Ch 8: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

The viewers were curious.

【What special task?】

“The system says it can provide medical supplies,” Jiang Ji explained grimly, “but only if I tell my family about its existence.”

He was furious. “I literally just thought about whether I should tell them or not—and decided against it because it’s too dangerous if anyone else finds out. Then boom—2977 instantly drops this task on me!”

“This is ridiculous! Absolutely immoral!”

【Damn, that system’s shady. You can’t just tell people something like that!】
【Exactly. Don’t flaunt your fortune—keep your treasure hidden.】
【But it’s such a hassle if you have to sneak out every time.】
【Your family seems trustworthy though, right? Maybe it’s fine?】
【Careful—people in ancient times were superstitious. They might think he’s a demon or something. Way too risky.】

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about!” Jiang Ji exclaimed. “What if word spreads? What if they think I’m possessed and burn me at the stake? Or some thief hears about it and kills me for it? I don’t even know martial arts!”

【So what now?】
【Don’t panic—maybe that guy will pull through on his own.】

Jiang Ji stomped around in circles, kicking a sapling in frustration. “I shouldn’t have even thought about it! 2977 can literally read my mind!”

【Be careful next time.】
【Host, try wiping the fever guy down with warm water to bring his temperature down—neck, armpits, palms, soles, and groin.】
【Yeah, maybe he’ll survive after all. See how it goes first.】
【And have some faith in your family—they all seem kind-hearted.】

After a while, the comments calmed him down. He took a deep breath. “You’re right. Let’s see if I can get his temperature down first.”

Jiang Ji exchanged ten catties of rice, two catties of pork, and ten eggs from the system and brought them home.

His family was stunned the moment he walked in.

“Why so much food?” Zhao Ru asked, eyes wide.

“Wow, there’s meat—and eggs!” Jiang Nan shouted.

“We get to eat meat again!” Jiang Bei cheered.

Jiang Ji smiled. “The pork was a reward from the rich man’s household. His son’s getting married, so every helper got some. The rice and eggs I traded for with my wages.”

“What a generous man!” Jiang Bei exclaimed.

“Yeah, a real gentleman,” Jiang Ji said lightly.

【Ahem, I’m one of those ‘rich men’ myself.】
【Same here—I chipped in too!】

Because there was food again, the family’s spirits soared. The meal was cheerful, filled with laughter.

Jiang Xia whispered, “Brother, did you hear? Yesterday, Jin Hua got flogged ten times. She’s been lying in bed ever since. They say she won’t recover for half a month. The whole village’s talking about it.”

“Serves her right,” Jiang Ji snorted. “What about Li Laosan?”

“I heard he’s still in jail—got beaten a hundred times with the rod. Might not even be alive.”

“Good.”

They whispered a bit more gossip, venting their satisfaction. Zhao Ru still reminded them, “You must be careful around that family. If you ever run into one of them alone, don’t confront them—just come home, understood?”

“Got it.”

Later, Zhao Ru saved a bowl of porridge, let it cool, and went with Jiang Ji to feed the wounded man. She also placed a wet cloth on his forehead to cool him down.

“Xiao Ji, sleep lightly tonight,” Zhao Ru said softly. “Check his temperature in the middle of the night.”

“Okay, Mother.”

Since the injured man was lying in Jiang Ji’s bed and they hadn’t prepared another, Zhao Ru sent Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei to Aunt Xiufang’s house to sleep with her son, Dazhu.

It was already late. After washing up, Jiang Ji filled two basins—one with warm water, one with cool—and decided to follow the viewers’ advice for physical cooling.

He touched the man’s forehead. Still burning hot. He pressed a cold cloth there, then began wiping his neck, armpits, palms, soles, arms, and legs with the warm water… and finally, the groin.

To keep the man covered, Jiang Ji loosened his belt just enough to slide the towel in. Inevitably, his hand brushed against certain areas. He glanced at the man’s face, muttering under his breath, “Damn, this guy’s… uh, well-endowed.”

After two rounds of wiping, he set the towel aside and lay down.

“Buddy, you’d better make it.”

Half-asleep, Jiang Ji drifted off. He woke once in the middle of the night, groggy, and reached over to touch the man’s forehead—still burning.

It was 3 a.m.

Remembering the doctor’s words, he got up, lit the tung-oil lamp, and went to fetch medicine from the kitchen.

The decoction had gone cold in the night air.

He didn’t know how to make a fire and hesitated. “Maybe I should just give it to him cold…” He’d barely poured half a bowl when Zhao Ru appeared.

“Xiao Ji, you need to reheat it. Cold medicine won’t do.”

“Mother, you’re awake too?”

“I couldn’t sleep—kept worrying. Then I heard you get up.” She smiled faintly. “Let me handle it.”

