Ch 44: Reborn to Raise My Husband

A few days later, the snow began to fall heavier and heavier.

In the mornings, icicles hung from the eaves—one every couple inches—lining the whole roof like a row of glinting blades. But people were coming and going beneath them, and just looking up, it was like having a row of cold, sharp swords hanging overhead. It made one’s neck tingle with chill.

Qi Beinan bundled together some bamboo branches into a broom, donned a thick conical hat, and made a habit of knocking the icicles down each day.

Better to take care of them early than risk them falling and hurting someone once the weather warmed.

“Brother! Brother, be gentle—I want a whole one!”

Xiao Yuanbao followed behind him, his eyes lit up by the long, sword-like icicles, clear and glimmering. He pleaded for one intact to play with.

The ones knocked down by the broom shattered instantly in the drainage ditch, so Qi Beinan had to find a stool to stand on and carefully snap one off by hand for him.

“It’s freezing cold—aren’t you afraid of getting chilblains?”

Xiao Yuanbao held up the icicle, nearly as long as half his arm and as thick as two thumbs, his eyes sparkling.

He waved it around in the courtyard like a sword, until his hand turned red from the cold. Then he darted into the kitchen house.

But he wasn’t done playing yet—he stuck the icicle into the brazier to watch it melt.

Qi Beinan couldn’t help but laugh. Sometimes the kid acted so grown up, but at times like this, his childish side showed through.

There was fire crackling inside the kitchen. Early in the twelfth month, Xiao Hu and Tian Ken had gone up the mountain and brought back loads of firewood.

Xiao Hu knew the mountain like the back of his hand, leading Tian Ken to spots most people didn’t know to find good, dry, long-burning wood.

Their house had enough wood to last the whole winter. The fire never went out, and the backyard was stacked with firewood as tall as the eaves.

Xiao Yuanbao even had Tian Ken send four large bundles to Jiang the cook—he lived alone and probably couldn’t gather enough for the winter on his own.

According to Fang Jie’er, prices of charcoal and firewood in town had gone up. Even so, people were scrambling to stock up at home, fearing the snow would continue and the cold would last.

Xiao Yuanbao warmed his hands by the fire, then went to the stove and stirred the pot of vegetables drying inside.

The heat wasn’t strong enough to burn—just warm enough to soften the cabbage leaves placed over the big iron pot. In three to five more days, they’d be fully dried and ready to pack into jars. Properly stored, they’d last a long while.

Over the past few days, Xiao Yuanbao had made quite a bit of dried vegetables—radish strips, winter bamboo shoots, shelled peas…

Anything harvestable had been dried and stored away.

First, because heavy snow would ruin any vegetables left in the field.

Second, dried vegetables could be soaked and rehydrated to cook—stir-fried, stewed, all tasty. If there were no fresh vegetables to be had, they could get through the days with these.

Besides drying, he was also preparing to pickle some snow greens and fill a couple jars with spicy preserved celery and taro.

The celery and taro would be salted, dehydrated, and wrung dry, then mixed with garlic, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and wild pepper to pickle.

All the ingredients would coat the vegetables fully, then sealed with rice wine into clay jars—much like how they had made the preserved fish before. Just as tasty.

Once the flavor set in, they’d be perfect as side dishes with porridge or steamed buns, or even stir-fried with meat or used as toppings for noodles.

Hearing the clatter of icicles hitting the ground outside, Xiao Yuanbao poked his head out the kitchen window.

He saw Tian Ken returning, a big basket on his back and a round-bellied clay jar tucked under one arm.

They had used up all the jars at home storing winter vegetables, so he had given Tian Ken half a string of coins to go buy two more earthen jars from the Zhong family.

“Why are there so many broken jars?”

Xiao Yuanbao ran out. Qi Beinan had already taken one of the good jars from Tian Ken.

He saw that Tian Ken was carrying the intact ones, but his basket was full of damaged pieces—some with holes in the belly, others with chipped or broken rims.

