Ch 61: Reborn to Raise My Husband

Zhao Guangzong’s residence was located on Dongyang Street, a central area of the city. It wasn’t remote at all—close to the entertainment quarters and the markets. One particular advantage was the old camphor trees lining the lanes. They had grown for centuries, casting cool shade in summer and adding to the beauty of the scenery.

With such a good location and a livable house, unless compelled by circumstances, few families would ever want to sell.

When Qi Beinan and Xiao Yuanbao followed the property broker to Dongyang Street, they saw only three houses being offered for sale. Officially, only one was on the market, but because the broker knew Qi Beinan was a xiucai scholar, he revealed two more private listings.

Fortunately, among the three, there was one that stood out.

It was a spacious two-courtyard residence. The inner layout was sensible, with no dark, windowless rooms—all of them faced the sun. The garden was well tended, planted with green bamboo and banana trees. A small pavilion stood beside a lotus pond, where the lotuses were in full bloom and plump koi swam lazily in the water.

The main and side rooms were furnished with beds, tables, cabinets, and couches. The sets weren’t complete—some rooms had cabinets but no couches, others lacked tables entirely—likely because the previous owners had moved a portion of the furniture away.

The property had belonged to a retired country gentleman. Now in old age, he preferred to enjoy his children and grandchildren gathered at his knee, so he had moved with his son to his official posting. With a growing household, their incense line would only flourish further. Even if they returned to Ling County someday, this two-courtyard house would no longer be sufficient. Though it had been carefully maintained in years past, they had no choice but to part with it.

“The old gentleman is asking two hundred and twenty strings of cash. Everything you see in the house is included in the sale. Whether the next owner sells it off or keeps it is up to them. For a house of this quality, the price is quite reasonable. Another family already viewed it earlier and was very satisfied, but after discussing it at home for several days, they still haven’t given a definite answer.

“As brokers, we have rules: no matter how much you like the place, whoever pays the deposit first gets it. But if the old gentleman hears that the buyer is Scholar Qi, he would certainly be very pleased.”

The broker lowered his voice and added, “This house has good fengshui. The old gentleman has three sons—two of them have already become officials.”

Qi Beinan listened with half-skepticism, but Zhao Guangzong believed it readily. “Truly?”

“How could it be false? I don’t just rely on one deal to make a living. If I deceived Scholar Qi, I’d have no face in town—I’d see you again sooner or later. How could I do something so untrustworthy?”

Zhao Guangzong hesitated, then pulled Qi Beinan aside. “This house looks very good to me—spacious and bright, and better located than mine.” He lowered his voice: “But the price is outrageously high! When my family bought my place, it was around this same figure.”

He raised his hand with a gesture of fifteen.

Xiao Yuanbao’s eyes went round. On the same street, both being two-courtyard houses, the difference was astonishing. This one was seventy strings more expensive. The excess alone could have built two country estates like theirs back home.

Xiao Yuanbao clicked his tongue. Though he liked the house, the price was merciless.

Qi Beinan said, “In the past two years, farmland prices in the countryside have gone up by several hundred wen. Urban housing has risen as well. No wonder the price seems frightening.”

He turned to the broker. “Let’s not waste words. I’ll offer one hundred and eighty strings. Ask the old gentleman if he’ll agree. If so, we can proceed with the sale.”

“Scholar Qi is a straightforward man,” the broker praised, but then looked troubled. “Only, the price you’ve pressed down is too harsh. If I go to him with this number, he’ll likely chase me out with a stick. The house has many merits. Please add a little more.”

Qi Beinan smiled faintly. “Just days ago, the heavens showed strange omens. Business must be harder to close these days. That previous family also seemed satisfied but still gave no reply—they too must feel uneasy about ill omens.

“If I didn’t truly value this house, I wouldn’t even bother bargaining.”

The broker forced a smile, realizing Qi Beinan’s firmness, and dared not try further tricks. “Then I’ll see what the old gentleman says. Please wait two days—I’ll bring you a definite answer.”

Qi Beinan, ever proper, rewarded the broker five copper coins. After viewing the property, Zhao Guangzong invited Qi Beinan and Xiao Yuanbao back to his house for tea.

The two homes were fairly close—though not side by side, they were less than half a quarter hour’s walk apart.

“If you really can get it at your price, it would be a bargain.”

“Nothing’s final yet,” Qi Beinan replied. “First you press the price down. When the seller raises it back a little, if the figure’s reasonable, that’s when a deal can be struck.”

Zhao Guangzong laughed. “Not only do you excel in writing, you’re shrewd in business too.”

