Ch 8: Reborn to Raise My Husband

That night, Qin Niazi took Wang Chao to sleep in the side room out of spite and didn’t return to the main room for the rest of the night.

Xiao Hu wasn’t in a great mood either. He figured they both needed to cool off, lest anger make things worse, so he didn’t go to coax her.

The next morning, when Qi Beinan stepped out of his room, he shivered from the cold.

Unlike the tightly packed buildings of the county town, village homes out in the wilderness were surrounded by mountains and dense vegetation—winter mornings here were noticeably colder.

He wrapped his cotton-lined blue coat tighter around himself and stepped into the main hall, where he saw Xiao Hu already up and standing at the gate, staring silently out into the courtyard.

Qi Beinan followed his gaze and saw several rows of footprints on the thin layer of morning frost.

The sky had barely begun to brighten—Qin Niazi had quietly packed up and actually left with Wang Chao to return to her mother’s home!

Noticing the mud on Xiao Hu’s shoes, Qi Beinan guessed he must’ve gone out to look for them but hadn’t caught up.

“Uncle Xiao… Aunt and Chao Ge’er, are they—?”

“They went back to her family.”

Xiao Hu’s voice was cold. Quarrels between husband and wife were one thing, but he hadn’t expected Qin Niazi to actually up and leave with Wang Chao right before the New Year.

Qi Beinan, on the other hand, felt like laughing.

To drive him away, Qin Niazi even pulled this stunt. She was clearly trying to keep him from getting close to Xiao Hu and Xiao Bao—making room on purpose.

Trying to use this “returning to her mother’s house” trick to scare them into backing down, pretending like the Xiao family couldn’t do without her. What a pathetic move.

He had thought she was clever—turns out she wasn’t much after all.

Since she had so generously handed over the opportunity, Qi Beinan naturally accepted it with grace.

He feigned panic and worry, quickly saying, “It’s my fault, upsetting Aunt like this. Uncle, please go bring her back!”

“It’s freezing outside, and it’s not easy to travel with a child. If it were just an adult, it wouldn’t matter, but Chao Ge’er is still young—what if he catches a cold?”

“And Xiao Bao hasn’t woken up yet. If he doesn’t see Aunt when he does, he might get upset and cry.”

Hearing such well-intentioned words, Xiao Hu’s face darkened further.

If yesterday his mood was only sour due to guilt, today he was genuinely angry.

He’d always believed Qin Niazi truly loved the child and treated Xiao Bao as her own.

But now, in a moment of conflict, she’d up and left—was that what a loving mother would do?

If she really cared for the child, as Qi Beinan said, she wouldn’t have just left him behind like that.

Xiao Hu might not be good at expressing affection or knowing how to be close with his child, but that didn’t mean he didn’t love him. In fact, Xiao Bao was his dearest.

Back when Qin Niazi first came into the household, he had been worried she might be burdened by farmwork and wouldn’t have the time to care for the child properly. So he’d leased out most of the fields, keeping only a small patch for homegrown vegetables.

He gave her all the lease income and most of the money from his hunting as well, doing everything he could to make sure she wasn’t lacking in money—just so she could take good care of the child.

Aside from caring for the boy, he never expected her to do any labor.

He had always believed he was lucky to have married Qin Niazi—her cooking was good, and she seemed affectionate toward the child. He’d felt reassured leaving Xiao Bao in her care while he spent his days in the mountains.

But now, after this quarrel, he realized it hadn’t been all it seemed.

“If she’s not afraid to leave the child and head back, let her go!”

“If I bring her back now, she’ll just leave again whenever something goes wrong.”

He had originally considered going to fetch them back, but now he had no intention of doing so.

Qi Beinan saw this and realized his father-in-law wasn’t completely blind—he just needed a little push to see things clearly.

“This is… perhaps…” Before he could finish, Xiao Hu cut him off:

“Don’t overthink it. I’m still the head of this household.”

That was exactly what Qi Beinan wanted. He offered a few more comforting words without fanning the flames, then said, “I’ll go check on Xiao Bao.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle. While Aunt’s away, I’ll take good care of him.”

Xiao Hu looked toward Xiao Bao’s room, his eyes full of concern.

Poor child, losing his birth mother so young, left to struggle with a father who didn’t know how to care for him—and now saddled with an unreliable stepmother.

He looked back at the respectful and gentle Qi Beinan, and felt even more sympathy.

He reached out and gave Qi Beinan’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “You lost your mother young… I don’t know how your father managed to raise you all by himself.”

“I was a boy—easy to raise. Even if life was rough, it didn’t matter much. But it’s different for little gers, they need more care. No matter how easy or hard it is, children who lose their mothers always place a heavy burden on their fathers.”

Xiao Hu nodded, comforted. “You’re a good kid. Xiao Bao is shy—get close to him, spend time together.”

