Ch 3: Reborn to Raise My Husband

Qi Beinan didn’t head elsewhere—after leaving the Xiao household, he asked around and made his way to Village Head Zhao’s residence.

If he remembered correctly, the current village head of Fengliang Village bore the surname Zhao.

Back when he came to fetch Xiao Bao, the village head had come to greet him—they’d met briefly.

He couldn’t remember the man’s appearance, but the surname stuck with him from the few times he’d heard Xiao Bao mention it when talking about village matters.

Don’t underestimate a small village—even in humble places, the social structure had its intricacies.

One couldn’t become a village head simply by being a common farmer. The position typically belonged to someone from an old, influential local family—people with many clan members and wide connections.

More than that, a village head was usually literate, able to read and write, and somewhat familiar with legal matters—someone who understood decorum and law.

They worked as intermediaries with the county office—disseminating new imperial laws, handling taxes and corvée labor, and taking care of village affairs. In essence, they were minor officials under county jurisdiction.

At the same time, they also presided over village disputes and internal matters. If there was bickering between neighbors, it was the village head who mediated, since trivial issues weren’t worth dragging to the county court.

In this way, the village head held respect from both sides—trusted by villagers, and backed by the government.

Qi Beinan had long understood the importance of village heads and local gentry from his time serving as a local official.

Even as an official, one had to show them some respect—how much more so for the common folk who dealt with them daily.

In a village, the village head was the highest authority. If he agreed to lead the way to the Xiao household, there’d be no worry of being turned away.

“I’m Qi by surname, given name Beinan, from Yunshui Village in Jiangzhou. My father, Qi Jinyan, was a scholar and teacher. I’ve come to pay respects to an old friend of my parents.”

Led by a farmhand, Qi Beinan entered a high-walled compound with black tiles and respectfully bowed to the man inside—a man in his forties, with a sharp, competent air.

After offering formal greetings, he introduced himself and explained the connection between his mother and Xiao Yuanbao’s mother.

He chose his words carefully—mentioning only that the two families had once been close. He didn’t mention the betrothal with Xiao Yuanbao.

“I heard Uncle Xiao is away on a long journey. I fear Auntie may not recognize me, so I humbly ask the village head to accompany me to the Xiao household.”

Village Head Zhao reclined in a pearwood chair beneath a lantern. A small table within reach held a plate of dried snacks. He was warming himself by the fire, sipping heated wine.

When the farmhand told him a stranger had come looking for him, Zhao hadn’t wanted to step out into the cold, so he had the youth brought inside.

Once he heard that Qi Beinan’s father had been a scholar and teacher, Zhao subconsciously sat up straighter.

He gave the young man a once-over—his words and actions were polite and composed, with the bearing of someone from a learned household. Clearly not a fraud.

Impressed, Village Head Zhao felt even more curious. It seemed the Xiao family, despite being outsiders in the village, had once made quite a distinguished connection.

“Good child, come sit. Why come so close to the New Year?”

Qi Beinan didn’t conceal anything and calmly explained the deaths of both his parents.

“My father entrusted me with an important keepsake and instructed me to deliver it personally to Uncle Xiao. I was delayed along the way, which is why I’ve only just arrived.”

A trace of sympathy flickered in Village Head Zhao’s eyes, and he offered a few kind words.

He was familiar with the status of every household in the village.

Though Xiao Hu had only taken root in the village for about twenty years and rarely mingled with the other families—so Village Head Zhao didn’t know them as well as the older village surnames—he still knew the basics of their household.

Xiao Hu’s original wife had passed, and he’d remarried a woman surnamed Qin. With Xiao Hu now away, this young man seeking him wasn’t inappropriate.

But this young man wasn’t from their village. He had come empty-handed, and his parents were both deceased.

Village Head Zhao could easily have sent him away with a few words, especially given the freezing weather and his own reluctance to visit the Xiao home.

But he had a good impression of this unfamiliar youth. The boy’s features were upright, his tone modest and respectful, and Village Head Zhao, having nothing better to do, felt like chatting a bit more.

So he spoke warmly, asking Qi Beinan his age, and whether he had studied.

Qi Beinan chose his words carefully to earn favor. He gave his age and said, “My mother passed early. I studied under my father and was preparing to sit for the county exam to earn the rank of Tongsheng. Unfortunately, my father fell ill and passed, and I am in mourning—unable to sit the exam this year.”

Upon hearing that Qi Beinan not only studied under his father but had already been preparing for the exams, Village Head Zhao’s eyes lit up, and he grew even more fond of him.

It was no surprise. The imperial court highly valued scholars and provided generous stipends and privileges for the learned. That reverence trickled down—commoners saw scholars as remarkable.

Still, while everyone knew the benefits of education, not many could afford to pursue it.

