Chapter 9 – Stir-Fried Chestnuts

In no time, a bowl of spicy rabbit with dried chili and a pot of fish soup were brought to the table.

Ji Jinglan swallowed hard and licked her lips. “Big Sis-in-law, the rabbit and fish soup you made look so good.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and serve the rice already…” Even though Chu Xiaoqi had tasted a bite or two while cooking, she was now so hungry it felt like her stomach was about to stick to her back.

Ji Jinglan quickly grabbed the bowls and dished out rice. The first bowl she handed to Ji Father, the second to Ji Mother.

When she handed the third bowl to Ji Jingxuan, he passed it straight to Chu Xiaoqi. “You worked hard today. You eat first…”

Chu Xiaoqi glanced at him but didn’t refuse. She thanked him, lifted the bowl, and immediately started shoveling rice into her mouth, alternating with bites of food.

Ji Jinglan, after serving herself, also sat down and dug in, praising as she ate, “So good! Seriously, this is so delicious…”

The rest of the Ji family had initially been hesitant and were only eating plain rice, but when they saw how happily Ji Jinglan was eating, they cautiously picked up a piece of rabbit meat. When Chu Xiaoqi didn’t react, they tentatively put it in their mouths.

After that, no one spoke again in the main room. The only sounds were those of people vigorously eating.

Ji Jingze even used the leftover oil and sauce from the rabbit stir-fry to mix with his rice.

Oddly enough, it was Chu Xiaoqi who stopped first. After one bowl of rice and half a bowl of fish soup, she put her chopsticks down.

It wasn’t because she was full—it was because the food wasn’t exactly tasty and she’d lost her appetite.

To be honest, the salt was all coarse, bitter and gritty. No soy sauce, not even fermented bean paste.
Sure, she’d added a few wild herbs she’d picked today to enhance the flavor, but the result was still… difficult to swallow.

“You’re not eating anymore? Here, have mine.” Ji Jingxuan saw her stop after just one bowl and assumed she was trying to conserve food, so he offered her his bowl.

Chu Xiaoqi pushed it back. “I’m full…”

Ji Jingxuan was puzzled. Normally, she ate the most when there was food. Now she was full after just a bit?

After dinner, Chu Xiaoqi collapsed into a bamboo recliner, reached up to touch her hair—still matted with mud. She looked down at her dirt-smeared clothes and almost gagged from how filthy she looked.

She got up to go boil some water. In the kitchen, Ji Mother and Ji Jinglan were washing dishes and cleaning up.

“Big Sis-in-law, what are you doing in the kitchen?” Ji Jinglan stood in the doorway holding a stack of clean bowls.

“I want to heat some water to wash up. I fell earlier and got covered in mud.”

“You go rest. I’ll do it for you. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Chu Xiaoqi didn’t argue. She turned around and went back to the yard, lying down on the rickety rocking chair, staring up at the sky full of stars in a daze.

She had no idea how she ended up in this world—or whether she could ever go back.

When she’d read the novel, it was just labeled a “fictional historical setting.” There were no clear indications of which dynasty it resembled, and no detailed laws or policies were ever explained.

As for the original owner of this body, the book barely mentioned anything—just that she was a doomed cannon fodder.

And now she had all these martial arts skills etched into her bones—what if the original Chu Xiaoqi had been a criminal on the run or something? What if someday she got randomly arrested for crimes she never even committed? That’d be game over.

But regardless of all that, priority number one was survival.

She didn’t believe those rumors about “dying to return to the real world.” What if that didn’t work? Wouldn’t that just be dying for nothing?

Inside, Ji Jingxuan sat at his desk, reading. He glanced out the window and saw Chu Xiaoqi lying on the rocking chair under the stars, and a strange feeling of peace and warmth welled up in his chest.

He quickly shook his head, snapping himself out of it—no time for those kinds of thoughts.

He and Chu Xiaoqi were going to separate sooner or later. No use getting sentimental. He needed to focus on his studies.

“Big sis-in-law, the water’s ready!” Ji Jinglan leaned against the kitchen doorframe and shouted toward the yard.

Chu Xiaoqi got up and headed to the kitchen. As soon as she entered, she smelled the faint fragrance of soap pods (soapberry) and turned to ask,
“Xiaolan, where did the soap pods come from?”

“Mom took them out. She said they were originally saved for me to use on my wedding day.”

“Are they expensive?”

“Probably. I’ve seen the girls in the village use soap pods to bathe and wash their hair before getting married.”

“What do you usually use to wash your hair then?”

Ji Jinglan tilted her head in curiosity. “Wood ash, of course! Sis-in-law, don’t tell me you forgot even that?”

Chu Xiaoqi replied with an awkward expression, “Didn’t I say I fell this morning and forgot a lot of things?”

Ji Jinglan seemed like she wanted to keep asking, but Chu Xiaoqi pushed her gently out the door. “Alright, alright, go get me a clean set of clothes. I’m going to wash up.”

Ji Jinglan bounced off to get a fresh set of clothes from Chu Xiaoqi’s room and brought them to the kitchen.

After changing into clean clothes, Chu Xiaoqi returned to her room and grabbed a dry towel to wipe her hair.

Ji Jingxuan had already rinsed off with cold water in the yard and was now tidying up his straw bedding opposite the kang (heated brick bed).

Chu Xiaoqi paused and sat on the kang, watching him as she casually said,
“Summer’s ending, the weather’s getting cooler. It’s cold sleeping on the floor—come sleep on the kang.”

Ji Jingxuan froze for a second, not turning around. “No need…”

“If you don’t want to miss the Autumn Imperial Exam because you got sick, then sleep on the kang.”

