Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 48: Chapter 31: Jie Jingchen, Are You Out of Your Mind?

She and Qin Mei had become enemies yesterday over Jie You. She didn’t even respect her step-mother-in-law, so why would she tolerate Jie Jingchen’s wife?

For years, she had boasted to Teacher Lin that she would set Teacher Lin and Jie Jingchen up, no matter what. She had even promised that whenever Jie Jingchen came home to visit, she would do her utmost to convince him to go to the Lin Family and propose. Every time he came home, she pushed the matter, both openly and secretly. Things were only put on hold after Jing Qi’s accident.

She was shocked when Jie Jingchen retired from the military, but she was also secretly pleased. With him at home, things would be much simpler. She planned to fill his head with tales of Teacher Lin’s deep love and adoration for him. But then, Jie Jingchen just said, ”I’m married.”

She was so angry she couldn’t sleep all night and gave him the cold shoulder for several days. When Jie Jingchen was then assigned to the machinery factory, her anger only grew. He claimed to be married but hadn’t brought his wife home. She was certain his marriage was a sham—just an excuse to put her off.

Her determination to set up Jie Jingchen and Teacher Lin was rekindled.

But then, Jie Jingchen went on a business trip to Shanghai and actually brought his wife back, catching her completely off guard.

Faced with Teacher Lin’s questioning, she was left speechless. Jie Jingchen had brought the woman home and shown everyone their marriage certificate. The proof was ironclad!

Qin Mei’s brows knitted together, her voice turning icy. ”Don’t you yell at me. A dog scared me when I was a child.”

Remembering her mother-in-law’s words, Qin Mei knew she didn’t have to tolerate Jie You, much less Xu Chunyan.

”Who are you calling a dog?” Xu Chunyan shot back, instantly bristling.

”You,” Qin Mei said bluntly. Gazing at the enraged Xu Chunyan, her voice grew even colder. ”If you’re genuine with me, I’ll be genuine with you. If you’re fake, I’ll be fake right back. You attack me with vicious slander, and I only reply with veiled insults? That’s me being merciful.”

Xu Chunyan was stunned. She realized the wife Jie Jingchen married was no simple woman. Her own husband, Jie Jingwei, only had an older sister, which made her the eldest daughter-in-law of her generation in the Jie Family. As for the other sister-in-law, Shen Qingqing, she was too aloof and had no interest in joining forces against their step-mother-in-law, Qiao Yanqiu.

’Jie Jingchen is Qiao Yanqiu’s son, so naturally, Qin Mei would never be on my side. If Jie Jingchen had married Teacher Lin, however, given our friendship, Teacher Lin would have at least been a passive ally. Even if she wouldn’t have openly teamed up against Qiao Yanqiu, she would have just looked on coldly whenever I provoked the woman.’

”Hahaha.” Xu Chunyan roared with laughter, her tone suddenly shifting to one of mockery. ”Qin Mei, you’re from the countryside, your family is powerless, you have no abilities of your own, and you don’t even have a decent job. You’ll never gain a firm foothold in the Jie Family.”

She had eavesdropped on the conversation between Jie Jingchen and Mr. Xie.

Qin Mei was from Yangcheng City, from the countryside... She hadn’t heard the rest of it. Qiao Yanqiu had discovered her, and she’d had no choice but to slink back to her room.

In Xu Chunyan’s mind, what kind of connections could a country girl’s family possibly have?

Qin Mei fell silent. It was a frustrating realization: Jie Jingchen knew more about her original body’s family than she did. She had crossed over into this body without inheriting any of the original owner’s memories.

’If I had even a shred of her memories, I’d go find her family. Of course, if her parents were the type to favor sons over daughters and had all sorts of backward ideas, I’d stay far, far away.’

”Qin Mei, Jing Si giving up Teacher Lin to marry you was the biggest mistake of his life.” To Xu Chunyan, Qin Mei’s silence was a clear sign of weakness. She immediately became more arrogant, a smug expression spreading across her face. She was a city dweller whose family had some influence. How else could she have pulled strings to secure a slot to return to the city after only a year as a sent-down youth?

She had a good family background and a good job, which gave her an immense sense of superiority. What could a country girl like Qin Mei possibly have to compete with her?

”Since Teacher Lin is so wonderful, and you two are such good colleagues, let me give you a piece of advice. Why don’t you have the second brother take her as a concubine? You can be the primary wife, and she can be the junior one. You can go to work together, come home together, eat together, and serve your husband together. The three of you snuggled up in one bed... how harmonious!” Just imagining the scene made Qin Mei shiver for no reason.

Xu Chunyan was so shocked by Qin Mei’s words that her face contorted. ”A concubine?” she sneered, flying into a rage from the humiliation. ”Qin Mei, do you think we’re still living in a feudal society? Someone ought to beat those backward ideas out of your head!”

Outside the kitchen, Jie Jingchen’s face was grim. He lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. ’That Qin Mei,’ he thought. ’She’ll really say anything.’

Qin Mei let out a soft laugh. ”You think Teacher Lin is so wonderful, and you’re racking your brain trying to get her into the Jie Family. But the third brother and his wife are deeply in love. Jie Jingchen and I are newlyweds in the middle of our honeymoon phase. Jie Jingjue already has a girlfriend, who I hear is your own cousin. You wouldn’t want to sabotage your own cousin, would you? Since you and Teacher Lin are so close, you should be the one to make a sacrifice. I offered you a kind suggestion, and instead of being moved to tears with gratitude, you get angry and blame me. Is that really appropriate?”