The moment the warm, fragrant beauty entered his embrace, Edward Clark finally snapped back to his senses and hurriedly, with extreme embarrassment, let go of her hand. Even so, the atmosphere remained highly ambiguous; at this point, he couldn’t decide whether to hold her or push her away, his face flushing bright red. After all, his girlfriend Little Grace was an extremely traditional girl—with whom, after three months of dating, he hadn’t even held hands. Honestly, it was quite shameful. And now, he didn’t even have the chance to hold hands anymore, yet fate had sent him a “cheap wife” who looked so similar!

But the girl before him was, after all, only the Song Dynasty’s Emily, and had nothing to do with Little Grace. If she realized he was an impostor, the consequences would be unimaginable. Would he have to divorce her? Wouldn’t that ruin her life? At this thought, Edward Clark sobered up completely. While gently comforting the beauty in his arms, he tried to probe about the Gao family’s situation, but unexpectedly, he immediately heard a hidden family secret.

“Husband, I have always managed the household strictly and have never failed in my duties to your father, elder brother, or younger uncle. Since I married in, I’ve only seen you a handful of times in three years. Even when you come home, it’s all scolding and beatings, never a kind word! What have I done wrong? Why do you never stay in my room, but instead always seek out those street girls?” Emily spoke with a mix of shame and anger, her tears soaking a large patch of Edward Clark’s chest.

Damn it, in modern times, you couldn’t find such a virtuous wife even with a lantern, and yet he didn’t know how to cherish her, leaving her alone in an empty room? Edward Clark himself was both indignant and, even more so, relieved. Good, this girl didn’t have much to do with the real Edward Clark, so she probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. With a mix of sincerity and pretense, he did his best to coax her: “Emily, it was my fault before. You haven’t done anything wrong. Don’t worry, I don’t despise you…”

Emily’s delicate body trembled, and she looked up in disbelief, hope shining in her eyes. However, that glimmer of hope quickly faded, replaced by a self-pitying complaint: “If you don’t despise me, why do you still refuse to call me ‘wife’?”

How should I know the customs between Song Dynasty couples! Edward Clark felt a headache coming on and quickly said, “Wife… uh, Emily, it’s not that I don’t want to call you ‘wife’, but that between husband and wife, we shouldn’t be so formal. Calling you by your given name is more intimate, isn’t it? Also, from now on, don’t keep calling yourself ‘奴家’—it doesn’t sound nice. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely turn over a new leaf this time and never leave home again!”

“Husband!” Emily could no longer hold back her grievances and excitement, and buried herself deeply in Edward Clark’s arms.

Oh my god! Edward Clark felt his whole body stiffen. This ambiguous posture, these favorable conditions—he was, after all, a healthy young man! But, because of what he’d just said, he couldn’t bring himself to push her away. Since he was already pretending to be Edward Clark, he definitely couldn’t casually divorce this “cheap wife” Emily either. It seemed he’d have to put in real effort to cultivate their relationship. Holding Emily, he gradually fell into deep thought and confusion.

After a long while, Emily seemed to realize her posture was a bit improper, so she quickly sat up straight and gently smoothed the messy hair on her forehead. She still felt that everything she’d seen and heard today was unreal, but amidst her relief, she couldn’t help but confirm again: “Husband, will you really not hang out with those friends anymore?”

Edward Clark nodded emphatically. Unexpectedly, the gentle and demure beauty suddenly jumped up like a startled rabbit and dashed out the door, soon dragging someone back in. Needless to say, it was the Gao family patriarch. Hearing his daughter-in-law say his son had turned over a new leaf, Mr. Clark Sr.’s aged face first showed shock, then disbelief, and finally, he knelt at the doorway, bowing repeatedly to the heavens: “Heaven above, if my son truly reforms from now on, I will surely prepare a full offering in thanks…”

Hearing Mr. Clark Sr. muttering endlessly, Edward Clark couldn’t help but feel extremely annoyed. Heaven had thrown him into ancient times for no reason, and now this old man was thanking the gods? That was just too much! Filled with pent-up frustration, he suddenly shouted, “Old man, stop talking about thanking the gods! What’s the point of bowing to these clay and wooden idols? I’m starving—do we have anything to eat?” Instantly, he was met with four shocked and fearful stares. It seemed that convincing everyone he’d truly turned over a new leaf would be a long road ahead.

Chapter Three: Encountering a Benefactor on the Road

That day, it was still Mr. Clark Sr. who brought white rice from home, so Edward Clark didn’t have to go hungry as soon as he arrived in ancient times. However, seeing Emily at the other end of the table chewing on a hard, blackened bun, he, as her “cheap husband,” found his own food tasteless. Before leaving, Mr. Clark Sr. also brought a string of coins from home. Though it wasn’t much, it at least solved the urgent needs of Edward Clark and Emily. That night, Edward Clark used the excuse of not having recovered from his injuries to sleep in a separate room from Emily, but he only managed to doze for two or three hours the whole night, spending the rest of the time lost in thought.