Chapter 183 - Zhou Ge

Being so close to Sang Luo for the first time, the result of her overwhelming joy was that she didn't fall asleep until late at night. The next morning, when Sang Luo woke up, Shen Lie was still asleep.

Sang Luo had been used to sleeping on her right side since her previous life. Even though she intentionally tried to sleep on her left side the previous night, when she woke up in the early morning, she found herself facing right again. The first thing she saw was Shen Lie's sleeping face.

His features were sharp and handsome, with his eyebrows, nose, and lips forming an impeccable outline. His smile was charming, and even his sleeping face was attractive.

Sang Luo unintentionally stared a little longer than intended, unable to control herself. Then, she met Shen Lie's open eyes.

Their eyes locked, and Sang Luo blinked. It felt like she had been caught peeking, but she managed to hide her embarrassment well, transforming it into a smile as she lifted the corners of her lips and greeted, "Good morning."

Shen Lie was still somewhat disoriented.

Due to his years of traveling in the wilderness, always on guard against enemy attacks and wild beasts, his alertness was heightened. He could sense when someone was looking at him even while asleep, which is why he woke up just like that. Still not fully awake, his vision was momentarily dazzled by Sang Luo's smiling face, causing his heart to skip a beat. Unconsciously, he replied with a "Good morning" of his own.

San Luo couldn't help but laugh. The cave was small, and they were too close to each other. She didn't bother undressing before sleeping and simply pulled back the covers to get up, leaving Shen Lie's heart pounding wildly.

Seeing San Luo rise, he quickly got up as well, helping her open the observation hatch to check the outside situation. Then, taking advantage of the light seeping in through the opening, he swiftly folded the blanket, put away the hide, and moved the low bed back under the bed. He turned around to open the heavy wooden door.

In the morning, San Luo prepared breakfast while Shen Lie tended to farm work. As he watered the soybeans and vegetables, he noticed that some seeds had been dug up by mountain fowl. It would be a few days before he could replant them. Since there was nothing else to do, he chopped some bamboo and wood branches to build a fence. By the time the group finished their breakfast and arrived at Zhou Lazi's house, it was almost noon.

The Zhou family had already set up their drying racks, with everyone's items neatly displayed. The unprocessed hawthorns they had brought back the previous evening had also been taken care of by Zhou's mother and daughter. No need for further thanks, they invited the Zhou family along as they headed for an unexplored area of the mountain.

Perhaps due to the birds spreading the seeds, and with few people entering the deep mountains for decades, this region was abundant in wild grapes and hawthorns. Almost every mountain slope had a few plants. However, what surprised San Luo today was discovering several banana trees. From afar, the clusters of bananas were particularly eye-catching.

In truth, she hadn't eaten bananas very often. In the mountains, it was easier to find wild bananas, but that was from her past life. Since arriving here, she hadn't tasted them at all.

Shen Lie saw her looking up at the banana trees, about ten feet away and hidden behind a thick cluster of tall shrubs, with sparkling eyes. He couldn't help smiling and said, "Wait here. I'll get them for you."

Handing San Luo his defensive knife, he took the long-handled machete from her to clear a path. Naturally, Chen Dashan and the others had seen the trees too. There were more than one in this area, and each person found their target.

The banana trees were tall, but so was Shen Lie. With the long-handled machete in hand, he soon returned with a cluster of bananas.

These bananas were well-grown, with five bunches on a single stem, each containing over a dozen bananas. There were easily sixty to seventy in total.

Shen Lie picked a banana with a golden hue, clearly ripe, and peeled it before handing it to Sang Luo. "Try it."

With sparkling eyes and a ready smile, his pearly whites gleamed when he laughed, filled with anticipation and joy as he waited for her to take it.

Sang Luo was in awe. Who could blend handsomeness, charm, youthfulness, bravery, and chivalry so seamlessly? It was autumn, yet when Shen Lie smiled, it inexplicably made her feel as if the spring sun had brightened everything.

It stirred emotions and captivated the soul.

She took the banana, lowered her gaze, and took a bite.

"How is it?" He tilted his head and asked, "Is it sweet?"

Sang Luo nodded. "Yes, it's sweet. You should try it too."

Upon hearing her say it was sweet, Shen Lie broke into a grin. He placed the whole bunch of bananas back into the sack and said, "There are still some that aren't ripe yet. They can be stored for you and Ah Ning to enjoy later."

Sang Luo smiled and noticed Shi Erlang's wife approaching, so she didn't say much more.

Shen Lie carried the sack with the entire bunch of bananas in his left hand, continuing to lead the way forward.

