Chapter 4

With most of the malt sugar in the pot still undissolved, Mrs. Chen wanted to add water and boil it again, only to realize there was no water left in the hut.

Mrs. Chen: “…”

Shen An, quick to react, grabbed the last clean bowl and dashed outside, “I’ll go fetch some spring water.”

Mrs. Chen only had time to shout after him, “Take your Uncle Chen with you!”

After drinking a sip of the life-saving salt and sugar water, Sang Luo rapidly sifted through her predecessor's memories and recalled this old lady.

She was an elderly neighbor of the Shen family. The original owner didn’t know her well, but shortly after the division of the household, she had met the old lady while gathering firewood and wild vegetables in the nearby mountains. The lady was tending to her vegetable garden and had offered to give her some vegetable seedlings, which the original owner had gratefully accepted.

Seeing that the savior Shen An had brought was Mrs. Chen, and noticing the cloth bag on the rock, Sang Luo guessed that the so-called borrowed grain had come from her.

As Shen Ning brought the water to her, Sang Luo first thanked Mrs. Chen.

Mrs. Chen, however, did not acknowledge her gratitude, responding indifferently, “I didn’t do it for you, but for these two children. Taxes are increasing, and everyone is struggling. We can't do much to help you. You need to stand on your own.”

Mrs. Chen’s tone was not unkind without reason; she truly felt Sang Luo was useless. When the Shen family first divided, she had encountered Sang Luo in the fields and generously given her many well-cultivated vegetable seedlings.

She had never imagined that Sang Luo wouldn’t know how to plant vegetables.

“If you’ve never planted before, you should have asked. You never asked a single question, just took the seedlings with a thank you and tried to plant them without knowing how,” Mrs. Chen thought. She was annoyed by Sang Luo's lack of practicality.

Mrs. Chen felt like pursing her lips upon hearing Sang Luo's thanks. Knowing or not knowing, a mouth is for asking questions, not just for expressing gratitude.

So, in Mrs. Chen’s eyes, Sang Luo left an impression of being useless, polite but not practical, and never asking for guidance even when needed.

Now, seeing the hut, Mrs. Chen figured it hadn’t changed since they moved in after the division. In over three months, not a single item had been added to their meager belongings.

Thus, Mrs. Chen concluded that Sang Luo truly didn’t know how to live properly, even thinking that the Shen children would have been better off without her, as she only seemed to be a burden to Shen An and Shen Ning.

At least without Sang Luo, Uncle Shen and his wife wouldn't dare to just cast out Shen An and Shen Ning.

Now, if Sang Luo were gone, the ones to suffer would be the young Shen siblings.

Consequently, Mrs. Chen’s tone was naturally not very gentle.

Sang Luo, unaware of the whole picture, felt extremely grateful for the elderly couple’s assistance in these hard times, despite having no close ties. She wasn’t offended by Mrs. Chen’s tone and smiled lightly, “You are right. Once I get better, I’ll make sure to take good care of myself and not let An and Ning go hungry.”

Mrs. Chen: “…”

Mrs. Chen thought to herself how Sang Luo could promise such a thing. Even their own families couldn’t ensure their children wouldn’t go hungry, let alone Sang Luo with her empty house, no land, and no grain. How could she prevent the children from starving when they nearly starved to death themselves?

But Mrs. Chen, having no close relationship with Sang Luo or the Shen children, felt it unnecessary to say more. They were just villagers helping out of temporary compassion, so she just nodded.

Just then, Shen An came in with a bowl of water. Mrs. Chen turned to heat the water, dissolving the remaining half piece of malt sugar and adding a bit more salt, completing her task.

Observing how well Shen Ning was taking care of Sang Luo, spoon-feeding her the salt and sugar water, and seeing Sang Luo gradually recovering after drinking it, Mrs. Chen decided not to stay much longer.

“I’ve brought two liters of rice from home. After drinking the salt and sugar water, you should cook some porridge. It should help you recover after a few days.”

Indeed, they could only nourish themselves; in layman's terms, endure. Rural families couldn't afford to visit medical clinics or doctors.

Sang Luo nodded, “Thank you, Granny. I’ll pay you back for the grain and sugar later.”

Although Mrs. Chen had prepared herself for the possibility of not being repaid when she brought the rice, hearing Sang Luo say she would return it, Mrs. Chen didn’t insist on generosity. She poured the rice from her bag into the empty bag Shen An had found, nodding, “Alright, we'll be going back then.”

Her husband was still waiting outside.

Shen An didn’t need Sang Luo to ask him to see them off. At the door, Mrs. Chen shooed him back inside, “We’re grown-ups, no need for a child to escort us. We don’t want to have to walk you back again. Go inside and lock the door.”

As the door to the hut closed, the elderly couple walked a few steps before Mrs. Chen pressed her husband’s arm.

He turned to look and saw her putting a finger to her lips, signaling him to be silent.