Chapter Seven: The Little Lady

The mountain village was tranquil at night. Occasionally, the call of night birds would echo, only making the silence feel even deeper.

Xiao Ding had just crawled into the thatched hut and lain down when a wave of drowsiness swept over him. He was about to close his eyes and surrender to sleep when he heard the faint rustling of clothes being removed outside. Then, a thin, frail figure slipped inside and pressed its upper body onto his.

It was Er Niu.

“Husband, let’s consummate our marriage tonight,” she whispered, lying on top of him in a small undershirt. She seemed shy, pressing her face against his chest and not daring to meet his eyes.

“Consummate?” Xiao Ding was puzzled. Only then did he recall that since their wedding, he had not consummated the marriage with Er Niu. In truth, he saw this as a blessing: to him, Er Niu was just a little girl, still a child—how could he possibly think of sharing a bed with her?

“Yes,” Er Niu replied softly, her voice barely more than a breath.

“That won’t do. You’re still a child, your body hasn’t grown yet. Consummating the marriage now would harm you.” Xiao Ding refused sternly. In his heart, he knew he could never have such relations with an underage girl.

“Who says I’m little? I’m already thirteen! Look at the women in our village—aren’t they all married by thirteen or fourteen?” Er Niu, hearing his refusal, grew anxious. She raised her blushing face to look at him.

“Still, no. Even if you are thirteen, you haven’t had enough nourishment, your body hasn’t developed. It would be too harmful to you.” Xiao Ding spoke with grave seriousness.

“But I’m your lawfully wedded wife. You can’t never consummate our marriage.” Hurt crept into Er Niu’s voice. She thought, other men can’t wait to consummate their marriages, but her own husband, a simpleton, wouldn’t agree even though she was practically begging him. Was he truly that foolish?

How could they have children otherwise? The village elder, Granny Wang, had said that any wife who couldn’t bear children would eventually be cast out by her husband’s family. But this simpleton wouldn’t agree, and she didn’t know what to do. It was enough to make anyone anxious.

Looking at the small, dark, and scrawny girl on top of him, Xiao Ding was at a loss for words.

He was certain he couldn’t consummate the marriage with this little girl—not now. But what about the future? When her body matured, would he continue to avoid it?

He suspected Er Niu had suffered a hard fate, or else why would she have been married off to a penniless, much older village fool? There must have been some bitter reason for her to become his bride. Would her whole life be ruined by him?

No, he could not let that happen.

And then, the names of several women surfaced in his mind: Qing’er, Xuehui, Feifei, Naizi, Yuan’er…

He didn’t know what connection he had to those women. If one of them was his wife, would he not be harming Er Niu, this little girl?

Until he understood his relationship with these women from his memories, he could not agree to Er Niu’s request.

While Xiao Ding was lost in thought, Er Niu, seeing his silence, grew even more anxious.

“Husband, are you angry with me? Why aren’t you saying anything?” she asked.

“Oh, no, not at all. I was just wondering… whether you could—well, whether you could be my little sister instead?” Xiao Ding stammered. He had no confidence in this suggestion, knowing full well that it was just an excuse to avoid having her as his wife.

Sure enough, Er Niu’s eyes grew wide at his words and then, with a wail, she burst into tears.

“Husband, do you despise me? Please, don’t cast me aside. If you consummate our marriage, I can bear you children. Please, don’t send me away. If you do, I’ll have nowhere to go…” She wept and pleaded, her pitiful cries tugging at Xiao Ding’s heart.

He hurried to comfort her. “No, no, I don’t want to send you away. I was just asking offhand. There, there, don’t cry. You are still my little wife.”

Hearing this, Er Niu stopped crying, sniffling as she asked, “Is that true?”

“It’s true—truer than pearls,” Xiao Ding assured her quickly.

“Husband, you’re such a tease!” Er Niu broke into a smile through her tears, the very picture of a child’s mercurial moods. Xiao Ding could only shake his head helplessly.

“If you don’t despise me, then let’s consummate our marriage tonight!” Er Niu wiped away her tears and returned to her original request, fixing her gaze on his face. Though the darkness made it hard to see, the starlight at the hut’s entrance gave a faint outline.

Xiao Ding was at a loss again. All his coaxing had been for nothing!

This little girl was truly persistent.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “How about this—we make a deal. I know a way to cultivate your inner energy, which can strengthen your body. If you learn it, it will be very good for your growth. I can teach you now. When you reach the fourth level, your body should be fully developed, and then we can consider consummating our marriage. How about that?”

As he spoke, Xiao Ding was making calculations in his mind. Reaching the fourth level could take years—he himself had only just entered the first level. This cultivation method was extremely difficult; reaching the fourth level would be no easy feat.

Er Niu tilted her head, thinking. It seemed clear that her simpleton husband had no intention of consummating the marriage any time soon. She’d have to accept his deal for now. She wondered if this method he spoke of would really work. Still, she couldn’t agree too easily; she should set her own condition. But what should she ask for?

Suddenly, her eyes brightened, her cheeks flushed, and she whispered to Xiao Ding, “I can agree, but you have to promise me one thing in return.”

“What is it?” Xiao Ding wondered what sort of demand a child could possibly make.

“You have to agree first, or I won’t learn your silly cultivation method,” Er Niu said seriously.

“Alright, as long as it’s not about consummating the marriage, I’ll agree. So, what is it?” Xiao Ding thought her request would be nothing more than food, drink, or something fun—easy enough to fulfill.

“You really promise?” Er Niu confirmed, her heart pounding.

“Yes, I promise,” Xiao Ding replied without hesitation.

“Well, actually… I just… I just want…” Er Niu’s voice grew quieter and her cheeks redder as she spoke, until finally she pressed her face once more against Xiao Ding’s broad chest.

“What do you want?” Xiao Ding asked in confusion.

Er Niu calmed her racing heart and, summoning her courage, whispered, “I… I just want you… to kiss me.”

“Uh…” Xiao Ding was instantly at a loss. It dawned on him that since their wedding, he hadn’t even touched her.

Still, after a moment’s thought, he decided this, too, would have to wait. She saw him as her husband, but he did not see her as his wife—not yet. He couldn’t allow himself to get too close to Er Niu for now.

So he said, “Let’s wait until you reach the fourth level of cultivation…”

Er Niu was left speechless.