Tian Ken said, “It was my first time going to the Zhong family. What a big courtyard! In one corner, there was a whole pile of jars.”

Xiao Yuanbao checked the two good ones carefully. Seeing no cracks, he nodded and said:

“The Zhongs have been making pottery for generations. Folks from nearby villages come to them for jars, pots, bowls, and plates.”

Whenever the village lacked enough dishes for banquets, they’d borrow from the Zhong family. If they were close, no charge. If not, it’d cost ten copper coins or so.

“Hey, I heard Old Zhong say these broken ones were going to be thrown out, so I grabbed a few—figured I could fill them with soil, scatter some seeds, and grow a few vegetables!”

Xiao Yuanbao blinked. “But we’ve got plenty of land. Why not just grow the vegetables in the field?”

Qi Beinan carried the jar into the main hall and placed it somewhere safe, where it wouldn’t get chipped.

He said, “Your Brother Tian Ken over-fertilized and killed the vegetables in the field before. Bringing back broken pots to plant in is his way of testing fertilizers again, so he won’t waste full crops.”

Tian Ken’s eyes lit up. “Young Master, are you the worm in my belly? You knew exactly what I was thinking!”

Xiao Yuanbao laughed, giving Tian Ken a playful slap while helping unload the broken pots. “Don’t go calling my brother a worm.”

Tian Ken quickly slapped his own mouth. “I’m no good with words!”

Xiao Yuanbao hugged a jar and said:

“Brother Tian Ken, teach me how to grow vegetables. Let’s start with scallions. We’ll test the fertilizers together. It’s cold and snowy, no one’s holding banquets these days. I’ve got nothing to do just sitting around at home.”

Tian Ken beamed at the offer and quickly said, “Alright, alright! I’m about to head out and collect cow dung—saw a lot of it in the fields earlier. I’ll grab a bucket and go. You coming, little brother?”

Xiao Yuanbao pursed his lips and blinked his big round eyes. “Mm…”

“Or… how about you go first, Brother Tian? I just remembered my brother taught me two new characters I haven’t written yet. And now that the jar’s here, we need to pickle those veggies too.”

Qi Beinan chuckled and shook his head. “Didn’t think I’d see the day someone would willingly sit down to practice writing.”

At the start of the twelfth month, Qi Beinan and Xiao Yuanbao planned to head into town together, intending to buy New Year’s goods in two trips so they wouldn’t have to carry everything all at once.

The main road had been frozen over with snow and ice for days—it was tough going. Best to go early before the last-minute rush.

As the year-end approached, more people would head into town, and once the roads got trampled to mud, it’d be even harder to walk.

Xiao Yuanbao hadn’t been to town in a while, and now that he was going again with Qi Beinan, he was secretly excited.

He pulled out his deer-hide fur-lined round winter cap from the cupboard—a hat he always brought out this time of year.

He’d had it for years. He tried it on again today with his hair loose, but his head had grown—it now squeezed tightly around his forehead and didn’t fit quite right anymore.

Tight as it was, it was still wonderfully warm.

He carefully set the hat aside and took out a wooden comb to tidy his hair.

“Not ready yet?”

Qi Beinan came into the room already dressed. Seeing Xiao Yuanbao still fussing over his hair in front of the bronze mirror, he walked over.

“Mm.”

Xiao Yuanbao had a red hair ribbon in his mouth, gathering his hair into a topknot, too busy to speak properly. He only grunted in reply through his nose.

Suddenly, a big hand gently wrapped around his and took the ribbon from his mouth.

Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes widened, and he turned his head slightly to glance up at Qi Beinan standing behind him.

“Don’t move, or it’ll turn out crooked.”

A smile rose in Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes. He let go of his hair and sat upright, obediently letting Qi Beinan tie it for him.

He sat still, staring into the warm yellow hue of the bronze mirror.

“If we end up late, you’re not allowed to blame me for dawdling,” he muttered.

“And why do you assume I’ll be the one to dawdle? I may not be as skilled as Fang Jie’er at tying hair, but I can still manage a decent bun.”

