Chapter 90: Winter. Journey to the County Town

As October arrived, twenty-two villagers from Shili Village were led by Zhou, the village official, for labor service.

The already small village, now lacking much of its working population, was left primarily with the elderly, weak, women, and children.

Strangely, apart from being quieter and seeing fewer smiles and more worries, life seemed no different, with occasional gatherings to lament about the hardships their men, sons, and mothers might face during service.

Overall, the small world Sang perceived, if compared to a lake, remained relatively calm on the surface.

Their business continued as usual, with only the change of Chen Lao Han replacing Chen You Tian in escorting the women each morning.

During this time, Sang visited the county town four more times, exchanging copper coins for grain and cotton, saving any surplus as silver in the jar under her bed.

If anything had changed, Shen Jin and his brothers hadn’t visited for quite some time.

Shen An and Shen Ning sometimes felt a bit melancholic but would quickly adjust themselves.

They were grateful for Shen Jin's warning, and understood why he no longer visited, especially when seeing their father punished for labor and hearing their mother’s constant complaints about the elder Shen household.

However, they soon had no time to dwell on these thoughts, as by mid-October, the harvest season for sour dates was nearing its end, with more fruits falling each day.

Sang borrowed a basket from the Chen family and, along with the two children, made several trips daily to the mountains. With the geese and locks for protection, and Shen San’s situation as a warning to villagers, Sang confidently ventured further to pick sour dates, dogwood fruits, and dig konjac even in neighboring village’s mountains.

Covering the basket with wild vegetables attracted no suspicion, as many struggled and preserved wild greens for winter.

Sang was busier now, as winter set in quickly in October. Her days were filled with mountain foraging and making winter clothing and shoes for herself and the children, as well as sewing a seven-pound heavy quilt.

Only when all eight storage jars were full did Sang plan a trip to the county town, remembering her promise to the siblings to visit the town once less busy.

With no concerns about affording the five copper coins for the household registration fee or leaving the house unattended, Sang prepared to fulfill her promise made some time ago.

She brought a few eggs to Zhou Li Zheng to register the children’s household status.

On October 19th, the household registration was completed. On the 21st, dressed in new clothes and shoes made by their sister-in-law, Shen An, meticulous and caring, neatly combed Shen Ning’s hair.

The morning was chillingly cold, especially before dawn, with the cold wind penetrating their necks.

Chen Lao Han and Qin Fang Nong, already in winter clothes, rearranged the load on the cart to make room for the siblings to sit, while Sang wrapped them in an old thin quilt for warmth.

Despite the cold, the children felt warm and excited. Their journey illuminated only by a torch, the darkness around them seemed all the more thrilling.

Feng Liu Niang commented with a smile, “You two must have accumulated great fortune in your past lives to have Sang as your sister-in-law.”

Arranging a household registration and a trip to the county town for children was extraordinarily rare in rural areas.

Shen An and Shen Ning smiled with bright eyes: "Auntie, you should earn more money, so you can take Axu with us next time. Axu would be thrilled too."

Feng Liu Niang thought about her son joining Shen An and Shen Ning on a trip to the county town and felt he would be equally excited. She laughed, "Yes, I must work hard so that Axu can join you and experience the county town too."

Everyone, including Gan Shi and the others, watched with amusement. Since Gan Shi and Feng Liu Niang started selling tofu in the county town, just under two months ago, Feng Liu Niang had become much more cheerful, often wearing a smile.

As dawn broke, Shen An and Shen Ning no longer wanted to sit in the cart and chose to walk, covering about three miles without a single complaint of fatigue. They were particularly excited while queuing at the city gate.

Both being small, they tiptoed and peered into the city.

"A two-story building, I see it!" Shen An exclaimed with excitement. "So buildings can be this tall, and houses can look like this!"

He whispered to Shen Ning, full of envy and aspiration, "When our family has money, can we build a house like this too?"

"Wouldn't living in such a building be comfortable?"

"Definitely very comfortable."

