TTLJDFL Chapter 6

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When Li Jin entered the room, Qin Muwen was holding the baby.

His face was pale—paler than when he had just given birth.

His lips had lost all color.

Yet despite this, he held the child carefully, his fingers gently stroking the baby’s back.

Though his movements were clumsy, they were filled with love.

Li Jin smiled and said, "This baby really recognizes his father. As soon as his dad holds him, he stops crying."

As he spoke, his hands didn’t stop moving—he was setting up the bedding.

The cotton in this era was thick and solid. Li Jin first laid out one mattress on the empty half of the bed.

He thought the thickness was just right—not too hard, not too soft.

A bed that was too hard would be uncomfortable, but one that was too soft would be bad for the spine.

He estimated the thickness of the mattress with his hand. Even with two layers, it wouldn’t be overly soft.

Li Jin asked, "Do you prefer a softer bed or a firmer one?"

Qin Muwen was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn’t expected Li Jin to speak to him.

"M-Me?"

His voice was youthful and thin, now softened even further by exhaustion from childbirth.

It wasn’t as clear and crisp as a woman’s voice, but it carried a quiet, gentle flow—like a steady stream through the years.

Li Jin wasn’t someone who smiled often.

In his past life, working in a hospital meant constantly witnessing life and death.

When patients died, doctors certainly felt sorrow, but they still had to analyze the causes and collect data.

These statistics, compiled over time, contributed to the progress of medical science.

During case review meetings, doctors never smiled, but crying through a presentation would be just as foolish.

As a result, they had all mastered the art of keeping a straight face while delivering reports.

And as an obstetrician, Li Jin had even less reason to smile at patients.

So, he could hardly remember the last time he had genuinely smiled.

Yet now, watching this young man awkwardly but tenderly holding his child, he couldn't help but smile.

He reached out to ruffle the young man's hair. "Of course, I’m asking you. Who else would I be asking—the baby?"

The freshly laid quilt carried the scent of sunshine, making the whole room feel fresh and clean.

Obediently, Qin Muwen said, "This is just right."

Li Jin didn’t ask any further.

He still had an extra mattress—if the young man found it uncomfortable later, they could add another layer.

After finishing the bed, he gently lifted the baby out of Qin Muwen’s arms, like pulling up a radish.

The baby, looking bewildered: "???" What just happened?

Well, whatever it was, crying seemed like the right response.

Qin Muwen was also dazed. His biggest worry now was that Li Jin might not like the ge’er or care about his first child.

Looking at Li Jin's attitude now, though he wasn’t overly affectionate toward the child, he wasn’t indifferent either.

Li Jin bent down and said, "Don't struggle."

Then, he wrapped one arm around the young man's back and the other under his knees, lifting him into his embrace.

Actually, before the baby was born, Li Jin had carried him like this once before.

At that time, Qin Muwen had been tormented by the pain in his belly, too overwhelmed to pay attention to anything else.

Now, he could clearly hear the steady beating of the man's heart and smell the faint moisture from his freshly washed body.

That was when Qin Muwen suddenly realized—he hadn’t been wearing pants since giving birth.

The room had been closed off, with no drafts, but now this action stirred a slight breeze, making Qin Muwen's face flush with embarrassment.

Li Jin let Qin Muwen hold onto his neck while he cleaned him up before placing him on the bed.

His movements carried no hint of teasing or disrespect.

Rather, he acted just like a responsible family member taking care of a patient.

Li Jin quickly finished making up the other half of the bed, then tucked Qin Muwen in properly, pressing down the corners of the blanket.

Only then did he ask, "Where are your clothes?"

The young man only had two sets of clothes—one he was wearing now, and the other was stored in the bedside cabinet.

Li Jin found the extra set, distinguished the front from the back, and reached under the blanket to dress Qin Muwen properly.

Clearly, these pants had been altered—probably because his belly had grown bigger, the waistband had been removed.

But now that they were at home, it didn’t matter if he didn’t tie a waistband.

Once he had settled the young man in, Li Jin wrapped the baby in a clean diaper and then swaddled him tightly.

Right now, it was June, and though the temperature was high, it was still better than giving birth in the dead of winter.

At that time, Li Jin figured he would need to buy more charcoal to heat the floor.

After tucking both the big and small one into bed, Li Jin finally paused and folded up the soiled bedding.

This mattress had obviously been used for many years—the cotton inside was compacted, and now it was stained with blood. Washing it would be a huge task.

Li Jin decided to take it apart and use it for firewood.

Though he knew how to cook, clean, and tidy up, he was a complete novice at sewing.

The only one in the house who could possibly mend a mattress was the young man lying in bed, but since he had just given birth, how could he be expected to do such work?

