My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 187: I'll beat you if you keep doing this

Rain had fallen throughout the night, and the next day showed no signs of clearing up. Instead, it seemed to be turning into a downpour.

Jiang He leaned against the windowsill, staring blankly at the curtain of rain outside.

"If it gets heavier, it'll be just like the day I arrived."

"That's how it is in May and June," she muttered.

"At least it’s cooler this way."

"Once the rain stops, summer will really begin," Xu Qing remarked as he glanced outside.

As June approached, a heavy rain often marked the start of the sweltering days to follow. In Jiang City, this cursed place alternated between freezing winters and scorching summers. The summer heat was so intense it made the air above the asphalt roads shimmer and distort.

By afternoon, the rain intensified, bringing a slight chill. Jiang He ventured out to buy groceries, carrying a big black umbrella—the same one Xu Qing had initially offered her at the door. She carried her little basket, while Xu Qing used a flimsy umbrella he'd received from attending a health seminar.

He grumbled about it, thinking how romantic it would be to share an umbrella on a rainy day, close and intimate.

"Why would we crowd under one umbrella in the rain? Do you want to make sure we both get wet?" Jiang He shot back.

"But isn't doing silly things part of being in love?"

Following behind her, dejected, Xu Qing watched the rainwater drip from the rooftops along the street. Then, he asked, "Could you perform a sword dance so precise that no rain would touch you? Just swish-swish, dance through the rain without getting wet."

"No."

"Not even theoretically possible?"

"Still no."

Jiang He extended her hand beyond the umbrella to feel the rain. "If that were possible, you'd have seen a fresh, dry me that day, instead of someone who looked like a drowned rat." ᚱἈ𝐍Ȫ𝐛ΕꞨ

"A drowned rat, huh..." Xu Qing chuckled, remembering that scrawny, angry girl. She was nothing like her current gentle self.

Time had passed so quickly. Almost a year had gone by in a blink, from autumn to winter, then spring, and now summer was almost here.

"Jiang He."

"Yeah?"

"Let me carry the basket for you."

Back home, Jiang He shook off the rain from the umbrella and propped it by the door. She took the groceries to the kitchen, chopping away rhythmically with the knife. After a while, she turned her head to see Xu Qing leaning against the doorway. She slowly stopped.

"Something feels off the more I think about it."

"What feels off?"

"It's like you've brought home a live-in chef."

"I think you're just looking for an excuse not to study. Even as a chef, you'd still have to read books and do exercises—you can't escape."

Xu Qing mercilessly exposed her ploy. Sometimes this little old lady was ridiculously crafty.

Back in the living room, Xu Qing tried to play some music but realized her computer was password-protected. He had to plug her computer's speakers into his laptop.

"You don't need to lock it; I wouldn't snoop through your computer."

"Don't you think that sentence itself sounds suspicious?" Jiang He’s voice floated from the kitchen.

"No, I'm just stating the facts. Admittedly, I did once check your search history when your understanding of things was still… underdeveloped, and you were easily misled by random nonsense online. I did it out of concern for your growth."

While browsing through songs on the player, Xu Qing continued, "It’s like how a dad might ask a teacher what his daughter’s up to in school—same mindset. I just didn't want you to misunderstand things or sneak out in the middle of the night, only to end up cold and starving somewhere."

"And now?" Jiang He poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Now you're settled here, capable of independent living, with your own ideas and privacy. Of course, I respect that. Oh, and I apologize for looking at your search history back then, regardless of my reasons."

"You're acting suspiciously," Jiang He said, narrowing her eyes. "Why bring it up? Nothing would have happened if you hadn’t mentioned it. Are you planning to snoop again?"

Although she had ensured her browsing history was irretrievable, she still felt uneasy.

"No, no. It's just a matter of principle. Even in a close relationship, everyone deserves their space. If you’re this defensive around me, it shows you’re safeguarding your space, which is fine but unnecessary. Understand?"

"Fine. I accept your apology, though I wasn’t mad to begin with," Jiang He said, her lips curling into a small smile.

"Trust is the foundation of a relationship."

"You sure like lecturing."

"Well, you only lecture the ones you love. Strangers? Who cares about them? If they irritate you, just ignore them."

"So you're doing this for the long haul?"

"Details determine success."

