My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 4: Communication Is Best

Jiang He stood by the door, drenched, hair messily stuck to the side of her face, holding a sword in her left hand and pressing her right against the door, staring silently at Xu Qing.

She wasn't foolish, just lacking awareness.

Although she wasn’t sure if Xu Qing was telling the truth or if there was a mix of lies, from the first glance, she could tell he harbored no malice.

He had just been returning home and, seeing her there and noticing the approaching nightfall, offered an umbrella so she could leave.

“Why help me?” she asked for the second time.

Xu Qing scratched his head; this female warrior was hard to fool.

“To be honest… I was curious. This kind of thing is so unusual, and I—” Xu Qing gestured with his hands, “You understand, right? Imagine if I went back to your era and met you. Wouldn’t you think it was amazing if you saw a man from over a thousand years in the future and then…”

“A stranger showing up out of nowhere would only get killed by our leader.”

“…”

An awkward silence hung in the air.

“Times are different. Here, you can’t just kill people. Everyone values peace.” Xu Qing felt a chill down his back as he debated whether to let her stay.

Keeping her was risky, but letting her go felt like a missed opportunity.

This was a living person from ancient times.

The silence stretched out.

“I don’t know how you got here. If we find out, maybe you can go back. But until then, you need to learn to live in this world—the first rule is that you can’t hurt people without reason.”

Xu Qing glanced at the broken TV on the wall and added, “And don’t break things either.”

He paused, gesturing toward the door. “If you can follow these rules, I’ll help you. Or you can leave now. But don’t hurt anyone outside either; there are officers everywhere, and they’re formidable.”

The sky outside had darkened, and the rain had eased to a light drizzle, the sound of raindrops tapping softly against the window.

Jiang He looked up at the lightbulb on the ceiling, conflicted.

She knew nothing about this place, and her attire was unlike anyone else’s. She might not even make it out of the city. If she left, she truly wouldn’t know where to go.

Gurgle…

Her stomach rumbled twice more.

Xu Qing observed her briefly before grabbing his phone from the sofa. “If you agree, put down the sword. I’ll order some food—it’ll be delivered.”

“To be honest, taking you in is risky for me. It’s a double-edged sword. Not only do I need to prevent others from finding out, but I also need to worry about misunderstandings where you might cut me down. So… do you understand?”

Jiang He pondered for a moment, nodding slowly. She glanced at the sword in her hand, hesitated, and then tossed it aside.

Clang.

The real iron sword hit the ground with a solid sound. Xu Qing’s lips curved slightly as he looked back at his phone. “What do you usually eat? You might not like the food here. Let me see if there’s anything you recognize.”

“Flatbread.”

“…”

He thought for a moment and shook his head. “Never mind, I’ll order porridge and some buns. You’re all soaked; you should take a bath first. The food will be ready when you come out. Hey, can you use internal energy to dry your clothes?”

Jiang He looked at him in confusion, not understanding his question about “internal energy.” “Where do I bathe…?”

“This way.”

Xu Qing dropped the topic of martial skills. There would be time for that later. He led her to the bathroom and turned on the light. “There are a lot of strange things in this world. Don’t be too surprised. Just trust that I won’t hurt you. Watch this.”

He turned the shower knob, and water sprayed out from the showerhead. Jiang He froze momentarily, watching him operate it.

“Left for hot water, right for cold, push down to stop, and up for water. Now, try it.”

Xu Qing taught her the basics, and thankfully, this ancient person wasn’t clueless. After one demonstration, she understood, curiosity brimming on her face.

“This is for washing your hair… press here, and it comes out. Spread it on your hair, and bubbles will form. Just rinse the bubbles out. And this is for washing your body. Just apply it…”

Xu Qing guided his newfound ancient friend through the bathroom, even explaining how to use the toilet. When she nodded, he left, scratching his head and sitting on the sofa. He glanced back at the bathroom, where the light was on but there was no sound of water. He fetched clothes from the bedroom closet and brought them over.

Jiang He was still standing there, fully dressed, eyeing Xu Qing warily as he re-entered.

“There are no women’s clothes here, so you’ll have to make do. I’ll buy you some tomorrow.”

Xu Qing’s heart skipped a beat; he’d forgotten she wouldn’t know how to lock the door.

He casually placed the clothes down and said, “Come here, I’ll show you how to lock the door.”

Thankfully, she hadn’t started changing yet, or there’d have been blood on the spot.

After teaching her how to lock the bathroom door, Xu Qing left with a sense of relief, sitting quietly on the sofa until he heard the shower running, finally at ease.

Finding an ancient person, and a female warrior at that…

Am I dreaming?

Xu Qing pinched his leg hard, shaking his head and tiptoeing over to pick up the sword, slowly unsheathing it.

The blade glinted coldly, with dried dark stains in the blood groove, emitting a faint metallic scent.

A real weapon.

He’d have to get the old man to appraise it someday, to see if it was an antique…

…

…

Jiang He came out to find Xu Qing bent over the table, writing. She glanced over; her sword was still there, and the TV had been taken down. The iron dart embedded in the screen was also removed, lying on the corner of the table.

“What are you writing?”

“Huh?”

Xu Qing turned around to see Jiang He wearing his oversized shirt and jeans, her damp hair dripping water, making her look somewhat modern.

“Just a list of the current issues that need solving.” He waved the paper in his hand. “Can you read?”

Jiang He squinted, “The script is strange and hard to recognize.”

“Oh, I’ll read it out when I’m done.”

“These clothes are odd too.” She tugged uncomfortably at the collar.

“They look good on you… ahem, it’s customary here to compliment someone. It’s not considered flirtatious or improper, right?”

“Better not say frivolous things.”

“Understood.”

Xu Qing respected her traditional mindset; change wouldn’t come overnight.

“There are slippers there. You can throw away these old… I mean, these straw sandals. I’ll get you a new pair tomorrow.”

Jiang He glanced where he pointed, wiggled her toes in the straw sandals, then silently walked over and put on the slippers.

Knock, knock.

The door sounded, and before Xu Qing could react, she darted behind the door.

“It’s just the food delivery. Don’t worry.”

He reassured her as he got up, feeling an inexplicable wave of emotion.

This girl’s cautious and guarded demeanor wasn’t unlike that of a stray kitten.

He took the delivery through the crack in the door and laid everything out on the table, motioning to Jiang He.

“Eat up.”

Porridge, buns, and a small plate of pickles.

Jiang He stood in front of the table, not immediately reaching for the food. After a brief silence, she said, “I remember something the second-in-command often said.”

“What’s that?” Xu Qing asked, curious.

“No one shows goodwill without reason; if they do, they’re either scheming or thieving.”

They stared at each other for a moment before Jiang He smiled.

“But you’re a good person.”

“Of course.”

Xu Qing returned the smile. “Luckily, you didn’t draw your sword again.”@@novelbin@@

“What if I had?”

“I don’t know.”

He knew he wouldn’t win in a fight, but if things had gone differently—he couldn’t keep her here without clear communication.

A biting stray cat deserves its fate of wandering alone.