My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 14: First Time Seeing Something Like This at My Age

After three rounds of drinks, they’d nearly finished the skewers, and only two bottles of beer remained in the case.

Qin Hao, his face flushed, boasted about becoming a detective, solving big cases, and even making it onto TV someday.

“Yeah, yeah, you're the best.”

Xu Qing, feeling a bit tipsy himself but still holding his own thanks to his dad’s inherited drinking tolerance, said, “Can you go home? Don’t let tomorrow’s mediation get messed up over some old ladies’ squabble.”

“Screw mediation... Boss, check, please!”

“I got it.”

They didn’t argue much over the bill; Xu Qing just paid it straightforwardly. After walking Qin Hao to the curb to catch a cab, he headed back to the food stall and, after some thought, asked the stall owner to pack a few meat skewers and fish tofu.

As the gentle night breeze carried the smoky scent of barbecue far into the distance, Xu Qing found himself strangely craving a cigarette. He patted his pockets, then remembered he’d quit.

He wondered if the moon in the Tang Dynasty had looked as round as it did now.

Looking up at the vast night sky, he imagined it as an endless scroll of history, full of lives and stories long buried in time. And now, one of those grains of dust had jumped out.

And he was the one who’d stumbled across it.

…

It was 9:30 p.m. when Xu Qing returned home. Jiang He was still on the couch, watching a video on her computer, while Winter Melon lay on her lap, purring contentedly as she stroked his fur.

Seeing the scene of a person and a cat on the sofa, Xu Qing felt a subtle warmth inside. He lifted the bag in his hand and said, “I thought you might be hungry, so I brought some more food back.”

“Thanks.”

“Hmm?”

“…young hero.”

“Not a big deal.”

Xu Qing waved his hand and placed the barbecue bag on the table, opening it up before fetching two cartons of yogurt from the fridge and passing one to Jiang He.

Smelling the alcohol on him, Jiang He wrinkled her nose. “You drank a lot?”

“Not much, just a few bottles.” Xu Qing popped open the yogurt lid and demonstrated, “This is yogurt. You’re supposed to lick the lid first.”

The best part of yogurt was always on the lid—a mandatory ritual.

Jiang He mimicked him, sticking out her tongue to lick the lid, and her eyes lit up.

“Tastes good, right?”

“Very good.”

“Heh… hurry up and eat it while it’s still warm.”

Xu Qing chuckled, glanced at her computer screen, and paused the video for her before heading to his bedroom to grab his pajamas and take a shower.

The feeling of coming home to a lit room and someone waiting brought a sense of coziness he hadn’t experienced in a while.

“With how comfortable life is nowadays, you can enjoy a shower daily; no need to save water for me.”

Ten minutes later, Xu Qing emerged, drying his hair and looking for the hairdryer. “And that clothing matter… all taken care of, right?”

Jiang He blinked, taking a moment to understand what he was talking about, then looked down without answering.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Qing didn’t press further. Noticing it was already 10 p.m., he dried his hair and showed her how to use the dryer, then turned off the computer and headed to bed.

He fell asleep quickly, feeling warm and drowsy.

…

In the living room, Jiang He studied the hairdryer for a while. Hearing that Xu Qing’s room had gone quiet, she went to her bedroom to find her clothes. Although the sleepwear Xu Qing had bought was modest, she still felt uncomfortable and, after glancing at her usual clothes, picked them up to head to the bathroom. Her gaze lingered momentarily on her undergarments in the corner.

She reached behind to touch her back, frowning before heading directly to the bathroom.

The sound of running water echoed through the quiet night, carrying a sense of solitude.

As for the future, Jiang He could only take things step by step, hiding her uncertainty and working hard to understand this new world.

Fortunately, she had encountered a kind-hearted young hero and could slowly adapt to everything here.

That night passed peacefully.

The next day was a weekend, the perfect excuse to sleep in, but Xu Qing did the opposite, waking up early. Before sunlight even touched his face, he was already up, sitting in the living room and rewatching last night’s news.

Soon, Jiang He’s door opened. She came out, slightly sweaty, glanced at Xu Qing taking notes with a small notepad, then headed to wash up.

News-watching required filtering out information and noting down key points, a skill Xu Qing was adept at. He could now instinctively extract important details from a mountain of data.

Like when he first noticed Jiang He’s straw shoes—if those shoes hadn’t seemed so out of place, he might have brushed it off, and things could have gone in a completely different direction.

Thinking of those shoes, he paused, looking over at the trash can where the worn-out shoes lay.

“Working again?” Jiang He asked after washing up, still not quite grasping the economy of this world.

Sitting at home, using Thousand-Mile Eye to watch others—was that really a job?

Frowning, she thought for a moment before asking suspiciously, “Are you… an officer?”

Officers used surveillance to keep the peace, and it reminded her of what Xu Qing was doing.

“No, I’m not. If I were… sorting out your identity would be much easier.”

Xu Qing almost mentioned “turning her over to the authorities,” but on second thought, even if he were an officer, he’d never turn her in.

A martial hero from ancient times—how fun is that…

“Hungry? It’s a rare early morning, so I’ll go grab breakfast.”

Seeing Jiang He unoccupied, Xu Qing handed over the computer so she could continue learning. She had already figured out how to switch videos, which was progress.

“Okay.”

“You want to come along?”

Jiang He hesitated a moment before shaking her head. “It’s just nearby; no need.”

“Alright, I’ll go alone. You stay here.”

After reminding her to stay put, Xu Qing took his phone and headed out into the morning sun to get breakfast.

…

The breeze was mild, the sky clear.

At the residential complex entrance, a few neighbors gathered after breakfast, chatting in hushed voices. Uncle Zhao, the security guard, looked particularly grave, listening silently without joining in.

“Xu, Xu!”

Spotting him from afar, Aunt Cheng, full of mystery, waved him over.

“What’s up, Aunt Cheng? Uncle Chen? You guys planning some big secret?” Xu Qing asked curiously, joining the group of elderly residents.

“Did you hear any strange noises in your sleep lately?” Aunt Cheng asked in a hushed voice as the others looked over.

“Noises?”

Xu Qing scratched his head. “Nope, I slept just fine. What’s up? A thief?”

“A thief would be better!” She slapped her thigh, opened her mouth, then turned to look at Chen Aiguo.

“Uncle Chen, what’s going on?” Xu Qing was puzzled.

“We might… have a haunting here.”

Chen Aiguo frowned as he shook the leash of his big black dog. “Hei Zi saw something, been barking like crazy in the middle of the night…” He paused, his expression grave as he scanned the neighbors. “A few nights ago, something spooked it so bad it hid under the bed with its tail between its legs and wouldn’t come out, and that’s when I knew something was off.”

“Old Wang also said he was half-asleep when the dog’s barking woke him, and he saw a shadow outside his window.” Aunt Cheng added, gesturing, “Just like that—whoosh, gone in a flash.”

“Huh?”

Xu Qing was bewildered, glancing around at the group before fixing his gaze on Uncle Zhao. “Uncle Zhao, did you see anything?”

Uncle Zhao’s hand trembled as he held his cigarette, then, taking a deep drag, he exhaled slowly, looked at the sky in hesitation, and finally said, “I didn’t see it… but I did catch it on tape.”

At his age, as a staunch atheist, he was suddenly scared.

“…”

“…”

A haunting, for real!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!