My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 16: Model of Our Generation

The washing machine started rumbling, emitting its characteristic noise.

Jiang He’s ears turned slightly red as she continued watching a history video on the couch.

Beside her, Xu Qing was petting Winter Melon, occasionally sneaking glances at her—and then at her feet.

Something wasn’t right... When she’d changed her shoes the other day, her feet had seemed perfectly fine.

Recalling the incident from a few days ago, Xu Qing was puzzled. After thinking about it for a while, he picked up his phone and began typing rapidly.

“When did foot-binding originate?”

A quick search turned up a flood of results. Some said the Sui dynasty, others the Southern Tang, but the majority pointed to the late Northern Song period...

“Ahem... Could you, uh, lift your foot?”

“Earlier, that was...” Xu Qing trailed off, met by Jiang He’s embarrassed yet furious glare.

Seeing her expression, something clicked in Xu Qing’s mind, and he slapped his thigh in realization. Ah-ha!

She hadn’t worn any of the small-sized underwear he’d bought!

So, foot-binding my ss—that whole idea was just...

Xu Qing’s gaze drifted over, only to be met with Jiang He’s mortified, angry stare.

“Scoundrel!”

“Huh?”

Clang!

An iron dart clattered onto the table, and Xu Qing quickly clammed up, turning away to focus on the rumbling washing machine.

So, it wasn’t malnutrition after all—just binding. But... would that affect her development...?

Winter Melon lay sprawled across his lap, irritated by the washing machine’s noise. She got up, wandered in a small circle, and then hopped onto Jiang He’s lap, curling her tail around herself before settling down.

With no cat to pet, Xu Qing was at a loss. Sitting idly, he opened Baidu and looked up the term “scoundrel.”

“The fairest beauty of all... Ahem, the fairest beauty couldn’t compare to the women of Chu. Among the beauties of Chu, the loveliest was none other than a girl from the eastern village.”

Xu Qing began a dramatic reading, catching Jiang He’s frowning glance. She said nothing, but her ears perked up ever so slightly.

“This girl had a perfectly proportioned figure—not too tall or short—and a natural beauty that needed no powder or rouge. Her eyebrows, skin, waist, and teeth were flawless. When she smiled, it was indescribably captivating, leaving countless men smitten.”

Sneaking a glance at Jiang He, Xu Qing continued, unperturbed.

“But the scoundrel was different. His wife... oh, his wife had messy hair, crooked ears, cracked lips, and missing teeth—tsk, tsk, truly pitiful.

She walked hunched over, limping, covered in sores, and even had serious hemorrho—ah, ailments. Yet, the scoundrel adored her and even had five children with her!”

“Five!” Xu Qing spread his fingers with an exaggerated flair. “Impressive, right?”

“???”

Jiang He looked at him in confusion.

“You know what they call this? This is what we call a true man of character.”

Xu Qing shook his head in mock admiration. “To marry such an unattractive woman and still live in harmony, love, and prosperity... Truly a model for us all!”

With that, he gave Jiang He a salute. “Thank you, Lady Knight, for the compliment!”

“...”

“...”

Jiang He stared at him in utter bewilderment.

“Hey, by the way, when people express gratitude in your world, don’t they say something like, ‘In the next life, I’ll repay you as a bull or a horse’ if the benefactor isn’t good-looking? But if he’s good-looking, they say, ‘I have no way to repay you, so this humble girl offers herself’... something like that?” Xu Qing asked.

“Offers herself...” Jiang He ground her teeth in frustration. “Scoundrel!”

“Thank you, Lady Knight, for the compliment!”

“...”

“Hahaha, stop glaring—I’m just kidding.”

Xu Qing chuckled, clearly enjoying how easy it was to tease her.

Thanks to this little distraction, the awkward feeling Jiang He had earlier, from seeing Xu Qing holding her undergarments, had completely dissipated. She rubbed Winter Melon’s soft belly and returned to watching her history video.

Just as the washing machine finished, their food delivery arrived—two orders of braised chicken rice. Jiang He put away her laptop while Xu Qing hung up the clothes, wiped his hands, and joined her at the table.

To be honest, if he ignored the whole identity issue, having a lady knight around was actually pretty fun. Though, he wondered if she’d still be as interesting once she fully adapted to modern life.

“So, what kind of fun things do you have in your world? It’s not all sword fights, is it?” Xu Qing asked as he ate.

Jiang He paused, thinking for a moment. “Hunting.”

“Quite the pastime.”

Xu Qing felt at a loss for words. “I’ll download some games for you to try later.”

Hearing words she didn’t understand, Jiang He didn’t ask further, choosing to eat in silence.

If she asked about everything she didn’t understand, she wouldn’t have time for anything else.

…

After their meal, Xu Qing found himself with nothing to do again—normally, he’d be watching movies for inspiration or studying the stock market at this time. Ever since Jiang He showed up, his routine had been completely thrown off.

“Let’s start with a video tutorial.”

Thinking it over, Xu Qing remembered what he’d planned to do before their meal. He went to his computer and quickly searched for a tutorial on properly wearing a bra.

It wasn’t hard to find one; a quick search turned up plenty. After clicking on the most popular one, he checked the video length, then left the room, leaving Jiang He to learn on her own.

After all, with modern technology at hand, it was silly to stick to outdated practices. Not to mention, he had a compulsion that everything he bought should be used.

Yes, that was it.

Five minutes later, Xu Qing returned from his room, timing it perfectly. Jiang He’s face was flushed, her lips moving as if she wanted to call him a scoundrel but ultimately held back.

“Is this lifestyle... so... so shameless in your world?” she finally asked after a pause.

“Shameless?” Xu Qing was taken aback. “It’s about being comfortable and enjoying life. Isn’t that normal?”

“Shameless!”

“Shameless?” Xu Qing couldn’t help but laugh. “In public, haven’t you seen girls showing their legs or waists? That’s personal freedom. Men show skin, so why shouldn’t women? It’s the same logic. If you’re not comfortable with it, go ahead and wear long sleeves and pants, but don’t go around calling others shameless.”

“I won’t accept it!” Jiang He declared firmly.

“Fine, fine. No need to accept it. I didn’t tell you to wear that outside anyway—just under your clothes. I’ll shut up now.”

Noticing her increasing frustration, Xu Qing wisely changed the subject, browsing through his game library. “Games here are really fun... Studies show that ninety percent of people learn to use computers just to play games. I’m sure you’re not in that remaining ten percent.”

He guided Jiang He through a game of Super Mario, watching her reaction. Noticing her lack of interest, he quickly switched to another game.

An hour later.

It was clear that Jiang He didn’t find these strange games particularly engaging. She picked up the controls quickly but only showed slight interest in a simple dress-up game on a small website.

“Alright... I’ll teach you how to play Fight the Landlord.”

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, deciding to give it another shot.

He had to keep her occupied somehow—letting her sneak out at night or train non-stop wasn’t a great plan.

And who knew? Maybe one day, if Jiang He adapted to this society, she’d leave without notice, off to wander or to search for her Long An or Gusu...

Better to keep her busy with games.

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