Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man-Chapter 71 - 38: My Wife Wants to Eat (2)

Qin Mei was dumbfounded. Jie Jingchen stood up and quickly helped Fang Xiaoping to his feet. "Brother Youcai, what are you doing?"

"Jing Si, stay out of this. Fourth Wife of Jing, you’re Xiao Ping’s savior. From this day forward, Xiao Ping is as good as a son to you. He’ll honor you and take care of you in your old age." Fang Youcai was a straightforward man.

Qin Mei’s composure crumbled. ’Half a son, honoring me, taking care of me in my old age...’ Fang Xiaoping was eight years old, and she was eighteen. ’An eight-year-old son...’ The very thought made her feel like her world was collapsing.

"Brother Youcai, that’s really not necessary," Qin Mei said, rising to stop him.

"It is necessary. You’re Xiao Ping’s savior," Fang Youcai said, his tone unyielding.

"Brother Youcai, you’re exaggerating." Qin Mei looked to the heavens in exasperation. ’Savior? If anyone’s savior I am, it’s Fang Kexin and the baby in her womb, not Fang Xiaoping.’

Fang Youcai lifted his foot and kicked Fang Xiaoping down to his knees. "Quick," he ordered, "call her Mom."

Qin Mei was speechless.

’She had no doubt,’ Qin Mei thought, ’that if she weren’t married, Fang Youcai would have made Fang Xiaoping promise to marry her. Offering oneself in marriage was the most direct way to repay such a debt.’

"Mom," Fang Xiaoping blurted out, terrified. He did whatever Fang Youcai ordered.

Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. ’He actually called me that!’

Qin Mei shot a pleading look at Jie Jingchen. ’She was so young! She didn’t want a big son—not even a godson!’

"Brother Youcai, you’re scaring the boy," Jie Jingchen said, sounding utterly helpless.

Fang Youcai was an honest man, which was a polite way of saying he had a one-track mind. He wouldn’t listen to anyone, and once he made a decision, nobody could change it.

He was convinced that Qin Mei had saved Fang Xiaoping, so the debt had to be repaid. The Jie Family was well-off, while the Fang family was an ordinary working-class family with nothing of real value to offer. Having Fang Xiaoping take Qin Mei as his godmother was his show of sincerity.

"It’s fine. This kid’s tough; he can take a beating." Fang Youcai kicked Fang Xiaoping again. Qin Mei watched, her heart pounding, terrified he might actually injure the boy. "Get in the house! Stop embarrassing us out here! Day after day, you do nothing but cause trouble instead of studying. Aunt Su’s belly is huge! Are you blind? How could you run into her? If it weren’t for your godmother today, you little rascal, you’d be paying with your life!"

At that moment, Qin Mei decided Fang Youcai’s parenting methods were also deeply flawed.

’Pay with your life?’ she thought. ’How could he say something so brutal to a child?’

Qin Mei had learned her lesson: you really shouldn’t cross a "simple, honest" man. Fang Youcai was a prime example.

It was one thing to be a strict parent, but Qin Mei felt Fang Youcai’s brand of harshness was completely out of line.

And just like that, thanks to Fang Youcai’s unilateral decision, Fang Xiaoping became her godson. Qin Mei’s protests were useless; the man completely ignored her and stubbornly shoved Fang Xiaoping toward her.

Fang Xiaoping called her "Godmother," and Fang Xiaobing followed suit. She’d come to scrounge a meal and ended up with two godsons.

After dinner, as the three of them were about to leave, Second Auntie handed Qin Mei a five-yuan bill. "Fourth Wife of Jing, here. This is for the prescription."

Jie Jingchen assumed Qin Mei wouldn’t accept it. They had already eaten dinner at Second Auntie’s for two days. Even though they had brought gifts, and had even bought the ingredients for tonight’s meal, it stood to reason that Qin Mei wouldn’t take the money.

"Alright, I’ll take it." Qin Mei accepted the bill, then pulled another one from her pocket. She placed the two five-yuan bills together, took Second Auntie’s hand, and pressed the money into her palm. "Second Auntie, this is for our food."

Second Auntie was stunned and immediately tried to refuse. "No, I can’t accept this. I’m the one who invited you to eat at my home. You bought so many things for the children yesterday, and you even bought today’s ingredients. How could I possibly take money for your meals?"

"Second Auntie, your family isn’t wealthy either. An extra two..." Qin Mei glanced at Jie Jingshan and corrected herself. "Three mouths to feed is a big expense. If you won’t take this, we won’t come over tomorrow."

Second Auntie hesitated. "Ten yuan is too much," she said.

"Second Auntie, please don’t refuse," Jie Jingchen said. "We’ll be relying on you for dinner until Aunt Zhang returns."

Second Auntie paused, then stopped protesting and accepted the money with a chuckle. "All right, then. I’ll take care of your dinners until Xiao Zhang is back. Just come over when it’s time to eat. But," she added, "let me be clear: don’t waste any more money buying us things. I’ll be upset if you do."

"Okay," Jie Jingchen agreed. But an agreement was one thing; he still brought something with him every time they came. He had a perfect grasp of social etiquette. When people make a polite gesture, you can’t be tactless in return.

Because Fang Youcai had gotten off work early that day, dinner had been early as well. When they left Second Auntie’s house, it wasn’t even dark yet.