Chapter 203: The Wedding Cup

However, Shen Lie was destined not to sleep that night. In truth, the same could be said for Sang Luo.

Both had long harbored feelings for each other. For two hearts that were mutually smitten, attraction, closeness, and touch were instinctive. As they were already husband and wife, even the slightest hint of emotion could stir up a tempestuous wave, how could they resist?

It was unclear how it started, perhaps when Shen Lie leaned towards her with his gaze too intense to bear, or maybe because Sang Luo's short twenty-eight years in her previous life had been mostly bitter, with the last part spent suffering from illness. At this moment, she wanted to indulge herself, so she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

From an attempt at learning, the scene transformed into Shen Lie's domain of plunder. The fire crackled as the wood burned, and the temperature beside it grew increasingly scorching. Sang Luo felt weak all over, her head spinning. It was her first time realizing that a kiss could be like this.

In the end, the wolf skin was indeed used solely by Sang Luo, wrapping her entirely, separating them to regain their composure and prevent any further transgressions.

After regaining their calm, Shen Lie embraced Sang Luo, along with the blanket, into his arms. When she tried to move away, he chuckled softly in her ear, "I'm delighted just holding you, truly."

...

It took four days to bring back the four live sheep, two big and two small, to the village. Everyone gathered curiously to have a look. Uncle Xu examined them and confirmed that one was already pregnant, while the other three were two males and one female, with one of the male and female sheep still being adolescents.

Shen Lie had sought out these live sheep with the intention of diversifying the family's diet. They decided to keep the pregnant one, while the male would be quietly taken into the valley at night to mate with the existing herd. The adolescent pair was gifted to Chen Dashan as a wedding present.

Shen An, Shen Ning, and Shen Jin had also been eagerly awaiting the goat's milk. They rallied a group of their friends to cut down trees for constructing the sheep pen.

It was impossible to leave all the work of building the sheep pen to a bunch of young apprentices. Shen Lie tied the goats to a tree, carried the two baskets back, and asked Sang Luo to freshen up and rest. Only then did he go out to help.

During those four days in the mountains, they had grown much closer, but only the two of them knew how deep this bond had become.

At night when it was time to sleep, as Sang Luo looked at Shen Lie, he chuckled and said, "Sure."

He had agreed, and they would continue to share a bed and a cot.

...

In the blink of an eye, it was November 27th. The Chen family's wooden house had been completed a few days earlier. As Chen Dashan was about to get married, Old Man Chen, Qin Fangniang, and Little Ya naturally had to come out. Even if they just stayed in the wooden house without going out, they still wanted to be present. Many families in the valley also took this opportunity to visit their relatives and, of course, prepare a gift for Chen Dashan.

On the morning of the 28th, accompanied by Madam Gan as the matchmaker, Chen Dashan picked up his bride, Xue Wenqing, with a few other boys. It seemed like a normal day, apart from not carrying baskets. It was no different from their usual hunting trips; they didn't attract any attention.

When they returned, besides bringing Zhou Ge's dowry, they also carried various gifts of dried meat and dates from neighbors near the Zhou family, along with a basket full of blessings.

Considering the special circumstances, there were no elaborate feasts or strict observance of etiquette. The wedding party arrived and left promptly after completing their tasks. Chen Dashan and Zhou Ge bowed to Zhou Lazi and his wife at her home, and then again to his own grandparents and parents here. This marked the completion of all necessary rituals.

Many children had gathered to witness the event, and each family in the valley had prepared gifts, whether grains or cloth, selecting their finest possessions to offer.

Sangluo and Shen Lie had already presented their gifts earlier, but on such an auspicious day as a wedding, Sangluo decided to give the Chen family an additional present.

She had brought it along when she visited Shen Yin and Shen Tie in the valley the previous night and now returned home to retrieve it, delivering it straight to the Chen family's cave.

Arriving late, the children who had come for the spectacle had already left. Only Zhou Ge was in the cave. As a newlywed, she was extremely nervous and dared not wander around carelessly. Fortunately, she was somewhat acquainted with Sangluo, and her tension visibly eased upon recognizing her visitor.

