Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”Go on, be careful,” Qin Mei urged. She had no intention of stopping Jie Jingchen.

Jie Jingchen ran a few steps before turning back. He pulled a key from his pocket and pressed it into Qin Mei’s hand. ”You take the bike. Don’t worry about me, just ride straight home. Go slowly so you don’t fall.”

”Okay.” Qin Mei nodded obediently.

Jie Jingchen cupped her face and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. ”Be a good girl and wait for me at home.”

Qin Mei was a little speechless. ’How unreliable does he think I am? Does he really need to remind me a thousand times?’

About ten minutes later, Qin Mei was riding the bicycle home. It was Jie Jingchen’s bike, and given the height difference between them, she found it a little difficult to ride.

After such a long ordeal, Qin Mei was exhausted. All she wanted was to go home, take a shower, and collapse onto her bed.

As she passed the state-run restaurant, Qin Mei saw a familiar figure emerge. The person was carrying two net bags, each holding several aluminum lunch boxes.

Qin Mei braked and raised a hand to greet her, but Shen Qing didn’t look her way. Shen Qing hung the net bags on her handlebars, got on her own bicycle, and rode off. If she had just glanced back, she would have seen Qin Mei, but she never did.

Qin Mei lowered her hand back to the handlebar, her mind filled with suspicion. ’Why is Shen Qing here?’

Qin Mei hadn’t been surprised to see Jie Jinghun at the police station. Since Jie Jingchen had been arrested as a human trafficker, it made sense he would call Jie Jinghun to come and bail him out.

She remembered the first time her mother-in-law had taken her to the black market. They’d had the misfortune of running into a patrol and getting arrested for speculation and profiteering. It was Jie Jinghun who had gotten them out.

Jie Jinghun had just left, and now Shen Qing was leaving too. ’Shen Qing bought so much food at the state-run restaurant. Didn’t she get enough to eat at the banquet? She can’t possibly eat all that by herself. It must be for...’

’It’s none of my concern.’

Then, an image of the adorable Jie Duo floated into her mind. If Jie Jinghun and Shen Qing were truly divorced, Jie Duo would be the one to suffer the most, especially if they both remarried. A new stepdad for one home, a new stepmom for the other.

Qin Mei recalled a song lyric: ”Mama has a home, Papa has a home, and I’m left all alone, like I’m just in the way...”

Qin Mei took a deep breath. ’For Jie Duo’s sake, I can’t just stand by and do nothing. I have to find a way to convince Shen Qing to see the error of her ways.’

Qin Mei started following Shen Qing. She didn’t try to hide, just rode normally while maintaining a fair distance. If Shen Qing had looked back, she would have easily spotted her. In fact, Qin Mei was hoping Shen Qing would notice she was being followed.

But as it turned out, Shen Qing remained completely oblivious the entire time.

Qin Mei was frustrated. ’Shen Qing is usually so sharp. How could she be so careless today?’

Qin Mei had assumed Shen Qing was heading to the outskirts for a romantic picnic with her old flame, but instead, she arrived at the hospital.

’Is Shen Qing’s old flame sick and in the hospital?’ Qin Mei wondered, parking her bicycle but forgetting to lock it.

Qin Mei tailed her all the way to the third floor. She stopped only when she saw Shen Qing enter her mother-in-law’s office.

Just then, a group of people Qin Mei recognized came noisily down the hall, heading for her mother-in-law’s office.

It was Jie Jianjun and his wife, Jie Jianye and his wife, and Lin Yaru’s parents.

Qin Mei stared blankly. Their presence at the hospital meant something must have happened at Granny’s birthday banquet.

’A dramatic scene must have unfolded after she, Jie Jingchen, and Jie Duo left.’

’Granny had hoped to collect some money on her birthday, but it ended in failure. Having Jie Jingwei’s ex-wife and current wife in the same room would be a spectacular disaster, so it’s no surprise that it was more than Granny could handle.’

’So the last straw that broke the camel’s back wasn’t her and Jie Jingchen, but Jie Jingwei’s ex-wife and current wife.’

Qin Mei lightly slapped her cheeks. She had completely misunderstood Shen Qing, judging a noble person by her own petty standards. She turned, intending to leave quietly, but then she spotted a furtive figure.

After a few seconds of indecision, Qin Mei immediately followed.

Fourth floor. A private room.

Xu Chunyan glanced around warily. Once she was sure no one was there, she knocked on the door.

”Who is it?” Lin Yaru’s voice called out.

”It’s me,” Xu Chunyan whispered.

”Come in,” Lin Yaru said.

Xu Chunyan pushed the door open but didn’t enter right away. She asked in a low voice, ”Yaru, where are your parents?”

”They went home to get me a change of clothes,” Lin Yaru answered.

A flicker of delight crossed Xu Chunyan’s face. She asked, ”And Jing Er?”

Hearing the name ”Jing Er,” Lin Yaru’s eyes filled with disdain. ”Director Jie called him away.”

Hearing Lin Yaru call Mr. Xie ”Director Jie,” Xu Chunyan’s delight was written all over her face.

But Xu Chunyan didn’t understand Lin Yaru’s pain. Lin Yaru dreamed of calling Mr. Xie ”Father-in-law” or ”Dad.” She had been able to do so with her former identity as the Fourth Wife of Jing, but now, as the Second Daughter-in-law Jing, she found the idea completely repellent.