My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 174: Looking at History in the Right Light

As Xu Qing was preparing to sleep, a knock on the door echoed.

It seemed this was Jiang He’s first time knocking on his door in the middle of the night. Xu Qing’s body tensed, thinking, What’s meant to happen will always happen.

So, after searching up childbirth-related issues, is this the moment?

Jiang He stood at the door with a hand cream Zhou Suzhi had previously gifted her and her phone in the other hand, showing a shopping app. “This is almost finished. I found the same name online, but it looks different. Is there an identical one?”

The living room computer had already been turned off, signaling bedtime. Xu Qing, noticing Jiang He’s retreating step as he looked at her with glowing eyes, responded, “Nothing, nothing. You’re just looking for the same one, right?”

Xu Qing pulled up the official store and found the exact item. Jiang He leaned closer to check, her face twisting at the price.

“Wow, it’s this expensive? Auntie sure went all out.”

“Call her ‘Mom.’”

Before Jiang He could respond, Xu Qing was ready to place the order. Jiang He hurriedly stopped him, “Wait! I’ll just use Dabao instead.”

“That’s what I use. You’ll use this.”

“Then I’ll buy it myself.”

“You’ll…” Xu Qing hesitated before handing the phone back. Fine. After all, the default address was hers; last time, she had even bought herself a grocery basket.

“Don’t skimp on it. Your hands are getting softer and smoother.”

“Oh.”

Jiang He turned and walked away with her head down. Before entering her room, she glanced back to see Xu Qing still standing by the door. After a moment of thought, she pushed him back into his room and closed the door.

Returning to her room, Jiang He stared at the price on her phone and the cream in her hand, conflicted. She touched her soft hands—indeed smoother. For the past few days, she had applied the cream morning and night, and her hands smelled fragrant too.

Carefully squeezing out the remaining cream, she rubbed it in for a while. Staring at her phone, she mused, Wasn’t Dabao just as good?

Xu Qing’s large bed was soft and spacious, unlike the cramped storeroom bed, where reaching out could touch both edges. Jiang He, lying down in the darkness, turned her phone back on and stared at it for a while, thinking about how it felt leaning against Xu Qing on the couch earlier. Slowly, she hugged her blanket tighter.

His arm felt so comforting. For a second, I even thought of pulling off his pajama top.

No, no! I’m a lady knight; I can’t do such things!

The next morning, Xu Qing practiced his sword techniques for half an hour. He felt good but hadn’t yet mastered producing the clear ringing sound of the blade like Jiang He could—he was still figuring it out.

Just as he finished, Qin Hao, who seemed to have worked overnight, called him, sounding excited.

“I discovered I have a special ability!”

“What ability?”

“Golden Words! Yesterday, when Wang Zi and I were getting into a car, I joked that if we were with you guys, we’d probably run into something to grab… and guess what…”

“A blind rat stumbling onto a dead cat.”

Holding his sword, Xu Qing lazily turned it over in his hands, imagining Qin Hao would never guess he was playing with a three-foot-long weapon at the moment.

“Hmph, I’m serious! At KTV last time, I joked about running into someone we knew, and we ran into you all! And even on my first day at work…” Qin Hao rattled on enthusiastically.

“Are you sure this isn’t just your jinxed mouth?”

“Golden Words, I tell you!”

“Fine, fine. If you’re ever broke, just scrape some gold off your tongue. What’d you catch last night?”

“Just… some scammer.”

“Pfft.”

Xu Qing didn’t believe half a word. A mere scammer wouldn’t have provoked that kind of reaction—like running into a nemesis.

Ignoring Qin Hao’s dinner invitation, Xu Qing guessed the guy just wanted to try catching something mid-meal. “Foolish and reckless like a turkey trying to find patterns in random events. Golden Words…”

He turned to Jiang He. “You’re the one with a golden mouth—sweet as honey.”

“Huh?”

Jiang He had no idea what he was rambling about.

“If I use a sword and you fight barehanded, could I beat you?”

“Want to try?”

“No, just asking.”

Xu Qing had no intention of swinging a sword at her. Winning or losing wouldn’t end well either way.

The day passed quickly, with Xu Qing practicing sword techniques and boxing, his body warming up and loosening. He packed up and decided to bring Jiang He home to visit his parents.

Jiang He held Xu Qing’s hand, swinging it lightly in the warm late-spring sunshine. She mulled over how to address his mother: Call her ‘Auntie’? Or ‘Mom’? It felt awkward since they weren’t officially married yet.

At home, Zhou Suzhi, unusually, wasn’t out playing mahjong and was instead cleaning.

“Hello, Auntie,” Jiang He greeted her politely, only for Xu Qing to squeeze her hand. She discreetly squeezed back.

“Mom, where’s Dad?”

“He’s not coming back for a few days.”

“Oh.”

Xu Wenbin’s work, mostly involving research and preservation, often required long trips. It wasn’t about eagerly digging up tombs with a shovel but involved tedious, time-consuming processes like planning and expert consultations.

