The questions Zhou Sui asked were things she had no shame asking, but Qinghe could barely bring herself to think about, let alone answer.
What did she mean by asking, “What does that feel like?” and “Is Brother Qin big?”
As for the latter question, Qinghe already knew the answer.
It suited Qin Xiao’s physique perfectly. Even with her entire hand, she could not wrap around half of it.
But the former question, she had no way of answering.
And even if she did know, she would never say it aloud.
“Zhou Sui, how old are you? You shouldn’t fill your head with such things all day. If you keep entertaining these crooked thoughts, it won’t do you any good when it comes time to choose a husband.”
Whether man or woman, once someone became obsessed with matters of the bedchamber, it was easy to lose sight of what truly mattered.
People could be blinded by appearances and sweet words, led around by the nose without seeing a person’s real character or the truth behind their feelings.
For a woman, marriage was a matter that concerned her entire life.
Zhou Sui was a straightforward and sincere girl, and Qinghe genuinely liked her.
Unlike herself, whose marriage had been arranged by others, Zhou Sui would have the freedom to choose her future. Qinghe did not want her to suffer because of a man one day.
Blinking her innocent eyes, Zhou Sui replied, “Sister-in-law, I’m asking precisely because I care about my future happiness.”
“I’ve heard people say that this kind of thing is important to a woman’s happiness, and that size matters. But when I choose a husband someday, I can’t exactly make him take off his trousers and inspect him before agreeing to marry him, can I?”
“So I wanted to know if what people say is true, that tall and strong men with high noses are more… impressive in that regard.”
“Brother Qin is the tallest and strongest man in our village, and his nose bridge is high too. But I can’t exactly ask him. The second tallest person is my brother, and if I dared ask him, he’d beat me to death.”
“So I had no choice but to ask you. Sister-in-law, please tell me.”
Once again, Qinghe was left speechless.
What kind of logic was that?
Yet after giving it some thought, it somehow seemed to make a strange sort of sense.
No one could deny that intimacy played an important role in married life.
Men often sought beautiful women with attractive figures.
Why, then, could women not hope for a husband who satisfied them in other ways?
No one was a saint. Who did not want one more thing in life to go smoothly?
Especially when it was something that could affect the rest of one’s life.
Still, asking Qinghe to discuss her own husband’s private attributes was impossible.
That was her husband.
Speaking of it felt no different from pulling down Qin Xiao’s trousers and displaying him for Zhou Sui to see.
After much deliberation, she shook her head.
“Sui’er, please forgive me, but I can’t tell you. It would be disrespectful to Brother Qin.”
Just as Qin Xiao had refused to let other men discuss her while they rode in the ox cart.
At that moment, she had felt his respect for her.
And to Qinghe, who had spent her childhood as a servant, that respect was more precious than words could express.
So no matter how much Zhou Sui wheedled and pleaded, Qinghe kept her lips sealed.
Fortunately, Zhou Sui knew when to stop.
The moment she noticed the faint displeasure in Qinghe’s eyes, she dropped the topic.
Quickly changing the subject, the two women resumed chatting and laughing together.
Meanwhile, in the backyard, Qin Xiao continued carefully preparing poisoned arrowheads, completely unaware that his trusted companion had already become the subject of his good friend’s younger sister’s curiosity.
Although her intentions had been innocent, if she had actually managed to find out, Qin Xiao would likely spend the rest of his life avoiding Zhou Sui altogether.
Preparing poison was delicate work.
Applying poison to the arrows was easy.
The difficult part was mixing the toxin properly.
Too much, and the prey would die too quickly.
Too little, and it would be ineffective.
In the past, Qin Xiao had always used such methods against people.
This was the first time he intended to use them on animals.
Even he could not accurately judge the proper dosage.
So he prepared several arrows with varying amounts of poison and marked each one carefully.
When the time came, he could choose the appropriate arrow based on the size of the prey.
The two men worked quietly from morning until evening.
Neither spoke much, keeping their heads down and focusing on the task.
By the end of the day, they had finally completed more than thirty arrows.
Aside from cooking meals, Qinghe spent almost the entire day in her room sewing her wedding clothes.
With Zhou Sui chattering cheerfully beside her, she never felt bored.
The arrows needed two full days of sunlight to dry thoroughly.
Only then did Qin Xiao finally have time to accompany Qinghe to plant the vegetable seeds they had purchased.
That task took another entire day.
Afterward, before he entered the mountains to hunt, there remained one important matter.
He needed to take Qinghe around the village to distribute wedding pastries and pay respects to the family elders.
Normally, they could have done this after his hunting trip.
However, because the Qin family still had elders of his granduncle’s generation living in the village, informing them sooner demonstrated proper respect.
Besides, their marriage documents had already been registered.
They were husband and wife now.
Failing to visit together and formally inform the family would be considered improper.
“In the countryside, there’s no need for tea ceremonies. Just greet everyone respectfully. Whether they give you a welcoming gift or not doesn’t matter. We’re simply observing the formalities.”
