My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 29: Stay if you want

A man’s dreams should be as big as his appetite.

Without a successful career, how can one establish a family? At the very least, he must become a criminal detective, leave this crumbling community, and get away from the quarrels of the old lady before considering marriage. Until then, women are just floating clouds.

Qin Hao thought this way, and he acted on it. After drinking two large bowls of congee, plus two pancakes, he let out a satisfied burp and went back to his room.

He still had to be on duty tonight. As for the matter with Xu Qing, he’d deal with it the next time they met. A thief didn’t even call for him when there was trouble. His first time had yet to be given away.

Although his old man had a bad temper, he understood that Qin Hao had worked all night and didn’t disturb him. It wasn’t until the afternoon, when the sun was about to set but not yet, that Qin Hao was woken up by the ringtone of his phone. He grabbed it to answer.

"Party? Party my foot, I’m on duty tonight." After hearing the other side, he mumbled a rejection, hung up the phone, and tried to go back to sleep. But as soon as he turned over, sleep eluded him.

"Dad! What’s that smell? Smells so good!" Qin Hao yelled out.

"Wake up and come eat if you’re up."

---

"Get together?"

Xu Qing was also on a call, glancing at Jiang He, who was busy working overtime on the computer, playing games. "Where are you?" Xu Qing asked.

"Party, I’ll send you the address in a bit. Qin Hao that little guy, I don’t know what shift he’s on…" On the other side was his good buddy, Wang Zijun, mumbling on.

"Hold on, tell me where first. I’m fine with dinner, but forget about the bar… Sure, I’ll bring along a friend from the village, let them see the world."

Xu Qing hung up the phone and turned to find Jiang He staring at him.

"Ahem… I’ll take you out to party tonight."

"What party?"

"Just to have fun, experience modern life… Hmm… you’ll know when we get there."

Xu Qing wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. A person from the countryside… well, a village in the Tang Dynasty is still a village.

Could they have come from the royal palace?

"Remember, follow my lead. Don’t do anything rash."

"Got it."

Jiang He nodded seriously. In fact, she didn’t need Xu Qing to remind her—being cautious in unfamiliar environments was common sense for any intelligent person.

And of course, she was an intelligent person.

"You just said that those ghosts and martial arts, they’re all fake?"

"Yeah, they’re all made up, just for entertainment. Surveillance is surveillance, movies are movies. They’re not the same. Just like the games you play, it’s all to kill time."

"Why would you make such strange… weird things?"

Jiang He didn’t feel as clueless as when she first arrived. After gaining some understanding, she started to wonder why and ask a lot of questions. This was the fastest way to learn.

"What’s so strange?"

"Scaring people with these creepy things, isn’t that strange?"

"No, it’s just for thrill-seeking," Xu Qing said seriously, rubbing the chubby Winter Melon as he explained, "Just like keeping a pet. Once basic survival needs are met, people naturally seek mental stimulation. Whether it’s pets, movies, or games, they all fulfill certain desires—don’t you have books about supernatural events? Like Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, that’s the same idea."

"Strange Tales?"

"Yeah, ghost stories... movies just bring those stories to life, offering a more immersive form of entertainment."

"Ah..."

Jiang He seemed to understand but still felt a bit unsure.

"That guy at the tea house, what’s his name? The storyteller, he tells all kinds of strange stories and folk tales, all to satisfy people’s curiosity. Simply put, if there’s a demand, there will be a supply. Got it?"

Xu Qing explained it thoroughly, wishing she could immediately blend into modern society and start solving identity problems:

"The essence of working is this—others pay you to solve their problems, and you get paid for it. Everyone in this society is paying to have their problems solved. Whether it’s meals, milk tea, or takeout, or even surveillance on the streets and clothing stores, all of this is about solving problems for people like you, me, and everyone else. They get paid for it. At the same time, while everyone is looking to others to solve their problems, they’re also solving problems for others. For example, you play games, learn, and then help others play. You earn money from it, then use that money to solve your own problems like eating and buying clothes. It’s all a transaction. This is how society works."

Jiang He fell into deep thought after hearing this.

Thanks to Xu Qing’s explanation, a lot of things that were previously confusing suddenly became clear.

Why didn’t this guy have to go out to work like a typical landlord or wealthy person, and still get food delivered?

—Because he had treasures like computers, which allowed him to solve problems without leaving the house.

"So… after filling up on food and drink, the ghost movie is just to solve your problem of having nothing to do, and you pay to watch while they make money?"

"Exactly! Smart!" Xu Qing gave her a thumbs-up, tossing a can of cola her way as a reward.

"Then, why are you taking me in?" Jiang He asked.

"Hmm?"

"Taking me in and not earning any money, is it also to fulfill some spiritual need?"

"…Maybe," Xu Qing thought for a moment, "Honestly, I don’t know. I just wanted to keep you."

"Really?"

"Of course."

Jiang He didn’t say anything more, holding the can of cola, and looking at it for a while before popping the tab. Foam overflowed, and she became a bit flustered.

Xu Qing couldn’t help but laugh. He threw a napkin at her, then playfully pinched Winter Melon’s fat face.

"If everything had to have a purpose, this world would be too boring."

The sunset quickly sank.

They didn’t eat dinner at home. Xu Qing urged Jiang He to change into a neat outfit: a black and white striped shirt, beige wide-leg pants—recently in style—although with Jiang He’s figure, anything would look good.

"Later, there might be more people, but don’t worry. Eat what you want, drink what you want, except for alcohol. It’s mainly about experiencing new things for you."

Xu Qing was saying this as they walked out, while Jiang He nodded occasionally.

"If something big happens where you’re from, how do you celebrate?" Xu Qing asked.

"Celebrate? You just laugh." Jiang He thought the question was a bit silly but answered seriously.

"No, I mean, like really celebrate, what do you do?"

"Uh… eat meat."

"Close enough. Here, we also drink, eat, and sing. If you’re frustrated, have some skewers. If you’re happy, have some skewers. If you’re bored, have some skewers—today’s not about skewers, but I’ll take you another day. Oh, and don’t forget the buffet."

While talking, they passed the main gate and waved at Uncle Zhao. Jiang He also nodded politely—a habit Xu Qing had taught her, to leave a good impression even if they weren’t familiar.

It was rush hour, so Xu Qing didn’t take a bus. They hailed a cab, gave the address from Wang Zijun, and after a lot of stops and starts, they arrived at the agreed place around seven o’clock.

Golden Wild KTV.

The huge LED billboard was flashing in the night sky. Jiang He squinted up and listened to the faint sound of singing coming from inside. "Is this it?"@@novelbin@@

"Yep," Xu Qing said, raising his chin. "Let’s go, tonight the big spender is treating, eat as much as you want."

Ancient people… wonder if they’d like karaoke.