Chapter 175 - One Step Closer

The aroma of the food drew not only the Chen family and their troupe of children into the valley to move stones, but also the Zhou, Lu, and Shi families, who lived on the other side.

Although it was already dark, the two blazing fires illuminated the area well enough.

The Shen family's dinner eventually turned into a midnight feast for the entire group in the valley. The ones who truly ate their fill were Chen Dashan, Shen Lie, and the younger Shen siblings.

Shen An and Shen Ning had no dietary restrictions, while the three Shen Jin brothers were reminded by Sang Luo not to overindulge in grilled meat. They were allowed only a small taste of chicken, with a focus on lighter dishes. Thus, they contented themselves with stone-grilled tofu and stone-grilled cabbage. Nonetheless, they were ecstatic, mainly due to the lively atmosphere. The children gathered together, with the Shen kids, excluding the food-obsessed Shen Tie, unable to sit still at the table.

Sang Luo had prepared plenty of food, including three whole chickens and a generous amount of wild boar. As Shen Ning grilled, the children from neighboring families fetched chopsticks and eagerly gathered around the stone stove, waiting for a taste. While the Shens ate, the Chens joined in. It was probably the happiest day for the children since moving into Yun Valley. Even Wang Yunzheng, known for his introverted nature, was lured to the stone grill by Xu Wenbo.

Xu Wenying was the quickest to react. In the midst of eating, she seized an opportunity to approach Sang Luo. "Sister A Luo, where did you find this stone slab?"

Sang Luo laughed upon hearing this. "Do you want to grill too? It's not far from the mountain stream outside the valley. Tomorrow, I'll ask Shen Lie to take your father or Uncle Xu to have a look."

Xu Wenqing chimed in excitedly, "I'll go! I'll go!"

Not only Xu Wenying was delighted, but all the children who heard this were thrilled as well. They promptly pulled their fathers along, asking them to search for stone slabs.

How could they refuse such an offer? Not only were the children eager, but the adults were also enticed. Moreover, this indeed created a lively atmosphere, and everyone readily agreed.

The midnight feast lasted for more than an hour before they gradually dispersed. This was mainly because each family needed to deal with the wild boar meat they had acquired that day.

There was no alternative; in just a few days, it would be the sixth lunar month, and the weather was scorching hot. Even though the cave was cooler than the outside, it was best to handle meat as soon as possible.

The pig's skin and head had been taken care of immediately after the hunt at a suitable location. The Lu and Shi families had more members, but their hunting skills were inferior to Shen Lie and Chen Dashan's. Concerned that the winter in the mountains might be colder than outside, they had taken the skin, leaving the Shen family to deal with the pork and offal.

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan were responsible for arranging the tables and chairs, while a few younger ones took charge of washing the dishes and utensils. Even dealing with the wild boar meat became a family affair. The benefits of having many hands were evident; even the youngsters, under the guidance of Shen Ning and Shen An, carried out their tasks competently. Cleaning the offal was primarily the responsibility of these children.

Both Jin and Yin studied diligently, knowing full well that they would need to master these tasks themselves in the future.

Shen Lie skinned and separated the meat, while Sang Luo began preparing the curing mixture for the bacon. It was a simple process: there was no mountain wine available, but fortunately, they had planted plenty of ginger. She prepared a small bowl of minced ginger and borrowed Xu's iron pot to roast salt and Sichuan peppercorns together. With these ingredients, the mixture was complete.

The meat cut by Shen Lie, excluding two large pieces of lean meat set aside, was evenly coated with the ginger and pepper-salt mixture. The pieces were tied up and hung, ready for smoking. There was no need to build a new smoking stove; the stone slab used for grilling had cooled down and was moved back into the kitchen. A bonfire was lit outside the grill, with a rack to hang the meat above it. They constructed a temporary, removable shelter using bamboo poles and wooden planks, allowing smoke to escape while keeping rain out. Periodically adding firewood was all that was needed.

Together, they checked on the children's progress in cleaning the offal, helping them finish the job. They saved the entire pig's stomach and portions of the heart, lungs, small intestine, and liver for a pork organ stew the next day. The remaining parts, along with the two large pieces of lean meat set aside earlier, were placed in a ceramic pot with cold water. They retrieved the spices they had purchased earlier, filling the pot to create a rich, flavorful broth.

