"Chapter 35"

"On the road to the county town, Qin Fangniang was explaining to Sang Luo the instructions from her father-in-law."

"'We could have asked for more help, but my father thought of it just last night. It’s better to keep your miraculous tofu business a bit secret for now, to avoid drawing too much attention. We only asked two households we're close with. Building the house might take longer this way.'"

"By the way, about the money for building your house, my dad told everyone that we earned it from selling wild vegetables in the county. Even if people in the village are curious, they won't bother coming all the way to the county to check, nor would they want to spend the money for the city entry fee."

Sang Shi chuckled: "Your granddad is right. Aren’t we just selling wild vegetables? Let's stick to his story. It's okay if it's a bit slow, as long as it's done before the autumn harvest."

Qin Fangniang nodded: "We can definitely make it in time."

As long as it was finished before the autumn harvest, Sang Shi was content. Though it would be slower, it would save her a lot of trouble.

They entered the city smoothly and headed first to the West Market. Sang Shi unloaded her goods at the market, and then Qin Fangniang headed to the East Market with her cart.

Sang Shi had prepared 120 blocks of magical tofu the night before. They each took 60 blocks, along with their wild vegetables, and went off to their respective markets.

By early afternoon, aside from two bunches of wild vegetables, everything was sold. Seeing only a few buyers left in the West Market, Sang Shi decided it was unlikely to sell the remaining vegetables. She packed up her stall, handed in her tax plate, and, as agreed, went to find Qin Fangniang in the East Market with her empty buckets and basket.

They planned to start building the house tomorrow. Sang Shi had told Qin Fangniang in the morning that she would buy some grains in the East Market, conveniently using the empty cart to bring them back.

When they met in the East Market, Qin Fangniang had also sold all her magical tofu, with only a few bunches of purslane left.

Seeing Sang Shi arrive, Qin Fangniang knew it was time to pack up and head back.

In the middle of the day, everyone was resting at home, and nobody was visiting the market.

After tidying up, Qin Fangniang excitedly and quietly handed over the day's earnings to Sang Shi: "I sold eighteen bunches of wild vegetables today, and with the tofu money, that's thirty-nine copper coins in total. After deducting the entry fee and market tax, I still have thirty-seven coins. I can even buy a pork bone to take home today."

Qin Fangniang was genuinely delighted.

She knew exactly how much she would earn from the magical tofu. She had calculated slowly, but by the time she reached the East Market, she had figured out that selling all her tofu would bring in thirty copper coins.

As for the wild vegetables, Qin Fangniang calculated her earnings by adding one coin for every two bunches sold, tallying up the total in her mind.

Now, she didn't need to count the money again; she knew exactly how much she had earned today.

Thirty-seven coins - she had been overjoyed, almost as if in a dream, even before Sang Shi's arrival.

"I really thank you," Qin Fangniang said emotionally, struggling to find the right words. "This is a significant income for our family."

How significant, she wasn't sure; Qin Fangniang wasn't accustomed to handling large sums.

She knew earning nearly forty coins in a day was astounding, something she had never dared to dream of before.

Typically, a farmer’s family relies on a few profitable harvests throughout the year, selling eggs maybe once every eight to ten days. Aside from selling their crops, they seldom see much money.

Now, after giving Sang Shi her share, Qin Fangniang held her slightly heavy purse, exhilarated at the thought of earning this much every day, her heart and hands trembling with excitement.

Sang Shi smiled and gently cautioned her: “This is just the initial excitement over a new food. Sales might slow down and decrease later on.”

However, by then, they would have tofu as an additional product, but Sang Shi decided not to discuss this with Qin Fangniang just yet.

Qin Fangniang paused, a trace of disappointment in her expression, but she quickly recovered: “That’s still very good.”

Sales might slow down, but there would always be a steady group of customers who liked this new food. Establishing a stable business with these customers would be beneficial.

However, remembering that the main ingredient came from the mountains, Qin Fangniang worried whether it was available all year round or seasonal.

But she knew some questions were not hers to ask and kept her concerns to herself.

“Let’s go. I’ll buy a pork bone, and then we can get some grains.”

Sang Shi nodded, "Before buying grains, I'm thinking of getting a rice jar first. We only have two cloth bags at home, and they're not very convenient to use."

