Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 29: Chapter 24: Seizing the Opportunity to Ask for Mr. Xie’s Car

Seeing this, Xu Chunyan wanted nothing more than to slam the lunchbox over his head. ”Eat, eat, eat! Is that all you know how to do? Jie Jingwei, I’m begging you, can’t you think about our son and me for a change?”

Jie Jingwei mumbled through a mouthful of food, ”You and our son are the apples of my eye. Of course I’m thinking about you.”

That was what Xu Chunyan wanted to hear. Her anger instantly vanished, replaced by a heavy sigh. ”Sigh... Jing Si was in the army, and you were at the machinery factory. As soon as Dad retired, you were supposed to take his place and become the factory director. But who would have thought Jing Si would retire from the army, get a job at the factory, and win Dad’s favor?”

Jie Jingwei had heard this complaint countless times since Jie Jingchen started at the factory. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Xu Chunyan. ”Honey, eat first.”

Staring at the chopsticks he offered, Xu Chunyan’s anger flared up again. ”Can you please use your brain for a second? The director’s position is about to slip right through your fingers, and you’re not even worried! You’re driving me crazy!”

”Honey, worrying about it won’t help,” Jie Jingwei said.

”Worrying won’t help, but striking first will.” Xu Chunyan glanced warily out the window before lowering her voice to a whisper. ”Jing Si was injured on his business trip. While he’s at home recovering, you can use this opportunity to impress Dad. Jing Er, this is a rare chance. You have to seize it.”

”Okay, okay. I’ll definitely seize this rare opportunity,” Jie Jingwei promised, just going along with her.

”That’s more like it.” Xu Chunyan smiled with satisfaction, finally taking the chopsticks and starting to eat. She cast a sidelong glance out the window, her eyes filled with cold calculation. ’The position of the director’s wife... I will have it.’

In the courtyard, the scents of various dishes wafted from different rooms. Qin Mei rubbed her stomach. Even Jie Jingshan had food to eat, but she and Jie Jingchen had none, and no one seemed to care.

”Jie Jingchen, what are we having for dinner?” Qin Mei asked.

”I don’t know,” Jie Jingchen replied.

”So, are we eating dinner or not?” Qin Mei’s head drooped. ’Jie Jingchen’s words are nothing but lies.’

Back at the Modu Railway Station, she never should have fallen for his sweet talk. In the six months since she’d transmigrated here, she’d never once had to worry about her three meals a day. And now? It was enough to make her cry with regret!

Jie Jingchen glanced sideways at Qin Mei, his thin lips parting to utter a single word. ”Eat.”

Qin Mei’s eyes lit up as she asked eagerly, ”What are we eating?”

”I don’t know.” Jie Jingchen shook his head. He wasn’t being dismissive; he truly didn’t know.

Qin Mei gritted her teeth, furious. ”Jie Jingchen, are you messing with me?”

”Jing Wu isn’t back yet.” The implication was that what they ate depended on what Jie Jingjue brought back for them.

Qin Mei understood what Jie Jingchen meant. ’Waiting patiently isn’t a problem. As long as someone is thinking about our dinner, I can wait.’

And so, Qin Mei stared at the main gate, her eyes practically glued to it in anticipation.

Qin Mei kept grabbing Jie Jingchen’s wrist to check the time on his watch. After she’d done it several times, he simply took the watch off and handed it to her.

As the sky gradually darkened with no sign of Jing Wu, Qin Mei’s patience wore thin.

”Jie Jingchen, are you sure Jing Wu is reliable?” Qin Mei asked.

”Not reliable,” Jie Jingchen answered lazily.

Qin Mei was speechless. She glared at Jie Jingchen. ’He found an unreliable person to do the job, which shows he’s not very reliable himself. And I pinned my hopes on that unreliable person, which just goes to show I’m not reliable either.’

”Jie Jingchen, why don’t you cook? I’ll tend the fire,” Qin Mei suggested.

”I’m an injured man who needs to recuperate. You’re asking me to cook? Aren’t you afraid my parents will condemn you?” Jie Jingchen asked.

”That’s why I said I’d tend the fire.” Qin Mei rolled her eyes at him. ’His parents don’t love him as much as he thinks. They know he’s injured, yet they don’t even care if he’s eaten dinner, hiding in their own room to eat by themselves.’

’Forget it. I’ll just go back to my room and sleep. I can have anything I want in my dreams.’

Just as Qin Mei was about to get up, Jie Jingjue ran back, carrying two aluminum lunchboxes. He hurriedly shoved them into Qin Mei’s hands, threw a sentence over his shoulder, and rushed off again in a flurry.

