Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man Chapter 235 - 91: Drinking Tea and Chatting (Part 3)

Studying abroad was not part of the plan. Jing Qi could only stay in Shijiu City or Xiangjiang. When she reached a marriageable age, her family would help screen potential husbands for her, after which she would get married and have children. With her own family’s wealth to back her up, it wouldn’t matter if her husband’s family was poor. As long as he treated Jing Qi well, she wouldn’t need to work and could just be a homaker, taking care of her husband and children.

’One of them was building castles in the air, and the other was happily buying into it. Could they really rain on their parade?’

A complex emotion flickered in Jie Jingchen’s eyes as he looked at Qin i. He seed to want to say sothing several tis but held back, rely pursing his lips without another word.

"Jing Wu, you’re not getting any younger. Your fourth brother is already married, so when are you going to tie the knot?" Gao Hai deftly turned the conversation back to Jie Jingjue.

Jie Jingjue rolled his eyes. "I’m only twenty-two. My fourth brother got married at twenty-five. What’s the rush?"

SLAP! Gao Hai smacked Jie Jingjue on the back of the head. "Twenty-two isn’t that young. The sooner you marry, the sooner you can have kids."

"Gao Hai, use your words, not your hands!" Jie Jingjue snapped.

"So what if I used my hands? What are you going to do about it? Go on, hit !" Gao Hai smacked him on the back of the head again.

Jie Jingjue shot to his feet, glaring furiously at Gao Hai. He let out a couple of frustrated yelps, rubbed his nose, and then shuffled back into the house. ’If I can’t win against him, I can at least run away, right?’

"Pathetic." Jie Jingchen sneered, glancing at Jie Jingjue’s retreating figure. He picked up his enal mug and took an elegant sip.

"This brother of yours... ugh!" Gao Hai sighed, then picked up his enal mug and took a huge gulp, draining half of it. He set it down and wiped his mouth. "Well, I’ve eaten and had my tea, and it’s getting late. I should get going. Thank you for your warm hospitality. And Jing Qi, get well soon."

"Goodbye, Gao Hai," Jie Jingshan said, smiling and waving.

Qin i stood up, a little embarrassed. She had invited Gao Hai over as a guest, but he ended up being the one who cooked. "You should bring your wife and kids over soti."

"Sounds good," Gao Hai readily agreed. "No need to see out. I’m off."

"Ride safe, and be careful on the road," Qin i added politely.

Jie Jingchen suddenly grew sullen. He sat in his wicker chair, staring at Qin i. ’She never says things like that to when I leave the house, but she’s so considerate with my comrade. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth.’

Qin i had no idea what Jie Jingchen was thinking. If she had, she would have definitely argued back. ’Jie Jingchen almost always leaves in the morning while I’m still asleep. If he wakes up, the only thing I’m going to do is get mad. Tell him to be careful on the road? Not a chance.’

Qin i hadn’t planned on walking him out, but when she glanced down and saw Jie Jingchen sitting there as still as a statue, she figured he should at least stand up. She nudged his foot with hers. "Aren’t you going to see him off?"

"See him off? Why? He’s a grown man, what’s there to see off?" Not only did Jie Jingchen not move, he even crossed his legs.

Qin i sat back down in her wicker chair. ’I was worrying for nothing.’

Gao Hai didn’t seem to mind at all. He walked his bicycle to the main gate, lifted it over the threshold, waved to them, and then got on and rode away.

Jie Jingchen had gotten off work early today, so they’d had an early dinner. The others were just starting to trickle ho from work, with Mrs. Xie and Mr. Xie being the last to arrive.

"Dad, Mom," Jie Jingshan called out.

"Dad, Mom," Qin i called out.

"Dad, Mom," Jie Jingchen said perfunctorily.

Mr. Xie was still angry and ignored them, heading back to his room with his briefcase tucked under his arm.

"Xiao i, don’t overthink it. That’s just how your father is," Mrs. Xie said to Qin i, explaining with a smile.

’Jing Si is his son and Jing Qi is his daughter. No matter how bad their fights get, blood is thicker than water. But Qin i is different. She’s a daughter-in-law. Conflicts like this will only make their relationship more strained, and without a blood tie, it’s very difficult to nd things.’

"Mom, I’m not overthinking it. I wasn’t the one who suggested splitting the household, so Dad’s not targeting ," Qin i said, deliberately playing dumb.

Jie Jingchen gave Qin i a aningful look. ’Does she really not know the aning of "misplaced anger"?’

Jie Jingshan remained silent, but Mrs. Xie was at a loss for words. What could she possibly say when Qin i had put it like that?