In Xu Wenbin’s study, Xu Qing spent the morning flipping through books about history and artifacts. Many important items were locked away in cabinets, leaving the rest accessible for casual reading. As he skimmed through, he felt a spark of curiosity toward historical relics. Sitting in his father’s usual chair, he immersed himself in learning about ancient times, something that hadn’t really interested him before.

When lunchtime arrived, Xu Qing came out of the study to find Jiang He already seated at the dining table. She handed his phone back to him, and he noticed the wallpaper had been changed.

The previous picture, taken during winter, showed Jiang He bundled up like a waddling penguin. The new one captured her at the riverside, fishing with a long ponytail flowing behind her, one hand holding a fishing rod, the other propping her chin as she stared thoughtfully at the water.

Zhou Suzhi glanced at him as he returned. “What were you doing in the study?”

“Learning about history, understanding cultural heritage.”

“You?” Zhou Suzhi’s tone was laced with skepticism.

“What do you mean, ‘me’? It’s in the Xu family genes to love ancient artifacts.” Xu Qing washed his hands, grabbed his chopsticks, and joined them.

Without Xu Wenbin around, the meal felt oddly subdued.

“Look at Xu Xian,” Xu Qing began teasing, “falling for a thousand-year-old spirit. My dad is into thousand-year-old tombs. Me? Heh…”

“Enough nonsense! What about you?” Zhou Suzhi glared at him and turned to Jiang He. “Eat more veggies and ignore his ramblings. And those aren’t tombs—they’re cultural relics.”

Jiang He stole a glance at Xu Qing, recalling stories about Xu Xian marrying a snake spirit.

Zhou Suzhi added, “It’s getting hot now. Eat more bitter melon to cool off. Soak it in salted water before cooking to remove the excessive bitterness—it’ll taste much better.”

“Isn’t the bitterness the point?” Jiang He blinked, confused.

“Huh?” Zhou Suzhi paused, caught off guard.

“Exactly!” Xu Qing burst out laughing. “If it’s not bitter, might as well stir-fry cucumbers instead!”

His laughter made Jiang He’s naive comment seem even more adorable.

“Mom, Jiang He’s cooking skills are already better than yours. She’s always experimenting with recipes to make my meals tastier. She’s learning fast.”

“Oh, listen to you bragging.” Zhou Suzhi shook her head, realizing Xu Qing only came home to show off his girlfriend.

After eating, Xu Qing retreated to the study, digging into stories about Wu Zetian’s reign.

It amused him that his father, so seemingly refined, had a collection of speculative historical materials. Perhaps Jiang He’s interest in martial arts and ancient customs had influenced him—he now found himself increasingly drawn to Tang Dynasty history, even questioning the feasibility of legendary feats like those in the Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Could Li Shimin’s legendary victory, where 3,000 soldiers crushed 100,000 at Hulao Pass, have actually happened? Perhaps if those 3,000 were all elite warriors, it might’ve been possible, like tanks rolling over infantry.

While Xu Qing mulled this over, the door opened quietly. Jiang He stepped in and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was reading.

“Are all these history books?”

“Yeah. Feel free to read anything, but make sure to put it back where you found it. Otherwise, my dad will go nuts if he can’t find something.”

“Got it.”

Jiang He nodded but didn’t touch anything. Instead, she leaned closer to look at the book he was reading. Her curiosity about modern knowledge seemed to mirror Xu Qing’s interest in ancient times.

At one point, Zhou Suzhi peeked through the door and saw the two huddled close together, almost touching. Shaking her head, she muttered about the scene being too much and quietly closed the door.

Hearing the click, Jiang He glanced back, then at the handwritten notes Xu Qing had set aside. She flipped through a few pages and suddenly blushed.

“Why are you reading this kind of stuff?” she asked, her face red with embarrassment.

“Huh?” Xu Qing feigned innocence, then remembered what she’d picked up. It was one of the more scandalous pieces among his father’s collection. He quickly responded, “This is serious historical research. Don’t look at it through a judgmental lens.”

“Serious? You expect me to believe that nonsense?” Jiang He glared at him, puffing her cheeks indignantly.

Xu Qing chuckled, realizing there was no convincing her. “Alright, alright. Let me explain what ‘male concubines’ were…”

“Th-they’re just…” Jiang He stammered, unable to articulate what she’d heard in vague terms.

In her mind, it was akin to knowing that feet couldn’t be touched by others, but not understanding why—it simply felt improper.

“Come here. I’ll teach you how to view history objectively,” Xu Qing said, tugging her arm gently.

When she resisted, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap instead.

“You’re poking me!” she exclaimed.

“…Fine, you better stand up then,” Xu Qing said with a sigh. Being a man in his twenties, certain reactions were simply beyond his control.

Jiang He looked at the study's shelves filled with books. “So this is all about history? Do you think there’s anything about my village?”

“Possibly,” Xu Qing replied. “If Second Aunt’s martial arts skills are so legendary, maybe there’s a mention somewhere in the archives. Who knows, she might even rival famous figures like Hongfu Nü or Gongsun Da Niang.”

The study felt like a treasure trove, and while Xu Qing’s historical knowledge came mainly from dramatized novels and TV shows, he was starting to take it more seriously.

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