Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man-Chapter 152 - 64: Egging On Jing 5 to Kill the Rooster
"Are you sure?" Jie Jingchen gave her a chance to change her mind.
She wasn’t, but Qin Mei stubbornly nodded. "I’m sure."
Jie Jingchen smiled, looking as if victory was already in his grasp.
"Why do you think it will be Xu Chunyan?" Qin Mei pressed.
Jie Jingchen glanced sideways at Qin Mei. She couldn’t see clearly in the pitch-dark room, but he could. "I can’t lay out my analysis for you."
Qin Mei waited a long time, only to get that one sentence in reply. Annoyed, she glared in Jie Jingchen’s direction and asked through gritted teeth, "Why not?"
"I’m afraid you’ll go back on your word," Jie Jingchen said, a faint smile playing on his lips.
’He’s questioning my character! This is an insult, an absolute insult.’
"I will not go back on my word," Qin Mei enunciated, each word sharp and clear. Jie Jingchen remained silent, clearly unconvinced. Qin Mei gritted her teeth and raised her hand. "I can swear on it."
Jie Jingchen’s expression darkened. He pulled her hand from where she’d raised it above the blankets, holding it firmly in his own. He spoke with grave seriousness. "Qin Mei, don’t swear oaths so casually. They have a way of coming true."
"It’s not like I’m swearing a death curse. What’s there to be afraid of?" Qin Mei grumbled.
"It doesn’t matter. No oaths," Jie Jingchen said, his tone firm.
"Fine, fine, you’re such a nag. I’ll listen to you. No more casual oaths from now on," Qin Mei compromised.
Jie Jingchen was satisfied, but he didn’t release her hand. It was soft, and holding it felt nice.
"So, are you going to satisfy my curiosity or not?" Qin Mei asked, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing. ’Curiosity killed the cat. The more he stays quiet, the more I want to know. If he doesn’t satisfy my curiosity, I’ll just have to get nasty.’
"Chunyan has to work..."
"Tch!" Qin Mei rolled her eyes, cutting him off. "Please," she said sarcastically. "Besides us and Jing Qi, who here *doesn’t* have to work? And if we’re talking about important jobs, Mom’s a doctor... Oh! How could I have forgotten about Mom? Jie Jingchen, I think Mom will be the first one to snap."
"Mom won’t," Jie Jingchen said confidently, then continued, "Chunyan has to work, and Xiao You has to go to school."
Qin Mei fell silent. ’How could I have forgotten about Xiao You?’ She pulled her hand from Jie Jingchen’s grasp and rolled onto her back, her confidence suddenly gone. Jie Jingchen hadn’t given her a detailed breakdown, but she understood the implications all too well.
’Adults can put up with it, but a child can’t. Given how much Xu Chunyan spoils Jie You, it’s entirely possible she’d be the first one to kill that rooster.’
’Success depends on human effort,’ Qin Mei mused. ’Maybe I should stir things up with Jie Jingjue. If I can get him to kill that rooster before Xu Chunyan does, I’ll win.’
「As the sky began to lighten」 Qin Mei heard Aunt Zhang’s voice in the kitchen as she prepared breakfast for the family.
The members of the Jie Family got up one by one for breakfast. Afterward, some left for work and others for school. No one said a word about the rooster.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! Aunt Zhang knocked three times and called out, "Jing Si, Fourth Wife of Jing, time to get up for breakfast."
"She’s calling you for breakfast," Qin Mei said, nudging Jie Jingchen. ’Doesn’t he always get up early? Why is he sleeping in today?’
Jie Jingchen neither opened his eyes nor spoke.
"Jing Si, Fourth Wife of Jing, are you two awake?" Aunt Zhang’s voice came again.
’First the rooster crowing before dawn, and now Aunt Zhang calling us to get up the moment it’s light.’
"Hong Ying, don’t disturb them," said Mrs. Xie, who had just returned. Seeing Aunt Zhang knocking on her fourth son and daughter-in-law’s door, a flash of displeasure crossed her eyes.
Aunt Zhang froze, clearly not expecting Mrs. Xie to come back. She turned, forced a smile, and explained, "Doctor Qiao, I was just worried breakfast would get cold and that they’d be hungry."
"If breakfast gets cold, it can be reheated. If they’re hungry, they’ll get up and eat on their own. They aren’t three-year-old children who need an adult to tend to their every need," Mrs. Xie said, then went into her room, grabbed something, and left.
Aunt Zhang’s hands clenched into tight fists. She glared at Mrs. Xie’s retreating back, her heart filled with resentment. A moment later, her lips twisted into a sneer, and a sinister look crept into the corner of her eyes.
Aunt Zhang raised her hand as if to knock again, but then thought better of it. She gave up and walked toward Jie Jingjue’s room instead.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Aunt Zhang knocked three times, her voice gentle. "Jing Wu, time for breakfast. You’re going to be late for work."
