Chapter 38

The next day, Shi Erlang and the Lu brothers arrived at the Chen's place just as the sky began to brighten, each carrying a bamboo tube filled with water and a large axe. Mr. Chen and Chen Youtian did the same, borrowing an extra axe from a neighbor, as they all headed into the mountains together.

While the village had only heard rumors about Sang Luo's house construction the day before, they now saw it with their own eyes. Significantly, Shen San was not involved, leading to much amusement among the villagers. Of course, at this point, everyone saw only the cheerful Shen children bouncing around. As for Shen San and his wife, neither had stepped out of their courtyard.

The group of five, led by Mr. Chen, attracted much attention. Passing by each household, they received distant respectful nods, and those more amiable would inquire, “Are you really helping the Shen's eldest family build a house?”

The less courteous would laugh and ask, “What are you expecting in return? After a whole day's work, is Sang Luo just going to serve you wild vegetable soup? And you're willing to work for that?”

"Wild vegetable soup?"

Old man Chen just chuckled.

At the break of dawn, when the villagers began preparing or eating breakfast, a robust aroma of meat tantalizingly wafted throughout the small mountain village.

Unlike Sang Luo's solitary residence in the mountains, the houses in Shi Li Village, though also nestled among mountains, were more clustered, with twenty-two households living in close proximity.

If anyone in the village cooked meat, it wouldn’t just be detectable throughout; at least seven or eight households would surely notice.

And if the wind was just right, a gentle mountain breeze could carry the scent far enough to tantalize half the village's children.

Today, as it happened, was just the kind of fine weather that carried scents far and wide.

Villagers who hadn't yet started their meals stepped out of their homes, exchanging glances with neighbors who did the same: "Whose family is cooking meat?"

Those already sitting down to a breakfast of vegetable porridge suddenly found their meals less appetizing upon smelling the enticing aroma, looking at each other inquiringly, "Who's having meat?"

Those who lived further away wondered, but for those living closer, especially Shen San’s family who were neighbors to the Chen's, it was unmistakably apparent.

Shen Jin, along with his two younger brothers, having tasted their eldest sister-in-law's meaty porridge the day before and knowing of her lavish approach to food, didn't need oil residue as an incentive anymore. They were now the most enthusiastic members of the land-clearing team, actively participating in the cultivation work.

At dawn, while his mother was still asleep, Shen Jin took the family's small hoe and, along with his two younger brothers, ran up the mountain to showcase their diligence.

After working for about an hour and a half, they returned home hungry, only to be lightly scolded by their mother. Shen Jin was about to eat his bowl of delicious rice porridge when he sniffed something in the air, put down his bowl, and ran outside.

Shen Yin and Shen Tie, who were not tall enough and had to kneel on the bench, reacted quickly. They put down their bowls and swiftly followed their elder brother outside.

In the courtyard, Shen Jin sniffed around and precisely headed to the gate, leaning on it, his gaze fixed on the neighboring Chen family’s courtyard.

"Brother, meat!" Shen Tie was already licking his lips, tantalized by the aroma.

Shen Yin joined in, speculating, "It's coming from Chen Xiaoya's house."

Shen Jin nodded affirmatively, "Braised pork with preserved mustard greens!"

Two-year-old Shen Tian, tottering while holding onto the wall, hurriedly followed her brothers outside. As she eagerly tried to catch up without the support of the wall, she stumbled but managed to steady herself by grabbing onto Shen Jin’s leg, leaving drool marks on the hem of his coarse cloth shorts.

Mrs. Li stepped outside to see her four children huddled at the courtyard gate, all drooling in the direction of the Chen household.

At that moment, Old Man Chen and his group of five returned from the mountain, followed by Chen Ershan, Chen Xiaoya, and the Shen siblings who had been working in the grass hut and were slightly later in coming down.

Shen Jin's mind lit up at the sight of food. Seeing Shen An and Shen Ning descend the mountain with the Chen family, and recalling that the elder members of the Chen, Shi, and Lu families were helping his eldest sister-in-law with the house building, his eyes sparkled with anticipation.

He swiftly picked up Shen Tian, who was clinging to his leg, and passed her to Shen Yin, before dashing towards Shen An.

"Shen Tian was suddenly whisked away by her brother to a different spot. She nearly fell over, but fortunately, Shen Yin quickly caught her. Nonetheless, the sudden move startled Shen Tian, who pouted, closed her eyes, and burst into tears."

"Shen Jin hadn’t run far and was yet to chat with his newfound friends from the recent days of digging when he was spotted by Li Shi, who chased after him and dragged him back by the ear."

"Protecting his right ear, he wailed, 'Mom, mom, why?! Be gentle, my ear hurts!'"

"Li Shi paid no mind to his complaining ear. As his mother, she knew exactly what Shen Jin was up to."

"Seeing Shen An and Shen Ning coming down to eat with the Chen family, how could she not guess what was going on with the meat next door?"

"Watching the villagers, lured out by the smell of meat, either empty-handed or holding bowls, Li Shi’s face turned ashen. Her grip on Shen Jin’s ear tightened involuntarily as she dragged him home, regardless of whether the meat was provided by the Sang or Chen family. She couldn’t afford the embarrassment of Shen Jin begging for food today!"

"The more she wanted to avoid losing face and attracting attention, the less she was able to."

"Shen Jin, overjoyed at the prospect of scrounging some braised pork belly with pickled mustard greens from Shen An, was caught off guard by his mother’s physical intervention. She was utterly unreasonable, and he was dragged away without even understanding why."

"Even though he tried his best to keep up with his mother’s pace, there's inherently a difference between an adult’s and a child's strides, especially when being led by the ear."

