Ch 21: Reborn to Raise My Husband

At first, Qin Niazi had absolutely refused—crying and making a scene day after day.

When the Qin family got word, Old Madam Gu and her daughter-in-law came to the Xiao household, grabbing onto Xiao Hu and weeping as they spun their tale of suffering.

But Xiao Hu had already made up his mind. He remained unmoved, putting on the same taciturn mountain-man temperament he always wore when up in the hills—no matter how much the two women cried, he gave them no response.

Initially, Xiao Hu didn’t want to issue a xiushu—a formal dismissal—to preserve Qin Niazi’s last shred of dignity. But seeing how her family was clinging and pestering him, he began to consider it seriously.

Strangely enough, before Xiao Hu could even mention formal dismissal, Qin Niazi suddenly relented. Whether she had a change of heart or simply saw no way out, she agreed to the heli (mutual separation).

On the 24th of the first lunar month, Village Head Zhao and a few other respected elders from the village came to the Xiao household to oversee the heli.

Technically, the Qin family was supposed to send two senior clan members as well—but since the Qin household lived far away, and this was already a second marriage ending in separation, their clan elders felt it was shameful and refused to come.

Only members of her immediate family showed up. Father Qin either truly was too ill to travel or simply didn’t want to come. Either way, he wasn’t present.

The only male present from her side was Eldest Qin, who arrived with his wife and mother.

Inside the main hall, the two families sat facing each other. Village Head Zhao read aloud the pre-written heli document. Though it was a loss of face, most village folk were illiterate. Reading it out loud ensured everyone understood and prevented any future disputes.

Qi Beinan, sitting in the inner room, listened. For rural households like this, documents like divorce or separation papers weren’t composed with poetic flourish. They were usually based on the standard format used by official matchmakers. Dry and formulaic, but safe and without error.

When the reading was finished, Eldest Qin spoke up a little uneasily: “The document’s fine, but my sister came all the way from Ligao Village to marry into your Geshan Village. Now that she’s separating and returning home, the Xiao family should offer her some compensation.”

Before Xiao Hu could respond, Village Head Zhao quickly defended his fellow villager: “Qin Niazi married into the Xiao family and didn’t even bear a single child. What compensation?”

Old Madam Gu jumped in: “It’s commonly said that only after three years without children can you fault a wife. My daughter hasn’t even been here two full years yet!”

Village Head Zhao wanted to speak on Xiao Hu’s behalf again, but he didn’t know the real reason for the separation, so he didn’t know how to counter that.

Seeing that no one had a response, Eldest Qin puffed out his chest and said, “We’re not asking for much. Five mu of land from the Xiao family—that way, when my sister returns with a child to care for, at least she’ll have enough to eat.”

“Five mu?!” Village Head Zhao’s eyes widened. “We’re not talking about a rich county here, but even average land costs five to six strings of cash per mu. Five mu would be twenty to thirty strings of cash—enough to marry a new wife! That’s outrageous!”

One of the elders also shook his head. “Unacceptable. We country folk don’t go by rules like that. Since it’s a mutual separation, Qin Niazi can take her full dowry and return with it. That’s all.”

But Eldest Qin and Old Madam Gu wouldn’t have it. When Qin Niazi married into the Xiao family, they’d taken fifteen strings of cash as a bride price. The only dowry she brought was a three-catty cotton quilt.

Sure, three catties of cotton wasn’t cheap—it’d cost over two strings of cash—but the cotton was just old household scrap they’d sent to the market to be re-fluffed. It was worth maybe a string, tops.

Other than that, she’d brought nothing.

So if she were only allowed to take her dowry back, it would be as good as leaving empty-handed.

“If the Xiao family doesn’t offer compensation, don’t even think about my sister putting her seal on that paper!”

Eldest Qin stiffened his neck. Having spent time in gambling dens, he no longer acted like some simple honest farmer—he was utterly shameless.

“Don’t think just because there are more of you, you can push us around.”

At this point, Xiao Hu, who had remained silent the entire time, finally spoke:

“I haven’t said what Qin Niazi did wrong because I wanted to leave you a bit of dignity. But if you keep causing trouble here, this won’t be a mutual separation anymore—it’ll be a formal dismissal. I’ll go to the county and ask the official matchmaker to intervene.”