Jie Jingchen was at home recuperating, Qin Mei didn’t have a job, but Jie Jingjue had to go to work.
"Jing Wu," Aunt Zhang called, persistent. Her calls finally woke Jie Jingjue.
"Aunt Zhang." Jie Jingjue opened the door and yawned. He had dark circles under his eyes, clearly having slept poorly.
"Jing Wu, everyone else has already left for work," Aunt Zhang reminded him.
"I know." Jie Jingjue closed the door to change, wash up, and get some breakfast.
Sitting at the dining table, Jie Jingjue stared at the breakfast with little appetite. With Aunt Zhang watching him, he forced down a few bites before setting down his chopsticks.
"Aunt Zhang, I’m off to work."
"Jing Wu, wait a moment," Aunt Zhang called out, stopping him. As she cleared the table, she asked, "Jing Wu, could you get off work a bit early today?"
"Is there a reason?" Jie Jingjue asked.
Aunt Zhang paused her clearing of the dishes. "Well," she said to Jie Jingjue, "it’s Wan’er’s first time in the city, and I was hoping you could take her out after work to show her around."
"Oh," Jie Jingjue said, not thinking much of it. "I get off work too late. You should ask my fourth brother to take her. He’s at home recovering, so he has plenty of time."
Aunt Zhang couldn’t hide the smile that bloomed on her face. This was exactly what she had been waiting for him to say. Still, she feigned difficulty. "Jing Si wouldn’t be appropriate."
"Why not?" Jie Jingjue asked. ’He seems like the perfect person for it.’
"Your fourth brother is married. If he takes Wan’er out, I’m worried the Fourth Wife of Jing will get the wrong idea," Aunt Zhang said, voicing her concern.
Jie Jingjue laughed. "And here I was wondering what the problem was! That’s simple. Just ask my sister-in-law to go too. Let my fourth brother and her take Wan’er out."
Aunt Zhang just chuckled without responding. ’I only want Jing Si to take Wan’er out alone. I want them to develop feelings for each other. I want Jing Si to see how wonderful Wan’er is, fall in love with her, and kick Qin Mei to the curb.’
’Ever since I came back to the Jie Family home yesterday, nothing has gone according to my plan. Especially the way Jie Jingchen and Jie Jingshan treat me—it’s like night and day compared to before.’
"Aunt Zhang, I’m heading to work now," Jie Jingjue said.
"Alright. Be careful on the road, and ride safely," Aunt Zhang said, returning to her task of clearing the table.
Before leaving for work, Jie Jingjue stopped by Jie Jingshan’s room. She was inside reading a book, and Qin Mei couldn’t quite hear what he said to her.
Seeing Jie Jingjue emerge from Jie Jingshan’s room, Qin Mei called out to him. "Jing Wu."
"Fourth Sister-in-law." Jie Jingjue looked awkward. He had been deliberately avoiding Qin Mei for the past two days. Because of the "miscarriage" incident, he had misunderstood her, thought she had betrayed his fourth brother, and even tried to catch her in the act, nearly injuring Mrs. Xie in the process. "Fourth Sister-in-law, is your eye any better?"
The swelling in her left eye had gone down, and though the white was still a bit red, she could open it normally. Qin Mei blinked, ignoring his question. She crossed her arms and leaned lazily against the doorframe. "Has the medicine been prepared?"
"I left the medicine preparation to Aunt Zhang," Jie Jingjue said with a nervous laugh.
Qin Mei’s lips twitched. ’I made an enemy of Aunt Zhang yesterday. I wouldn’t dare let Jie Jingchen or Jie Jingshan drink any medicine she prepared.’
Qin Mei said nothing, stroking her chin with a serious, thoughtful expression. She stared at Jie Jingjue, looking as if she were about to speak but holding back.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, if you have something to say, just say it. Please don’t look at me like that. It’s making me nervous," Jie Jingjue said, feeling a knot of tension in his stomach. ’The way she’s looking at me is so calculating.’
Qin Mei considered for a moment, then spoke with a perfectly straight face. "I need to prepare a new batch of medicine for Jing Qi, but..."
"But what?" Jie Jingjue asked, taking the bait.
"I’m missing a medicinal catalyst," Qin Mei stated.
"What kind of catalyst?" Jie Jingjue asked, then immediately puffed out his chest. "I’ll get it for you, even if I have to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of fire!"
"Ahem. No need to climb mountains of swords or plunge into seas of fire," Qin Mei said with a slight cough. Her gaze drifted past Jie Jingjue toward the rooster that was tied by its leg, strutting around under a tree. A vicious glint flashed in her eyes before she lowered her gaze back to the anxiously waiting Jie Jingjue. "A rooster’s heart."
