Chapter 206: The Proposal

When Shen Lie and Shen Jin returned to the village just outside the mountain, it was already nearing evening.

The Xu and Lu families, who lived near the village entrance, saw them and hurried out of their caves. Seeing the two return in good spirits, with Shen Jin’s eyes slightly red but otherwise composed, it was clear they had made it through the ordeal from the county town. Shopkeeper Xu and Uncle Xu both felt relieved.

No one asked about how they had dealt with the situation. Lu Erlang, seeing Shen Lie and Shen Jin covered in snow, said, “Whatever needs to be discussed can wait until tomorrow. The wind and snow have blown all day in the mountains; go back and warm up.”

Shen Lie was indeed concerned about home. He nodded to them and, with Shen Jin, headed quickly to their own cave.

The family was waiting. From a distance, Sang Luo, Shen An, and Shen Ning saw them. By the time they got up to greet them, Shen Lie was already at the door. He brushed off the snow from his clothes and then entered.

The meal had already been prepared. Shen Ning went to cook, and Shen Lie and Shen Jin put away their weapons and washed their hands at the mountain spring before returning to the cave.

Seeing Shen An tending the fire and Shen Ning and Sang Luo efficiently preparing the meal, Shen Lie approached them and asked, “Were you scared this morning?”

They had practiced martial arts for months and had plenty of experience hunting, but this was their first time dealing with people in such a dramatic situation.

To be honest, although they had trained with bows and sticks for a long time, when faced with real combat, they couldn’t afford to be afraid. There was even an excitement from putting their long practice to use. However, Zheng Daniu’s attack was still somewhat unsettling. But if it weren’t for the deep hatred, how could it have been so stirring? Thinking of this, Shen An shook his head.

Shen Ning, like her second brother, was initially a bit shaken. But thinking about the villains they had encountered and then about Tianya, she felt better. In fact, the experience of facing such evil for the first time even made her a bit excited. She said, “Big Brother, there was someone with a knife who came at me and Wen Yin. Wen Hong and I took him down right away.”

Seeing that she didn’t seem frightened, Shen Lie smiled a bit. “Then keep practicing hard and improve your skills.”

In the outside world, those with malicious intent often target the most defenseless—women and children.

…

Sang Luo spoke rarely. After dinner and washing up, the children returned to the nearby wooden house and closed the doors. Only then did she ask Shen Lie, “Did you go to that village on the way back?”

The return trip did pass through the village where the Zhou and Feng families lived.

Shen Lie nodded. He looked at Sang Luo and asked, “Are you asking about the Zheng family?”

Sang Luo remembered Zheng Daniu’s reaction upon seeing the three men and one woman and wasn’t sure she wanted to hear more. She shook her head, wrapped her arms around Shen Lie’s waist, and buried her face in his shoulder.

Shen Lie embraced her, thinking about the things that the butcher Zheng had only partially revealed that afternoon. He held her a bit tighter and, after a moment of silence, looked down and asked, “I only have a hundred or so characters left in that book I was reading. Ah Luo, will you teach me?”

In response, Sang Luo’s hands moved to his neck.

That night, Sang Luo stayed nestled in Shen Lie’s arms. Initially, Shen Lie’s feelings were just of compassion and protection. However, Sang Luo, unusually clingy that night, began to initiate kisses, changing everything and becoming quite chaotic.

Outside the cave, it was freezing cold, but inside, it was extremely warm. It became so hot that Sang Luo’s eyes were filled with tears. Except for the last step, nothing remained of the distance between them.

In the end, holding the now-melted Sang Luo, Shen Lie whispered hoarsely in her ear, “Ah Luo, will you marry me? I don’t need anything more, but I want to make a vow before Heaven and Earth that we are husband and wife. Will you?”

Shen Lie always felt that they hadn’t performed the proper formalities. Even though their parents weren’t present, he wanted Heaven and Earth to witness their union.