’She and Jie Jianguo had been married for over twenty years; how could she not see what was on his mind? Jing Si was the one who suggested splitting the household. But why now? He hadn’t brought it up before he was married, only after. Jing Er and Jing San hadn’t asked to split the household for their wives, but Jing Si did. He was clearly taking his anger out on Qin i.’

’Jing Si was protecting Qin i, and she herself had agreed to let them split off—even letting Jing Qi go with them. Jie Jianguo had been the dominant figure in the family his whole life and felt his authority was being challenged. He was furious but didn’t dare say anything, so he was just stewing in his frustration.’

"Have you eaten?" Mrs. Xie changed the subject.

"We’ve eaten," Qin i replied. Seeing the surprised look on Mrs. Xie’s face, she added, "Jie Jingchen got off work early today and invited a comrade over, so we had an early dinner."

"A comrade?" Mrs. Xie looked at her son, instantly guessing who it was. "Xiao Gao."

"Mhm," Qin i nodded.

"Xiao Gao is Jing Si’s childhood friend and also his comrade. He’s a great guy." Mrs. Xie had a very high opinion of Gao Hai. She then said with a regretful look, "It’s a sha I only have one daughter, Jing Qi, and she’s too young. If Jing Wu were a girl, I would definitely have married her off to Gao Hai."

Thinking about Jing Wu and Gao Hai interacting, the corner of Qin i’s mouth twitched. ’Good thing Jing Wu is a boy.’

"Yan Qiu, dinner’s ready," Mr. Xie called out to Mrs. Xie from the doorway of the main hall, his face grim.

"Coming," Mrs. Xie said, glancing at Mr. Xie before turning back to the three of them with a smile. "I’m going to eat now."

"Okay." ’Suddenly,’ Qin i thought, ’having Aunt Zhang around does have its benefits. At least she ensures everyone has a hot al after work, and she handles the laundry and cleaning.’

’You can hire a maid as long as you pay them; it doesn’t have to be Aunt Zhang. But since Aunt Zhang is my father-in-law’s forr wife’s younger sister, and even my mother-in-law is okay with her working here, I shouldn’t worry about it.’

Qin i looked at Jie Jingchen and couldn’t help but say, "Jie Jingchen, your mom has a really high opinion of Gao Hai."

"She’s always liked him," Jie Jingchen agreed.

"You two are childhood friends?" Qin i asked. Jie Jingchen nodded. Qin i thought for a mont, then asked, "Doesn’t being childhood friends an you grew up together and ford a deep bond? I thought Gao Hai’s family doesn’t live around here."

’She rembered Jie Jingchen saying that Gao Hai lived near the black market.’

"His maternal grandmother’s family lives here. Their courtyard is the third one from the alley entrance. Gao Hai lived with his grandmother when he was a kid," Jie Jingchen answered.

"No wonder," Qin i nodded in understanding.

Jie Jingchen’s long fingers brushed through Qin i’s hair. The soft strands slipped through them. He looked relaxed and content, a smile playing on his lips as he said, "Your hair is dry."

Qin i tossed her hair, then picked up a strand and toyed with it. "Wash it early, it dries early."

"Qin i, from now on, wash your hair during the day, not at night," Jie Jingchen said again.

"I know, I know." Her ears were about to fall off from hearing it so many tis.

"Especially during... your special ti of the month," Jie Jingchen said, looking a little awkward.

Qin i paused, looking at the mother-hen-like Jie Jingchen. "Today was an exception."

’She couldn’t stand the sll of milk in her hair if she didn’t wash it.’

"Don’t let it happen again." He couldn’t stand the sll of soone else’s milk on her, either.

’If she wanted her business to grow big and strong, the startup phase was crucial. If it happened to coincide with her period, was she supposed to just postpone things?’

"I’ll try to avoid it," Qin i said, not giving him the easy agreent he wanted.

"Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, I’m going back to my room to study," Jie Jingshan said.

"Okay, go on. Study hard, but rember to balance it with rest," Qin i reminded her.

Seeing that Qin i wasn’t getting up, Jie Jingchen stood and ushered Jie Jingshan back to her room. Qin i narrowed her eyes, watching him. ’And here I was thinking he’d taken root in that wicker chair.’

"Fourth Wife of Jing! Fourth Wife of Jing!" Second Auntie’s urgent voice called out.

’Second Auntie was normally a level-headed person. For her to be this frantic, sothing must have happened.’

Qin i’s eyes snapped open. She shot up from the wicker chair and rushed forward to et the approaching Second Auntie, grabbing her by the arm. Her face paled slightly as she asked in a low voice, "Were we reported?"