Ch 16: Reborn to Raise My Husband

Qi Beinan deliberately priced his Spring Festival couplets two wen higher than other stalls. Originally, after checking the market price in Ling County, he intended to match it.

But since Old Chen had already hyped up the scene for him, he couldn’t let that go to waste.

If customers thought the price was too high, he could always drop it back to the market rate. If they didn’t, all the better.

Luckily, thanks to the commotion, none of the people waiting to buy couplets complained about the price—they probably thought it was worth it.

So Qi Beinan settled in and wrote couplets while collecting payment.

Xiao Yuanbao, seeing so many people gathered around their stall, felt nervous despite having become a bit more outgoing lately. It was the first time he’d been surrounded by so many strangers, with so many eyes on him.

He had originally been sitting quietly beside Qi Beinan, shrinking into himself and trying to hide under the table to minimize his presence. But one of the gers waiting to buy couplets, seeing how fair and adorable he looked, tried to make conversation and asked how old he was.

Startled, Xiao Yuanbao gripped Qi Beinan’s sleeve tightly, afraid someone would find out his age and try to kidnap him.

Qi Beinan found it amusing and said, “He’s a timid one, a bit shy. There’s no one at home today because everyone’s out in the fields, so I brought him along for a bit of fresh air.”

“What a pitiful little one,” the ger said, clearly moved with sympathy.

The ger even wanted to open their basket and offer a piece of cake to Xiao Yuanbao, but seeing how the boy was completely tucked behind Qi Beinan, face too shy to even peek out, he gave up.

He had only intended to buy one set of couplets but ended up taking two.

Qi Beinan worked for a good while before finally sending off the curious crowd.

Finally with a moment to rest, he shook out his slightly sore hand and gently pulled Xiao Yuanbao out from behind him. “They’re all gone now. Those people were here to buy from us, no need to be afraid. The more people come, the more we sell—and the more we sell, the more money we make. And with money, we can buy what we want.”

Xiao Yuanbao thought about it for a moment, then gave a small nod.

Qi Beinan smiled and gave his cheek a gentle pinch. Everything takes time—few are born brave. Most learn it later in life.

The little one had already been raised a bit timid before, and now he was trying to change—that wouldn’t happen overnight. It had to come slowly.

Just as Qi Beinan was about to let him experience the real benefits of earning money to help him overcome his fear of people, a clear, crisp voice interrupted.

“Little crybaby!”

Qi Beinan looked up and saw a girl with little braids had appeared beside the stall at some point. Her big eyes sparkled, and she was smiling brightly at Xiao Yuanbao.

Then he suddenly remembered—she was the young apprentice from the clinic.

Xiao Yuanbao also saw the little medicine girl. Seeing her teasing him made his cheeks turn red.

He pressed his lips together and looked away, muttering softly, “I’m not.”

The little girl stepped closer, tilted her head, and said to him, “Then who was it crying with red eyes when seeing the doctor?”

Xiao Yuanbao avoided her gaze, guilty. “I’m not scared anymore,” he murmured.

“Then come with me to the canal and light some firecrackers. I dare you.”

Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes lit up a little. He had seen Chao Ge’er play with firecrackers before, but the memory of the loud bangs made him hesitant.

“They explode near your feet. It’s scary,” he said.

The little apprentice frowned and said, “Only bad kids throw firecrackers near people’s feet! We’ll toss them into the canal to make splashes.”

Xiao Yuanbao was clearly tempted.

He looked cautiously toward Qi Beinan.

Qi Beinan smiled warmly—after all, kids talked best with other kids their age.

He took ten copper coins from the box, squatted down, and said to Xiao Yuanbao:

“We don’t have any firecrackers. But if this sister brings you to play, shouldn’t you thank her too?”

He pointed to the breakfast stall nearby and placed the coins in Xiao Yuanbao’s palm. “Buy her a bowl of little wontons. Once you’re full, go to the canal and light some firecrackers.”

Xiao Yuanbao clutched the coins nervously. He knew Qi Beinan made sense, but he had never bought food by himself before. Even though the stall was just a few steps away, he felt stuck.

He didn’t know what to do—until a soft, doughy little hand, just like his, took his.

The little girl jumped up excitedly and said to Qi Beinan, “Thank you, big brother!”

Then she turned her bright eyes to Xiao Yuanbao and said, “The wontons from this stall smell amazing! My father says the meat filling is freshly chopped before dawn every day—dense and juicy. If you come too late, there’s none left!”

Finally encouraged, Xiao Yuanbao took a step forward and followed the little medicine girl to the breakfast stall.

Qi Beinan nodded at the stall’s proprietress, who was wiping down the tables.

The two little ones clambered onto the bench and sat side by side. The proprietress clearly recognized the little girl and smiled.

“Gui Jie’er, what do you want to eat today? And who’s this little ger you brought along?”

Bai Qiaogui said, “He’s the ger from that couplet stall. Aunt, I want a bowl of little wontons.”

“You little rascal, not shy at all. Already made friends with the new stall, huh?”

The proprietress laughed. “Putting this on your family’s tab too? Will your father or Dr. Yang come settle it later?”

Bai Qiaogui shook her head and looked at Xiao Yuanbao.

Xiao Yuanbao’s heart tightened. He stammered a little as he responded to the woman, “Xiao… Xiao Bao is treating sister.”

His voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum, and with his head lowered, the stall lady didn’t catch what he said. She let out a questioning “Hm?”

Xiao Yuanbao took a deep breath, lifted his head, and said clearly, “Xiao Bao is treating Sister!”

This time his voice was louder, and the stall lady finally heard it. “Then do you have the coins?”

Xiao Yuanbao loosened his grip and placed the tightly-clutched coins onto the table, piling them into a little mound.