Perhaps animals indeed adhere to territorial boundaries. Aside from the initial encounter with wolves and roe deer on the first day, they only stumbled upon wild boar tracks on the fourth day, successfully hunting two. After that, they didn't come across any more, limited to catching some wildfowl and rabbits.

The autumn sun was intense, and the first few batches of foraged goods had already been properly dried and returned to the cave. The following batches were nearly ready for harvest as well; another day in the sun would suffice. However, they recognized that certain plants were not yet ripe for picking.

On the fifth day, the group privately discussed with Shen Lie and Chen Dashan whether it was time to return to the valley. Some of the caves were quite small, and even after drying their findings, each family had accumulated a large bag's worth. Adding the smoked meat made storage difficult.

Of course, the primary reason was that they had thoroughly scavenged the area around Zhou Lazi's place, picking everything that was ready. It was time to move on. They wished to take advantage of this opportunity to rest for a day or two, or perhaps rotate individuals if necessary.

Frankly, Shen Lie secretly didn't want to leave, but he understood that life outside the valley was more challenging, and constantly wandering the mountains was exhausting. In the first two days, it was manageable, but by the last three, even he could see Sangluo's fatigue. Most of the time, he allowed her to accompany them only in the morning, leaving her to rest with Shi Erlang's wife at the Zhou residence in the afternoon.

However, no place could compare to the comfort of one's own home. Contemplating this, he agreed, "Alright, let's bring back whatever we can today."

Informing Zhou Lazi that they might take a two-day break, Shen Lie mentioned that they would venture deeper into the mountains on the next trip and invite him along then.

Not wanting to dry the freshly foraged goods at Zhou Lazi's place, they decided to bring them back to the valley where they could enjoy them fresh.

As evening approached and they neared the valley, the young and strong scouted the area to ensure no one was around. Leaving some to guard potential vantage points to the valley entrance, Shen Lie led the group in transporting their belongings. Shi Dalang and Zhou Sanlang, who were guarding below, were overwhelmed with joy as they received the goods, particularly the recognizable scent of smoked meat and the freshness of the two baskets of produce.

All the exterior caves were secured, and some firewood gathered during leisure times were tossed near the entrance. The person returned swiftly.

Sang Luo was genuinely exhausted. Upon returning, she boiled water to wash her hair thoroughly and took a warm bath. Only then did she feel rejuvenated.

Recalling the time when she had taken care of the two younger ones while selling mountain goods and tofu, it was actually much more tiring than this. Back then, there was a driving force that sustained her. During these past half a year in the valley, she had rested well. Now, she found it difficult to adapt to such intense exertion again.

Everything at home was moved down by Shen Lie, while Shen An and Shen Ning arranged them. Sang Luo, with her hair still damp, rested while wiping it dry. Shen Lie went to wash up as well. Meanwhile, Shen Ning skipped over cheerfully and asked, "Big Sister-in-law, what do you want for dinner tonight? I'll cook."

Sang Luo smiled. "Let's have some porridge, slice some cured meat thinly and steam it, then stir-fry some mushrooms."

Shen Ning agreed happily and immediately rushed to the kitchen to start preparing.

...

In the neighboring Chen household, Old Man Chen and Old Woman Chen were arranging their belongings. Qin Fangniang also asked her husband what he wanted for dinner.

Chen Youtian was indifferent. "Anything is fine. Just cook whatever you like."

After saying that, he didn't leave but leaned against the kitchen wall. Seeing him still standing there after she had been working for a while, Qin Fangniang suggested, "Why don't you sit down and rest for a bit? The water will be ready soon. Da Shan should finish his bath shortly. You should also freshen up to relieve your fatigue."

Chen Youtian cleared his throat before he said, "There's something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Well, doesn't Laizi's family have two daughters? How old is their eldest daughter this year?"

Huh? Qin Fangniang paused in her work and looked at Chen Youtian, who smiled. "I was just thinking that our Dashan is already twenty-one. That girl seems like a good person, gentle, well-mannered, and capable."

Qin Fangniang's eyes lit up.

"How could I forget about this?"

In the past few years, she had assumed her son was gone, and when he returned, they were all busy escaping to the mountains. She only thought about how the chaotic world had delayed her eldest son's life. A few days ago, Shen Lie and Dashan mentioned taking Zhou Laizi's family into the mountains, but she didn't even remember that Zhou Laizi had an elder daughter.

"I'm not sure about the specifics. She's quite a bit younger than Dashan. I'll ask your mother; she should know." Wiping her hands on her apron, she quickly left the kitchen and headed for the cave. Chen Youtian hurried after her.

