Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man-Chapter 76 - 40: Holy Crap, What is This Piece of Junk?

"Teacher Lin is beautiful and kind, while Qin Mei is cruel and vicious. Teacher Lin is a hundred, even a thousand times better than her. She’s the one who deserves to marry Jing Si, not Qin Mei," Xu Chunyan said stubbornly.

"I think you’re completely under Teacher Lin’s spell. Xu Chunyan, I’m warning you. From now on, at home—especially in front of Dad—you need to think before you open your mouth," Jie Jingwei cautioned.

’He didn’t care about Jing Si’s marriage; it made no difference to him who Jing Si married. But Jing Si was married now, and that was a fact. His wife was constantly scheming to break them up so Jing Si could marry Teacher Lin. Even Dad was sick of it, yet she still wouldn’t drop it.’

"Jie Jingwei, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I don’t think before I speak?" Xu Chunyan said, displeased.

"From now on, after you get home from work, the name ’Teacher Lin’ is forbidden," Jie Jingwei said, picking up his enamel mug and taking a drink.

Xu Chunyan’s gaze turned sinister. She stopped her knitting. "Jie Jingwei, don’t you forget that Teacher Lin saved Xiao You’s life. If it weren’t for her, your son would have been kidnapped."

"Chunyan, people say it’s hard to see clearly when you’re involved, but you’re not even directly involved. And you’re supposed to be a primary school teacher. Ask yourself honestly, does Teacher Lin really have the ability to rescue Xiao You from bad guys? Is she some kind of action hero? She claimed Xiao You was targeted by two huge, aggressive men. A lone woman like her? Forget saving Xiao You, she would have been taken too. Human nature is selfish. Would you really sacrifice yourself for someone else?" Jie Jingwei emphasized that last question heavily.

’Teacher Lin’s story was full of holes. He hadn’t exposed her on the spot, even going along with it and thanking her, only to let her save face since she was Xiao You’s teacher.’

’Whether she’d actually saved Xiao You was secondary. The fact was, Teacher Lin had brought Xiao You home, and for that, he owed her his thanks.’

Xu Chunyan was left speechless. Worry truly does cloud one’s judgment. Especially with how Teacher Lin had described the men as utterly vicious. The initial shock had given way to relief, followed by the lingering fear of having almost lost her son. She had believed Teacher Lin’s story without question.

’Or perhaps she hadn’t believed it so completely after all. She had simply *hoped* that Teacher Lin had saved Xiao You, making her a benefactor to the Jie Family. That status would make it much more convenient for her to execute her plan.’

"Xiao You, did you really run into bad guys? And did Teacher Lin save you?" Xu Chunyan asked, pulling her son over, unwilling to give up.

Jie You chewed on the end of his pen, his eyes darting back and forth. ’Teacher Lin said that if I say yes, she’ll buy me delicious snacks every day. It’s our secret. If I tell our secret, Teacher Lin won’t like me anymore.’

"Yes, yes, yes," Jie You said, nodding his head furiously.

"See? Your son said yes. Are you going to refuse to believe even your own son?" Xu Chunyan said, looking at Jie Jingwei triumphantly.

Jie Jingwei rolled his eyes. ’Even though I spoil my son, it doesn’t mean I’m clueless about his character.’

Jie Jingwei reached out, picked up the thorn stick from the table, and slammed it down hard on the surface. Terrified, Jie You shot up, trying to dive into Xu Chunyan’s arms.

With quick reflexes, Jie Jingwei grabbed Jie You’s little arm. The boy burst into tears. "WAAAH! Mom, Dad’s gonna hit me! Save me!"

"Jing Er, what are you doing? Our son hasn’t done anything wrong! Why are you scaring him like this? Have you lost your mind?" Xu Chunyan immediately rushed to defend her child.

"Chunyan, you’re a teacher. You know perfectly well that if we don’t start disciplining this boy strictly, we’re going to be the ones who ruin him." Jie Jingwei was not a man who couldn’t see the big picture.

Under their overindulgence, Xiao You had become brazen, a bully to the weak and a coward to the strong. They always used the excuse that he was still little to avoid disciplining him, continuing to spoil him rotten.

It wasn’t that they were unaware of their flawed parenting. They just felt that Xiao You was still young, and as the only grandson in the Jie Family at the moment, they couldn’t bring themselves to be strict with him.

"Fine, fine! You deal with him, then! You just believe whatever anyone tells you. Don’t you have your own judgment? Xiao You is our son, not theirs! Of course it’s easy for them to talk; they don’t have to deal with the consequences." The "they" Xu Chunyan referred to were, of course, Jing San and his wife, and Jing Si and his wife.

’Especially Qin Mei. If it wasn’t for her, Jing Si never would have said anything to Dad and Jing San. And without Jing Si’s input, Jing San wouldn’t be bothering to get involved with Xiao You.’

Steeling himself, Jie Jingwei lightly tapped Jie You on the bottom with the thorn stick. It didn’t hurt, but it scared the boy. It was the first time he had ever been hit, and he began to wail, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Jie Jingwei, you actually hit him?!" Xu Chunyan shot to her feet and slammed her knitting down on the table.

"Did you run into bad guys? Did Teacher Lin save you?" Jie Jingwei asked Jie You, his expression grave.