Chapter 82: Coming Down the Mountain with a Swollen Belly

Shen Yin, looking at the two solidly tied bundles of ramie on the ground, was stunned, "Third brother, what are you talking about? I can't carry both."

Even though it was the third harvest of autumn ramie, not very tall, it was still taller than him. Third brother tied so much, each bundle was bigger than him. One bundle was just manageable to drag, but two?

Shen Jin: "I'll help you get it to the edge of the mountain, then go back and call little Tie to help."

Shen Jin, speaking, hoisted a large bundle of ramie onto his back and started walking back.

Shen Yin: ???

Shen Yin, more dragging than carrying his bundle, struggled to follow behind, asking Shen Jin to wait for him. Finally catching up, he asked curiously, "Third brother, what’s wrong with you? Aren’t you going to our second brother’s house to trade for sugar water?"

Third brother had been acting strangely all day.

Usually, he'd be the first one running there, faster than anyone.

"I won't go, you and little Tie can."

Shen Yin looked at him suspiciously, "You haven’t made another careless remark, have you?"

He remembered clearly that his older sister had once quarreled with their third brother over his thoughtless words.

Shen Jin glared at him, "I did not!"

It wasn’t because of my careless words.

He muttered to himself, recalling the day he tried to stop his mother from talking further, only to get slapped on the hand.

Thinking about it, he felt somewhat wronged.

Shen Ning must not have seen him get hit too, otherwise why wouldn’t she call him? They had agreed on it last time.

Panting with effort, he carried the hemp to the edge of the mountain and told Shen Yin to wait while he went back to fetch Shen Tie.

Shen Tie had been watching over Tian Ya at home for so long that he almost dozed off. Suddenly woken and told to go to the mountain to trade hemp for sugar water with Shen Yin, he instantly perked up.

Jumping out of bed and slipping on his shoes, he ran a few steps then turned back, "Aren’t you coming, third brother?"

"No, I’m not."

"Alright then." Shen Tie replied and dashed off, disappearing in a flash.

Shen Jin: "..."

Up on the mountain, just as Sang Luo finished preparing lunch, she stepped outside to call Shen An and Shen Ning, who were peeling hemp in the courtyard, to eat.

As she walked out, the first thing she saw wasn’t Shen An and Shen Ning on the side of the yard, but rather, from her viewpoint, two tiny figures at the foot of the mountain dragging two bundles taller than themselves... Firewood?

Firewood?

Upon closer inspection, it seemed not.

Sang Luo alerted the younger siblings, "Little Yin, little Tie are coming up. Can you see what they're dragging?"

Shen An and Shen Ning stood up and looked down the mountain, only then noticing Shen Yin and Shen Tie dragging two large bundles of something. The siblings quickly walked down the slope.

From the bottom, Shen Yin saw Shen An and Shen Ning coming down to meet them and joyfully waved, calling out to his second brother and sister.

Shen Yin proudly announced from a distance, "Second brother, we’ve cut some hemp!"

Shen Tie added, "Third brother said we could trade it for sugar water."

Sang Luo couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Such clever kids.

Speaking of which, where was Shen Jin?

Sang Luo looked along the mountain path behind the two little ones, wondering if, like that time with the goose eggs, he had hidden himself again?

"She had only scolded the little rascal once, was he really that scared of her?"

This thought led her to suddenly remember that she hadn’t seen the three Shen brothers among the earlier group sipping sugar water.

Sang Luo’s brows lifted slightly, recalling how the brothers had recently shared pork scraps and agreed to include each other in any good food. So, had they had a falling out?

As Sang Luo looked past Shen Yin and Shen Tie, Shen An and Shen Ning reacted similarly, especially Shen Ning. After glancing towards the end of the mountain path and seeing no one, she turned to Shen Yin and Shen Tie, "Where is Shen Jin?"

Shen Yin blinked, about to speak, but Shen Tie beat him to it, "Third brother said he wouldn’t come."

Shen Yin glanced at his brother, feeling like his brother had somehow sabotaged their elder sibling.

Sure enough, Shen Ning simply said, "If he’s not coming, then he’s not."

Though Shen Yin didn’t understand the full situation, he hurriedly explained, "He initially said he would come. The hemp was cut by him. But after cutting it, he suddenly decided not to come and sent me and little Tie instead."

Hearing this, Shen Ning looked at the two bundles of hemp, helped carry one, and called to the little ones, "Come on up, who told you we have sugar water here?"

Shen Yin, not the least bit embarrassed, replied, "I asked Shi Tou."

"So, how long had they been squatting there?"

Shen Ning couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing Shen Ning laugh, Shen Yin felt relieved and blurted out, "Sister, did my brother make another careless remark? Did you two have a fight?"

Shen Ning smiled, "No, we didn’t fight."

Shen Yin: "Then why is he too scared to come up?"

Shen Tie nodded vigorously on the side: "He also forbade us from coming up."

Shen Ning's eyes curved, thinking to herself that it was good he didn't dare to come; this thought slightly eased her irritation.