Chatting away, the siblings had already moved a bit forward in line. Shen An peeked out of the queue to see how people were entering the city.

With the experience of waiting at the city gate before, Shen Ning whispered to Shen An, "We need to hand over our household registration for inspection, then pay one coin to enter."

Observing the process, Shen An turned to Sang and asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, can we hold our household registration and money ourselves?"

Treating the city gate entry as an exciting adventure, he was eager to try it himself.

Naturally, Sang agreed and took out three wooden tags from her sleeve, keeping one and handing the other two to Shen An.

By now, Shen An and Shen Ning could recognize many characters, including their names, and names of places like Qiyang County, Qingpu Township, and Shili Village.

Holding the tag, the siblings leaned close to examine it. Shen Ning took one, saying, "This one has my name on it, it's mine."

"This one has my name on it; it's mine."

Without needing to ask Sang, the two siblings easily divided the household registrations between themselves.

Gan Shi, standing behind Sang, watched this scene in amazement and asked Sang, "Do An and Ning know how to read?"

Sang nodded with a smile: "I know some characters and have been teaching them a bit at home."

Gan Shi paused, then quickly remembered that Sang could indeed read and write.

A new thought emerged in her mind, wondering if her four children could also be taught to recognize a few characters by Sang.

Once this idea took hold, it was hard to suppress.

Being literate and numerate is a great skill. In their village, only Zhou, the village head, and his children could read. Literacy makes a difference. Even though the Zhou children still farmed and fulfilled their labor duties like everyone else, Gan Shi believed that when Zhou retires, the next village head will likely be from the Zhou family.

Because only the Zhou children are literate.

In the village, whenever a contract needed to be signed or something written, everyone turned to the Zhou family. Even for making a thumbprint, they wouldn't dare proceed without someone trustworthy reviewing it. After all, there were cases where illiterate people unknowingly signed away their family members or land.

But Gan Shi soon remembered that Sang was very busy, almost without any respite.

Moreover, her eldest son, Da Niu, was already twelve years old, quite close in age to Sang, making it inappropriate. And her younger child, Qiao Er, was too young, only five. Sang couldn't possibly have the energy to spare teaching her children.

She then turned her attention to An and Ning, the siblings, and after some thought, asked Sang, “Could An and Ning teach my children, Da Niu, Er Niu, San Niu, and Qiao Er, a few characters when they have free time? Not too much, just enough to recognize their own names and some common words, so they won’t be deceived when reading contracts or documents.”

Sang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, "Of course, as long as the children are willing."

Gan Shi quickly glanced at An and Ning.

The siblings had obviously heard Gan Shi's words. An smiled, "Certainly, I can teach what I know. Let's wait for a few more days until we’re less busy. Auntie, you can prepare a small sand tray for them to practice writing.”

These days, they could still collect some dates from the mountains, so they needed to focus on gathering more resources.

Gan Shi was overjoyed: “I’ll thank you on behalf of Da Niu, Er Niu, San Niu, and Qiao Er.”

Qin Fang Nü and Feng Liu Nü also became interested and turned to ask.

An readily agreed, and Ning added with a smile, “Little Xiao Ya has been learning with me already. She can write her own name. Auntie, you probably didn’t know, right?”

Qin Fang Nü, indeed unaware, beamed with joy: “Well, then we are truly grateful to An Ning.”

As the line moved forward, everyone took their turn to show their passes and pay the entry fee to enter the city. The guard was a bit surprised to see Shen An and Shen Ning, giving them a second glance. Following the procedure, he checked their passes, collected the money, and waved the children in.

The siblings were thrilled as if they had just passed a monumental checkpoint. As soon as they entered, they stood smiling, waiting for their elder sister-in-law. Once Sang entered, they happily handed her back the passes.

In the county town, Sang usually personally delivered the vegetarian tripe. This wasn't just a formality; it was essential to maintain her relationship with Xu, the shopkeeper.

The siblings, who had never entered such a large restaurant before, were filled with awe. Shen An was somewhat composed, discreetly observing his surroundings, while Shen Ning, less self-conscious, looked around wide-eyed in amazement.