”Fourth Sister-in-law, this is dinner for you and Fourth Brother!”

Qin Mei clutched the lunchboxes, looking bewildered. ”What’s he in such a hurry for?”

”I don’t know,” Jie Jingchen shook his head.

Qin Mei placed the aluminum lunchboxes on the stone table, took them out of the net bag, and opened one. Her face fell. She opened the other, and her expression darkened even more. Dumplings.

She didn’t like wheat-based foods; she preferred rice.

Dumplings were a luxury that many families could only afford to eat during festivals. For Qin Mei to actually be picky about them was an attitude that would earn her scorn.

”I’ll go get chopsticks,” Qin Mei said, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

Qin Mei slouched over the stone table, poking at a plump dumpling. She was very hungry but had no appetite. As a picky eater, she would rather go hungry than force herself to eat something she disliked.

In the six months since she had transmigrated here, her bad habit of being a picky eater had been all but cured at the Sun Family home. She could accept plain rice or congee with pickles, but she just couldn’t stand wheat-based foods. She would only eat them if she were on the verge of starvation.

She had eaten a steamed bun that morning, not because she was starving, but out of guilt for having driven Jie Jingshan to faint.

She wasn’t sure if the Sun Family also disliked wheat-based foods or if they simply didn’t have any white flour. In any case, in her six months with them, Sun’s mother had never once made a dish with it.

”You don’t like dumplings?” Jie Jingchen asked.

Qin Mei didn’t say a word. ’In this era of scarcity, you’re lucky to have anything to eat at all, let alone dumplings.’

’I’m lucky. The original owner of this body found a husband from a well-off family. If she’d found me one from a poor family, I’d be in a miserable state.’

”I can’t eat this many. You take half.” Without giving Jie Jingchen a chance to refuse, Qin Mei poured half of the dumplings from her lunchbox into his.

’I haven’t taken a single bite, so he should have no reason to be grossed out by my leftovers.’

Jie You came out to play and saw the two of them eating dumplings. He ran over, staring at the dumplings in Jie Jingchen’s lunchbox with a mouth-watering gaze, and said bluntly, ”Fourth Uncle, I want dumplings.”

A hint of a smile appeared in Jie Jingchen’s eyes. He reached out, ruffled the little boy’s head, and said gently, ”Go get a bowl.”

”Okay!” Jie You turned and ran into the kitchen, returning with an empty bowl and chopsticks, beaming. ”Fourth Uncle.”

Seeing this, Qin Mei didn’t say anything to stop him. Jie You was just a child, after all. There was no need to argue with him.

Jie You had already eaten dinner, so Jie Jingchen, worried the boy would stuff himself, only put four dumplings in his bowl. Jie You’s little face scrunched up in displeasure. He whined, ”Fourth Uncle, that’s not enough! I want more!”

Jie Jingchen added two more. Jie You sat down next to him and began to wolf down the dumplings.

Qin Mei was dumbfounded. She watched in astonishment as Jie You devoured his food and couldn’t help but ask, ”Didn’t you eat dinner?”

Jie You just grunted, pointedly ignoring her.

Qin Mei frowned. ’This kid is so arrogant. He’s eating my dumplings and still acting cocky. How is that fair?’

The dumplings Jie Jingchen gave him were the ones she had poured into his lunchbox.

”Hey, little brat, did your mother not teach you that you can’t bite the hand that feeds you?” Seeing Jie You’s attitude, Qin Mei found it hard to believe his mother was an elementary school teacher.

Jie You heard Qin Mei’s words, and though he didn’t quite understand them, his intuition told him it wasn’t anything good. ”Bad woman! Homewrecker...!”

”Xiao You.” Jie Jingchen’s brows furrowed. His face turned serious, and he reminded the boy in a cold voice, ”She is your Fourth Aunt.”

”She’s not my Fourth Aunt! Teacher Lin is my Fourth Aunt! She’s just a homewrecker!” Jie You yelled.

Hearing the name ”Teacher Lin” from Jie You’s mouth again, Qin Mei’s eyes flickered. ’A provocation. This is definitely a provocation.’

Jie You’s shout startled everyone. All except Jie Jingshan and Shen Qing came out to see what was happening. Mr. Xie wore a stern expression, and Mrs. Xie’s face was cold as ice.

”Xiao You, tell Third Uncle, who told you that Teacher Lin is your Fourth Aunt?” Jie Jinghun asked, a gentle and refined smile on his face, but a pot-stirring troublemaker at heart.