Two days later, the broker returned with news. “The old gentleman flatly refused—he said the price was too low. I twisted my tongue in circles, negotiating at length. At last, he softened: he’ll take two hundred strings, but not a wen less. The furniture and fixtures—tables, chairs, beds, shelves—everything stays.

“The old gentleman is particular. Though not top-grade, the household furnishings are still presentable. Scholar Qi is a man of knowledge and good calculation—if you were to buy everything new after purchasing the house, it would cost dozens of strings more. But if you take this house, even if money is tight, you can make do with what’s here. And if you have silver to spare, you can store them in the warehouse and use them as rewards later.”

The price wasn’t far off from what Qi Beinan had in mind, so the deal was quickly settled. Silver on one hand, the deed on the other—the transaction was done fast.

By mid-July, everything had been handled neatly.

The family consulted the almanac and picked an auspicious date—on the twenty-first of the seventh month, they would move in.

In the days before the move, Xiao Yuanbao led Madam Xiao along with Er San to thoroughly sweep and scrub the new house inside and out, twice over.

The new residence couldn’t be left without help; at least two people were needed there.

Xiao Yuanbao felt troubled—between dozens of mu of land, no one could really be spared. Even if someone had to be pulled away, it could only be Tienan.

At ten years old, the boy was diligent and capable, able to handle many tasks. He was also clever—Qi Beinan had been teaching him numbers and characters, even giving him a book on arithmetic. By now, he could already do sums.

Qi Beinan’s intent was to train someone who could manage accounts, taking him into the city while still young so he could broaden his horizons. That way, when the family branched into other businesses in the future, there would be someone usable.

But aside from Tienan, Da Chu, Er San, and Old Wang were all strong laborers needed in the fields. They had to stay behind.

Madam Xiao had to oversee the kitchen, cooking for the whole household.

As for Tian Ken, he absolutely couldn’t leave the estate now. His methods for enriching the soil were yielding better and better results, and the pest-control potions he was brewing had begun to show success.

Not only could he not be spared from the fields, they also didn’t want someone with genuine talent to be sent somewhere he couldn’t put his skills to use.

So Xiao Yuanbao and Qi Beinan discussed the shortage of hands. The only choice was to lease or purchase more.

In the past two years of good harvests, the price of leased or purchased workers had doubled. Buying outright now cost more than twenty strings of cash.

In peaceful, prosperous years, human life became valuable; only in years of famine, when people couldn’t survive, were prices cheap.

But that was a good thing—everyone wished for favorable times and comfortable days.

Still, having just bought the residence, their silver had been drained. Spending another few dozen strings on people would leave their purse uncomfortably tight.

In the end, they decided to lease two workers instead.

Xiao Yuanbao went and arranged a lease for a man and a woman. The man was called Zhao Wuge, a strong youth in his twenties; the woman was Madam Liu, in her thirties.

Zhao Wuge was good at guarding a household, driving carts, and knew a few characters. Madam Liu was skilled in sweeping, washing, and laundry; she could cook decently too.

It was the first time either of them had leased themselves out, so their experience wasn’t high—their price was at the lower tenth of the market rate.

Xiao Yuanbao leased each of them for three years, paying ten strings of cash in total.

Besides the lease fee, they still had to be given monthly wages.

Xiao Yuanbao asked around the market rates: a man who could do all sorts of heavy tasks received no less than sixty copper coins a month; women like Madam Liu earned about fifty-five.

Rates had no ceiling—households gave more or less depending on their means. Merchant families tended to pay higher, gentry households lower.

Even so, most leased workers preferred to serve in gentry households. Not only did it bring more face, it also meant some measure of protection.

Connections could be built, and experience in a gentry household made it easier to find work later on.

Xiao Yuanbao calculated: even though the lease fee was low compared to current market prices, it was still much higher than what they’d paid to buy people outright during the drought year.

And living in the city was expensive—monthly wages alone were higher than anything back in the village.

One might say a wage of only a few dozen copper coins wasn’t much, but hiring a day laborer outside cost nearly that for a single day’s hard work.

Yet the accounts couldn’t be compared that way. Day laborers weren’t guaranteed work every day, and the tasks were grueling. Many employers didn’t even provide food. At best, some offered four steamed buns at midday.

Leased workers, however, had all three meals provided by the household, plus lodging, two sets of clothing per year, and bonuses during festivals or for good performance. If the family celebrated a happy event, there were rewards as well.

In short, anyone who could calculate long-term gains would see leasing as the better path.

After handling all these assorted matters, on the twenty-first of the seventh month the family moved into the new residence.

