Chapter 1, The Fake Husband

Jiang Zhuliu scratched his head and said, "Now that you mention it, I do recall something. I am indeed surnamed Jiang, and I can say with one hundred percent certainty about that. As for the rest, I still haven't remembered anything." Jiang Zhuliu was not lying about this; he truly did have the surname Jiang

Winter nodded and began to speak in a sobbing manner

"Um, my lord," Yuan Dong'er stepped forward, joyfully taking Jiang Zhuliu's hand and said gently, "Let's go home with Dong'er."

Yuan Dong'er was beaming with joy, having finally found her husband. Although he was dressed oddly and looked quite disheveled, fortunately, he had not suffered any serious injuries. While the reason for his memory loss remained unknown, she believed that with her careful attention, his memories would gradually return.

The leading fellow, upon seeing that the speaker was an elder, naturally decided to show some respect. He shouted for them to stop, and only then did the group of fellows reluctantly cease their actions

Dear fellow villagers, my husband has been away from home for a long time, and I hope the neighbors will forgive any offenses. She bowed to the crowd and hurriedly left, clutching Jiang Zhuliu's sleeve.

The person who was beaten was tall and robust, yet dressed in a rather peculiar manner: he had hair about an inch long on top of his head, and his upper garment resembled a cloth bag with three openings at the bottom, leaving his arms completely exposed. His lower half was clad in a pair of pants made of an unknown material, tightly hugging his thighs and buttocks. On his feet were a pair of oddly shaped white boots, fastened with two grayish-white hemp laces. Judging by his attire, this individual was certainly not a person from the Song Dynasty, but if one were to say he was a barbarian from foreign lands, he did not quite fit that description either. Qinghua Town is located at a transportation hub, frequented by Liao people and Western Xia barbarians, and the locals are quite familiar with their attire.

Upon reaching a secluded place, Jiang adjusted his clothing and clasped his hands in gratitude towards the woman, saying: "Thank you for your assistance, miss"

"No! Absolutely not!" Dong'er blushed and said softly, "The appearance of the official has long been imprinted in my heart. Even if I close my eyes, I can still draw the official's likeness."

With a look of confusion, Jiang Zhuliu said, "I’m sorry, Miss Dong'er, but I truly cannot be certain if I am your husband. I do not know what has happened to me that has caused me to lose my memory. I do not know who I am, where I live, where I come from, or where I am going. In short, I cannot remember anything about myself at all"

Today, Yuan Dong'er came to Huaiqing Hall in Qinghua Town to fetch medicine for her mother. Suddenly, she saw Jiang Zhuliu being surrounded and beaten, so she approached to watch. When Jiang Zhuliu lowered his arms and revealed his face, Yuan Dong'er immediately recognized him as her husband, and thus she stepped forward to help him out of the predicament

Someone advised: "This person is aware of his own faults; even though you beat him, he does not retaliate. I find him pitiable. Since you have already vented your anger, why not let him go? What do you think?"

After speaking, Yuan Dong'er looked at Jiang Zhuliu with anticipation, her eyelashes still adorned with glistening tears

Jiang Zhuliu has just awakened to the fact that the ancient customs were strict, particularly with regard to the expectations placed on women. It is impossible for a young girl to learn to joke freely like a modern woman.

Dong Er, whose surname is Yuan, is seventeen years old this year. Her husband, surnamed Jiang, is named Zhou, and they live in Jiang Village, which is ten miles away from here. Two months ago, the provincial examination was held in Henan Prefecture on Jingxi Road, where Jiang Zhou and another student from the same clan, both newlyweds, set off for Luoyang with the intention of achieving success in their studies. As a result, the two students from the same clan successfully qualified for the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites in the spring of the following year, while Jiang Zhou unfortunately failed.

The person being beaten was cornered against the wall, covering his head with both hands, allowing the several attendants to strike him, pleading for mercy without putting up any resistance. The onlookers were puzzled; judging by his stature, this man was tall and robust. If he were to fight back, it seemed that these four or five short-statured tavern attendants would not stand a chance against him

Winter's face flushed, and she said softly, "My lord, what nonsense are you talking about? Where would a young lady joke like that?"

Seeing the lovely face of Dong'er covered in tears, Jiang Zhuliu couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. He quickly said, "Miss Dong'er, please don't cry just yet. Why don't you tell me about the situation at home? Perhaps I can recall something that might help."

The beautiful woman saving the hero can also be considered a fine story, Jiang Zhuliu chuckled self-deprecatingly. He spoke softly to the woman, saying: "This place is not suitable; could we find another location to talk?"

Official, do you remember now

The woman thought similarly. When a couple is reunited, there are naturally many things that are not suitable to discuss in such a public setting

Official!" Suddenly, a startled cry rang out as a young woman with a delicate appearance pushed through the crowd and ran to Jiang Zhuliu's side. She grasped Jiang Zhuliu's garment and exclaimed, "Official, what has happened to you? Why aren't you going home?"

