Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man-Chapter 131 - 57: I Never Hit Her

"Next time you go to the black market, I’ll go with you," Jie Jingchen said. Qin Mei’s eyes lit up. She looked up sharply, gazing at him. "It isn’t safe for you to go to the black market."

’So he was worried about our safety.’ Qin Mei couldn’t help but smile, feeling a warm glow inside.

"Okay," Qin Mei nodded obediently. Then, another thought struck her, and she said, looking troubled, "I don’t know how to ride a bike. And in your condition, you probably shouldn’t ride one either. If you’re coming with me, are we supposed to walk?"

’I originally wanted to sneak off to the black market, but the problem was I can’t ride a bike. I’m scared of walking at night in a place I don’t know. What if I run into... something bad?’

’My mother-in-law knows how to ride and has taken me to the black market before, which is why I thought to ask her to come with me.’

’The last time we got caught. And considering the safety risks, my mother-in-law even wore a disguise. But we just had to be spotted by Jie Jingjue, who mistook her for my secret lover. Speaking of Jie Jingjue, that guy might be unreliable, but his devotion to his fourth brother, Jie Jingchen, is the real deal.’

’Jie Jingjue got worked up over things Jie Jingchen himself didn’t even care about, to the point of launching a mission to catch me in the act. Thank goodness I was with my mother-in-law. Otherwise, I would have never been able to talk my way out of it.’

Qin Mei stole a few more glances at Jie Jingchen. ’What if... what if I really did cheat on him? Would he still be this calm and collected?’

"As long as I’m with you, we’ll be safe even if we walk," Jie Jingchen said confidently.

Qin Mei fell silent. ’It’s a good thing Jie Jingchen was born in this era, and in this country. If he were born in a later age, a man with his looks would probably be in more danger than me in certain countries, assuming he didn’t have overwhelming power to protect himself.’

"Fourth Sister-in-law, when are you going to take me to the black market?" Jie Jingshan piped up.

"No," Jie Jingchen said.

"No," Qin Mei said.

The two were in perfect sync, refusing in unison.

"Why not?" Jie Jingshan asked.

"You’re too young," Jie Jingchen said.

"You’re too young," Qin Mei said.

Perfectly in sync again, they exchanged a look and couldn’t help but smile. While Qin Mei burst out laughing, Jie Jingchen’s smile was far more subtle.

"Such great chemistry. You’re a married couple, through and through," Jie Jingshan said with a laugh.

’That sounded familiar. Jie Jingjue had said the same thing about us.’

"Fourth Sister-in-law, once my leg heals, take me to check out the black market. I can ride a bike," Jie Jingshan said to Qin Mei.

"I wouldn’t dare." Qin Mei didn’t say no, just that she wouldn’t dare.

"What do you mean?" Jie Jingshan asked.

"Your fourth brother won’t let you go. If I take you behind his back, he’ll hit me," Qin Mei said with a completely serious expression, as if Jie Jingchen had actually hit her before.

Jie Jingchen was rendered speechless. He looked at Qin Mei, a hint of helplessness in his deep eyes. ’Where did she get that impression? Do I look like the kind of man who hits his wife?’

"Fourth Sister-in-law, I... don’t think Fourth Brother would hit his own wife," Jie Jingshan said, sounding a little unsure.

"’Don’t think’?" Qin Mei blinked her eyes and said, deadpan, "See? You’re not even sure yourself."

"I..." Jie Jingshan really wasn’t certain.

"I won’t hit you," Jie Jingchen guaranteed. He couldn’t let Qin Mei get the wrong idea. If this misunderstanding went any further, it would become even harder to explain.

"That’s what you’d say now. But you already raised your hand to me last time. The bump on the back of my head still hasn’t fully healed." Qin Mei pointed to the back of her head. The bump had vanished long ago; she was intentionally misleading them.

"I didn’t raise my hand to you last time." Jie Jingchen’s brow tightened, a sense of inexplicable frustration washing over him. ’She has amnesia. She really did injure her head, and she was still unconscious when I handed her over to Eldest Sister.’

’If she hadn’t lost her memory, she wouldn’t have the nerve to be ordering him around right now.’

’Then again, thinking back to the old Qin Mei’s ways... a sense of shame was completely nonexistent for her. There was nothing she wasn’t capable of doing.’

"What?" Jie Jingshan was completely shocked. Filled with righteous indignation, she joined forces with Qin Mei to condemn Jie Jingchen. "Fourth Brother, did you really hit Fourth Sister-in-law? How could you do that? You marry a wife to cherish her, not to hit her! I’m so disappointed in you."

His face grim, Jie Jingchen forced the words through clenched teeth. "I did not hit her."

