Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”Nanny.” Mrs. Xie opened her arms and ran toward the nanny, pulling her into an embrace. ”Nanny, I’ve missed you.”

”I’ve missed you too. It’s so good to have you back,” the nanny said, her voice choked with emotion. ”The Master and the Old Madam think about you every day. They’ve been waiting day and night for you to bring the children home.”

Mrs. Xie didn’t answer. She held the nanny for another moment, wiped away her tears, and then headed toward her parents’ room.

Qin Mei and the others stood in the hallway. Mrs. Xie had gone into the room without calling them, and since neither Jie Jingchen nor Jie Jingshan moved, Qin Mei naturally went with the flow.

Wiping her tears, the nanny’s gaze fell on Jie Jingshan’s legs. Shock gave way to elation. Mrs. Xie had called home to say that her daughter’s leg was healed. Everyone had been overjoyed to see the photos she sent. But now, seeing Miss Jingshan standing right in front of her, the nanny was so moved she wept with joy.

”Miss Jingshan!” The nanny rushed toward Jie Jingshan and pulled her into a hug. ”This is wonderful! Just wonderful!”

”Nanny Grandma, my sister-in-law is the one who healed my leg.” Jie Jingshan wasn’t used to being hugged so tightly, but she didn’t struggle or push the nanny away.

”I know. Your mother told me when she called,” the nanny said, her voice still thick with emotion.

’Nanny Grandma... what an awkward title,’ Qin Mei thought. ’If I remember correctly, people in Xiangjiang call their grandmothers *màma*. Then again, the Qiao Family moved here from Huaxia. Deep down, they probably still want to return to their roots someday.’

Watching the tearful nanny, Qin Mei couldn’t help but think, ’The Qiao Family has so much more warmth than the Jie Family.’

’When Granny saw Jing Qi was able to stand again, she wasn’t nearly this emotional.’

The nanny let go of Jie Jingshan and walked over to Qin Mei. As she drew near, Qin Mei instinctively took a step back, assuming the nanny was about to give her an enthusiastic hug as well. But to her shock, the nanny suddenly dropped to her knees. Qin Mei was stunned.

”Nanny.” Jie Jingchen let go of Qin Mei’s hand and moved to help the old woman up. ”Please don’t do this.”

”Eldest Young Master, please don’t stop me. The Eldest Young Madam is worthy of me kneeling to her.” The nanny pushed Jie Jingchen’s hands away, her knees giving out as she tried to kneel again.

”Nanny, please, you’ll shorten my lifespan if you do that,” Qin Mei said, dodging behind Jie Jingchen.

The nanny froze mid-kneel, looking at Qin Mei, who was peeking out from behind Jie Jingchen.

’This girl is so lovely,’ the nanny thought. ’With such a bright, clean face, she’s instantly likable.’

”You are worthy of it.” The nanny finished kneeling. ’In terms of status, I am a servant, and she is my master.’

”Nanny, we don’t really do this anymore,” Qin Mei said, peeking her head out from behind Jie Jingchen to look at the woman on the floor. ”If we were in Huaxia, someone would see this and report you in a heartbeat.” ’She has to be at least sixty. Having a sixty-year-old woman kneel to me? It’s a wonder my life isn’t getting shorter by the second.’

”This is Xiangjiang,” the nanny retorted.

Qin Mei didn’t reply. ’What am I supposed to say? That Huaxia will reclaim Xiangjiang sooner or later?’

”Nanny, my wife doesn’t really like this particular show of gratitude,” Jie Jingchen said in a lazy drawl.

The nanny looked at Jie Jingchen and asked reflexively, ”Then what does the Eldest Young Madam like?”

”Money,” Jie Jingchen said in a rapid-fire voice.

”...”

Qin Mei pinched Jie Jingchen’s side, hard. ’She *did* like money, but he didn’t need to announce it to the world! It made her sound so tacky. Well, fine. She *was* tacky.’

’Qin Mei wanted to shove Jie Jingchen aside and tell the kneeling woman to just shower her with cash instead. But then she remembered who she was talking to. The woman was a nanny; how much could she have possibly saved after a lifetime of hard work? Cheating a servant out of her money was just too cruel. She’d much rather scam Jie Jingchen’s grandparents.’

The nanny blinked, then her expression softened. She stood up and patted the nonexistent dust from her trousers, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a smile. ”I understand.”

Qin Mei frowned. ’Wait, what exactly do you understand?’

”Nan—”

”Xiao Mei.” Mrs. Xie was standing in the doorway, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She beckoned to Qin Mei.

Qin Mei’s heart sank. She let Jie Jingchen lead her by the hand, matching his steps. As Mrs. Xie disappeared back into the room, Qin Mei decided to give him a heads-up. ”Your mother is helpless enough to be asking me for help. It sounds like your grandfather really is knocking on death’s door.”

”I trust you,” Jie Jingchen said quietly.

Qin Mei looked up, glared at him, and said through gritted teeth, ”Oh, thank you *so* much for your trust.”

”Your medical skills are extraordinary,” Jie Jingchen said.

The corner of Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. She had no choice but to give Jie Jingchen a dose of reality. ”The elderly are frail to begin with. I was able to save Old Zhang because he only injured his leg. His internal ’components’ weren’t damaged, so an amputation was enough to save his life. But your grandfather is the head of the Qiao Family. He has private doctors and access to every health supplement imaginable. If he’s sick, it’s definitely a problem with his internal components.”