Chapter 171 - Envy

With Xu's family settled, Wei Lingzhen used the available ingredients at home to steam two steaming pots of sticky rice cakes. Old Lady Xu portioned them out and placed them in a basket before leading her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson to visit their neighbors, both to familiarize themselves with the area and its people.

Their first stop was the Shen residence. Wei Lingzhen had heard much about Shen Lie and Sang Luo since her mother-in-law had taken her children, brother, and nephew into the mountains for safety. She was perpetually grateful for their kindness.

After the chaotic reunion, they finally made a proper visit to express their gratitude. Wei Lingzhen was genuinely delighted by the encounter. Besides being well-educated, kind, and generous, as her family had described, Sang Luo exuded an extraordinary sense of ease, cleanliness, and tranquility that was soothing to be around.

A top servant in a grand household who could have her servitude annulled, receive a dowry, and be arranged a good marriage must possess exceptional interpersonal skills. Her words were pleasant, and she warmly embraced Sang Luo while praising Shen An and Shen Ning. Before leaving, she thanked Sang Luo for looking after her family and chatted for a while. Looking at the time, she realized there were still more households to visit, so she bid farewell to the Shens and proceeded to the next house.

They visited the Chen, Shi, Zhou, and finally, the Lu families.

As Wei Lingzhen had seen, each family's cave dwellings and furniture were indeed novel. But she also witnessed something no one had mentioned – small caves with fences and locks inside the larger ones, inhabited by idle women who stared at them intently upon hearing the commotion. Wei Lingzhen handled the situation with tact, merely glancing at the scene without dwelling on it, maintaining her composure as she conversed with the Lu family and offered them her homemade desserts.

It wasn't until the Lu family escorted them out that Old Lady Lu said, "We have a troublesome one at home. Please don't mind her."

Wei Lingzhen didn't probe further, and Old Lady Xu skillfully changed the subject. After exchanging some casual conversation, they mentioned the late hour and the need to prepare dinner before bidding the Lus goodbye.

On the return journey, she mentioned to Wei Lingzhen, "That was the Lu family's eldest daughter-in-law just now. I forgot to mention her to you."

Wang Chunniang hadn't ventured out for a long time. It was said that she only strolled around the large cave at specific times each day, accompanied by someone from the first family. Hence, Madam Xu truly had forgotten about this person.

As the two women conversed, Wang Chunniang, taking advantage of the fact that both Lu and Feng were outside seeing off their guests, eagerly clutched the wooden fence and called out, "Daughter, come here! Who were those people just now? Were they from the Xu family?"

She still recognized Madam Xu.

Something seemed amiss in the valley today. After Lu Er returned, the whole family rushed out, and even the elders carried food with them when they came back.

Wang Chunniang had been curious for a while, but alas, the cave was always occupied, either by the second family or by Lu Sanlang. She didn't have the chance to inquire with her children.

Now that people had come to their doorstep, it was evident that strangers had entered the valley, and there were quite a few of them!

Could Wang Chunniang resist asking?

The moment Lu and Feng left, she softly called out to her daughter, Lu Dazhuang.

In truth, Lu Dazhuang had never ventured outside. If her parents needed to leave, she and her elder and second brothers usually stayed in the cave, keeping watch over their mother.

However, Huizi and the others had left, and she knew a little about it. She only knew that people had entered the valley and that there seemed to be bandits outside. She didn't know anything else.

Now, when Wang Chunniang called her over for questioning, she told the truth: "That was Madam Xu from Shopkeeper Xu's family. She's Wenbo and Wenying's mother. The other two should be their older brothers."

Wang Chunniang held onto the wooden fence. "The whole Xu family has entered the valley? How many of them came?"

Lu Daniu felt a bit flustered under her mother's gaze and lowered her head, honestly saying, "Shopkeeper Xu, his wife, and Wenying's two older brothers. I think there was also an uncle or something. I heard that the bandits from outside have arrived."

Wang Chunniang's breathing grew heavier.

Five!

Five plus five made ten. Just the Xu family alone had ten people entering the valley.

She asked Lu Daniu, "Then who were your grandparents bringing the grain out for today? The Xu family is so wealthy; they wouldn't need our kind of family to help them, would they?"

For some reason, Lu Daniu felt nervous whenever her mother spoke. She stuttered, "No, it's Little Jin, Little Yin, and Little Tie, the three brothers who've also entered the valley."

Wang Chunniang let out a soft scoff through her nose.

Back then, she was separated from her family just for revealing a bit too much to her maternal home. Not only did they make her fetch supplies in the mountains, but they also bound her for days. Now look, the Xu family can still take in more people. Didn't Shen Lie bring in Shen Jin and the others? They've cut ties, so aren't they considered outsiders?

So it's just because they have a problem with her, right?

These rules only apply to her, don't they?

With a dark expression, Lu Dazhu scared the wits out of Lu Datou when she looked up. The girl anxiously glanced back at the entrance of the cave, relieved to see that Grandma Lu and Second Aunt Feng hadn't returned yet. She quickly whispered, "Mother, you shouldn't say anything rash again. Many must have died outside. Shen Jin's parents and sister are gone."