Xiao Hu also came to stay one night, to mark the occasion.

They didn’t want to make a big fuss, so they only invited a few close friends to liven things up.

Zhao Guangzong, of course, came. Also invited were Fang Jie’er from the city, and Xiao Yuanbao’s childhood friend Bai Qiaogui.

Ming Guanxin had sent his regards, but he was away in the prefectural city celebrating his uncle’s birthday and hadn’t yet returned, so he couldn’t attend.

As for Qi Beinan’s schoolmates, their relationships weren’t close, and since they didn’t want to draw attention, not a single one was invited.

The new house’s kitchen was lit, and a few dishes prepared. But since they had only just moved in, many things still had to be purchased; meat and vegetables were scarce.

The household was noisy and chaotic, so Xiao Yuanbao handed Zhao Wuge two strings of cash and sent him to the restaurant to buy some prepared dishes to add to the table.

“Bao Ge’er, your new house is really wonderful—so much more spacious than ours.”

Bai Qiaogui clasped Xiao Yuanbao’s hand and strolled with him through the garden, delighted as if it were her own home.

“Now that you’ve moved into the city, I can come find you anytime. Our house is in Jiaozi Alley—only a quarter-hour’s walk away. When I heard you were moving here, I was so happy I couldn’t even sleep at night.”

Xiao Yuanbao laughed. “You’re just sweet-talking me.”

Bai Qiaogui raised her hand. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll swear an oath.”

Xiao Yuanbao quickly pulled Bai Qiaogui’s hand. “Isn’t it enough that I believe you? From now on we can spend time together every day.”

The gathering lasted until evening before everyone finally dispersed.

This time, Xiao Yuanbao didn’t feel especially tired. There were more hands to help around the household, and they hadn’t invited too many guests.

Once everything was tidied up, he stretched his body and hurried off to his new room, eager to familiarize himself with it.

The new residence was built with care: the bedrooms were separated from the reception rooms, one room within another, very well arranged.

The outer room even had a ready-made shelf—perfect for displaying his cups.

As he happily busied himself, he noticed a shadow flickering outside the window.

His heart tensed. He went to the door and pulled it open. “Father?!”

“You’re not asleep yet?”

Seeing Xiao Yuanbao suddenly open the door, Xiao Hu froze, cleared his throat, and finally spoke. He had already been pacing outside for quite a while.

“Not yet asleep.”

Noticing his father acting strangely, Xiao Yuanbao tilted his head. “Father, do you have something you want to tell me?”

“Nothing in particular. I just wanted to sit and talk with you.”

Xiao Hu entered the room and sat by the table. Xiao Yuanbao poured a cup of tea and set it before him.

“Without noticing, you’ve grown this tall already.”

Xiao Hu took the tea and looked at the boy whose head nearly reached his ear, with bright eyes so like his mother’s. His heart filled with comfort.

“Father, are you reluctant to let me live in the city?”

Xiao Yuanbao sat close, smiling as he asked. His father rarely acted this way.

“Of course I’m reluctant. But coming to see you now is far easier than those days when I had to come down from the mountain while you were little.”

Xiao Hu patted his son’s hair. “I only feel sorry, thinking I didn’t plan carefully enough and let you suffer hardships as a child.”

“Father has always done his best for me. In this world, how could everything ever go exactly as we wish? Those childhood things—I barely remember them anymore. They feel like they belonged to another lifetime. Even if I recall them, they don’t cause me any pain.”

Xiao Yuanbao smiled. “I’ve never once blamed you.”

Xiao Hu nodded. “Letting Beinan stay in our household—that was the best decision I ever made. He’s a truly good child.”

“Of course—who doesn’t praise my brother?”

Xiao Hu fell silent for a moment. “Perhaps you’ve never fully understood. Beinan and the Xiao family aren’t related by blood. After his parents passed, by rights he shouldn’t have come to seek refuge with us.”

At these words, Xiao Yuanbao raised his brows.

In truth, he had carried this question in his heart for two years, unable to figure it out. But he had never voiced it. His brother had treated him so well and worked tirelessly for the family. How could he ask why Beinan had chosen to turn to an unrelated household? If his curiosity caused suspicion, it would only hurt the bond between them.

“Wasn’t it said that Brother’s mother and my mother were very close friends, and that his other relatives weren’t easy to deal with?”

“That’s true,” Xiao Hu replied. “Your Uncle Qi was a man of deep feeling. He insisted on never remarrying, which offended Beinan’s maternal family as well as the elders of the Qi clan.”

