Ch 4: Reborn to Raise My Husband

“This child is very shy and timid. He’s unfamiliar with you—if you call him, he’ll be even more afraid. Give it time; once he’s used to you, he’ll be fine.”

Qi Beinan glanced at Qin Niazi but didn’t reply.

Though rural homes were mostly made of earthen walls and clay, families with a few years of stability usually had decent space. Compared to cramped city households, land wasn’t as tight here.

The Xiao household wasn’t large in number. Typically, they used two rooms for sleeping—one for Xiao Hu and Qin Niazi, the other shared by the two boys. Another room, kept locked, had been the one Xiao Hu once shared with Xiao Yuanbao’s birth mother.

That left two unused rooms—one filled with miscellaneous items, and one deliberately left as a guest room.

Qin Niazi led Qi Beinan to the guest room to settle in.

Normally, no one from the village would stay over without a reason, and there weren’t visiting relatives, so Qin Niazi had been lazy with the upkeep. Not only had she not tidied the room, she hadn’t even swept the floor.

The room had been empty for some time and was dusty. Thankfully, winter didn’t stir up much dirt, but the air was damp this time of year, and the room carried a faint musty odor.

Qin Niazi knew it wasn’t clean, but she felt no shame. The boy had shown up unannounced—what right had he to expect anything better?

What she hated most was relatives dropping by. Her former husband had always entertained visiting cousins and distant kin—borrowing rice, fabric, money…

And the man had always wanted to save face and play the generous host, lending to everyone. Outsiders praised him as a good man, while his own family had to tighten their belts and suffer.

Now, seeing another relative show up at the Xiao household, she could only hope the boy would sense the cold welcome, pack up, and leave quickly.

She muttered with a tinge of sarcasm, “Had you sent a letter ahead, Uncle Xiao would’ve gone to fetch you. Look at you, finding your own way here. I almost mistook you for someone shady and left you outside. Lucky you were clever enough to seek out the village head.”

Qi Beinan, of course, understood the implication behind her words, but he didn’t respond to them. Instead, he offered an apology:

“The fault lies with me for not thinking it through, causing inconvenience to Auntie. With Uncle Xiao not at home, it’s only natural Auntie would be cautious with two children in the house.”

Seeing how tactfully and flawlessly Qi Beinan spoke, Qin Niazi realized there was little point in continuing her passive-aggressive remarks. She changed the subject.

“If there’s anything you need, just tell Auntie. Uncle Xiao’s in the mountains—if he’s in the outer woods, he’s easy to find, but if he’s gone deeper to set traps, then it may be difficult.”

She was trying to probe why Qi Beinan had come, so she could be better prepared.

Qi Beinan understood her intent, but by now had judged that this Auntie wasn’t someone easy to get along with. He had no intention of revealing his true reason.

“My father gave me something before his passing and instructed me to deliver it personally to Uncle Xiao. I don’t fully understand its significance—perhaps only Uncle Xiao will.”

Qin Niazi, hearing no clear answer, felt displeased but had no excuse to press further. “I see. Then rest for now. The village head said he’d send someone to the mountains—we’ll just wait.”

“Much appreciated, Auntie.”

Qin Niazi responded with a few half-hearted polite words and left the room. It was nearing noon; whether guests were present or not, it was time to light the stove and cook.

Seeing her heading to the kitchen, Xiao Yuanbao quickly tried to help.

But Qin Niazi glanced at the little boy running ahead and her eyes lit with calculation. “Bao Ge’er, why don’t you go play with that older brother in the house? Mother will make you scrambled eggs later.”

She raised her voice deliberately, making sure the person inside could hear.

When others were around, she acted especially warm toward Xiao Yuanbao—never letting anyone see her as a biased or cruel stepmother.

Normally, she would’ve made Xiao Yuanbao help with the fire. But today, she turned to Chao Ge’er instead.

“I’m not lighting the fire!” Chao Ge’er grumbled. “Why don’t you—”

The lazy boy had no intention of helping and was still curious about whether Qi Beinan had brought any treats or toys. But before he could finish, Qin Niazi shot him a sharp glare.

He immediately shrank back, pouting as he dragged himself toward the kitchen.

Inwardly, he complained—If a guest comes without gifts, and I still have to do chores, I’d rather they didn’t come at all. And now they’re even calling my stepfather home early? That means no fun for days.

Inside, Qi Beinan had no interest in playing along with Qin Niazi’s show in the main hall.

He looked at the simple wooden table and stool, noting the fine layer of dust thick enough to write in. His luggage was dark-colored, but he couldn’t bring himself to place it on the dusty furniture.

It wasn’t that he had once lived in luxury and now found farming life beneath him.

He hadn’t come from a high background—he’d endured plenty of hardship in his youth while seeking education. He’d lived through all sorts of conditions.

But whether he wore silk or hemp, cleanliness and order were things he always valued.

So he placed his bundle on top of his own trunk, thinking to wipe down the dust with something.

Seeing how indifferent Qin Niazi was to the state of the room, he didn’t feel it proper to ask her. Since he hadn’t decided whether to stay yet, he thought it best to avoid confrontation.

As he was searching for something to clean with, he felt a pair of eyes watching him from behind.

Turning around, he caught a round little figure quickly ducking behind the wall.

“Xiao Bao?”

Qi Beinan called softly and got up to look.

Sure enough, hiding behind the doorframe, he found Xiao Yuanbao peeking out.

Qi Beinan couldn’t help but smile. He reached out, wanting to draw him inside.