The aroma was delectable, but fortunately, the high mountains surrounding the valley and the dense vegetation on their slopes absorbed the scent before it could spread too far. It merely tantalized the appetites of those in the Gou Gou valley, where each household had received their share of meat and was busy smoking their own bacon, each with their unique skills. In the end, the results were fairly similar across the board.

One could say that the only ones feeling down were the members of the Lu family's main branch.

They could only watch helplessly.

There was no other reason; none of them participated in hunting, and naturally, nobody would take them along. As for the meat given by Shen Lie, it was a repayment of gratitude for the rice they had received before, so it wasn't their concern. Thus, they could only watch and yearn with empty eyes.

The elderly couple of the Lu family, Second Brother Lu's family, and Third Brother Lu were still considerate. Whenever there was delicious food, they would invite the children from the main branch to share. However, as for Big Brother Lu and Wang Chunniang, forget it. They were grown-ups, so they should endure it. Could they really expect to be treated like children?

Therefore, on this night, it was Big Brother Lu and Wang Chunniang who suffered the most from the tantalizing aroma.

...

Shen Lie and Sang Luo, accompanied by the younger ones, were busy until late at night before they finally washed up and rested. Exhausted from the day's labor, they slept soundly till dawn.

There was no need to go out hunting today. After breakfast, they only needed to take a stroll around and check if any pheasants were caught in the traps set yesterday. Nevertheless, out of habit, they all woke up early.

Shen Lie and Shen An lit the fire to smoke the meat early in the morning, taking care of household chores and farming matters. Shen An and the children followed their usual routine of morning reading, while Shen Lie called the families he mentioned yesterday to search for slate. He then led them out together.

Sang Luo prepared breakfast with Shen Ning. Today's breakfast was simple. They reserved the rice water from last night's dinner, boiled it for a while longer, cracked two eggs into it, stirred well, and made egg drops in the boiling rice water – an extremely nourishing meal.

Cubed braised meat and wild amaranth are mixed for the filling, while half a bowl of flour is transformed into delicate skins for the pork dumplings.

The only regret was the lack of rice wine, which made it impossible to leaven the dough. The texture resembled that of dumpling wrappers. Sangluo pondered that, given the climate in the valley, producing some rice wine should be feasible. Since Shen Lie often hunted, having rice wine on hand during times when they had more meat or vegetables would be great for making steamed buns or pancakes.

As I kneaded the dough, I pondered the idea of brewing some rice wine when I had some spare time.

At dawn, Chen was indulging in breakfast - a dozen savory meat buns steaming with aroma, and a thick rice soup laced with delicate egg flowers. The simple yet satisfying duo filled the family with contentment.

In the valley, Shen Yin and Shen Tie had been nursing themselves for two days. Though they were still alarmingly thin, their spirits had visibly lifted, and they could now hold their own.

It was Shen Jin that Sang Luo caught a glimpse of, and she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. She found it odd and asked, "Did you not sleep well last night?"

Shen Jin was taken aback but eventually shook his head.

Sang Luo gave him a look but didn't comment further. After breakfast, Shen Lie and the others went out to check if they had any success with the traps they set the day before. When they returned at noon, each of them carried a load of firewood, and all households had caught mountain chickens. Shen Jin had three, plus the one from yesterday, making it a total of four.

He was delighted to rear them.

Shen Lie's mountain chicken was also alive. Since Shen Jin now fetched a large basket full of grass every time he went out, Sang Luo decided to clip the wings of those chickens and raise them until they needed meat.

In the afternoon, when it was time for an afternoon nap, Shen Jin slept exceptionally soundly. While everyone else had already woken up, he remained deeply asleep.

That night, when Shen Lie was about to extinguish the lamp to sleep, Sang Luo stopped him. "Leave the lamp on. Just move it to the lantern stand by the dining table. There are people lying on the platform, and they won't be able to see in the dark if they need to get out of bed. We don't want anyone accidentally stepping on them."

Shen Lie didn't give it much thought. Indeed, there were many people sleeping on the first level – five in total. Thus, he decided not to blow out the lamp and followed Sang Luo's advice, moving the lamp to the lantern stand carved into the stone wall beside the dining table. "If the light bothers you, just pull down the curtain."

Sang Luo smiled and agreed.

Shen Jin let out a sigh of relief, but since he had already lain down, no one noticed.

...

Two days passed in a blink. Chen Youtian and Shen Lie finished constructing the two-tiered bed, door, and a few simple shelves. The remaining furniture like tables, chairs, and cabinets could be made by Shen Lie at a later time.

