Volume One, Chapter Six: A Sudden Arrival of Miss Lin from the Heavens

After bidding farewell to Niu Er, Zhou Wu was left with a head full of questions, pondering what exactly the “good news” Niu Er mentioned could be.

“Could it be that the house back home has been targeted by the demolition office, and they’re giving me compensation?”

That seemed unlikely. Even if there were demolition offices in this era, they were usually just thugs aligned with oppressive landlords.

Jokes aside, Zhou Wu quickened his pace toward home.

When he finally stood at the doorstep, he understood what Niu Er had meant by the “good news.”

“Miss, who are you looking for?”

On the steps by the gate sat a young woman, dozing off. Though disheveled and unkempt, her beauty was undeniable—a rare bloom that could shame the moon.

“Ah, who are you?”

Roused from her half-sleep by Zhou Wu’s voice, Li Baiwei instinctively recoiled slightly upon facing the unfamiliar man.

“Heh, you’re at my doorstep, so who do you think I am?”

Zhou Wu looked at the young girl before him. She appeared thin and frail, likely the result of prolonged malnutrition.

“You must be from the Zhou family.”

“I’m Zhou Wu. And you?”

“I—I’m... your not-yet-married wife, Li Baiwei.”

“What!”

Li Baiwei stammered for a long moment before mustering the courage to say it, then slumped like a deflated balloon.

Zhou Wu was utterly stunned, frozen in place.

...

There was nothing else in the house, so Zhou Wu poured a bowl of plain water for Li Baiwei. Yet even that simple offering was eagerly drunk down in just a few sips, leaving her licking her lips as if craving more.

“So, you’re saying our families had a childhood engagement, and now your family can no longer make ends meet, so you came to seek refuge with us?”

“Yes, Zhou Lang. You can ask my father yourself to confirm.”

Fearing Zhou Wu wouldn’t believe her, Li Baiwei suggested calling her parents for verification.

“Sorry, I’m the only one left at home.”

Hearing this, and glancing around the empty house after entering, Li Baiwei inferred that the Zhou family was struggling too. A heavy sadness settled in her heart.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes.”

Lost in thought, Li Baiwei responded habitually but immediately regretted her bluntness. Yet Zhou Wu said nothing more—he just went into the kitchen, heated some leftover meat from the night before, and served it to his not-yet-married wife.

“Is this meat?”

“Eat.”

Li Baiwei stared incredulously at the small bowl of meat. In her eyes, living in such a remote, impoverished place, any food was a blessing; she never expected to be served meat.

Having not eaten for two days, Li Baiwei was truly hungry. She disregarded all notions of ladylike decorum or appearance, picking up the bowl and shoveling food into her mouth.

Seeing her eat so voraciously, Zhou Wu feared she might choke and hurriedly brought another bowl of water.

“Are you full?”

“No.”

Li Baiwei answered without hesitation, then blushed, realizing how direct she had been.

Looking at the small bowl, Zhou Wu chastised himself for being stingy. Such a tiny portion was clearly insufficient. He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out some pastries he’d bought in the county town, handing them to Li Baiwei.

“You even have osmanthus cake?”

“Yes. I happened to go to the county today. I thought it might come in handy when we’re hungry and don’t cook—just eat a piece or two to hold us over.”

While wandering the county town, Zhou Wu had seen these osmanthus cakes but hadn’t bought much, unsure if they tasted good.

Li Baiwei had never liked osmanthus cake before; it was dry and tasteless. But now, starving as she was, she accepted it without complaint and stuffed it into her mouth.

“Has it been many days since you last ate? Isn’t this a bit extreme?”

Li Baiwei’s behavior surprised Zhou Wu, but he immediately regretted his words. How could he say such a thing to a young girl?

“Sorry, I really am a bit hungry.”

Hearing Zhou Wu’s words, Li Baiwei instantly blushed, feeling embarrassed.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean it that way—I misspoke.”

Although it seemed exaggerated, Zhou Wu understood. People in this era were incredibly poor.

A family of four children might share a single pair of trousers, taking turns to wear them outside. Meals were meager: the poorest had just one watery gruel a day; the better-off might add a second. Any family able to eat a proper dry meal could boast about it for months. So it was clear to Zhou Wu that Li Baiwei’s family truly could no longer manage, which was why she came seeking him out.

“Why did you come all of a sudden?”

Zhou Wu, merging with the original host’s memories, vaguely recalled the childhood engagement but nothing specific—it was a distant memory.

“My family simply couldn’t survive anymore, so I came to seek refuge with you, my husband.”

“Did your father send you?”

“No. I came quietly on my own. Father doesn’t know. I thought if you accepted me, that would be best. If not, dying out here would be better than burdening my family.”

“Besides your parents, who else is in your family?”

“There are many family members.”

Gathering this information, Zhou Wu concluded Li Baiwei’s family was likely too large. With the ongoing wars in the Great Dragon Empire, everyone’s living conditions had worsened, prompting her to come to him in hopes of easing her family’s burden.

“Well then, since you’re here, make yourself at home.”

A lone woman arriving to seek shelter—Zhou Wu felt he could not turn her away. One more mouth to feed was not a burden. While the original host might have struggled, Zhou Wu had changed completely.

“Thank you, Zhou Lang.”

Zhou Wu’s voice sounded like a heavenly melody in Li Baiwei’s ears, and she was full of gratitude.

“You can sleep in this room.”

Zhou Wu led her to the adjacent room. There was nothing else in the house, but the rooms were spacious enough. Fortunately, the weather had started to warm, so no heavy quilts were necessary.

“Use this quilt for now. I’ll buy you a new one tomorrow.”

He handed her a bedding set from his own bed and prepared to rest early. After all, in ancient times, there was no nightlife; darkness came early, so early to bed and early to rise kept one healthy.

The next morning, Zhou Wu awoke to find Li Baiwei already sweeping the courtyard.

“You’re up early.”

“Not really. I saw you had some rice and flour in your backpack yesterday, so I took the liberty to cook some porridge.”

Rice was a rare luxury for Li Baiwei’s original family. Though not as precious as meat, it wasn’t something to be eaten casually. After searching the entire house, the only food to be found was what Zhou Wu had brought yesterday.

“It’s fine. That’s what I bought for myself. Come on, let’s eat together.”

Seeing Li Baiwei’s expression, Zhou Wu guessed she feared reprimand.

“Zhou Lang, try these wild vegetables I picked this morning.”

Apart from two bowls of thin porridge, there was only a small bundle of wild greens. Zhou Wu took a bite; it had a refreshing, indescribable taste, though lacking seasoning and other flavors.