Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man-Chapter 21: Sorry, I Misunderstood You

Jie Jingshan took it all in. Qin Mei was cleaning her room without a single complaint or a hint of disgust. This moved her, but what affected her more was that even after being scratched and bitten, Qin Mei hadn’t stormed off in a rage and abandoned her.

Qin Mei walked over to the tree and looked down at Jie Jingshan in her wheelchair. In a cold voice, she asked, "Still want to bite me?"

’She could bite other people for all I care, but she was not allowed to bite me.’

Jie Jingshan stared at her, unable to speak.

"If you won’t bite me again, shake your head. If you will, nod," Qin Mei said. "If you won’t, I’ll put your jaw back in place. If you will, you can just stay as you are."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jie Jingshan nodded.

Qin Mei snorted. ’You little punk. As if I can’t handle you.’

Just as Qin Mei was preparing to set her jaw back in place, Jie Jingchen returned. His timing was impeccable: he arrived right after she had finished cleaning the room and just before she was about to fix Jie Jingshan’s jaw. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Jing Qi."

Jie Jingchen was shocked to see Jie Jingshan out in the courtyard. Ever since she had injured her legs at ten, he had been away serving in the military. He’d heard from Jing Wu that Jing Qi almost never left her room. He had even taken special leave to visit home one year but failed to persuade her. In the months since his discharge, nothing he did to coax her had worked.

Jing Qi had a stubborn streak; no one could force her to do anything she didn’t want to. Once, he had ignored her wishes and forcibly carried her out of the room. Her reaction was violent—she scratched and bit him, a frenzy that was too much for even him to handle.

She would either hurt others or herself, so they had all given up on using force with her.

"Jing Qi," Jie Jingchen called out again.

’Jing Qi?’ Qin Mei froze for a moment. ’So this young woman is Jie Jingchen’s sister.’ She mentally looked to the heavens. ’Good grief, just how deep was the love between my ageless mother-in-law and father-in-law? They had seven children, yet my mother-in-law’s figure shows no signs of it at all.’

Only then did Qin Mei take a proper look at Jie Jingshan. She was very pale—the sickly, unnatural white of someone who hadn’t been in the sun for years. Jie Jingshan bore a strong resemblance to their mother, even more so than Jie Jingchen.

’They’re both their mother’s daughters, so why doesn’t the eldest sister look like her, while Jing Qi is her spitting image?’

Jie Jingshan’s back was to Jie Jingchen, so he couldn’t see that Qin Mei had dislocated her jaw. And since Jie Jingshan was unable to speak, she couldn’t tattle on her. Suppressing his excitement at seeing his sister outside, Jie Jingchen turned to Qin Mei, his gaze filled with undisguised worry. "Are you all right?"

Qin Mei stared at Jie Jingchen, stunned. Her injuries were on the back of her hand and not immediately obvious, whereas Jie Jingshan’s predicament was plain to see. Yet he had asked about her first.

’Is the bond between husband and wife deeper than that between siblings?’

’Nonsense. What bond is there between us?’

’The fact that Jie Jingchen asked about me first just shows how well he knows his sister.’

"You should check on your sister first," Qin Mei said, pointing to Jie Jingshan, who was glaring daggers at her from the wheelchair.

Jie Jingchen had a keen sense of smell, especially when it came to blood.

His gaze landed on the injuries on the back of Qin Mei’s hand. Jie Jingchen’s face darkened instantly, and a cold fury radiated from him.

"Jing Qi, she is your fourth sister-in-law..." His voice trailed off as he got a clear look at Jie Jingshan’s condition. Astonishment flooded Jie Jingchen’s dark, deep-set eyes.

’Their little princess, whom they all cherished and doted on, had actually had her jaw dislocated.’

Jie Jingshan felt utterly wronged. She wanted to tattle but couldn’t speak. A mix of humiliation and indignant grief washed over her as huge tears streamed down her face. A pitiful whimpering sound escaped her nostrils.