Jiang He rolled up her sleeves and pointed a finger at him. "In that case, I'm going to pin you to the wall later!"

"Oh no, I'm so scared." Xu Qing laughed from the couch. Jiang He’s quirky personality was far more endearing than her mysterious origins.

The computer started playing music sung by a chef in his spare time.

"Under the forest canopy, hand in hand,

A startled sparrow takes flight.

Victory decided in a single stroke,

The sword returns, we head home.@@novelbin@@

You smile and brew tea from fresh spring herbs—"

"Maybe in our past lives, we were like that—wandering the streets with an umbrella, and when someone tried to harm me, you swished your sword and saved me."

"A past life? No way."

"You never know. What if you saved me back then, and now it’s my turn to take care of you? Karma."

"Stop with the nonsense. Come peel these garlic cloves."

"Got it."

Xu Qing's prediction was spot on. By evening, the rain poured heavily, drumming against the roof until late at night. The next day brought clear skies and a sudden spike in temperature. Summer had officially arrived.

After that meal where Qin Hao had coincidentally encountered a suspect, he seemed to have developed an addiction to wandering the streets. Part of it was due to Qin Maocai staying at home crafting armor—it irked Qin Hao to imagine both Xu Qing and Qin Maocai at home, tinkering with their respective hobbies. It made him restless. After work, he’d grab a bite and roam the streets aimlessly.

Sometimes, Xu Qing gave in to Qin Hao’s constant pestering and tagged along, eating out and playing the role of the dutiful sidekick. According to Qin Hao, having Xu Qing around made his "bad luck mouth" more effective—like a magnet for trouble. Together, they were an unstoppable duo.

"Do I look like a comic book protagonist who brings disaster wherever he goes? If so, you’ve got the wrong guy. You want Conan for that," Xu Qing complained.

"Come on, I’m just bored. Besides, you all have girlfriends—can’t you spare some time for a lonely old man like me?" Qin Hao shot back.

"Fine, when Qixi Festival rolls around, I’ll order you a frog to serenade you."

Hands in his pockets, Xu Qing ambled down the street, pausing at various stalls to inspect trinkets.

"This hair clip is nice."

"Ooh, these sunglasses are cool."

"A sun hat…"

Qin Hao watched him wordlessly, his expression unreadable.

June was sweltering. Xu Qing had stuffed the fridge full of popsicles and warned Jiang He not to overindulge.

But Jiang He, confident in her robust constitution, happily munched on dried sweet potatoes and quenched her thirst with popsicles from the freezer. She stayed indoors during the day, shuffling around in slippers and pajamas, lazily moving between the living room and her bedroom.

She’d come to savor the freedom Xu Qing often spoke of—not worrying about where or what her next meal would be. The electric fan was a constant companion. When she got bored of doodling on her textbooks, she’d toss them onto the couch, climb on top to stomp them flat, and then stand before the fan.

"Wow-wo-wow-wo-wow… Xu~ Qing~ what~ are~ you~ doing?" she shouted into the fan, giggling at the distorted sound.

These childish antics kept her entertained, but only when Xu Qing wasn’t around—she couldn’t let him see her acting so immature.

Her phone buzzed with a message from Xu Qing. It was a picture of a pair of sunglasses. Holding a popsicle in her mouth, she typed a quick reply with both hands before tossing the phone aside. Glancing at the computer, then at the door, Jiang He moved stealthily to the window to peek outside.

Satisfied that no one was watching, she yanked the curtains shut, muted the computer speakers, and opened a certain "mysterious" folder with a mix of guilt and excitement. Her eyes widened as she took in its contents.

"So this is my future husband’s secret…"

She muttered under her breath. Xu Qing was such a weirdo. To think he had this kind of stuff on his computer!

By evening, Xu Qing returned home to find Jiang He sitting upright on a small stool, engrossed in her studies.

"‘Bidding farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower, setting sail for Yangzhou in March. The lone sail vanishes into the blue, as the Yangtze flows to the sky’s edge,’" she recited, swaying her head in a mock scholarly manner.

Seeing this, Xu Qing felt a rare sense of satisfaction. "You don’t have to memorize that. Just read through it; skip the poem-writing questions in the workbook."

"Really? Great!" Jiang He brightened up instantly. Poetry wasn’t like math; memorizing it didn’t seem all that useful—just a way to appear cultured.

