Chapter 101: Living Together Behind the Curtain

When all the chores in the kitchen were done, it was already past midnight.

After the family finished washing up, Shen Lie bolted the courtyard door before returning to the room. Shen An and Shen Ning had already finished making the two reed curtains, even bringing back the extra reed stems and storing them neatly in the backyard woodshed.

Naturally, hanging the curtains was a job for the tallest person, Shen Lie. Although they didn’t have any nails at the moment, it wasn’t difficult. There was a beam in the middle above the two beds, and Shen Lie was tall enough to reach it. Standing on the bed, he could easily reach up and tie the rope to the beam, then thread it through the gaps in the reed curtain to hang it up.

Sang Luo stood below with the two children, helping to check the positions and heights. After some fussing around, two curtains were added to the room, successfully separating about three-quarters of the space between the two beds, leaving only the foot of the bed for climbing up and down.

To be honest, the arrangement made just to separate the two beds didn’t look very pleasing to Sang Luo from the entrance of the room.

But when Shen An and Shen Ning climbed onto their own beds and looked around, the feeling was different and quite intriguing.

The two children were especially excited. They not only jumped on their own beds to see but also reached out to move the curtains to peek at Sang Luo’s bed.

Shen Ning was very happy and sincerely praised, “Sister-in-law, hanging a curtain does make it look better.”

It did look nice from the bed. Creating a small space like this was interesting, and the reeds were woven quite delicately, giving off a rustic beauty.

However, Sang Luo felt a headache watching the siblings happily climb onto the opposite bed.

She looked at Shen Lie, and Shen Lie looked back at her, both seemingly at a loss.

Sang Luo was someone who preferred to solve things on her own if she could. She called out to Shen Ning, “An Ning, come over here and sleep with me, and that side will be for your brother and An.”

The siblings paused for a moment.

Shen An asked, “Won’t big brother and sister-in-law sleep together?”

Shen An’s words didn’t carry any other meaning; at his age, especially growing up without parents, he didn’t really understand the concept of couples having to sleep together. He had always seen Third Uncle and Third Aunt sharing a room, along with Shen Jin, Shen Yin, and Shen Tie sharing one room.

Now that the curtains were up, shouldn’t it be for big brother and sister-in-law to have one side, and him and An Ning to have the other?

Shen Lie was embarrassed again, but Sang Luo was quite calm, not taking the children’s words seriously at all, and smiled, “I prefer to sleep with An Ning.”

This sentence made Shen Ning very happy, instantly forgetting whether it was appropriate for big brother and sister-in-law to sleep together.

Big sister-in-law likes sleeping with her! Then she’ll go!

She happily grabbed her pillow and changed places. Sang Luo had already taken the inner side of the bed, so Shen Ning directly put her pillow on the outer side closer to the curtain.

Shen An was also happy to sleep with his big brother. Big brother had been away from home for a long, long time, and he was happy too. He proactively pulled back the blanket, patting the part of the bed next to the curtain, “Big brother, come here to sleep.”

Shen Lie breathed a sigh of relief only then.

But when he glanced at the spot Shen An had left for him, he said, “You sleep on the outside, closer to Ning, and I’ll sleep inside.”

Keeping a distance in the middle might make things more comfortable.

Shen An and Shen Ning didn’t notice the subtle nuances between their big brother and sister-in-law. They just thought it was fun to be separated by a curtain, and they happily enjoyed it.

Shen An didn’t hesitate and immediately changed positions.

Shen Lie felt relieved. Seeing everyone in bed, he turned to Sang Luo and asked, “Shall I put out the lamp?”

Sang Luo was a bit confused, feeling that there was something wrong with this conversation. Nevertheless, she nodded and said, “Yes, put it out.”

Upon hearing her response, Shen Lie turned to blow out the lamp at the table.

On the first night of Shen Lie’s return home, he and Sang Luo slept on two adjacent beds, choosing the farthest distance from each other, lying down very properly.

In the middle, Shen An and Shen Ning chatted incessantly. The two siblings talked for a while and then had to recite a passage from the “Thousand Character Classic” that they had already learned before they could fall asleep.

Shen Lie and Sang Luo listened to the small recitations of the two children in the darkness.

After several hours of returning home, Shen Lie, at this moment, truly felt that his nearly three years of exile had ended. He was home.

His younger siblings were doing well.