With land and wealth consolidated in the hands of the powerful, even good tutors and learning materials were hard to come by.

Most rural families, even if well-off, could only send their sons to private school for a couple of years. Just learning to read and write was already impressive—let alone passing the imperial exams.

A youth like Qi Beinan, born to a xiucai and immersed in study from a young age, already had the heavens and earth working in his favor.

The more rare and difficult something was, the more it was cherished.

“My foolish son is about your age,” Village Head Zhao said with a chuckle, “also studying at the village school, but he’s not nearly as capable. Barely scratches out a few words like a dog crawling. Who knows when he’ll be lucky enough for a teacher to let him sit the exam.”

“You’re too modest, Village Head. You manage the affairs of this whole village so well—it’s clear your son won’t fall short.”

Qi Beinan, after offering a well-placed compliment, added, “My late father left behind some handwritten notes and copybooks from his years of teaching—he said they would be of use for the exams. Your son and I are of similar age; if Village Head wouldn’t mind, once I’m settled in, I’d be happy to open my trunk and gift him a few. Perhaps we can also exchange thoughts on our studies.”

“Mind? Of course not! If my foolish son could get his hands on the handwriting of a real xiucai, he’d be thanking you endlessly!”

Village Head Zhao was overjoyed and didn’t even pretend to decline politely—he accepted immediately.

Though he held some authority as village head, it was hard to come by useful study materials for his son among a bunch of rough farmers. Qi Beinan’s offering hit right at the heart of his desires.

Village Head Zhao immediately dropped his earlier laid-back manner, stood up, poured tea, and even offered his own dried snacks to Qi Beinan. After inviting him to rest his legs for a moment, he personally got up to escort him to the Xiao household.

Meanwhile, back at the Xiao residence, after watching Qi Beinan leave, Xiao Yuanbao hurriedly put down his broom and ran inside. Standing at the inner doorway, he told Qin Niazi that a strange boy had come to their home.

Qin Niazi was organizing the New Year supplies she had just purchased. She walked into the main hall and craned her neck to look outside, but saw no one.

She shot Xiao Yuanbao a sharp glance, scolding him for making excuses to slack off from sweeping.

Xiao Yuanbao, timid as he was, didn’t dare argue back.

Just as he was about to return outside to continue sweeping, voices came from the courtyard:

“Brother Xiao? Lady Qin? Are you home?”

From the inner room, Chao Ge’er’s brows lifted. “Sounds like the village head!”

He excitedly ran out to see.

Qin Niazi also recognized the voice, and a wave of unease rose in her chest.

Her man, a hunter, was the quiet type. Ever since his first wife passed, he’d grown even more withdrawn, spending long periods in the mountains. He didn’t socialize much with the other villagers—let alone have any special relationship with the well-connected village head that everyone else scrambled to curry favor with.

If the village head was here, it was probably about something important—and probably troublesome.

She set down what she was holding and headed outside, all the while thinking: they had less than two acres of land, and the land tax had already been paid early. And there hadn’t been any village meetings lately about collective work or water projects. What could this visit be about?

As everyone headed into the courtyard, Xiao Yuanbao, as always, stayed inside when guests came. He was shy around strangers and would hide and secretly watch as they spoke with Qin Niazi. Even when his own father came home from the mountains, he felt so distant at first that it took him half a day to warm up to him again.

Earlier, when Qi Beinan had arrived, he hadn’t run off—partly because he was surprised the stranger recognized him, and partly because the visitor didn’t look that old.

Between children, the sense of distance was always smaller than with adults.

Now, Xiao Yuanbao silently trailed behind Qin Niazi, staying just inside the hall. He hid behind the doorframe near the wall, peeking out to see what Uncle Zhao was doing at their home.

To his surprise, he saw Chao Ge’er opening the courtyard gate, and walking in with Village Head Zhao was the same young man who’d come earlier asking about his father.

The two entered the courtyard together.

Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“There are people home, but the man of the house has gone up the mountain and hasn’t returned yet. Is there something you need, Village Head?” asked Qin Niazi.

She turned to Chao Ge’er. “Quick, fetch a stool for the village head.”

“No need for a stool. In this cold weather, with the New Year only a few days away, I didn’t expect Brother Xiao to still be out in the mountains.”

Though he already knew Xiao Hu wasn’t home, the village head pretended to ask so no one would suspect he had come deliberately while the man of the house was away.

“Well, can’t blame him,” he added. “Winter’s the prime time for hunting.”

After a bit of polite small talk, he noticed that Qin Niazi’s eyes had fallen on the young man beside him. Seizing the moment, he patiently introduced Qi Beinan to her.

He explained nearly everything he knew but avoided mentioning that Qi Beinan’s mother and Xiao Yuanbao’s mother had been close friends. Instead, he simply said Qi Beinan was an old acquaintance of the Xiao family, fearing that if Qin Niazi learned of the former closeness, she might feel slighted or give Qi Beinan a cold reception.

