"Chapter 33"

"Shen An looked at the neatly prepared patch of land and agreed readily, 'Sure, but only for the next couple of days. We don’t have many scraps left. Come back tomorrow, though; no more for today. We need to prepare dinner.'"

"Big sister said she needed more goods prepared for today. He also wanted to find more purslane for big sister to take to the county market tomorrow. Shen Jin's lingering around would just get in the way."

"'Preparing dinner so early?' Shen Jin muttered, looking at the sky. He had worked quite long and was already tired. Besides, he wouldn’t get more scraps today and would have to wait until tomorrow. Patting his backside, he decided, 'Then, I’ll come back early tomorrow morning.'"

"Picking up his hoe, he left."

"Shen Yin and Shen Tie still wanted to dig a bit more, but after glancing at their third brother and then at their own poorly dug patch, they decided to bend down and pick up their little wooden pieces, having promised to continue digging."

Shen An stopped the two brothers: "Alright, that's enough for today. Go home and come back tomorrow."

The younger brothers looked at Shen An, and then at Shen Ning for confirmation. Seeing her nod, they finally felt assured enough to leave.

Shen Yin hesitated, remembering what his second brother had said about their unfinished work, but then corrected his steps, pretending he hadn't turned to leave just yet, and said obediently, “Alright, big brother, sister, we’re going home now.”

After seeing Shen An nod, Shen Ning smiled and then took Shen Tie's hand, and they both ran down the hill.

……

Sang Luo was reminded by Shen An’s mention of preparing dinner. She glanced at the sky, gathered up her rolled-up hemp fiber, returned to the house, cleared a basket, placed a clean empty pottery basin inside, and added the cloth bag used for storing grains.

With their supply of rice depleted, she needed to grind more before dinner at the Chen household and planned to repay the previously borrowed rice as well.

Thinking of the amount of Immortal Tofu she needed to prepare, she also placed a piece of cloth she had traded for at the market into the basket, planning to borrow scissors from the Chens to tailor the cloth. With a needle already in her possession, she planned to hem the cloth using the freshly spun hemp thread that evening, allowing her to use a new, larger filtering cloth for easier tofu making.

Deciding to borrow scissors, Sang Luo also selected two pieces of plain but sturdy fabric from her recent purchase in town, planning to sew a new coin purse. With an increasing number of coins, storing them in her sleeve was inconvenient and risky.

After packing everything, she set out with her basket, while Shen An also left to gather Portulaca oleracea, leaving Shen Ning to watch the house.

Chen Granny knew Sang Luo would come to grind rice that afternoon. So, Chen Old Man stayed home to facilitate communication. Sang Luo discussed her construction plans with him, describing the proposed size and features, and inquired about necessary preparations.

The details matched what Chen Granny had said. The primary materials, wood and yellow clay, were readily available from the surrounding mountains. The main items Sang Luo needed to provide were the straw for mixing with the clay for bricks, rice chaff for smoothing the walls, and reed mats and straw for the roof.

These materials were inexpensive, but the challenge was the drainage-friendly bathhouse Sang Luo wanted to build.

While houses made of yellow clay were generally sound, Sang Luo's requirement for internal water drainage was unachievable. Even if she was willing to pay for laying flagstones, the earthen walls built on a constantly moist foundation would disintegrate within a few years.

In the county, brick and tile houses would be feasible, but too costly. Sang Luo didn't want to attract attention by building a bathhouse with bricks in the village at this time, so she decided to construct the bathhouse with yellow clay, like the kitchen, and buy a bathtub for convenience.

Adding a toilet in the corner of the bathhouse would mean their home would finally have a clean restroom.

As for the existing outhouse built on the mountainside, Sang Luo asked Chen Youtian to clean it, naturally giving the manure to the Chen family.

Chen Granny looked at Sang Luo with a look that said, "You're wasting resources": "Aren't you supposed to be gardening? With your mountain terrain, without manure, what can you grow?"

Thinking of the filthiness of the outhouse, Sang Luo shook her head adamantly: "No need, I'll use green manure. I'll consider using animal manure later when I clear more land on the other side of the mountain."

Jokingly, Sang Luo couldn't fathom using manure, especially with so many unknown organisms in it, and the thought alone made her feel unwell.

"What green manure could be better than animal manure?"

Chen Granny was skeptical, thinking Sang Luo was just squeamish about dirt and smell, and remarked, "What kind of farmer finds manure dirty and smelly? You're lucky to have tofu-making skills, otherwise, you'd be struggling to survive."