"Shen Jin’s ear throbbed painfully as it was tugged, and his cries for his mother to let go were in vain. In front of the entire village, having his ear pulled like this left him with no dignity. Overwhelmed, tears sprang to his eyes, and his voice was tinged with angry sobs."

"'Why are you hitting me? What gives you the right to hit me?'"

"The reason? Because you're embarrassing me!"

"But could Li Shi really say that?"

"No, she couldn’t. She had to swallow the humiliation and, in front of half the village, not only could she not explain her actions, she had to justify them. So Shen Jin’s response from his mother was a stern scolding: 'So what if I hit you? I gave birth to you, can't I discipline you? Why did you run out during the meal? Do you take care of your sister like that? You nearly made Tian fall! If not you, then who should I hit?'"

"Between Shen Jin and Shen Tian, the brother and sister’s crying was like a duet of despair, startling two chickens foraging in the dirt, who fled flapping their wings."

"The villagers lured out by the smell of meat, guided by the precise direction of the siblings' crying, didn’t need to search further. Watching the scene unfold, no one found it strange to punish a child, nor did they blame Li Shi for Shen Jin’s tears. Spanking children was all too common; which family didn’t discipline their kids?"

"Especially since Shen Jin was known for being especially mischievous. Usually, he’d throw tantrums and cry on the ground even without a beating, so his wailing didn’t attract much concern. It was just another spectacle."

"Once everyone confirmed the direction of the meat's aroma was from the Chen family and saw Old Man Chen and his group, they realized it was the Shen family’s eldest branch celebrating the first day of construction with a feast."

"Oh my~"

"What a commotion."

"The Shen family’s eldest branch is building a house, cooking at the Chen family's, and has made the children from the third branch cry with envy."

"Observing Li Shi's extreme frustration as she disciplined her child, the villagers holding their bowls realized they didn’t need their own home's pickles anymore; the meat's aroma and the commotion were enough to whet their appetites."

"Gathering together, they murmured: 'The Shen family's eldest branch is building a house, and they’re cooking at the Chen family’s place? When did these two families become so close? The Chens are helping with the work and handling the arrangements too.'"

"'Indeed, who knows? But lately, it seems Sang Luo has been visiting the Chen family quite often.'"

"Others focused on a different aspect, smacking their lips: 'The Shen family is serving meat for a house-building? Had I known there was meat, I’d have gone too. I wonder if they still need more help? Five people isn’t enough, right? Don’t you usually need dozens for such work, or at least ten or so even for a small project?'"

"'Dream on, did they ask for your help? Would you really have the nerve to just show up? Weren’t you the one who said this morning that Sang Luo was only making wild vegetable soup?'"

"'Didn’t you say it?'"

"A shrewd woman, with a glint in her eye, whispered to her family, 'Where did Sang Luo get the money? Do people actually buy wild vegetables? How much can that earn?'"

"And so on and so forth, chattering away..."

"The Chen family’s group of five, who were mocked and watched by the villagers in the morning, didn’t mind much. Old Man Chen and his son knew Sang Luo had paid well for the food. For Shi Erlang and the Lu brothers, it was an utter delight. Now they walked with straight backs and smiles, brimming with pride and vigor."

"Their first meal was meat, and not just a few slices mixed in with vegetables, but braised pork belly with pickled mustard greens!"

"It wasn't thinly sliced or cut too small. Each person got at least one piece of the delicious braised pork belly with pickled mustard greens!"

"You have to understand, in the village, poorer families only dared to make this dish during New Year's, and even then, they hesitated to eat it themselves, saving it for guests during the holiday."

"Instantly, Shi Erlang and the Lu brothers felt that the morning’s effort and the upcoming days of hard work were no longer a burden at all."

"Totally worth it! Incredibly worth it!"

"Just having meat in this one meal makes it all worthwhile!"

"Before even entering the Chen family’s courtyard, saliva was already uncontrollably forming in their mouths, their steps unconsciously growing larger with anticipation."

"Shi Erlang's wife, watching her husband from a distance, felt a mixture of envy and happiness. Uncle Chen had really found her husband a great job this time. Tiring, yes, but meat and generous servings of white rice were nourishing. Getting such a treat before the busy farming season was like a blessing from heaven."

"As for whether Sang Luo provided white rice, was there even a need to wonder? With meat being served, how could there be a shortage of rice?"

"Shi Erlang's wife's eyes curved into joyful crescents."

"A neighbor of the Shi family, both sour and envious, remarked: 'The Chen family always remembers you all, especially Shi Er. They wouldn’t forget to include him in such a good opportunity.'"

"Why didn’t they come to ask my husband? He's free too and could have helped with the construction."

"Ah, so envious."

Swallowing saliva with envy.

Mrs. Shi Er Lang couldn't hide her delight, modestly saying, "It's not that Uncle Chen didn't invite more people. It's said that Sang Shi only saved up by selling wild greens. How much can you earn from that? Inviting more would risk not being able to feed everyone."

As she spoke, she almost burst into laughter. Inviting fewer people was a good thing. With fewer people, they dared to make extravagant dishes like braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens. If there were a dozen or more, who could afford such luxury?

The neighbors, seeing her almost joyous expression, felt sour with envy.

Glancing at Mrs. Li dragging Shen Jin into the yard, and then pulling in the other three crying children before slamming the door shut, they commented, "Mrs. Li is taking her embarrassment out on the kids. Poor Shen Jin, wrong place at the wrong time."

Mrs. Shi Er Lang nodded, "Exactly. She's been upset lately, even avoiding people while washing clothes."

The third branch of the Shen family lost face over the house-building matter. Now they had to smell the meat from next door while eating vegetable porridge. No wonder they took their frustrations out on Shen Jin.

She pursed her lips, disapproving of the way Mrs. Li treated her children after such a harsh split in the family.