"But Fourth Sister-in-law said the bump on her head still hasn’t gone away!" Jie Jingshan retorted accusatorily.

"I didn’t hit her. She fell off the—" Jie Jingchen cut himself off. Jing Qi was only fourteen; some things were inappropriate to say in front of her.

Seeing Jie Jingshan’s frustrated expression, Qin Mei’s mood improved immensely.

’When I first transmigrated into this body, it was in a truly miserable state. There was a huge bump on the back of my head, and my skin was covered in faint and dark, intimate marks. I almost wondered if I’d been assaulted. It just goes to show how clueless he is about treating a woman with tenderness. Doesn’t he know you’re supposed to be gentle with your own wife, not someone else’s?’

Since Jie Jingchen couldn’t explain himself clearly, he decided to just drop it. With his thin lips pressed together and his face grim, he focused on packing the herbs Qin Mei had finished chopping.

Seeing that Qin Mei had no intention of pressing the issue, Jie Jingshan tactfully dropped the subject as well.

With the help of Jie Jingchen and Jie Jingshan, they got through all the work. The herbs that needed chopping were chopped, those that needed packing were packed, those for drying were set out to dry, those to be ground were turned to powder, and those to be pounded were crushed.

Once the herbs were put away, Qin Mei grabbed a handful and went to the kitchen to brew them herself.

The herbs soaked in the clay pot while Qin Mei sat before the small stove, trying to start a fire. She stuffed the little stove full of kindling and charcoal, then struck a match. She went through half the box, but the fire just wouldn’t light.

"What’s wrong with this? Jie Jingchen lit it so easily. Why can’t I?" Qin Mei muttered in confusion. Wiping her brow, she struck another match and tossed it in. The fire didn’t catch, but the stove began to belch out thick smoke.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH." Qin Mei choked on the smoke.

Watching the smoke billow out of the kitchen, Jie Jingshan grew worried. She looked over at Jie Jingchen, who was sweeping the courtyard. "Fourth Brother, aren’t you going to check on the kitchen?"

Jie Jingchen ignored her, not pausing in his sweeping.

"Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law has been in there a long time! Look at all that smoke! Aren’t you worried she’ll burn the kitchen down?" Jie Jingshan grew frantic when Jie Jingchen remained unconcerned. "Fourth Brother, burning down the kitchen is one thing, but what if she gets hurt?"

"She’s not an idiot. She knows her limits. Don’t worry needlessly." The large hand with which Jie Jingchen held the broom tightened, and his sweeping motions turned a bit stiff.

’Qin Mei isn’t the type to force things. If there’s something she can’t do, she tells me to do it. She’s had no shortage of orders for me recently.’

"Jie Jingchen!" Qin Mei yelled. One had to admit, Jie Jingchen really did know her well.

Jie Jingchen immediately dropped the broom and strode toward the kitchen.

"Told me not to worry, huh? You say one thing but mean another. All it took was one shout from Fourth Sister-in-law and you couldn’t sit still," Jie Jingshan teased.

When Jie Jingchen entered the kitchen, he saw Qin Mei sitting before the small stove, fan in hand. Her fair cheeks were smudged with dirt and her hair was a mess, yet her sorry state held a peculiar charm.

"Jie Jingchen, I can’t light the fire," Qin Mei said, looking pitiful and wronged. ’I wanted to be self-sufficient, but alas, it is beyond my power!’

Jie Jingchen’s eye twitched when he saw she had stuffed the stove to the brim with wood and charcoal. ’This is a small pot-boiler, not a kitchen furnace. It would be a miracle if she managed to light it like that.’

His gaze flickered to the honeycomb briquettes stacked in the corner. ’Thank goodness she didn’t just shove one of those in there.’

"Jing Wu already brewed today’s medicine. You just need to heat it up." Jie Jingchen crouched down and began pulling the pieces of charcoal out of the stove.

"No, this is a new prescription. I have to brew it myself." Qin Mei grabbed Jie Jingchen’s hand, stopping him from removing the charcoal.

The sun was bright and warm, and Jie Jingchen had taken off his jacket while sweeping, leaving him in a white shirt. Qin Mei’s hands were filthy, and where she grabbed him, she left a distinct handprint on his sleeve.

Qin Mei realized what she’d done and quickly let go. Staring at the clear handprint on his sleeve, she gave an embarrassed laugh. "Ah, I didn’t do that on purpose. You can take it off later, and I’ll wash it for you."

Jie Jingchen paid it no mind and continued pulling out the charcoal, followed by some of the kindling.

"Jie Jingchen!" Qin Mei stomped her foot in exasperation. "If you’re not going to help, then move."