Wang Chunniang's brow twitched as she heard footsteps outside the cave. Realizing that Mother Lu and Feng Liu had returned with the Xu family, she immediately turned around and lay back down on the bed.

...

No one knew about the conversation between the Lu mother and daughter. As evening approached, smoke rose from the chimneys of each household in the valley.

Since they were still sharing meals, dinner was still porridge, but with added minced meat and finely chopped green vegetables and scallions, making it a savory meat porridge.

As Shen Ning ladled the porridge, she filled only half a bowl, hesitating with the spoon. Sang Luo took the spoon from her and topped off the bowl, whispering, "Being frugal isn't the issue here. Porridge can be easily made by adding more water and more ingredients. If all of you skimp on food, do you think Little Jin and the others would dare to eat more these few days?"

Shen Ning understood and nodded. After filling each bowl to the brim, she carried them out.

Upon seeing the full bowls of porridge, Shen Jin and his brothers didn't dare to touch them. Shen Jin rushed to fetch three bowls from his basket, and the trio shared one bowl among themselves. After dividing it, Shen Jin held his bowl and gazed at Sang Luo, saying, "Sister-in-law, we've been hungry for so long that our appetites aren't big."

Indeed, they had been famished for a while. Sang Luo nodded in agreement. "It's good to eat smaller portions frequently. If you're hungry again, help yourselves."

Shen Tie had consumed two servings of sweetened egg-flower porridge in the afternoon and was surrounded by familiar children. He appeared much livelier now. He could even sit on the bench with a backrest on his own.

It was only then that the family noticed how desperately hungry Shen Tie was. From the moment the small bowl of porridge was placed before him, his eyes were fixed on it, making sure it belonged to him. Despite being weak, he ate as if he hadn't eaten in days, completely ignoring whether it was hot or not. His only focus was to fill his mouth.

He had been terrified of being hungry.

Shen Jin quickly pressed his hand down, urging, "Eat slowly."

With his hand held down, Shen Tie looked up at Shen Jin, his eyes pleading. "I'm so hungry."

The whole family fell silent.

This wasn't just physical hunger; they were scared of being hungry, feeling it deeply within their hearts.

In truth, Sang Luo couldn't quite imagine what it felt like to eat mud cakes for days on end, or to be limited to only one or two bites of it each day.

Upon her initial transmigration, she was also famished, feeling as if she would collapse from hunger. Yet during the original owner's actual period of near-starvation that lasted for over ten days, there were still occasions when they could boil wild vegetables with a few grains of rice. However, the continuous ordeal of fleeing famine had weakened her constitution, exacerbated by food shortages and constant fear, which eventually led to her falling ill. In her delirious state, even the meager soup of wild vegetables and rice cooked by her two younger siblings barely registered on her appetite. Amidst this confusion, she had taken over the body.

Arriving only because she had awoken famished, Shen Ning then fed her a few wild fruits under the moonlight. Soon after, Chen couple brought along salted sugar water and rice. Perhaps it was also due to the healing influence of the transmigrator's spiritual essence on her body; in any case, she didn't suffer too much. Nourished by rice porridge and fish soup for a few days, she gradually recovered her strength.

Hence, whether it was the original owner's memories or her own experiences, she could not fathom Shen Tie's sensation of being ravenously hungry despite having just eaten, nor did she know how to address this situation.

Shen Jin pressed down on Shen Tie's hand and said, "There will be no more hunger, not now, not ever. We've left the county town; Big Brother and Uncle Xu have brought us out. Look, there are mountains all around. Big Brother, Big Sister-in-law, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncles, and Aunties have all given us food. Big Brother will take me hunting too, truly, never again shall we go hungry. Eat slowly now."

Noticing that Shen Tie still held the spoon, Shen Jin pointed to the other two bowls of porridge. "Look, there's more food if you're hungry."

Sang Luo nudged the plate of glutinous rice cakes, sent by the Xu family and placed in the center of the table, closer to Jin Tie. "Go ahead and have some. You can eat a piece, but they're made of glutinous rice flour, so they might be a bit hard to digest. Start with just one."

Observing the hearty servings in everyone's bowls on the table, Shen Tie swallowed his saliva, and the overwhelming fear of hunger subsided slightly. However, after Shen Jin released his grip, despite his best efforts to restrain himself, he still devoured his food voraciously. Yet, amidst this haste, there was an inherent sense of restraint. He didn't touch much beyond what was designated for him to eat.

At six years old, I didn't know the phrase "living under someone else's roof," but I already vaguely grasped its meaning.

San Luo didn't say anything more. It wasn't something that could heal in a day or two; it could only be left to time for a gradual recovery.

As a professional fiction translator, I will provide an elegant and contextually coherent English translation for each line. Please provide the lines you would like me to translate.

After the meal, water was boiled and tempered to a warm temperature. Upon returning from outside, everyone took turns to bathe. The brothers took care of washing their own clothes.

With a damp cloth, Shen Ning wiped the bed, mat, and pillow that Shen Tie had slept on during the day. Sang Luo measured some beans to soak in water for the next morning's meal.