He cautiously turned his head to look towards the curtain.

He now had a wife, although she had not yet accepted him.

On the other side of the curtain, Sang Luo, who had been called Mrs. Shen Lie for several months and had become very accustomed to it, also opened her eyes in the darkness and finally faced these four words. Since Shen Lie’s return, these four words were no longer just a code name.

In her previous life, she had lived for twenty-eight years without experiencing or even realizing a romantic relationship. In this life, she had entered into marriage directly.

Shen An and Shen Ning didn’t know when they had finished reciting their books. After a busy night, it wasn’t early anymore, and the two children were actually tired, especially in the soft and warm bed. Shen Ning had fallen asleep while listening to her brother’s recitation, and Shen An’s eyelids were gradually getting heavier.

“Sister-in-law, goodnight.”

“Big brother, goodnight.”

Before Shen Lie could understand what “goodnight” meant, he heard Sang Luo’s gentle voice from the other side of the curtain, “Yes, goodnight.”

Shen Lie looked towards the curtain and met Shen An’s gaze. He patted his brother and opened his mouth, mimicking Sang Luo’s response, “Goodnight.”

Shen An was satisfied with this “goodnight” from his big brother. Contentedly, he closed his eyes and entered a sweet sleep.

In the dark night, there were only the regular breathing sounds of the two children. After listening for a while, Shen Lie asked softly, “Arlo, what time should we get up tomorrow to make tofu?”

Sang Luo, who hadn’t slept yet, heard his question and replied softly, “At dawn, just before sunrise.”

Shen Lie realized that Sang Luo and the others only slept for about two hours every night?

Well, today was his return, and he had wasted time bathing and going out, but he figured they usually only slept for three hours at most.

It was too hard on them.

He asked softly, “Will the tofu be made the same way as today?”

Sang Luo replied softly, “Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll get up in the morning and make the tofu, then I’ll call you,” Shen Lie said.

Sang Luo couldn’t help but glance towards the curtain before responding softly.

Having someone to share the burden that she had been carrying for so long was quite nice.

With a man in the house, Sang Luo thought she wouldn’t sleep well tonight. Unexpectedly, she felt a bit uncomfortable at first but then fell asleep without realizing it.

Perhaps it was because Shen Lie had mentioned before going to bed that he would make the tofu in the morning, Sang Luo’s mind was no longer preoccupied with things, and she slept especially soundly. The faint sound of making tofu in the kitchen blended into her dreams, and she thought she was making it herself.

Until the sound stopped, she seemed to wake up from her dream, feeling a bit confused at first. She opened and closed her eyes, dazed for a while before realizing that she had forgotten to get up to make tofu!

Turning over and sitting up, she quickly began to put on her jacket. It wasn’t until she heard deliberately light footsteps outside that Sang Luo’s still sleepy brain finally started working. Oh right, Shen Lie was back, and she didn’t need to make the tofu this morning.

The dim light from the oil lamp spilled into the room. Sang Luo looked up, and Shen Lie pushed the door open and entered. Their eyes met, and Shen Lie clearly paused for a moment. “Already awake?” he asked.

Sang Luo nodded. Shen Lie quickly put the oil lamp on the table and hurriedly left, closing the door behind him.

Sang Luo: …

What was it like for someone of the opposite sex to see her in such a state just after waking up?

Just like she was now.

Sang Luo rubbed her temples, completely giving up on overthinking, and promptly got out of bed.

…

Previously, because of the refugee incident, Qin Fangniang and her group were accompanied by Chen Youtian, Lu Dalang, and Shi Erlang when they set up their stalls every day. Today, except for Chen Youtian, who didn’t change, the two men who came with Gan Shi and Feng Liuniang.

The reunion of these two couples clearly had a somewhat honeyed atmosphere.

Sang Luo smiled, genuinely happy for the two of them. Of course, with so many people coming, she didn’t need help bringing the goods down the mountain anymore. She just closed the door and left it at that.

Since the family started making tofu, Shen An and Shen Ning, once they started lying in bed, would listen to their big brother and sister-in-law and stay in bed.

The first snow in Qiyang County only lasted for a day before stopping. Although it didn’t snow again outside, the melting snow was much colder than the falling snow. It was so delightful to be able to stay in bed until breakfast without getting up!