Sangluo found the situation amusing. She passed a small jar of wine to Zhou Ge and said, "This is my congratulatory gift. In the mountains, we don't have many formalities or rituals, but I thought that at least one cup of the wedding wine should be shared between you two tonight."

"Wine?"

Sangluo nodded. "Yes, red wine. It has a pleasant taste, I think you'll enjoy it."

Zhou Ge had never tasted wine before, only knowing that it was expensive. Recalling Sangluo's mention of the wedding cup, she had witnessed a few years ago when Zhou Cunzheng's family married off their daughter-in-law, so she understood the meaning behind it. Blushing, she expressed her gratitude.

Seeing Zhou Ge's bashful expression, Sangluo thought about how this girl was roughly the same age as her current body, still a month shy of seventeen. She wanted to offer some advice but found it difficult to articulate. The gap in understanding between ancient and modern times was vast. In this era, it was common for girls to marry at fifteen; being unmarried at seventeen would earn them the label of an old maid. If one waited until eighteen, people would suspect there must be something wrong with them for not finding a spouse...

In short, their perspectives were entirely different, and what Sangluo wanted to say might sound odd to Zhou Ge.

Yet, if one were to overlook this point, the valley could provide shelter for raising children safely. Assuming the child wasn't left wailing at the entrance, the elderly women within the valley, with their years of experience, ought to be capable of assisting in childbirth. However, the ages are indeed young - a girl might conceivably give birth as early as seventeen and a half, or perhaps as late as eighteen.

Even if we wait until she conceives at eighteen and gives birth at nineteen.

Newborns are the most delicate to care for, especially in this remote mountain area where access to medical help and medicine is scarce. Sangluo couldn't dare to ponder the possibilities.

Considering the Chen family had always treated her well, and given the relationship between Chen Dashan and Shen Lie, she decided to intervene once more. Strange as it might seem, she would take that chance.

She glanced around the cave entrance and, seeing no one else, whispered to Zhou Ge, "When you got married, what did your mother instruct you?"

Zhou Ge was taken aback, and her cheeks flushed red.

Of course, her mother had imparted some advice – the day before, she had quietly shared a few words with Zhou Ge when no one else was home. However… was this something that could be openly discussed?

Stuttering, Zhou Ge found it impossible to articulate her thoughts.

Seeing her struggle, Sang Luo understood. In ancient times, a bride would typically receive a talisman for protection from fire as part of her dowry. But that was for wealthy families; the Zhou family, being of modest means, wouldn't possess such an item. Instead, the knowledge would likely have been conveyed verbally, in vague phrases, to prepare the bride for married life, particularly for what to expect on the wedding night.

Sang Luo felt a bit awkward too, but she mustered the courage to whisper, "It's not that. I mean, did your mother advise you about avoiding pregnancy too soon after marriage?"

Zhou Ge was taken aback. Her mother had indeed mentioned this, mainly out of concern that the chaos might spread to the inner circle and endanger her pregnancy. However, after weighing the options, she believed that even if she were pregnant, Chen Dashan would be able to protect her. Compared to staying at home, marrying into the Chen family would be safer. So, she instructed Zhou Ge to persuade Chen Dashan to exercise some restraint after their marriage.

Her face flushed red, and she found it difficult to speak. But Sang Luo's reputation, both in Shili Village before and now in the mountains, was impeccable. There was no reason for her to ask such intimate questions without cause. Thus, Zhou Ge steeled herself and said, "Yes, tell him... tell him... not to be so... frequent."

Her last few words were barely audible.

Seeing Zhou Ge's embarrassment, Sang Luo couldn't help but smile. In truth, she felt somewhat uneasy too. Eventually, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and told herself to treat it as a biology lesson. She leaned close to Zhou Ge's ear and whispered a few words softly. After finishing, she added in a low voice, "This should help to prevent conception, though it's not foolproof, but it can work. Just don't say I taught you, it would be too embarrassing."