The three Shen brothers officially moved into their new home. They didn't have much belongings – just a few sets of clothes, a bed, bedding, some pottery pots and utensils, a kitchen knife, and a bow and arrows. The rest were all gifts from Shen Lie and Sang Luo.

Following the agreement they had made, Shen Lie carried several large bags of grain up to the upper cave. Shen Jin, Shen Yin, and Shen Tie stood by and watched as the grains were placed on the upper shelf. All three brothers shed tears together.

When Sang Luo, accompanied by Shen An and Shen Ning, brought up nearly twenty pieces of cured meat, they witnessed this scene.

No one uttered a word. They helped construct a small wooden stand to hang the cured meat, instructing Shen Jin and Shen Yin to air it out on sunny days. Then, she descended again to fetch a jar filled to the brim with pure white salt.

By now, Shen Jin was genuinely weeping, choking out his gratitude to Sang Luo.

Sang Luo smiled gently. "There, there. Take good care of Xiao Yin and Xiao Tie from now on. Time flies, and before you know it, they'll have grown up."

Shen Jin wiped away his tears and nodded repeatedly.

With all the belongings moved, Shen Lie was upstairs installing door frames and doors. Shen Jin led Shen Yin and Shen Tie down to the plot of land designated to the Shen family. There, they had a small chicken coop, which now housed seven fully grown pheasants.

Shen Jin caught one and headed straight for his elder brother and sister-in-law's cave entrance. He didn't need to enter; he could already see Sang Luo moving stone slabs to practice writing. Holding the flapping mountain chicken, Shen Jin said, "Sister-in-law, I'm delivering mountain chickens to everyone. This first one is for you and Brother."

Sang Luo's brows furrowed slightly.

She remembered telling him that they didn't lack such things, and it was true. To someone like Shen Lie, the produce of the mountains was abundant. But seeing Shen Jin waiting for her response with the squirming chicken in hand, she understood his intentions. She smiled and took the bird from him. "Alright, thank you, Little Jin."

Hearing that she would accept it, Shen Jin was delighted. Without letting go, he said, "I'll put it directly in the coop for you."

He turned and dashed to the area enclosed by wooden bars where chickens and ducks roamed. He placed the mountain chicken down, then smiled at Sang Luo and called out to her before leading Shen Yin and Shen Tie to catch more chickens. This time, they were heading to the Xu family's residence.

Sang Luo watched with a smile before turning back into the cave.

...

Shen Lie's promise to take Sang Luo out of the valley didn't come true. As soon as June arrived, the mountain rain increased, making it less convenient to venture out. Occasionally, when the rain stopped, the mountain paths became slippery. At such times, Shen Lie would only go out with Chen Dashan and not bring others along, not even Shen Jin.

When it rained, the valley dwellers had to worry about drainage. Elder Chen, Elder Lu, and Village Chief Zhou gathered to discuss digging more ponds on the inner side of the valley.

The children's playground shrank significantly, but if the water accumulated in the pond, they could divert it to the new ponds. This way, the water wouldn't flood the fields and serve as a water reserve for hot and dry weather. Preparation was always better than regret.

Thus, whenever it wasn't raining, the people in the valley started digging ponds. It wasn't a massive project, and those who usually didn't leave the valley took on the task. Shen Lie, who often ventured out and chopped firewood, enjoyed a rare period of relaxation.

Fortunately, Shen Lie crafted a few cabinets and a comfortable table and chair set for Shen Jin and the others. Shen An, Shen Ning, along with Xu Jia's siblings and Ah Wu and Xiaoyar, found a new hangout spot. They all gathered in Shen Jin's brothers' cave to read and write. The cave was situated higher, providing brighter light, spacious tables, and comfortable chairs.

Shen Jin, having shed his previous laziness, actively joined in their studies. Although his progress couldn't match even the youngest, Ah Wu, he put in genuine effort. He cherished every opportunity to learn, not aiming for perfection but simply to be literate and understand basic arithmetic.

With the Shen family's cave now empty, it suited Shen Lie's intentions perfectly. Most of the time, he practiced calligraphy in the cave using bamboo slips, with one stone tablet each for him and Sang Luo. Initially, they shared half a table, sitting diagonally across from each other. As Shen Lie occasionally asked for explanations of characters and stroke order, within two days, Sang Luo pointed at the bench beside her, "You should sit here."

