Transmigrating into the world of Jade Dynasty, I was targeted by the female lead in a reverse romanc

They settled down in Qilidong.

I rented a two-story wooden house by the stream. Although the house was old and the wood was dark in color, it creaked when I stepped on it, but it was clean. When I opened the window, I could see the stream, the houses on the opposite bank, and the mountains in the distance.

The first floor is the main room, with a table, chairs, and a stove. The second floor is the bedroom, which is not big, with a wooden bed, a table, a cabinet, and a quilt on the bed.

Xiaobai likes this room. She says it's better than an inn; it has a more homely atmosphere.

She bought rice, vegetables, oil, and salt. In the morning, she started a fire to cook. She didn't know how, but she learned quickly. The first time she cooked porridge, it was burnt and turned into a black, mushy pot.

She looked at the pot, frowned, then poured it out and started again. The third time, the porridge was ready—white, thick, and fragrant with rice.

She served a bowl to Jiang Xiaochuan, who took it, took a sip, and drank half the bowl without saying a word.

Xiao Bai's eyes lit up. He filled his own bowl, sat opposite him, and took small sips of his drink. After each sip, he would glance at Xiao Bai with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.

"How's the saltiness?"

Jiang Xiaochuan took another sip and said calmly, "Just right."

"What about the rice? Is it the right texture, soft or firm?"

"Um."

"Where are the vegetables? Aren't they too old?"

Jiang Xiaochuan put down his bowl and looked at her: "What exactly do you want to ask?"

Xiao Bai rested her chin on her hand and said casually, "I wanted to ask... if my little husband is satisfied. It's the first time in three hundred years that I've cooked for someone, and I'm always afraid that I won't do a good job and will make him too thin." She reached out and poked his cheek, "He's not much meat to begin with."

Jiang Xiaochuan grabbed her fidgety fingers and said somewhat flusteredly, "Not thin."

"So...would you like to eat my cooking again tomorrow?"

He remained silent for a moment.

"In no mood."

"real?"

During the day, the two strolled around the village.

Watch the Miao people weave cloth; the threads are self-dyed—blue, red, yellow—as they weave across the wooden loom. Watch the Miao people forge silver; a small stove burns, the silver ingots melt, and they are hammered with small hammers to create patterns, the sound ringing out. Watch the Miao people brew wine; glutinous rice is steamed, mixed with yeast, and sealed in jars, saying it will be ready to drink in a few days.

Xiao Bai was curious about everything and asked about everything. She learned Miao language quickly and could speak a few simple sentences in just a few days. The old woman who sold glutinous rice cakes liked her and would give her an extra piece every time she saw her. She would wrap it in banana leaves and hand it to her while it was still warm. Xiao Bai would take it, smile, and say thank you in Miao language. The old woman would smile, her toothless mouth grinning.

Jiang Xiaochuan was a man of few words. Most of the time, he would just follow along and watch. Sometimes, when Xiaobai was talking to the Miao people, he couldn't understand what they were saying, so he would just stand aside and watch the stream, the mountains, and the sky.

A child ran past him and bumped into him, dropping the windmill he was holding. The child paused, looked at him, and he bent down, picked up the windmill, and handed it back. The child took it, grinned, and ran away.

In the evening, they returned to the wooden house, where Xiaobai cooked. Sometimes it was porridge, sometimes rice, stir-fried wild vegetables, and soup. The vegetables were either bought at the market or picked by herself by the stream; she recognized many kinds of wild vegetables.

Jiang Xiaochuan helped start the fire or fetch water. Once, when he was starting the fire, the smoke was so thick that it made him cough. Xiaobai poked her head out from behind the stove, her face covered in soot, and laughed at him. He wiped his face, and his hand also got a black mark. Xiaobai laughed even harder, her eyes crinkling, which was very pretty.

After dinner, before it was completely dark, they sat on the rocks by the stream and watched the lights on the opposite bank gradually brighten. Most of them were oil lamps, their dim yellow light shining through the windows, forming clusters that reflected in the water like shattered gold flakes.

Sometimes the moon shines, a crescent shape, cold and clear. Its light glistens on the stream, like silver dust sprinkled on it.

Xiao Bai didn't speak, just sat there with his legs bent and his chin resting on his knees. Jiang Xiaochuan also sat, holding a blade of grass in his hand, unconsciously folding it. In the distance, Miao people were singing; the tune was strange, high and low, and the words were indistinct, but it sounded beautiful.

