Hearing this, he glanced at Li Ruifang, only to see her blushing and scurrying into the bedroom.

"Brother, go ahead, I, I will walk outside a bit..." Wang Dacheng nodded toward the bedroom, signaling him to go to the bedroom.

Wang Xiaoqiang felt incredibly awkward, this was just too absurd. He couldn't mentally adjust. He grabbed the bottle of alcohol from the table and started guzzling it, but before he could take a few sips, Wang Dacheng snatched it away, "Brother, you can't drink. I heard from the doctor that neither men nor women should drink alcohol when trying for a baby..."

Wang Xiaoqiang made a sour face, "Brother Dacheng, if you won't let me drink, I can't help you..."

"Brother, I know you're a good man, a genuinely good man," Wang Dacheng gave Wang Xiaoqiang a thumbs up, "Just go boldly and help me out, don't let any psychological barriers hold you back, and don't rush, it's okay, I won't come back before dark." Wang Dacheng assured.

Having said that, Wang Dacheng grabbed the bottle of alcohol from the table, held it in his hand, gave Wang Xiaoqiang a sly smile, and then walked out.

Seeing Wang Dacheng walking out and taking the liquor that was supposed to bolster his courage with him, Wang Xiaoqiang felt even more awkward.

How could he manage this without a bit of liquid courage?

Wang Xiaoqiang felt somewhat dejected sitting there. He felt completely at a loss.

"Little Qiang, you can come in now," came Li Ruifang's shy voice from inside the room.

"Uh, uh…" Wang Xiaoqiang made a noise but didn't move.

A couple of minutes passed.

"Little Qiang, why haven't you come in yet?" Li Ruifang called again.

"Uh, I... I'm coming now," Wang Xiaoqiang said as he got up and walked to the bedroom door, peering inside.

Inside, the curtains were drawn, and it was dimly lit. He could barely make out a person under a thin blanket on the large bed.

"Did she, she just do that directly?" Wang Xiaoqiang wondered aloud.

"Little Qiang, come quick," Li Ruifang sat up in bed, revealing a pair of "before you came, I took a bath. I'm clean, you can rest assured..."

Fearing Wang Xiaoqiang would disdain her, Li Ruifang assured him.

Person… wife!

Wang Xiaoqiang was not inexperienced; he didn't mind the dirt, and he even had quite a bit in common with Cao Cao.

Those who have read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" would know that generations of the Cao Family didn't favor traditional "decent" women. According to historical records, Cao Cao had at least twelve consorts, ten of whom were married women taken as his own. Cao Cao's first wife was not Lady Bian but a woman surnamed Ding, who bore him no sons. Later, Cao Cao married a woman from the Liu Clan, who bore him Cao Ang. Lady Liu died early, so Ding raised Cao Ang. In 197, Cao Cao, along with his son Cao Ang, campaigned against Zhang Xiu under the banner of the Eastern Han Government Army. Zhang Xiu was defeated and surrendered his entire army. This incident should have ended there. However, Cao Cao set his eyes on a beautiful woman—the widow of Zhang Xiu's uncle. Before her husband's body was cold, this woman was openly clinging to Cao Cao. Zhang Xiu, having just taken over from his deceased uncle, found the shameless behavior of this couple unbearable and couldn't save face. He immediately rebelled, seizing the opportunity to kill Cao Cao's son, Cao Ang. Cao Cao's legal wife, Lady Bian, came from a brothel in Handan; even if she wasn't selling her body, she was selling her looks.

Cao Pi's first legitimate wife was not from the Guo Clan but the famous Zhen Clan. The historical records do not mention her given name (odd, considering they list the names of her three brothers and four sisters!), which is why, having had an affair with Cao Zhi's "Ode to the Luo River Goddess," she was also called Zhen Luo. Initially, Zhen Clan did not belong to the Cao Family. She was first married to Yuan Shao's son, Yuan Xi. Later, Yuan Xi was appointed as the governor to Youzhou, and Zhen Clan did not accompany her husband but stayed with her mother-in-law from the Liu Clan.

In 200, Cao Cao, in the Battle of Guandu, triumphed over the numerous forces of Yuan Shao, who died two years later. Afterward, Cao Cao began to systematically deal with Yuan Shao's sons. In 204, Cao Cao attacked Yuan Family's stronghold in Yecheng. After the city fell, Yuan Shao's youngest son Yuan Shang fled in disarray. His mother from the Liu Clan and sister-in-law Zhen Clan both became war trophies of Cao Cao's army.

On Cao Pi coveting Zhen Clan, Pei Songzhi, in his commentary on "Records of the Three Kingdoms," cited a passage from the now-lost historical text "Weilue," saying that after Yecheng fell, Cao Pi was the first to enter the Yuan residence. Zhen Clan, terrified, buried her head in her mother-in-law Liu's lap. Thus, when Liu saw Cao Pi, she could not kneel down and clapped her hands instead—a respectful gesture substituting for kneeling. Cao Pi hurriedly said, "No need for this. Let that young woman raise her head!" Liu lifted Zhen Clan's head for Cao Pi to see, and indeed, she was stunningly beautiful. Later, when Cao Cao found out about his son's desires, he let Cao Pi marry her.