Heaven have mercy, Sang Luo herself had never gone beyond kissing. Yet, here she was, teaching Zhou Ge about contraception.

Zhou Ge, who was already blushing fiercely, burst out laughing when she heard Sang Luo's last remark. "Alright, thank you for teaching me. I'll just say my mother taught me."

Sang Luo chuckled upon hearing this, then turned serious. "I'm being sincere. It's not just about the chaos in the inner circle. It's unsafe for young women to bear children too early. Too many pregnancies can also harm the body. Besides, with limited medical resources in these deep mountains, raising children is challenging. Wait a couple of years until you're older or until the world outside improves before having children."

Sang Luo genuinely cared for Zhou Ge, and her words resonated. Zhou Ge had never heard that childbirth at a young age could be dangerous. She wasn't exactly young, as many girls became mothers before turning sixteen. Even if she were pregnant now, she would be nearly eighteen by the time the child was born.

However, Zhou Ge knew of Sang Luo's capabilities and took her advice seriously. The mention of the harm excessive childbirth could do to the body reminded her of her mother.

In the past, she thought her mother's illness was a result of giving birth to her younger sister. Now, she realized it might not only be due to that – the continuous births seemed to have weakened her mother's health gradually.

Zhou Ge nodded seriously this time. "I've taken note of everything. Thank you very much."

He almost called her sister-in-law again, but remembering that Chen Dashan was older than Shen Lie, he changed it to Ah Luo halfway through.

San Luo laughed. "Alright then, I won't keep you. I'll head back first."

Zhou Ge personally accompanied San Luo to the entrance of the cave and watched her walk away before returning to his own cave, closing the door behind him. He went to the wooden house to chat with Qin Fangniang and Chen Pozi.

...

That night, Chen Dashan celebrated his wedding night. Not only did he taste the red wine he had never heard of before, but when they were about to get intimate, Zhou Ge, blushing in embarrassment, buried his whole body into his chest, explaining how to avoid pregnancy. Well, the sweetness and ecstasy during that time were self-evident.

On the other hand, Shen Lie had no idea that San Luo knew such contraceptive methods. There was still a low couch by the bed, but since it was his best friend's wedding night, he wasn't completely ignorant. His thoughts wandered, and San Luo had sent a small jar of red wine to Zhou Ge as their wedding wine.

Just thinking about the term 'wedding wine' made his blood rush. Eventually, he insisted on tasting it too. The wine was so sweet and fragrant that his intentions shifted, and the couch almost remained unused.

Fortunately, he remembered his promise. With slightly reddened eyes, he stepped back and sat on the couch, pulling his blanket over himself. Reaching for a small cabinet by the bed, he took out the handwritten copy of 'The Analects of Confucius' that San Luo had given him, starting to read it, which made San Luo laugh until her shoulders trembled.

Shen Lie turned his head to look at her laughter. Setting down the book, he pulled her into his embrace. "Laughing at me?"

San Luo suppressed her laughter and shook her head. "No, Shen Lie, how about we make a deal? If you can read through this entire volume of 'The Analects,' you can put the couch away for one day."

The curve of Shen Lie's throat moved as he spoke. "Are you serious?"

San Luo chuckled again. "What are you thinking? I just meant the couch can be put away for one day."

Shen Lie smiled. "I'm not thinking anything. You're not allowed to go back on your word."

Resisting the urge to draw closer to her, he placed her back down and began reading earnestly, asking San Luo for help with any unfamiliar characters. Gradually, his focus shifted entirely onto the bamboo scrolls, easing the discomfort he had felt.

Lying in bed beside him, San Luo, unused to alcohol, eventually fell asleep.

When Shen Lie noticed, he gazed at her for a while, his lips curving into an unconscious smile. Carefully tucking the blanket around her, he resumed reading, jotting down any unknown characters in silence. He would ask either Wei Qinghe or Wang Yunzheng for help with them tomorrow.