Ji Jingxuan thought for a moment. She made a valid point. The autumn exam was crucial for him—his entire family’s future rested on whether he could pass and become a scholar.
If he succeeded, he’d be eligible for the national exams and the path to officialdom.

He pursed his lips, picked his pillow up from the straw pile, and placed it on the kang. Then he stood there awkwardly, unsure how to behave naturally.

Ever since they got married, he and Chu Xiaoqi had never once shared a bed. If their house hadn’t been short on rooms, Chu Xiaoqi wouldn’t have even let him stay in this one—she would’ve kicked him out long ago.

Now that she was the one inviting him to sleep on the kang, he didn’t quite know what to do.

Chu Xiaoqi lay down and lifted the quilt, patting the spot beside her. “It’s late. Go to sleep.”

Ji Jingxuan was a bit stunned. He hadn’t expected her to offer to share her quilt—this really was a first.

“What, something wrong?”

Ji Jingxuan shook his head, blew out the oil lamp, and climbed stiffly onto the kang. He lifted just a corner of the quilt to cover his stomach.

Chu Xiaoqi was exhausted from the day and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Listening to her steady breathing, Ji Jingxuan turned his head slightly to look at her, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

What kind of person was this girl originally?

Was this current version of her the real Chu Xiaoqi?

He drifted off while pondering.

But not long after falling asleep, Ji Jingxuan suddenly felt like something hot and heavy was pressing down on him, almost suffocating him.

He slowly woke up to find Chu Xiaoqi sprawled on top of him like an octopus.

“Xiaoqi… Xiaoqi…”

He called her softly twice, and when she didn’t respond, he gently shook her.

The more he shook, the tighter she clung to him. Eventually, he gave up and let her be.

If he woke her up and annoyed her, she might hit him again.

So instead, he pulled the quilt up to cover her and quietly went back to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Chu Xiaoqi suddenly sat up from Ji Jingxuan’s embrace.

Ji Jingxuan was woken by her sudden movement and sleepily asked, “The rooster hasn’t even crowed yet, why are you getting up?”

“What time is it now?”

He rubbed his eyes and glanced out the window into the darkness. “Should be the fifth watch by now.”

“Fifth watch? That means it’s almost dawn…” Before Ji Jingxuan could even fully register what was happening, Chu Xiaoqi had already dressed quickly, jumped off the kang, and left the room with a kerosene lamp.

Hearing the door creak open and the kitchen stir to life, Ji Jingxuan also got up and followed after getting dressed.

Just as he stepped into the kitchen, he bumped right into Chu Xiaoqi, who was carrying a bucket out.

“It’s not even light out—what are you doing?”

“Roasting chestnuts,” she said, handing the bucket to him. “Go fetch a bucket of the river sand Little Ze carried back yesterday.” Without waiting for his response, she walked out to the back of the house to gather chestnuts.

Hearing the sounds from the kitchen, Ji’s parents also dressed and came out to check.

“Xuan’er, it’s not even dawn yet. What are you two up to in the kitchen?” Ji Mother asked weakly, wrapped in a coat as she stood at the kitchen door.

“Xiaoqi said she’s roasting chestnuts.” Ji Jingxuan poured half a bucket of sand into the large iron wok.

“With river sand?” Ji Father asked curiously, looking into the wok.

Ji Jingxuan shrugged. “Seems like it.”

Chu Xiaoqi returned carrying a basket of chestnuts and dumped them into the wok. She lit the firewood and began stirring the mix with a clean iron shovel.

At first, she could flip the mix just fine, but before long it became more difficult and tiring to stir.

Ji Jingxuan came over and took the shovel from her hands. “I’ll do it. You take a break.”

Chu Xiaoqi nodded. “Then keep stirring—I’m going to get the honey.”

When she came back, Ji Father had taken over the stirring.

Seeing the timing was right, Chu Xiaoqi poured in a ladle of honey she had thinned out. As soon as it hit the hot pan, a rich caramelized aroma spread through the kitchen.

As the first batch of chestnuts came out of the wok, not even fully cooled yet, Ji Jingze and Ji Jinglan followed their noses into the kitchen.

“What’s that smell? It’s amazing!” Ji Jingze burst in boisterously.

“You rascal! Nowhere to be found when there’s work to do, but the moment there’s food—bam, you’re here.” Ji Father smacked the back of his head with a firm slap.

“Big sis-in-law, are these the chestnuts we picked yesterday?” Ji Jinglan squatted by the basket, drooling at the sweet aroma.

Chu Xiaoqi pulled off the towel from her shoulder to wipe sweat from her brow and nodded. “Yep. Peel one and try it—careful, they’re still hot.”

Ji Jinglan beamed, picked the smallest one, peeled it, and popped it into her mouth.

“Mm… It’s soft and sticky—it’s so good!”

“Big sis-in-law, I want one too!” Ji Jingze was practically drooling.

“Don’t just stand there—everyone try some.” Chu Xiaoqi grabbed a few, peeled one, and popped it right into Ji Jingxuan’s mouth before eating one herself.

She didn’t realize how suggestive her gesture was—but Ji Jingxuan’s face instantly turned crimson.

Doing that in front of the elders was more than a little embarrassing for him.

After resting for a bit, Chu Xiaoqi roasted the rest of the raw chestnuts in another batch, poured them out, then lined the bottom of a basket with old clothes and filled it with chestnuts.

“That’s a lot of chestnuts—it’ll last us for days, right?” Ji Mother looked at the full basket, grinning ear to ear. With this much, at least they wouldn’t go hungry for a while.

Chu Xiaoqi shook her head. “I’m taking them to the county to sell.”