Chapter 135: Awkwardness

The brothers scurried into the kitchen before Shen San could get a good look at them, slapping the dirt off each other's clothes, then quickly washing their hands and faces.

They knew a simple pat-down wouldn't clean them thoroughly, but growing up mischievous, as long as they weren't excessively dirty, it was normal.

After cleaning up, Shen Jin expertly found the key hidden in the corner of a cabinet to the room where they stored grains, scooping a very small handful of rice from the bin.

Yes, just a few grains, no more than thirty, picked up between his fingers.

Locking the door and returning, Li Shi was sweeping chicken and duck droppings in the courtyard.

Since Li Shi was unwell lately, Shen Jin had been cooking. Seeing his mother outside, he asked, "Mom, is it okay to make bean porridge with astragalus tonight?"

Shen San, just stepping out with a bamboo chair to rest, turned visibly pale at the mention of astragalus and bean porridge, and his face turned even grimmer upon seeing the few grains of rice in Shen Jin's bowl, hardly covering the bottom.

The so-called bean porridge involves soaking a small handful of soybeans in water until soft, then crushing them in a stone mortar. The bean mash is cooked with the soaking water until chewable, a few grains of rice are added, and finally, a bunch of chopped wild greens are stirred in just before serving.

The type of wild greens used varies based on what the children gather that day. If they collect a variety, they either throw them all in or choose as they did today, asking for preferences.

To Shen San, this asking of preferences seemed pointless. In his view, no matter what, it all tasted like wild greens.

Since they use so few beans, there's hardly any distinctive bean taste. Even the salt, which supposedly was added, is indiscernible, as salt prices have soared. Shen San didn't skimp on buying it – after all, they don’t produce salt at home – but they had to use it sparingly.

With no saltiness and certainly no oil – not a trace of it – especially when the butcher in Sanli Village stopped selling meat as no one could afford it anymore.

Thus, this bean porridge was merely a name, the bean dregs offering a few bites, and the rice almost disappearing once added, finding a few cooked grains amidst the wild greens was sheer luck.

Shen San’s face turned sour, but Li Shi showed no emotion, weakly nodding in agreement: “That’s fine, cook as you see fit.”

During her days of injury, the family had relied on Shen Jin, leading the younger ones to manage everything inside and outside the house.

With Li Shi’s indifference, Shen San angrily plunked down the chair and sat back with his eyes closed in silent frustration.

His energy wasn't strong enough to show much anger, so the sound of the chair wasn't loud. But his face was filled with frustration and annoyance, clearly unable to relax even with his eyes closed.

Li Shi took in his reactions, her gaze lingering on his grim face before she continued sweeping the yard without another word.

After ten years of marriage, Li Shi understood Shen San too well and yet, paradoxically, not at all.

She understood him, as evident now. He had squandered all their savings, reducing the family to subsisting on wild greens. For the first three days, he was too ashamed to even look at his family. During the next four, he comforted himself, justifying his actions. And in the last three days, like today, he could even dare to show annoyance. He'd retort if Li Shi scowled at him, saying something like: "Why don't you go serve in the military? The trouble didn't fall on you, nor was it your life demanded. Easy for you to talk."

This was strikingly similar to his behavior when he had pushed Shen Lieto join the army, and later, upon hearing of Shen Lie's alleged death.

But she didn't understand him because she had always thought Shen San only acted this way towards his nephew, not towards her or their children.

Yet, it seemed that what she thought was merely her assumption.

As the broom scraped over the muddy courtyard, Li Shi’s eyes glazed over, her only wish being to survive until the spring soybeans planted mid-month could be harvested.

……

Inside the kitchen, Shen Yin whispered to Shen Jin: “Brother, did mom just stop you from speaking?”

Shen Jin paused in his task of adding wood to the fire, then nodded in confirmation.

Shen Yin asked, “Why?”

Shen Jin wasn't entirely sure himself, but at that moment, he inexplicably recalled the way his father had looked at him last year during the conscription.

Just now, it was clear their mother wanted to hear him out, but she abruptly stopped him as soon as their father returned.

