Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”What else? Did you want them to linger under the tree, staring daggers at us?” Qin Mei rolled her eyes at Qiao Wei.

”Heh...” Qiao Wei let out an awkward chuckle. She glanced at Jiang Yuan, hesitated, and then said, ”Thanks.”

Jiang Yuan just waved his hand, then vaulted down from the tree. He brushed himself off, then looked up at the two of them still perched on the branch. ”It’s safe now. Come on down.”

”You first,” Qin Mei said to Qiao Wei.

Qiao Wei glanced down. Her legs began to tremble, and she hugged the tree trunk for dear life. ”Sister-in-law, it’s too high! I’m too scared to jump.”

Qin Mei was speechless. ’She was useless at climbing the tree, and now that she’s up here, she’s too scared to jump down.’

”Jump. I’ll catch you,” Jiang Yuan said.

”Can you really catch me?” Qiao Wei asked doubtfully.

Qin Mei simply gave Qiao Wei a shove. Qiao Wei’s face went pale with terror. She let out a scream and squeezed her eyes shut, but the expected pain never came. Jiang Yuan had caught her securely below.

His chest was broad, his arms powerful. Qiao Wei stared at his ruggedly handsome face. He had long, thick eyelashes, and his deep, dark eyes were like bottomless pools. A high-bridged nose, thin lips pressed firmly together, and a hint of stubble on his chiseled chin.

In that instant, Qiao Wei’s heart fluttered. ’This is my kind of man.’

Jiang Yuan set Qiao Wei down and waited for Qin Mei to jump, ready to catch her.

With a single leap, Qin Mei landed steadily on the ground, having no need for Jiang Yuan to catch her.

A flicker of surprise crossed Jiang Yuan’s deep eyes. He silently lowered his arms, his gaze fixed on Qin Mei as he asked, ”Where are you two headed next?”

”Home,” Qiao Wei blurted out. They had been about to head back the way they came even before the wolf pack appeared; after the encounter, they were desperate to get off the mountain.

”I’ll walk you,” Jiang Yuan said, his words directed at Qin Mei.

Qin Mei grew suspicious. ’His gaze is too familiar. I bet he knew this body’s original owner.’

”Thank you,” Qiao Wei said, taking the opportunity to move closer to Jiang Yuan, but he sidestepped her advance.

Qiao Wei felt a little rebuffed. She was about to launch a more aggressive romantic offensive when Qin Mei stopped her.

”What are you doing?” Qiao Wei hissed, shooting Qin Mei a displeased look.

”Do you know him?” Qin Mei asked quietly.

”No,” Qiao Wei answered honestly.

Qin Mei glared at her. ”You don’t even know him, yet you’re hitting on him? What if he’s a bad person? You could get yourself killed and not even know how it happened.”

”It was love at first sight,” Qiao Wei said bashfully.

Qin Mei put a hand to her forehead, not wanting to deal with Qiao Wei. She pulled her along to follow obediently behind Jiang Yuan at a safe distance. But Qiao Wei wouldn’t have it. She shook off Qin Mei’s hand, sidled up to Jiang Yuan, and started forcing conversation.

Jiang Yuan seemed somewhat distant, but he answered all of Qiao Wei’s questions. Every so often, however, he would turn his head to tell Qin Mei to watch her step.

Jiang Yuan was incredibly attentive to Qin Mei, but gave her the cold shoulder. Qiao Wei was especially sharp when it came to matters of the heart. ’I’ve fallen for him, but he’s fallen for Qin Mei.’

”Sister-in-law, when are you and my cousin going to have kids?” Qiao Wei asked loudly. Her intention was clear: to remind Jiang Yuan that the woman he was interested in was married and that he shouldn’t get any ideas.

Walking behind them, Qin Mei rolled her eyes at Qiao Wei’s back. Still, she played along. ”Soon. In fact, I’m already pregnant.”

Qiao Wei was delighted. ’My sister-in-law is the best!’

”You’re pregnant, and Jing Si still let you run around in the mountains? It seems he really doesn’t care about you.” A complex, conflicted emotion flickered in Jiang Yuan’s eyes as he looked at Qin Mei.

The smile froze on Qiao Wei’s face. She looked up and stared at Jiang Yuan. ’What does he mean by that? Is he trying to move in on her now?’

’So he really did know this body’s original owner,’ Qin Mei thought. ’From the looks of it, they weren’t just acquaintances; they were close.’ She looked at Jiang Yuan with a blank expression. ”Who are you?”

”Jing Si’s superior,” Jiang Yuan said.

The corner of Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. ’Jie Jingchen’s superior, here in Xiangjiang, in the middle of a forest no less?’ She didn’t dare ask any more questions, lest she expose herself.

”What kind of superior?” Qiao Wei asked curiously.

”His director at the machinery factory,” Qin Mei replied.

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow. ’She’s covering for me. As expected of Qin Xiang’s sister, she’s sharp.’

”Really?” Qiao Wei sounded skeptical.

Qin Mei chose her words carefully. ”Cousin,” she said to Qiao Wei, ”this trip up the mountain was a bust. When you get back to the Governor Mansion, I’ll write down the names of the herbs and have the list sent over. Then you can send your own people up to collect them.”

This was Qin Mei’s way of reminding Jiang Yuan of Qiao Wei’s identity, warning him to watch what he said.

Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle. Qin Mei had changed so much since marrying Jie Jingchen. He recalled how she used to wreak havoc in the family compound, turning the place upside down. Apart from her brother, Qin Xiang, who thought his little sister could do no wrong, everyone else in the compound couldn’t stand the sight of her.