Chapter 10.

Sang Luo arrived with a bowl but left with a wooden bucket, her own bowl, and a hemp processing tool borrowed from Old Man Chen, along with Shen An and Shen Ning each carrying a large pottery basin.

Granny Chen, seeing Sang Luo’s determination, willingly helped her, rearranging her household items to provide what was needed for Sang Luo's market venture.

Sang Luo's visit to the Chen’s had equipped her with all the necessities for her market sale, leaving her in high spirits!

Just a few steps out of the Chen's house with the kids, Shen Jin peeked out from the neighboring Shen house: “Shen An, what were you doing at the Chen's? What are you carrying?”

Shen An glanced at his cousin and replied, “Borrowed some stuff.”

He didn’t slow down his pace.

Intrigued, Shen Jin hurried out from his yard to catch up. Upon seeing the empty pottery basins, he felt disappointed. Remembering the glimpse he had caught earlier, he asked, “What did you bring to the Chen’s? I saw something green in the bowl.”

Shen An pursed his lips, a hint of wariness in his eyes, but maintained a calm tone, “Wild vegetable dumplings.”

Although Shen Jin doubted this, considering the distance earlier and knowing Shen An often begged for food at his house, he couldn’t believe it was anything special. He frowned, then asked, “Why didn’t you come for food this morning? My mom said you were pounding on our door last night. Weren’t you starving?”

The term 'begging for food' made Sang Luo frown.

However, Shen An was focused on something else. He looked at Shen Jin steadily, “So, my uncle and aunt did hear us last night?”

Even though he had suspected it, hearing Shen Jin mention it made Shen An grip the pottery basin tighter, his knuckles turning white.

Thinking back, if it weren't for Old Man Chen and Granny Chen providing sugar and food last night, his sister-in-law might not be in her current state – able to walk and smile, and leading them to find food.

Shen Jin, unaware of the significance, said: “We heard it. My mom said someone came to borrow grain in the middle of the night. My dad specifically told my mom to leave some food for you. Why didn’t you come today?”

Before Shen An could respond, the usually timid Shen Ning stepped in front of her brother and retorted, “Granny Chen lent us some grain last night. If we had waited until today, my sister-in-law might have died. And we are not begging for food.”

The young girl wasn't used to arguing; though she was visibly upset, her voice lacked force, and her eyes reddened as she spoke.

Sang Luo, watching her tremble with reddened eyes, thought to herself, 'Is this child prone to crying easily?'

She comforted Shen Ning by rubbing her head and turned to Shen Jin, asking, “You’re eight this year, right, Xiao Jin?”

Shen Jin, confused, replied: “Yes, why?”

Sang Luo smiled coldly, “At eight, you’re old enough to understand things. Begging is what beggars do. Shen An is your cousin. Maybe you should go home and ask your parents if what you said was appropriate.”

Not interested in disciplining someone else's unruly child, she dismissed Shen Jin's confused reaction, patted Shen Ning’s shoulder, and said: “Don't worry, I’ll find a way to ensure you both get enough to eat, so you won't have to borrow grain anymore. Let's go home.”

Left standing there, Shen Jin took a while to process what had happened, wondering if he had just been scolded for being rude.

Feeling indignant, he decided to report this to his mother, thinking his father should also hear about it. 'If they won't eat, then they shouldn't expect a single grain of rice or a morsel of food from us ever again!'

Resolved, Shen Jin stomped off, determined to prevent any future help from his family.

Just as Shen San and his wife were about to take a nap, they saw their eldest son running in, bursting with complaints.

After hearing him out, Li Shi couldn't help but laugh: “Well, that’s their choice. It’s better if they don’t come; saves me the trouble.”

She then looked at Shen San, “See? I’m just their aunt, with no direct blood relation, so they don’t value me. You’re their real uncle, and even you don’t get any respect for your few wild vegetable dumplings. Don’t bother yourself with their affairs anymore.”

She scornfully added, “Wild vegetable dumplings, as if they're something to covet.”

……

The things Li Shi disdained were, however, greatly cherished by the Chen family. They were gathered together, marveling at the novelty.

Usually, farm families eat only twice a day, so why would they have anything outside regular meal times?

