Chapter 24

With a slight dip of his wrist and a subtle movement of his fingers, the knife twirled effortlessly in Nian Qi’s palm before he gripped it firmly. In just a few swift strokes, an eggplant was perfectly sliced. Nian Qi paused to listen, it seemed that Ruan Qing had gone to take a shower. The weather outside was indeed scorching hot, and just a short walk in a place without air conditioning would leave anyone drenched in sweat. And with bathing being so convenient here, who wouldn’t want to take a daily cool shower?

Nian Qi let out a breath and picked up another eggplant. Meanwhile, Ruan Qing was showering while cursing this outdated feudal mindset. It was perfectly natural for two attractive, single adults to spark some chemistry, wasn’t it? Nian Qi had the looks and abs to match, and he’d mentioned himself that back in his time, he had no parents, wife, or children—he was completely unattached. Ruan Qing was confident about her own attractiveness too. Even Zhao Hao, that handsome young guy, was immediately taken by her the first time they met, and they quickly hit it off.

Both of them were single adults, so there wasn’t any moral issue involved. But this ancient man—he wouldn’t even glance at her twice when passing by. How could he be so conservative? If he were a modern man who understood the rules of the game, she wouldn’t mind dressing a bit more provocatively to tempt him. But he was from ancient times. His era corresponded to the Song Dynasty here, but on a different timeline. Who knew what kind of social atmosphere his Da Mu Dynasty had—was it open like the Tang or conservative like the Ming and Qing?

Overall, compared to modern times, ancient societies were still generally more conservative, right? So, making the first move might not be a good idea. She didn’t want to scare him off, only to have him angrily chastise her as a “loose woman” and avoid her. Ancient men definitely wouldn’t understand a woman’s freedom and right to pursue happiness.

Then again, Ruan Qing thought, men with abs were everywhere. Gyms were full of muscular guys eager to chat her up. But a real-life ancient man who had time-traveled? That was a rare find—once-in-a-lifetime, maybe even once-in-several-lifetimes. If she missed this chance, it would be gone. As she dried her hair, Ruan Qing made up her mind, she would dial down her boldness a bit around Nian Qi to avoid frightening him. If he ran off to someone else, that would be a disaster. There were plenty of time-travel enthusiasts like her who would eagerly take in an ancient man, especially one this attractive. It was like a novel coming to life.

Yes, Ruan Qing, you need to show some restraint. Put those worldly desires aside for now!

When she pushed open the bathroom door, she found Nian Qi setting dishes on the dining table.

Ruan Qing was stunned. “You’re done already?” When she had gone to shower, the kitchen was spotless, and nothing had even been started. Admittedly, she did take a bit longer, considering she also applied body scrub and shower gel, but it still shouldn’t have been enough time to finish cooking an entire meal. Just prepping the ingredients alone would have taken a while! That’s why she preferred ordering takeout instead of cooking.

What Ruan Qing didn’t realize was that what seemed to her like the most time-consuming part of cooking—preparing the ingredients—was actually the quickest step for Nian Qi. Since he couldn’t shorten the stir-frying time without undercooking the food, the real skill lay in his knife work. Whether slicing vegetables or meat, in Nian Qi’s hands, it was just a matter of swish, swish, swish—done!

Nian Qi said, “I haven’t figured out how to use that soup pot yet, and we don’t have the right ingredients for making soup at home. Let’s make it tomorrow. Today, we’ll make do.”

For two people, there were three dishes—two hot and one cold. This wasn’t exactly “making do” by any standard.

“Have you made dishes like this before?” Ruan Qing asked in surprise. The food looked appealing, and the aroma was mouthwatering.

“No, before, I only cooked simple barbecues or stews outdoors. I’ve never done stir-frying before,” Nian Qi replied. In places where there were stoves and pots, it usually meant there were people nearby, which also meant he could pay for a meal and didn’t need to cook himself. Nian Qi was more used to cooking in the wild. He added, “I learned all this from Auntie Niu. Want to give it a try?”

Ruan Qing picked up a piece of eggplant and put it in her mouth. Instantly the rich flavor of the oil filled her mouth, stimulating every taste bud.

“Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!” She expressed her appreciation with three delighted hums. After swallowing, she said, “Eggplant really needs to be braised! It absorbs oil so well, and braised eggplant tastes a hundred times better than stir-fried.”

There was also something intriguing about how even when cooking the same dish, homemade braised eggplant tasted different from what she got at restaurants. Homemade was just special, somehow.

“Wow, I haven’t had such a delicious homemade braised eggplant in so long!” Ruan Qing exclaimed with satisfaction, then began to grumble. “Last time I went home, I asked my mom to make it for me, but we ended up arguing, and she refused to cook. She asked the housekeeper to do it, but it didn’t taste as good as when my mom makes it herself. It annoyed me so much that I ended up going to a restaurant, but it just wasn’t the same…”

Nian Qi’s chopsticks paused slightly, and he asked, “Your father and mother…”

Ruan Qing waved her hand. “Hey, hey, hey! No need for formal language. Just say ‘your parents’ or ‘your mom and dad.’ Nowadays, formal language is only used in very formal situations or in writing.”

Nian Qi quickly adapted, “Are your parents also in Jiangcheng?”

