But this time, she wanted to talk to Gu Huaizheng properly.
In her previous life, Shen Yitang had argued with Gu Huaizheng over this matter.
He had always believed that her unwillingness to have children was because she found him repulsive and despised him.
If he had thought about these things before he died, his heart must have been cold and despairing!
So this time, she didn't want to make him sad again.
The dynamics between a man and a woman were strange. In her previous life, although they had been husband and wife for five years, there was still inevitably some distance in how they interacted.
But after two days of intimate contact, as if their bodies had melted into one, an inexplicable casual affection had grown between them.
That evening after dinner, Gu Huaizheng, without needing to be reminded, carried the heated bathwater to the bathroom for Shen Yitang. Then he went to the well in the courtyard, drew water, and poured it over himself.
After she finished bathing and came out, Shen Yitang naturally leaned into Gu Huaizheng's arms.
Gu Huaizheng was first a little surprised: "So early?"
Then he put on a reluctant expression: "Well, I suppose it's not out of the question."
Unable to contain himself, he took the initiative and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her.
This man—give him an inch and he'd take a mile!
Shen Yitang was about to die of exasperation.
"Can't you keep your mind on something normal for once? Can't you think about anything besides that?"
Gu Huaizheng looked aggrieved: "You started it."
"I just wanted to talk to you properly!" Shen Yitang abruptly stepped away, putting a meter of distance between them. "Then from now on, I'll talk to you from this far away at home, is that okay?"
Gu Huaizheng rubbed his nose, grinning mischievously as he moved closer and took her hand: "No need, I think talking like this is just fine."
Shen Yitang said: "I want to discuss something with you."
"Go ahead. Even if you wanted the moon in the sky, I'd find a way to bring it down for you."
Shen Yitang leaned in and first kissed him on the cheek: "Promise me first—you won't get angry when I say it."
Gu Huaizheng's grip tightened, and he immediately pulled her whole body over, seating her in his arms.
"Then one kiss isn't enough. I need to collect a bit more interest."
With that, he kissed her deeply.
His arms were as hard as iron hoops. Feeling his arousal, Shen Yitang was afraid he might lose his senses and throw her onto the bed without a second thought.
Fortunately, he was still somewhat reasonable. When they were both lost in the kiss, he managed to stop, breathing heavily against her ear: "Go on, speak."
Shen Yitang wrapped her arms around his neck: "Gu Huaizheng, I don't want to have children."
Gu Huaizheng's body stiffened slightly, and his voice turned a bit colder: "Why?"
See, Shen Yitang thought, if they weren't still intimately embracing right now, he would definitely be angry.
"It's just that I feel like I can't even take care of myself properly yet. If I had a child, how could I possibly manage? You wouldn't want our home to be in chaos and affect the feelings between us, would you?"
Gu Huaizheng scoffed: "With that spoiled young lady attitude of yours, you'll never be able to take care of yourself in this lifetime."
Shen Yitang got angry and pinched him, but he was too solid—she couldn't get a grip, and only ended up hurting her own hand.
"Yes, I'm a young lady who can't do anything. Too bad for you that you were unlucky enough to marry me!"
"Then what do you want to do? Starting tonight, am I back to sleeping on the floor?"
"No, it's not that. As long as you're willing to bathe, I like having you hold me while I sleep."
"Sleeping together under the covers with nothing but pure conversation? I'm not having that."
"Do you know there's something called… a contraceptive condom?" Shen Yitang whispered in his ear, her own face flushing red despite herself.
"What is that?" Gu Huaizheng didn't know, and neither had the Shen Yitang of his past life.
But she now had fifteen more years of life experience than the girl she'd been back then, and knew far more things.
"It's a contraceptive tool. Anyway, when you do… that thing, if you use this, you won't get pregnant."
She couldn't bring herself to say anything more specific. In truth, she'd only heard about it—she'd never seen one with her own eyes, let alone used one herself.
"There's actually something this good?" Gu Huaizheng was astonished.
"You think it's a good thing?" Shen Yitang was a bit surprised too. She'd heard that many men disliked the thing and refused to use it.
"Of course it's a good thing! Look at some people—they pop out kids like sows having piglets, one after another. You think they actually want that many? It's not like they have a choice. They can't just stop doing the deed to avoid having kids!"
Shen Yitang was disgusted by his crude comparison and shot him a reproachful glare. "Can you be a little more civilized when you talk?"
Father and Mother Gu were such refined people, and Brother Gu was as gentle as jade—how on earth did they end up with a Gu Huaizheng like this?
Gu Huaizheng was puzzled again. "How do you know about this thing anyway?"
"I'm a capitalist's daughter, aren't I? Is it so strange that I know a bit more?"
Gu Huaizheng suspected she was looking down on him, but he had no proof. "Then let me ask the capitalist's daughter—where can one get this thing?"
"How would a young lady like me know something like that? Of course you're the one who has to figure it out."
"Where am I supposed to ask around for it?" Gu Huaizheng was certain no one around him would know about such a thing.
When the men in the barracks turned off the lights and talked at night, the filthiness of their conversations was beyond any woman's imagination.
If they knew about that thing, he would have heard about it at some point.
Besides, going around asking about something like that would be so embarrassing!
He'd only just gotten married and hadn't even had children yet!
He'd never heard of a married couple who didn't want to have kids as soon as possible, and who didn't take pride in having as many as possible.
Though he himself had no idea what was so great about having children.
He'd been a little terror himself—he knew all too well how annoying a wild child could be.
Shen Yitang: "I don't care. You figure it out yourself."
"And what if I can't get one?"
"As long as you can get that thing, you can use it however you want. But if you can't, then from now on we're sleeping under the covers with nothing but pure conversation!"
What a vicious woman—using this to hold him by the reins.
And yet he was perfectly willing to be held.
"Fine, I'll figure it out!" She'd said that if he could actually get one, he could use it however he pleased. When that day came, he wouldn't hold back!
Shen Yitang brightened. "Thank you. You're wonderful."
"Hmph, it takes you until now to realize I'm wonderful? Everything I did before—was it all just fed to the dogs?"
"You were wonderful before too. You're wonderful whenever you're not deliberately trying to annoy me."
"Then tonight…"
"No. The last two nights were already risky enough. We can't take any more chances. If you can't hold yourself back, then hurry up and find a way to get that thing."
"Hmph!" Gu Huaizheng's displeasure was plain to see.
Shen Yitang teased him, "Regretting it now? Sigh, if I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have showered tonight."
"Who said that? Can't I just like being clean? Besides," Gu Huaizheng leaned in for a kiss, "since we can't go all the way, can't I at least collect some interest first?"