Ch 12: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Jiang Ji and Zhao Ru came home one after the other. With their debts repaid and the household gradually improving, Zhao Ru visibly grew lighter and happier by the day.

Jiang Nan was tending the stove, stirring a pot while holding a skewer of candied haws in his free hand, licking the glossy sugar layer in tiny bites and smacking his lips in satisfaction.

Jiang Xia was at the kitchen doorway, washing carrots. Jiang Bei crouched beside her, holding a skewer in each hand—eating from the one in his left while occasionally feeding Jiang Xia a bite from the one in his right.

Like his brother, Jiang Bei had barely eaten a single hawthorn; he was too busy savoring the sweet coating.

“Second Sister, the candied haws are so sweet! They’re so good!”

“Mm.” Back when their father was still alive, their family life hadn’t been so hard, and Jiang Xia had tasted candied haws before. She bit into one whole, eyes squinting in pleasure, and added, “It’s a little sour inside.”

It was Jiang Bei’s first time eating them, and he widened his eyes. “It’s sour inside?”

“Mm-hmm, a little,” Jiang Xia said. “You have to eat it together—the sweet and the sour. If you lick off all the sugar first, it’ll just be sour later.”

She herself used to do that—lick the sugar clean and abandon the rest because it was too sour. Their mother would always finish the leftovers.

“Ah?” Jiang Bei hesitated, frowning a little. “Then I’ll eat it all together.”

He bit into it and found that, sure enough, the mix of sweet and tart was just right. He turned to his brother and passed on the wisdom. “Jiang Nan, Second Sister says you have to eat it all together.”

Watching the scene, Jiang Ji couldn’t help feeling a little moved.

Making money really does buy happiness—now they even have candy freedom.

He took a skewer for himself. After days of bitter medicine dulling his taste buds, the sugary glaze and sharp tang of hawthorn hit his tongue, flooding his mouth with that sweet-and-sour spark that made him crave more.

Not bad at all. He rubbed the bump on his head—it had already gone down by half. Two more days and it’d be gone completely.

“Jiang Bei, did you give Jiang Yan his candied haws?”

Jiang Bei nodded obediently. “I did, but he said he didn’t want it.”

“Oh? Did anything happen with him this morning?”

“No, I went in to check on him. He didn’t need anything. I brought him water, but he didn’t drink it.”

Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow. “He didn’t ask you for the chamber pot either?”

Jiang Bei shook his head. “Nope.”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. Could it be he’s avoiding drinking water so he doesn’t have to get up to pee?

He’d had porridge and water with his medicine in the morning, but that couldn’t last all day…

Finishing off the candied haws in a few bites, Jiang Ji went to check on him.

The door was closed. Jiang Ji quietly opened it and stepped inside. The moment he did, Jiang Yan—who had appeared to be resting with his eyes closed—snapped them open instantly.

So alert?

Seeing that he was awake, Jiang Ji walked to the bedside and asked bluntly, “Jiang Bei said you didn’t call anyone all morning. Need to relieve yourself?”

Jiang Yan froze, his expression turning a little awkward. “How did you know…”

“No need to be embarrassed,” Jiang Ji said matter-of-factly. “Holding it in is bad for your kidneys—and it’ll mess with your rest.”

Jiang Yan fell silent.

Jiang Ji went out, brought back the chamber pot, handed it over, then stepped out again.

A while later, he returned, emptied it, rinsed it clean, and set it at the foot of the bed. “Here—let’s just keep it here by your bed. You can reach for it whenever you need. Sound good?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “That’s fine.”

Jiang Ji eyed him, then glanced at the pot, guessing from the weight earlier, and asked suspiciously, “Don’t tell me… you were waiting for me to come back before you went?”

Jiang Yan lowered his eyes without speaking.

That silence was as good as an admission.

Jiang Ji couldn’t help laughing softly. Still, he could understand—this man barely knew anyone here. He probably felt too awkward to ask the two little boys for help, and there was no way he’d let Zhao Ru fetch the chamber pot for him. So, he had just waited until Jiang Ji came back, holding it in until he couldn’t anymore.

A man who didn’t like troubling others—and one with a strong sense of pride.

“What if I hadn’t come back all day? Would you have held it the whole time?”

Jiang Yan paused. His fair, handsome face reddened slightly, but he still looked up and met Jiang Ji’s eyes. “You said you’d be back by noon.”

“And what if something came up and I was delayed?”

Jiang Yan said nothing.

Jiang Ji chuckled to himself, then continued, “No need to be so formal. Feel free to ask Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei for help—they won’t mind. It’s only for a couple more days anyway.”

“When can I get out of bed?” Jiang Yan asked.

“That depends on how your wounds heal. Maybe another day or two,” Jiang Ji said. Though I should probably check with the doctor, he thought.

“How long until I’m fully healed?”

“Maybe a week or two… seven to fifteen days, give or take. Depends on how your body recovers. Don’t rush it—rest well, and you’ll get better faster.”

