Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: She Really Is Qin Mei

The version of *Ten Thousand Whys* from this era was practically a hardcore encyclopedia, covering knowledge from various fields like physics, chemistry, astronomy, meteorology, and agricultural production.

Compared to the modern version of *Ten Thousand Whys*, it had far more depth and practical application.

The man on the bed opened his eyes, his scrutinizing gaze fixed on Qin Mei, who was reading by the window. Lost in her book, she was serene, radiating a captivating aura that could mesmerize one’s very soul.

’Qin Xiang said she was illiterate. After losing her memory, could an illiterate person miraculously become a learned and talented woman?’

’Or... was she not Qin Mei at all?’

’But if she wasn’t Qin Mei, then who was she?’

”Qin Mei,” Jie Jingchen said suddenly, his tone probing.

”Yes?” Qin Mei responded the very instant she heard him call her name.

Jie Jingchen raised an eyebrow, his thin lips pressing into a line. The conflict on his face deepened. ’If she weren’t Qin Mei, she wouldn’t have responded so quickly when I called out the name while she was engrossed in her reading, no matter how quick her reflexes were.’

”You’re not asleep yet?” Qin Mei asked without moving. With her back still to Jie Jingchen, she quietly closed the book and discreetly hid it away.

’I’m supposed to be illiterate,’ she reminded herself.

Jie Jingchen saw everything she did but didn’t call her out on it. ”I fell asleep, but then I woke up,” he said.

Qin Mei turned her head and stared at Jie Jingchen with an innocent expression. ’I was just reading quietly. It’s impossible that I woke him up.’ She then said with a straight face, ”Jie Jingchen, being a light sleeper is an ailment. You should get it treated.”

”You know medicine?” Jie Jingchen asked. ’Her acupuncture technique is very practiced. It’s impossible to achieve such mastery without endless refinement.’

”I know a thing or two,” Qin Mei admitted humbly, not denying it.

Jie Jingchen stared at her with a calm gaze and asked unhurriedly, ”Who was your teacher?”

Qin Mei smiled faintly. ”Your sister.”

”Is that so?” Jie Jingchen’s eyes locked onto her, a barely perceptible hint of scrutiny and doubt within them.

’Since I’ve only just arrived, I don’t want to reveal my abilities so soon,’ Qin Mei thought. ’In a sensitive era like this, showing your hand too early isn’t necessarily a good thing.’

’I’ll wait a year or two. It won’t be too late to make my mark after the new Reform and Opening-Up policy is announced.’

’For now, all I need to do is cling to Jie Jingchen for support and live a quiet life.’

’Still, I should start making some preparations. I’m not trying to stand out, just to get a head start.’

”Qin Mei, I’m thirsty,” Jie Jingchen said, changing the subject.

Qin Mei’s face fell. She got up to pour Jie Jingchen a glass of water, muttering under her breath, ”Tch! Does he really think I’m his servant? Getting a drink of water is something he can easily do himself. It’s not like he’s bedridden.”

Her voice was barely audible, but it still reached Jie Jingchen’s ears.

Seeing her reluctant expression, Jie Jingchen felt his mood lift, a faint smile hidden in the depths of his eyes.

”Here.” Qin Mei handed the enamel mug to Jie Jingchen. It wasn’t tea, just plain boiled water.

Jie Jingchen didn’t take it, merely gazing at her.

”Don’t tell me you expect me to feed you?” Qin Mei snapped. ”Jie Jingchen, last I checked, you weren’t so helpless that you needed someone to serve you water.” He could walk, start a fire, and even bathe himself, yet he couldn’t get a simple drink? ’What a joke!’

”My back hurts. I can’t get up,” Jie Jingchen said nonchalantly.

Qin Mei gritted her teeth. She desperately wanted to splash the water in his face and let him celebrate the Water-Splashing Festival ahead of schedule.

”Jie Jingchen, don’t push it. You’re going too far,” Qin Mei warned.

