Su He looked out into the courtyard.
Wang Guixiang was cleaning up in the kitchen, still muttering about how there wasn’t enough firewood. Xiao Jun was carrying a bamboo basket to dump dirt in the corner of the yard, while Xiao Yue squatted by the well washing dishes. The girl’s movements were quick and agile; she was clearly well-accustomed to these chores.
Each member of the family kept busy with their own tasks, without any arguing or complaining. Though life was hard, it carried a grounded, comforting sense of domestic life.
Su He had seen too many people in the apocalypse turn on each other for half a piece of dry bread, or stab someone in the back just to survive. She had even witnessed relatives becoming enemies and companions slaughtering one another.
In comparison, the Xiao family was a bit poor, but their hearts weren’t bad. Her mother-in-law spoke harshly but had a soft heart, being both protective and straightforward. Her brother-in-law and sister-in-law were sensible and hardworking, showing none of those sharp, calculating, petty thoughts.
As for Xiao Zheng…
Though he didn’t say much and was a bit rough around the edges, he looked like a man who could hold things together when trouble hit. In these chaotic times at the border, having a family like this was actually a very rare and excellent starting point.
Su He looked down at the clothes in her hands, a very faint smile gracing the corners of her lips. It didn’t matter if they were a bit poor, as long as everyone worked together. They could slowly build a good life!
What’s more, she knew how to grow grain.
The crackling sound of firewood soon echoed through the courtyard again.
Wang Guixiang stoked the fire in the stove until it was roaring again, then poured two buckets of well water into the iron pot.
Although affected by the drought to the north, and despite the fact that it hadn’t rained at the border for a long time, the Military Household Village fortunately still had an old well that currently secured their daily water use. However, no one dared to be wasteful or extravagant; they saved whenever they could in their daily lives.
Once the water boiled, she used a gourd ladle to test the temperature before calling out into the yard.
“Eldest!”
Xiao Zheng walked out from under the eaves.
“Take the water to your room so the girl can wash up and change her clothes.”
Wang Guixiang pointed to the wooden bucket beside her, then added another line.
“For the next couple of days, you go sleep in your brother’s room.”
Hearing this, Xiao Zheng froze slightly.
Wang Guixiang rolled her eyes at him, exasperated by his blockheadedness.
“What are you standing there for? The two of you haven’t gone through any proper marriage rites yet. Don’t tell me you expect to sleep in the same room right now?”
Their house only had three rooms. She and Yue’er shared one, while the two brothers each had their own. Now that there was an extra person, they could only let the new daughter-in-law stay in the eldest son’s room first, while the two brothers shared a room.
“Alright.”
Xiao Zheng nodded; he never made a fuss over these matters.
A full bucket of hot water seemed to carry no weight at all in Xiao Zheng’s hand. He strode into his room.
The room wasn’t large, containing a dirt kang bed, a wooden table, and a few simple belongings. This was the place he had lived in for over a decade.
But today was different. Shortly, a woman would be moving in, and she would even be bathing and washing up in this very room. At this thought, Xiao Zheng’s footsteps suddenly faltered, and a wave of inexplicable awkwardness rose in his chest.
He set the water bucket down in the corner of the room. As the heat slowly drifted upward, a faint layer of mist filled the air. For some unknown reason, images involuntarily flashed through his mind, causing the tips of his ears to burn instantly.
Only now did he fully and belatedly realize one fact.
He, Xiao Zheng, had a wife!!
Just as he was thinking, Su He walked in cradling the clothes.
The moment their eyes met, Xiao Zheng suddenly didn’t know where to look. He cleared his throat, his tone a bit rigid.
“The water… is poured. You can wash up here.”
After saying that, as if suddenly remembering something, he added another line.
“You’ll rest in this room for the next two days. I’ll go sleep over at Ah Jun’s place.”
Hearing this, Su He nodded. “Alright.”
She answered crisply and directly, without any confusion or objection, which left Xiao Zheng at a temporary loss for words.
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Su He glanced at him and suddenly spoke.