Though resentful towards her third uncle and aunt, and occasionally annoyed at Shen Jin, her demeanor towards Shen Yin and Shen Tie, her cousins whom she had helped learn to walk, was much warmer. She didn’t bring up the unpleasant issues with their mother, just smiled and said, "So you don’t dare to come up just because he said so?"

Shen Tie, not fully grasping these nuances, just followed his brothers' lead. Shen Yin glanced at Shen Ning, his words tumbling in his mouth before he softly said, "Sister didn’t call us."

Many were called, yet they were the only ones excluded.

At this point, Shen Yin lowered his head; though only six, he was beginning to understand the unspoken, sensing his parents' dislike for Shen An and Shen Ning.

Thus, despite Shen Ning being their sister, she seemed closer to other playmates than to them.

Realizing this, Shen Yin’s head drooped sadly.

Shen Ning felt an unusual discomfort, but it passed quickly. She didn’t think she was in the wrong; her third uncle and aunt were the problematic ones.

She said, "Next time I don’t call, just come by yourselves. I don’t like going over to your courtyard."

Shen Yin paused, slowly grasping the situation, understanding perhaps why his third brother stayed away, and felt somewhat at a loss.

Shen An, noticing his confusion, timely asked, "These two bundles of hemp look heavy, how did you manage to bring them here?"

Shen Yin, diverted by the question, truthfully responded, "Third brother carried them close by, and then little Tie and I dragged them the rest of the way."

Ah, so Shen Jin had almost reached but then turned back.

Shen An and Shen Ning exchanged glances; Shen Ning remained silent.

Sang Luo, who had been listening from above, had a general idea of what had happened but didn’t quite know what to say.

"She had no relatives, no siblings; her experience in the orphanage was... well, quite different. So Sang Luo didn’t really understand the nuances of sibling relationships."

"But she observed that Shen An and Shen Ning were actually quite kind to their cousins. There wasn't any deep-seated resentment or hatred among the children. Even the often sensitive and thoughtful Shen An had probably forgotten that initially, he allowed Shen Jin to help clear land for pork scraps, mainly to prevent Shen Jin from sneaking into their house and discovering their 'magic tofu'."

"Children might quarrel and fall out, but with just a little coaxing, playing together would soon mend their friendship."

"However, with the influence of Shen Jin's parents, it was inevitable that the relationship between Shen An, Shen Ning, and Shen Jin’s family would occasionally be strained."

"Sang Luo chose not to intervene in the children’s affairs, letting them work things out themselves. She only smiled and responded when Shen Yin and Shen Tie, halfway up the hill, called her 'big cousin-in-law'."

"Looking at the two solid bundles of ramie that Shen An and Shen Ning helped to carry up, Sang Luo asked them to take the little ones to wash their hands, then went inside to get a bowl and scooped three spoonfuls from the freshly steamed egg dish, handing it to Shen Yin: 'There’s not much, share it with little Tie.'"

"She also called Shen An and Shen Ning to have lunch."

"Shen Yin and Shen Tie's mouths watered, their eyes twinkling, 'Egg cake!'"

"They chorused in unison, 'Thank you, big cousin-in-law.'"

"Then they huddled together, sharing the treat bite by bite."

"Shen An and Shen Ning went inside to serve their meal, leaving their little cousins outside. Shen An himself just took some dishes and a bowl, planning to eat standing outside the courtyard."

"Just reaching the courtyard entrance, he overheard Shen Yin saying, 'Would third brother cry with envy if he knew big cousin-in-law gave us egg cake?'"

"Shen Tie, taking a spoonful of the steamed egg into his mouth, nodded, 'Definitely.'"

"So, what should we do?"

"We won’t tell him."

"Shen An couldn’t help but feel amused."

"Sang Luo had indeed made a small amount of steamed egg, as it was part of their lunch. She could only give a little to the kids to taste, offering them just three spoonfuls. The small portions were quickly finished, even with the little ones eating slowly."

"After savoring the last bits from the bottom of the bowl, Shen Yin promptly went to wash both the bowl and spoon."

"Without entering the house, he handed the cleaned bowl to Shen An, who was eating outside with them."

"The children, except for the three Shen brothers, were often admonished by their parents not to enter the Shen family’s courtyard. Although Shen Jin, Shen Yin, and Shen Tie weren’t explicitly taught this by their parents, they followed the example of the other children and also knew not to go inside."

"Shen An took the bowl back inside, while Shen Yin, peering into the courtyard, whispered to Shen Tie, 'Do you think, since we came so late, all the sugar water is gone? There were so many people this morning.'"

"Shen Tie, still savoring the delicious taste of the egg cake, paused, then belatedly remembered the sugar water he had been longing for."

"But what did his fourth brother say? It’s gone?"

"Shen Tie felt as if struck by lightning, stunned, 'No, that can't be, can it?'"

"Yet, he couldn’t help feeling that it might be true. Sugar, after all, who would save some for them?"

"The two brothers exchanged glances, the egg cake that had just tasted heavenly suddenly losing its appeal."