Unsure if his mother would understand his intentions, Shen Jin pursed his lips and avoided her question. He looked towards the window, then quietly instructed Shen Yin, “Don’t ask about it, just listen to mom. We shouldn’t talk about this at home, and don’t mention it to Xiao Tie or Tian Ya either.”

“What about mom?”

“I’ll tell her tomorrow.”

Shen Yin blinked, wondering who the unspeakable person was.

He seemed to understand.

The two brothers exchanged glances, wordlessly adding wood to the fire.

……

While the Shen family in Shi Li Village settled for a meal of wild vegetable and bean porridge, Sang Luo and her group had finished their dinner deep in the mountains. They too had limited options, relying on dried wild vegetables rehydrated in water and yellow beans.

Finding fresh produce was a challenge unless one ventured up the cliffs, as even wild grass was scarce on the ground.

Despite having the same wild vegetables and yellow beans as the Shen family's third branch, the taste was entirely different with Sang Luo. The beans, softened and cooked with meat, became deliciously savory and tender. Isn't soy sauce made from yellow beans?

Speaking of the best complement to meat, yellow beans are certainly top of the list. The freshness of the beans and the aroma of the meat saturate each bean, making it irresistibly delicious!

Shen Lian and Chen Dashan, after seeing Sang Luo and the two children well-fed, divided the last bit of the sauce between them, mixing it with rice – a satisfying meal!

Chen Dashan spent yet another day envying Shen Lian's good fortune in food, thinking, “No wonder he pampers his wife so much. If I had a wife that good, I'd spoil her too.”

Chen Dashan felt envious. Once the world was at peace and they left the mountains, he was determined to find a wife who was an exceptional cook too!

A good meal fueled efficient work. Before dinner, they had already completed a good portion of their tasks. After eating, despite the darkness, they continued working by the light of the fire at the cave entrance. Shen Lie sawed wood while Chen Dashan planed the bed beams to smoothness. If Shen Lie was busy carving joints, Chen Dashan took over the sawing of the crossbeams.

Their teamwork sped up the process significantly. Judging by the moonlight, they worked until about the second watch of the night, completing four bed beams, seven crossbeams, and the necessary bed planks.

Not only Shen Lie's family but every family in the valley made use of the firelight to work. Across the valley, the three families each had their tasks. For Chen and Xu families, the daytime sawing had produced bed planks. They might not have bedposts and beams, but laying the planks on the ground with straw and bedding was much better than sleeping on the floor.

Those families spent their nights chiseling the stone walls.

Unlike Shen Lie's family, where only wooden walls and doors were needed for their stone wall, both Chen and Xu families had to slowly chisel out the stone. There was no time during the day, as they would need to transport soil the next day. They had to work extra hard each night to complete the task, a process that would take several evenings.

Of course, everyone knew this was only possible because they were currently isolated in the mountains. In the future, using oil lamps at night would be safe as the high trees and elevation obscured visibility. However, for open fires, they had to either shut their cave doors or at least cover them to avoid detection.

With Shen Lie assembling the bed and Chen Dashan assisting, they quickly finished the task. Sang Luo, watching the bed take shape, couldn't help but express her gratitude.

Chen Dashan waved off the thanks, "Sister-in-law, there's no need for thanks. I just cheekily enjoyed a good meal this evening."

The friendship between him and Shen Lie meant helping out didn't require a meal in return. However, he couldn't resist the temptation of Sang Luo's cooking, especially with the delicious aroma of stewed beans and meat wafting from their cave.

Sang Luo, aware of the close bond between Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, smiled, "Alright, no more formalities. If you need Shen Lie's help in the future, just let us know."

Shen Lie, hearing this, turned to Sang Luo with a smile, then nodded at Chen Dashan, "Did you hear that? Just give a shout if you need a hand."

His beaming face dazzled Chen Dashan, leaving him a bit dazzled and speechless.

"Sure, I won't hold back if I need help," Chen Dashan said before turning to Sang Luo with a more polite tone, "Then I'll head back, sister-in-law. I won’t disturb your tidying up."

