"Chapter 86: Acknowledging Embarrassment"

"It was the first time Li had gently encouraged the three brothers to visit the main house, watching them leave the yard with a smile."

"Shen Tie, still somewhat bewildered and unsure of what was happening, noticed that his brothers were not running out to play as enthusiastically as usual."

"Puzzled, Shen Tie walked some distance out of the yard, looking at Shen Jin and then Shen Yin, but eventually turning back to Shen Jin: 'Third Brother, is it true what mom said about buying us cakes and candies?'"

"He hadn't remembered what Li asked him to observe in the yard, but the promise of cakes and sweets stuck in his mind."

"Hearing the mention of cakes and sweets, Shen Yin glanced back towards their home, noticing his mother peeking out. He quickly turned away."

"At six years old, Shen Yin was still quite naive, a bit sharper than Shen Tie but not by much, seemingly understanding yet not fully grasping things."

"He looked confused: 'Third Brother, why did mom ask us to watch what Big Sister-in-law is doing? Chen Xiaoya and the others never enter the yard without Brother Shen and Sister Ning’s permission. If we sneak in, will they get angry?'"

"Shen Jin's face grew taut, and he didn’t feel like talking."

……

"The yard outside Shen's main house was bustling. Chen Xiaoya and the other younger kids, with nothing to do after meals, liked to run over here. Now, Shen Ning was teaching Chen Xiaoya, San Niu, Shi Tou, and A Xu to write in the sand."

"Spotting Shen Jin and Shen Yin from a distance, Shi Tou stood up and waved: 'Shen Jin, Shen Yin, come over here!'"

"Shen Ning paused her writing and turned to see the Shen brothers approaching, but they seemed off today, walking unusually slow. Normally, they'd rush over like speeding bullets, wouldn’t they?"

"Apart from the time she hadn’t invited Shen Jin over for the sugar water treat, Shen Ning had never seen him look so dejected. Shen Yin and Shen Tie also seemed odd, occasionally glancing towards her house."

"Curious, Shen Ning asked, 'What's up with you three?'"

"Seeing them silent, she wondered, 'Did you get scolded at home?'"

"Her question caused Shen Yin and Shen Tie to look away, glancing at each other and then back at Shen Jin."

"Silent throughout the walk, Shen Jin’s face was now unusually grim."

"At eight years old, Shen Jin knew enough to realize what his mother was urging him to do."

"When even Shen Ning and Chen Xiaoya turned their gazes toward him, Shen Jin felt as if his skin was being scraped by something sharp, a stinging sensation spreading from his forehead, across his cheeks and ears, down his neck, and everywhere hidden under his clothes."

"Regretting his decision to come here, he wished he had just hidden away to avoid the awkward situation his mother had put him in."

"Shen Jin's mind wandered back to the day he got beaten, recalling how Shen An had saved half a piece of braised pork with preserved vegetables wrapped in a lotus leaf just for him."

"He remembered begging Shen An to tell him what 'huping' (a type of cake) tasted like, and the next day, their sister-in-law brought back two from the county, sharing them among the children, including a piece for him and his brother."

"And then there were the meat porridge and crystal fruit."

"His sister-in-law had even invited them to join the feast at their house, setting up a separate table for the children loaded with food as a thank-you for their help."

"He also recalled yesterday when Shen Ning sent Shen Yin with a bamboo tube full of sugar water for him. Although initially left out, he eventually received it after nearly crying, finding the sugar water exceptionally sweet."

"Lost in these thoughts, he had unwittingly walked over here."

"Now, feeling everyone's gaze, he was baffled."

"At eight, already conscious of shame, Shen Jin instinctively didn't want his mother’s intentions exposed."

"Yet, seeing an oblivious Shen Ning, he mustered some unexplained courage, clenched his teeth, and pulled Shen Ning towards another part of the yard."

"Shen Ning looked utterly confused."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Are we that close?"

"Without a word, Shen Jin led Shen Ning further into the yard. Once sure they weren't followed, he finally faced Shen Ning, his mouth opening and closing several times before he whispered: 'Is your family making something to sell in the county?'"

"Shen Ning's pupils contracted slightly."

"Seeing her reaction, Shen Jin realized that what his mother had said was indeed based on some truth. He pursed his lips and said, 'I don't know what you're doing, but you should take care of the house. If you're alone at home, it's best to lock the door.'"

"Leaving just that piece of advice, fearing Shen Ning would ask further, he didn't dare to stay longer and turned to leave."

"Shen Yin and Shen Tie were still standing where they were before, looking towards this corner of the house. Seeing Shen Jin emerge, the brothers both looked eager to ask something, but Shen Jin just gestured for them to leave, grabbing one by the hand, and they descended the mountain."

"They left the mountain?"

"Chen Xiaoya and the others were a bit dazed, wanting to ask something, but by the time they reacted, Shen Jin had already walked so fast that he was nearly at the foot of the mountain."

"When Shen An came out from behind, Chen Xiaoya asked curiously, 'What's up with Shen Jin? Why did he leave so soon after arriving? You two didn’t argue again, did you?'"

"Shen Ning looked towards the bottom of the mountain and shook her head, 'No.'"

……

"An hour later, when Sang Luo and Shen An returned from the mountain, Shen Ning went back to the house to relay this incident to her sister-in-law and brother."

"Sang Luo's eyebrows twitched slightly: 'Is that exactly what Shen Jin said?'"

"Shen Ning nodded: 'He left without letting me ask any questions, just grabbed Shen Yin and Shen Tie and left. Sister-in-law, do you think third uncle and aunt found out about our tofu-making?'"