Jiang Zhuliu was utterly speechless. It seemed that this girl Dong'er’s husband must look extremely similar to him; otherwise, Dong'er would not have mistaken her own husband. What to do? As Jiang Zhuliu thought of his own growling stomach, a rather disreputable idea suddenly surfaced: in this vast world, the stomach is the most important, so why not impersonate Dong'er’s husband and trick a meal for himself?

Yuan Dong'er and Jiang Zhou's mother thus waited day by day, anticipating Jiang Zhou's return. However, after two months, there was still no news of Jiang Zhou. Jiang Zhou's mother, overwhelmed with worry, fell ill and was unable to get out of bed

Alas, such a beautiful young lady has chosen such a rough man; it is truly like a fresh flower placed in cow dung. This elicited a sigh from the onlookers, followed by a burst of laughter.

"Where?" Jiang, pretending to hesitate, said: "Shall I go back with you first?" He felt he was being too despicable, stooping so low as to impersonate someone else's husband for the sake of a meal.

As the crowd of onlookers ceased their actions, the person who had been struck slowly straightened his back and lowered his arms that had been protecting his head. Only then did everyone clearly see his face. Although there were two bruises on his face, it was evident that he possessed a remarkably handsome appearance. The crowd collectively sighed, lamenting his fate: "You were originally a beautiful person, yet how did you end up as a thief"

The person who was beaten for dining and dashing was none other than Jiang Zhuliu. After drinking three cups of holy water, he inexplicably found himself transported to the Northern Song Dynasty. It took him two days to traverse the mountains and reach a bustling town, where he encountered a dazzling array of food, yet he could only look on helplessly as he had no money to buy anything. After much deliberation, he finally resolved to find a restaurant to dine and dash, but to his dismay, before he could even take a bite, he was recognized and thrown out. Could it be that this year he is fated to encounter misfortune, with bad luck shining upon him?

Qinghua Town, a small town located on the southern foothills of the Taihang Mountains, is under the jurisdiction of Henan Fuhen County. Due to its strategic position at the intersection of the Beijing Northwest Road and the Hedong Road, it has become a hub for the distribution of goods from both routes. Merchants from both areas have established branches and outlets here, either to collect goods or to sell local specialties. Therefore, although Qinghua is a small town, it is several times more prosperous than some remote county seats.

The leading fellow stopped and said indignantly: "This unknown ruffian, who has come out of nowhere to dine and dash at the tavern, has been exposed by us and thrown out."

For Yuan Dong'er, whether Jiang Zhou has taken the provincial examination is not important; what matters is that he is alive and standing right in front of her. Jiang Zhou is her sky, her earth, her pillar, her backbone, her source of strength; as long as he is there, Yuan Dong'er fears nothing and can endure any hardship. With Jiang Zhou present, there is no suffering for Yuan Dong'er.

The street to the north suddenly became noisy, waking the drowsy vendors from their slumber. They looked up and saw four or five waiters from nearby taverns beating a man. The vendors' sleepiness vanished, and they all gathered around to watch the commotion

The woman reproached, saying: "My lord, do not joke. Quickly tell Dong'er, where have you been these days?"

"Ha, my lord has finally remembered something." Yuan Dong'er smiled through her tears, and seeing her husband's memory beginning to return, she was naturally delighted

Someone recognized the assailant as a waiter from the Drunken Moon Pavilion and inquired, "Young waiter, who is this person? Why did you beat him?"

Without a riverboat, heaven is also hell; with a riverboat, hell becomes heaven

In the sixth year of the Tian Sheng era of the Great Song (AD 1028), the young emperor, Song Renzong, had been on the throne for six years. Although the court was still dominated by Empress Liu, the Song Dynasty enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity, as there had been no major wars for over a decade due to the stability brought by the two He * Tu * books.

A month later, two students from the same clan returned to Jiang Village amidst the welcoming sounds of gongs and drums from their fellow clansmen, but Jiang Zhou was nowhere to be found. According to the two students, on the day the results of the provincial examination were announced, Jiang Zhou hurriedly packed his belongings and left the inn, his whereabouts unknown. They even thought he had already returned home!

You may not be cow dung, but you still need to be appealing to the flowers, don't you? The crowd laughed and dispersed

On a midsummer afternoon, with not a breath of wind in the air, the bustling and noisy Qinghua Town has also fallen silent. The vendors lazily hide under their awnings and in their shops to seek relief from the heat, and there are hardly any people on the streets. Occasionally, one or two hurried peddlers appear, their faces completely shielded by straw hats, fearful of any gap that might allow the scorching sunlight to penetrate and scorch their skin into blisters

So, do you really think I am your official partner? Could it be that you have mistaken me for someone else

Jiang Zhuliu felt puzzled in his heart, not knowing what this woman intended. Could it be that she saw him as pitiful and deliberately came in to help him out of trouble

"What is it, my lord?" Jiang Zhuliu was taken aback, "Miss Dong'er, are you joking?"

Since your surname is Jiang, that is certainly correct. My lord, take your time to think about the rest; perhaps once you return home and see the familiar surroundings, everything will come back to you all at once

What should I do? Winter Girl's eyes turned red, and tears began to fall in clusters. She had originally thought she had found the long-lost gentleman, but to her surprise, although the gentleman was found, he had forgotten everything, even her. What can be done about this?