“No, they’re back in our hometown,” Ruan Qing replied. “I’m here in Jiangcheng on my own.”

Nian Qi gradually began to probe further. “Do you have any siblings?”

Ruan Qing shook her head. “I’m an only child.” She emphasized, “People around my age are mostly only children. Back then, the country had a one-child policy, allowing each couple to have just one child. My parents worked for the government, so they didn’t dare to break the rule. Later, when they quit their jobs and started a small business, they were too busy to have another child. So, I’m an only child.”

Nian Qi was taken aback. “How could having children be restricted?”

“Because there were just too many people,” Ruan Qing explained. “Back then, there was a population explosion, so the government implemented this policy for several decades. Now, the birth rate has plummeted, and the whole society is aging rapidly, so they finally relaxed the rule to allow two children, and now they even encourage having three.”

She clicked her tongue and informed Nian Qi, “Now, the population of the entire country is sixteen billion.”

Nian Qi was shocked. “How could there possibly be so many people?”

“It’s simple,” Ruan Qing said. “First, there’s no war, and second, there’s enough food to eat. When people aren’t starving, they’ll keep having children. In twenty or thirty years, the population can explode.”

Nian Qi reflected for a moment and concluded, “It’s still a time of prosperity.”

Ruan Qing asked, “How is your Da Mu Dynasty? If it’s not a particularly short-lived dynasty and has been around for over a hundred years, it should be at its peak of prosperity, right?”

Nian Qi replied, “I used to think Da Mu was prosperous, but coming here, I’ve realized what true prosperity looks like.”

The road outside buzzed with the roar of cars, while the mall was packed with bustling crowds, and shelves were stocked with goods. As they talked, Ruan Qing suddenly got up and opened the fridge. There were two refrigerators in the house, a smaller, single-door one in the kitchen for storing vegetables and meat, which was mostly empty, and a larger, double-door fridge placed between the living room and dining area, filled with drinks, snacks, and fruit, almost full.

Nian Qi thought she was going to grab a soda, but instead, she took out a different can and handed it to him. “Try this.”

“What is it?” Nian Qi expertly popped open the can and took a sip. After tasting it, he was surprised. “Is this alcohol?”

Ruan Qing smiled. “How is it?”

Nian Qi took another sip. “The taste is a bit strange.” But after a few more gulps, he started to feel a buzz. “It’s got quite a kick!” he remarked, surprised.

Ruan Qing chuckled. “You think that’s strong? Have you ever tried baijiu?”

“Baijiu? What kind of alcohol is that?” Nian Qi asked.

It seemed he hadn’t. Perhaps distilled spirits hadn’t existed in the Da Mu Dynasty. The alcohol Nian Qi was familiar with was likely the cloudy, low-alcohol drinks common in ancient times—more like a beverage than liquor, the kind one could drink several liters of without much effect. Those typically had an alcohol content below 10%, often not exceeding 15%.

“This is beer,” Ruan Qing said as she continued eating. “The alcohol content is very low, just around 11 or 12 percent. Baijiu is a strong liquor, with some varieties reaching 60 or 70 percent.”

One of the wonders of Chinese characters is that even an unfamiliar term can be understood by deciphering the meaning of the individual characters. Nian Qi roughly grasped what Ruan Qing was saying. Basically, everything in the modern world was stronger than in ancient times, even the alcohol.

With one can of beer, Nian Qi was already feeling tipsy. Back in the day, it would have taken over a dozen bowls of the ancient drinks for him to reach this light buzz. Yet here, a single can of beer had done the trick.

Ruan Qing laughed. “You really can’t hold your liquor.”

Though she didn’t drink much, one can of beer was nothing to her, after all, it was just beer. Teasing, she said, “If you drank with my dad, you’d probably be out cold for three days.”

Nian Qi felt a spark of curiosity. “Your father… is he a heavy drinker?”

“Of course. When he was younger, he was a civil servant,” Ruan Qing said. “Back in his day, the drinking culture was even more intense than it is now. If you worked in government, you had to be able to drink endlessly. Even after he left that job and started his own small business, it was the same, drinking until you dropped. That’s why his liver isn’t in great shape. My mom is constantly worried about it. Our house has a cabinet full of liver protection and health supplements.”

As they chatted, Nian Qi started to get a clearer picture of Ruan Qing’s family background. He shook the empty can and glanced at the fridge. “Is there more?”

Ruan Qing laughed. “Getting hooked, are we? Yeah, there’s plenty. Zhao Hao bought them. You guys really can’t resist beer, can you?”

In this cozy room, with delicious food, just the two of them sharing a moment, it would have been perfect—if only Zhao Hao’s name hadn’t come up. Nian Qi had never paid much attention to Zhao Hao’s name or existence, even after learning that he was Ruan Qing’s lover. But ever since the thought “I need to marry her” had crossed his mind the previous night, hearing Zhao Hao’s name unexpectedly made him care.

Though there was a slight discomfort in his heart, he still stood up and grabbed another can of beer. Who would’ve thought he’d ever be mocked by a woman for “not being able to hold his liquor,” when his drinking capacity was actually considered decent? It was just that this beer packed a punch.

Besides, if Ruan Qing’s father was a heavy drinker, there was no way they’d meet without drinking. Thinking of the future, Nian Qi figured he should start building up his alcohol tolerance now.