Inside the Room
Xu Huaixian finally relaxed when he heard Chen Xiaomei return.
Even in modern society, letting an eight-year-old wander alone at night was unthinkable—let alone in this lawless era.
"I told you she'd come back on her own," Chen Liejiu said, stirring a bowl of medicine to cool it before handing it to Xu Huaixian. "It's late. Drink this and rest."
"Alright."
Xu Huaixian took the bowl, but the pungent smell triggered memories of the day's bitter ordeal. His stomach churned in protest. Still, he knew better than to avoid medicine out of fear—today's coughing fits had nearly killed him.
Steeling himself, he downed it in one go.
Chen Liejiu, having finished making the bed, turned and chuckled at Xu Huaixian's grim expression. "Drinking medicine like it's poison?"
He stepped closer.
"Ah—"
Xu Huaixian instinctively opened his mouth, and a candied fruit rolled onto his tongue.
Chen Liejiu grinned. "Better?"
Xu Huaixian chewed the sweet treat and smiled. "Mm."
The Chen compound consisted of four brick-tiled rooms flanked by two thatched mud huts. The central room served as the main hall, while the other three were bedrooms.
Wang Wanwan occupied the leftmost room, while Chen Xiaomei and Chen Liejiu shared the right side.
With two young girls already housed separately, Xu Huaixian—despite his thick skin—couldn't possibly intrude on their space. That left only one option: sharing with Chen Liejiu.
In this world, ger were a third gender, but to Xu Huaixian, Chen Liejiu was just another man.
Besides, as a live-in husband, this arrangement shouldn't be an issue… right?
"Why are you hesitating? Get in bed." Chen Liejiu shed his outer robe, revealing plain white underclothes, and patted the mattress.
Seeing Chen Liejiu's nonchalance, Xu Huaixian shrugged off his awkwardness and untied his belt. But the moment he removed his outer robe—
"No wonder you were dawdling," Chen Liejiu mused. "Sanzi really dug out this for you."
Xu Huaixian followed his gaze downward.
Moonlight illuminated his patched undergarments—threadbare and mended haphazardly, with a glaring dark red patch right over the crotch.
Xu Huaixian's breath hitched. "..."
He hadn't known.
Lying stiffly under the covers, he wished he could vanish. First night together, and I'm already a joke.
"Relax. It's just patched clothes." Chen Liejiu, unused to sharing a bed, found Xu Huaixian's rigid posture amusing. Like a bashful kid.
"I didn't even have underclothes as a child. Just one outer robe year-round." He untied his hair, letting it spill loose. "One summer, I saw other kids stripping down to their undergarments and realized—oh, there's a second layer."
Xu Huaixian, slightly comforted, turned. "What about winter? Wasn't one robe freezing?"
"Who went outside in winter?" Chen Liejiu stared at the ceiling, reminiscing. "We piled on every scrap of clothing we owned."
Back then, he'd sworn: I'll live better. At least own a full set of clothes.
"So don't stress." Chen Liejiu yawned. "If it bothers you, I'll have Wanwan sew you new ones tomorrow."
Xu Huaixian thought of his first rural inspection—how just miles from glittering cities, families starved in isolation.
Now he was the one in rags.
No shame in that.
Just as he opened his mouth to reply, a tickle seized his throat.
Not now—
Daytime coughs were one thing. But at night? The noise would wake the entire household.
He clenched the quilt, face reddening as he fought the urge.
Then—
Chen Liejiu rolled over and pulled him close, one hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.
"It's fine."
"Just cough."
"You're sick. Sick people get to be selfish."
Permission granted, Xu Huaixian let loose—hacking violently into Chen Liejiu's shoulder.
When it finally subsided, he realized:
—Oh god.
—He smells amazing.
Dawn
Chen Liejiu woke at first light, carefully disentangling himself from Xu Huaixian's clingy embrace.
Half-dressed, he paused, then nudged the still-sleeping man.
Xu Huaixian cracked an eye. "Hn?"
"Yesterday's money pouch had ledger funds for the bank," Chen Liejiu explained. "I need it back to settle accounts. Remember that."
Still groggy, Xu Huaixian only registered "taking money." He mumbled an acknowledgment and sank back into sleep.
Outside, Chen Liejiu inhaled the crisp morning air.
"Perfect day for debt collection!"
Wang Wanwan, braiding Chen Xiaomei's hair, smiled. "Eat breakfast first."
"Sure." He grabbed a bowl of porridge.
Xiaomei, her twin buns now secured, muttered, "Don't bring home another person."
Chen Liejiu tugged her hair. "Still mad? He made you grass dragonflies."
"I don't need his stupid bugs!"
"Fine, fine." Finishing his meal, Chen Liejiu stood. "I'm heading out. Let him sleep—wake him for medicine later, got it?"
Xiaomei stayed silent.
"Got it?" he repeated.
"Yes!" she snapped, fiddling with a dragonfly.
Chen Liejiu eyed her guilty hands but said nothing more.