"'It wouldn't be surprising if they did.'"

"Sang Luo had anticipated this day. Initially, when they started making tofu, they planned to sell it locally as well, so keeping it a secret was never the intent."

"During the busy farming season, while selling next to the butcher's shop, Zhou Cunzheng's wife stumbled upon them once. Sang Luo was prepared for people in the village to find out, but surprisingly, the Zhou family didn't mention a word about it."

"Later, when they started selling in other villages with Chen You Tian carrying the loads, Sang Luo expected the secret wouldn’t last more than a few days. However, due to the taxation issues, Chen You Tian only sold it for a short period and then stopped, only taking some to the market on market days."

"As it turned out, with the tight financial conditions in the village, and the Zhou Cunzheng family keeping quiet, the secret had been kept until now."

"She said, 'You all keep an eye on the house for the next couple of days. I'll go to the county tomorrow and buy some locks, and I need to restock our spices too.'"

"She had been saving money primarily for winter clothes and quilts, but Shen Jin wouldn’t have warned her without reason; most likely, Li Shi had set her sights on their small business."

"The stone mill and soybeans were less of a concern; even if discovered, they might only reveal soy milk. As long as they hid the brine and gypsum well, the tofu and sauce-dried goods wouldn’t be easily replicated."

"However, the sour jujubes, devil's tongue jelly, and crooked jujubes were a different story. The fresh products and semi-finished goods she collected during her trips to the mountains, stored in the kitchen and backyard, absolutely couldn’t be discovered; otherwise, she wouldn’t go to the lengths of burying the skins and pits in the mountains each time."

"Although these three products might seem inconspicuous, their profits actually exceed the sum of three types of soy products combined. The only downside is their reliance on forest resources, which aren’t sustainable."

"This is exactly why Sang Luo can’t let others discover this source of income. Once everyone knows these products are lucrative, she and Shen An and Shen Ning wouldn’t stand a chance at harvesting them."

"Sang Luo was genuinely frustrated. They had the audacity to divide the family so heartlessly without caring about their survival, yet now they covet what's in her bowl."

"It seemed they wanted everything for themselves."

"The next day, with plans to visit the county, Sang Luo spent the evening counting their savings with her two siblings, taking out the money jar hidden under the bed."

"Ever since clearing their debt with Dong Fu Lou, the daily income of 340 wen from selling vegetarian tripe was completely theirs, and the sauce-dried goods sold well in the county too."

"Not only did Qin Fang Niang and Gan Shi secure orders from two major taverns, but after some prodding from her sister-in-law, Feng Liu Niang also took the initiative. She found several steady clients among small eateries in the county, despite being compared unfavorably to the other two."

"However, Sang Luo limited their daily production of sauce-dried goods to four trays, totaling 256 pieces, leaving the three collaborators to divide them among themselves, earning 384 wen per day from this arrangement."

"As for tofu, due to being overwhelmed with work, they balanced their production by reducing soft tofu slightly and adding firm tofu, maintaining a steady output."

"Just by selling vegetarian tripe and the orders from the three families, Sang Luo’s daily earnings were over 900 wen. However, with soaring grain prices, even though the cost of soybeans hadn’t increased significantly, she felt a sense of urgency. Recently, she had been accepting soybeans as part of the payment for her soy products, resulting in a daily net income of around 388 wen from these goods."

"Including the income from vegetarian tripe, the total daily revenue was about 720 wen."

"These days, apart from the recent purchases of a large vat and two sieves made through Qin Fang Niang, they had barely spent any money, making the old earthenware jar under the bed quite heavy and full."

"This jar, long used by Sang Luo as a cooking pot, was surprisingly large."

"Considering the substantial amount of coins inside, Sang Luo decided to count them in the kitchen by the lamplight, pouring them onto the table with all three sitting around, counting and stringing the coins together."

"Amazingly, when they finished, there were a total of six strings of cash, with a few dozen wen left over."

"Sang Luo's mood, previously soured by Li Shi's meddling, brightened considerably."

"'Tomorrow, I'll check the prices of locks and buy several...,' she mused, realizing the outer yard, kitchen, and backyard with all its semi-finished products needed locks, as did the main house with all their belongings."

"That would require at least four locks, wouldn't it?"

"Sang Luo, eyeing the pile of money, twitched her lips, suspecting that locks wouldn't be cheap. But estimating from the price of a kitchen knife, they shouldn't be more expensive than knives."

"With this thought, she put the few dozen wen into her purse and wrapped the rest of the strung coins in two pieces of old cloth. Along with the next day’s jars of twisted jujube candy and sour jujube cakes, she packed everything into a carrying basket, covering them with lotus leaves and wild vegetables."

"It was indeed a load she had to carry; the purse wouldn't suffice."

"As she packed, Sang Luo planned her expenses for the next day, focusing on using these copper coins for locks, spices, two more jars, cotton, millet, and flour, anticipating that little would be left over."

"As for the silver from Yong Feng Zhai, she planned to save it gradually, as it was crucial not to be left without any money at all. Silver, being smaller and more valuable, was the sensible choice to keep."

"Shen An, noticing his sister-in-law only put two jars into the basket, looked puzzled at the other two jars of sour jujube cakes and twisted jujube candy left on the shelf, asking, 'Sister-in-law, aren’t you taking those two jars too?'"

"Sang Luo shook her head, 'No, I'm not taking them. Twisted and sour jujubes are becoming harder to find. I'll save these two jars and send them to the county in a few days.'"