"It's like a dream," Xiaobai suddenly said.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at her.

"Back at the Xuanhuo Altar," Xiaobai said softly, as if afraid of disturbing something, "I often had dreams. I dreamed of the sun, of trees, of people, and when I woke up, it was still ice, chains, and cold." She paused, "Now I'm actually basking in the sun, it feels so good."

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't say anything, and the grass in his hand broke.

Xiaobai turned her head to look at him. In the moonlight, her face was pale and her eyes were bright, as if veiled.

"Jiang Xiaochuan," she called his name softly, "thank you."

Jiang Xiaochuan's throat moved, as if he wanted to say "no need," but he didn't say it.

Xiaobai didn't wait for his reply. She turned back to look at the stream. After a while, she started humming a song. The tune was soft, and the lyrics were in Miao language, which she couldn't understand. As she hummed, her voice lowered, and she fell asleep.

Jiang Xiaochuan sat still. The night breeze carried the dampness of the stream and the smell of cooking smoke from afar. He listened to her even breathing, which was very light and steady.

A month or so later, the Miao people's festival arrived.

The village came alive with activity. Colorful cloths, in red, yellow, blue, and green, were hung at the door of every household. Fires were lit in the open space by the stream, with piles of firewood stacked high to be lit at night. Vendors appeared everywhere, selling food, alcohol, and trinkets. People crowded together, and the noise grew louder and louder.

Xiao Bai pulled Jiang Xiaochuan through the crowd. She wore silver jewelry, which she had bought a few days ago. She had a circle of small silver bells around her head that jingled as she walked, and she was still wearing the same red jade fox necklace on her wrist, which made her skin look even whiter.

She saw a wine stall with large jars of wine, sealed with mud and covered with red paper. Miao men were gathered around, scooping out wine with bamboo tubes, tilting their heads back to drink, wiping their mouths after drinking, and laughing heartily.

Xiao Bai's eyes lit up. She pulled Jiang Xiaochuan over, pointed at the jar, and said something to the stall owner in Miao language. The stall owner, a burly man, glanced at her, then at Jiang Xiaochuan, grinned, said something, and handed her a bamboo tube.

Xiao Bai took it, smelled it, and noticed the strong smell of alcohol. Undeterred, she tilted her head back, took a sip, swallowed, her face not turning red, but her eyes shining even brighter. She gave the stall owner a thumbs up and said something.

The stall owner laughed and handed over another tube.

Jiang Xiaochuan frowned and pulled her aside, saying, "Drink less."

Xiao Bai smiled and handed him the bamboo tube: "Try it, it's sweet."

Jiang Xiaochuan took it, sipped it, and found the liquor strong and spicy, but with a sweet aftertaste and fruity aroma. He took another sip.

Xiao Bai had already started talking to the stall owner, gesturing and laughing loudly. Miao men gathered around, and someone offered her wine. She accepted it, drank it without refusing, and after finishing, she handed it back, laughing and joking. The men, seeing her straightforwardness, all laughed and offered her more.

Jiang Xiaochuan stood aside, watching her. Her face gradually flushed red, and her eyes sparkled in the firelight. She laughed, clinked bamboo tubes with the men, tilted her head back to drink, her throat and neck moving smoothly, and her silver ornaments jingling.

A man who had drunk too much reached out to put his arm around her shoulder, but she turned her body and nimbly dodged him. Her elbow seemed to bump into him unintentionally, and the man staggered back two steps. She smiled and offered him another drink, which he also smiled, took, and did not make any further moves.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at it, gripping the bamboo tube tightly in his hand.

More and more people gathered around. Xiaobai had already drunk countless cups of liquor, her face flushed even more, but her eyes were clear and her steps were steady. Some men were not convinced and wanted to have a drinking contest with her. They brought over large bowls, filled them to the brim, and Xiaobai was not afraid. She took them and drank bowl after bowl. Cheers and shouts in Miao language filled the air, making it lively.

The Miao man, with a thick lisp, said in broken Mandarin, "Girl, you have a good capacity for alcohol. Are you married yet? I... I have three cows!"

Xiao Bai laughed and drank the wine in her bowl in one gulp, saying, "Keep the cow for calves, I'm already married."

She turned around and pointed to Jiang Xiaochuan outside the crowd.

"Look, that's my little husband."