Knowing they were going to set up the bed, Sang Luo hadn't moved everything over yet; their bedding was still in the large cave. After sending Chen Dashan off, she lit an oil lamp and called Shen An and Shen Ning from the neighboring cave to help move the bedding.

As they left to fetch the bedding, Shen Lie suddenly remembered something.

The clean room was ready, but he had forgotten about the chamber pot.

He turned to search for a chisel in the corner, planning to quickly make one, when he spotted something tree stump-like in a dim corner near the stove.

Upon closer inspection, what else could it be but a chamber pot?

Although it looked odd, resembling a peeled tree stump except for its smoothed cut surface, it was unmistakably a pot.

Shen Lie suddenly recalled how Sang Luo seemed to have something to say when she asked him to build the clean room that morning, but she never did. Now it clicked – was she trying to ask about making a chamber pot?

Even though it wasn't yet March, Shen Lie felt his neck and face heat up, and his palms grew warm. He felt heat rising all over his body.

He exhaled deeply, shaking his free hand in an attempt to cool off.

Bringing the pot closer to the firelight, he couldn't help but smile.

He admired her effort; she had actually made it quite well.

Picking a round chisel from the set Xu Zhanggui gave him and a round stone used earlier, he sat on the threshold to refine it. Thinking of her hesitation that morning, he decided to take the pot and tools to a different spot to work.

Sang Luo, with Shen An and Shen Ning, moved their bedding and several animal pelts Shen Lie had hunted. They made several trips without seeing Shen Lie, assuming he was helping at another family's cave.

Only after making the bed did she see Shen Lie returning. Without much thought, she asked him to help bring their nine earthenware jars from the large cave.

These jars were Sang Luo's precious purchases, bought last year for storing dates and candied fruit. She had bought ten in total, but one was given to Shen Jin and Shen Yin, hidden in the refuge cave they dug for the children.

Of the nine remaining jars, five were filled with salt that had been stockpiled from the time they planned to take refuge. Salt could be stored for long periods, so these jars contained enough for their household needs, including for preserving meat, for several years. With their relocation, these essential items naturally had to be moved too.

The remaining four jars stored the medicinal herbs Sang Luo had purchased. The bottoms of these jars were lined with lime and Sichuan peppercorns, covered with several thick layers of paper, on top of which were tightly packed herbs. Sealed with lids, they were safeguarded against moisture and insects.

These nine essential jars were among the first items they had carried with them. While other belongings could be moved later once storage shelves were constructed, these items needed immediate and secure storage.

After busily relocating their essentials, the night had deepened. Sang Luo finally had a moment to rest and fetched water from a stored clay pot to wash up.

Midway through her ablutions, she remembered the chamber pot she had made, which was still in the cave.

Quickly finishing her tooth-brushing and rinsing, she had Shen Ning pour water for her to wash her face. Leaving the children to continue washing, she went back into the cave to fetch the pot.

Upon reaching the spot where she had left the new chamber pot, it was gone.

Sang Luo: ???

Turning stiffly to look at Shen Lie, she found him laying wolf skins on a straw-covered floor. He stiffened upon seeing her head towards the pot’s corner, freezing entirely when she turned back to face him.

“Shen Lie, did you see the pot in the corner?”

Shen Lie: “…”

He had thought Sang Luo would find it while he was fetching the jars, then a simple glance at the clean room would suffice.

But unexpectedly, she only remembered now, and directly went to retrieve it from the corner, where he happened to be.

His expression stiffened, and pointing outside the cave, he said, “I… just took it to the clean room.”

A moment of silence ensued in the cave, followed by a brief "Oh" from Sang Luo, who then left with the oil lamp.

In the clean room, she found a chamber pot unlike the one she made - its exterior no longer resembled a tree stump, now looking like a proper pot, and the interior was no longer crudely carved by her hand.

Sang Luo repeatedly knocked her empty fist against her forehead.

If she had known, she would have directly asked Shen Lie to make it from the start. Why did she feel too embarrassed to ask? Acting on an impulse, she ended up troubling herself, only for Shen Lie to eventually fix it.

So, what was she fussing about? What was initially a straightforward matter had now turned awkward.

It was utterly embarrassing.