Before long, Zhao Ru and Jiang Xia had finished cooking lunch—stir-fried carrots with pork, cabbage, and a wild greens soup.

Even though they now had silver and Jiang Ji’s “treasure” could produce goods, Zhao Ru still lived frugally. But she made a special steamed egg dish just for the injured man.

Jiang Ji wiped down a square table from the main room and moved it beside Jiang Yan’s bed—it would make eating and changing his dressings much easier.

Zhao Ru brought over the dishes, set them down, and said apologetically, “It’s just a simple meal for now. I’ll go buy a chicken this afternoon and make some soup to nourish you.”

Jiang Yan quickly replied, “This is already very good, Auntie. No need to trouble yourself.”

“The doctor said you lost a lot of blood—you need to build your strength.” Zhao Ru looked at his pale face, already planning to add red dates to the soup. “Go ahead and eat. I’ll leave you be.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

When Zhao Ru left, Jiang Ji looked at the man eating alone and suddenly remembered his own past life. After his mother’s death, his father rarely came home, and he had eaten most of his meals by himself. No matter how good the food was, it always felt tasteless—and lonely.

He raised a brow. “Want some company while you eat?”

Jiang Yan picked up his chopsticks, glanced at him, and said, “As you wish.”

Smiling, Jiang Ji went to the kitchen, filled a bowl with food, and sat across from him.

In front of Jiang Yan were five small bowls—carrot pork stir-fry, cabbage, steamed egg, wild vegetable soup, and a bowl of white rice.

Jiang Ji had only a larger bowl with the carrot pork and cabbage.

Jiang Yan pushed the bowl of steamed egg toward him. “You have some too.”

Jiang Ji blinked, then smiled. “You eat it. My mom made that especially for you—to help you recover.”

“Tell her she doesn’t need to make extra for me,” Jiang Yan said. “I can eat the same as you all.”

Jiang Ji wasn’t one to hide his thoughts. He preferred things out in the open.

“Just eat it,” he said with a sigh, his expression sincere. “My mom feels bad for taking so much silver from you. If you don’t eat it, she’ll feel guilty. So do us both a favor and eat, alright?”

They held each other’s gaze for a moment before Jiang Yan lowered his eyes and nodded. “Alright.”

They ate quietly for a while before Jiang Ji suddenly said, “I went into town this morning and walked around a bit.”

Jiang Yan looked up, waiting for him to continue.

“I didn’t see any missing-person notices posted anywhere,” Jiang Ji said, watching his face. “No one was out on the streets asking around, and the county office was quiet too.”

Jiang Yan froze. “You mean…?”

“I mean,” Jiang Ji continued thoughtfully, “you probably aren’t from around here.”

Jiang Yan stared at him, surprised that Jiang Ji had not only gone into town but had also thought to check if anyone was looking for him.

Swallowing a mouthful of rice, Jiang Ji went on, “You’re covered in wounds. I don’t know if bandits did it or if it was personal enemies, so I didn’t dare ask directly. Didn’t want to accidentally draw attention to you.”

Jiang Yan fell silent for a moment, understanding what he meant. It was very likely he’d been attacked by enemies—after all, his jade pendant and silver notes were still on him. If it had been bandits, they would’ve taken everything.

He looked up and asked quietly, “Aren’t you afraid? If I really was being hunted by enemies, and they found me here…”

Jiang Ji tilted his head, thinking it over, then nodded honestly. “Well, a little. But still—how could I just leave someone to die? Besides, it’s been two or three days now, and no strangers have shown up in the village. So maybe it wasn’t enemies. Maybe you escaped from a robbery and made it here.”

Jiang Yan’s eyes softened slightly. His voice was low. “Thank you.”

“No need for that,” Jiang Ji replied. Then he leaned forward a bit, lowering his voice. “You know, I think you might’ve come from pretty far away.”

Jiang Yan’s gaze deepened. “What makes you say that?”

“Well,” Jiang Ji said, “we’re close to town—only half an hour’s walk. The county office is right there. Bandits wouldn’t dare set up camp nearby; that’d be suicide. The nearest bandit den I’ve heard of is at least a hundred li away.”

That did make sense. Jiang Yan asked, “What’s that place called—about a hundred li away?” Maybe it was somewhere he had once passed through or where he’d been injured.

Jiang Ji searched his inherited memories. “I think it’s called Gulu Ridge… or maybe Hulu Ridge? I heard about it when I worked in town before, can’t remember exactly. If you want, I can ask around next time.”

“Alright. Thank you,” Jiang Yan said, sincerely this time.

After lunch, Jiang Ji cleared the dishes and left the room.

Jiang Yan leaned back against the headboard and took out the green jade pendant from under his pillow. The carving depicted clouds, cranes, and a boat drifting on a lake.

He stared at it for a long time. His mind was blank—no memories surfaced, nothing came to him at all.

He sighed, put the jade pendant back under his pillow, and lay down to rest with his eyes closed.

From what he had seen, Jiang Ji’s family seemed to be honest and kind people. Until his body recovered, he could only stay here for now.

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