But Xiao Yuanbao blinked once, then darted away like a startled rabbit, fleeing to his own room.

“Hey!”

Qi Beinan’s brows moved slightly. Afraid of frightening him further, he didn’t dare give chase.

He felt a bit annoyed—why did children never seem to like him?

Unexpectedly, after a while, just as he opened his trunk to look for an old cloth to wipe down the dust, he heard soft, pattering footsteps again.

Xiao Yuanbao, who had run off, had returned—this time carrying a small basin of water with his head lowered, quietly entering the room.

He went straight to the washstand, stood on tiptoe, and tried to place the basin on the top shelf.

But he was still too small, and the basin too heavy. He nearly lost his balance and toppled over.

Startled, Qi Beinan quickly stepped forward, catching the basin and placing it on the washstand himself.

The water was warm, with faint steam rising from it. Inside was a piece of coarse hemp cloth.

“Did Auntie ask you to bring me this water?”

Qi Beinan frowned, looking down at Xiao Yuanbao. He was displeased that Qin Niazi had made such a small child do this sort of task.

The little one murmured, “Qin Niazi went to the fields to pick scallions.”

Qi Beinan paused. He gently took Xiao Yuanbao’s chubby cotton-clad arm and crouched down to face the timid child. “Then… did you fetch this water for me on your own?”

Xiao Yuanbao nodded. He had seen Auntie Qin draw water for visiting uncles and aunts when they came to their house.

“Yes. When guests come, we get water so they can wash their face and hands.” Qi Beinan acknowledged that with a nod, his voice softening. “But the basin was too heavy. If you slipped and burned yourself, that would’ve been bad. You shouldn’t carry it next time.”

“It’s not hot. I can carry it,” Xiao Yuanbao whispered. He could carry heavier foot-washing water for Chao Ge’er and Auntie Qin.

He spoke slowly and softly, his voice barely audible.

He was worried Qi Beinan might think he was weak and useless, so he tried to defend himself. But he didn’t dare look him in the eye, only stared at his own toes.

“You’re very strong to carry it, but from now on, let Brother carry it for you.”

Now that he was closer, Qi Beinan noticed that the red on Xiao Yuanbao’s face under his long eyelashes wasn’t from warmth—it was windburn.

Looking down, he found the boy’s small hands ice-cold, his fingers swollen with chilblains.

The worst of it had already cracked open on the tender skin.

Qi Beinan frowned tightly, unable to stop himself from blowing gently on the boy’s hands. “How did your hands get this bad?!”

He remembered how even in later years, once winter came, Xiao Yuanbao would get chilblains. It had taken a long time and a lot of care before the condition finally went away. He hadn’t expected it to have started so early in childhood.

But Xiao Yuanbao quickly pulled his little hands away and hid them behind his back, not answering the question. His mind was still stuck on what Qi Beinan had said about letting “Brother” carry the basin.

He wasn’t sure if the “Brother” meant Chao Ge’er or… Qi Beinan himself. If it meant the latter, then—

“Is Brother going to live in our house from now on?”

Though Xiao Yuanbao’s voice was quiet and not aggressive, children weren’t good at hiding their thoughts. The wariness in his tone was clear.

Qi Beinan saw this and didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, “Why? You don’t want Brother to stay?”

Xiao Yuanbao pressed his lips together. He’d already peeked at this “Brother” from behind the door earlier.

He was tall—Xiao Yuanbao only came up to his waist.

His shoulders were broad, and he could carry the big trunk with one hand. He must be very strong.

If he lived here, and didn’t like him the way Chao Ge’er didn’t, and wanted to bully him… then what would he do?

Xiao Yuanbao was afraid of saying no outright and making Qi Beinan angry. He didn’t dare meet his gaze and quietly looked away. “Our house doesn’t need another brother.”

As soon as he said that, he worried Qi Beinan might not get mad but instead feel sad. He quickly added, “But Uncle Li from Guishu Pass doesn’t have a brother. Maybe you can check if they need one.”

Qi Beinan was stunned for a moment—So being a brother here is actually in demand, huh?

He frowned with a pitiful look. “This house really doesn’t want one anymore? But Brother likes being with Xiao Bao the most…”

Hearing that, Xiao Yuanbao felt a little guilty seeing him genuinely sad, but he still stuck to his idea.

He tried to lure Qi Beinan with an alternative: “Uncle Li’s place is good too. He makes osmanthus cakes. If you go there to be a brother, you can eat them all the time. But if you stay here, I don’t have any osmanthus cakes to give you.”

“Ah…” Qi Beinan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “So Xiao Bao can’t give me osmanthus cakes~”

Xiao Yuanbao quickly nodded seriously.

“That’s okay. I can go without osmanthus cakes.”

Qi Beinan smiled, bargaining, “But if Xiao Bao lets me stay and be your brother, then I’ll give you osmanthus cakes to eat. How about that?”

Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes widened a little, his faint brows furrowing—Why won’t he give up?

He also really wanted osmanthus cake… but he couldn’t trade that for another brother.

Every time Chao Ge’er made him do things, he’d promise to share sugar cakes if Xiao Yuanbao agreed—but he never did. He always lied.

Xiao Yuanbao thought and thought but couldn’t come up with a better excuse.

So, without answering, he suddenly turned around and darted away while Qi Beinan was distracted.

Qi Beinan quickly stood up. “Hey—Xiao Bao!” But the little one didn’t look back, only ran faster, vanishing in a flash.

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