My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 12: The Cat’s Food

“What happens if we can’t solve the identity card issue?”

Jiang He handed a crumpled piece of paper to Xu Qing, asking her question.

“Then you’ll be a ‘black household,’ unable to do anything.” Xu Qing replied offhandedly.

Seeing Jiang He standing there motionless, he thought for a moment before explaining further, “Without an ID, you can’t enjoy any basic rights. Living expenses depend on money, and except for some shady factories, almost every job requires an ID. That’s the first issue: you won’t be able to find work to support yourself.”

“Second, you won’t have your own place and can’t even rent anywhere. Whether it’s a hotel—oh, like an inn—or any other place, they’ll need an ID.”

“And forget about long-distance travel. No trains, no high-speed rail, not even long-distance buses. There aren’t any horses here, so if you want to travel far, you’ll need a vehicle.”

“Third, if there’s any legal dispute, you can’t... Well, never mind. It’s complicated. Basically, if anything happens, the authorities won’t step in since you can’t legally file a complaint without an identity.”

For Jiang He, most of Xu Qing’s points didn’t seem like real issues—at least for now. In her view, it only affected living arrangements and earning money.

“No, there’s a lot more you wouldn’t be able to do.” Xu Qing shook his head.

“From small things like getting a phone, online accounts, or a bank card, to major life events like marriage, having kids, and registering them—all of that requires an ID. If you don’t have one, these things are totally out of reach.”

If someone only wants to survive without ties or responsibilities, an ID might not matter. But once she familiarizes herself with this world, it’ll be essential for living a normal life.

“You couldn’t have come twenty years earlier, could you? These days, getting registered went from ‘easy mode’ to ‘hell mode.’” Xu Qing grumbled, standing to get his laptop, searching online for solutions to the ‘black household’ issue.

Decades of improved registration systems have left few loopholes, making it almost impossible for someone to legally exist without records.

“Or you could try seeking help from this world’s authorities. You might get good treatment, but you could also lose your freedom.”

Xu Qing threw out the idea casually. “Since this situation is so unusual, I don’t know what could happen. I think you’d probably be treated well, but who knows—it might not be as simple as that, and you’d struggle to live a normal life.”

“You’re going to turn me in to the authorities?”

“No, it’s just... Never mind. Go study. Learn some history or something. Once you understand this world, you can decide for yourself.”

Jiang He pressed her lips together, pausing before saying, “...Am I causing trouble by staying here?”

“It’s fine. Just don’t start any fights or make a scene, and everything’s okay.”

Xu Qing clicked his mouse, while Winter Melon jumped up onto the desk, nudging Xu Qing’s arm with its head, meowing.

“Oops, I totally forgot to feed you…”

He stroked the cat’s back, picked up the chubby Winter Melon, and took out some cat food to pour into its bowl.

“If there’s nothing else, get back to studying.”

“Alright.”

Without another word, Jiang He glanced at him deeply, then turned and went back to her room.

---

As night deepened, Xu Qing stretched out on the couch around ten, wiggling the mouse to turn off his computer. His search hadn’t yielded much, with most of the answers being old or irrelevant.

Leaning back, he thought for a moment before grabbing his phone and opening WeChat to message a friend.

His old buddy, Qin Hao, now a community officer—hopefully past his probation.

Qin Hao responded quickly, and after some casual chat, Xu Qing decided not to mention his problem directly. Instead, he arranged a barbecue meet-up for the weekend.

Since his friend worked in the public sector, he’d probably know something… hopefully.

After wrapping everything up, Xu Qing went to the bathroom, ready to shower. Realizing he wasn’t alone in the house anymore, he went back to his room to grab pajamas before coming out again, looking at Jiang He’s door. He hesitated but decided against telling her to bathe; people from the past would have their own habits, especially since he hadn’t bought her any sleepwear yet.

One day in, one day out. Skipping a shower wasn’t a big deal.

He finished bathing, added some water to Winter Melon’s bowl, turned off the living room lights, and went back to his room to sleep.

Not long after, the door to Jiang He’s room opened a crack. Peeking out to check, she scurried quietly to the bathroom, carrying a change of clothes.

---

For the next two days, Jiang He barely left the apartment. During the day, she studied two history books with some effort; in the evening, she’d go for a walk with Xu Qing around the neighborhood, strengthening her understanding, and then they’d grab dinner at a small restaurant.

By Saturday, a handwriting tablet Xu Qing had ordered from Taobao had arrived. He connected it to his computer, and it could recognize handwritten traditional characters and accurately transcribe audio. He began teaching Jiang He how to use the computer.

He’d also been busy downloading a ton of history videos for her to watch during her free time.

“What’s that?”

In the afternoon, as Jiang He sat by the computer, she grew tired of watching videos and curiously looked at the cat food bag in Xu Qing’s hand.

She’d seen him feed the cat multiple times, but the little pellets didn’t look edible.

“Cat food,” Xu Qing replied.

“Cat food?”

“It’s food made specifically for cats.”

“You guys make food for cats?” Jiang He stared at the chubby cat, her worldview shifting once again.

“…”

Xu Qing sighed. “It’s not what you think. It’s manufactured, not grown… No one actually grows crops for cats.”

Knock, knock.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Jiang He, no longer as guarded as when she’d first arrived, watched Xu Qing open the door and thank the delivery guy before closing it.

“I have something to do tonight. I’m meeting a friend to ask about your identity problem. You stay here and behave. If anything happens…” Xu Qing placed the delivery food on the table, adding, “I’ll teach you how to use the computer to contact me. Don’t go wandering around.”

“Got it.”

Jiang He nodded, unwrapping a burger and taking a bite. The odd food tasted pretty good, and she found she liked it.

“But why is cat food made like that… Can’t the cat eat this?” Jiang He still couldn’t wrap her head around the idea. Was feeding cats specially-made food an example of extravagance?

“It’s unhealthy.” Xu Qing said offhandedly.

“…”

Jiang He stopped chewing.

The burger suddenly didn’t taste as good.

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