Chapter 136: Shen Lie

When she returned to the cave, Sang Luo pinched her stiff face a few times before stepping inside.

She resolved never to do something so foolish again.

Thinking about it, in their current situation, their family of four's entire living space was just this small cave. Why overthink things?

Take drying clothes, for instance. Previously, she could hang her undergarments in the backyard, locking the door for privacy, and Shen Lie would hang his laundry outside. But could she do that now?

Obviously not. There was no longer a backyard or a front yard, just this limited space.

So, she decided to worry less and be more at ease.

……

On the nineteenth night of their escape, Sang Luo finally slept on a long-missed bed, relieved that she no longer needed to fear encountering a snake when going to the toilet in the night.

Sang Luo finally felt settled. Exhausted from the day's activities, she fell into a deep sleep almost immediately upon closing her eyes. The next day, the previous night's embarrassment was completely forgotten, overshadowed by the busyness of the day.

There was still grain to be transported. Shen Lie and the other able-bodied men had only five days in the valley. They had already spent one day cutting trees and furnishing their caves, and now needed to transport soil into the valley to transform the land into farmland and the cliff faces into vertical vegetable gardens, as well as relocate suitable trees to the paddy fields.

Seizing the opportunity, Sang Luo joined Shen Lie and others on a trip outside the valley. She wasn’t the only one; others like Qin Fangniang, Shi Erlang's wife, Feng Liuniang, and Zhou family's eldest daughter-in-law also came along. They were not only searching for immediate sustenance like dried vegetables and beans, but also scouting for more diverse mountain produce, as the valley was temporarily scarce in wild vegetables due to the ongoing land development.

The mountains were rich in resources. With the presence of the able-bodied men providing safety, they ventured to gather or transplant various items.

Elderly Chen Popo insisted on going too, not for wild vegetables but to search for herbs that could ward off snakes and insects, especially crucial during the snake and insect infested months of February and March in the deep forest.

She had to go herself as others might not recognize these herbs, and she couldn’t describe them well enough. Once found, she made sure to show them to Shen Lie and others who were accustomed to being outdoors, so they could identify and collect these herbs in the future.

Soil was carried back to the valley's entrance in loads and transferred using baskets. Not only did they thicken the soil in the fields, but after several days of foraging, they also found a substantial amount of seasonal wild vegetables, as well as herbs like mint and perilla, which they transplanted into the soil-filled cliff faces. The excess was shared with those who couldn’t venture out, like Elder Xu.

Elder Xu reciprocated Sang Luo's efforts by giving her a few pieces of ginger, one of the various seeds sent by Xu Zhanggui with the grain supply.

Sang Luo's eyes lit up at the sight of the ginger; it was something she had been longing for, as it was rarely sold outside and she often had to settle for dried ginger from the pharmacy.

She asked Shen Lie to bring back some sandy soil for her, treasuring it as she carefully planted the ginger.

Chen Popo successfully found five or six types of snake-repelling plants she had been seeking. They weren't many, so they divided them among the families, planting one or two near each cave entrance.

Although Sang Luo couldn’t identify those plants, she trusted Chen Popo’s knowledge of snake-repelling powder and her family's generations of hunters. She planted one on each side of her cave entrance.

Later, Shen Lie brought back more of these plants, and Sang Luo planted them all around the entrance of their cave, ensuring that any potential snake paths leading to their home would be avoided. This included the area around their new washroom and the path leading there.

The other families did similarly. Living in the valley, the biggest concern was snakes, and these plants provided some peace of mind.

For four days straight, they worked hard transporting soil from outside into the valley to prepare the land. In the evenings and at night, they focused on smoothing out the rough, protruding parts of the cave walls. They helped the Xu family as well, but Wei Qinghe gradually learned and managed to do a decent job, though more slowly.

When it was time to collect more grain, Sang Luo didn't know the status of other families, but her family had successfully moved their chicken and duck coops. These were well-refurbished, including detailed food and water troughs. Shen Lie also built shelves for the previously scattered pots, a wooden counter for Sang Luo to prepare food comfortably, and storage shelves underneath for various kitchen utensils and dishes.

Shen Lie also smoothed out any particularly jutting sections in the cave to prevent accidents. After consulting Sang Luo, he even carved out a lantern niche in the middle of the cave wall.

This niche in the stone wall created a small space to safely place an oil lamp for lighting, with fire starters stored alongside.

The washroom was treated similarly, with a smoothed wall and a niche for an oil lamp.

“It’s safe to cook without closing the door, but at night, when sleeping, the door should be shut, and no fire left burning on the stove. The cave is entirely enclosed and it’s unsafe to leave a fire unattended. Next time I come back, I’ll look for some clay to properly build the stove and make a chimney for ventilation.”

Sang Luo initially worried that snakes might crawl in through the chimney, but she felt reassured remembering the snake-repelling plants around the cave. Still, she asked, "Can we make it closable when not in use?"

Shen Lie paused for a moment, then realizing her concern, he smiled warmly and agreed, "Alright."