As they prepared to leave, Qin Xiao noticed her nervousness and spoke gently to reassure her.
Qinghe’s palms were damp with sweat.
She had only just gained a home of her own.
She had only begun to understand her husband’s temperament.
And now she was about to meet so many relatives.
It was an experience entirely unfamiliar to her.
She had never gone through it herself, nor had she ever witnessed it.
Moreover, she had clashed with Qin Xiao’s mother more than once.
What if someone deliberately embarrassed her?
Fortunately, she was certain of one thing.
The man currently packing wedding sweets and pastries into the basket beside her would stand by her side.
He would not care what others thought of her.
He would protect her.
With that thought, her heart settled somewhat.
“I understand. I’ll make sure I observe every courtesy properly and won’t put my husband in a difficult position.”
The mountain behind their home sat at a high elevation, shaded by dense trees.
As they descended one after the other, they emerged from the lingering mist and stepped into brilliant golden morning sunlight.
Today, Qinghe would finally see the entire village.
She had been here for over half a month.
During that time, the rice fields had changed from patchy green and yellow to heavy golden stalks bowing under their ripened grain.
Women laughed and chatted while washing clothes by the river.
Villagers gathered cow and sheep droppings, and before long, children carrying baskets arrived to collect them.
The distant mountains stretched endlessly into the horizon, surrounding the village in peaceful isolation.
As Qinghe looked upon these unfamiliar sights, a strange sense of unreality washed over her.
Yet the feeling lasted only a moment.
Soon she realized something with certainty.
She liked this place.
It was completely different from the life she had known before.
Back at the Prince’s Manor, she had rarely been allowed beyond its gates.
Even when she occasionally accompanied her masters outside, all she saw were bustling streets and endless crowds.
Scenes like this rural countryside were entirely new to her.
Every corner felt fresh and fascinating.
Far from the city, there were no schemes among noble families or hidden intrigues behind grand gates.
People rose with the sun and rested at sunset.
Life was simple and straightforward.
Even the air carried the fragrance of grass and trees, far cleaner and fresher than the city.
As her mood relaxed, she began paying attention to her surroundings.
“Husband, what’s this?”
As they passed a vegetable plot, Qinghe pointed at a row of plants she had never seen before.
“That’s sesame. Don’t tell me you’ve never seen sesame before?”
“Hehe, of course I have. I’ve just never seen what it looks like growing on the plant.”
“Growing on the plant? For a second I thought you said growing on a sow. Whose pig got loose?”
Qin Xiao deliberately teased her.
“Hahaha, that’s not what I meant. I meant what it looks like before it’s harvested.”
She laughed freely.
It was different from her usual shy and gentle demeanor.
The lively sparkle in her expression made her seem even more charming.
Qin Xiao found himself infected by her cheerful mood.
Even the load resting on his shoulder suddenly felt lighter.
The first household they visited belonged to Great-Uncle Qin, Qin Xiao’s granduncle and the third younger brother of Qin Xiao’s grandfather.
The old man was thin and somewhat hunched, but his spirits remained strong.
After explaining their purpose and presenting their gifts, Qin Xiao led Qinghe forward to greet him.
Gracefully lowering herself into a respectful bow, Qinghe said,
“Your granddaughter-in-law pays her respects to Third Great-Granduncle.”
Her manner was poised and dignified.
Farmers rarely bothered with such formal etiquette.
Over the years, Third Great-Granduncle had seen countless newly married women come to greet him.
Most stood stiffly like wooden posts, called out a greeting, and waited expectantly for a red envelope.
Qinghe’s formal salute softened his originally indifferent attitude considerably.
Since Qin Xiao had arrived unexpectedly, the old man had not prepared any red envelopes.
He immediately turned toward the inner room and called out,
“Third Daughter-in-law, bring me my money pouch!”
“No need, Great-Uncle!”
Qin Xiao hurried forward to stop him.
“I only brought her here to recognize the family. We couldn’t possibly accept your money.”
“When we hold the wedding feast, I hope you’ll honor us with your presence.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a bundle of premium tobacco leaves.
“This is a small token of respect for you.”
His parents had fallen out with these relatives years ago over the division of family property.
For many years, they had neglected their responsibilities as younger family members and had shown little filial respect.
Instead, they often asked others for money.
Third Great-Granduncle’s family was not wealthy either.
Taking money from him would weigh heavily on Qin Xiao’s conscience.
The old man’s household also included two of Qin Xiao’s cousins.
Qin Xiao presented gifts to them as well.
After Qinghe greeted everyone, he quickly ushered her away and continued on to the next household.
Watching the young couple depart, Third Great-Granduncle let out a long sigh.
“In that family, only this boy turned out right.”
The “family” he referred to was Qin Xiao’s father’s branch.
After visiting more than ten households, they finally returned to the back mountain close to noon.
By then, Qinghe had begun to sense that something was amiss.
She studied Qin Xiao carefully.
Her unwavering gaze was so intense that it actually made him blush.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”