Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Chapter 411 - 148: Teacher Lin Lures Xiao You

"Auntie," Qin Xiang called out. He saw Qin Mei heading straight for the doorway, right where Mrs. Xie was standing. "Auntie, get out of the way!" he yelled frantically.

Qin Mei didn’t know how to turn. She could have hit the brakes, but she completely forgot in her panic. As she was about to crash into Mrs. Xie, she panicked even more and toppled over, bike and all.

"Ahh!" Qin Mei shrieked.

"Little Sis!" Qin Xiang cried.

"Xiao Mei," Mrs. Xie cried.

Jie Jingshan also came out of the house, calling out worriedly, "Fourth Sister-in-law."

Qin Xiang and Mrs. Xie rushed over. Qin Xiang lifted the bicycle that was pinning Qin Mei down, while Mrs. Xie helped her up, her eyes filled with worry. "Where are you hurt?"

"Mom, don’t worry. I didn’t break anything," Qin Mei said reassuringly. It was very painful, but she was certain it was just a flesh wound.

"That’s good, as long as no bones are broken." Mrs. Xie breathed a sigh of relief. She had witnessed Qin Mei’s medical skills firsthand. ’An injury to the bones takes a hundred days to heal,’ and that was no joke.

"Little Sis, maybe I should still take you to the hospital for a check-up," Qin Xiang said, still not reassured.

"No need. Just help me to the rattan chair for a bit. I’ll be fine after a short rest," Qin Mei said.

Mrs. Xie supported Qin Mei, slowly walking toward the rattan chair. Qin Xiang couldn’t stand to watch and just ran to bring the chair over to them.

"..." Qin Mei.

Mrs. Xie helped her sit down carefully, then crouched in front of her to inspect the injuries. As Qin Mei had said, there were no broken bones, just scrapes.

Her right elbow was scraped and the skin on her knee was broken. The other areas were just bruised from the fall, with no other broken skin.

"I’ll go get some iodine to disinfect it for you." Mrs. Xie got up and went into the house to get the first-aid kit.

Qin Mei said nothing. ’I should say thank you,’ she thought, ’but that would seem too distant. Mother-in-law would be upset. She already reminded me that family doesn’t need to be so formal with one another.’

Seeing her injuries weren’t serious, Qin Xiang stood quietly to the side. ’How am I going to explain this to Jie Jingchen when he gets back?’ he wondered.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, does it hurt a lot?" Jie Jingshan asked, walking over to Qin Mei, her bright, clear eyes filled with concern.

Qin Mei endured the pain and forced a smile for Jing Qi, replying in a light tone, "It doesn’t hurt much."

"Fourth Sister-in-law..." Jie Jingshan’s eyes reddened as she looked at Qin Mei’s knee. She glared at Qin Xiang and berated him. "This is all your fault, brother! What’s the big rush? Does anyone learn to ride a bike in a day or two? Couldn’t she have learned slowly? You just had to force her, not even letting her rest. You can’t rush learning to ride a bike! Don’t you know anything about pacing yourself?"

Being scolded by Jing Qi, Qin Xiang didn’t argue back. He admitted his fault, "Yes, yes, you’re right to scold me, Jing Qi. It’s my fault. I was too impatient. I was wrong."

Jie Jingshan sniffled, wanting to scold him some more, but Qin Mei stopped her. "Jing Qi, don’t scold him anymore. When you’re first learning to ride a bike, who doesn’t fall? It’s just a minor injury. It’ll be fine in a little while."

"Well, I never fell down," Jie Jingshan said, lifting her chin with a proud look.

"You know how to ride a bike?" Qin Xiang was very surprised.

Qin Mei, however, wasn’t surprised. Jing Qi had told her before that she could ride a bike, and had even promised to give her a ride once her own leg was healed.

"Of course. My third brother taught me." Jie Jingshan paused, then continued, "I started learning when I was only a few years old, on my third brother’s bike. When he taught me, he protected me like the apple of his eye. It took me a long time to learn, and then Mom bought me my own bike. Later, when I became disabled, Mom was afraid I’d get upset seeing the bike, so she gave it to my cousin."

Qin Mei looked at Jing Qi in surprise. ’She started learning when she was only a few years old, and on one of those big, heavy-duty men’s bikes, no less! Jing Qi was so small, of course Jie Jinghun would have protected her like the apple of his eye. A fall from a bike like that would have had serious consequences; she could have been permanently disabled right then and there.’

Qin Xiang didn’t respond, just looked at Qin Mei with a meaningful expression.

Mrs. Xie came running with the first-aid kit. After disinfecting the wounds, she glanced at Qin Xiang, then looked at Qin Mei and asked, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Qin Mei paused for a moment, then shook her head. "No."