Qin Niazi’s face instantly changed.

The things she had done—put mildly, they were petty. But if taken seriously, they counted as jealousy and slander—two of the “Seven Grounds for Dismissal.”

If a county-appointed matchmaker came and ruled that she was at fault and Xiao Hu issued a xiushu, even in this modern era of remarriage, her reputation would be ruined, and it would be near impossible for her to find another husband.

She was in her thirties now but still had some looks—mature and graceful. She had no intention of living out her days as a bitter widow after leaving the Xiao household.

Seeing Xiao Hu had hardened his stance, she realized he meant what he said and would absolutely go through with it.

Before her greedy brother could ruin her chances even further, she clenched her teeth, stood up, dipped her thumb in the red ink, and firmly pressed it onto the heli document.

“I agree with the elders’ decision.”

The Qin family was stunned.

Eldest Qin was so furious he shouted, “Fool! This is a division of household and marriage—you’re trying to act tough for what?!”

Qin Niazi said nothing. She had other plans and a backup path now. She swallowed her pride and didn’t argue with her brother—but she wasn’t afraid of him either.

The seal was already stamped. Even if they wanted to undo it now, it was useless. Further fuss would only land them in front of a magistrate. Though Eldest Qin was angry, all he could do now was grit his teeth and shut his mouth.

Seeing this, Xiao Hu straightforwardly stamped his own seal.

And with that, they were no longer husband and wife.

Qi Beinan, watching from nearby, was quietly relieved that Xiao Hu hadn’t given in to the Qin family’s outrageous demands.

After that, Xiao Hu and Qin Niazi settled accounts. Qi Beinan kept the records. In the end, they got Qin Niazi to hand over nearly ten strings of cash.

Qi Beinan suspected that there was probably more, but anything she had already handed off to others would be hard to recover. Still, it likely wasn’t much—after all, the Xiao household was no wealthy clan to begin with.

Even if Qin Niazi still had some money hidden away, no one wanted to fuss over it anymore. After all, they had once been husband and wife.

Besides, she was leaving with a child. A widowed mother with a son had a hard road ahead—there was no need to make things too cruel.

In the end, when the Qin family came to take her home, all they carried away was a single bundle—an old cotton quilt.

Chao Ge’er had a bundle tied to his back too, filled with his clothes.

He trailed behind Madam Gu, glancing back at Xiao Yuanbao standing in the courtyard, dressed in a soft cloud-blue cotton coat that made his small face look especially fair and delicate.

Even someone as slow as Chao Ge’er could tell—he and his mother were leaving the Xiao family for good. Just like when they had left the Wang family, there was no coming back.

Thinking of the watery radish soup at his grandparents’ house, with no oil or meat, he felt miserable. And seeing Xiao Yuanbao staying behind, eating so many delicious things and even wearing new clothes, only made him angrier.

When Xiao Yuanbao waved goodbye, it felt like he was showing off. Chao Ge’er glared at him fiercely, turned around, and stomped off ahead of Old Madam Gu.

“Gege, is Qin Niazi and Chao Ge’er going back to Grandma Gu’s place again?”

Xiao Yuanbao didn’t understand and tilted his head, asking Qi Beinan, “Why did I wave to them, but they looked like they weren’t happy?”

Xiao Hu heard the child’s question and came over, squatting down: “Because from now on… Qin Niazi and Chao Ge’er won’t be coming back.”

“Why not?!”

Xiao Yuanbao was shocked. They always came back before, even after they left.

Xiao Hu didn’t know how to explain the concept of divorce to a child. But he felt it was necessary to help him understand that Qin Niazi and Wang Chao Ge’er would no longer be part of this household, so he wouldn’t keep waiting for them.

He stayed quiet. He didn’t want to tell the child that Qin Niazi left because she mistreated him. Children don’t understand and might only feel guilty.

“Xiao Bao’s still too little. You wouldn’t understand yet.”

“If you still remember them when you’re older, then you’ll understand. If you forget, that’s okay too. When the time comes, Gege and your father will tell you, alright?”

Qi Beinan stepped in to help Xiao Hu out of the awkward moment.

