Chapter 67: Planning

After the brothers left, Sang Luo turned to the nearly twenty bags of grain in the courtyard, worrying about storage.

Besides an earthenware rice jar, there were no other containers suitable for storing grain. Where to put it?

She couldn't just pile it on the ground – it would get damp and the grain would mold and become infested.

Deciding where to store the grain was a challenge; the stove room, while spacious, was constantly busy with cooking sour dates, soy milk, or konjac. With all the steam, it wasn't suitable for storing grain.

The only option was the main house.

Sang Luo and her nephews struggled to move Shen An and Shen Ning's new bed into a more central position in the room, making just enough space to walk between two beds.

Shen An and Shen Ning were quite happy, finding it better than being separated, being closer to their sister-in-law.

Sang Luo: “......”

As long as the kids were happy.

After rearranging the beds, half the room was freed up, but a rack was needed to keep the grain bags off the ground to avoid moisture and pests.

Scouring through old lumber, she found no suitable wood. While she could chop bamboo and small branches, felling trees was out of the question.

Eventually, she repurposed three of the four stools from the kitchen and a small square table, combined with some sturdy planks, to create a makeshift storage rack for the grain bags.

After all the hassle, they were ready to bring in the grain bags. Sang Luo, along with the kids, managed to lift one bag, preparing to carry it inside. Coincidentally, Shen Jin, who hadn’t visited in a long time, happened to drop by.

Peering curiously into the yard, he saw it filled with fifteen to twenty grain bags.

Shen Jin: “???”

Shen An was so annoyed he almost bit his tongue, realizing he forgot to close the yard gate.

Unperturbed by any sense of intrusion, Shen Jin cheerfully called out, “Sister-in-law, Shen An, Shen Ning, need some help?”

He then eagerly ran inside.

Amazed, he examined the pile of bags: “What’s all this? So many.”

Shen Jin then poked one of the bags and his eyes lit up instantly: "It's grain! Wow, Shen An, your family has so much grain!"

He eagerly came over to help Sang Luo and the kids carry the grain.

Though not the strongest, his willingness to help was sincere and enthusiastic.

Sang Luo: “......”

Alright then, the four of them, including her and the three children, teamed up to carry each bag.

After clumsily stacking all the grain, not only the kids but also Sang Luo were exhausted. They all collapsed on Shen An's new bed, lying in a row, too tired to move even a finger.

After a while, Shen An finally had the energy to speak.

"You haven't been here for a while, what brought you today?"

Hmm, questioning Shen Jin.

Shen Jin: "Don’t get me started. My dad’s petty – he got upset because I had a meal at your place with my siblings and he wasn’t invited. Knowing I had worked at your house before, he dragged me to the fields for work, then to guard the drying grains and scare away birds. It was only today, after the grains were stored, that I could finally get away."

In fact, he had given the person a beating, feeling humiliated, so he didn't mention it and just huffed angrily.

Shen An thought to himself how coincidental the visitor's timing was, as his sister-in-law had purposely taken a mountain path to transport grain, which they hadn't hidden yet, only for the visitor to find it.

Now, the visitor even had the comfort of lying in his bed.

Shen An didn't even want to talk.

Shen Jin seemed quite happy, patting the bed beneath him and rolling slightly in place: "Shen An, your bed is really comfortable. The mat is new, smells of fresh grass, unlike ours at home, ruined by Tian Ya and stinking."

As he complained about the bed at home, he suddenly remembered something important, sat up abruptly with a start, and exclaimed: "Almost forgot the main thing, look what I brought for you!"

Proudly pulling out a small handful of lard residues from his pocket, Shen Jin said, "Look, we also rendered lard at home. Here, I'm sharing mine with you two, not just freeloading off your food!"

Realizing something, he quickly added, "And for the eldest sister-in-law too."

Sang Luo was amused by his proud tone, leaning to one side and looking at the six or seven pieces of oil residues held in his possibly sun-tanned or dirt-stained little hand.

She laughed, "I'll pass, you guys enjoy it."

Regardless of their grubby appearance, the two siblings shouldn't be picky. It wasn't easy for Shen Jin to spare even a little from his own mouth.

Shen Jin, upon hearing that Sang Luo wouldn’t eat, displayed a mixed expression, unclear whether he felt a bit disappointed that his sister-in-law wouldn't try his offering, or somewhat relieved that he could save a piece for himself.

He seemed particularly conflicted.

Hearing about the lard scraps, Shen An and Shen Ning also sat up abruptly.

Shen Jin actually managed to save some lard scraps to share with them?

The siblings could hardly believe it.

That disbelief remained until they actually saw the small black hand holding a handful of lard scraps.

The hand was indeed quite dirty, but those lard scraps did look appetizing.

Although Shen An and Shen Ning weren't particularly choosy eaters, they rarely had the luxury of enjoying lard scraps or meat, especially since the meal they hosted at their home had nearly emptied their coffers, leading to a period of frugality.

Now, enticed by the aroma of the lard scraps, both siblings found themselves salivating.

Shen Jin's eyes curled with delight, beaming with an extraordinary pride. It wasn't just him enjoying the meals at Shen An and Shen Ning's place; he too had something to offer: “Let’s share them. I only had two pieces myself.”

With just seven pieces of lard scraps, Shen An quickly figured out that it meant two pieces per person, with one extra.

But Shen Jin insisted on distributing them one by one, “One for you, one for me, one for Ah Ning, one for you, one for me, one for Ah Ning, one for you...??? Wait, why do you have three pieces?!”

Sang Luo chuckled from the sidelines: "Shen An, teach him some math when you have time."

Shen An: "……"

"I tried teaching him before, but he just doesn't like to learn."