She poured the medicine back into the pot, set it over the small stove, and tossed in a handful of pine needles. The fire caught quickly, crackling under thin twigs. Soon, the medicine was warm again.

Jiang Ji filled the small pot with water to keep it heating while he and Zhao Ru went to feed the man the medicine.

“His forehead’s still burning up,” Zhao Ru murmured, frowning.

“He’ll pull through,” Jiang Ji said, forcing optimism. “I’ll wipe him down again. You should rest, Mother—it’s almost dawn.”

“Alright. Don’t stay up too long yourself.”

Jiang Ji wiped the man several more times. But if the fever still didn’t drop by morning…

When daylight came, Jiang Ji fetched the doctor again. After checking the pulse and wounds, the old man shook his head. “The fever hasn’t gone down. The abdominal wound shows no improvement. I’m afraid there’s little else I can do.”

Jiang Ji knew all too well—infected wounds in this era often meant death.

He forced another bowl of fever medicine into the man.

By afternoon, the man’s temperature still hadn’t fallen. The wound on his abdomen had begun to ooze pus and blood again, and he still hadn’t regained consciousness.

“Big brother, why isn’t he waking up?” Jiang Bei crouched beside the bed, staring nervously at the man. He turned to Jiang Ji, voice trembling. “He’s not going to die… right?”

Jiang Ji: …

He patted Jiang Bei’s head. “Go outside first. I’ll check his wounds.”

“Oh.”

After sending his brother out, Jiang Ji closed the door and stared at the unconscious man for a long time before turning to his viewers for help.

“Guys, anyone here a doctor? Can you tell if he’s going to make it?”

【How about I schedule a remote consultation and get a surgeon to watch your stream?】
【My uncle’s a surgeon! Wait, I’ll call him—don’t go anywhere.】

A few minutes later, that same viewer sent a gift of instant noodles, catching Jiang Ji’s attention.

【My uncle’s here. He’s a surgeon at a big hospital. His account’s the one with all numbers.】

“Everyone, hold off on chatting for a second,” Jiang Ji said quickly. “Let the doctor take a look.”

The comments slowed down, and soon a numbered account appeared on screen.

【Show me the patient’s wounds.】

“Doctor, hi. He has a lot of injuries—these are knife wounds, this one’s from a sword, and the one on his abdomen is already festering.” Jiang Ji explained while peeling back the man’s bandages and herbs for the doctor to see.

The surgeon looked at each wound through the stream feed.

【From what I hear, you’re in an ancient time period—so I assume there’s no antibiotics?】

Jiang Ji: “None. Just herbs and some wound powder.”

【The abdominal wound looks about 13–14 centimeters long. The surrounding tissue is red, swollen, and infected. The other wounds are inflamed too. He’s also unconscious with a high fever—that’s severe. He needs antibiotics immediately, plus debridement and infection control. Otherwise, if it turns into bacteremia, it’ll be much harder to treat, and sepsis could set in.】

【Your wound powder helps with bleeding and some swelling, but it’s limited. And with these knife and sword wounds—if the blades were rusty—he absolutely needs a tetanus shot.】

【I’ve heard your system can supply modern medicine. You should use it: antibiotics and a tetanus vaccine are essential. That’ll give him the best chance to survive. If you can get the medical supplies, I’ll guide you through cleaning and suturing the wounds live.】

Jiang Ji didn’t understand the word “bacteremia,” but he knew “sepsis.” People died from that. He needed antibiotics.

He fell silent for a moment, looking at the man’s handsome face, and sighed.

He’d brought him home—he couldn’t just let the guy die in his bed.

Buddy, if you make it through this, you’d better repay me with your life.

“Thank you, doctor. Can you wait for me a bit?”

【Sure.】

Jiang Ji left the room and walked into the courtyard. His mother and Jiang Xia were scrubbing an old wooden door with wet cloths, while Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei carried straw from the woodshed.

“Mom, what are you doing?” he asked.

Zhao Ru answered while wiping, “I borrowed this old door from your Aunt Xiufang’s house, along with a quilt. Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei are still little—this’ll make a fine bed for them. We’ll stuff it with straw so they won’t have to crowd in with Dazhu anymore.”

No bed, no spare quilt—his mother even had to borrow one.

Jiang Ji could already picture her face when she’d gone to ask. No matter how close they were, it must have stung her pride.

He, the young master who’d never had to beg anyone in nineteen years, couldn’t even imagine lowering himself like that.

And Zhao Ru looked so much like his real mother.

It hurt.

He didn’t want her humbling herself over little things anymore. He didn’t want them living like this.

His chest tightened. Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind.

“Mom, everyone, come inside. I have something to tell you.”

They all gathered around the kitchen stove. Jiang Ji shut the doors, sat beside Jiang Bei, and faced them in a small circle.