“Your Uncle Qi refused to bow to family pressure. He gave up everything in Linzhou, moved to Jiangzhou, and cut off contact. Even so, when he later died of illness away from home, if Beinan had been willing to lower his head and return, the Qi clan wouldn’t have truly abandoned him.”

Xiao Yuanbao nodded. “Then why did he come to us?”

“Because… you two were betrothed as children.”

Xiao Hu said, “During those years in Qiu County, Beinan kept writing letters home. Your Uncle Qi acknowledged this engagement, and so did I. When the marriage was arranged, it was the best time for both families. No one wanted to destroy one of the few good promises left to remember those days by.”

“That is why, after losing both parents, Beinan came to us.”

“If not for that marriage contract, even with family friendship, he wouldn’t have come.”

Xiao Yuanbao was stunned by the truth, left speechless.

He had never thought along these lines. Yet hearing his father’s words now, no explanation seemed more reasonable.

Xiao Hu saw him gape wordlessly and went on. “He promised me he would study hard, earn honors, and one day, with an official post, be able to protect you. I only promised to let him live peacefully with us. As for the marriage, we agreed to leave that for the future. That’s why he’s never told you.”

“Now you’re grown. In four or five years, you’ll be of marriage age, and others will start considering matches for you. I’m telling you this not to force you to wed him, only so you know he is a possibility. If you and he suit each other, it will be good. If not, I’ll speak clearly with him. He’s a reasonable man—he wouldn’t force it. Whatever the case… he will still be your brother.”

Xiao Hu had thought long and hard. Over the years, living under one roof with Qi Beinan, not only had Xiao Yuanbao learned much about how to handle the world—even Xiao Hu, once blunt and careless, had learned to think further and plan more carefully.

In his own heart, he felt that if Bao could form a family with Qi Beinan, it would be a matter of great joy. As he had always thought, it was rare to find a man like Qi Beinan anywhere outside.

To the eyes of an elder, such a match might seem ideal, but in the end it was not they who would live together—it had to depend on what the child himself wanted.

Yesterday, Xiao Hu suddenly recalled how, back then, he had found a woman to manage the household, thinking it would be good for Bao. Yet well-meant intentions turned to harm, leaving the boy worse off than if he’d had no mother at all.

That realization struck him like a bucket of cold water. After thinking carefully, he decided he could no longer impose his own ideas.

Xiao Yuanbao’s head was in a whirl. Suddenly he had learned a great truth, and the worst part was that everything he had understood or skills he had acquired seemed inadequate to deal with this matter.

Xiao Hu couldn’t read what was in his son’s mind and asked cautiously, “Then… what do you think of Beinan?”

“Father already knows the answer.”

Xiao Yuanbao’s ears burned red, a strange feeling rising in him. When he saw his father’s steady gaze, panic seized him. “I—I mean, Brother is a very good person, beyond reproach.”

“Oh, I…I never thought about what you just said before, I didn’t know.”

“Don’t rush,” Xiao Hu said gently, seeing his son purse his lips and frown as if annoyed. “I only want you to keep it in your heart and think it over. There’s no need to give me an answer right away.”

Xiao Yuanbao pressed his lips together. “I understand.”

The two sat in silence for a while. Finally, Xiao Yuanbao said, “I’m sleepy. Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

“Alright, alright.”

Xiao Hu immediately rose. “Rest early then.”

Xiao Yuanbao sat still at the table, seeming deep in thought, but in truth he was listening intently for footsteps. Only when the sound faded into the distance did he softly close the door.

The moment the door was shut, he let out a long breath, burying his head in his hands. “How can this be? How can it be like this?”

He toppled onto the bed, pulling the thin quilt over his head. Then he suddenly sat up. “Could it be that Madam Qiao was teasing me before because she already knew?”

Things seemed to click into place. “No wonder Brother is so talented, yet no matchmakers ever came to our door. No wonder none of the village girls or boys ever showed interest in him!”

Xiao Yuanbao kicked off his shoes. “Father and Brother are too cruel, keeping this from me alone—as if I were some silly fool.”

But then again—perhaps they had their reasons. A child wasn’t meant to know such complicated things.

Not knowing, he had always gotten along so easily with his brother, without any barrier at all. Now that he knew, he didn’t even know how to behave, how to face him.

He turned over on the bed with a huff.

Father said the choice was his to make, that everything would depend on him—but then dragged him all the way to live in the city.

What did that mean? What exactly did that mean? Was it that they were afraid of losing a good son-in-law? Or afraid of something else?

All night, Xiao Yuanbao tossed and turned, until the quilt was twisted into a knot.

The next morning, he pushed open the window. The low bamboo by the courtyard wall rustled in the morning breeze.

