"Chapter 138: She Cares About Me"

Indeed, Shen Lie was genuinely delighted, his smile never leaving his face.

As they approached their own cave, they could see the small vegetable patch they had enclosed with a wooden fence, showing specks of green sprouting within.

Chickens and ducks wandered contentedly outside the fence.

"Did you make this fence?"

"Yeah, I just planted some vegetables in the field, and I was worried about chickens and ducks causing trouble, so I built a fence around it. It's right under the tree, so it's not too noticeable."

She placed the basket next to a patch of cleared ground near the vegetable garden, used for drying, and shooed away a few fluffy creatures that had approached the wild vegetables. Then, she turned back towards the cave kitchen to pick out some wild vegetables and mushrooms from a pottery basin under a wooden shelf.

Glancing at Shen Lian, she hesitated for a moment and then suggested, “Why don’t you wash up and change your clothes to rest a bit?”

After spending eleven days outside, carrying heavy loads of grain, he must be exhausted.

Shen Lian nodded. He wasn't tired, but he did feel rather dirty after being in the wilderness. Although it's hard to be meticulous in the wild, cleanliness is important at home, especially to Sang Luo.

“Cold water is fine. I’ll get it myself.” Putting the small basket down, he turned to fetch a water bucket.

“You're going to wash in cold water?” Sang Luo asked in surprise.

Shen Lian smiled, “When we find ponds or lakes outside, that’s how we wash. I’m used to it, and it’s not that cold now, so it’s fine.”

In the midst of speaking, a few children ran towards them, Shen An, Shen Ning, and the children from the Xu family.

They had been reading with a group of children at the innermost part of the valley and only knew that the grain carriers had returned when they saw Chen Dashan from afar. They stopped reading and all ran home.

Since it was almost time for dinner, Shen An and Shen Ning usually helped Sang Luo with dinner preparations, like picking and washing vegetables, and starting the fire. They typically dispersed around this time, but today they finished just a bit earlier.

As Shen An and Shen Ning called out to their older brother, Xu Wenbo eagerly asked, "Brother Shen Lian, did my father send us a letter?"

Shen Lian smiled, "Yes, your uncle brought it back. Go home and have a look."

Besides carrying letters, Wei Qinghe also brought back a small bundle hidden in the cave.

Xu Wenbo and Xu Wenyin thanked Shen Lian and, pulling Wang Yunzhen along, hurried to their family’s cave.

……

When Shen Lie returned with two buckets of water, Sang Luo had already asked Shen An to get the stove fire going, ready to add water to the pot for boiling.

"I won't interfere with your other preferences, but for washing your hair, you should mix in some hot water. Otherwise, you might develop headaches later on."

In her previous life, Sang Luo had suffered enough from illnesses, so she was particularly careful about health matters.

Shen Lie paused, then smiled and agreed, "Alright."

Shen An and Shen Ning exchanged a look and grinned. Sure enough, their brother always complied with their sister-in-law's suggestions without any objections.

While waiting for the water to heat, Shen Lie helped pick vegetables. Apart from the mushrooms that required specific growing conditions, he had dug up the other vegetables with their roots, leaving the roots intact when possible. He asked Sang Luo where there was space on the mountain wall and casually planted the roots.

Wild vegetables are hardy and can add variety to their meals if they grow successfully.

At that moment, Xu Lao Tai Tai came over with a package for Sang Luo.

"I heard from my son Yuan Chang that you can read and write. I’m not giving you this ink, brush, paper, and inkstone for practice, since we can't be fussy while hiding in the mountains. This is meant for passing messages. Half of these are for your family. If there's anything you need to convey, it's better than carving messages on bamboo slips."

Xu Yuan Chang is the shopkeeper's name, which Sang Luo had learned from the letter Shen Lie brought back.

Initially hesitant to accept the precious ink, brush, paper, and inkstone as too valuable, Sang Luo changed her mind upon learning they were for sending letters. Though she brought her own pen and ink, writing on bamboo slips was feasible but not as convenient as paper. Seeing the letter from Xu, the shopkeeper, folded neatly in a bamboo tube, she realized the practicality of paper. Moreover, her own ink supply was limited, seldom used for everyday needs. Grateful, Sang Luo accepted the gift from Xu Lao Tai Tai.

After Xu Lao Tai Tai left, the water was almost boiling. Shen An carefully carried out two wooden basins from the lower shelf inside the cave, gesturing to Shen Lie.

He pointed out the markings on the basins: one was designated for everyone's hair washing, and the other was shared by him and Shen Lie for bathing.

Only then did Shen Lie realize that Sang Luo had made several washbasins.

Observing the basins thoughtfully, he didn't comment. He quickly washed his hair in the designated basin and, without even drying his hair, went next door to the Chen family.

Soon, Chen Da Shan, Chen You Tian, Chen Lao Han, and others, equipped with saws and axes, joined Shen Lie. Along with people from other families, they felled a very old tree in the valley.

The tree was notably old due to its exceptionally thick trunk.

Sang Luo busied herself drying, blanching, and soaking the wild vegetables. By the time she finished and heard the tree fall, Chen You Tian and Shen Lie were already sawing the wood.

The tree's thick trunk made sawing challenging with Chen You Tian’s relatively small saw, requiring frequent adjustments of the angle.

Many women and children gathered to watch the excitement. When Sang Luo asked about the activity, Zhou Village Zheng's eldest daughter-in-law explained with a laugh: they were making a bathtub. Previous trees weren’t thick enough for anything beyond a washbasin, but now, with this older tree, they could finally have a proper bath.

Zhou Er Lang's wife approached Sang Luo, whispering praises for Shen Lie: "Shen Lie is really thoughtful. He takes good care of you, and as soon as he's back, he's already arranging to add useful and essential items to your home."

