Chapter 12: Want a Wife—Yes, Yes, Yes!

It was rare for him to come to the county town, so ideally, he should have bought more supplies. But buying too much would make traveling back harder and could easily attract attention.

He had originally planned to rent a horse cart or an ox cart to haul more grain back. But in a year of famine like this, standing out alone with such a flashy display was basically inviting disaster.

What if he was robbed right outside the city gate? That would be humiliating.

Though he held a genuine black belt in Taekwondo, this was a cold weapon era—he didn’t dare get cocky. After all, a few more guys could easily pin him to the ground and beat him up.

Call him cowardly if you want, but someone who has died once tends to value their life a lot more. Thanks.

In the end, He Yanxin hunched his back and carried his stuff like an ordinary peasant. From afar, he looked just like your average farmer. That’s how he walked out of the city openly and without suspicion.

Though his recent nutrition intake hadn’t been great, the original host’s body still had plenty of strength. Even carrying nearly 80 jin (about 40 kg), he didn’t feel overly strained.

Once outside the city, he headed toward Anshan Village, relying on memory. The trip would take two hours—about four hours on foot.

Honestly, walking alone at night in ancient times was kind of spooky. It wasn’t like the modern world with streetlights lining the roads.

He used to be pretty brave. But the trauma from his previous near-death experience had seriously tested the limits of what a person could endure.

Thankfully, there was moonlight tonight. Otherwise, he’d have had to light a torch to see the road, and that would’ve been a real pain.

Even if his body had adapted, his mind hadn’t. A road the original host could walk in four hours took He Yanxin five.

In this life—no, in his previous life—he had never walked so far in his entire existence.

Finally, around midnight, He Yanxin reached home and spotted some rocks piled along the courtyard wall.

Something was wrong!

He immediately dropped his load and climbed into the yard using the stones as a foothold.

The memories he’d received were overwhelming—he considered them the original host’s past life. So it took him a second to recall what was supposed to happen tonight.

In the previous timeline, the original host didn’t return until the following evening because he had actually gone to do hard labor.

He only found out afterward that there had been a thief that night. Fortunately, no one was hurt—just a sack of grain from the kitchen was stolen.

Even so, the scare had made him wary. From then on, he avoided going far from home. No matter how late it was, he made sure to return.

The thief, seeing someone had arrived, tried to run. But with the high courtyard wall and the time it took to open the main gate, he was easily caught.

Classic “trapped like a turtle in a jar.”

Once inside the yard, He Yanxin used a simple grappling move to subdue the thief. The guy was truly scrawny—He Yanxin dragged him out effortlessly.

Outside, he gave the thief a few slaps and a stern warning—mostly threats, not real beatings.

It wasn’t because he was softhearted. The main thing was that, in both this life and the last, this person had never hurt anyone. If he hadn’t been starving, who would steal such a small amount of food?

In times like these, what was the point of beating someone so badly they couldn’t get out of bed? That would just ruin their chances of survival.

Later, the eldest son of Aunt Ge from next door came out. Together, they escorted the thief out of the village. Only then did He Yanxin go back to the courtyard wall, pick up his things, and carry them into the house.

Now, facing Aunt Ge—who featured heavily in the original host’s memories—He Yanxin felt nervous for the first time since time-traveling.

He didn’t dare say much. Following past habits, he simply divided some of the food he’d carried back and gave her a portion.

As for the original host’s wife—he didn’t even dare look her in the eye.

He still didn’t know whether his transmigration here was random or if this was somehow a continuation of his past life.

But he wasn’t overly influenced by the strong emotions in the memories. He Yanxin could clearly distinguish who was who.

The body was the original host’s. Even though he had inherited the host’s memories, it didn’t mean he inherited everything else.

Think about it—if the original host found out that someone had taken over his body, his life, and even his wife, how unbearable would that be?

So, no—he couldn’t take the wife.

He needed to talk things over with Madam Song. If she wanted to remarry after learning the truth, he would support her completely.

He would even give her a proper dowry so she could leave with dignity. After all, remarried women in ancient times had it hard.

But what if she didn’t want to remarry?

Right… For a mother, her children came first. Madam Song would never abandon them—especially when their father was no longer around. How could she trust someone else to raise them?

So maybe she would remarry with the children. But where could she find someone willing to take in not just her, but two sons whose father was technically still alive?

Yeah… figuring out what to do about the original host’s wife was genuinely tricky.

Because of the love he witnessed between his parents, He Yanxin had high expectations for a romantic partner.

So, unlike some rich kids who dated around for fun, he had remained single at twenty-one—and his friends never missed a chance to tease him for it.

He firmly believed that when he met the one, he would just know—that special “this is it” feeling.

Maybe that sounded naïve and idealistic. But that’s exactly how his dad had fallen for his mom at first sight, and they’d been sweet ever since.

And didn’t the original host feel the same toward his wife?

In He Yanxin’s inherited memories, from the moment he found that little lady in the mountains and carried her on his back, he’d felt something warm and comforting fill his heart.

It wasn’t lust—he hadn’t even gotten a clear look at her face back then. She’d been a complete mess.

It just went to show—soulmates really do exist.

After five hours of walking, He Yanxin didn’t care whether the floor was comfortable or not. He laid down and fell asleep instantly.

Whatever problems there were—he’d deal with them tomorrow.

—

Outside, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

The eldest son hadn’t woken up yet. The younger one was probably already awake, quietly playing by himself on the bed.

Seeing that Song Yeqing had woken up, he crawled over and pressed half of his little body against her, reaching out to touch her face. Song Yeqing reached out and stroked him back.

It was her third day after transmigrating, and she was adapting well.

But outside… there was still someone unpredictable waiting for her. That was what bothered Song Yeqing. She wasn’t afraid of hardship—what she feared was the unknown.

As usual, she stayed in bed for another half an hour. When the eldest son finally woke up, she dressed both boys.

Then she told the elder brother to take the younger one out to play, put the bedding back into her space, and took out the old bedding from the cupboard to lay it out.

Next door, He Yanxin still hadn’t woken up. Song Yeqing took out her toiletries and used the hot water she had stored in her space yesterday to quickly wash the boys’ faces and brush their teeth.

Once she was done, she stood in the kitchen, troubled.

What should she make for breakfast?

That bag of supplies had been brought home by “He Yanxin”—she couldn’t just use it without asking.

And until she could determine whether he was trustworthy, she couldn’t risk exposing her space. The old He Yanxin might’ve barely been worth negotiating with, but this new one? No thanks.

So…

Should she just gather the brown rice the thief had spilled yesterday and cook that? The rest scattered on the ground could be swept up and fed to the chickens.

—

Meanwhile, in the west wing.

He Chengze was leaning over the bed, watching the man sleeping soundly. He didn’t understand why Daddy hadn’t slept with them.

He’d known Daddy came home last night, but he had been too sleepy and hadn’t gone to greet him right away.

This morning, after searching the house, he found him in the west wing. The door wasn’t locked, so he gave it a hard push and walked right in.

The little guy was still trying to decide whether to wake Daddy up when his younger brother, too excited to hold back, pounced straight onto the bed.

It was a child’s bed—so not very high.

He Yanxin was startled awake.

First thing he saw was a round little head on his chest, babbling away.

What a surprise first thing in the morning!

---

Mini Theater:

Song Yeqing: “But you didn’t fall in love with me at first sight.”

He Yanxin: “Well… I thought you were the original Madam Song.”

Song Yeqing: “Heh.”

—

(End of Chapter)