Meanwhile, Qin Niazi and Wang Chao, both with cloth wrapped around their heads, were bumping along the road to the county town in an ox cart, nearly at the city gates.

Wang Chao huddled into Qin Niazi’s arms, sniffling. Half his face was hidden by the cloth, but it couldn’t block the biting wind.

Children don’t hold up well in the cold—and ever since arriving at the Xiao household, Wang Chao had been spoiled beyond reason.

On ordinary days when Xiao Hu wasn’t home, Wang Chao wouldn’t wake until the sun was high. Now that it was winter, and colder than ever, Qin Niazi usually doted on him so much that she even brought breakfast to his bedside for him to eat while lying under the quilt.

But today, before dawn, she dressed him in layers and dragged him out, without even letting him eat. All they’d done since was shiver in the cold wind along the main road.

Grumbling with displeasure, he asked, “Mother, where are we even going? Why’d we leave so early?”

Qin Niazi tucked the thick cotton blanket around him more snugly and then pulled out the pastries Qi Beinan had bought. She shoved one piece into Wang Chao’s mouth and placed the rest into his hands. “Eat some cake if you’re hungry.”

Wang Chao was naturally happy with the food. But seeing his mother had packed two large bundles, it didn’t seem like they were heading into town for market day. So he asked again, “Mother, where are we really going?”

“To your grandparents’ house.”

The moment Wang Chao heard they were going to his maternal grandparents’, his brows furrowed in a tight knot. “What’re we going there for? It’s almost New Year!”

Every time they’d visited in the past, he’d gotten the cold shoulder. The old folks only gave good food to his cousin. Though their attitude had softened since Qin Niazi married into the Xiao family and they now shared food with him, he still remembered the grudge. He just didn’t want to go.

“Mother, if you’re mad at stepfather, then just don’t talk to him. Why are we freezing ourselves like this?”

Qin Niazi let out a cold snort. “Mad? Do you even know why I’m mad? That Xiao Bao’s real father wants to let that Qi boy live in our house. You think life will still be easy for you after that? He gets a room, he gets the money!”

“If your mother doesn’t stand her ground now, soon we won’t even have a say in our own house.”

Wang Chao still didn’t fully understand, but he was beginning to sense that letting Qi Beinan live with them wasn’t a good thing.

“But if we leave, won’t they be even happier?”

“Hmph, happy? Let them try. Your stepfather only brought us into the house for someone to help take care of Xiao Bao. Now that I’m gone, let’s see who cooks for them, who looks after that brat. They can stare at empty bowls all day for all I care.”

Wang Chao asked, “Will stepfather send Xiao Bao to that Fang family in the bamboo grove again?”

“That bunch of paupers? I already made sure the Xiaos stopped associating with them. Even if your stepfather wanted to send him there, he couldn’t.”

Qin Niazi smirked with satisfaction. “Just wait a couple of days. Your stepfather’ll come crawling with wine and meat, begging us to come back. And if he insists on keeping that boy? I won’t go back at all!”

She reached out to pat the bundle beside her. It held not only their change of clothes but also the meat she’d bought in town yesterday.

That mountain hunter dares to side with an outsider? Let’s see how long he lasts. She’d see to it that the whole village knew he’d rather keep a live-in son-in-law than his own wife—let them judge for themselves who was right and who was wrong.

…

Qi Beinan cracked open the door and quickly slipped into Xiao Yuanbao’s room, holding the brazier tightly in his arms to keep the cold wind out.

The room was small—one glance and you could take in everything.

Against the wall was a wooden bed draped in coarse yellow hemp cloth. The curtain fluttered at the seams from the cold air.

He called out softly, “Xiao Bao, are you awake?”

Xiao Yuanbao had been up for a while already and was just about to get dressed. When he heard the door creak open, he thought it was his father. But when he peeked out and saw Qi Beinan, he immediately pulled his head back in.

He hesitated, unsure whether to respond, when the curtain lifted and Qi Beinan stuck his head in. “You’re awake. Let me help you get dressed.”

Startled, Xiao Yuanbao darted straight back under the covers. A lump formed beneath the quilt, and a muffled voice came out: “Don’t want you.”

Qi Beinan heard that the tone wasn’t as fierce as last night, so he didn’t push it. He quietly set the brazier on the footstool beside the bed and sat down.

Just as he was about to look for the boy’s clothes, he saw two neatly folded bundles at the end of the bed. He picked them up and spread them over his knees to warm them.

“Qin Niazi took Chao Ge’er out,” he said, pausing before adding, “so… only bro- … I can help you get dressed.”

He almost said “brother” but remembered Xiao Yuanbao had already said he didn’t want another older brother, so he stopped himself.