That was also why he never badmouthed Qin Niazi in front of Xiao Yuanbao.

He wanted the child to grow up with the sense that he had been loved. That even if life was hard, he could be carefree for a little while, without resentment or confusion over why Qin Niazi didn’t like him.

Xiao Yuanbao nodded solemnly, half-understanding.

“Gege will always be here. Even if Qin Niazi and Chao Ge’er never come back, and your father goes up the mountain, Xiao Bao won’t be alone.”

Qi Beinan gently voiced all of Xiao Yuanbao’s unspoken fears, so the child wouldn’t have to imagine the worst on his own.

Hearing that, Xiao Yuanbao smiled again, his eyes curving into happy crescents. “Mm!”

Seeing this, Xiao Hu finally let out a long sigh of relief. He reached out and gave Qi Beinan’s shoulder a firm squeeze.

In truth, he had come to understand something himself—if Qi Beinan had never come to their home, he might still be blind to Qin Niazi’s true nature. Who knew how long it would’ve taken him to notice?

And even if he had learned the truth without Beinan there, would he have had the resolve to separate from her so cleanly?

He had worried about no one being around to care for Xiao Bao, but if he’d kept Qin Niazi despite the broken trust, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep at night.

But with Qi Beinan in the house—young as he was—Xiao Hu could tell the boy was thoughtful, steady, and far more experienced than many grown men in the village.

With him watching over Xiao Bao, Xiao Hu had the courage to draw the line with Qin Niazi.

Now that this major ordeal was over, Xiao Hu finally felt some peace in his heart. It was just a pity the New Year had been turned upside down thanks to the trouble from the Qin family.

…

So the days passed again.

In early February, though the weather still had lingering cold spells, thick coats still needed in the morning and evening, the skies had cleared. In the fields, tender grasses had begun to grow densely.

And the fruit trees in sunlit corners—those that bloomed early—had already opened finger-sized white blossoms.

That morning, Grandma Sun came by to invite Xiao Hu and his household for dinner that evening.

Things had been so unsettled recently that Xiao Hu had sent Xiao Yuanbao to stay at the Fang household, afraid the child would witness more of the Qin family’s antics.

So Xiao Hu readily agreed and said he’d bring along some wine for the table.

Grandma Sun told him not to bother—just come empty-handed and enjoy. Fang Youliang had already prepared everything.

In the afternoon, when Xiao Yuanbao woke from his nap and learned they were going to eat at the Fang household, he immediately wanted to go early and play with the other kids.

Qi Beinan took him over first.

“Xiao Bao’s here!”

As they reached the Fang courtyard, they saw Fang Jie’er and Fang Ge’er by the little stone bridge, washing vegetables.

When they spotted Xiao Yuanbao and Qi Beinan, they immediately called out with bright smiles.

Fang Jie’er was already thirteen. Fang Ge’er was the same age as Qi Beinan, though a little older by months.

The Fang family lived a modest life, and the two children were thin and small—both looked younger than they really were.

Technically, both were older than Qi Beinan, but in terms of presence and bearing, he far outmatched them.

Usually, he spoke with their older brother Fang Youliang directly. The two kids respected Qi Beinan greatly and didn’t treat him like a junior.

Fang Jie’er was quiet and shy, but had a sweet voice. When she heard Qi Beinan was a scholar, she started calling him “Mr. Qi” and taught Fang Ge’er to do the same.

“Come on inside, we slaughtered a duck today—Bao Ge’er’s getting the big drumstick later!”

Grandma Sun, who was crouched and scalding duck feathers with boiling water, beamed when she saw Xiao Yuanbao and Qi Beinan arriving so early.

“Aiyoh, my sweet boy, what’s with your wild hair?”

After greeting Second Sister and Third Brother, Xiao Yuanbao cheerfully shouted “Grandma Sun!” and ran over, wanting to help pluck feathers when he saw what she was doing.

Grandma Sun looked at the little one up close—his soft, fluffy hair was sticking up all over, some slicked flat at the back of his head. What a darling sight.

“Sweet boy, go call Second Sister to help you comb your hair. Don’t go plucking feathers—be careful or you’ll scald your hands. Your Second Sister is real good with hair.”

