My Wife Came From A Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 119: The Prize Pool is Gone

It was early spring in February.

The lingering cold hadn’t faded yet, and pedestrians on the street still wore their heavy winter clothes. By the Lanjiang River, the ice had already melted, and the water flowed gently into the distance.

Two small folding stools were set by the riverbank. Jiang He was the only one sitting, holding a fishing rod in her hand, waiting patiently for a bite.

Not far away, Xu Qing stood, punching and kicking at the air while occasionally letting out loud shouts and stomping heavily on the ground.

Stomping, he believed, could strengthen his legs, and over time, increase their destructive power. The shouts trained his lung capacity and could even scare off an enemy.

“Internal training focuses on breathing; external training on muscles, bones, and skin,” he recited to himself.

“You’re scaring away my fish.”

Irritated by his proximity, Jiang He waved him off. “Move farther away.”

It had to be said, practicing outside felt better than training at home—more effective too. He even fancied he could punch a cow to death.

Only, he couldn’t deal with this "little calf" Jiang He.

“...Heh!”

“...Hmph!”

A spring breeze rippled across the river, creating gentle waves. Just as Jiang He was about to say something more, the fishing float started to bob. She turned back, grasped her fishing rod, and pulled up a palm-sized fish.

“Looks like we’ve got soup for lunch,” she remarked.

Xu Qing glanced over but didn’t respond. He continued his systematic training routine.

The riverside was deserted; they had deliberately chosen a secluded spot to avoid being seen as lunatics.

New buds had just started to sprout on the trees, not yet green. Up close, one could make out their tender yellow hue, a signal of the year’s beginning.

“The highest form of martial arts is not defeating others, but conquering your own ego. No matter what, you must never abandon compassion and morality. Martial arts are for strengthening oneself and helping others, not suppressing or forcing others. Do you understand?”

Having finished a set of movements, Xu Qing stood still, exhaling deeply. The warmer weather meant his breath didn’t condense into white mist like in winter—it dissipated as soon as it left his mouth.

“I understand,” Jiang He replied absentmindedly, her attention on the fishing rod.

She was always acting in self-defense, never to force anyone. If people didn’t cross her boundaries, there wouldn’t be any issues.

In the past, anyone daring to lay a hand on her would’ve ended up with broken fingers twisted into spirals.

She glanced at Xu Qing, who was now wiping his sweat and sitting down on another stool. He picked up her fishing rod to check if any clever fish had stolen the bait.

“What are you looking at?”

The look Jiang He gave him made Xu Qing feel oddly uneasy.

“Nothing,” she replied, casually shifting her gaze while her hanging hand moved subtly.

By noon, the sun was high, the temperature rising. They packed up their fishing gear and prepared to head home.

Their catch wasn’t much—just a few palm-sized fish, barely enough to make soup. All of them were caught by Jiang He.

Once the fish were cleaned and thrown into the pot with a tomato for flavor, the resulting soup was fresh and delicious. They had made it the same way a few days ago.

Walking along a small trail, stepping over dry twigs and leaves, they reached the main road after about ten minutes. Xu Qing carried a small red bucket and the fishing rod, while Jiang He held the stools. They walked in single file toward home.

“Which drink do you want?”

Stopping at a vending machine along the way, Xu Qing pressed for a cola and then checked his phone before asking Jiang He.

“Assam milk tea.”

“You know, you have to tell the person hiding inside the machine what you want before they’ll push it out through the slot,” Xu Qing joked.

Jiang He gave him a look as if he were an idiot. “Are you going to say there’s someone inside ATMs counting money and stuffing it out for you too?”

“So you already know?”

“Hmph!”

If she still fell for his nonsense, she might as well give up on everything and just stay home raising kids.

“If we bought one of these machines and put it at home, could we just put money back into our pockets, making it free in the end?” Jiang He asked, watching Xu Qing scan the code.

“In theory, yes. But you’d still have to stock it with drinks yourself and let them drop out again.”

Xu Qing didn’t look back. After confirming payment, a loud clunk came as the cola dropped—stuck horizontally halfway down.

Xu Qing pointed at it. “I’m going to have to knock it loose.”

“...Fine.”

Jiang He had no choice. The Assam milk tea was on the other side of the machine, and if she insisted, Xu Qing’s cola might remain stuck inside.

“You were probably thinking of taking one of these back to the Tang Dynasty to get unlimited free drinks, weren’t you?” Xu Qing teased while shaking the machine.

“I wasn’t!”

“I bet you were.”

Ignoring him, Jiang He changed the subject. “What if mine gets stuck too?”

“It won’t happen. Mine got stuck because it dropped sideways. Yours will hit it and knock it down. Watch.”

As if conducting a physics experiment, Xu Qing solemnly entered the payment for her drink.

Clunk.

Silence.

“You jinx,” Xu Qing muttered, shaking the machine again.

“What now?”

Jiang He, amused by the predicament, set her stool down and sat to watch him fumble with the machine.

“Leave?”

Xu Qing hesitated. If it were just five yuan, he might’ve let it go. But with two drinks stuck, it felt like a waste.

“How about you try buying another drink to knock them both down? We can put the extra one in the fridge,” Jiang He suggested with a reasonable tone.

“Should we?” Xu Qing asked.

“Why not?”

“What if it gets stuck too?”

“Hmm...” Jiang He, unfamiliar with such situations, fell into thought.

She stared at the two trapped colas for a moment before adding, “If we leave now, the next person might get all three drinks for just two and a half yuan.”

“...True.”

That idea stung even more.

“If the next person gets stuck too, they won’t get anything, and it’ll pile up for the next-next person,” Xu Qing mused, trying to reach into the slot. “That’s how a jackpot forms.”

“Why not call the support number?” Jiang He asked.

“It won’t solve the problem unless we wait here for someone to come. But I’d rather go home and let you make fish soup.”

Xu Qing finally decided to try Jiang He’s initial suggestion.

The result? The third drink also got stuck.

“Now it’s seven and a half yuan,” Jiang He muttered, standing up.

Studying the machine briefly, she glanced around. “This thing’s sturdy, right?”

“...It should be?” Xu Qing had a bad feeling and looked around nervously.

BANG!

Jiang He smacked the machine with her palm, causing it to shake violently.

Clunk, clunk, clunk!

“Run!”

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