The Night Deepens

Old Buck walked over to the anvil and picked up the hoe Su Li had just finished forging to inspect it.

The surface of the hoe was smooth and the edge sharp; one look was enough to tell it was a fine piece of work, tempered a thousand times over.

"Not bad." Old Buck nodded, his eyes filled with gratification, though they also held a hint of reluctance he didn't want to admit. "Better than my craftsmanship back in the day. You brat, your intuition is truly something else."

He set the hoe down, pulled out his pipe, and packed it with tobacco.

"I say, son-in-law."

Old Buck took a few puffs and exhaled a ring of smoke. "Look at how our business is growing; the orders from the neighboring town are already backed up until next month. Can you handle all this work by yourself?"

"I can handle it." Su Li set down his hammer and picked up a towel to wipe his hands.

"Don't push yourself." Old Buck frowned. "I was thinking, why not hire two apprentices? We can't let this craft die out, can we? Besides, if someone helps you work the bellows and move the iron, you'll have it a bit easier."

Su Li shook his head.

"No hiring."

The answer was resolute.

"Why?" Old Buck was stunned. "It's not like our family is short on food money these days. Little Su Xiaochui still needs to go to school and learn his letters; you can't have him working the bellows for you every day, can you?"

Su Li didn't speak, merely staring at the roaring furnace fire.

Why?

Because it was annoying.

An extra person in the house meant an extra mouth to feed and an extra pair of eyes.

Especially at night.

The commotion he and Saina made was already significant; if two apprentices were living in the house, would they still be able to enjoy their intimate moments of life's harmony?

Furthermore, he had no intention of passing this blacksmithing craft on to outsiders.

A craft was a rice bowl, a livelihood.

He had seen enough in his past life of masters being starved out by their own apprentices.

"Dad, don't you worry about it." Su Li smiled, cutting off the conversation. "I'm doing just fine on my own. It's quiet. Besides, if I hire someone clumsy, I'll have to waste energy teaching them, and that's just more trouble than it's worth."

"You're just lazy!" Old Buck snorted, tapping his pipe against the anvil with a loud clack. "I see it now, you just don't want the hassle. Fine, fine, have it your way. It's not me who's going to be worked to death."

The old man walked off with his hands behind his back, huffing as he headed into the house to ask his daughter for a drink.

Su Li shrugged.

Lazy it is, then.

At worst, he would just take fewer orders.

In this world, being able to live a stable, lazy life was a skill in itself.

Night fell.

Wading Village grew quiet once more.

The three members of Su Li's family finished their dinner.

Su Xiaochui was quite sensible; he didn't need to be urged after eating. He cleared the bowls and chopsticks himself, then retreated to his room to study that tattered copy of the General History of the Continent he had bought from a wandering merchant.

On the other side of the courtyard stood a small cabin built two years ago.

That had been Su Li's specific request.

The original house was simply too small, and the soundproofing was practically non-existent.

Once Su Xiaochui grew a little older, Su Li felt he couldn't go on living like that.

Every time he wanted to be intimate with his wife in the middle of the night, he had to act like a thief, terrified of waking the child.

So, he gritted his teeth, took the savings he had accumulated over the years, and built this little cabin in the corner of the yard.

Though it wasn't large, the walls were built thick with a layer of straw in between, providing excellent soundproofing.

This was his and Saina's exclusive territory.

At this moment, a dim oil lamp was lit inside the room.

Su Li leaned against the headboard, toying with the pocket watch that had come out of the Baris Empire.

Saina was at the vanity, brushing her hair.

She had let down her thick, long brown hair, letting it drape over her shoulders.

She wore a semi-old white nightgown. The fabric had become somewhat thin from many washes, clinging to her body...

"Is Xiaochui asleep?" Su Li asked.

"He is." Saina set down her brush and stood up.

She turned around and looked at the man on the bed.

Under the lamplight, her face was flushed, her eyes filled with a mistiness that seemed capable of drawing a person in.

"Father is asleep, too," Saina added, her voice lowered to a whisper, carrying a hint of an implication that only the two of them understood.

She walked to the bedside and, without needing Su Li to invite her, climbed up quite naturally.

The bed frame let out a dull creak.

Saina's weight was not light these days.

But that fleshy sensation was exactly what Su Li liked most.

Like a big cat, she skillfully burrowed into Su Li's arms, finding the most comfortable position to nestle in. Her plump arms wrapped around Su Li's waist, and she rubbed her face against his chest.

"Brother Su..."

"Call me husband."

"Husband." Saina's voice was incredibly sweet, laced with a coquettish nasal tone. "You must be exhausted today, right?"

"It's alright." Su Li placed his hand on her rounded shoulder, gently stroking the smooth, supple skin. "What? Are you worried about me?"

"Of course I am."

Saina looked up, her large, watery eyes fixed on him. "You insist on carrying everything on your own. I can see the calluses on your hands have gotten even thicker."

As she spoke, she grabbed Su Li's large hand and kissed it.

Her warm lips touching the rough calluses sent a ripple through Su Li's heart.

"It's a hassle," Su Li explained. "We haven't had enough of our world for two yet; why bring a third wheel into the mix?"

Saina was stunned for a moment before she realized what "third wheel" meant.

She burst into a giggle, her whole body shaking with laughter, her soft curves trembling along with her.

"You..."

Saina reached out and flicked his nose. "We've been together for so long, yet you're still so improper. Aren't you afraid our son will laugh at you?"

"He wouldn't dare." Su Li snorted. "I'm doing this to give him a younger brother or sister; he should be thanking me."

At these words, Saina's face turned even redder.

But she didn't pull away.

Instead, she pressed herself even closer.

Her leg rested restlessly over Su Li's, and the hem of her nightgown slid up, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin.

In the dim light, the whiteness was practically blinding.

"Then..." Saina's voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum. "You'll have to work harder."

"These past few years... there hasn't been any movement in my belly."

Saina's hand slid down from Su Li's chest, tracing circles on his firm abdominal muscles. "People in the village say... they say this field of mine has worn out a bull like you."

Su Li took a deep breath.

This woman was provoking him.

She was questioning his dignity as a man.

"Worn out?" Su Li sneered, his voice filled with stirred-up fighting spirit. "Tonight, I'll let you see whether the field is fertile or the bull is strong."

He flipped over abruptly.

Saina let out a startled cry, but there was no fear in her voice—only anticipation and joy.

"Be gentle..."

"This newly built house... even if it's soundproof, the bed isn't new."

"Why change it for a new one?" Su Li leaned down and sealed her chattering lips. "The old one works well. It has memories."

The lamp flickered.

On the window paper, two shadows slowly merged into one.

Before long, a heart-pounding commotion erupted inside the small room.

It was the creaking of the wooden bed, unable to bear the weight.

The night grew deeper.

The wind outside seemed to pick up, blowing through the old locust tree in the yard and making it rustle, as if providing cover for the movements inside the room.