"Are you talking about Ah Ge?" Old Lady Chen pondered for a moment. "She's probably two or three years older than Ershan, so she should be fifteen or sixteen."

"Fifteen or sixteen." Qin Fangniang thought carefully. It seemed her son was quite a bit older than the girl, five or six years older.

Old Woman Chen inferred the reason behind her son and daughter-in-law's eagerness to know A Ge's age from their behavior. She smiled and asked Chen Youtian, "Did you see A Ge during your trip?"

Chen Youtian chuckled. "Yes, we store our daily harvest of mountain goods at the Zhou family's place. The girl seems quite pleasant."

Old Woman Chen also had an idea. "They're only a few years apart, maybe five or six. Zhou Laizi married late, and his wife is six years younger than him."

Young Lady Zhou was quite attractive, inheriting her mother's looks. Due to her mother's poor health, she had managed the household affairs for several years. If not for her family's circumstances, she could have been married off at fifteen. However, last year's poor harvest, combined with the scarcity of eligible bachelors in neighboring villages, and the recent changes this year, had delayed her marriage.

Old Woman Chen found this amusing. "I think it's worth considering. If there's no suitable match, then so be it. But if there is one, how long can we delay it? What if the chaos persists? We can't let it drag on until she's twenty-five or twenty-six; where would we find a good match then?"

Having lived through war, Old Woman Chen knew all too well that young women who survived such turmoil were scarce.

Qin Fangniang, however, was hesitant. "Mother, we can't reveal our existence in the valley. If we marry a daughter-in-law, we can't keep it a secret from her. Will the other families have anything to say about it?"

Old Woman Chen glanced at her. "What could they say? This valley was found by Big Mountain and Lie. He's already twenty-one. Do we need their permission to marry him a wife?"

This was similar to Shen Lie bringing Little Jin and his siblings back. Not only for a daughter-in-law, but if they became in-laws, should the situation outside become unsafe, as long as her family was willing to provide for their in-laws, no one could object to them taking them in.

Old Woman Chen wasn't worried about this. In such matters, one needed to be firm. Showing weakness first would only invite trouble from those unaware of the situation.

She had another matter on her mind and said, "There's no need to worry about that. It matters little if you approve; it's Da Shan who needs to take a liking to her. Haven't you been storing your mountain goods at the Zhou family's these days? Bring Zhou Laizi along for hunting in the future, and the two children will have plenty of chances to meet. We'll consider it if Da Shan likes her. If he doesn't, then it just means his time hasn't come yet. If he does, I doubt anyone in the valley would object. There's only one person who might not see it clearly, and that's Aunt Lu. She can manage."

Old Lady Chen was not the slightest bit concerned about this.

Hearing her mother-in-law's words, Qin Fangniang felt an immediate sense of relief. When it came to Chen Da Shan's preferences, she was taken aback and turned to ask Chen Youtian, "Wait, is that girl good at cooking?"

Old Lady Chen immediately recalled this as well. Her eldest grandson seemed to lack the familial instinct. The only two times he mentioned getting married, it was out of envy for Shen Lie having delicious food.

Chen Youtian was momentarily stunned. Of course, he knew this. His wife had mentioned it to him before. He struggled to find words, thinking about the meat soup he had tasted at the Zhou family's these past few days, "Well... it's... just so-so, I guess?"

In the cave, father, son, and grandmother exchanged glances, while outside the cave, Chen Da Shan stood with an empty bucket, holding a half-dry cloth in his hand, pondering what Zhou Ge, the Zhou family's eldest daughter, looked like.

Zhou Ge.

They were too far apart in age. When he left home, she was still a young girl, even smaller than Er Shan is now. Had he ever paid attention to her? But after rescuing her and visiting the Zhou family frequently, she seemed... rather fair and delicate?

Her cooking skills were just average, though.

Hasn't the Zhou family barely had any meat to eat in recent years? It seemed they didn't have many seasonings either. They carried their salt in small bamboo tubes, sprinkling a little into their food, which didn't seem very salty.

Is he reluctant to use it?

A string of thoughts crossed his mind as he heard Qin Fangniang say she would go out and cook first. Chen Dashan snapped back to reality and hurriedly retraced his steps towards the bathroom, turning back halfway to give the impression that he had just finished bathing.

On the other side, Shen Lie, who had just finished his bath, saw Chen Dashan already at the entrance of the cave, strangely walking back. After a few steps, he turned around again, seemingly having walked in circles.

What on earth is he doing?