Qi Beinan said with a smile, “He just woke up from a nap. As soon as he got out of bed, he was fussing to come over and play.”

Grandma Sun watched as Fang Jie’er took Xiao Yuanbao into the house, then leaned in to speak quietly with Qi Beinan:

“Grandma knows. To us in the household, the child’s little tousled hair looks cute. But if the village gossips catch sight of it, they’ll twist it into something nasty again. Saying he’s a poor kid without a mother or little father, so messy-headed, just a dirty little thing. Now that Qin Niazi’s left, if that kind of talk gets out, it’ll be ugly. Bad for the child to hear, and hard on your Uncle Xiao too.”

Qi Beinan nodded solemnly. “Grandma Sun, you’re very thoughtful. It was careless of me.”

Grandma Sun chuckled. “Silly child, it’s not your fault. You’re just a boy—not used to this sort of thing. I’ll have Fang Jie’er teach Bao Ge’er how to comb his own hair. A little boy’s hair is simple, he’ll pick it up soon enough.”

“Alright.”

And indeed, Grandma Sun hadn’t praised her daughter in vain—Fang Jie’er had quick and clever hands. In less than fifteen minutes, she had tamed Xiao Yuanbao’s wild hair into neat, obedient order.

She parted it on both sides and styled it into two little ram-horn puffs—playful and adorable.

When Qi Beinan had brought Xiao Yuanbao over earlier, he’d already noticed the Fang children’s hair was always tidy. Their clothes may have been patched and plain, but with well-combed hair, they looked bright and full of spirit.

Xiao Yuanbao ran over happily and told him, “Fang Jie’er even put some hair oil in for me! It smells like osmanthus!”

Qi Beinan leaned close to sniff with a grin. “Mmm, it smells wonderful. Did Xiao Bao thank Fang Jie’er?”

“I did!”

Xiao Yuanbao piped up proudly, “I said thank you in the house already!”

Fang Jie’er laughed softly behind her hand and said, “That osmanthus hair oil is homemade—from wild blossoms picked in the hills during autumn. It’s not as fancy as the ones sold in town. Fang Ge’ers hair is thick and frizzy, and it gets wild after tying, so I use hair oil to tame it. Bao Ge’er’s hair is fine and easy to comb, so I just dabbed a little on the comb to add a nice scent.”

Qi Beinan looked at Xiao Yuanbao’s slightly yellowish hair and thought to himself: fine and smooth, sure—but also kind of sparse.

He remembered that some people had strange ideas in the past, blaming others for “pressing out” their hair by lying on it wrong. Hairdressers would even complain that they couldn’t properly tie it up.

But clearly, some kids were just born with thinner hair…

Stifling his laughter, he went off to chat with the old man in the house.

Later on, the warm smell of stewed duck wafted out from the kitchen. Fang Youliang had also returned from town.

He came back with his arms full—wine-marinated fish, a pound of stir-fried lungs, two pounds of marinated meat, and twelve wild vegetable-and-bacon pancakes.

At home, they had stewed the duck with dried bamboo shoots and pickled radish, and made stir-fried toon sprouts with duck eggs.

The table was completely covered with delicious dishes.

When Xiao Hu arrived, he was surprised. Even the New Year feast hadn’t been this good.

“I don’t remember today being any special occasion.”

Truthfully, the Fang family’s New Year meal had been plain this year. But since they’d already lived through harder times, it didn’t feel like a poor year either.

Fang Youliang came out grinning, hugging a wine jar. “Brother Xiao’s memory is no good—can’t even remember a day like this.”

“So what day is it then? Aunt Sun told me to come empty-handed, and I actually did!”

Xiao Hu saw that Fang Youliang was keeping it vague and started to worry he’d forgotten someone’s birthday or something important.

Qi Beinan helped lay out the chopsticks and laughed. “Uncle Xiao may have forgotten, but I remember exactly what today is.”

Fang Youliang clapped Qi Beinan on the shoulder. “Leave it to Xiao Qi.”

On Minor New Year’s Day, Fang Youliang had nervously clutched that labor token like a thief as he headed to the county office to report in. He was afraid of losing the token, and even more afraid of walking into the government office—heart pounding and totally unsure if what Qi Beinan said about the job was even true.