Sang Luo had comfortably settled into her bed quite early, even preceding the Chen family by a day. In contrast, other families like Zhou's had hastily prepared just one bed for the elders before the brothers left. With Zhou Da Lang's three-year-old sleeping with the grandparents, the sisters-in-law were still using wooden planks as their bed.

Smiling, Sang Luo nodded in agreement, her lips curling up slightly, her eyes gleaming with amusement, "Yes, he is very attentive."

……

Dinner was delayed for every household that evening. Sang Luo waited until Shen Lie and Chen Da Shan returned with a long piece of lumber before she began preparing the meal.

After setting down the lumber, Shen Lie greeted Sang Luo and mentioned that he needed to help the Xu family carry back another piece. He then left with Chen Da Shan.

Wei Qing He was exhausted from trekking through the mountains, barely managing the journey. On his return, he collapsed in his cave, and it was Xu Lao Tai Tai who had to check on the noise. Unable to leave her alone, Shen Lie and Chen You Tian took the initiative to saw the Xu family's lumber and help Chen Da Shan carry it back.

Peering curiously, Sang Luo noted the considerable length of the wood, about a meter or so. Could it be for two round bathtubs?

Not dwelling on it, she focused on cooking, pondering whether the wood might serve a different purpose.

When Shen Lie returned, he found the dishes already set on the table: a refreshing cold dish of Tian Kui, stir-fried fiddlehead ferns with cured meat, and a large bowl of chicken egg soup with shepherd's purse.

After enjoying the warm meal, Shen Lie grabbed an axe from home and got busy with work.

Only then did Sang Luo realize his intention wasn't to make two round bathtubs; he was crafting a long, rectangular bath instead.

Starting with rough axe cuts, then finely shaping with a chisel, Sang Luo gradually began to see the emerging form of the bathtub.

"It's similar to the modern small-sized bathtubs, big enough to sit in and soak, with water reaching the chest if filled up, though it’s not necessary to fill it that much."

Sang Luo, still in awe of having such a luxury amidst their hardships, pondered, "Where do you plan to place this?"

"Our cave is too small to fit this, and more importantly, I can’t manage to carry that much water..."

Shen Lie pointed towards the bathroom and explained, "In the bathroom. I'll carve out a bit more space in the stone wall when I get a chance. I found some yellow clay and shale on the way, not far from here. I’ll bring some back tomorrow morning, along with Da Shan and the others. I'll line the bathroom with shale for a better surface, and fit the tub with a drain and a wooden plug underneath, so emptying it won’t be tiring. It's for you and Ah Ning."

"As for Shen An and me, rinsing in the bathroom with the new water flow will suffice. The shale lining, combined with the drainage we’ve already installed along the wall, makes showering there feasible without worrying about soaking the stone walls."

……

On the first day of his return, Shen Lie stayed up late carving out the tub for Sang Luo and Shen Ning, yet it couldn’t be placed in the bathroom immediately due to pending wall expansions. It had to be temporarily stored in the cave.

After washing up and changing into clean clothes in the bathroom, Shen Lie entered the cave to find Sang Luo arranging the bedding.

Shen Lie felt a skip in his heart upon seeing Sang Luo setting up his bed, causing him to pause momentarily.

Sang Luo, not overthinking it, inquired if the kids had already used the bathroom. After hearing they had, she asked Shen Lie to shut the door and continued to arrange his pillow, before returning to her own bed.

Noticing Shen Lie still frozen in place, she gave him a curious look. He then remembered her request to close the door and hurried to do so.

Sang Luo, with her back to him, slipped out of her outer clothing and into her bed, then, snuggling into the covers, waited for Shen Lie to close the door before suggesting, "When you have time, make your bed first. The rest can wait. It’s not good for your health to keep sleeping in damp conditions."

Such evident concern would usually bring a smile to Shen Lie's face, but today, unusually, he didn't.

"It felt like something softly bumped into the most tender part of his heart."

"This sensation wasn't unfamiliar to Shen Lie; he had experienced it before when Sang Luo showed concern for him, like when she noticed his wet shoes, bought him winter clothes, made garments for him, or when he taught her archery."

"But no matter how many times it happened, that fluttering of the heart, leaving him momentarily weak and vulnerable, was irresistible."

"Indeed, he didn't want to resist it."

"Perhaps it was because of what Sang Luo said, but he really liked it."

"Caught in that moment, he forgot his joy, just nodding dumbly: 'Uh, yeah, okay.'"

"He wasn't even sure what he had just agreed to."

"Sang Luo, unaware of his turmoil, smiled, 'Then turn off the light. You've had a long day too. Let's get some sleep.'"

"Saying so, she lay down."

"Shen Lie waited for Sang Luo to settle in before he pinched his right ear, went to the lamp, and blew out the oil light, plunging the cave into darkness. He then pressed his left hand over his heart."

"Only then did a smile curve his lips and a gentle look soften his eyes."

"It seemed she did care about him after all."

"His last departure without any discernible reluctance from Sang Luo had left him feeling disappointed."

"But now, that feeling of loss had vanished completely. He thought to himself, 'If I work harder, prove myself worthy, perhaps Sang Luo will come to like me too?'"

"Shen Lie pulled the covers over himself as he lay in bed, inhaling the unique fragrance of sun-dried bedding, which lifted his spirits further. He pulled the blanket up to cover half of his face, lying there smiling to himself in the darkness for quite a while."

"Thinking of his early start the next day to fetch clay and shale, he forced himself to sleep quickly, yet his mood was so uplifted that even in his dreams, his brows and eyes remained curved in a smile."