as if he were Jie Jingchen’s brother, not hers. Qin Zhao’s good mood soured a little. ”Little Six, is Jie Jingchen treating you well?”

”He’s treating me fine,” Qin Mei said, a little nervous.

Qin Zhao felt uncomfortable. When she thought he was Xiao Wu, Little Six had spoken so naturally. Now that she knew it was him, he could clearly feel how reserved she was on the other end of the line. ”As long as he’s good to you. If he ever bullies you, we’ll come to Shijiu City and stick up for you.”

”Thank you, Eldest Brother.” Qin Mei lowered her head, staring at the tips of her toes.

Qin Zhao’s mood sank even lower. Qin Mei’s attitude was so distant it made him want to punch someone. ’With Xiao Wu, she’s a chatterbox. With me, she’s a woman of few words. We’re both her brothers, how can I not feel slighted?’