Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 210: Chapter 83: What Does Jie Jingchen Mean?

Jie Jingwei went rigid. He stared at Jie Jinghun, his lips pressed into a thin line, and said nothing.

Their eyes met. An unreadable depth swirled in Jie Jinghun’s gaze before he turned and walked back into the house.

Jie Jingwei’s expression was thunderous. ”Get back in the house,” he ordered Xu Chunyan.

Xu Chunyan’s heart skipped a beat. Guilt-ridden, she couldn’t meet Jie Jingwei’s eyes. ”Xiao You...” she began, her voice laced with worry.

”Jing Si is his fourth uncle. Is he going to eat him alive?” Jie Jingwei snapped, cutting her off. Seething with anger, he turned and stormed back into the house.

Xu Chunyan knew he was furious and immediately followed him inside. Her voice was choked with tears and self-pity. ”Jing Er, I was wrong. Please don’t be angry. I wasn’t careful enough. Jing San overheard what my aunt and I were saying. I was just too anxious... I rushed things and it all backfired.”

Jie Jingwei was livid. ”Eavesdropping? Jing San was listening out in the open! Xu Chunyan, I’m really at a loss with you. After what happened to the Xu Family, have you still not learned your lesson? You discuss something like this in the bathroom... I don’t even know what to say. Why not just go sit under the big tree in the alley, munch on some sunflower seeds, and bang a gong while you’re at it?”

”I...” Xu Chunyan’s nose tingled and her eyes reddened. A wave of self-pity washed over her. Not only had Jie Jingchen and his wife reconciled, but she had also offended her aunt in the process.

”Just lie low for a while. I don’t want to be dragged down by your stupidity,” Jie Jingwei warned again.

Tears streamed down Xu Chunyan’s face as if she had suffered the greatest humiliation. She nodded numbly.

Qin Mei was soaking her feet and munching on sunflower seeds, a grin on her face as she watched Jie You standing in the corner as punishment from Jie Jingchen. Listening to Jie Jingchen scold the boy, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

”Fourth Uncle, that fox... I mean, Fourth Aunt is laughing at you!” Jie You tattled, pointing at Qin Mei. He didn’t dare call her a vixen in front of Jie Jingchen.

Qin Mei’s brow furrowed. ’Just like the son Xu Chunyan raised,’ she thought. ’Tattling every chance he gets.’

A charming, cunning smile played on Qin Mei’s lips. ”Jie Jingchen, friendly reminder: if you want to teach him a lesson he won’t forget, you’ll need a thorn stick to really make it stick.”

Jie Jingchen seemed slightly taken aback, a helpless smile touching his lips. ”I don’t hit children.”

”What a coincidence. I happen to love hitting children. How about I do it for you? Jie Jingchen, let me tell you a little secret: I’ve been dreaming of smacking this brat. Today, he walked right into the trap, and you even dragged him in here for me. It’s a godsend!” Qin Mei cracked her knuckles, looking eager.

Jie You got scared. He had a feeling that Qin Mei would actually hit him, unlike his parents, who only ever threatened him with the thorn stick.

”Fourth Uncle, my tummy hurts! I want to go home! I want Grandpa! I want Daddy! I want Mommy!” Jie You wailed pitifully.

Anyone could see the little guy was faking it, and Qin Mei wasn’t about to indulge him. ”A tummy ache, is it? What a coincidence, I’m a doctor. And my specialty is treating children’s tummy aches. Come on, let me give you a few jabs with a needle.”

Qin Mei stopped soaking her feet and stood up in her slippers. A silver needle had somehow appeared in her hand, and she advanced on Jie You with a brilliant smile.

Jie You shrank his chubby little body back, staring timidly at the silver needle in Qin Mei’s hand. He wasn’t afraid of medicine, but he was terrified of needles.

”WAAAAH!” The little guy burst into terrified tears, clinging to Jie Jingchen’s leg for dear life. ”Fourth Uncle, save me! Fourth Aunt is going to stab me!”

Jie Jingchen was exasperated. He knew Qin Mei was just trying to scare Xiao You, but he also knew her temper. ’If I protect Xiao You, she’ll get angry,’ he thought, ’and she might just lock me out of the room again.’

Jie Jingchen weighed his options. His wife, or his nephew? He decisively chose his wife.

Jie Jingchen grabbed Jie You by the collar and lifted the chubby boy right off the ground. Jie You, thinking his uncle was about to cradle him, let go of his leg. But to his shock, Jie Jingchen carried him straight over to Qin Mei. ”Go on. Give him a few extra jabs.”