Overcome with emotion, her small, thin frame began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Jing Qi." Jie Jingchen’s eyes filled with heartache. He set down the items in his hands and squatted, his tall, imposing frame bending low. With slightly trembling fingers, he gently wiped the tears from Jie Jingshan’s cheeks.

Jie Jingshan’s indignation gave way to a profound sense of grievance, and her sobs grew even more heartbroken.

"Qin Mei." Jie Jingchen looked up, his ice-cold gaze fixing on her. It held a savage, almost bloodthirsty glint that clearly showed her the towering rage he felt.

"She scratched me and she bit me," Qin Mei said, raising her voice and glaring right back at Jie Jingchen. "It was merciful of me not to go for an eye for an eye. I only dislocated her jaw as a warning." She didn’t, however, explain the full context of what had happened.

It was a case of mutual injury, but even so, the fury in Jie Jingchen’s eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"I know Jing Qi," Jie Jingchen said, his words implying that Qin Mei had brought this upon herself. "She would never attack you unless you provoked her."

’When the strong clash with the weak, most people side with the underdog, regardless of who is right or wrong.’

Qin Mei took a deep breath, then let out a cold, self-mocking laugh. "You’re right, you’re right. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten curious when I heard the crash. I certainly shouldn’t have let my compassion run wild. I should have just pretended I heard nothing, ignored it all. She’s not my own flesh and blood, after all. When she fell down, broke her porridge bowl, and knocked over her bedpan, I should have just stood there and sneered."

Jie Jingchen understood immediately. A complex expression crossed his face as his initial tide of anger was replaced by gratitude. Clearly, this kind of accident was a common occurrence.

"I’m sorry. I misunderstood you," Jie Jingchen said apologetically.

"Hmph!" Qin Mei snorted haughtily. ’At least he’s a reasonable man,’ she thought. ’He knows how to tell right from wrong.’

Qin Mei none-too-gently popped Jie Jingshan’s jaw back into place. Then, she turned, strode back to the house, and slammed the door behind her, as if to vent her pent-up frustration.

’She wasn’t actually truly angry, but she had to maintain her stance.’

A short while later, Jie Jingchen returned to the room. He found Qin Mei putting her clothes away, moving the few items from her bag into the wardrobe. She had very few things. ’I should take her to the department store to buy more clothes,’ Jie Jingchen thought.

"Qin Mei," Jie Jingchen called.

Qin Mei ignored him. She stared at the pitifully few clothes in the wardrobe. ’When will I ever be able to fill this thing?’ she wondered. Then, remembering how broke she was, she silently closed the wardrobe door.

’I’m not earning any money, and Jie Jingchen is at home recuperating. I can’t bring myself to ask him for cash.’

’Looks like I’ll have to find a way to earn some money,’ she thought. ’But is it really that easy?’

’Back in my old life, I didn’t earn money either, but I was never short on cash. After transmigrating here, I was completely broke.’

"Still angry?" Jie Jingchen asked.

"No." Qin Mei genuinely wasn’t angry, but to Jie Jingchen, it sounded like words spoken in a huff.

Jie Jingchen sighed. "Qin Mei, you’ve seen Jing Qi’s condition."

Qin Mei’s brow furrowed. She shot Jie Jingchen a sidelong glance and asked flatly, "What condition? I must be blind, because I didn’t see a thing."

"Qin Mei." Jie Jingchen’s expression stiffened, his deep eyes a tangle of complex emotions. He doubted she could have misunderstood his meaning. "Qin Mei, you’re a smart woman."

"I’ve gotten stupid, then," Qin Mei retorted.

"Qin Mei," Jie Jingchen said, feeling helpless.

Qin Mei gazed at him, pondering for a long moment before she finally relented. "Jie Jingchen, given her current state, just coddling her and giving in to her will only end up hurting her. Letting her hide away in her room is unhealthy, both physically and mentally. Jie Jingchen, ask yourself this: can she really stay in that shell of hers forever? And can all of you really protect her for her entire life?"