She marveled inwardly at the beauty and grandeur of the two-story building.

Shopkeeper Xu had heard from his staff about the two children at Sang's home and was seeing them for the first time today. Despite their simple attire and sun-darkened skin, their features were attractive and endearing.

Seeing the children reminded Shopkeeper Xu of his own family left back in Shexian, especially his two youngest children, who were about the same age as Shen An and Shen Ning.

It had been a long time since he last visited them, and he found himself missing his children terribly.

Shopkeeper Xu thought maybe he should find time for a brief visit home, even if it was just for a couple of days.

Perhaps because of his own feelings of longing, Shopkeeper Xu was especially warm towards Shen An and Shen Ning. He didn't let Sang refuse his hospitality and instructed his staff to prepare some breakfast from the restaurant kitchen to be served in a private room, saying, "You must be tired and hungry after the long walk. You can manage however you like, but the children should eat something to strengthen themselves before exploring the town. Let them taste the specialties of our Dongfu Tower."

Sang smiled, appreciating the gesture. Indeed, visiting the county town's largest restaurant and enjoying a meal there made the trip worthwhile.

She graciously accepted the offer, saying, "Then I shall accept your kindness without further objection."

Sang often greeted Shopkeeper Xu with the formal bow typically used by men. The children, having seen this, imitated the gesture, saying, "Thank you, Uncle."

They were not adept at social niceties yet, so they simply uttered the safest four words.

This elicited a hearty laugh from Shopkeeper Xu, who said, "Good, good. Go with your sister-in-law to the private room. I've picked one for you with a street view."

The mention of a street view instantly brightened the siblings' faces. They skipped the formalities this time and expressed their gratitude with beaming smiles.

Shopkeeper Xu, in high spirits, didn't linger and instructed a waiter to lead Sang and the children to the room.

Shen An not only saw a two-story building but also entered the second floor, standing by the window of the private room, gazing down.

This novel perspective was an experience he had never had before, stirring excitement in him.

Both siblings were thrilled, constantly calling out to Sang, urging her to join them and share the view.

Sang found their reaction amusing, knowing that buildings with dozens of floors were commonplace in the future world. Yet, she realized that for children who had never been to the county town before, a two-story building was indeed a marvel.

She indulged their curiosity, answering their endless questions about unfamiliar sights, enjoying their excitement.

Once their barrage of inquiries subsided, she finally sat back at the table, allowing the siblings to continue enjoying the view. Everything in the county town fascinated them, from the passersby to the various vehicles, even the sight of animals like cows and mules sparked their delight.

They would have stayed at the window indefinitely if it weren't for the waiter starting to bring in their food.

Various snacks and porridges were served like a flowing stream. Although there were only three of them, Shopkeeper Xu had ordered eight different kinds of snacks. While each dish from the restaurant was delicately prepared and modest in portion, having eight dishes was still quite a feast.

Sang stopped eating once she was about seventy percent full, but the two children ate to the point of being slightly overfull. With plenty left on the table, Shen An, after asking Sang, requested the waiter to pack the leftovers in waxed paper bags.

They hadn't expected that after leaving the private room and reaching the counter to say goodbye to Shopkeeper Xu, he had prepared two boxes of pastries for them.

"These will keep well. Take them for the children as a snack."

Sang, usually not one to decline politely, felt a bit embarrassed this time: "Today's meal has really made me feel like I've taken too much."

Shopkeeper Xu, with a bow, replied, "Sang Madam’s tofu and vegetarian tripe have greatly enhanced the reputation of our Dongfu Lou this year. Usually, there’s no chance to express my gratitude, so when Madam brought the children today, it was the perfect opportunity for me."

He even lowered his voice when saying this, indicating the competitor across the street who was keen to uncover the source of the vegetarian tripe.

After exchanging pleasantries, and with Shopkeeper Xu occasionally having to attend to other customers, Sang did not wish to hold him up any longer. She picked up her load and, along with the two children, bid farewell and left the restaurant.