Sang Luo, completely drained of energy and spirit, seemed to lack even the strength to lift a finger. After a while, she managed to move a little closer to him, and as their noses touched, a mumbled “yes” was lost between their lips.

Sang Luo thought that even if they went through with it, it was nothing too surprising. She wanted Shen Lie, and her feelings were unmistakably confirmed. The emotions and desires were intertwining and becoming harder to suppress with each passing day. The constant repression felt like it was consuming her.

…

After the incident, the village outside the village, the small Zhou village, and the scattered mountain people between the two villages placed even greater emphasis on training. While they still kept their distance, it was clear that their solidarity had strengthened. In the face of danger, they could truly rely on each other for support.

The village outside the village now had seven more large knives, and with those Shen Lie and his companions had brought back, including those collected from the county town rescue, there were over a dozen military knives.

The children continued to practice with sticks. The talented young ones began learning knife techniques from Shen Lie and Chen Dashan.

Following the skirmish, Shopkeeper Xu, Uncle Xu, Chen Youtian, Zhou Dalang, and Mrs. Gan, who were more passionate about gathering than martial arts, also joined in. With fewer tasks in winter, their daily training now included their participation.

Shen Lie had new concerns. After waiting for several days and finally seeing the snow melt completely, he ventured into the valley that night without worrying about leaving traces.

Old Chen and Old Lu were of advanced age, so most of the time, Zhou Cunzheng was the one guarding the valley. It was accurate to say he lived in the large cave at the entrance, where everything needed—grass huts, beds, quilts, and other supplies—was neatly arranged.

That night, Shen Lie didn’t come to deliver anything but to borrow a copy of the Daqian calendar from Zhou Cunzheng.

Zhou Cunzheng was momentarily taken aback and asked about its use. Since such matters couldn’t be handled in the mountains, and Sang Luo didn’t want it to be widely known, Shen Lie did not elaborate.

Seeing that Shen Lie did not elaborate, Zhou Cunzheng didn’t press further. He quickly descended with a rope and soon returned, holding the calendar book. After examining Shen Lie for a few moments, he suddenly said, “Your aunt reminded me—haven’t you and Ah Luo performed the formal rites yet?”

Women tend to be more attentive to such details. The Shen family’s old thatched house had only one room, with the whole family of four sharing the space. After taking refuge in the mountains, they all lived in one cave. Moreover, Sang Luo seemed never to have worn her hair up.

The sudden request to borrow a calendar book raised suspicions. After all, calendars were used mainly to select dates and plan farming for common folk. Given that the Chen family had recently held a celebration and now Shen Lie was borrowing a calendar, it wasn’t hard to guess the reason.

Seeing he’d been figured out, Shen Lie smiled slightly. “Yes, but we don’t have our parents or elders with us, and it’s not convenient to arrange anything in the mountains. Ah Luo prefers to keep it low-key, just a private vow before Heaven and Earth.”

Zhou Cunzheng, smiling, handed over the calendar book and also gave Shen Lie a packet of red dates and a bundle of new red strings. “The calendar is for you to use. The red strings are a small gift. They’re brand new, never used, bought by my second daughter-in-law. Your aunt asked me to give them to you. The conditions in the mountains are tough, but don’t forget the wedding rites.”

Seeing the red strings, Shen Lie’s eyes lit up with joy. “Thank you, Uncle Zhou.”

Zhou Cunzheng patted him with a smile. “Go on, may you and Ah Luo live happily ever after, growing old together.”

With a beaming smile, Shen Lie carefully put away the red strings, then went back to the cave, his eyes shining as he eagerly asked Sang Luo to pick a date.

Sang Luo, seeing his excited anticipation, smiled broadly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the corner of his lips. With a tender embrace, he opened the calendar book with a serious demeanor, asking Sang Luo to choose a date.

Faces close together, their ears brushing, the scene was incredibly sweet.

The chosen date was soon, just three days away.

Originally, no one was notified. The plan was to bring out Shen Yin and Shen Tie the night before, and just have the family witness the vow before Heaven and Earth.

