My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 48: There seems to be something wrong with this childhood sweetheart

"You’ve met her before… huh… haven’t you?" Xu Qing huffed as he struggled to carry the sack of rice up the stairs, panting but still rambling on.

"Met her?" Cheng Yulan glanced at Jiang He. The girl was pretty, but she couldn’t recall much about her—except the time she was cosplaying in the hallway.

"Yeah, back when… huh… I just started college, maybe four or five years ago? She wasn’t this tall back then, had a bit of a round face. You two even stood at my door chatting for a bit… ring a bell?"

"Did we?" Cheng Yulan was doubtful.

"Come on, you probably just don’t remember because she’s changed so much. The round-faced girl… that was her!" Xu Qing said with conviction, hauling the rice up the last steps and setting it down outside his door, catching his breath.

"My memory’s not what it used to be," Cheng Yulan muttered, trying hard to recall as they reached the door. She knocked briskly. "Old Wang, open up!"

"Well, just remember now—this is my girlfriend, Jiang He," Xu Qing grinned. "Alright, I’m taking her out to eat. She’s been cooped up at home playing games all day, barely stepping outside."

"Come in and have some water. You look beat."

"No need, I’m tough." Xu Qing gave a dismissive wave, then started heading downstairs. Jiang He turned back to Cheng Yulan and, after a brief hesitation, smiled and nodded politely before following Xu Qing.

"Have I… been here before?" Jiang He asked softly once they were outside the building.

"Of course not. Back then, you were probably freezing in some mountain valley somewhere." Xu Qing glanced up at the building, chuckling. "It’s just something to say. If she remembers, great. If not, no big deal."

"...?"

"If no one else besides me recognizes you, then you don’t exist. Understand?"

"Not exist?"

"Yep. In the eyes of society, you’d be completely non-existent. No one would know your past, and without a past, there’s no future. Think of your past as roots. Your roots are stuck back in the Tang Dynasty. That won’t do—you need roots here to really live." Xu Qing stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to face Jiang He, walking backward as he spoke.

"That Cheng Auntie just now? She’s a real gossip. If there’s anything to talk about, she’ll be at it with the other old folks, playing mahjong or sipping tea. If she happens to mention you in passing, people will at least know you exist. And if she throws in a bit about having met you ages ago, even better. That’s how collective memory works."

"I think I get it," Jiang He murmured, frowning in thought. She vaguely understood his point—back in her village, if no one knew her, she’d be cast out for sure.

"Doesn’t matter if you get it or not. What matters is making yourself known. Hey, Uncle Zhao, feeling cold?" Xu Qing turned back to greet the security guard from a distance.

"This weather’s bone-chilling." Uncle Zhao was huddled in a military coat, clutching a thermos as he rocked in his chair.

"Why not head inside?"

"Been in too long—it gets stuffy. Just stepped out for a smoke."

"Alright, you take care."

Xu Qing waved, then glanced at Jiang He beside him. Grabbing her sleeve like holding hands, he walked forward. He gave the fabric a few experimental pinches, confused.

"Uh… where’s your hand?" He squeezed again, realizing he couldn’t find it inside the sleeve. "What the heck? I got shortchanged here."

Jiang He raised her arm, showing him the empty sleeve where her hand had retreated all the way to her elbow. "Here, you can hold this," she offered the hollow sleeve with a straight face.

"Forget it. It’s out already." Xu Qing shook his head, stuffing his hands back in his pockets.

Hotpot restaurants were plentiful in Jiang City, and as the weather cooled, people gravitated toward a steaming pot for warmth and comfort. It was best enjoyed in the evening—sweating it out over a meal and heading home satisfied. But evenings were busy, with long waits and noisy crowds, not ideal for Jiang He’s first hotpot experience. So Xu Qing decided to treat her at midday.

He bypassed random spots nearby and took her to one of his regular places—a buffet with a wide variety, including seafood, all for 88 yuan per person. The atmosphere was decent, and he figured Jiang He could try a bit of everything to find out what she liked. Self-serve was the fastest way to learn someone’s taste.

"You didn’t think it’d be this far, huh?" Jiang He asked, her stomach starting to grumble after walking and switching buses.

"Almost there. Just around that corner," Xu Qing assured her. He rounded the bend, then suddenly froze. Damn. Speak of the devil.

Qin Hao, bundled up like a fool, was patrolling the street with a PDA, scanning his surroundings.

Xu Qing instinctively considered turning back, but their eyes met. No choice but to act casual. He led Jiang He forward and greeted him.

"Hey, Haozi, busy?"

"Obviously. Where’re you headed?" Qin Hao sniffled, looking Xu Qing up and down before glancing at Jiang He.

Something’s off about this guy…

"Hotpot. Wanna join?"

"On shift… Come here for a sec." Qin Hao stepped aside, beckoning Xu Qing over while eyeing Jiang He. "Who’s this?"

"What do you mean?" Xu Qing’s heart skipped, but his face betrayed nothing.

"When’d you get a cousin?" Qin Hao squinted. "Alright, say the Angle Bisector Theorem for me."

"..."

"..."

Xu Qing was dumbfounded. Jiang He looked completely lost.

"High school? Younger sister?" Qin Hao pressed. "Alright, then, how about the Cosine Rule?"

"Alright, alright, quit it. She’s my girlfriend," Xu Qing sighed, exasperated.

"Your girlfriend?" Qin Hao’s suspicion only grew.

Last time, Xu Qing had called someone his cousin, but when Qin Hao asked his dad, it turned out there was no cousin. Something fishy was definitely going on.

"I’ll explain later. We’re starving." Xu Qing tried to wave him off.

"You’d better explain, or I’ll have to report this to your dad," Qin Hao warned seriously.

Xu Qing had a history of wild antics—fighting, drinking, clubbing—often ratted out by Qin Hao himself. Lately, he’d settled down, but Qin Hao worried he might relapse.

"Later, okay? Unless you wanna cuff me now and interrogate me." Xu Qing held out his wrists mockingly.

"Go on, then. But this isn’t over."

Xu Qing gave him the finger before leading Jiang He into the hotpot restaurant.

Good thing Qin Hao isn’t a woman, Xu Qing thought. Otherwise, he’d have learned the hard way not to snitch.

Why isn’t he a woman, though?

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