Bai Qiaogui stretched out a finger and counted them one by one: “Exactly ten wen. That’s enough for both of us to have wontons!”

“Alrighty!”

The stall lady swept up the coins in one go. “Wait just a bit!”

Xiao Yuanbao finally let out a sigh of relief—he’d been so nervous just now.

But to his surprise, nothing bad happened. No one chopped off his fingers, and the lady didn’t scold or get angry. It seemed talking to strangers wasn’t such a big deal after all.

Bai Qiaogui cheerfully swung her feet, looking at the still-bewildered Xiao Yuanbao and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Yuanbao shook his head. Then, remembering how she had just counted the coins, he said, “Sister can count copper coins.”

“Mm-hmm,” Qiaogui nodded. “I can count all the way to a hundred!”

Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes lit up. “Sister, you’re amazing.”

Pleased by the praise, Bai Qiaogui grinned wide, revealing a pair of little tiger teeth.

The stall lady brought over two steaming bowls of wontons. Bai Qiaogui immediately scooped up a plump, round wonton with her spoon, blew on it, and offered it to Xiao Yuanbao: “Xiao Bao eats first.”

Xiao Yuanbao cautiously bit into it, and the fresh, savory meat flavor filled his mouth.

He squinted his eyes in delight—it was just like what Chao Ge’er had told him about the city’s wontons. They really weredelicious!

He happily wiggled his feet under the bench. Now he too had tasted fresh pork wontons from the city.

Qi Beinan watched the two little kids feeding each other—“you blow and feed me,” “I blow and feed you”—neither eating from their own bowl, and couldn’t help but find it funny.

Seeing them eat so cheerfully, a smile tugged at his own lips. He sat straighter and focused on writing a letter for a ger.

Now that the earlier crowd had left, the stall quieted down. Some people approached and asked if he could help write letters.

The year’s end was a time for family reunions, but many had no choice but to remain far from home. As the holidays approached, more people wanted to send letters to their loved ones.

Qi Beinan, having experienced the pain of separation himself, felt sympathy for such people. So he offered to write letters at a low price.

Each page cost only five wen, and he kept just a coin or two as a small fee for his effort.

Word spread about his fair prices, and many plainly dressed folks came asking him to write.

“You little girl, not at the clinic and had me looking all over. I just knew you’d be here by the canal playing with firecrackers.”

Qi Beinan was still writing while keeping an eye on the kids when he saw a stranger approach them. He quickly set down his brush.

He stood up, called Xiao Yuanbao over, and asked the middle-aged man, “May I ask, sir, who might you be?”

Before the man could speak, Bai Qiaogui piped up: “That’s my father!”

Qi Beinan’s brow lifted slightly. He turned and gave the man a respectful bow.

The man returned the gesture and affectionately pinched Qiaogui’s nose. “You little rascal—you’re too bold. Talking to everyone like they’re old friends.”

Bai Qiaogui said, “Big brother was really nice. He even had Xiao Bao treat me to wontons!”

The man’s expression changed slightly, casting a more scrutinizing look toward Qi Beinan. “Oh? Is that so?”

Qi Beinan sensed the shift in tone, a faint caution in the man’s eyes. He quietly sized him up—dressed in a modest dark blue cotton robe made from fine cloth. Not flashy, but certainly not poor.

There was also a faint scent on the man—cool, refined, and familiar. Qi Beinan recognized it immediately: Lanxue incense.

Lanxue was expensive and not exactly pleasant in fragrance. Wealthy households typically didn’t use it; it was more commonly burned by government clerks while handling official business—earning it the nickname “labor incense.”

Qi Beinan deduced that the man was likely an official of some sort. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be carrying the scent of an inner-office incense.

Judging by the man’s reaction to him treating Qiaogui to wontons, he probably suspected ulterior motives.

Qi Beinan said, “I’m a humble scholar from Geshan Village. Today’s my first time bringing my younger brother into town to set up a stall.”

“My younger brother is shy by nature. Luckily, he met Miss Qiaogui once before at Bao Yi Hall, and today she greeted him again and kindly invited him to play. So I let the two children share a bowl of warm wontons, lest they catch cold running about outside.”

Qiaogui quickly added, “The other day when Xiao Bao came to Dr. Yang’s clinic, he was so scared he nearly cried! I told him not to be afraid! And he gave me a rice cake!”

The man’s suspicion finally eased. He figured he had been overthinking it. The young scholar was clearly still in his teens—too young to be scheming.

He warmed up and said, “Thank you, young man.”

Back at the stall, the man noticed Qi Beinan’s elegant handwriting on the couplets. He picked one up and looked it over carefully, praising it aloud.

He asked whether Qi Beinan studied at a village school or a city academy, how old he was, and so on—learning that Qi Beinan had recently moved from another county.

That explained why his speech carried no regional accent, and confirmed the man’s earlier assumptions had been mistaken. He now felt a bit guilty.

Upon hearing his age, he was even more impressed. Qi Beinan had clearly won his respect.

“Meeting is fate. If you don’t mind, Uncle will take this couplet home. If the weather holds, I imagine you’ll be here for the next few days writing letters. If Qiaogui is around playing, let her come by and spend time with your little brother.”

The man didn’t refuse—he accepted the couplet. “It’s beautifully written. I’m thick-skinned. Since you’re offering, I’ll gladly accept.”

He added, “My girl has always been playful but picky about who she plays with. It’s rare for two children to get along so well. As you said, meeting is fate. I have here a labor permit from the county office. If it’s of any use to you, take it.”

Qi Beinan took it and saw it was indeed a county labor license—he immediately thanked the man sincerely.

˙✧˖°🎓 ༘⋆｡ ˚