My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 20: Which Dynasty?

To admit or not to admit, that was the question.

Compared to wearing women's clothes himself, having a girl suddenly appear at home shouldn't be that strange... right?

Seeing Xu Wenbin's face darken, Xu Qing quickly spun his thoughts.

He could hide it for now, but it wouldn't stay hidden forever. If his dad happened to chat with Aunt Cheng or any of the other neighbors, those big mouths would definitely spill the beans about a girl living at home.

"She's my friend!"

"Oh?" Xu Wenbin clearly didn’t believe it, looking at him with a grim expression, waiting for more of an explanation.

"It’s a long story. I have a friend, uh... his sister, yeah, my friend's sister, she's here to stay for a few days—Jiang He, open the door."

Xu Qing explained while moving to the storeroom door, knocking twice as he tried to figure out how to spin this properly.

The door opened, and Jiang He appeared, looking sweetly at Xu Qing as he winked at her, though she seemed unsure.

"This is my dad... Dad, this is Jiang He."

Xu Qing braced himself for the introduction, hoping Jiang He wouldn’t act suspiciously.

“D... Dad?” Jiang He started, then paused, turning to Xu Qing to quietly ask, "What should I call him?"

"..."

Xu Wenbin's previously softened face turned complicated again as he looked at Xu Qing without a word.

Was this girl trying to call him "Dad" just now?!

It certainly seemed that way!

At forty-something, Xu Wenbin was suddenly questioning if he had left the house wrong that morning, because why were things getting so bizarre?

"Ahem... call him Uncle!" Xu Qing cleared his throat, pretending not to notice his dad’s stare.

"Hello, Uncle."

"Hello, hello."

Xu Wenbin composed himself, responding nonchalantly.

"Anyway... that's basically the situation. She'll be staying here for a bit." Xu Qing glossed over the details, just trying to let things slide.

"Mhm," Jiang He nodded.

"You, come over here," Xu Wenbin said, pulling Xu Qing into the bedroom, glancing back at Jiang He. "Jiang... Jiang He, right? Don't worry, carry on."

After closing the door, he turned to Xu Qing, his face darkening again.

"What's going on here?!"

"Just what I said, a friend is staying over... Besides, you don’t have to keep coming over and scaring the girl. Hand over the spare key too, so she can use it. I'll give it back to you when she leaves."

Xu Qing held his hand out for the key with confidence. He needed to get it now, or else if either his dad or mom showed up while Jiang He was alone, it could cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.

"Your girlfriend," Xu Wenbin said, staring at him.

"She's not."

"She almost called me 'Dad' just now."

"..." Xu Qing scratched his head. "You must've seen it wrong."

Xu Wenbin stared at him a moment longer before changing the topic. "How old is she?"

"Eighteen."

"..."

"..."

"Good grief..."

"What do you mean, ‘good grief’?" Xu Qing grimaced. "She's just staying here for a bit—backing up ten steps, a hundred steps even, even if we were dating, it’s perfectly reasonable and legal. What's so grievous about it?"

Xu Wenbin smacked his lips, unsure of what to say.

He came over to nudge his son into paying rent and finding a job, and now there’s a girl almost calling him "Dad"?

He felt a little conflicted.

"Kid, you don't even have a job."

"As long as I can make money, who cares if I have a job or not? It's the information age—okay, fine, here, I’ll transfer the money right now, take the rent and hand over the key."

Xu Qing didn't want to get into yet another endless debate about his career choices. Even if he convinced his dad that being an internet content creator was work, his dad would just keep arguing about the lack of insurance, retirement, and benefits.

"How much are the utilities?"

"Two hundred and thirty-eight."

Ignoring his dad’s concerns, Xu Qing swiftly completed the transfer and showed him the transaction on his phone. "Alright, hand over the key. I’ve never heard of a landlord keeping the spare key and barging in whenever they want."

"It's my house!"

"I'm renting it."

"..."

Xu Wenbin glared at him, then reluctantly handed over the spare key. "Make sure to pay on time. I shouldn't have to keep reminding you."

"The contract doesn't specify a date. I'll send it when I remember."

Xu Qing brushed him off.

The house was their own, yet he still had to rent it.

Not only rent, but also pay a higher rate than other units of the same size in the building.

As Xu Wenbin put it: if you get a job, you can live here for free; if not, you’ll pay rent, and higher than others.

When Xu Qing asked why he was raising the price, even considering renting elsewhere, Xu Wenbin had responded, "Go ahead."

Xu Qing had thought it over and realized, hmm!

His dad was playing the long game here. Renting from his own family might be more expensive, but in the end, all the money and the house would be his. If he rented elsewhere, the money would be gone for good.

"Where's Mom? Out on another inspection?"

"No, she's home playing mahjong." Xu Wenbin glanced at his phone. "She wanted you to come over for dinner, but..."

Mid-sentence, he glanced towards the door, wondering if he should tell Xu Qing's mom about this situation.

"No time for now, maybe later." Xu Qing instantly saw through his thoughts. "She's just a friend, not a girlfriend."

"Hmph, do I look like a fool?"

Xu Wenbin’s face darkened, and after a pause, he added casually, "Be careful."

"Be careful of what! She's just a friend!"

Exasperated, Xu Qing opened the door. "If there’s nothing else, please go. I'm working here."

"Listen, you young people, getting into relationships too soon can be problematic, just like that girl Zhu..."

"Dad," Xu Qing interrupted.

"... Fine, let’s not bring up the past. Just get yourself a job."

Xu Wenbin got up and glanced into the empty living room. Jiang He had already gone back to her room, so he stepped out.

His son dating an eighteen-year-old wasn’t something to worry about. But bringing her straight to his place? That felt a bit too much... Still, it’s normal for kids to date at his age. He’d have to discuss this with Xu Qing's mom later.

As they walked out of the room, Xu Qing prepared to see his dad off when he suddenly remembered something.

"Wait... Dad, come here."

He pulled his dad back in and shut the door, rummaging around near the bed.

"What now?" Xu Wenbin asked, puzzled.

"Here, take a look."

Xu Qing held up a pair of old straw sandals, showing them to his dad with a mysterious air. "Check this out. Tang Dynasty artifact. Think it's worth anything?"

His dad had been in archeology his whole life; Xu Qing knew this was right up his alley.

"Did you say an artifact from which dynasty?" Xu Wenbin glanced at the sandals, picking his ear with his pinky as if he’d heard wrong.

"Tang Dynasty, probably from the time of Li Longji," Xu Qing said confidently. If this thing could fetch a decent price, he'd be set, no need to worry about an ID... or any ID-related issues, for that matter.

Seeing his dad's expression turn incredulous, Xu Qing grew excited. "What do you think, valuable?"

"Go get a mental evaluation done at South Mountain Mental Hospital."

Xu Wenbin gave him a long, meaningful look.

He wondered if having a second child was still an option.

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