Xu Huaixian woke mid-morning to find Wang Wanwan offering him new toiletries.
As he washed up, Xiaomei stared unblinkingly.
"Why the stare?" he asked, drying his face.
"So lazy," she declared, then bolted.
Xu Huaixian flushed.
Back home, he'd slept till noon on weekends. Today, he'd tried waking early—only to still be the last one up.
Well, ancient folks had no nightlife. Of course they rise with the sun.
He'd adjust.
Xiaomei reappeared, thrusting a medicine bowl at him.
"Big Brother said watch you drink this. Hurry up."
Her tone screamed: I'm only here under orders!
"Second Brother thanks Miss Chen the Third," Xu Huaixian teased, accepting the bowl.
Miss Chen the Third?!
Xiaomei's cheeks pinked. "I told you not to call me that!"
Xu Huaixian, grimacing at the bitter taste, kept his voice gentle. "But to me, you are the third young miss of this house."
Xiaomei gaped, flustered. "D-don't think fancy titles make up for lying!"
Snatching the empty bowl, she hesitated—then fished a malt candy from her pouch and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Big Brother's orders!"
Watching her scamper off, Xu Huaixian chuckled. "Adorable."
She'd refused to forgive him… yet hadn't corrected him for calling himself Second Brother.
Meanwhile, at the Xu Household
While most villagers toiled in fields, a band of burly men armed with sickles and hoes surrounded the Xu residence.
At their forefront stood Chen Liejiu—shorter but infinitely more commanding.
"Tear it down."
Like locusts, the men descended—ripping doors, prying tiles, hauling away stone slabs.
"What the hell?!" The Xu family stormed out, livid. "You want a lawsuit?!"
Chen Liejiu smiled. "Cousin Xu—no, Eldest Cousin now."
He corrected himself smoothly. "I'm dismantling my property. No lawsuits needed."
Eldest Cousin Xu snarled. "Our house became yours when?!"
"Ah, but yesterday you declared: 'Xu Huaixian is yours in life and death.'" Chen Liejiu's grin sharpened. "His belongings naturally follow."
Xu's face purpled. "So you rob us?!"
"Reclaiming," Chen Liejiu corrected. "Unless you'd prefer to formally split the family assets—half to him, half to you. Then I'll burn this IOU."
Xu nearly choked. Split property with a branch severed years ago?!
"No money?!" Chen Liejiu's gaze swept the Xu stone house—a rarity since the quarry's closure. "Then I'll take half your building materials."
"You dare—"
"Enough!" The Xu patriarch intervened. "Pay him."
Stone was irreplaceable now. Ten taels was a bargain.
Grudgingly, the Xus scraped together the silver.
Chen Liejiu left like a storm—taking every scrap of Xu Huaixian's former home, down to the doorstep slabs.
The villagers gaped.
Even Xu Huaixian, upon hearing the tale, was stunned.
Xu Huaixian had always been adaptable. After breakfast, he took a thorough tour of the Chen household.
Though Chen Liejiu had briefly introduced the family yesterday, Xu Huaixian wanted a clearer understanding now that he'd decided to stay.
From pots and pans to rice jars and dining tables, he inspected everything, mentally cataloging their belongings.
Wang Wanwan shadowed him the entire time, never leaving his side.
Once satisfied, Xu Huaixian turned to her with a smile. "Why are you following me?"
Wang Wanwan shook her head. "Nothing." Spotting Xu Huaixian reaching for the teapot, she swiftly poured him a cup. "Second Brother, leave these tasks to me from now on."
Please don't lift a finger. If you get hurt or sicker, what if you don't survive long?
Xu Huaixian gave her a puzzled look. Her attitude felt off, but he couldn't pinpoint why.
Before he could dwell on it, Chen Liejiu returned with a boisterous crowd.
Xu Huaixian watched as a group of dust-covered men wheeled in carts loaded with dismantled stone slabs, wooden beams, and chunks of earth—like a demolition crew fresh from a job.
He stepped into the courtyard, teacup in hand. "What's all this?"
"Put the chest inside. Dump the rest outside," Chen Liejiu directed before casually answering Xu Huaixian, "Oh, I tore down your house."
"These are all the materials from your old place." Thirsty from the morning's work, Chen Liejiu strode to the water vat by the kitchen, lifting the lid to scoop up raw water with a gourd ladle.
Xu Huaixian's eyelid twitched. He'd meant to ask why a debt collection had turned into a demolition, but his body moved first—handing over his untouched tea. "Drink this instead. Raw water can breed parasites."
In this era, though free of chemical pollution, well water still harbored invisible bacteria and parasites. Falling ill here was no trivial matter.
"Ah, right." Chen Liejiu set down the ladle and gulped the tea. "So that's why people get stomach worms?"
Xu Huaixian nodded. "Unwashed vegetables and fruits can also carry eggs. Once inside, the parasites feed on your organs and blood."
His explanation stunned not just Chen Liejiu but also the men unloading outside.