But would the Zhou family keep it a secret? That night, when Shen Lie borrowed the calendar, everyone in the valley knew by the evening. They prepared the gifts and sent them out that night with Zhou Cunzheng, not informing Shen Lie and Sang Luo. Only those living outside were informed to make sure the date was right before delivering the gifts.

In the Chen family, Shen Lie had given such generous gifts before that Chen Youtian’s first action upon hearing the news was to find his son and confirm the date. He wanted Chen Dashan to find some good items to bring back.

Chen Dashan was stunned upon hearing that Shen Lie was getting married.

Forget about gifts—he immediately went to find Shen Lie and pulled him aside to a secluded spot. “You’re getting married? No, you’re not married yet? Wait, weren’t you…”

He wanted to say, “Didn’t you already get married?”

Realizing belatedly that Shen Lie had only brought a wife back but had not yet held a formal wedding ceremony with Sang Luo, he slapped his head and laughed. “Hey, it turns out I’m ahead of you!”

He almost burst out laughing with his hands on his hips.

Shen Lie was in a good mood, and since Ah Luo was so wonderful, he didn’t mind Chen Dashan’s foolishness. He just asked, “Did Uncle Zhou mention it?”

Since he had borrowed the calendar only the night before, it was clear that Zhou Cunzheng had informed everyone.

Sang Luo’s plan to have a private ceremony was clearly out of the question. Still, Shen Lie was happy, though the only thing that made them a bit uncomfortable was everyone’s reaction, similar to Chen Dashan’s—“You haven’t consummated the marriage?”

Shen Lie thought that in the mountains, where proper arrangements were impossible, this might be one reason Sang Luo didn’t want to announce it publicly.

But it seemed to be fine now, whatever the case.

Shen Lie was in high spirits, and Chen Dashan was particularly cheerful. “What day did you choose? I’ll get some good things for you and your bride.”

Shen Lie laughed and gave the date. Chen Dashan, smiling, said he’d be back after telling Chen Youtian about Shen Lie’s wedding date, informing Zhou Ge that he was going out, and taking his knife and bow with him. He then called on Xu Wenqing and headed out.

On the night before the wedding, Shen Lie brought Shen Yin and Shen Tie out, and the Shen siblings finally learned that their eldest brother and sister-in-law were going to have a belated wedding ceremony.

Shen An and Shen Ning were thrilled and went around asking Mrs. Gan what they could help with. Mrs. Gan was taken aback. In their current situation, deep in the mountains with nothing much available, she suggested that Shen Ning sprinkle more red dates on Sang Luo’s bed and advised the siblings to say more auspicious words.

So, Sang Luo, who thought it would be just a small, private ceremony witnessed by family, was surprised when, on the actual day, gifts arrived from all the families early in the morning. She realized that everyone knew about the wedding.

Everyone’s blessings made Sang Luo smile as she accepted the gifts and thanked them.

Chen Dashan and Xu Wenqing returned in the afternoon, happily carrying a deer. Xu Wenqing didn’t understand much, but Chen Dashan pulled Shen Lie aside with a grin, saying, “Don’t say that your brothers don’t treat you well. You must have heard that deer meat is a good thing. Eat more of it tonight.”

Shen Lie nearly choked. He felt like his blood was boiling and didn’t need any more deer meat.

He considered giving Chen Dashan a few pointers but felt uncomfortable discussing marital matters with him as a man. He thought he might have Sang Luo discreetly mention it to Zhou Ge later.

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Dashan had the same idea and, upon returning home, asked his wife to privately teach Sang Luo the methods instructed by her mother.

Zhou Ge: “…Alright.”

Under Chen Dashan’s persistent urging, Zhou Ge had no choice but to go to the Shen family’s cave.

When Sang Luo learned that Zhou Ge had come to teach her the contraceptive methods passed down by Chen Dashan’s mother, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter. In the cave, with only the two of them present, their shoulders shook with their shared amusement.