Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man-Chapter 57 - 33: I Am the Victim (4)

"It’s not that she didn’t—"

"She didn’t kill Jing Si," Mrs. Xie cut in, interrupting Mr. Xie. "If she had, I’d make her pay with her life."

"My dear, you know our Jing Si. He’s a tough kid. Jing Er’s wife isn’t capable enough to kill him," Mr. Xie said with a chuckle. ’His wife was angry; he had to coax her.’

"Are the wounds on Jing Si’s back fake? Was Jing Er’s wife swinging a knife at him also fake?" Mrs. Xie grew even angrier. ’He was still trying to play the peacemaker at a time like this.’

’Xu Chunyan is Jing Er’s wife. Since no one died, could I really take a knife and go after Xu Chunyan to get revenge for Jing Si? Why can’t he just side with me and share my righteous anger?’

"Not fake, not fake. The wounds on Jing Si’s back are real, and it’s true Jing Er’s wife swung a knife at him. But my dear, it wasn’t anything serious. Jing Si and his wife aren’t holding a grudge, so you should be the bigger person and not stoop to the children’s level," Mr. Xie soothed.

"Jie Jianguo, let me make one thing clear. I can let this go this time, but if it happens again, I absolutely won’t be so forgiving," Mrs. Xie threatened.

"It won’t. I promise it won’t happen again. I’ll go to Jing Er’s room in a bit and give them both a good scolding. My dear, you’ve had a long day. Go back to our room and rest. I’ll go heat up some water for a bath." Mr. Xie picked up the first-aid kit, handed it to Mrs. Xie, and chuckled, whispering suggestively in her ear, "I’ll help you bathe later."

Mrs. Xie shot him a playful glare before taking the first-aid kit and heading back to their room.

Mr. Xie breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to pacify his wife. But the moment she closed the door, his smile froze and his brow furrowed with worry. ’They say a house full of children and grandchildren is a blessing, but having so many sons is its own kind of trouble.’

Second Auntie’s courtyard was small and housed three families. They all shared the yard, the kitchen, and the toilet. Besides the communal kitchen and toilet, there were six rooms in total, with each family occupying two.

Compared to the Jie Family’s sprawling courtyard home, this small yard starkly illustrated the gap between the rich and the poor.

In this era, housing was assigned by the factories, so being allocated a place in a courtyard like this was actually quite good.

"You two... you should have just come. Why did you bring all these things? It’s such a waste of money!" Second Auntie chided, even as she welcomed them warmly.

"They’re for the children," Jie Jingchen said, handing the candies, cookies, peach shortbread, and sponge cakes to Second Auntie’s son, Fang Youcai.

Fang Youcai didn’t take them at first, looking to his mother for permission. Only when she nodded did he accept the gifts, immediately passing them to his wife, He Yufeng. "Honey."

He Yufeng accepted them with a smile. She took some out to the courtyard to share with the playing children, then stored the rest in a cabinet.

"You two sit for a bit. There’s just one more dish. I’ll go get it and then we can eat," Second Auntie said, her face wreathed in smiles. She patted her son on the shoulder. "Youcai, keep Jing Si company."

Fang Youcai was simple and good-natured, while Jie Jingchen was a man of few words. Asking them to make conversation was a tall order.

"Here you go, Fourth Wife of Jing." He Yufeng offered a piece of the sponge cake to Qin Mei. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Qin Mei was taken aback. She hadn’t expected He Yufeng to give her a piece of sponge cake. ’If I eat this before dinner, I won’t have much of an appetite. And I came here to get a proper free meal,’ she thought, hesitating as she tried to figure out how to politely refuse He Yufeng’s kindness.

"Sister-in-law, she’s not a fan of these. You should save them for the children," Jie Jingchen interjected, coming to Qin Mei’s rescue. He knew she disliked flour-based foods and preferred rice; otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought her to Second Auntie’s for a free meal in the first place.

"It’s alright, Fourth Wife of Jing. You brought so much, it’s more than enough for the children for a long while," He Yufeng said with a smile. Sponge cakes were expensive, and she was usually reluctant to buy them for her own kids. It wasn’t that people disliked them, just that they couldn’t bear to spend the money.