The book collecting anecdotes, "Shishuo Xinyu," took it further, saying that after Yecheng was conquered, Cao Cao immediately ordered Zhen Clan be brought to him. However, his subordinates replied, "Your son, Cao Pi, has already gone there!" Cao Cao said, "I fought this battle for her!" Between the lines, it was said that Cao Cao had first taken a fancy to Zhen Clan, only to have his son snatch her first. At the time, Zhen Clan was twenty-two or twenty-three years old, while Cao Pi was only seventeen, five or six years her junior, somewhat resembling a naive young man's infatuation with a mature woman in a "brother-sister" romance. Cao Pi's position at the time was as a Chief Commander of the Central Guard, similar to the director of the Central Security Bureau; theoretically, he should have always been guarding his father Cao Cao, not running off to the Yuan residence himself—likely, he had ulterior motives.

Cao Zhi also fancied Zhen Clan; later literati believed that only this talented pair were ideally suited as spouses. However, Cao Cao assigned Zhen Clan to his elder son, Cao Pi, which saddened Cao Zhi. He harbored a secret affection for his sister-in-law, who was a decade older. To highlight Zhen Clan's lovability, later literati even attributed the copyright of a folk song expressing the lament of an abandoned wife, "Bangshang Xing" from the Han Yuefu, to Zhen Clan, even calling it her deathbed poem. Cao Zhi, a leading figure in Chinese literary history, wrote "Ode to the Luo River Goddess" for Zhen Clan, while Gu Kaizhi, another major figure in Chinese art history, added fuel to the fire by creating the equally famous "Illustrations of the Luo River Goddess". Thus, in the eyes of the literati, Zhen Clan became a goddess of beauty, loyalty, and poignant purity.

Many are puzzled by the Cao father and son's taste, but in fact, during the Qin-Han period, there was no concept of chastity, nor was there anything such as the "three obediences and four virtues". The Han Dynasty story "Peacock Flying Southeast" tells of Liu Lanzhi, who, after being sent back to her parents by a minor official, married a wealthy and handsome man. Even the "Book of Songs," compiled by Confucius during the Spring and Autumn period, talks about the love affairs of men and women. Moving such storylines to today, many aspects remain hard to accept. Such scenes are commonplace throughout the "Book of Songs," like climbing ladders into women's quarters to plant seeds—and Confucius himself was an illegitimate child. "Records of the Grand Historian" states that Confucius was born to his father Huilihe and a Yan Clan woman through a clandestine union behind a mound of earth, his mother being named Yan Zheng. Later narratives added the phrase "speaking of Zheng but not saying 'in'" to express respect for the sage's mother. Even today, being unwed and pregnant first is something not just any mistress would dare do. Because it wasn't an issue in those times, whether they had children or not, chastity or otherwise, it didn't affect the marriage or reputation.

For instance, Empress Lvo tangled with Shen Shiqi for a lifetime while Liu Bang was still emperor, and it hardly made any impact. There is also a narrative poem in the "Han Yuefu" called "Miluo":

Gathering milfoil on the mountain, meeting her old husband on descent. She knelt and asked her old husband, "How is the new one compared?" "The new one claims to be good but can't match the old one's charm. Though their faces might look alike, their hands and talons do not. While the new one enters through the door, the old one leaves from the loft. The new one spins fine silk; the old one, coarse cloth. A bolt of silk a day, over five qiang of cloth; stack the silk against the cloth, the new one's no match for the old."

The essence of the story is that a woman went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables and encountered her ex-husband, asking, "Is your new wife better than me? Why did you kick me out of the back door and welcome her through the front?" The ex-husband replied, "She looks similar to you, but she's not as capable. Whatever she does, she can't do well; whatever she eats, she leaves nothing behind..." This narrative poem is about the fickleness of love, showing that people back then didn't take marriage seriously at all.

Thus, it was normal for Cao Cao and his family to fancy married women as the women of that era were resigned to their circumstances. Like members of the Zhen Clan, who not only willingly bore children for Cao Pi but also competed fiercely with other women, even risking their lives over these jealousies. Their actions were highly consistent with the social norms of the time, not contradicting them in the slightest.

However, after all, it was in Sanmiao Village, and Wang Xiaoqiang also had some reservations, as well as some psychological barriers. After all, meddling with someone else's wife, on the face of it, was an unreasonable thing to do.

"Little Qiang, brother, you don't need to have any worries. By doing this, you're helping both of us. It is an act of kindness, and Dacheng and I will remember your goodness for a lifetime..."

Li Ruifang said gently.

Wang Xiaoqiang looked inside again and saw Li Ruifang...

The room was warm, especially inside the bedding.

But outside it was quite desolate; the village night was eerily quiet. Unlike the noisy city, everything was so peaceful. There were no sounds of people walking, no roaring of car engines, and no hubbub from crowds. In such a setting, one always felt a bit drowsy; thus, living in the countryside, one must be in good health. If one finds it too quiet, it wouldn't hurt to try calming the mind and listening to the melody of nature. Listen, the wind stirs the wild grasses, and the gentle rustling is utterly captivating. Then hear the great sounds from the tall trees, coming in waves—like a vigorous drummer forcefully beating a big drum.

The village night was not only eerily quiet but also extraordinarily dark. Aside from some scattered starlight in the sky, it was almost pitch black. The sunlit and golden-glowing rice fields now appeared dim and unlit, and the birds that flew across the sky in the morning were nowhere to be seen...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it and give it monthly votes at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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