Chen Granny doubted Sang Luo's ability to successfully grow the vegetables and worried about wasting her seeds, potentially leading to no harvest at all.

Nevertheless, it was Sang Luo's own business, and since she had a way to make a living, Chen Granny didn’t press further. Confirming that Sang Luo really didn’t want the manure, she agreed to clean the outhouse.

"I won't take advantage of you. For the straw and bran needed for your construction, you won't have to look elsewhere. You can pick the straw from our haystack, and as for the bran, you'll likely save quite a bit while cooking for us. If you run short, you can take what you need from me, in exchange for the manure."

Relieved to not be pressured into using manure in her garden and having someone to clean the daunting outhouse, Sang Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

Pleased, Sang Luo headed home with the ground rice and tailored cloth.

With the setting sun, she busied herself with hemming and sewing. Not only would tonight's tofu-making be easier with the new filter cloth, but she also now owned a coin purse. Shen Ning received a bath towel.

Indeed, the large piece of hemp cloth she exchanged was cut into a reasonably square large filter cloth, with a towel-sized piece used to make a bath towel.

Bathing in clothes, returning home drenched, and then changing into dry garments without even a towel to dry oneself... only those who have lived it truly understand that hardship.

She gave one towel to Shen Ning and didn't forget herself and Shen An, selecting two slightly larger than palm-sized, relatively soft pieces from the scraps for each of them.

"In a few days, when we cut more filter cloth, I'll make two more towels, so each of us will have one."

Shen An waved his hands in refusal: "Big sister, I'm fine with this piece. It's really good already."

He felt that the piece Sang Luo gave him was already excellent, soft and comfortable in his hands.

Sang Luo chuckled at the modestly sized cloth: "Thrifty, aren't we? As long as you're happy."

It might suffice now, but what about in winter?

However, she decided not to mention it. When it gets colder, she would simply replace it for him. Frugality is a virtue, after all.

With the uplifting prospect of soon having a kitchen and a small courtyard, they enjoyed a meal of white rice porridge, paired with pickled radish skin from lunch, cold mixed ferns, and purslane, each using a small bamboo tube as a bowl, squatting together for a delightful dinner.

During the meal, Shen An still seemed somewhat dazed, as if it all felt unreal.

"Big sister, are we really going to build a kitchen and a courtyard wall?"

Sang Luo nodded affirmatively: "Yes, we start the day after tomorrow."

"How much will it cost?"

Sang Luo pondered; trees and mud were free, and straw and bran were exchanged for manure. She only needed to buy some reed mats for the roof, so the expense wasn't significant. "Mostly the cost of providing meals, depending on how many people come and for how many days. We'll know more tomorrow."

Without strong relations, nobody works for free.

So, who would come to help would depend on the Chen family's inquiry today.

Shen An, upon hearing about providing meals, suddenly found his bowl of porridge less appetizing: "I remember two years ago at Er Niu's house construction. Many people helped out. Uncle was there too. They were served white rice twice a day, and Shen Jin said there was even meat."

"So many people… serving meals and even meat for over ten days? How much would that cost?"

Unable to calculate the expense, Shen An immediately became worried.

Shen Ning also recalled the event. It was hard to forget, especially since Shen Jin had clung to Uncle's legs, insisting on going to Er Niu's for the meat.

"Big sister, are we also going to provide white rice and meat?"

Sang Luo nodded: "Yes, we won't pay wages, but we should at least ensure everyone is well-fed. Otherwise, why would they bother helping us with such tiring work?"

Seeing the kids looking downhearted, she reassured them: "Eat up, don't worry. We're not buying all the food in one day. We earn money every day and can buy food daily. Don’t worry, we'll make more fairy tofu. We can manage for the next ten to fifteen days."

"It's uncertain for the longer term, as the tofu is a novelty item. Not every household will buy it daily, so business will slow down after the initial rush. But it's okay, constructing a kitchen and a fence won't take as long as building a full house. It shouldn't need more than ten to fifteen days."

Sang Luo felt confident about the plan.

Noticing the continued worry on the kids' faces, Sang Luo joked: "Stop fretting so much at such a young age, or you'll age into little old men and women."

"When we start building later, there will be a lot of people around, making it hard to pick fairy tree leaves without being noticed. I'll try to return early, but if the demand for our products increases, I might not make it back in time. If I'm not back by noon, you two should take advantage of the lunch break to pick some fairy leaves. Remember, only pick them in the nearby mountains where people often go, don’t venture too deep, and cover them with some wild vegetables when coming out.”

