Qin Fang went up the mountain today, so naturally he needed to wash his hair in the evening.

If it were in the past when he was alone, he was used to it; not to mention two days without washing his hair, he could go five days without washing.

But after having a wife, if he didn’t keep clean, he wouldn’t be able to get into bed.

After washing his hair, Qin Fang obediently sat there while Yang Haiyan helped him dry his hair.

In ancient times, drying hair was a troublesome matter.

Without a hairdryer, no matter how hard one tried, it wouldn’t get dry.

Qin Fang felt Yang Haiyan’s fingertips gliding over his head.

The touch was light, ticklish, yet somewhat comfortable.

He thought of something: “Yanyan, when we went to Shoushan today, everyone picked a lot of wild chicken eggs. That hundred-man team will have chicken soup to drink tonight.”

Yang Haiyan casually replied, “Are you craving it?”

Qin Fang said, “How could that be? But today, there were especially many wild chicken eggs on the mountain. Do you know why?”

Yang Haiyan thought for a moment: “Perhaps Shoushan has been idle for over twenty years, so no one has picked the wild chicken eggs, which is why there are so many?”

Qin Fang felt a bit dejected: “Not really; guess again.”

Yang Haiyan genuinely couldn’t guess, so she refused to try: “I don’t know; I can’t think of anything else. Please tell me, my husband.”

Qin Fang sighed: “Because it’s already May.”

Yang Haiyan casually remarked, “It’s the end of May; what does wild chicken laying eggs have to do with May? Do they only lay eggs in May?”

Qin Fang thought for a moment.

His wife hadn’t grown up in the countryside, so she didn’t understand.

He explained, “Because May and June are peak breeding periods for wild chickens; they need to reproduce. It’s just like us humans having babies, you understand?”

Yang Haiyan was speechless.

Why was he suddenly bringing this up?

Qin Fang turned around and grabbed her hand that was drying his hair: “So, we should also work hard to have a baby.”

Yang Haiyan felt embarrassed; she knew that bringing this up with him wasn’t for any good reason.

However, she placed her hands on his shoulders: “Having a baby isn’t something we can just do whenever we want.”

Qin Fang replied, “If we are more active in bed, the chances are higher.”

Damn!

Yang Haiyan analyzed for him: “But if I do get pregnant, we won’t be able to have sex for a year. We’ve only just gotten married; if we have to endure a year without it, can you really stand it? Just think about those two years of restraint…”

Qin Fang was taken aback: “Why is it that if you get pregnant, we can’t have sex for a year?” He didn’t know about such things; no one had taught him.

Yang Haiyan knew he was on a roll talking about intimacy, so she deliberately explained, “Because if you have a baby and have sex again, it can affect the baby. That’s why a woman shouldn’t have sex during the ten months of pregnancy.”

She didn’t advocate the idea of being able to have sex after three months; for the sake of the child, one shouldn’t think about intimacy during pregnancy. “Also, oh, after giving birth, a couple can’t have sex for two months.”

One month is for the postpartum recovery, and the next month the woman is still in a recovery phase.

No matter when, women shouldn’t joke around with their own bodies.

In modern times, Yang Haiyan had friends whose boyfriends didn’t like using condoms, but their girlfriends were afraid of getting pregnant, so they took emergency contraceptive pills afterward.

Yang Haiyan didn’t understand why women would harm their bodies for the pleasure of men.

If a man truly loved you, he wouldn’t want short-term pleasure at the cost of you taking contraceptives.

Such men, it’s better not to have.

Life is a process of compromise, and relationships between the sexes are a beautiful experience, but this experience shouldn’t end with contraceptive pills.

Qin Fang was stunned.

If Yanyan got pregnant, then they wouldn’t be able to have sex for a year?

He had endured for a year and a half before, but at that time, he hadn’t experienced the wedding night.

He didn’t understand how alluring women could be; their charm was intoxicating.

And now that he had experienced it, would he be able to endure for another year?

Qin Fang felt like a flower wilting; he needed to think about it.

Seeing him like this, Yang Haiyan found it amusing.

It seemed she could “take a break” for a while.

The Next Day

Before going to the military camp, Qin Fang went to find Dr. Li.

Doctor Li got up early that day, planning to go to the Eastern Suburban Military Camp and then accompany the soldiers to Beast Mountain to gather herbs.

Beast Mountain had not been visited by anyone for over twenty years, which indicated not only an abundance of wild animals but also a wealth of medicinal herbs.

So, Doctor Li was eager to go herb gathering.

Upon seeing Qin Fang arrive, Doctor Li was pleasantly surprised.

He had thought of the idea of gathering herbs the night before but hadn’t had a chance to discuss it with Qin Fang yet. “General, I happen to have something I want to discuss with you.”

Qin Fang asked, “What is it?”

Doctor Li replied, “I want to gather herbs on Beast Mountain. I wonder if that would be convenient?”

Qin Fang thought for a moment. “That sounds feasible. I’ll send a few soldiers to accompany you for safety.”

Hearing this, Doctor Li felt relieved. “By the way, did the general come to see me about something?”

