Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Qin Mei wasn’t afraid of the neighbors watching the spectacle. ’Have there ever been a shortage of scandals involving the Jie Family?’

Lin Yaru fell silent, hiding in Li Axiu’s arms and crying as if she had been grievously wronged.

”If it wasn’t him, was it Jing Er?” Li Axiu shrieked, throwing all caution to the wind.

”Go ask that wonderful son-in-law of yours! As long as he doesn’t twist the facts, you’ll have no grounds to be yelling at me,” Qin Mei shouted back.

”Stop shouting. You’ll hurt your throat.” Jie Jingchen gave her leg a gentle squeeze. ’Her voice will go hoarse if she keeps yelling like that.’

Li Axiu looked at Jie Jingwei and shot him a meaningful glance. The truth didn’t matter. As long as he said what she wanted, even if it meant lying through his teeth, she wouldn’t let Jie Jingchen and his wife off the hook today.

She hadn’t gone to the Jie Family to pick a fight, yet this couple had come to the Lin Family to cause trouble instead. This was outrageous! They were bullying them right at their own front door.

In the past, he wouldn’t set foot in the Lin Family’s home no matter how many times they invited him, but now he shows up unannounced.

Jie Jingwei felt utterly humiliated. All the neighbors were watching. How could he just lie? ’Knowing Jing Si’s personality, even if he didn’t beat me to a pulp, he would uphold justice and turn me in to the police without a second thought.’

’Jing Si has connections at the police station. If I get taken in, Jing Si will pull some strings behind the scenes, and it won’t matter if Dad begs for me.’

’Dad promised me the factory director position, but only on the condition that I don’t provoke Jing Si.’

After a moment of internal struggle, Jie Jingwei said to Li Axiu, ”Mom, let’s go inside.”

Hearing this, Li Axiu shoved Jie Jingwei in exasperation. ”How can you be so spineless? They came to our door looking for a fight and hurt your wife, and you won’t even stand up for her! You’re useless!”

Being berated by his mother-in-law in front of all the neighbors, Jie Jingwei was starting to lose face. ”Mom, it was Yaru who rushed forward to hit Jing Si’s wife. Jing Si just held his wife and dodged. Yaru fell and scraped her hand all on her own. How am I supposed to stand up for her? By beating up Qin Mei for you?”

Li Axiu gritted her teeth. ’Can’t he say the right thing at a critical moment? Is he an idiot?’ ”That’s still because they said something nasty to provoke Yaru!”

Li Axiu’s entire argument hinged on one point: her daughter was never wrong; the fault always lay with them.

Jie Jingwei looked up and rubbed the bridge of his nose, glancing at Jie Jingchen out of the corner of his eye. ”Qin Mei said... that Yaru is pregnant with a boy.”

Li Axiu was speechless.

’Were those nasty words? That’s clearly good news.’

Li Axiu suppressed the joy welling up inside her. She took a deep breath and said in a low voice, ”Jing Er, don’t mind the neighbors craning their necks to watch. They probably didn’t see how it started. We’ll insist that Jing Si was the one who hurt Yaru. If the police come, that’s our story. They came to the Lin Family to cause trouble, not us to the Jie Family. Besides, Yaru is pregnant and Jing Si is a man. With no proof, they’ll always side with the weaker person.”

Jie Jingwei’s face darkened. Unconvinced by Li Axiu, he yanked Lin Yaru out of her mother’s arms and strode toward the courtyard gate.

’If I do what my mother-in-law says, my life is going to be hell.’

”Jie Jingwei!” Li Axiu was furious with his attitude. ’He’s showing me no respect, completely disregarding me! No wonder Yaru’s heart belongs to Jie Jingchen. Even after marrying Jie Jingwei and getting pregnant with his child, Yaru still won’t let him touch her.’

”Let go of me!” Lin Yaru struggled, but she couldn’t break free from Jie Jingwei’s iron grip.

Li Axiu was terrified. Forgetting all about her argument with Qin Mei, she rushed after them. ”Jing Er, be gentle! Yaru is pregnant!”

Jie Jingwei turned a deaf ear and continued on his way. ’I want to be gentle with her, to cherish her, but with the way Lin Yaru rejects me, all I want to do is teach her a lesson.’

’A disobedient wife just needs a beating. One good, hard beating and she’ll learn to listen. This is the Lin Family’s house, so I don’t dare hit her, not to mention she’s pregnant. But once she has the baby, I’ll leave it with my mother-in-law to raise. I’ll take Lin Yaru and move into the housing assigned by the factory. Then, I’ll teach her a lesson she’ll never forget. I’ll show her exactly what I’m capable of.’

’He had never laid a hand on Xu Chunyan. For one, they had been in love with each other. For another, Xu Chunyan was excellent at reading his mood. The moment his expression soured, she knew not to cross the line.’

’Lin Yaru, on the other hand, was just asking for it.’

Li Axiu chased them into the courtyard and was about to slam the gate shut when she saw Jie Jingchen still holding Qin Mei. ”Carrying on like that in broad daylight! So shameless! You’re a disgrace to public decency!”

Jie Jingchen’s eyes hardened, a cold fury glinting within them.

”We’re a legal, loving couple. What’s the matter, jealous? It’s not like your daughter and son-in-law’s shotgun wedding. A forced marriage like that is doomed to be an unhappy one,” Qin Mei shot back.

Li Axiu choked, rendered speechless. She slammed the courtyard gate shut with a loud BANG, venting her frustration.