"Unbeknownst to them, as Shen An brought back their cleaned bowls, Shen Ning had already prepared the sugar water. Seeing her second brother return with an empty, cleaned bowl, she took it, ladling a big bowl of sugar water, much darker in color than what everyone else had earlier. She then filled another bowl, handing them both to Shen An, 'Take these out to them, otherwise they might think they’ve been left out.'"

"Shen An, noticing the darker color of the sugar water, asked, 'Is this a fresh mix?'"

"Shen Ning: 'There wasn’t much left in the jar, not enough for two bowls.'"

"Shen An smiled, setting down his own bowl and carrying the sugar water out to his little cousins."

……

"While Shen Yin and Shen Tie happily sipped sugar water on the mountain, Shen Jin sat on the wooden threshold of his home's courtyard, knees hugged to his chest, playing with ants."

"He absent-mindedly poked at the ants with a small stick, pausing now and then to look up towards the distant mountain path, then down again at his ants."

"No one in sight."

"They’ve been up there for so long, Shen Yin and Shen Tie must have had their fill, right?"

"Shen Jin began to regret his hesitance; why did he back down? He was the one who had cut the hemp, and now he was left to sit here idly."

"Reflecting, he thought, 'To eat well, how can one afford to be shy? With a thin skin, how can one expect to get a share?'"

"He never used to be like this; he wasn’t afraid of Shen Ning."

"Glancing at the mountain path, he sighed."

"But fretting was useless now; was he supposed to go and cut another bundle of hemp?"

"That would be even sillier than just going up in the first place."

"Frustrated, he found no amusement in the ants anymore. Tossing aside the small stick, he propped his chin on his hands resting on his knees, his eyes squeezed by his hands as he stared down the path."

"Look, look, and look again! Keep looking!"

"His eyes grew sore from watching, until finally, he saw his two younger brothers coming down the mountain, bellies bulging."

"Shen Jin stood up abruptly, noting their slow pace. 'How much did they eat to be so full?' he wondered."

"He hurried towards them, calling out from a distance, 'Did you drink the sugar water?'"

"Shen Yin and Shen Tie were grinning like blooming flowers, nodding together: 'We did! It was so sweet.'"

"Shen Tie even hugged his little belly, saying he drank too much to walk fast."

"Shen Jin, noticing his brothers' empty hands, was taken aback: 'Didn’t Shen An say he would bring me some? Didn’t you tell them I cut the hemp?'"

"Asking this and seeing his brothers exchange a glance without responding, Shen Jin felt a chill in his heart."

"'That's not fair, we had an agreement, and I even saved them some pork scraps last time.'"

"Just as he was about to wail, Shen Yin and Shen Tie started to giggle."

"Shen Yin lifted a thin hemp rope from his shoulder, so fine and matching the color of his clothes that it was almost invisible."

"Lifting the rope above his head revealed a bamboo tube hidden behind his back."

"'Here, our sister and second brother sent this for you.'"

"Shen Tie added with a mischievous smile, 'Sister said we were to give it to you only if you started to cry.'"

"At the sight of the bamboo tube, Shen Jin was about to burst out, but then instantly composed himself."

"'Give it here, give it here.' It was surely filled with sugar water."

"Knowing he had sugar water to drink, Shen Jin didn’t care anymore about being laughed at by Shen Ning. He took the heavy bamboo tube from Shen Yin, his eyes lighting up with anticipation."

"Lifting the bamboo lid, he saw a large tube filled to the brim, its sweet aroma reaching him before he even brought it to his mouth, and he eagerly started to drink."

"With a gulp, Shen Jin nearly bubbled with joy: 'So sweet!'"

"The sweetest sugar water he had ever tasted."

"Shen Ning must have dissolved a large piece of malt sugar in it."

"Shen Jin smiled blissfully, taking another sip, then carefully covered it: 'I'll save it to savor slowly.'"

"Now Shen Yin and Shen Tie were the ones envious. If they hadn't just had their fill on the mountain, where Shen An had offered them more, making them too full, they would have asked to share a sip with their third brother right then."

"The sugar water prepared by their sister was exceptionally sweet, fragrant and sweeter than any their mother made during festivals."

"Shen Yin leaned in to negotiate with Shen Jin, 'Third brother, I helped bring it back, can I have a little later on?'"

"‘Didn’t you already drink some?’ Shen Jin eyed his belly: 'You had quite a bit, didn’t you?'"

"Shen Yin chuckled, 'I still want more. Third brother, I won’t drink now, just save a little for me later, just a bit.'"

"Shen Tie joined in the fun: 'Me too, just a tiny bit.'"

"Shen Jin hugged the bamboo tube protectively, 'No way, you both already had some. Don’t even think about mine.'"

"He had cut two large bundles of hemp and even managed to make Shen Ning smile. He deserved to enjoy his reward."

"Holding the small bamboo tube, Shen Jin's face was a picture of delight, feeling even happier inside."

"Shen An and Shen Ning still cared about him, not leaving him out of the sugar water. Such a big bamboo tube for himself, he thought, well worth the pork scraps he had saved up from his mouth."