Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man-Chapter 56 - 33: I Am the Victim

Mrs. Xie lifted the pot off the coal stove and tossed it aside in disgust. She called out to Mr. Xie, who was outside the kitchen, "We can’t use this pot anymore."

"Alright. I’ll go to the grocery store and buy a new one myself tomorrow," Mr. Xie said with an appeasing smile. He didn’t think his wife was overreacting. The thought of Xu Chunyan’s shoe being thrown into the pot and boiled for so long... Even if they washed the pot, he wouldn’t want to use it again. It would be too unnerving. "What should we do now? Xiao Si and Xiao Mei still haven’t had dinner. How about I cook some noodles for you all?"

Mr. Xie had misunderstood. He thought Jing Si refused his mother’s offer to cook noodles because he disliked her cooking. To be fair, Mrs. Xie’s noodles really weren’t very good. His, on the other hand, were delicious, so he figured Jing Si wouldn’t say no.

"No need. Second Aunt invited the two of them to eat at her place," Mrs. Xie said, wiping her hands. She looked at Jie Jingchen and Qin Mei and asked, "Do you want to go?"

"What’s Second Aunt having?" Jie Jingchen asked. If it was rice, he’d take Qin Mei. If not, they’d pass. When it came to staples, Qin Mei only liked to eat rice.

"Honestly, you." Mrs. Xie gave Jie Jingchen a helpless glare and complained, "I’ve never known you to be a picky eater. How come you started being so picky after getting injured this time? Xiao Si, being a picky eater is a bad habit."

Jie Jingchen didn’t rat out Qin Mei. He took the blame.

"Steamed rice, braised pork..."

"We’ll go," Jie Jingchen cut his mother off. He turned to Qin Mei and said, "I’ll take you to Second Aunt’s for dinner."

"Is that okay?" Qin Mei asked, a little sheepishly.

"Go on. Second Aunt always has dinner late anyway. When I went over, she was just starting to cook," Mrs. Xie persuaded her.

"Alright." Qin Mei nodded. ’Now that my mother-in-law has said so, it would be disingenuous to refuse. Besides, I can’t resist the temptation of steamed rice.’

"Mom, Dad, I’m taking Qin Mei to Second Aunt’s place," Jie Jingchen said to Mr. and Mrs. Xie.

Mr. Xie nodded, and Mrs. Xie smiled and waved at them. "You two go on."

Jie Jingchen took Qin Mei’s hand, turned, and started walking. Qin Mei froze for a second, but under the watchful eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Xie, she didn’t pull her hand away.

’Jie Jingchen’s hand was large and gentle, giving her a sense of security. After this incident, it seemed their relationship had undergone a subtle change.’

Qin Mei thought Jie Jingchen would take her back to their room to change his clothes first. Xu Chunyan’s cleaver had slashed through his undershirt and shirt, leaving a long gash across his back. A large patch of his white shirt was stained red with blood.

Once they were out of the courtyard, Qin Mei couldn’t help but ask, "Jie Jingchen, aren’t you going to change?"

"Why should I?" Jie Jingchen asked.

Qin Mei’s eye twitched. ’Is he playing dumb, or is he really this clueless?’ she thought, reminding him, "You shouldn’t air your dirty laundry in public."

Jie Jingchen gave Qin Mei a cryptic look, hesitated for a moment, then said sullenly, "I’m the victim."

Qin Mei’s breath hitched. She glared at Jie Jingchen and snapped, "Serves you right. You brought this on yourself."

"Are you worried about me?" A handsome smile played on Jie Jingchen’s thin lips, his expression both alluring and seductive.

Qin Mei stared in disbelief. ’This man is seducing me,’ she thought. ’I have proof—that smile on his face is the evidence.’

Qin Mei took a deep breath and turned her head away from Jie Jingchen. "Of course I am. We’re husband and wife. If you get hacked to death, I’ll be a widow. You know my situation—I have amnesia, so I can’t go back to my own family, and your family doesn’t want me. If I went to your older sister’s to live with the Sun Family, who would pay for my expenses? The Sun Family definitely wouldn’t treat me well."

Jie Jingchen’s expression darkened. He clenched his jaw, forcing the words through his teeth. "Is that so?"

Jie Jingchen let go of her hand, strode past her, and walked ahead.

Qin Mei froze, stunned. ’Is he angry?’ She looked down at her own hand, his warmth still lingering on it. Lifting her head, she watched Jie Jingchen’s retreating back. As he walked, the gash was occasionally visible, the seeping blood staining his white shirt like a bewitching blood rose, both magnificent and dangerously alluring.

Qin Mei really wanted to ask him if he was sure he wouldn’t scare Second Aunt by showing up for dinner like that.

"Oh, no." It dawned on Mr. Xie, and he cried out in alarm, pointing at the courtyard gate. "That damn kid, he actually left without changing his clothes."

"Why should he change? He’s taking his wife to a neighbor’s for dinner, not making a pilgrimage to a temp... It’s not like he needs to bathe and burn incense first," Mrs. Xie sneered. She wholeheartedly approved of her son’s actions.

Mr. Xie raised an eyebrow, a headache coming on. "The wound on his back."

"So what?" Mrs. Xie’s gaze shifted to Xu Chunyan’s room, her eyes filled with a piercing chill.

"We shouldn’t air our dirty laundry in public," Mr. Xie said through gritted teeth.

"And why not? Your second daughter-in-law dared to swing a cleaver at your fourth son. In the moment she brought that blade down, did she ever stop to think that he was her husband’s fourth younger brother?" Mrs. Xie asked coldly. The memory of that scene still made her heart pound with fear.