Qi Beinan noticed a box on the table filled with hair ribbons—one of plain white silk, one blue with peach blossom patterns, and a few others made from leftover cloth scraps, their edges frayed with loose threads.

Seeing that Xiao Yuanbao was wearing a plain sky-blue cotton jacket today, he reached for the white silk ribbon.

But Xiao Yuanbao stopped him. “We’ll be wearing hats soon anyway—no need to use the good ribbon. Just grab one of the rough ones.”

“If it’s a good one, and it makes you happy, then why not use it? The point of having something nice is to enjoy it.”

Xiao Yuanbao pursed his lips. “Alright then.”

From the mirror, he watched Qi Beinan’s long, slender fingers move deftly.

In no time, his smooth black hair was neatly tied up at the crown of his head.

He gave it a small shake—tight and secure, without being uncomfortable.

“How is it?”

Qi Beinan set down the wooden comb, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at Xiao Yuanbao.

Xiao Yuanbao was still as fair as ever. His skin was delicate, and now, eating well over the years, his cheeks had a healthy rosy glow.

His face had filled out a bit, making him even more pinch-worthy—plump but not chubby.

His large almond-shaped eyes were long-lashed and gleaming, full of lively energy.

Qi Beinan thought he looked just like one of those porcelain dolls sold in town.

Xiao Yuanbao touched his hair, delighted, and beamed up at Qi Beinan. With his eyebrows arched in joy, he looked even more like that doll.

“Brother, your hair-tying skills are getting really good! My future sister-in-law sure is lucky!”

He said it without thinking, but the moment the words left his mouth, something in his heart quietly dimmed.

Brother was already fifteen. In another three or four years, he could very well get married.

When that day came, would Brother still stay with their family? Or would he start a new household with his wife?

Just the thought of being separated made him feel out of sorts.

Qi Beinan’s brow shifted slightly. He flicked Xiao Yuanbao’s earlobe. “Still so young, already teasing about such things. You’ve been chatting too much with Madam Qiao lately, haven’t you?”

Xiao Yuanbao pouted. “But Brother will have to marry someday, won’t you? I can’t talk about it?”

Qi Beinan looked at him—his big eyes all serious—and sighed softly.

That age… not quite big, but definitely no longer little. It was hard to say.

“I won’t marry then. I’ll just stay a bachelor forever.”

“Then if you do marry,” Xiao Yuanbao said seriously, “take me and father with you, okay? Father can shoot arrows and guard the house—no thief would dare come near. As for me, I’ll cook for you and Sister-in-law. I’ll make sure you both eat till you’re round and full!”

Qi Beinan raised an eyebrow. “If you keep cooking for me, what—are you never getting married yourself?”

Xiao Yuanbao rested his chin in his hand and thought seriously—of course he couldn’t stay unmarried forever.

After sixteen, young men and women had to start paying a marriage tax. If they delayed marrying, the fee would increase year by year.

And that was setting aside the hefty silver it would cost—he was still planning to marry a good-looking husband one day.

“I’ll get married, sure.”

Qi Beinan felt something was off with that answer and said, “If you’re already married, why would you still cling to my household?”

Xiao Yuanbao replied, “I’ll just bring my husband to live with you! If he’s strong, he can help you and Sister-in-law with chores, do the hard labor. If he has a skill, he can go earn money and bring it back to support you two.”

Qi Beinan couldn’t help but laugh. “With how shameless you are, you think someone’ll still want to marry you?”

Xiao Yuanbao gave a light snort. “Well, if he doesn’t want to, I won’t marry him. I’ll just marry someone who does want to.”

Qi Beinan laughed aloud. “So the whole family’s going to serve me, huh?”

He ruffled Xiao Yuanbao’s hair. “Alright! That sounds solid. Deal.”

“Since our Xiao Bao is so good to me, whether I marry or not, from now on, only you will tie my hair.”

Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

Qi Beinan nodded. “I never go back on my word.”

Xiao Yuanbao beamed. “Deal’s a deal! No more talking about it, or you’ll try to take it back!”

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