Jie You was stunned. ’Fourth Uncle betrayed me.’

Qin Mei froze. She had assumed Jie Jingchen would protect his nephew, not go along with her. Now she was in a bind. ’Do I actually stab him or not?’

Jie Jingchen saw her hesitation. As Jie You struggled with all his might, he subtly loosened his grip on the boy’s collar, giving him an opportunity to break free.

Jie You’s feet hit the ground, and he bolted out the door, bawling his eyes out and screaming at the top of his lungs.

Qin Mei put the silver needle away and sat back down to continue soaking her feet. The water had grown cold, but she didn’t seem to notice. The atmosphere in the room was stifling—or more accurately, Qin Mei had no idea how to act around Jie Jingchen anymore.

Before that invisible barrier between them had been broken, they could have kept things as they were. But now that it was shattered, they had two choices: either go with the flow and become a husband and wife in every sense of the word, or part ways and end the marriage. Maintaining the status quo was no longer an option.

”What are you doing?” Qin Mei asked warily, watching Jie Jingchen crouch in front of her. ’Is he going to wash my feet?’

”The water’s cold.” Without giving her a chance to object, Jie Jingchen picked up the basin and headed for the bathroom.

Qin Mei stared after him, dumbfounded. ’What am I thinking? This is Jie Jingchen. What man from this era would wash his wife’s feet? Most wouldn’t even do that for their own parents. They just marry a wife and expect her to take over their filial duties as a matter of course.’

Qin Mei saw Jie Jingchen come out of the bathroom, leave the room with a bucket, and return from the kitchen with a full bucket of hot water, which he then carried into the bathroom.

”Qin Mei, you can bathe now.” Jie Jingchen said, emerging from the bathroom to find her still staring blankly into space.

Qin Mei snapped out of her thoughts. ”Oh,” she murmured, slipping on her shoes and walking into the bathroom. When he heard the lock click shut, Jie Jingchen swallowed the words he was about to say. A flicker of amusement crossed his deep-set eyes.

Inside, Qin Mei opened the bathroom window first. She took down her underwear, which had been drying outside, and set it aside. Then she slowly undressed and took a long, leisurely bath. After drying off and putting on her clean underwear, she reached for her pajamas—only to realize with stunned annoyance that she had forgotten to bring them in.

Qin Mei glanced at the bucket. The clothes she had taken off were already soaked.

’If Jie Jingchen weren’t in the room, I’d risk it. But he’s out there!’

’If I go out like this, never mind what he might think—even I would start to question my own motives.’

Just as Qin Mei was fretting, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

Jie Jingchen’s deep, resonant voice came from the other side. ”Qin Mei.”

Qin Mei froze, her body rigid with fear that he might break the door down. But then she had another thought. ’Jie Jingchen isn’t a lecher. We’ve slept in the same bed for nearly two months and he’s never laid a finger on me.’

Taking a deep breath, Qin Mei forced herself to sound calm. ”What is it?”

Jie Jingchen was silent for a few seconds before asking in return, ”Are you done?”

”No,” Qin Mei blurted out, thinking, ’What’s the big hurry? Rushing me to my grave?’

Jie Jingchen knew her predicament perfectly well. He didn’t press her or take advantage of the situation. Instead, he chose to be considerate. ”Jing Qi is stuck on a problem. I’m going to go help her.”

Qin Mei was instantly thrilled. ’The heavens are on my side!’ ”Okay, you go on ahead,” she said.

A helpless smile tugged at the corner of Jie Jingchen’s lips. He gave the bathroom door one last, long look, then turned to leave, deliberately making his footsteps heavy so she would know he was gone.

Qin Mei pressed her ear against the bathroom door, listening carefully to the sounds outside. When she heard the main door close, her tense body finally relaxed. Just in case he decided to double back, she waited a little longer before opening the door. She didn’t rush out, but peeked her head out first. Only after confirming that Jie Jingchen was truly gone did she dash out of the bathroom.

When Qin Mei saw her pajamas laid out neatly on the bedding, she felt her world tilt. Her already flushed cheeks burned a furious crimson.

Jie Jingchen had known she forgot her pajamas but didn’t say anything. Then, he was thoughtful enough to find an excuse to leave. Qin Mei was bewildered. ’What is he trying to do?’

”What’s his deal?” Qin Mei muttered to herself. ”Does he want us to be a real couple, or not?”