Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Grandmother was reluctant to see them go, but when she remembered how Jie Jingchen had been eyeing the flowers in her garden, she no longer felt like asking them to stay.

Grandmother took out a contract and had Qin Mei sign it. ”Xiao Mei, sign this.”

Qin Mei’s first thought was that it was a contract selling her life away. But when she took it and saw the words on the cover, her pupils constricted. She flipped it open to find a share transfer agreement—for twenty percent.

”Grandmother, I can’t sign this.” Qin Mei closed the document and handed it back. If her grandmother had given her a passbook, she would have accepted it with a clear conscience. But twenty percent of the company’s shares... she felt she didn’t deserve it.

’There’s no such thing as a free lunch. And if there is, it’s either a setup or a trap.’

’Then again, this is Jie Jingchen’s grandmother. Would she really set a trap for me?’

’Of course not. This was a windfall—a massive one.’

”Just sign it.” Grandmother pushed the contract toward Qin Mei.

”Grandmother, I’m not worthy,” Qin Mei said.

”Who says you’re not worthy? You are the Eldest Young Madam of the Qiao Family,” Grandmother declared, her tone radiating an aura that promised to crush anyone who dared to object.

”I know my own standing. I really don’t deserve this.” Qin Mei pushed the contract back to her grandmother again.

Seeing the two of them push the document back and forth, Xu Jiali placed her hand over Qin Mei’s. ”Stop that, Xiao Mei. Just sign it.”

”I can’t sign it.” Qin Mei glared at Xu Jiali through gritted teeth. ’What is she getting involved for?’

”I’m getting some too, just not as much as you.” Xu Jiali flipped the document open again and stuffed the pen into Qin Mei’s hand.

The implication was clear: if Xu Jiali, who was only Grandmother’s niece, was getting shares, then Qin Mei, the wife of her eldest grandson, was certainly entitled to them as well.

Qin Mei handed the pen back to Xu Jiali, forcing the words through clenched teeth. ”I told you, I don’t deserve this.”

’I come to Xiangjiang with Jie Jingchen for one trip and suddenly I’m getting twenty percent of the Qiao Family’s shares. People in the know will think I was just here visiting family, but anyone else will assume I came just for the money.’

’Forget about whether Jie Jingchen would suspect me of having ulterior motives—at this point, I’m starting to suspect myself.’

”What’s there to feel unworthy about? Don’t be so long-winded. Just be straightforward and sign it,” Xu Jiali urged. Seeing Qin Mei’s continued refusal, she thought that if her own signature were valid, she would have gladly signed it for her.

Qin Mei fell into deep thought. After a long moment, she asked Grandmother, ”Does Jie Jingchen know about this?”

”He knows,” Grandmother replied.

Hearing her grandmother’s answer, Qin Mei’s hesitation vanished. She took the pen and signed her name with a flourish.

”How much did Jie Jingchen get?” Qin Mei asked casually.

”Twenty percent,” Grandmother replied.

Qin Mei was stunned. Jie Jingchen got twenty percent, and she also got twenty percent. She actually received the same amount as him.

”What about my mother-in-law?” Qin Mei asked.

”Ten percent,” Grandmother replied.

Qin Mei froze. Her mother-in-law only received ten percent, while she got twenty. It was unreal. Utterly unreal.

Qin Mei swallowed hard and handed the signed document to her grandmother. ”What about Jing Jue and Jing Shan?”

”Jing Shan is getting ten percent, and Jing Jue is getting five percent,” Grandmother replied.

Qin Mei fell silent. ’Talk about playing favorites.’

”I’m getting five percent, too,” Xu Jiali said with a wide smile.

’Jing Qi only got ten percent? Qin Mei genuinely felt that was too little, considering he was the future heir of the Qiao Family. And for Jie Jingjue to get the same amount as Xu Jiali... one was a biological grandson, the other a niece. It was a little hard to justify.’

Qin Mei tapped her forehead. ’I’m just making things complicated for myself. The distribution of the Qiao Family’s shares must be the result of her grandparents’ careful deliberation.’

Still, Qin Mei felt overwhelmed by the honor.

As Grandmother took the documents upstairs, Qin Mei leaned close to Xu Jiali’s ear and whispered, ”What about my father-in-law?”

”Who?” Xu Jiali didn’t quite catch that.

Qin Mei rolled her eyes and said irritably, ”Your older cousin’s husband.”

Xu Jiali understood but decided to play dumb. ”Which older cousin?”

”Do you have that many older cousins?” Qin Mei wanted to wring Xu Jiali’s neck. ’This friend of mine is getting more and more wicked.’

”Loads of them,” Xu Jiali said with a grin.

”Qiao Yanqiu,” Qin Mei finally spat out her mother-in-law’s name through clenched teeth.

”Haha.” Xu Jiali laughed and slung an arm around Qin Mei’s shoulders. ”I was just messing with you. He didn’t get any.”

”The only son-in-law gets nothing, but I, the granddaughter-in-law, do. That seems a bit strange.” Qin Mei pushed Xu Jiali’s arm off her shoulder.

Xu Jiali shrugged and spread her hands. ”Nothing to be done about it. He never earned the approval of my aunt and uncle. My uncle, especially, is just waiting for them to get divorced. There’s no way he’d give him any shares of the Qiao Family.”

Qin Mei fell silent. She understood. ’You have to be wary of men who marry up, or they’ll bleed your family dry.’

”Still, given my position, don’t you think twenty percent is a little much?” Qin Mei asked.