Breakfast is soy milk with egg and bean dregs pancakes. Sang Luo and the two little ones usually eat it well. Shen Lie drank soy milk for the second time and ate bean dregs pancakes for the first time. He added flour, eggs, and minced vegetables, and adjusted it again. The pancakes fried in oil are so fragrant that you can’t stop eating them.

He also knew that he had eaten a lot. If Sang Luo hadn’t made two large plates, Shen Lie might not have dared to use chopsticks again.

San Luo couldn’t hold back her laughter. Tofu Zhabing and his family were really capable of taking care of themselves.

There weren’t many other things in their house, and they had enough bean dregs. If they couldn’t finish it themselves, they would occasionally give some to other families. The chickens, ducks and geese at home also had this nutritious meal every day, so they couldn’t consume all the rest. Dry and store in the sun.

There were two plates of tofu crumb cakes, but Sang Luo and the two younger ones didn’t finish one plate. Shen Lie finished the whole plate by himself. By now, Sang Luo knew how he grew. This also means being smart. When you were a teenager, you knew how to hunt with Chen Dashan. Otherwise, like Shen San and Li, how could you let him eat his fill?

Shen Lie also knew that he had a big appetite, especially in the past two years. After finishing the meal, he felt a bit embarrassed and said, “Da Shan and I will go into the mountains later to see if we can catch some wild chickens to add to the meal.”

Two years ago, he wouldn’t have dared to say that he could catch anything by going into the mountains. But now, things were different. In the past year, he had almost lived in the deep mountains and forests, so he had some confidence.

Sang Luo, hearing that he wanted to go hunting in the mountains, was surprised. “The snow hasn’t melted yet. Isn’t it unsafe to go into the mountains now?”

Shen Lie smiled. “The snow is heavier in the north. Compared to there, the snow here is nothing. Besides, there are advantages to snowy days.”

In snowy weather, it’s difficult for animals to conceal their tracks. With enough experience, hunters can still have a good harvest by going into the mountains.

As he said this, he got up to collect the bowls and prepare to wash them, but Shen Ning didn’t let her big brother do it and took over with a smile.

“Big brother, I’ll wash the dishes. I’m free right now.”

Sang Luo was really tired every day, so the two children would willingly take on some simple chores. Since the beginning of winter, the dishwashing water in the house had been warmed using the remaining heat from the stove, so washing dishes wasn’t uncomfortable.

Shen Lie didn’t argue with his sister about doing these chores. He nodded and said, “Then I’ll get ready.”

It was only then that Sang Luo realized that the oversized package Shen Lie had brought back yesterday, apart from a box of ginseng and a few pieces of clothing, actually contained weapons.

A bow and a large knife wrapped in cloth.

Yes, they were the kind used by the imperial army.

Seeing Sang Luo looking at them, Shen Lie explained, “I got them from the hands of dead soldiers when the enemy army hadn’t had time to clear the battlefield.”

As he said this, he suddenly realized that Sang Luo, being a woman, might be uncomfortable with things that had been used by the dead, so he became a little nervous for a moment.

However, Sang Luo didn’t think about it at all. On the contrary, in turbulent times, these were all good things for survival, especially if they fell into the hands of someone who knew how to use them.

The two emperors of the Great Qin Dynasty had extremely strict control over weapons, and private possession of arms was strictly prohibited. This was also why Shen Lie and his group had to travel through mountains and forests and avoid official inspections along the way. Otherwise, not only would these things be confiscated, but they would also be punished.

She leaned in closer. “And what about that roll of animal skin wrapped around them? Are they arrows?”

Seeing that Sang Luo didn’t show any fear or displeasure and was actually interested, Shen Lie approached with interest. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “Yes, they’re arrows.”

As he spoke, he unrolled the animal skin, revealing a large bundle of well-made arrows inside.

Sang Luo’s eyes lit up. “These are good things, but they need to be hidden.”

She looked around and said, “You should put them under the bed. The house is locked during the day when no one is around.”

At this time, the local system was extremely strict, implementing a system of collective punishment, and neighbor reporting was very common. So, these things absolutely couldn’t be revealed in front of the villagers.

Shen Lie couldn’t help but smile even more when he heard her praise these as good things and offer to help hide them. His eyes curved with a smile. “Alright.”

He took out the bow and arrows that would be used later in the mountains, wrapped the rest back up as they were, and stuffed them under the bed as Sang Luo had suggested.