My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 18: A Glimpse of the Flourishing World

After finishing dinner, night had already fallen.

Unlike before, Xu Qing didn’t immediately take Jiang He back; instead, the two strolled leisurely down the street to digest their food.

"Come here. Don’t say anything."

As they passed a bus stop, Xu Qing suddenly paused, pointing to a bus approaching. "Don’t panic. Just follow me."

It was more of a habit for him to remind her, though Jiang He had always handled things well. She didn’t overreact to new sights and sounds, saving her questions for later.

Following his gaze, Jiang He saw the bus approaching, and as the doors opened automatically, Xu Qing reached into his pocket for change and stepped on. She followed, watching him drop a coin into the slot before they headed to the back to sit.

The bus doors closed and started moving forward.

"This ride is pretty smooth, isn’t it?" Xu Qing whispered to Jiang He, sitting by the window.

"I thought you’d be more amazed. You look pretty calm."

"I’ve ridden in carriages before."

Jiang He adhered to her rule of speaking less outside, responding briefly before looking out the window. The city’s nightscape sped past, filling her with wonder at this city that never slept.

With only a few passengers, most of them were either dozing or playing on their phones as the bus moved along, stopping and starting to let people on and off.

Xu Qing’s goal was simply for Jiang He to experience a bus ride, without any particular destination in mind. When they passed the Lanjiang Bridge, he suddenly got an idea and tugged Jiang He to her feet.

"This is called Lanjiang."

The cool night breeze stirred their clothing as they heard the sound of the river flowing in the distance. Under the moonlight, they could see the glistening surface of the river.

Pointing to the water, Xu Qing turned to Jiang He with a smile. "In your time, the night would have been pitch black, right? Things are different now; this is what we call a modern city's night view."

The calm waters stretched out, while the riverbanks were bustling with weekend visitors. From the bridge, the two could see the neon lights along both sides, the shapes of various buildings illuminated, sparkling like glass towers in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Jiang He couldn’t resist stepping forward, gazing upward with her eyes slightly narrowed as her hands rested on the railing. She was utterly mesmerized by the vast skyline.

Even if Xu Qing had told her this was a divine realm, she wouldn’t have doubted it much.

"One thousand two hundred years… Oceans turned into mulberry fields."

Xu Qing adjusted his clothes against the chill night air, smiling as he noted Jiang He’s awe.

"Is this really a thousand years later?" Jiang He asked softly, still staring into the distance.

"In just a millennium, the world has become a whole new place."

"You’ve read most of the history now. You should have an answer."@@novelbin@@

"…"

The sound of distant waves accompanied them. Xu Qing looked at Jiang He. Despite her modern clothing, her aura seemed to stand apart from everything around her.

Pulling out his phone, he took a picture of her, and then he looked at the distant city lights.

"Even though getting your ID is tough… Going back? You probably can’t go back. But staying here isn’t bad."

Seeing her remain silent, Xu Qing continued, "People can now go above the sky, beneath the sea… Even to the moon. If you ever get an ID, I’ll take you on a plane and fly you to the sky one day."

"The sky?" Jiang He finally reacted, lifting her head to gaze at the bright moon.

"Yeah, on a plane. It goes vroom vroom vroom…" Xu Qing chuckled, shaking his head. "But that’s a long way off. For now, you’ll just be stuck in my small apartment, learning about this world."

"And then?" Jiang He asked.

"What then?"

She looked confused, almost wistful. "After learning about this world."

Xu Qing frowned. He hadn’t considered this question.

"After… Well, after that, you just live."

Xu Qing swung his arm over the bridge, taking in the glittering lights. "Live here and enjoy the prosperity twelve hundred years later."

He glanced at Jiang He and smiled. "You’ll find something you like, something that suits you. This is the best era in history. There’s no reason it can’t fit one girl, even if she’s from over a thousand years ago."

Jiang He stayed silent, her eyes still on the distance as the wind lifted her clothes. She stood straight and still, her slender figure shadowed as though the world had abandoned her.

"What are you thinking?"

"I was just thinking… how happy Second Boss would be to see this world."

"Then, look on behalf of her, and for all of them—First Boss, Second Boss, Third Boss—look at it all for them."

"Thank you."

"No problem at all!"

---

If this were ancient times, Xu Qing figured he’d be a wandering knight-errant.

Roaming everywhere, fighting injustice, drinking heavily, and living freely.

One man with a sword, traveling the land.

But now, he could only stay home as a, well… skinny homebody.

A true martial artist, sitting in the living room studying history and the development of the Industrial Revolution—he had even bought more books for Jiang He as she grew accustomed to life here.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing himself was editing videos on his computer. Without a regular job, he took his work as an online creator seriously, earning comments from his fans, amazed at his productivity.

The golden autumn of October arrived.

It had been a month since Jiang He arrived. For most workers, the National Day holiday was a time for celebration, but for these two, it was just like any other day. The only difference was that the stock market was closed, so Xu Qing lost the thrill of watching its volatile trends.

"Aunt Cheng, is that the master you hired?" Xu Qing asked, holding takeout as he looked at an elderly man in a yellow robe a short distance away.

The ritual was organized by a few other residents, who even copied the surveillance footage to share with neighbors. Although most people were terrified, word got out eventually.

In fact, Neighbor Lao Liang had been worried for days until he found out that several other complexes had similar "hauntings." This reassured everyone, and even the police came by, though they found nothing.

Xu Qing had contributed his share to cover the costs, feeling obligated to help, as it was Jiang He’s antics that had stirred up the trouble.

"Yes, look at him, he’s quite professional." Aunt Cheng stood at a distance, munching on sunflower seeds while watching the ritual.

The Taoist priest threw handfuls of rice, chanting and sprinkling it repeatedly.

"Very professional indeed." Xu Qing noticed the crowd watching.

"You take your time. I’m heading back."

"Alright."

Back home, Jiang He was rolling up her sleeves by the washing machine, trying to gauge the right amount of detergent.

"Let me handle it."

"Mm."

Handing the detergent to Xu Qing, she glanced out the window curiously. "What’s everyone watching?"

"They’re watching a priest perform an exorcism."

Xu Qing found her innocent expression amusing, especially since she was the culprit. If not for her late-night escapades, none of this would have happened.

She nearly scared Uncle Zhao into early retirement—now he carried a peach wood sword everywhere he went.