Hearing Sang Shi's plan to buy a rice jar, Qin Fangniang agreed, "A rice jar is essential. It's a belief in our place that, no matter how poor or difficult life gets, a household should never be without a rice jar or a water jar. It's part of a home's Feng Shui."

To buy a rice jar meant they had to go beyond the East Market to the main street shops. The two women, each carrying a load, walked on as Qin Fangniang said, "After you get the rice jar, remember to put three coins in it."

Sang Shi, hearing this for the first time, asked, "Is there a special reason for this?"

Qin Fangniang shook her head, "I'm not sure myself, but it's a common practice. We have an old saying: 'Put copper coins in the rice jar, and wealth will never cease.' Anyway, it's for good luck, and there's no harm in it."

Sang Shi noted this and planned to do it once she got home.

Each of them bought a pork bone, and Sang Shi also had the butcher cut a small piece of lean meat to stew with the bones. She knew the importance of nutrition for herself and the children, focusing on a consistent and gradual approach to health.

With their meat purchases complete, they left the East Market and headed straight for a general store on the main street.

The county's general store was much larger than the one in Sanli Village, particularly in the variety of pottery on display. Ranging in all sizes and designs, they had over a dozen types of rice jars.

Sang Shi was undeterred by the variety; she only wanted the simplest, most practical, and affordable option.

She spent eighty-nine coins on a terracotta rice jar that could hold five dou (bushels) of rice, sufficient for her family's daily use. She also bought some salt.

After asking the shop assistant to wipe the rice jar clean with a fresh cloth, she carefully placed it onto Qin Fangniang's cart, surrounded by buckets for stability.

Now equipped with a rice jar, they proceeded to buy grains. With a bit more money in hand, Sang Shi didn't just buy a sheng or two but purchased a whole dou of grain.

It cost seventy coins, and once ground into rice, it would yield about seven to eight sheng, enough to last a couple of days for the few people they had invited to help, considering the previous day's grinding.

With over fifty coins left, Sang Shi refrained from unnecessary purchases. With house construction starting the next day, she anticipated expenses for meat, eggs, vegetables, and unforeseen costs. It was wise to keep some extra money handy.

By the time they returned to the village, it was already afternoon. Sang Shi, both tired and hungry, decided to let Qin Fangniang push the cart back home as she planned to carry only a basket through the shortcut to her house. She intended to pick up the water buckets later in the afternoon, after some rest.

Qin Fangniang was agreeable on most things, but she firmly insisted on one point.

"The rice jar mustn't be placed in my house; it could leak your family's wealth. When I get home, I'll just pour the grains into a basket at the door. I'll ask my husband to deliver the rice jar to your place."

She was quite superstitious, with her own set of beliefs.

Sang Shi felt it was better to heed such advice if known. It's comforting, isn't it? She replied to Qin Fangniang without hesitation, "Auntie, I'm truly exhausted. I'll have to trouble Uncle You Tian to make the delivery."

Qin Fangniang, aware of Sang Shi's daily routine of heading to the county town before dawn to set up her stall, returning in the afternoon only to venture into the mountains for ingredients, and then making fairy tofu at night, quickly reassured her, "No trouble at all. Don't worry about the buckets either; I’ll have my husband deliver them to your house. He can also help grind the grains for you. Just go home, eat something, and rest well."

Sang Shi thanked Qin Fangniang and bid her farewell, then turned to head home via the shortcut.

……

Shen San sat at home, waiting and waiting, but neither Sang Shi nor Shen An and Shen Ning showed up at his place.

When he managed to catch Shen Jin at noon and inquired, Shen Jin said he hadn't seen their eldest sister-in-law all morning.

Shen San and Li Shi had been covertly observing the Chen family all morning and indeed hadn't seen Qin Fangniang moving about. Usually busy with washing clothes, sweeping, or visiting the vegetable garden, Qin Fangniang's diligence was well-known in the village, and she wasn't one to hide idly inside her house.

The couple eventually started to believe the rumors about Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang going to the county to sell wild vegetables.

With this on his mind, Shen San found his usual afternoon nap less restful. After tossing and turning for a while, he got up and went out to the yard.

As it turned out, stepping outside was timely; soon he saw Qin Fangniang returning from a distance, pulling a cart.

Shen San squinted to get a better look, noticing that the cart seemed to be loaded with baskets and buckets. As she approached, he could see clearly that it was indeed loaded with about seven or eight pick-baskets and wooden buckets.