Unable to suppress his smile, Shen Lie moved his stone tablet and sat down beside Sang Luo.

Sang Luo pretended not to notice the corners of his lips that kept rising and then forcefully held back, focusing on practicing her calligraphy. However, she couldn't help but let a hint of a smile escape her eyes.

...

The rain persisted until mid-June, filling several reservoirs in the valley to nearly three-quarters capacity. Old Man Chen had already consulted Shen Lie about diverting the water if it continued raining, as only the entrance of the valley could handle the drainage.

Fortunately, the heavens seemed to be considerate, and just as the reservoirs and ditches were reaching their limits, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared.

Seeing the sun again, Sang Luo felt an immense sense of relief. Naturally, the valley would now resume its usual routine of drying grains and bedding.

Among all, Xue Shangjia was the most anxious about the prolonged rain. The shelter's door was slanted, supposedly preventing rain from entering, and the grain storage shelves were raised. However, his concern for moisture remained, given that they were underground after all.

As soon as the sky cleared, Xue Shangjia sought Shen Lie and Chen Dashan's assistance, asking them to protect the young and strong from the Xu family as they went out to retrieve grain.

Of course, this help wouldn't come for free. A third of the retrieved grain would be given to the Chen and Shen families.

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan declined the grain, saying, "We'll accompany you on the trip to assess the situation. If it's still safe, we can detour and stealthily transport the grain. If not, we'll have to postpone the operation."

"Of course, safety comes first," Xu Shopkeeper thanked repeatedly.

Shen Lie set the departure date for three days later.

Xu Shopkeeper had no objections. A day or two made little difference in such matters. Honestly, they were still unclear about the situation outside the county, and there was a high possibility of making a fruitless journey.

After Xu Shopkeeper left, Chen Dashan wondered, "Why three days later?"

Looking at Chen Dashan, Shen Lie asked, "Did you forget something that's happening soon?"

Chen Dashan pondered but couldn't recall anything. However, Sang Luo, who was standing aside, concentrated for a moment and uncertainly asked, "Could it be that the medicinal herb that Grandma Chen mentioned is ready to be harvested?"

Shen Lie smiled and nodded. "Yes, it takes time to gather and process the herbs. Before we leave, let's search nearby to see if we can find any. If we do, you can start making medicine in the valley. By the time Dashan and I return, we'll probably have nothing left, so this will ensure continuity. Besides, before we leave, I'll hunt some fresh meat and collect more mushrooms after the rain."

The old lady had taught her family members how to identify the herb, and apart from them, she had only instructed Sang Luo and Shen Lie. Thus, their trip would allow them to accomplish two tasks: finding the herb and gathering mushrooms.

Upon hearing that they could leave today, Sang Luo's eyes lit up.

Heaven knew how long it had been—over fifty days—since she had last ventured out of the valley. The only time she had gone out was when she strolled by the mountain stream and hastily returned.

Assured that they could leave today, Sang Luo reminded Chen Dashan, "Ask Uncle You Tian or Aunt if they want to come along. With all this rain, there must be plenty of mushrooms outside. I bet Aunt would love to go for a stroll."

The old lady might also want to join them, just like her, unable to sit still for long. But in this deep mountain, it was best not to risk it.

Chen Dashan chuckled and replied, "Alright, I'll go ask right away."

As soon as Chen Dashan left, Sang Luo began to prepare her gear— a basket, a pointed hoe, and even her bow and arrows.

Noticing Shen Lie watching her fetch the weapons, she smiled and said, "I'll bring them along, just in case. I've trained hard with them before."

She had used them to provide support while in the forest before, but that was a story she didn't feel like sharing.

Shen Lie laughed. The journey was set for three days later. He had his own motives, too. He had promised Sang Luo an outing, but the rain kept delaying their plans. Seeing how thrilled she was at the prospect of leaving the valley, a smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of his lips. He joined her in packing and preparing.

Before leaving, he informed the younger ones about their departure. Shen Jin put down his brush and sprang up, "Big Brother, take me with you. I haven't hunted in ages!"

Although his brother brought home game every few days, Shen Jin hadn't hunted in nearly twenty days, and it made him uneasy.

Shen Lie couldn't relate. Patting his head, he said, "This time, I'm taking your big sister out. I promised her long ago. Next time, I'll take you hunting. Focus on studying with Xiao An and the others. There's no rush."

He left with a smile on his face.