He leaned his heavy head out slightly. The wind was cool and refreshing, carrying the fragrance of flowers and grass from the back garden.

“Not comfortable in the new house?”

At breakfast in the hall, Qi Beinan saw Xiao Yuanbao’s dark-ringed eyes and was startled.

Hearing this, Xiao Hu also glanced at his son, opening his mouth but unsure what to say.

Xiao Yuanbao held his bowl, rubbed at his sore eyes, and quickly shook his head. “No, I just moved into the new room and got excited, couldn’t fall asleep.”

Qi Beinan smiled and dropped a bit of pickled vegetable into Yuanbao’s bowl. “You’re grown, but still acting like a child before a market day.”

“Did you sleep even two hours last night?”

Xiao Yuanbao’s ears flushed. Guiltily, he spooned porridge into his mouth. In truth, he hadn’t even slept one hour.

“Mm, I’ll make up for it with a nap at noon.”

After breakfast, Qi Beinan was heading off to the county school. In a few days, the school would break for recess so the students could return home to help with the harvest.

Xiao Yuanbao lifted his brother’s book box and carried it to the gate.

“At noon, I’ll send lunch to the school—don’t forget to come out and take it.”

“Alright.”

“You can ask Zhao Wuge to bring it,” Qi Beinan added. “The midday sun is fierce—don’t risk heatstroke.”

Xiao Yuanbao dared not meet his eyes, only nodded quietly.

“You’re early too, waited a bit I suppose!”

Zhao Guangzong came up carrying his book box, cheerfully greeting them as his sleeves fluttered in the breeze.

“Just stepping out now,” Qi Beinan replied. He turned back toward Xiao Yuanbao. “I’m off to school.”

“Mm.”

Xiao Yuanbao waved as the two walked away together, chatting and laughing.

Yet his gaze remained fixed on the tall, broad-shouldered figure. That person, upright and steady, the wind tugging at his blue robe—there was a spirited air about him.

Unknowingly, the boy who once waved at him outside the Xiao family courtyard had already grown into a proud young pine.

Handsome, reliable…

From childhood, Xiao Yuanbao had always felt that Qi Beinan could not be compared to ordinary men. He had been that way in the past, and he was still that way now.

In his presence, all troubles seemed to dissolve into nothing. Whatever the difficulty, he could resolve it with ease.

Yuanbao admired him, looked up to him, and felt he was capable of anything.

When he learned there was a marriage contract between them, in truth he was happy—secretly delighted, even. To have such an outstanding person as a husband, who would not rejoice?

But…

Yuanbao’s chest rose and fell softly. He lowered his gaze, staring at the tips of his shoes.

If not bound by the marriage contract, would such a talented youth with a bright future truly take notice of someone like him—a plain-faced, ordinary boy from a humble family?

“He really is quite good, isn’t he.”

“Back then, when your mother first saw your Uncle Qi, she praised the fine bearing of a scholar. I wasn’t very pleased, but she immediately said we ought to join our families. I said it might not be so good, but she wouldn’t let me speak against it.”

Xiao Yuanbao pursed his lips, then turned to see Xiao Hu standing behind him at some point. “Father, I find that as you’ve gotten older, you’ve grown more talkative.”

“Is that so?” Xiao Hu replied.

Yuanbao shook his head. Perhaps his father had always been talkative in his youth—otherwise, how would he have won his mother? Granny Sun had once said that his mother and Brother’s mother were the two flowers of the village in their day.

“If you keep saying more, I won’t believe your words about letting me choose for myself.”

Xiao Hu immediately closed his mouth.

After a moment, he added, “By the way, I came to tell you that I’m returning to the village.”

“Father, why so soon?”

“It’s cooler in the morning.”

Hearing that, Yuanbao said no more. He walked his father out to the end of the lane before returning.

In truth, he understood his father’s words. His wish for the two of them to marry was that it be for mutual affection, not merely for the sake of fulfilling a contract.

Turning it over in his mind all through the night, Yuanbao finally understood.

He too did not want Brother Beinan to be bound by the marriage contract. If, because of this betrothal, and because he had lived in the Xiao household for years, his brother married him only out of gratitude, Yuanbao would not accept it.

He hoped Beinan would experience life, and choose freely. If one day he met someone he truly loved, Yuanbao believed he would never press him with a debt of gratitude, but would of his own accord dissolve the contract.

Because of this, Yuanbao would never take the initiative to bring up the marriage. He would live as before, and he would not follow his father’s earlier idea of watching him closely, as if guarding over him.

He would let things move forward naturally, and see how fate arranged them both.

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