“I’ll warm your clothes up. You can lie down a bit longer if you like.”

Hidden under the covers, Xiao Yuanbao heard that Qin Niazi had gone out again with Chao Ge’er and grew curious. They’d just gone to town yesterday—surely not again?

Not sure if Qi Beinan was trying to trick him, he whispered, “Where did they go?”

Qi Beinan smiled and tilted his head. “I’ll tell you—but you can’t cry.”

Xiao Yuanbao poked his head out. After crying himself to sleep last night, his round eyes were still puffy and red.

“I won’t cry. Even if Qin Niazi takes Chao Ge’er to town, I won’t cry.”

Qi Beinan raised a brow. “Really? What if they’re going to visit her family and won’t be back for a few days—still no tears?”

Xiao Yuanbao froze.

He didn’t answer right away, but instead asked first, “Where’s Father?”

Qi Beinan replied, “He’s home, of course. It’s almost New Year—he’s not going up the mountain.”

Xiao Yuanbao thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

“That’s great!”

Qi Beinan smiled warmly. “Xiao Bao, you really are the most sensible child I’ve ever met.”

Hearing Qi Beinan praise him, Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes dropped shyly and he pursed his lips. He was a little embarrassed—but children love praise, so after a moment, he slowly crawled out of the quilt. “I can put my clothes on myself.”

Qi Beinan assumed he was just trying to act tough and independent, so he handed over the clothes that had been warmed by the brazier, ready to help when the little one inevitably struggled.

Xiao Yuanbao wore only a thin linen underlayer in a pale cloud-water blue color. It looked old and a bit worn. The fabric was creased, and the edges curled.

He knelt on the bed, with his pale wrists and ankles exposed.

To Qi Beinan, the boy without his thick winter clothes looked like a kitten or puppy just pulled out of water—small, damp, and skinny.

Qi Beinan gently smoothed down Xiao Yuanbao’s fine, soft hair and said with heartache, “You need to eat more. You’re so skinny—I could lift you with one hand.”

Xiao Yuanbao hugged the warm outer garment and shot Qi Beinan a bit of a stern look. “You can’t.”

“Can’t what?”

“Kids can’t eat too much rice and meat. Ducklings get fat from eating too many weeds and bugs, then they get tied up and taken to town to be sold.”

Xiao Yuanbao said seriously, “I don’t want to get tied up and sold. I’d never see Father again.”

Qi Beinan couldn’t help but laugh. “Who told you this nonsense?”

Last night he cried himself to sleep while still managing to eat rabbit meat.

Xiao Yuanbao opened his mouth to say who told him, but after thinking about it, closed it again.

Chao Ge’er had told him not to tell anyone—or he’d put a little snake in his bed.

Qi Beinan saw he wasn’t going to speak and said, “You’re not a duckling, so how could you be the same? Even if you grow tall and strong, no one’s going to sell you.”

“Besides, if you don’t eat enough to grow, other kids will bully you.”

Xiao Yuanbao blinked. “Really?”

“They bully me because I’m small and thin?”

Qi Beinan’s brows lifted. “Someone’s been bullying you?”

Xiao Yuanbao shook his head.

Qi Beinan didn’t press. “Of course it’s true. Look at me—no one dares to pick on someone my size.”

Xiao Yuanbao saw that Qi Beinan had slipped and almost said “brother” again, and that made him remember what Father said about keeping him in the house as an older brother.

He lowered his eyes, and tears welled up again. In a quiet voice, he asked, “But do you bully people?”

Qi Beinan was puzzled. “Only bad people bully others. I’m not a bad person—why would I bully anyone?”

“But… if someone bullies you, I’ll stand up for you.”

Xiao Yuanbao looked up in surprise, as if he were staring at a grown-up making promises that sounded too good to be true—half skeptical, half hopeful.

“Why would you help me?”

Qi Beinan thought for a moment, then reached out and gently pinched Xiao Yuanbao’s ear. “Because your mother asked me to take care of you. She knew you’d be all alone and worried about you.”

Xiao Yuanbao pursed his lips in disbelief. “Really? Mother really sent you to be my older brother?”

“Of course. Otherwise, how would I even know your name is Xiao Bao when we’ve never met before?”

Xiao Yuanbao sniffled. “Then why didn’t you tell me that yesterday?”

Qi Beinan was caught off guard. Whoever said children weren’t logical clearly hadn’t met this one. He had no good answer, so he simply played dumb.

“You didn’t ask yesterday! You just ran off. I didn’t even get a chance to tell you.”

Xiao Yuanbao sniffled again. At last, he seemed to believe that Qi Beinan really had come because his mother had asked him to.

His nose twitched, and the tears that had been building finally overflowed. Without warning, he threw open his arms and dove into Qi Beinan’s embrace.

“I miss Mother.”

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