Qin Niazi was startled, her eyes widening. She was relieved that the village head wasn’t here to collect money—but she hadn’t expected, so close to the New Year, for some distant acquaintance to show up at her door with trunks and baggage.

She looked over Qi Beinan carefully. Though dressed simply in a cotton-lined robe of coarse gray cloth, his complexion was fair—nothing like the tanned, rugged look of a farm boy raised under the sun.

He bowed to her with proper decorum and called her “Auntie,” just as the village head had said a well-mannered scholar should.

Her own husband barely spoke even when he was home, and when he did, it was only to ask how the child was doing or whether anyone had come to cause trouble. He had never once mentioned such a connection.

Though she held some instinctive awe toward scholars, she couldn’t help but secretly wonder whether this boy might be some lovechild her man left behind outside.

A boy this grown, showing up out of nowhere—if he were here to collect some emotional debt, that would be a real headache.

“It’s unfortunate that my husband’s not home. I’ve never heard him speak of such an accomplished scholar’s family.”

She was being truthful—and also subtly making it clear that she didn’t want to recognize this so-called family connection.

The village head was already leaning toward favoring Qi Beinan. Seeing Qin Niazi not even giving him face after he personally brought the boy here, he couldn’t help but feel a bit displeased.

“You came late. It’s not strange that some family ties are unfamiliar,” he said. “But let’s be real—a scholar’s son, on the road during New Year’s, coming to cause trouble? If he really had bad intentions, why would he come to the home of a skilled hunter, of all people?”

“Young man came all this way—traveling in this cold is exhausting. Go tidy up a room and let him settle in first, then send someone to call Brother Xiao back.”

“It’s the holiday season—having relatives visit is a joyful thing. He’s been polite, calling you Auntie and doing no harm. You can’t just leave an old family acquaintance standing outside. If Brother Xiao comes home and finds out, he’ll surely be upset.”

Hearing the village head’s tone turn stern, Qin Niazi’s heart gave a jolt.

She forced a sheepish smile. Though she still held doubts about this unexpected young man, she couldn’t afford to offend the village head by refusing him at the door.

After all, the boy had been brought by the village head himself. If anything went wrong, at least she’d have someone to hold accountable.

“You’re right, Village Head—it’s my own foolishness. I’m just a simple village woman who’s never seen much of the world. My mind doesn’t always keep up.”

With a smile fixed on her face, Qin Niazi turned to Qi Beinan and apologized, inviting him in. She also thanked the village head for going through the trouble and asked him to come in for a bowl of hot soup.

Only then did the village head’s expression soften. He waved his hand, declining the invitation. It was nearly noon, and not the best time to linger in someone else’s home.

He turned to Qi Beinan and said, “Stay here and wait for a bit. I’ll send someone to the mountain to find Brother Xiao.”

“Thank you, Village Head. I’m truly grateful for you going to such trouble for my sake in this freezing weather.”

“It’s no trouble. When you’re free, come to my home to visit.”

Qi Beinan, knowing the village head was still thinking about the copybooks and calligraphy he’d mentioned, smiled and agreed.

As Qin Niazi watched the village head leave with light steps, she couldn’t help but think to herself—he sure seems fond of this young man.

He’d been all smiles while speaking to him. Anyone watching might think they were the ones related. The village head usually wasn’t this warm with anyone’s children.

Ordinary farmers like them kept their heads down and didn’t cause trouble. They rarely had any accomplishments worth mentioning and had no chance of interacting with county officials. People like that didn’t mean much to them—if the whip never lands on your back, you don’t know how hard it can hit.

But the village head, who had direct dealings with the county office, carried real weight in their eyes. He had authority, and folks feared him. They saw him as a minor official, the one who settled disputes and kept order with sharp judgment.

So now, seeing how favorably he treated Qi Beinan, she grew even more suspicious of the boy’s background—and didn’t dare be careless anymore.

Even after the village head left, she turned to Qi Beinan with a welcoming smile. “Look at me, blabbing away while you’re still holding all that luggage. Come now, let Auntie help you with your things. You must’ve been freezing out there…”

In the courtyard, Chao Ge’er had been eavesdropping, enjoying the excitement. He was bolder by nature, and seeing that the visitor was a family acquaintance, his eyes locked onto Qi Beinan’s trunk, wondering if it might contain some snacks or fun things to play with.

Qi Beinan politely responded to Qin Niazi, but his gaze had already landed on the small figure hiding behind the doorframe in the main hall.

He wanted to call Xiao Yuanbao over, but before he could say a word, Xiao Bao, seeing him entering the house with Qin Niazi, suddenly darted off, scurrying back to his own room.

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