Shen Jin: "Eating lard scraps, why bother with math?"

Then, eyeing the third piece of lard scrap in Shen An's hand: "That’s my lard scrap. I gave you and Ah Ning two each, can I have three for myself? It’s my stuff, so it's fair for me to eat a bit more, right?"

He was itching to snatch back the piece he had handed to Shen An.

Seeing him like that, Shen An was surprised that Shen Jin had even given away four pieces and willingly handed back the contested piece: "Sure, it’s yours after all. You decide how many to give. Go ahead and eat."

The three sat on the bed, munching on the lard scraps, savoring the rich flavor. Sang Luo watched as Shen Jin ate the fastest, finishing his three pieces in no time and was about to wipe his oily hands on his clothes, when she sternly stopped him: "Hold on, don’t smear the oil on your clothes or on my bed. Get off the bed, all of you. Go wash your hands outside."

Shen Jin froze mid-action, then sheepishly slid off the bed, waiting for Shen An and Shen Ning to join him before they all ran outside together.

Just as they reached the courtyard entrance, they ran into Chen Ershan.

“Ershan Brother, what brings you here?”

“My grandpa sent me to find your sister-in-law. Is she around?”

Hearing the voices, Sang Luo came out: "Chen Ah Ye is looking for me?"

Upon seeing her, Chen Ershan hurriedly greeted her and then said, “Yes, my grandpa wants to inquire about the grain prices. He asked me to see if you could come over when you're free. But he said there's no rush, and you should focus on your urgent matters first. You can visit when you have time.”

The Chen family was aware that Sang Luo's ‘fairy tofu’ required sourcing ingredients from the mountains.

“Alright, tell your grandpa that I'll come over after dinner,” Sang Luo replied, indeed planning to head out soon. As it got later, she dared not venture too deep into the forest, and the leaves from the peripheral ‘fairy trees’ were getting scarcer. Recently, she had stopped letting the children pick leaves, choosing to go into the mountains herself.

Chen Ershan agreed and, after greeting Sang Luo and the others, headed back down the mountain to his home.

Sang Luo, preparing for her mountain trip, carried two baskets - one for picking sour dates and another for leaves.

She instructed Shen An and Shen Ning, “Don't tell anyone about our grain stock, not even a word to anyone.”

Shen Jin protested, “Why can’t I talk about it? We have grain at home too.”

“Just do as you’re told. If you spill the beans, forget about getting any food from me ever again.”

“Fine, I won’t tell anyone. Everyone has grain, what’s there to talk about anyway,” he grumbled. Then, changing the subject, he said, “I gotta head home now. Since yesterday, my parents have been really grumpy, they don’t even give me extra lard scraps. I would have brought more for you today. Gotta go, or I'll get scolded for being late.”

Saying he needed to leave, he added hesitantly, “Remember me when you have something to eat, and I’ll share mine with you too.”

Hearing this, Sang Luo's eyes curved in amusement, yet she sighed inwardly. Kids really don’t understand the worries of life, content as long as they have something to eat.

……

After dinner, as agreed, Sang Luo headed to the Chen household.

In the Chen family’s main hall, it wasn’t just their family; Shi Erlang and his wife, Gan Shi, Lu Lao Han, Lu Lao Tai Tai, and someone she wasn’t quite familiar with, the village chief of Zhou Village, were also present.

As Sang Luo entered, the group, who had been sitting in gloomy silence, all stood up in unison.

"Madam Sang is here!"

As Sang Luo greeted everyone and sat down on a stool moved by Old Lady Chen, before she could settle down, Old Man Chen asked, "Fang Niang mentioned you suggested buying some grain? She couldn't explain the details, so a few families gathered here to ask you directly."

Sang Luo had guessed why the old man had invited her over. She frankly shared the situation at the county grain store and the information she had learned from Shopkeeper Xu.

Hearing about the epidemic and the dire straits, everyone's faces changed, especially the Chen family who had fled the drought years ago. They were particularly shaken.

"Is this information reliable?" Old Man Chen and Old Lady Chen asked in unison.

Before Sang Luo could respond, the usually silent Zhou Village Head spoke, "If the information comes from the manager of Dong Fu Lou, it's very likely true. The owner of Dong Fu Lou doesn't just run a restaurant in our Qi Yang County; there are branches in several neighboring counties and states. Someone like Manager Xu, a trusted confidante, would have more access to external information than us."

Everyone felt a heaviness in their hearts, and Old Man Chen questioned, "Should we really stockpile grain at such high prices?"

As he spoke, he looked around at everyone, his gaze finally resting on Sang Luo and Zhou Village Head.

Among them, one with a good background and skills has led their families to profit; the other, a village chief for many years, possesses a wealth of experience.

Sang Luo, aware that everyone's attention was on her and Zhou Village Head, pondered for a moment before saying, "Aunt Chen's concerns about the potential drop in grain prices after next year's harvest are valid. But personally, if I have money later, I'll still buy salt and grain to stock up. Even if I end up at a loss, I'll accept it for peace of mind."

Seeking peace of mind.

This sentiment resonated with everyone present.

The crowd then turned their gaze towards Zhou Village Head.

Zhou Village Head clenched his teeth and declared, "I'll buy too! You all should consider it for yourselves. I think Madam Sang's advice is sensible. It's about having peace of mind. If real trouble comes, can money alone guarantee grain?"

Indeed, in the face of real trouble, can money necessarily secure grain?

For the Shi and Lu families, the impact might not have been profound, but for the Chen family who had fled hardships, they deeply resonated with the situation.

Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen exchanged glances and decided, “We’ll buy as well!”

Better to lose money than to be without life-saving grain.