At the mention of this, Qin Fang felt a bit awkward.

He looked around to ensure no one was nearby, then quietly pulled Doctor Li aside and asked, “Doctor Li, I’ve heard that women shouldn’t have relations within a year after becoming pregnant. Is that true?”

Doctor Li was taken aback but quickly became delighted. “Is the lady with child?”

As the physician of the general’s estate, he would be thrilled about any good news regarding the general’s family.

Qin Fang replied, “I just wanted to understand.”

Doctor Li, feeling slightly puzzled, wondered if the lady was not actually pregnant.

Nevertheless, since the general had asked, he explained the situation regarding pregnancy. “During the first three months of pregnancy, the fetus is unstable, and it’s not advisable to engage in relations as it can lead to bleeding and miscarriage. After three months, if the fetus is stable, relations can resume, but they should not be too vigorous.

However, some women may have weaker constitutions or issues with the fetus, causing instability throughout the entire pregnancy, which can happen from conception to delivery.

Therefore, specific situations must be evaluated individually. As a doctor, I do not recommend relations during pregnancy, as it can pose risks to the child.” Doctor Li said this carefully, glancing at Qin Fang.

Qin Fang nodded, choosing not to continue on this topic.

He feigned composure and said, “Alright, I understand. Let’s head to the military camp.”

Doctor Li sighed in relief.

As Qin Fang walked ahead, he felt conflicted.

He really wanted a child; at twenty-two, he longed to have his own.

But thinking about the year of abstinence that would follow made him feel aggrieved—he had just consummated his marriage this January.

Was it really fair?

After a few steps, Qin Fang turned back to look at Doctor Li.

Doctor Li quickly stopped, asking, “General?” What was this look for?

Qin Fang averted his gaze.

When Qin Fang and Doctor Li arrived, the group of one hundred soldiers was already lined up, eagerly waiting. Yesterday, when the first hundred soldiers had enjoyed the wild chicken soup, wild rabbit soup, and egg soup, it had whetted everyone’s appetites. Consequently, today’s spots were highly coveted, with many competing for them.

In the end, they decided by drawing lots.

As a result, those who did not get selected were blaming their centurion for their bad luck.

“General Qin is here!”

“The general has finally arrived; we are all prepared.”

“Today we’re going to work hard and surpass yesterday’s efforts.”

“Hey, we were just scouting yesterday, alright?” The soldiers from yesterday were not having it.

Seeing the enthusiasm, Qin Fang clapped his hands. “Everyone, get ready to depart. Today, Doctor Li will be gathering herbs on Beast Mountain. Captain Lu, please assign ten soldiers to escort Doctor Li and ensure his safety.”

Captain Lu replied, “Understood.”

With that, Qin Fang took the lead, and Tao Shan followed him.

Captain Lu assigned ten soldiers to accompany Doctor Li, and they all quickly began to run and catch up.

Captain Yang waved, “Good luck today!”

Captain Lu, remembering the chicken soup from yesterday, couldn’t help but tease, “Just wait, today you’ll be drooling.”

Captain Yang laughed, “Drool? Not a chance. Am I not going to grab some for myself?”

Qin Fang and Tao Shan arrived at the foot of Beast Mountain first.

He dismounted without rushing to check the traps, taking a moment to feed Wu Shuai some peas.

Both yellow beans and peas were Wu Shuai’s treats; he was a bit of a spoiled child.

Tao Shan dismounted and went to check the traps. As he approached, he said, “General, I heard something moving in the trap. Could it be something big?”

Qin Fang set the dish down for Wu Shuai and walked over to check. “What did you find?”

Tao Shan cautiously kept his distance.

He crouched down, picked up a few stones, and threw them into each trap. Only one trap responded with grunting sounds.

Although the sounds were a bit subdued, it was clear it was a wild animal.

Tao Shan exclaimed, “Oh my, it’s a wild boar!”

They had dug six traps in total yesterday, and only one had caught something, which turned out to be a wild boar.

Among the large animals in the forest, wild boars seemed to be the least intelligent.

Qin Fang commented, “Looks like they’ll have a feast today.”

Tao Shan reached the trap, noting, “General, it’s bleeding a lot. If it holds on a bit longer, it may not make it.”

He then went to check the other traps. “General, there’s a wolf here, but it’s already dead. Besides these two, all the other traps are empty, but there are no signs of any animals left. Judging by the marks here, they appear to be from the wolf.”

Qin Fang joined Tao Shan and crouched down. “These are indeed wolf tracks, and there are blood stains here. This wolf must have been injured, but its jumping ability is better than the wild boar, allowing it to escape. Let’s follow the blood trail; we might be able to find its den.”

Tao Shan, feeling intrigued, began to search the surroundings.

Qin Fang carefully examined the other traps.

The meat inside had already been taken, with no game left behind.

Only the trap with the wild boar and the wolf was different, as he had baited it with rabbit meat.

However, while wild boars are omnivores, it was rare to see them eat meat.

So why had this wild boar gone for the rabbit meat in the trap? Was it just a foolish pig?