Qin Fangniang stopped the cart at her front door and called for Chen You Tian. The couple appeared to be busy with something, and then Shen San saw Chen You Tian carrying a rice jar out, heading in the direction of Sang Luo's place.

Shen San, with a stern face, stood in his yard for a long time, watching Chen You Tian make several trips back and forth, each time heading up the mountain carrying buckets, baskets, and pottery basins.

He pondered deeply when exactly had his family become so close with the Chen family?

When Shen Lie was around, they had close ties with Chen Da Shan, but it wasn't unusual for the village's younger generation to associate closely.

After Shen Lie left home, it was Shen An and his siblings who got close to the Chen family's kids.

But it was never like this before, right? At least Chen Da Shan's parents and the Chen You Tian couple didn't get involved. Especially after hearing about Chen Da Shan's death, they seemed quite depressed and withdrawn, barely speaking to anyone and seldom smiling for almost half a year before gradually getting better.

It seems their closeness with Sang Luo began after that midnight when they borrowed grains, didn't it?

However, if the Chen family lent grain to Sang Luo, it should be Sang Luo who is grateful to the Chen family. Why does this situation seem so peculiar?

Shen San stared in the direction of the Chen family's house for a long time, unable to figure it out. He returned to the main room with a gloomy face.

……

Sang Luo had no idea that her building two rooms could cause such a day-long dilemma for Shen San and his wife. Even if she knew, she would probably just wonder, "What's it to them?"

When she arrived home, the patch of land behind their thatched house where they were clearing was bustling. Scattered across the small area, from the tallest to the shortest, were seven children.

She paused, then amusingly thought to herself, "Hmm, tie them together and they'd be like the 'Gourd Brothers' — seven of them, just the right number."

Shen An and Shen Ning were the most enthusiastic to see her. They quickly set down their hoes to help her with the basket and fetch water, constantly asking if she was tired or if she had eaten.

Chen Ershan greeted her from afar with a call of "Sister-in-law Shen," while the shy Xiaoyi followed Shen Ning over, timidly addressing Sang Luo as "Sister-in-law Shen" as well.

Shen Jin, having been coolly reprimanded by Sang Luo a few days ago, was acting awkwardly and merely paused his hoeing, without making a move.

Shen Yin and Shen Tie, not very familiar with Sang Luo and seeing their brother’s hesitance, also dared not approach.

Observing this line-up, Sang Luo felt a strange sense of being a coal mine boss with so many child laborers.

She wondered what to say, as anything seemed somewhat awkward in this situation.

Shen Jin understood why the three of them were there, but why were Chen Ershan and Xiaoyi also helping?

Crouching down, Sang Luo asked Xiaoyi, who was clinging to Shen Ning’s side, "Xiaoyi, why are you also helping with clearing the land?"

It was Xiaoyi's first encounter with an adult who would squat down to talk to her at eye level. The close proximity made her feel a mix of novelty, joy, and a bit of nervousness.

"I'm good friends with Sister Ning, so I came to help her." She added shyly, "And about the hu cake, the one mother brought home yesterday was delicious. Thank you, Sister-in-law Shen."

Shen Jin’s ears perked up immediately: !!!

What hu cake? !!!

The people who had been focusing on their work stopped and looked toward the pair talking in the distance.

Shen Jin's lips moved, wanting to ask, but recalling how he was subtly rebuked by this elder sister-in-law last time, he strangely couldn’t bring himself to speak up.

Shen Jin felt aggrieved, wondering who she really was the sister-in-law to.

"Why did the Chen siblings get to enjoy the hu cake while I haven’t even seen a crumb of it?"

"That's just not fair."

"I’m a Shen by blood, right?"

"If they are cousins, that still makes them my siblings, doesn’t it?"

Shen Jin's frustration only grew when he looked at Chen Ershan, who was quietly hoeing next to him.

Contempt! Contempt! Contempt!

He couldn’t contain his feelings and, with his hoe in hand, shuffled closer to Chen Ershan, who wore a look of confusion.

Hmm, not tall enough.

Standing on tiptoes and stretching his neck, Shen Jin lowered his voice yet managed to maintain his authority: “You’re here working after eating hu cake too, how dare you look down on me this morning!?”

Chen Ershan: "???"

What are you talking about?

Angrily but unable to hold back, Shen Jin asked Chen Ershan, “So, was the hu cake tasty?”