My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 111: Goodnight

"Have you never laughed before?"

Jiang He was silent for a moment, then tried her best to give him a smile.

"Don’t. That smile makes my heart race."

Xu Qing pulled her into a tight hug. "It’s not that you can’t smile; you’re just not used to it.

You’ll get the hang of it, slowly."

"Will I?" Jiang He, prompted by his words, realized where she was different.

His family was always cheerful and lively, while she only knew how to smile faintly—just a slight curve of her lips to go along with them.

Even when she understood why they were laughing, what they found funny, she still didn’t want to laugh herself.

"Of course. When you go for a stroll and smile at Aunt Cheng or Uncle Zhao, you’re already making progress. Sure, you turn serious the moment you start talking, but it’s much better than before."

Xu Qing comforted her, saying, "I can see when you’re happy, like when you’re eating barbecue, hotpot, or cake. Your face lights up, and your lips curl into a smile.

It’s just that you forget to laugh most of the time, or only smile when it feels necessary. I get it."

He rested his forehead against hers and said softly, "I know everything."

Just as he’d told her before, her inner world was sparse—filled only with the most basic instincts. Like a starving person seeing a storehouse of grain or a farmer celebrating a harvest, she would smile instinctively.

At other times, she either forgot to smile or restrained herself.

"Is that why that uncle didn’t like talking to me yesterday?" Jiang He thought aloud.

"Exactly. You’re too serious. You’re so young, yet you act this way—it’s not great." Xu Qing closed his eyes, enjoying her warm scent. "But there are lots of people like that: serious, rigid, introverted, or reclusive. It’s just a personality trait.

Yours is a bit different, though. You came from over a thousand years ago, so there are things you need to learn before you can fully adapt."

"There’s so much to learn."

"You’ve already learned a lot, haven’t you?

Just take it slow and feel what it’s like to enjoy yourself. Don’t force yourself to do anything just for the sake of stability. I can wait for you.

Unless you decide to leave, I won’t make you go."

That was part of the plan, after all. Desire was one thing; liking her was another.

He genuinely liked this earnest little seedling of a girl.

"I don’t want to leave," Jiang He said. "And I’m not forcing myself."

"Then how about you kiss me again?" Xu Qing teased.

Jiang He froze, then hesitated before climbing out of his embrace and planting a light kiss on his cheek.

"How did it feel?" he asked.

"It’s just a kiss. What could it feel like?"

"Not honest."

Xu Qing finally let go, stood up, and rubbed his wrist with a grin. "Next time, don’t grab me so hard. If you like me, you can just say it—or kiss me. I won’t fight back... I’ll even enjoy it."

Jiang He noticed the bruise on his wrist and muttered, "I shouldn’t have drunk yesterday. I’m sorry."

"Let’s go. Time to visit people for the New Year."

"Are we still innocent?" Jiang He asked again.

"You’ve kissed me and hugged me. What are you even thinking? Did you take advantage of me for nothing?" Xu Qing raised an eyebrow. "If you think it’s not enough, you can come to my room tonight and do something more excessive. Just don’t be too rough."

"I can give you all my shoes," Jiang He said, regretting her impulsive actions the day before.

"...I don’t want shoes. I like kisses."

Xu Qing touched his lips, a smile spreading uncontrollably across his face.

The first day of the Lunar New Year—it was a good start.

Jiang He would gradually become a modern person. She’d learn how to take initiative, how to smile warmly as she held his face and kissed him properly, rather than pinning him down and slobbering all over him.

Well... who knew where she’d picked up the habit of pinning him down to kiss him like that. Was it a natural talent?

…

Outside, the sun shone brightly, and the snow sparkled in the light, dazzling to the eyes.

The two went to Xu Wenbin’s house to pay their respects for the New Year. Jiang He received two big red envelopes and was so flustered she didn’t know what to do. Xu Qing simply stuffed them into her pocket, telling her to keep them safe.

Xu Qing got envelopes too, but they were thin—barely perceptible. Probably only one or two hundred yuan inside.

They didn’t stay for lunch, as Xu Wenbin and his wife still had other relatives and neighbors to visit. Xu Qing took Jiang He to the Qin house for another round of New Year’s greetings and collected two more envelopes.

"These are called ‘lovebird envelopes.’ Look, there’s a bird on your envelope, and one on hers. Together, they make a pair of lovebirds," Qin Maocai explained with a grin, showing off the unique design.

"Prepared for Haozi?" Xu Qing held up the two envelopes to form the lovebird pair. "Not bad."

"If that boy brings a girlfriend home, they’re his. But he’s useless!"

"Thank you, Uncle," Jiang He said, clutching the envelopes tightly. Although they weren’t as thick as the ones from Xu Wenbin’s family, she still felt uneasy about receiving them.

At this rate, Xu Qing thought, taking Jiang He around was like hitting the jackpot.

After sitting for a while at the Qin house, Xu Qing led Jiang He out. They ran into Qin Hao at the entrance, just returning.

"Look at this. It was supposed to be yours. Nice, huh?" Xu Qing waved the envelope at him, acting like a child.

"I’ve got my own!" Qin Hao retorted, pushing his electric scooter. "I’ll stop by your place later."

"It’s not the same. These are lovebird envelopes—only for those with girlfriends."

"..."

"Go home, Officer Qin. Happy New Year!" Xu Qing waved him off with a laugh, then took Jiang He away.

"Can he help me with my identity?" Jiang He asked quietly after they’d walked a bit.

"He’s just a community officer. He doesn’t have that kind of power."

"Oh."

"But he can still be helpful. In this world, nothing exists in isolation. Everything affects everything else. Don’t be naive and think things are simple...

For example, I told you to smooth out the calluses on your hands. Having calluses isn’t illegal, and practicing swordsmanship isn’t either. But if someone finds out you have high combat skills while being undocumented, that’s trouble, isn’t it?"

"I understand."

Jiang He’s Sherlock Holmes marathons hadn’t been in vain. "The devil’s in the details."

No matter what Qin Hao’s position was, the more people who knew her, the more real she became.

"This is great," she said, taking a deep breath as she walked beside Xu Qing.

"What is?"

"Everything. I feel so... fulfilled."

Jiang He couldn’t quite put the feeling into words. The sense of planning something together and acting on it—so much had happened in just half a year.

"This morning, you were humming a song. What was it?" Xu Qing asked suddenly.

"Was I humming?"

"You were."

"I forgot."

"Really?" Xu Qing looked skeptical.

Jiang He didn’t answer, lowering her head to stare at her shoes.

As they waited by the roadside for a car, the warm sunlight bathed them, the breeze was mild, and the winter seemed unusually tranquil.

"Just a few words spoken, a couple of good nights shared~"

Xu Qing blinked in surprise, turning to see Jiang He quietly humming beside him.

Her clear, gentle voice stopped abruptly.

"I only know that one line."

"Not bad at all," Xu Qing said with a grin. Looking around, he suddenly leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"Scoundrel!" Jiang He instinctively covered her face.

"You’re one too," he replied.

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