But there were plenty of others reporting in with the same token. He asked around and got confirmation—it was real.

After registering at the records office, he was assigned work that very day.

Some went to help repair the city wall; others were sent to tidy up the county office. Word was, an official from the prefecture was due for inspection, so the county magistrate was scrambling to make the place look respectable.

There was no time, so they needed extra labor.

Now that the job was done, the Household Office had paid out the wages to the workers.

In total, he’d done 25 full days of work and earned over two strings of cash and 25 liters of rice.

Fang Youliang had already told his family he wanted to throw a proper meal once the job was finished—and invite Xiao Hu and Qi Beinan for a real feast.

The Fang family was all in favor. Regardless of the fact that this job had been found for them, over the years, it had always been the Xiao family bringing good things and inviting them to meals, while their own family rarely hosted guests. So they took this opportunity to properly express their thanks.

Thus came today’s table full of food and wine.

Fang Youliang was very thoughtful—he brought wine and also fetched two large jugs of sweetened tea for Qi Beinan and Xiao Yuanbao, and for his younger siblings who didn’t drink.

Now that he had gained a bit of worldly experience, he smiled and chatted with everyone about the good fortune of working at the county office.

“I heard the others talking—some of them have worked for the county twice, some four or five times already! Me? I was still a greenhorn, my first time. City folks have wide connections and know the news.”

“I came late and didn’t know the ropes. I’m not good with words, and when folks heard I was a farmhand, they didn’t think I was worth chatting with. So I just kept quiet, worked hard, got through the day. After all these days, though, I didn’t really make any useful contacts.”

“But guess what happened today when I went to collect my wages, Brother Xiao—can you believe it?”

Xiao Hu, drinking, looked spirited and leaned in with interest. “What happened?”

“Our supervisor, a guy named Liu from the labor department—lives on Feiyu Lane—he actually called me over separately after the work ended. Asked for my name and where I lived, said he’d reach out next time there’s work!”

Xiao Hu raised his brows. “Really?”

Fang Youliang still couldn’t stop grinning. “It’s true! If he wasn’t serious, how would I even know which street and lane he lives on?”

Qi Beinan was pleased to hear it too.

Fang Youliang was young and strong, honest, and diligent. The supervisors saw that and naturally would want to hire him again.

Most jobs through the county office came through personal connections, but not entirely—it still took real workers to get things done.

The whole Fang family was overjoyed.

Grandma Sun knew full well that the good fortune her son had now was because of the doors opened by Xiao Hu and Qi Beinan. Her heart brimmed with gratitude.

She poured Xiao Hu more wine and served extra food to Qi Beinan and Xiao Yuanbao.

“Grandma, let me help—this duck’s been stewed so well, not even a hint of that gamey smell.”

Qi Beinan even had a bowl of duck soup—just slightly tangy, but fresh and rich. Very appetizing.

“I can’t make fancy dishes,” Grandma Sun said cheerfully, “but I’ve got this one duck dish down. If you like it, eat more—the old duck makes a good soup.”

The whole room was filled with joy and a renewed sense of hope. Even the old master lying on the kang bed beamed and ate two full bowls of meat and vegetables.

That night, Qi Beinan carried Xiao Yuanbao on his back as they made their way home.

After the meal, he could clearly feel that Xiao Hu had finally loosened up. The cloud of worry that had been pressing on him seemed to have lifted.

Though Xiao Hu hadn’t said much these past days, Qi Beinan could sense that the matter with Qin Niazi had been weighing on him.

Not that he missed her or regretted sending her and Chao Ge’er away—it was just that so many things had happened in succession, it was normal to feel stifled and worn.

But after some wine and heartfelt talk with Fang Youliang, and seeing how the struggling Fang family had found new hope, it seemed to have inspired him and lightened his heart.

The moon tonight was faint behind drifting clouds, but the wind stirred and cleared them away, allowing bright moonlight to spill over the courtyard.

Qi Beinan stepped out from Xiao Yuanbao’s room and stood beneath the moonlight, hands behind his back, tilting his head to look up, the corners of his lips lifted in a smile.

Now that the clouds had cleared, it was time to straighten up and prepare to live a new chapter.

˙✧˖°🎓 ༘⋆｡ ˚