A burly, simple-faced man peered into the courtyard with an awed grin. "You must be our sister-in-law. You know so much!"
Years ago, a child in Dalicun had died with a grotesquely swollen belly. When curious onlookers cut it open, they found it teeming with worms. Terrified, the villagers had blamed dark magic and hired a shaman to perform rituals for days.
Now they knew the real cause.
Before Xu Huaixian could respond, Chen Liejiu cut in sharply, "No calling him sister-in-law. It's disrespectful. Address him as Second Brother."
While being called sister-in-law might stroke Chen Liejiu's ego—flaunting that he, a ger, had married a scholar—it came at Xu Huaixian's dignity.
If Xu Huaixian resented him for it, what good would that bring?
Chen Wu scratched his head sheepishly. "Second Brother."
"Titles don't matter," Xu Huaixian said mildly. As a live-in husband, he was now dependent on the Chens. Being called sister-in-law wouldn't cost him flesh.
He steered the conversation back. "You tore down my house?"
"Yep." Relieved Xu Huaixian wasn't angry, Chen Liejiu explained, "That Xu Dalang's schemes are so transparent you could hear them from ten li away."
"He wanted to pawn you off to me to settle his debt and seize your property. Kill two birds with one stone." Chen Liejiu scoffed. "Well, I ruined his little plan."
He'd considered this move earlier but lacked justification. Now, as Xu Huaixian's rightful spouse, he could reclaim what belonged to him.
This was how a proper bully operated.
You demolished a house and you're proud of it?
Xu Huaixian stared at Chen Liejiu's unrepentant, almost smug expression, his mind in chaos.
He'd planned to stabilize himself first, sort through the original host's memories, then reclaim his property from those scheming relatives.
Instead, his wife had handled everything overnight.
What's left for me to do?
"If we left the house, they'd just take it eventually. Better to salvage usable materials now."
Misreading Xu Huaixian's silence as displeasure, Chen Liejiu softened his tone. "Since everyone's here, I'll pick the good pieces and build you a new privy. Clean and odor-free. How's that?"
Years of raising siblings had honed Chen Liejiu's哄人 skills.
Yesterday, he'd noticed Xu Huaixian's grimace after using the outhouse.
During his escort days, he'd seen wealthy homes with sloped, water-flushed toilets. Perfect for pampering his delicate scholar.
Xu Huaixian could rationalize the demolition as Chen Liejiu avenging him.
But tearing down his house to build a toilet?
Most spouses wooed with kisses or gifts. His wife? A latrine.
If asked about his first marital gift, he'd have to say: A privy.
How… practical.
Oblivious to Xu Huaixian's inner turmoil, Chen Liejiu pressed, "Just say the word, and we'll start. You'll have it by tonight. Deal?"
Xu Huaixian exhaled deeply. "Do whatever."
"Great! Let's get to work." Chen Liejiu took that as enthusiastic consent.
Resigned, Xu Huaixian said, "I'll boil water for everyone."
"Boss, your sister-in-law's real decent," Chen Wu remarked after Xu Huaixian left.
Most men would've fought tooth and nail if someone demolished their home—even their own spouse.
Yet Xu Huaixian had accepted it calmly.
"Just too sickly," Chen Wu added under his breath. The man was skin and bones—a strong breeze might topple him. Would he even survive the year?
"I said no 'sister-in-law'!" Chen Liejiu kicked him. "Stop dawdling and sort the materials!"
As Chen Wu scurried off, Chen Liejiu watched Xu Huaixian's retreating figure—so thin his clothes hung loose—and fell into thought.
Rural construction required no expertise—just hands, materials, and willingness.
Entering the kitchen, Xu Huaixian resolved: If my wife handles external affairs, I'll manage the household.
During his rural inspections, he'd often helped with cooking. Starting a fire or boiling water was child's play.
But the moment he stepped inside, Wang Wanwan intercepted him. "Second Brother, don't move! I'll do it!"
She snatched the teapot, filled it, and had the stove blazing in moments.
Xu Huaixian: "???"
Not even domestic duties?
Realizing total idleness might unsettle him, Wang Wanwan suggested, "Second Brother, why not count out some coins? Big Brother always pays ten coppers per man after debt collections."
This was why Chen Liejiu's business thrived despite being a ger.
Ten coppers bought two jin of rice—a day's earnings that might take farmers weeks to save.
Chen Wu's family had been starving before joining Chen Liejiu's crew. Now they ate their fill.
"Alright." Unaware of these dynamics, Xu Huaixian agreed readily.
Finally, a task!
He retrieved the money pouch from their bedroom.
But when he lifted it, yesterday's plump bag now hung limp—only a few strings of coppers and silver flakes remained.
Not a single silver ingot in sight.
Xu Huaixian froze.
He vaguely recalled Chen Liejiu mentioning the money this morning.
What had he said?
"The pouch has ledger funds for the bank. I need to return them."
Meaning: All that silver belonged to the bank.
This was their actual savings???