Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Qin Mei wanted to remind him that Shen Qing was also a poor soul who had been abandoned.

As for Shen Qing, her first love chose to follow Wen Xingnan down to the countryside rather than marry her.

It was remarkable, really. Both abandoned by their lovers, Shen Qing and Jie Jinghun had found comfort in each other. They married, had a daughter, and their love grew over time, burying the feelings for their first loves deep down.

Thinking of Shen Qing, Qin Mei looked at Jie Jingchen and asked in a low voice, ”The man who was at the department store with your third sister-in-law... don’t tell me that was her first love?”

”Yeah.” Jie Jingchen nodded, his expression grave.

Qin Mei was floored. She blurted out, ”Don’t tell me they’re going to rekindle their old flame?”

Jie Jingchen fell silent. When it came to matters of the heart, nothing was certain. If they wanted to rekindle an old flame, who could possibly stop them?

Qin Mei also fell silent. ’First loves are the hardest to forget. An unrequited love for someone you adored can fester into an obsession. The moment a first love reappears, the current partner gets shoved aside.’

”Who’s rekindling an old flame?” Jie Jinghun’s refined voice suddenly asked.

Startled, Qin Mei and Jie Jingchen both whipped their heads toward the gate. Jie Jinghun was pushing a bicycle into the yard, two large bundles tied to the rack on the back.

”Third Brother, what are you...?” Jie Jingchen asked, playing dumb. ’His third brother had taken his wife to stay at his mother-in-law’s, all to avoid Grandpa and Granny. Now that the two of them had moved back to the machinery factory, of course they were moving back in.’

”You know perfectly well.” Jie Jinghun shot his fourth brother a look, a smile playing on his lips. He parked the bicycle, untied the ropes, and started toward his room with the two bundles. ”So, who were you just talking about rekindling an old flame?”

Seeing how fixated Jie Jinghun was on the topic, Qin Mei decided it wasn’t her place to comment. She turned back to brewing the medicine and let Jie Jingchen deal with him.

She expected Jie Jingchen to fudge the truth, but instead, he was brutally direct. ”Sister Xingnan was just here. From the way she was talking, it sounds like she wants you to be the stepfather to the baby in her belly.”

”COUGH, COUGH, COUGH.” Qin Mei choked on her own spit.

”Are you okay?” Worry filled Jie Jingchen’s eyes. He stood behind Qin Mei, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath.

”I’m fine.” Qin Mei swatted his hand away. ’This man is unbelievable,’ she thought. ’It’s one thing to not beat around the bush, but he could at least stick to the truth! Instead, he’s just adding fuel to the fire and making things up.’

She had no idea what Wen Xingnan was really thinking, but at the very least, Wen Xingnan hadn’t been dropping hints about wanting Jie Jinghun to be a stepfather to her unborn child.

’So much for that. If you can trust a man’s words, pigs can fly.’

’When Jie Jingchen said he loved her, Qin Mei figured he was just putting on a show for the neighbors.’

’I can’t take it seriously. The moment I do, I’ll lose. The first one to fall, the first one to give their heart away, is the one who loses everything.’

”Meimei.” Jie Jingchen keenly sensed the shift in her mood.

Jie Jinghun froze, his body stiff. He was clearly stunned by what Jie Jingchen had said.

Jie Jinghun took a deep breath, pressing his tongue against his back molars. His usually warm voice turned cold. ”If she comes here again, don’t let her in.”

”Third Brother, she’s pregnant. If she insists on coming in to see you, am I supposed to physically block her path?” Jie Jingchen gave Jie Jinghun a look that said his hands were tied.

Qin Mei stared at Jie Jingchen. ’He doesn’t even blink when he lies,’ she thought. ’Was Wen Xingnan here to see his third brother? She was clearly here to lodge a complaint. Then again, you can never know what’s in a person’s heart. Only Wen Xingnan knew her true intentions.’

Jie Jinghun thought for a moment. ”Just tell her she’s not welcome here.”

”It’s not like anyone here welcomes her anyway. Of course, whether *you* welcome her or not is another story,” Jie Jingchen said, dead set on twisting the knife in Jie Jinghun’s sore spot.

Jie Jinghun instinctively shot a wary glance toward the courtyard gate. The movement didn’t escape Qin Mei’s notice. ’Why does he look like he has a guilty conscience?’ she wondered.

”Jing Si, don’t you dare frame me. And I’m warning you, don’t you dare spout nonsense in front of your sister-in-law. If she gets the wrong idea, I’ll never be able to explain myself,” Jie Jinghun warned, staring sternly at Jie Jingchen.

”You’d only have trouble explaining if there was something to explain. If there’s nothing to it, then what’s so hard to explain?” Jie Jingchen said, giving Jie Jinghun a meaningful look.

Qin Mei glared at Jie Jingchen. ’That mouth of his is so infuriating. I don’t know what Jie Jinghun is thinking, but right now, I have the strongest urge to slap him.’

’Suddenly, she understood why his father was always slapping him. He was practically begging for it.’

Jie Jingchen’s tongue was too sharp. Unable to win the argument, Jie Jinghun just picked up his bundles and retreated into his room.