Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”Cousin.” A stubborn light flared in Xu Jiali’s clear eyes.

Looking at Xu Jiali, blinded by love, Mrs. Xie felt a pang of wistfulness. She herself had been even more stubborn back in the day. The Gao family had declined in recent years, but a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. They were on a level the Jie Family of Huaxia couldn’t hope to match.

Family background aside, in her parents’ eyes, Gao Qiang was better than Jie Jianguo had been back then. At least Gao Qiang wasn’t a divorcé. This was why the two elders didn’t stop Xu Jiali from dating Gao Qiang.

The two elders had extremely low requirements for the younger generation’s marriages. They didn’t care about social standing, only character.

Mrs. Xie looked at her parents and asked, ”Does Gao Qiang’s character pass muster?”

Disappointment in his daughter flickered in the grandfather’s eyes. His tone was resolute as he said, ”Better than Jie Jianguo.”

Mrs. Xie’s eye twitched. ’It’s been over twenty years, and we have three children. How can this old man still be so stubborn?’

”Dad, I’m talking about character, not his mari...” Mrs. Xie’s voice trailed off. ’Forget it, I won’t say any more. It’ll only upset Dad further.’

Her father despised Jie Jianguo from the bottom of his heart for being a divorcé.

”His character is also better than Jie Jianguo’s,” the grandfather said, his words tinged with spite.

The war of words between his grandfather and mother put Jie Jingchen on edge. A flicker of worry crossed his downcast eyes. ’Qin Mei is also on her second marriage. If Grandpa and Grandma find out, will they be able to accept her?’

Jie Jingchen became even more determined. ’I have to hide the fact that this is Qin Mei’s second marriage. It’s a good thing she has amnesia. Otherwise, she’d feel guilty in front of Grandpa and Grandma.’

”What are you worried about?” Qin Mei’s voice was barely a whisper, but Jie Jingchen was close enough to hear her.

Jie Jingchen glanced sideways, meeting Qin Mei’s curious gaze, and told a white lie. ”I’m worried Mom and Dad will get a divorce.”

Qin Mei narrowed her eyes, her expression telling Jie Jingchen loud and clear: *Yeah, right.* He was the one who got the biggest kick out of stirring up trouble between his parents. If they ever did get a divorce, Jie Jingchen would definitely deserve a large part of the credit.

Qin Mei shrugged and said nonchalantly, ”What’s there to worry about? If Mom and Dad get divorced, it’s either because their feelings have broken down or because a third party got involved.”

’If my in-laws do end up divorcing, it definitely won’t be because of Granny’s meddling. She might be able to ruin her other daughters-in-law’s marriages, but she can’t mess with Jie Jingchen’s mom’s.’

Qin Mei glanced at the furious-looking grandfather and shed a sympathetic tear for her father-in-law. ’The revolution has not yet succeeded; the comrade must still work hard.’

Jie Jingchen tilted his head, leaned on Qin Mei’s shoulder, and asked in a low voice, ”Meimei, if they really do get a divorce one day, who would we go with?”

Qin Mei shot Jie Jingchen a look and retorted irritably, ”Do you have a choice?”

”No.” Jie Jingchen shook his head decisively. If his parents divorced, his grandfather and grandmother would never let his mom stay in Shijiu City. They would force her back to Xiangjiang, even if they had to threaten their own lives to do it. ”Meimei, do you like Xiangjiang?”

”I do,” Qin Mei blurted out. Seeing the look on Jie Jingchen’s face, she thought for a moment and added, ”I like the air conditioning.”

’As much as she’d like to stay in Xiangjiang and be a rich man’s wife, she would much rather return to Huaxia to grow her business—the one she shared with Second Aunt and Granny Ning.’

Jie Jingchen fell silent, conflicted for a moment. ”Would you stay in Xiangjiang for me?”

”Would you stay in Huaxia for me?” Qin Mei asked in return.

”I would.” If Jie Jingchen had hesitated for even a second, it would have meant he didn’t love her.

”I would too.” Qin Mei pinched his cheek. Her words, however, were just to placate him.

They looked at each other and then burst out laughing. They were worrying for nothing, like a couple of fools.

While the grandfather and Mrs. Xie argued and the grandmother tried to mediate, Xu Jiali watched the pair whispering together. ’The man so handsome, the woman so beautiful. They’re a perfect match. I’m so envious.’

Xu Jiali got up, sat down next to them, and poked Jie Jingchen’s arm.

The smile on Jie Jingchen’s face slowly vanished. The corner of his lip curled, a hint of coldness in his expression. ”What do you want?”

Xu Jiali stared intently at Jie Jingchen, trying to read the emotion in his eyes. Biting her lower lip, she spoke with disdain. ”Jingchen, you’re a man. How can you lean on Xiao Mei’s shoulder?”

’Xu Jiali was worried Jie Jingchen’s head would crush Qin Mei’s shoulder. Thinking of that scene in the private room, she couldn’t help but shiver. There was no denying that other man was devastatingly handsome. If Jie Jingchen were willing to part with him, she would definitely take him in and add him to her private room 206.’

’Her older nephew’s sexual orientation was clearly a problem. Seeing how completely unconcerned Qin Mei looked, Xu Jiali didn’t know if she should give her a heads-up.’

’She was a loyal person, after all. Even though Jie Jingchen treated her horribly and was especially critical of her boyfriend, she had never once thought of selling him out by telling her grandfather, grandmother, and cousin about that time in the private room when she saw him affectionately holding another man.’