“You don’t need to be so formal. We are husband and wife, and this relationship is already a fact. It’s best for both of us to adapt to each other’s presence as quickly as possible.”
She hoped to blend into the life here and integrate into this household quickly, so she naturally hoped they could also accept her as soon as possible instead of always being as reserved, overly polite, or guarded as an outsider.
That wouldn’t be good for building a relationship or living together harmoniously.
Just now, she had sorted through the original owner’s memories again. The laws and customs of this world were quite similar to the Ming Dynasty of her previous world.
When a criminal slave like her was assigned as a wife to a military household, it was called a Qianqi (assigned wife). It was essentially an official, forced marriage designed to stabilize military households, produce future soldiers, and punish corrupt officials.
The woman had absolutely no say in the matter.
In other words, once the marriage was established, the woman joined the military registry and had to follow the army for life. As an assigned wife, she had no right to request a divorce.
The husband, however, did have the right to divorce her!
Granted, there were certain restrictions on divorcing a wife, but since their primary purpose was to ‘stabilize the source of soldiers,’ the government naturally favored the interests of the military households.
More importantly, a military divorce did not mean being freed from slavery.
If she were divorced, or if her husband died, her situation would become even grimmer.
She would either be sent back to the official bureau of her original registry, sold and reassigned to another military household by the garrison, or reduced to a camp prostitute.
Since she couldn’t change the marriage itself, she definitely needed to maximize her rights and security within reasonable limits.
If they could live together peacefully and amicably, she was willing to put in the time and effort to manage this marriage and make her own life more comfortable.
“….”
Xiao Zheng was slightly stunned. He hadn’t expected her to say such things.
He froze for a few seconds, looking at the thin young maid in front of him, suddenly finding her quite intriguing.
This girl spoke more directly and bluntly than the men in the military camp, holding nothing back and saving him from having to guess her intentions.
This kind of personality was exactly to his liking!
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m just a bit unused to it.”
Faced with her honesty, Xiao Zheng scratched the back of his head, choosing not to beat around the bush either.
Hearing this, Su He raised an eyebrow and teased, “Unused to having a wife?”
“Yeah.”
Xiao Zheng fell silent for a moment, then nodded very seriously, admitting candidly, “I never considered it before.”
“I hadn’t thought about it either,” Su He said with a faint smile. After all, under the survival conditions of the apocalypse, marriage was a pointless luxury.
The two couldn’t help but look at each other.
The atmosphere in the room softened slightly.
Xiao Zheng glanced at her again.
His eyes inadvertently landed on the light pink outfit cradled in her arms.
“Those clothes… look nice.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he froze, seemingly surprised by his own sudden outburst.
Su He was also briefly taken aback. She looked down at the clothes in her hands.
Then she looked up at him and said naturally, “I’ll try them on for you in a bit, then.”
“….” The tips of Xiao Zheng’s ears grew hotter.
The next second.
This Company Commander, who didn’t even blink when killing enemies on the battlefield, turned around and walked out, his stride even faster than usual.
Xiao Jun’s voice quickly echoed from the courtyard.
“Brother? Where are you going in such a rush?!”
Xiao Zheng cleared his throat. “Mind your own business! Why do you ask so many questions?”
Inside the room.
Watching his hurried departure, Su He couldn’t help but curl her lips into a slight smile.
She looked down at the light pink bridal attire in her hands.
Suddenly, she felt that this family might be a bit more interesting than she had imagined.
Su He gently closed the door.
Faint white steam was still rising from the hot water in the wooden bucket.
She walked over to the bucket, washed her face first, and then caught her reflection in the water.
Though it wasn’t as clear or bright as a mirror, she could tell that this face was seventy to eighty percent similar to her original appearance.
However, the original owner’s features and aura were softer, whereas hers were more cold, sharp, and resilient.
“What a coincidence,” Su He couldn’t help but muse. Not only did she share the same name as the original owner, but even their looks were so alike.
She smiled to herself, thinking that perhaps this was her past life.
She didn’t dwell on it any further. Right now, she was the Su He from the apocalypse, and this was a life she would control!