Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Qin Xiang hadn’t expected Granny to splash him with tea. He froze for a second, his eyes wide with shocked disbelief as he stared at her. ”Granny, that’s going too far.”

Granny slammed the enamel mug down on the stone table, glaring at Qin Xiang with a stony face. ”Sober now?”

Qin Xiang hastily wiped his face. Never mind that she was Jing Si’s grandmother; even if she weren’t, he couldn’t hit an elderly person. If he couldn’t afford to provoke her, couldn’t he at least avoid her?

Not wanting to deal with her, Qin Xiang started to walk away. But Granny wouldn’t let him go. She grabbed him and held on for dear life.

”Let go.” A chill entered Qin Xiang’s voice. He didn’t dare struggle too hard, afraid he might hurt her. If he injured Granny, he’d have a huge mess on his hands. For his younger sister’s sake, he couldn’t let the relationship between their two families turn sour.

Granny could act recklessly without a thought for the consequences, but he couldn’t.

”Go to the hospital, find An Qi, and take her to get your marriage license,” Granny ordered.

Qin Xiang stared at Granny like she was an idiot. ’Who does she think she is? Ordering me to get a marriage license just like that? Never mind Jie Anqi’s situation, given my own circumstances, I’d have to submit an application first...’

’Whoa, whoa, what am I even thinking!’

”Xiao Xiangzi, what kind of look is that?” Granny demanded, raising an eyebrow as she glared at Qin Xiang. ”Don’t think I can’t read your expression.”

A crafty glint appeared in Qin Xiang’s eyes. He gave Granny a smirk and asked, ”Granny, getting a marriage license is out of the question. Even if you were offering her to me as a concubine, I can’t risk my future by taking her in.”

”A concubine?” Granny seized on the word. A concubine was a secondary wife. She frowned, her face tight with anger, and demanded, ”Didn’t you say you weren’t seeing anyone? That you weren’t married?”

”Our Qin family is too poor. My parents were worried I’d never be able to get a wife, so they found a girl somewhere to raise as my child bride.” Qin Xiang lied without batting an eye.

Hearing the words ”child bride,” Qin Mei felt they were completely foreign to her. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the original owner’s memories, so she couldn’t tell if Qin Xiang was lying or telling the truth.

”Do you know anything about this child bride?” Qin Mei asked the man holding her.

”He’s just making it up,” Jie Jingchen said with certainty. ’Qin Xiang shares everything with me, but he’s never said a single word about a child bride. It’s obviously not true. Besides, are the Qin family’s circumstances really that bad? Qin Xiang’s three older brothers are all top performers in their respective fields.’

”A child bride?” Granny was flustered now. She didn’t doubt Qin Xiang’s story. In poor, underdeveloped rural areas where sons were valued over daughters, it was common for families to keep having children until a boy was born. But with too many children to feed, they could only harden their hearts and abandon the girls.

It was also common for poor families, worried their sons wouldn’t be able to find a wife, to take in an abandoned girl and raise her as a child bride.

Qin Xiang had been so generous, giving them each ten ten-yuan notes as a meeting gift. She had assumed the Qin family was well-off. She never imagined Qin Xiang was just putting up a brave front.

’Qin Xiang’s money must be what he saved up over the years in the army,’ she figured.

”That’s right.” Qin Xiang nodded. ”I was against it at first, but after meeting your granddaughter, I’ve suddenly realized that the bride my family is raising for me is actually pretty great. So thank you, Granny. You’ve helped me make up my mind. As soon as my leave is over, I’m going back to my unit to file the marriage application.”

Granny was stunned speechless. She couldn’t get a word out. A child bride would be a childhood sweetheart. And Qin Xiang clearly hadn’t taken a liking to An Qi. ’What am I supposed to do now?’

’Is my plan to marry An Qi off to someone far away going to fail?’ The thought of An Qi made Granny’s head ache even more. Threatening Jing Si with suicide hadn’t worked. There was no guarantee she wouldn’t come running to her next, threatening to kill herself. Granny couldn’t handle that kind of drama.

”Xiao Xiangzi, marriage is no small matter. You can’t make such a rash decision. Why don’t you... think about it some more?” Granny couldn’t maintain her aggressive tone any longer; a hint of pleading crept into her voice.

”You’re right, Granny. Marriage is no small matter,” Qin Xiang agreed. Granny’s eyes lit up, a spark of hope flaring to life. But Qin Xiang’s next words snuffed it out immediately. ”I’m going to the local shop to call my commanding officer and tell him about it. While I’m at it, I’ll call home and tell my parents to start preparing for our wedding.”

Qin Xiang yanked his sleeve out of Granny’s grasp and turned and ran. Watching him scramble away, Granny was dumbfounded. Was the boy just bluffing, or was he serious?

’Once he informs his superior and tells his parents, the matter is as good as settled.’

”Jing Si!” Granny shouted. He didn’t respond. She called out a second time, but Jie Jingchen still ignored her. And a third time, and a fourth...