My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago
Chapter 17: Uncle Zhao Guards the GateChapter 17: Uncle Zhao Guards the Gate
"Three of a kind."
"Beat that."
"Overpowered."
"Pass."
With the chime of music, Xu Qing was teaching Jiang He the rules of Fight the Landlord. Seeing her start to play on her own with a curious look, he stopped hovering around and stretched, heading back to his room to rest.
Getting up early had its downside: feeling drowsy in the afternoon and needing a nap. But then, taking a nap meant it would be hard to sleep at night, leading to a late-night-late-morning cycle all over again.
Good thing he hadn’t found a job that day.
Though, come to think of it, even if he had landed a job, Xu Qing would have ended up quitting after finding Jiang He. He’d need time to thoroughly research this "ancient person" he’d stumbled upon.
It wasn’t until sunset, as the orange glow filtered through the window, that Xu Qing rubbed his eyes and walked out of his bedroom, curious to see what Jiang He was doing.Fight the Landlord was turned off, and the computer was now playing a scene from a classic Qiong Yao drama: "Listen to my explanation!" "I don’t want to listen!" as the two characters clung to each other, crying their hearts out.
Jiang He sat emotionless, hugging Winter Melon, watching the two on-screen sobbing miserably.
"This isn’t anything good; don’t watch too much of it." Xu Qing sighed. He’d saved the drama to get reaction images for editing purposes.
Admittedly, those tearful scenes made great meme material.
After shutting off the sappy drama for Jiang He, Xu Qing checked the playback history. The timeline had reached the Ming Dynasty, moving faster than he expected. Curious, he asked, "So, how did you feel about the fall of the Tang Dynasty... you know, the dynasty change?"
Jiang He shook her head quietly, not saying anything.
"Come on, let’s go out for food. This time, we’ll head east. Oh, and it’d be best if you changed into a skirt; it might help with the whole 'new image' thing."
Seeing Jiang He stay silent, Xu Qing pointed at her hair, "No need to tie your hair up either; just leave it down. The other night when you went out, it was tied up, right?"
"Yes."
Jiang He nodded and, following his advice, went back to her room to change.
Moments later.
Dressed in a light green long skirt, Jiang He opened the door, her usual composed and bold demeanor softened. Standing there, she looked as delicate and radiant as a blooming flower.
"Uh..."
Xu Qing froze, scratching his head before signaling, "Never mind, go back and change into the other clothes. This one’s too eye-catching."
When it came to aura, ancient people were, indeed, unfathomably unique.
"…"
Clenching her fists slightly, Jiang He returned to her room to change back.
Once her door shut, Xu Qing leaned against it, pulling out his phone to browse Taobao.
Maybe he could buy more clothes to try a real-life version of a dress-up game...
…
"Out shopping with your girlfriend again?"
Uncle Zhao was smoking, holding a stick with a yellow charm paper stuck to the handle, apparently something he had acquired in the single day that had passed.
"Just a friend," Xu Qing replied casually, glancing at the stick with a hint of guilt. "Uncle Zhao, is that... peach wood?"
"No, the peach wood hasn’t arrived yet. Just making do for now."
"Oh, much appreciated."
"Heh, do I look like that door god Qin Qiong?" Uncle Zhao asked, striking a pose with the stick, evidently proud.
A mere security guard? He now saw himself as bearing the responsibilities of both Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong!
"Yes, spot on. It’s almost dark; stay alert." Xu Qing agreed.
"No worries, I have the Great Compassion Mantra with me."
Uncle Zhao looked at the darkening sky, feeling a bit unnerved, and pulled out his phone, pressing a couple of buttons. Buddhist chants began playing from the speaker.
"…"
Xu Qing shot Jiang He a complex look.
This really was a product of superstition.
After some small talk, the two walked out of the complex. Seeing there was no one else around, Jiang He finally whispered, "What does 'girlfriend' mean?"
"It’s just a friend."
"Then why add 'girl' to it?"
"Because you’re a girl," Xu Qing answered dismissively.
"Then why did you say it isn’t?"
"Uh..."
Xu Qing faltered, unsure how to explain the concept of dating to her.
Did people in the Tang Dynasty date?
"Don’t ask questions that don’t concern you. You’ll understand one day."
"Oh."
They strolled down the street slowly, taking in the sights. No matter how many times they went out, Jiang He found herself fascinated by the diverse shops and displays lining the roads.
There was no curfew, no street vendors cluttering the paths, and no muddy roads full of potholes. The people around them walked either with smiles on their faces or a hurried expression, some families of three holding hands, while others were chuckling at their phones as they walked.
Everywhere she looked was a kind of peace she didn’t know how to describe; it was a tranquility she had never seen before, not even in times of prosperity.
Everything seemed serene, and all that she saw felt like a dream.
"Want some milk tea?" Xu Qing stopped at the entrance of a milk tea shop, and Jiang He halted beside him.
"Tea?"
"Come on in."
Too lazy to explain, Xu Qing figured she’d understand with a taste.
"One bubble milk tea, one kumquat lemon, less ice and sugar."
After paying, they stood by the entrance waiting quietly. Jiang He watched the bustling staff inside, lost in thought.
When the drinks were ready, Xu Qing put a straw in the bubble tea and handed it to Jiang He. "Here, try this. Mine’s sour."
"Mm..."
After walking a bit further, Jiang He finally spoke, "So those people... they make money doing that?"
"Yep, it’s a job."
"Can I learn to do that kind of job?"
"You can’t; you don’t have an ID card."
"…"
Jiang He went silent.
"Getting you an identity is a slow process; it won’t happen overnight, but don’t worry. We’ll figure it out."
Xu Qing reassured her, noticing she hadn’t drunk much of the milk tea, which puzzled him. "Don’t like it?"
Jiang He took another big sip, frowned slightly as she swallowed, and said, "It’s... a bit strange, and the stuff inside is hard to chew."
"Ha, exactly!"
Xu Qing laughed, "I think so too! How can people enjoy this? They say girls love it, but..."
"…"
Jiang He looked from Xu Qing’s kumquat lemon drink to his face.
Is something wrong with him?
"Uh... mine’s sour, so you might not like it," Xu Qing shrugged. He took his straw out and offered the drink to her. "Try it with your straw if you don’t believe me."
Somewhat doubtful, Jiang He took her straw, gave it a quick shake, inserted it into his cup, and took a sip. The sweet and sour taste made her eyes widen as she savored it, looking up at Xu Qing.
"It’s really good."
"…"
Xu Qing scratched his nose, "Well, then, you can have it. I’ll throw this bubble tea away."
He took her milk tea and tossed it into the nearby trash can.
"Glad you like it."
Xu Qing grinned and turned, leading her onward.
Jiang He held the kumquat lemon tea in her hands, occasionally taking a sip as she walked beside Xu Qing, glancing at him from time to time.
Something didn’t seem quite right...
But it was really delicious.
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