Chapter 129: Cars Become Beads
As Jiang He pondered when to show Xu Qing her skills, she caught his gaze and was immediately so angry that her lips trembled.
"You want to touch it!"
"Yes, I do."
"You really want to..." Jiang He trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly freezing.
???
"Just cook already; I’m starving!" Xu Qing clutched his chest dramatically, patting himself since he couldn’t touch anything else.
Putting away his pen and leaning back in his chair, he scratched his chin, feeling a bit lost about Jiang He’s career prospects.
Does it even matter what she does?
To Jiang He, it didn’t matter much. As long as she could earn money honestly, even hauling bricks at a construction site would make her happy—the pay there was high. With her strength, she could earn ten times more than typing away at a keyboard.But was he okay with that? Not at all.
Xu Wenbin had the same view…
When Jiang He finished cooking, Xu Qing was still deep in thought, sitting in the chair.
"Dinner’s ready."
She helped serve the meal and called out. Watching Xu Qing pick up his chopsticks to start eating, she couldn’t hold back any longer. “Wash your hands.”
"I didn’t even go out..." he grumbled.
"Even if you didn’t, it’s still necessary."
"Did you all wash your hands all the time back then?" Xu Qing got up reluctantly.
"Nope."
In those days, Jiang He rarely washed her hands, as the conditions didn’t allow for it. But here, she had developed the habit, maybe because it was so convenient now. Transitioning from the sparse resources of Kaiyuan to the modern world, she even picked up a slight obsession with cleanliness. Washing her hands before eating had become a must—perhaps out of respect for food.
She looked at her clean hands, which had grown softer and paler after regular soaks in warm water compared to their original rough texture when she first arrived.
Ah, the nature of girls…
Xu Qing sighed when he returned after washing his hands.
Lunch was excellent. After selling some gold coins, Jiang He had bought extra groceries. The stir-fried pork slices shimmered enticingly on the table, their aroma wafting through the air.
"Let’s go home for a visit someday; we haven’t been back this month."
"Huh? Oh." Jiang He responded absentmindedly, glancing down at her chest.
Hands, shoes, feet, calves...and chest.
She’d never felt this way before, as if he liked every part of her.
If someone else said such things, she’d have slashed them with her sword ages ago. But...
Jiang He glanced at Xu Qing and stuffed a bite of food into her mouth.
The two of them were entirely innocent…
"Why’s your face red?" Xu Qing asked curiously.
"My face is not red."
Jiang He’s stubborn denial made Xu Qing suspicious. He glanced at her, then at the computer, wondering if she had broken through the 365 Security Guard’s defenses to access something inappropriate.
The internet can be so harmful sometimes.
Something authentic… No, stop that thought!
"I just sorted out some tasks that are easy to learn and do, along with tutorials. I’ll send them to the computer later for you to check out. Pick what you like, or let me know if there’s something else you want to try."
Xu Qing changed the subject, saying, "You must have something you enjoy. As long as it’s not too unreasonable, I won’t stop you and will offer you good advice instead."
"Is it because I’m a modern person now?" Jiang He asked.
"Not quite. It’s mainly because you’ve been here for a long time. After getting familiar with things, you must have your ideas. It’s time to start trying what you want to do."
"Alright, send it to the computer later."
Jiang He had grown increasingly fond of this “treasure” of a computer. It was perhaps the most remarkable invention ever. The first time she saw a weather forecast predicting ten days in advance, she thought it was a miracle. Although after a month of testing, she realized it wasn’t entirely accurate…
After eating, Xu Qing washed the dishes in the kitchen. When he came out, Jiang He was sitting cross-legged on the couch, trimming her toenails.
He shook his head.
"Where’s your sword?"
"My sword’s in the room."
"Is it put away? I’d like to see it."
"You can go get it."
Inside Jiang He’s room, the small storeroom was surprisingly tidy. Previously scattered items were now neatly stacked in a corner and covered with cloth. Along the wall near the window was a bed with a neatly folded quilt and a pillow pressed on top. In the corner stood a new, blade-less sword that Xu Qing had ordered for her on Taobao for practice.
"I mean the one you brought with you."
"Under the bed," Jiang He called from the living room.
Xu Qing crouched down and found the area under the bed spotlessly clean. The sword lay wrapped in a cloth, tucked away quietly.
He took out the sword and unwrapped it, revealing its original appearance. The smooth surface of the hilt was inviting and carried a sense of old familiarity.
"How long have you used this sword? The patina is incredible."
Carrying the sword back to the living room, Xu Qing shooed Winter Melon, the cat, off the couch and sat down next to Jiang He.
"I’ve used it...for many years." Jiang He thought for a moment but couldn’t recall the exact time.
"Since you were a kid?"
"More or less. I took it with me the first time I left home. It’s been broken a few times, but I had it repaired."
Clang!
Xu Qing drew the sword and held his breath as he admired the gleaming blade.
Jiang He wasn’t very old, but this sword clearly had some history. The blade was meticulously maintained, with little dirt in the blood groove, only the natural hue of iron.
The scabbard wasn’t just two wooden slats; it was adorned with floral carvings and looked far more elegant than the sword itself, though it was an awkward fit, producing a loud noise every time the sword was drawn.
"This scabbard—I picked it up."
"Picked up?" Xu Qing questioned the accuracy of that term.
"Yeah...picked it up from someone else."
"Oh~"
Not from the ground, but from someone else.
"What do you want with my sword?" Jiang He asked.
"...Nothing. Just keep it safe."
Xu Qing initially planned to suggest discarding it on their next fishing trip, but seeing the marks of wear and repair on the blade, he hesitated.
It was fine to just leave it there. Unless the two of them got caught killing someone and had their home searched...at that point, the sword wouldn’t make much of a difference.
"If you turned this hilt into beads, it’d probably fetch a good price."
He chuckled, sheathed the sword, re-wrapped it, and tied it back up. Then he glanced at Jiang He, who was busy clipping her toenails on the couch.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Jiang He asked.
"Nothing. Want me to trim your nails?"
"No way!"
Jiang He refused outright and even shifted to sit with her back to him, not trusting him at all.
Xu Qing didn’t tease her further. Holding the sword, he remembered the chilling sensation when Jiang He had once pointed it at him.
That must’ve been killing intent?
He turned to look at Jiang He’s earnest, naive expression as she worked the nail clippers, a stark contrast to her earlier demeanor.
"With a stable life, who would want to fight to the death with others?"
"So nice," he murmured.
"What?" Jiang He turned her head and caught the look in Xu Qing’s eyes, freezing for a moment.
"I feel lucky. I should probably thank...Thank the Buddha, I guess."
Xu Qing smiled, took the sword back to his room, and stuffed it under his bed.
"It’s in my room now. Not like you’ll be using it anyway."
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