“Mom, Xia’er, Jiang Nan, Jiang Bei—what I’m about to say is really important. You have to promise to keep it secret.”

“Did something happen?” Zhao Ru asked quietly, seeing how serious he looked. “Is it about the man in your room? Is he dangerous?”

Jiang Xia and the boys looked at their brother, anxious and curious.

Jiang Ji shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I don’t know who he is yet. What I need to tell you is something else.”

“Then what is it?”

“Mother… I’m sorry. I lied to you.” Jiang Ji began, lowering his head. “That rice and pork—it wasn’t given to me by the rich man’s family.”

They all froze. “Huh?”

Zhao Ru immediately asked, “Then where did it come from? You didn’t do anything dangerous, did you?”

“No, don’t worry,” Jiang Ji said, clearing his throat. “It was… a reward from an immortal.”

“An immortal?!” everyone gasped.

“Yes, an immortal.” Jiang Ji was fully committed to the lie now, his tone steady. “Remember when I fell down the hill and hit my head?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“When I woke up, I saw a deity. He gave me a treasure—a magical tool called a ‘system.’”

“A… deity?” “A treasure?” They all stared at him, wide-eyed.

Jiang Ji nodded solemnly. “He said if I completed the missions he gave me, this treasure would reward me with food.”

“Ah?”

“So these past two days, I wasn’t actually at the rich man’s house. The immortal wanted to see our world, so I took him around to explore. The rice and pork were his rewards to me.”

Zhao Ru blinked. “An… immortal gave them to you?”

“Yep.”

Zhao Ru, Jiang Xia, Jiang Nan, and Jiang Bei: …

All of them sat there, dazed.

“It’s true! Look—I’ll show you.”

Jiang Ji raised his hand and exchanged two catties of rice.

Right before their eyes, rice appeared out of thin air.

Everyone: “!”

Zhao Ru was stunned. “Th-this… how did that appear out of thin air?”

Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei both gasped. “Wow!”

Jiang Xia’s round eyes widened in shock, her mouth hanging open.

Jiang Ji kept up the act. “It’s the treasure the immortal gave me—it can make things appear like this.”

As he spoke, he materialized another bag of peanuts in his hand.

“Wow!”

“It really appeared!”

They all stared at him in awe. “It’s really from an immortal?”

“Yes,” Jiang Ji said calmly.

Jiang Nan cheered, “Then we’ll never run out of rice again!”

Jiang Ji blinked. “Not exactly. I can’t just make as much as I want—I have to complete the missions the immortal gives me first.”

“Of course,” Zhao Ru said, lightly tapping Jiang Nan’s head. “Don’t go thinking you can get something for nothing. Remember this—heaven doesn’t hand out free pies. You only reap what you sow. If you want something, you have to work for it.”

Jiang Nan rubbed his head, nodding earnestly. “I understand, Mother.”

Jiang Bei asked curiously, “Brother, what does that treasure look like?”

“It’s inside my head—you can’t see it,” Jiang Ji replied.

“Then what’s the immortal asking you to do?”

Jiang Ji said, “Right now, the mission is to save that man in my room. If I can keep him alive, the immortal will reward us with enough rice, pork, and eggs for three months.”

Everyone: “!”

“But… he’s hurt so badly,” Zhao Ru said anxiously. “How can we possibly save him?”

“The immortal gave me some medicine and tools to stitch his wounds. Mother, I’ll need your help.”

“Alright,” Zhao Ru agreed immediately.

“And one more thing,” Jiang Ji warned them solemnly. “No one can know about this treasure, understand? It has to stay secret. If anyone finds out, the immortal will take it back and give it to someone else—and he’ll take all our rice too. Then we’ll have nothing to eat.”

He paused, lowering his voice. “And if others hear we have something valuable, they might come to rob us… even kill us for it.”

The mention of “killing to steal the treasure” froze everyone in place.

Zhao Ru’s expression turned serious again. “Your brother’s right. You all remember this—never speak a word of it, you hear me?”

“I promise I’ll keep the secret!” Jiang Bei said firmly.

“Even if I’m beaten, I won’t tell!” Jiang Nan declared.

“I won’t say anything either, Brother,” Jiang Xia added, eyes shining.

Seeing their determination, Jiang Ji finally relaxed. He walked to the doorway and asked the system, “2977, the task’s done now, right?”

【The host has not fully disclosed the truth.】

Jiang Ji glared. “You only said I had to tell my family about the system’s existence. The system is the treasure! I told them it’s called a treasure from an immortal! Don’t play word games with me.”

2977 seemed to pause, calculating. After a long moment, it finally responded:

【Congratulations, host. Special task completed. Reward available for collection.】
【Total audience count has reached 100,000. Daily necessities category unlocked.】

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. Finally—he could exchange for a bed and quilts!

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