Shen An and Shen Ning, hearing they could be of help, perked up immediately and nodded in agreement to take on the task.

……

Worried about the potential shortage of food during their own house construction, Chen Lao Han, after dinner, went out to ask familiar families if anyone could spare a hand to help build and enclose a kitchen for the Shen family.

At the first house he asked, the man hadn't even responded when his wife began to worry.

"We can help, but surely we won't have to provide the meals, right?"

The Shen family's poverty was well-known throughout the village, famous for subsisting on chaff and wild vegetables.

The woman's remark was immediately met with a stern glance from her husband, who said, "Go back inside and take care of the children."

The woman, partly fueled by her husband's attitude and partly seizing the opportunity to express herself, retorted, "What’s wrong, Shi Er? Did my words embarrass you? Uncle Chen isn’t a stranger to us. I haven't said anything out of line. Food is precious nowadays, especially since this year's spring grain was levied early. Who has extra food to spare? Building a house requires heavy labor. Asking such a question is reasonable, right? Uncle Chen, wouldn’t you agree?”

Chen Lao Han, knowing these words were intended for him, replied with a smile, "Absolutely reasonable, it’s a fair question to ask."

Then, addressing Shi Er and his wife, he added, "Yes, meals will be provided. I wouldn’t dare to ask for your help otherwise."

Shi Erlang, feeling somewhat awkward, said, "We all live in the same village; even if meals aren't provided, we should still help out where we can."

However, there's a difference between helping for ten days and just one or two, but that didn't need to be said out loud.

In his heart, Shi Erlang wasn't truly upset with his wife; he just felt that it was inappropriate to ask such a question outright. He would have helped regardless, whether meals were provided or not, out of respect for Chen Lao Han making the effort to ask.

Yet, if meals really weren't provided, his wife's point was valid; sustaining heavy labor without sufficient food is tough. In that case, just helping out for a day or two would suffice to save face for the Chen family.

So, there was no need to raise such a query. If the Shen family couldn't provide meals, asking this question would only embarrass Chen Lao Han, wouldn't it?

Shi Erlang's wife, not having thought this through, relaxed visibly upon hearing that meals would be provided. She then curiously asked, "Haven’t they been eating wild vegetables for a while? How are they going to provide meals?"

Her eyelids twitched as she suddenly wondered, could it be just wild vegetable soup?

But then she thought if that were the case, the Chen family shouldn’t be the one proposing it, and suppressed the thought, waiting to hear what Chen Lao Han would say.

Chen Lao Han was also momentarily taken aback by the question.

His family knew that Sang Luo was now making money, but he hadn't considered that this might not be common knowledge in the village.

Indeed, the first time they went to the big market and even yesterday's trip to the county, they had left before dawn and returned via the mountain path without entering the village.

Remembering when Sang Shi first brought them a bowl of fairy tofu, they hadn't hidden the fact that it was made with ingredients from the mountains, so it's true that this information might not be widely known and shouldn't attract too much attention.

Realizing this, Chen Lao Han vaguely said, "Don't worry, there will definitely be rice provided. Sang Shi is diligent, usually selling wild vegetables in the county. My daughter-in-law often helps her. So, while the food might not be luxurious, we will certainly provide rice when helping to build the house."

Indeed, they do sell wild vegetables – two bunches for one coin. His daughter-in-law had been praising their efforts all afternoon, scouring the area for wild vegetables to earn a few extra coins the next day.

Chen Lao Han reassured himself, thinking that he wasn't exactly lying, just not revealing the whole truth.

It was then that the Shi couple understood why the Chen family was helping the Shen family's main house with this initiative.

So Qin Fang Nian and Sang Shi were selling wild vegetables together?

Shi Erlang immediately assured, "Uncle Chen, don't worry, I'll be there the day after tomorrow. We need to start with cutting trees, right?"

Chen Lao Han nodded, "Yes, start with felling trees. They don't have any materials prepared, so processing the wood will take a few days. Once the walls are up, we'll need it."

"Alright, then I'll bring my axe when I come."

With this family's agreement, Chen Lao Han turned to leave, and Shi Erlang escorted him to the front door of the hall, but Chen Lao Han waved him off, indicating there was no need.

Before he had left Shi's courtyard, he heard Shi Erlang's wife muttering, "How much can wild vegetables be worth? Aren't they everywhere? Can they really afford to build a house with that?"

Chen Lao Han's back stiffened, and then he quickened his pace, leaving the Shi's courtyard in just a few strides.