Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

A sharp pain seized Li Axiu’s chest. If Qin Mei got pregnant, forget the rest of the Jie Family—Qiao Yanqiu would surely treasure her.

”Qin Mei won’t get pregnant,” Li Axiu said.

Lin Yaru was stunned. ”Why won’t Qin Mei get pregnant? You mean there’s something wrong with her?”

The thought was a sudden glimmer of hope for Lin Yaru, who felt like she had been struggling on the brink of despair.

’Something is wrong with Qin Mei, she can’t give Jie Jingchen an heir.’ The news was so sudden it brought tears of joy to her eyes.

’Come to think of it, that made sense. It had been half a year since Jie Jingchen brought Qin Mei home. All this time, there had been no news of a pregnancy. She must be infertile. Even in another year or two, she probably wouldn’t conceive. By then, the Jie Family would surely cast her aside.’

Li Axiu shook her head. ”It’s not Qin Mei who has the problem. It’s Jing Si.”

The color drained from Lin Yaru’s face as she blurted out, ”Impossible! It has to be Qin Mei with the problem, definitely not Jing Si.”

Li Axiu was well-connected and had good sources. She was almost certain Jing Si was the one with the problem. Not only had Jing Si himself admitted it, but Doctor Qiao had also tacitly confirmed it.

”Jing Si injured his back on a business trip to Shanghai, and it left some side effects,” Li Axiu said, not directly stating that the side effect was infertility.

Lin Yaru’s heart plummeted. If the problem was with Qin Mei, she would be rejected sooner or later. But if the problem was with Jing Si... that would only happen if Qin Mei grew to despise him and took the initiative to file for divorce.

Because of Jing Si’s condition, Qiao Yanqiu would surely feel indebted to Qin Mei and treat her exceptionally well. And Jing Si would dote on her even more.

Lin Yaru clutched her head in defeat, muttering, ”How could it be Jing Si? How could it be Jing Si?”

Li Axiu knew this side of her daughter all too well. Yaru’s love for Jing Si was so profound that even after marrying Jing Er and carrying his child, her deep-rooted feelings for the other man hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

If her daughter hadn’t slept with Jing Er, she could have helped her fulfill her long-cherished dream. But how could she help now? One was a married woman, the other a married man.

”Yaru, stop pining for Jing Si. Just focus on building a good life with Jing Er,” Li Axiu urged. When Lin Yaru remained unmoved, she added, ”Yaru, think of it this way. For Jing Si to end up like this... isn’t this fate’s way of punishing him? It’s justice being served.”

Lin Yaru grew agitated. She grabbed Li Axiu’s arm, looking almost unhinged. ”Fate isn’t just! Jing Si shouldn’t be the one punished, Qin Mei should! That horrible woman ruined what I had with Jing Si! If he had married me, our child would be old enough to... Mmph—”

Li Axiu clamped her hand over Lin Yaru’s mouth and whispered a harsh warning in her ear, ”Yaru, stop your nonsense. If Jing Er heard what you just said, you’re the one who would suffer the consequences.”

”Mmph!” Lin Yaru slapped the back of her mother’s hand. ’Jing Er went to work,’ she thought. ’How could he possibly hear me? Unless the walls have ears and someone rats me out to him.’

’This is my home, not Jing Er’s. My parents are here. If Jing Er tried to hurt me, they wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.’

Li Axiu dragged Lin Yaru into her room and shut the door before finally releasing her. She warned sternly, ”Yaru, stop causing trouble! If you anger Jing Er, your father and I won’t be able to protect you. And let me remind you, your brother still hasn’t been allowed back in the city. You are forbidden from provoking Jing Er. In three months, once your pregnancy is stable, you will start fulfilling your duties as a wife.”

Lin Yaru’s voice was filled with grief and disappointment. ”Mom, you’re selling me out. You’re sacrificing your own daughter just so your son can come back to the city. You’re so biased. It’s not fair!”

”Sacrifice?” Li Axiu stared at her daughter in disbelief, clutching her chest. ”Did we force you to be with Jing Er? After what happened between you two, we made him divorce Xu Chunyan so you could marry him. You weren’t happy about it, but we didn’t force you then. But who knew you’d end up pregnant? If you don’t marry Jing Er, who are you going to marry? You got pregnant out of wedlock! You’ve brought utter shame upon the Lin Family! If this were a few decades ago, you would have been drowned in a pig cage for this!”

”You and Dad just wanted to use me! To leverage the Jie Family’s power to get my brother back to the city!” Lin Yaru shrieked hysterically.

”Lower your voice! Keep it down! Are you trying to make sure the neighbors hear everything?” Li Axiu smacked Lin Yaru’s arm. ’This daughter of mine is just too much,’ she thought. ’I wish I could just gag her or tie her up.’

”What? Afraid to admit it? You and Dad are selling your own daughter!” Lin Yaru paid her no mind, her voice growing even louder.