On this particular evening, the siblings, Shen An and Shen Ning, unusually set aside their books. Engaged in casual conversation, they lingered until late before extinguishing the lights and retiring to sleep.

The following morning, Shen Lie rose early and diligently ground the beans soaked overnight in the kitchen hearth. By the time Sang Luo arose from her slumber, a pot of freshly brewed soy milk was already simmering on the stove.

She accepted the hand with a smile, awaiting the boiling of the soy milk. Once ready, she filled a large soup bowl to the brim with it. Next, she fetched the prepared brine and deftly curdled the mixture. As the curds formed, she ladled out another generous helping into a second large soup bowl. The remainder was carefully poured into the small tofu frames custom-made by Shen Lie, layered with cheesecloth, and weighted down with wooden boards and stones. In this manner, each frame yielded four neat blocks of tofu.

One portion was for their own consumption, while the other three were for the Chen family, Shi family, and Xu family, who had all inquired a few days prior about when Sangluo would make tofu. They had delivered soybeans or grain beforehand to secure their share. In the valley, vegetables were scarce, but Sangluo could occasionally provide tofu, fermented bean curd, or vegetarian mock abalone. Each household would exchange for these treats.

Shen Ning had also finished her grooming and joined them. Upon learning that they would be making tofu residue pancakes, she promptly chopped up some leftover vegetables from the previous day, measured a small spoonful of flour, cracked an egg, and began preparing the meal. She also brought out the condiments for the salty tofu flower.

For breakfast, there was soy milk, tofu, golden fried tofu residue pancakes, sticky rice cakes from the Xu family, and half a bowl of congee left by Shen Jin and his brothers, which Shen Ning reheated.

As the table was set, the eldest branch was accustomed to such meals, but Shen Jin and his two brothers stood dumbfounded, unsure of where to start eating.

Seeing the trio standing in a daze, Shen Ning placed the bowls and chopsticks on the table. Addressing them, she said, "Stop staring, help yourselves to whatever you want. Since it's made from beans, I'll make sure to bring you a share next time we make it at home."

"Beans, you say?"

The three brothers couldn't discern any similarity to beans at all.

Promptly recalling what his mother had earlier asked him to investigate, Shen Jin refrained from inquiring further. He expressed his gratitude to his sister-in-law, then, along with Shen Yin and Shen Tie, he helped himself to some soy milk and began his breakfast with a steamed bun.

It had been nearly a month since Shen Lie and Chen Dashan had left. Lu Erlang, Lu Sanlang, Shi Dalang, and Shi Erlang had been suppressing their impatience for a long time. Today, they finished their breakfast early and hurried over to the Chen and Shen households.

With antivenom powder sprinkled on his shoes and leggings, Shen Jin eagerly slung a bamboo basket over his back and fetched his slingshot and kitchen knife.

Shen Lie observed this and exchanged his ax for a machete, also swapping the bow and arrows that Shen An used for Shen Jin's use.

Although the children in the valley would occasionally practice archery, they rarely ventured out. Apart from the initial grain transportation, there weren't many opportunities for them to showcase their skills.

A group of adolescents, including Shen An, gathered around to watch the spectacle, looking up at Shen Jin with envy.

They longed to go out too, but they understood that the inner and outer regions were different, as were hunting and merely entering the mountains. When in the mountains, they could avoid wild beasts by choosing alternative routes. If they did encounter one, their trained abilities allowed them to swiftly climb trees for hiding, offering occasional assistance.

But hunting required venturing into places where beasts were known to reside. The likelihood of them becoming liabilities was higher, leaving them with nothing but admiration for Shen Jin's opportunity.

Xu Wenqing, standing nearby, was envious. Which young man didn't like swords and arrows? Shopkeeper Xu found it amusing. He had seen the teenagers in Ten Mile Village, all of them with their bows and arrows. So he said, "Later, you can borrow a bow and arrow from Little An and practice. Let Little An teach you. After you've got the skills, you can follow your Elder Brother Lie and Elder Brother Shan on their trips."

Shen An, overhearing this, turned to Xu Wenqing and smiled, agreeing wholeheartedly. Then he pulled Shen Jin aside. "Don't be scared, Little Jin. Learn well. Once you master these skills, you'll become formidable. Maybe even when I go into the mountains, I'll have to rely on you to guide me."

Shen Jin's first smile since entering Cloud Valley appeared. "I'm not scared."

With his elder brother by his side, he wasn't afraid at all.

A smile also appeared in Shen Lie's eyes. He patted Shen Jin's head and said, "You haven't forgotten how to climb trees, right? This time, we're going to places where there might be wild beasts. Set traps, catch some small prey. If a big guy comes along, remember to climb a tree. Be careful of insects and snakes up there."

Shen Jin held onto the bow tightly, nodding repeatedly. "Got it."

Shen Lie smiled and looked towards the cave.

San Luo had filled two bamboo tubes with water. He walked over to take them and, after placing them in the basket, asked San Luo, "Are we leaving then?"

San Luo nodded with a smile. "Be safe."