After discussing household matters, they moved on to farming tasks. The men had completed the heavier tasks, leaving irrigation channel digging to the elder men like Chen Lao Han, Lu Lao Han, Zhou Cun Zheng, and Chen You Tian. Sang Luo and the others would assist when possible.

Plowing the fields posed the greatest challenge.

"Chen Lao Han will help us with seed soaking for this year's grain," Shen Lie said. "He already has selected seeds, and since there isn’t much land, he's bringing them for us and the Xu family. We'll just need to return an equivalent amount of grain later. However, I likely won’t be back for spring plowing. It's tough and dirty work, but since each family has little land, it's manageable. I've asked Chen You Tian to make a wooden plow and to take little An to the fields. It'll be a good time to teach him about farming."

At ten years old, it was typical for children in rural areas to start learning such tasks.

Shen Lie couldn’t quite picture Sang Luo, shoes and socks off, trousers rolled up, stepping into the paddy fields.

Before joining their family, except during her flight, she probably never endured such hardship.

Shen Lie knew about her initial near-starvation; despite knowing how to catch fish in a stream, she refrained from doing so due to her upbringing.

For such a lady to fall into their impoverished home was worse than ending up in a grass nest. Even the thought of removing shoes and socks in public to step barelegged into muddy fields was unimaginable for her.

Thus, the idea of Sang Luo plowing fields never crossed Shen Lie’s mind, and he had planned for it well in advance.

Sang Luo didn’t expect Shen Lie to remember and take into account the concerns she once voiced to alleviate Shen An's doubts. Indeed, plowing wasn’t her forte.

In her previous mountain residence, she had only gardened and raised chickens. She had never worked in the fields, partly due to her fear of leeches – a fear stemming from her childhood ignorance and a disturbing scene of leech-infested legs she once witnessed.

After that experience, she had no desire to work in the fields.

She preferred to stick with gardening and raising chickens, as her health wasn’t the best. Thus, she bought rice from the local villagers – it was affordable and organic, not costing much annually.

Hearing Shen Lie say that she wouldn’t need to work in the fields and Shen An would take her place, Sang Luo felt a wave of relief. She glanced at Shen An, considering the small size of their allotted field.

Seeing his sister-in-law look his way, Shen An promptly nodded, “Yes, sister-in-law, you don’t need to go to the fields. I can handle it, especially with Chen You Tian’s guidance. Shen Ge already discussed it with me, and Hu Zi and the others are starting to learn fieldwork too.”

Sang Luo smiled, “Great, I’m really not keen on fieldwork.”

Everyone laughed, knowing Sang Luo was capable, but her strengths lay more in knowledge, intelligence, and cooking, not manual field labor. She disliked the smell of manure and was particularly scared of insects and snakes, a fact well known in the family.

Shen Lie chuckled too, but with a look outside at the dawn light, he said, “I need to leave now. It’ll be a round trip, and I’ll check if Xu Zhang has left any messages. It might take ten days before I can return.”

Speaking, he already felt a sense of longing.

Sang Luo was more composed, having prepared his provisions already. She gave the usual instructions, focusing mainly on safety.

Noticing the lack of a similar sentiment in Sang Luo’s eyes, Shen Lie felt a slight pang of disappointment, which he quickly masked with a smile.

Unaware of his fleeting emotional shift, Sang Luo, along with Shen An and Shen Ning, escorted Shen Lie to the door.

Other families were also seeing their members off, with final admonitions for safety until reaching the entrance of the canyon. Shen Lie carefully sealed the passage again after they left.

The valley quieted down with fewer people, but work continued with digging irrigation channels, planting rice and vegetables, and managing the water supply.

The small waterfall provided drinking water, and the pond’s water was used for the rice fields and reserved for other needs. Laundry was done at the pond, but wastewater required a separate disposal area.

Chen Lao Han and others toured the valley and chose a spot near the manure pits to dig a small pond for dirty water disposal, selecting one of the many mountain springs.

The valley's small size meant everyone had to take care of their environment; thus, even small tasks were important.

Chen You Tian was tasked with making wooden plows for each family, leaving Chen Lao Han, Lu Lao Han, and Zhou Village Chief with most of the work. The teenagers from all families were called upon by Zhou Village Chief to assist.

Young girls like Shen Ning, Chen Xiao Ya, Shi Qiao Er, and Xu Wen Yin, however, were free to play.

The girls gathered at the Xu family's cave, while Sang Luo returned to her own.

Shen Lie's sleeping mat remained on the ground, neatly folded, prompting a belated wave of longing in Sang Luo, combined with a complex mix of emotions.

It wasn’t just longing; she was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

During the five days, Shen Lie had been ceaselessly busy, taking care of numerous tasks and even planning for her next fortnight, yet he hadn’t found time to make his own bed.

Sang Luo, looking at the tidy sleeping arrangement, suddenly smiled gently, softening her expression.

"Shen Lie."

Saying his name inwardly, Sang Luo smiled, moved Shen Lie’s bedding to her bed, and set the mat and wolf skins out to air.

When he returns, she plans to make his bed and wash everything.