”My back hurts and I can’t get up. Is that going too far?” Jie Jingchen loved watching her get so angry she looked like she was about to explode.

”Not at all,” Qin Mei said through gritted teeth. Taking a deep breath, she decided to endure it. ’I’ll endure it.’

She put down the enamel mug, helped Jie Jingchen sit up, then picked the mug up again and handed it to him.

They were too close. As Jie Jingchen caught the captivating, faint fragrance wafting from her, his eyes darkened. Certain images flashed through his mind, and in an instant, desire surged through him.

Jie Jingchen abruptly pushed Qin Mei away, then got out of bed and put on his shoes in one smooth motion.

”I’m going to the bathroom,” he tossed over his shoulder before quickly leaving the room.

Caught off guard by the shove, Qin Mei nearly fell. Water sloshed out of the enamel mug, splashing down the back of her hand and into her sleeve. She set the mug down, shook her sleeve, and watched Jie Jingchen’s hasty, almost panicked retreat.

”What’s his hurry?” she wondered aloud.

Then, a realization dawned on Qin Mei, and her expression changed. ’Didn’t he say his back hurt? That he couldn’t get up? He did it on purpose. Jie Jingchen was definitely doing it on purpose!’

When Jie Jingchen returned to the room, Qin Mei was already asleep, lying sideways across the bed. Her hair, like a waterfall, cascaded over the edge, the ends still dripping with glistening droplets of water.

The pillow was soaked, too. ’She went to sleep with her hair still wet? Is that really a good idea?’

”Qin Mei,” Jie Jingchen called out tentatively. He was met with the sound of steady, even breathing.

Qin Mei wasn’t tall; even lying across the bed, she had to bend her legs slightly. As a tall man, Jie Jingchen couldn’t possibly lie down that way. ’This is a clever trick to hog the bed,’ he thought. ’And it’s completely faultless.’

’She washed her hair, and since it’s not dry, this is the best way for her to sleep. It just leaves me in a tough spot.’

Jie Jingchen’s gaze lowered, lingering on Qin Mei’s tranquil sleeping face. Her fair cheeks were faintly flushed, making her look so beautiful it was dizzying.

’There’s a simple way to confirm if she’s really Qin Mei,’ he thought. ’I remember she has a red mole on her left breast—it’s located on the lower part of it.’

Asleep, Qin Mei’s posture was restless, completely lacking the demure elegance of a young woman.

The collar of her pajamas had fallen slightly open, revealing a tantalizing expanse of flawless, porcelain-smooth skin that was practically an invitation to sin.

”Qin Mei,” Jie Jingchen called out tentatively once more.

When he received no response, his heart began to race as if he were about to commit a crime, his gaze turning sharp and intense.

Those images from before resurfaced in his mind, only to be forcibly suppressed by his astonishing willpower. Taking a deep breath, his hand reached out like a demon’s toward an angel.

At that moment, only one thought occupied his mind: ’I have to confirm whether or not she is truly Qin Mei.’

Jie Jingchen undid the button on her pajamas. His fingertips brushed against her skin, as delicate and smooth as a baby’s. Just as his willpower began to crumble and he thought to give up, Qin Mei rolled over in her sleep. No longer held by the button, the front of her pajamas fell open, exposing a wide expanse of skin to his gaze—including the red mole on her left breast.

’She really is Qin Mei.’

Set against her snow-white skin, the mole looked both dazzling and seductive.

A predatory light surged in the depths of Jie Jingchen’s dark eyes. The tightly wound string in his mind snapped, and the blood in his veins began to boil.

’They were husband and wife. They had consummated their marriage. Anything he did to her was legal.’

’But she has amnesia.’

In the end, reason won out over impulse.

Since Qin Mei had taken over the bed, Jie Jingchen had no choice but to sit in the chair by the window and read all night.

At dawn, Jie Jingchen closed the window. The members of the Jie Family were getting up one by one—some to go to work, others to go to school. No one had been making breakfast these past few days, so everyone had to fend for themselves and eat out.