"Li Bai was amazing," she mused. "To think people are still talking about him over a thousand years later."

"You’ve met him?" Xu Qing asked casually.

"Yeah, once. We even sparred a bit."

"Sparred?" Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, unsure if he should press for details. This little old lady was vain about her reputation; maybe she’d lost the fight and wouldn’t admit it.

In the third year of Kaiyuan, Li Bai was fifteen, already skilled in poetry, swordsmanship, and Taoist philosophy. Jiang He would’ve been about ten years younger. The timeline seemed plausible.

"It’s fascinating seeing these figures immortalized in school textbooks," Jiang He remarked, putting down her book.

"I think so too."

"You do?"

"Yeah, imagining someone like Qin Hao ending up in textbooks as a legendary officer from a thousand years ago. It’s surreal."

He handed her the sunglasses he'd bought earlier. "When you’re out wandering—no, traveling—wear these, along with a sun hat."

Looking out the window, Xu Qing frowned. "Why did you close the curtains?"

"Huh? Oh, it was too sunny. The light was annoying, so I shut them." Jiang He slipped on the sunglasses and glanced around nonchalantly.

"You don’t need to wear those indoors; it’s almost evening. If it gets too hot at night, just turn on the air conditioning."

"How do I turn it on?"

"I’ll show you."

He led her to her room and fetched the remote, explaining how to adjust the temperature. "This weather’s fine at about 24 or 25 degrees."

"You don’t have one of these in your room, do you?" Jiang He asked, feeling the cool air from the AC.

"I don’t need it."

"We could swap rooms. I don’t mind the heat."

"Just stay put. We’re not switching every other day."

Xu Qing shut off the air conditioner decisively, cutting off further discussion. He glanced at the window, noticing two long socks hanging there. Pausing, he looked at Jiang He’s legs.

"When did you start wearing—"

"Wait!" Jiang He interrupted, expressionless as she snatched the socks and hid them behind her back. "What were you just saying?"

"This isn’t fair. I’m not some creep; socks are for wearing, not hiding."

"But you’ve secretly worn them too."

Xu Qing’s face twitched. "Don’t make baseless accusations!"

"I saw you," Jiang He said confidently, hands clasped behind her back.

"When?"

"That time you were washing socks on the balcony early in the morning."

"That was… Wait a second. You’re accusing me just to cover for sneaking them off to wash yourself, aren’t you?" Xu Qing frowned, piecing it together.

"What were you doing on the balcony then?" Jiang He countered.

"I…" Xu Qing faltered under her piercing gaze.

"I wasn’t sneaking around! Wear them if you want. Don’t if you don’t."

He retreated to the living room, muttering about buying socks in other colors, vowing to someday normalize wearing them.

Xu Qing sat down in the living room and resumed working on the iron vegetable basket he had been crafting. His mind wandered as he wondered why Jiang He was so resistant to something as simple as wearing socks.

They were close enough to hug and cuddle without a second thought, so what was she worried about? Did she think he might do something indecent? That was absurd.

"I can’t even beat you in a fight. What are you afraid of? I’ve hugged your bare legs countless times, and you’re worried about wearing socks now?" he muttered.

"But what if you licked me or something? I can’t exactly sew your mouth shut," Jiang He retorted without missing a beat.

"Why would I do that?"

"Why wouldn’t you?"

Jiang He’s expression remained deadpan as she stared him down. She’d already figured him out—strange outfits inevitably led to strange thoughts.

"You kissed my foot last time," she accused.

"…!"

"You can’t fool me." Jiang He pinched her earlobe, her face slightly flushed as she recalled all the bizarre possibilities. "So devious," she muttered, glaring at him.

"Focus on your studies. There’s still a ton of exercises left in the workbook," Xu Qing said, pulling out a math book from under the coffee table as his trump card.

"I don’t want to."

"You have to."

"I don’t want to do math!" Jiang He sulked, lowering her head to pick at her fingernails.

"Can you stop acting like a delicate little maiden? It’s so fake, and you’re terrible at it," Xu Qing sighed.

"I’m not doing it!"

Jiang He snapped her head up, her brows furrowed and fists clenched tightly, producing a sharp cracking sound.

"If you keep nagging me to do math, I’ll hit you!"