Only then did Mrs. Xie put the iodine away. She started to say something to Qin Mei, but then swallowed her words. ’It would be more effective to tell Jing Si when he gets off work,’ she decided.

"Xiao Mei, I’m going to take a nap. When the others get off work, we’ll go to the state-owned restaurant for dinner," Mrs. Xie said. She had been on duty last night and hadn’t rested after returning. She even had to go back to the hospital to arrange for someone to take Jie Anqi to Xiangjiang. She had been running around until now and was utterly exhausted. ’I’m getting too old for this kind of thing!’

"Okay, Mom. You must be exhausted." Qin Mei’s heart went out to her mother-in-law. ’The pressure at the hospital is already so high, and she can’t even get any rest when she comes home.’

Mrs. Xie elegantly picked up the first-aid kit, looked at Qin Mei with a loving expression, and patted her head. "Don’t practice riding the bike for the next few days."

"Okay," Qin Mei nodded obediently.

Watching the scene unfold, Qin Xiang had a flash of insight. ’So that’s how my sister won over Jing Si’s mother. In front of her, she hides her sharp edges and acts obedient, gentle, and endearing.’

Mrs. Xie went back to her room to rest. Jing Qi sat with Qin Mei, keeping her company. Qin Xiang inspected the damaged bicycle. There were no major problems, and he fixed the minor issues in a jiffy. After pushing the bike aside, Qin Xiang went into the house to use the bathroom.

"Teacher Lin, I want to eat roast duck!" Jie You’s cheerful voice rang out.

He hadn’t even entered the courtyard, but his voice carried into it.

Hearing the two words "Teacher Lin," Qin Mei’s expression faltered slightly. She had only heard of this "childhood sweetheart" of Jie Jingchen’s but had never met her. Xu Chunyan, in particular, had practically drilled the name into her head.

’It would be a lie to say I’m not curious about this Teacher Lin,’ she thought. ’But even so, I never expected to actually run into her. Xu Chunyan must not have been able to hold back. Inviting Teacher Lin over as a guest... she’s just trying to spite me.’

"Fourth Sister-in-law." Jie Jingshan looked at Qin Mei, her large, clear eyes filled with worry. Inwardly, she cursed her second sister-in-law. ’She’s so clueless! What is she thinking, inviting Teacher Lin over?’

Qin Mei reached out, took Jing Qi’s hand, and gave her a reassuring smile.

’Whether Teacher Lin and Jie Jingchen really had something between them, that’s all in the past. I’m his wife now. You can’t dwell on the past; you have to look toward the future.’

"Xiao You, the roast duck was sold out, so we couldn’t buy any. How about we have braised pork instead?" a gentle voice said.

"Yes, yes, yes! I love braised pork, and my fourth uncle loves braised pork too!" Jie You clapped his little hands, jumping for joy.

’Jie Jingchen likes braised pork? I actually didn’t know that.’ Qin Mei reflected. ’Jing Chen isn’t a picky eater; he eats whatever is available. I don’t like fatty meat, so whether we’re having braised pork or twice-cooked pork, I always eat the lean pieces, and he eats the fat.’

"Is that so?" Teacher Lin said without much emotion. After a pause, she smiled at Jie You, her voice soft and gentle. "Then when I’m done cooking, let’s invite your fourth uncle to eat with us. What do you say, Xiao You?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Jie You exclaimed. The little guy was more than willing to share the braised pork with his fourth uncle. ’It’s all about give and take,’ he reasoned. ’This way, Fourth Uncle will share his tasty treats with me in the future.’

Listening to their conversation, Qin Mei couldn’t shake the feeling that this Teacher Lin didn’t have the best intentions. ’She’s like the big bad wolf luring a little white rabbit.’

Teacher Lin led Jie You into the courtyard. When she saw the two women there, she was clearly taken aback. She knew Jing Qi but not Qin Mei, yet she could guess her identity.

’I know everyone in the Jie Family. This unfamiliar woman must be the wife Jing Si married.’

Thinking about what she had just said to Xiao You, her cheeks instantly grew hot, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Little Aunt, Fourth Aunt," Jie You called out to the two of them.

Qin Mei blinked in surprise. ’Jie You called me that before school this morning, and now he’s doing it again. Has the little guy actually learned some manners? Or did Jing Chen promise him something? The boy was spoiled rotten; she didn’t believe for a second that Jing Chen could discipline him. Jie You was spoiled rotten by Xu Chunyan, but he had one major weakness: he was an absolute glutton. He couldn’t resist the temptation of food, which was exactly why he was so chubby.’