Li Jin thought that, since it was no longer useful, he might as well throw it away.

Now, with two brand-new mattresses in the house, it was enough.

Qin Muwen curled up under the blanket, feeling much fresher and more comfortable than before.

He wondered where his xiangong (husband) had gotten all these things...

Li Jin collected all the discarded items and moved them to the kitchen.

Having lived alone for so many years, he had developed a habit of keeping his room and furniture neat and tidy—it was his basic standard for himself.

Once everything was put away, Li Jin began recalling the "postpartum care" lessons his teachers had given back when he was in school.

Something about... closely monitoring the emotions of postpartum women.

Postpartum depression was no joke.

When he returned to the room, the baby, having cried twice already, was fast asleep.

The little one looked very cute, with a red mole between his brows, making him especially endearing.

But the young man was still awake. When Li Jin entered, he blinked at him, then quickly averted his gaze when their eyes met.

Li Jin sat by the bed and started a conversation. "Are you cold?"

The young man met his gaze and shook his head obediently.

Li Jin nearly wanted to facepalm—this was clearly just a child. How could ancient people bear to lay hands on someone like this?

"Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?"

The young man shook his head, this time adding a soft, "No."

"If your stomach hurts, you must tell me. Don't be shy, and don’t be afraid."

The young man looked at Li Jin with wide eyes. He opened his mouth slightly, as if wanting to call him something, but no words came out.

Just then, a sudden flash of images appeared in Li Jin’s mind.

—"Husband? Xiangong? Do you think a wretch like you deserves to call me that?"

The young man knelt on the ground, tears falling one after another. "I was wrong, I was wrong, I won’t dare again in the future."

Then came a round of punches and kicks.

Li Jin thought that, as an observer, he was already furious. He couldn’t imagine how the young man had endured it for so long.

"My name is Li Jin—'Li' as in the dawn, and 'Jin' as in a bright future."

"You can call me by my name. Or... you can call me xiangong."

"Whatever you prefer."

Li Jin didn’t offer any apologies for the two years of pain he had caused the young man. He knew that after hurting someone, apologies often felt shallow and meaningless.

At times like this, words were the least useful thing.

It was better to use actions to make up for the harm done.

Just when Li Jin thought he wouldn't get a response, a soft voice spoke up.

"Ah Jin."

After saying it, the young man quickly closed his eyes, nearly burying his head in the blanket.

He didn’t know how Li Jin would react. He didn’t dare call him xiangong or fujun (formal term for husband) because his heart was too fragile and sensitive. He could tell that this Li Jin was completely different from the one before.

Qin Muwen wanted to use a new form of address to mark a new beginning in life.

He feared that the wrong title might awaken the violent side of Li Jin’s heart.

He could endure it, but the child… the child was just born, still so fragile—he could not afford to suffer.

Li Jin chuckled and said, "I like this name very much."

The young man's tense heart finally settled. After being wound so tight, now that he was able to relax, he quickly drifted into sleep.

Li Jin carefully surveyed the house. The bedroom was about ten square meters, with a wooden plank bed set up against the wall.

At the foot of the bed, there was a low cabinet. It was well-crafted and seemed to be the most valuable piece of furniture in the house.

The cabinet had three layers, containing various small items.

Soapberries were placed on the inner side of the windowsill, just right for washing the dirty clothes he had changed out of.

There were no other cabinets in the bedroom, only two bamboo baskets.

One was used for storing clothes, while the other held unfinished embroidery.

At the bottom of the clothing basket, Li Jin also found seven or eight copper coins. He figured the young man must have had nowhere else to hide them, fearing that the original owner of this body would take all their money to buy alcohol.

Li Jin didn’t touch the copper coins. He wasn’t yet familiar with the purchasing power of this era. After washing his clothes, he could play chess with Li Daniu and probe him for information.

Moreover, since he had just started remembering fragments of how the original owner interacted with the young man, it shouldn’t be long before he recalled the young man’s name.

It would be too obvious to ask for his name outright—that would expose the fact that he wasn’t the original Li Jin.

What Li Jin didn’t know was that the original owner never knew the young man's name either.

He hadn’t even thought of giving him a proper address, as if the young man was nothing more than an insignificant presence.

Still, matters had to be handled one at a time.

Li Jin decided to wash his clothes first. He had seen some of the village women and ger (a term for males who could bear children) carrying basins of laundry and heading off into the distance. He recalled seeing a river when he was brought back in the ox cart.

“I guess the villagers wash their clothes in the river.”

Gathering soapberries, a wooden bat for beating clothes, a wooden basin, and his dirty clothes, he followed the group at a distance.

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