But the curiosity and novelty of what Sang Luo had brought were irresistible. None in the Chen family had ever seen such a thing. Their youngest granddaughter, Xiao Ya, had heard Shen An and Shen Ning praising its taste, and as soon as Sang Luo left, she begged her grandmother to try a piece.

Once they started, they couldn’t stop. The jelly-like texture and emerald green color were unlike anything these rural children had ever experienced.

Xiao Ya, her eyes shining with excitement, scooped up a piece with a spoon and eagerly offered it to her grandmother.

“It’s so delicious, Granny, you must try it!”

With the delicacy right at her lips, Granny Chen couldn’t resist. She tasted it and was surprised to find it sweet, and indeed, the texture was delightful.

In the end, what was initially meant as a taste test for little Xiao Ya turned into a family affair, with everyone eager to try the novelty.

The old lady brought the bowl of what Shen Ning called "Fairy Tofu" into the main room for the whole family to sample, remarking, “We sent a couple of small pieces of malt sugar over last night, and it seems Sang Shi used about half of it to sweeten this Fairy Tofu before sending it to us.”

To think they just got a little food and were so eager to share, even sparing some sugar to mix in.

The old lady felt a heartwarming sense of satisfaction, appreciating their thoughtfulness. She was glad her extra measure of rice sent over the previous night wasn’t in vain.

Chen You Tian and Qin Fang Nian also tried a piece each, recognizing it as something special, but they refrained from eating more, leaving it all for the elders and the children. Watching her daughter enjoy it, Qin Fang Nian’s earlier worry about the rice sent to the mountain faded away. She praised, “Sang Shi is really skilled with her hands. I wonder what she used from the mountains and how she made it look so appealing.”

Granny Chen glanced at her and cautioned, “Craftsmanship isn’t our business to pry into. Best not to ask, lest we offend someone.”

Qin Fang Nian was taken aback and hurriedly clarified, “Granny, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Granny Chen smiled, “I know, just a reminder. That girl might rely on this skill for her livelihood in the future. She trusts us enough to send her creations here, so be careful not to talk too much about it outside.”

She then advised her grandchildren, “You two as well, don’t mention outside that your big sister Shen made this for you, understand?”

Qin Fang Nian and the two children nodded in agreement.

……

Meanwhile, Shen An and Shen Ning followed Sang Luo back home in silence. After walking for a while, Shen Ning couldn’t help but ask.

“Big sister, can we really manage to feed ourselves from now on?”

Shen Ning was amazed at how her sister-in-law turned leaves from the mountain into food, food that was both appealing and delicious. Yet, she still felt unsure inside.

Shen An, happy to see his sister defending him and not wanting to see her upset or scared, reassured her before Sang Luo could speak, “What’s there to worry about? We survived on wild vegetables every day before, and now sister-in-law can make Fairy Tofu. Even if we have no grains, we can eat Fairy Tofu every day, it's so tasty!”

It's much better than boiled wild vegetables.

“And sister-in-law said we can sell this to earn money, and with money, we can buy grains.”

Sang Luo listened with a smile to this ancient version of a protective brother comforting his sister, affirming at the right moment, “Shen An is right. Fairy Tofu is a good thing. But we can't rely on it as a staple food. However, selling it to buy grains is definitely possible.”

Hearing both her sister-in-law and brother say this, Shen Ning's expression relaxed, and the future suddenly seemed brighter, with hope in their days ahead.

The three of them chatted and laughed on their way back, picking wild chives and purslane along the path, planning to collect more purslane near the fish traps in the evening as part of their dinner.

Once back home, Shen Ning's worry had vanished. She put down her things and helped Sang Luo with stripping the hemp.

Shen An, however, kept glancing towards the mountains. After looking around a few times, he suggested to Sang Luo, “Sister-in-law, shall I go pick some more leaves of the Fairy Tree? We can make some more for tonight.”

He hadn’t had his fill at lunch.

Shen An and Shen Ning had lived with their uncle and aunt since they were young. At the time, their brother Shen Lie was just a teenager and could only occasionally take care of his younger siblings by hunting birds or catching fish and crabs to sneak them extra meals. But snacks and treats were something the two children had never experienced.

For them, Fairy Tofu was indeed a top-tier delicacy, an irresistible treat for kids tasting it for the first time. How could they not crave more when the three of them had to share just one bowl?

Hearing her brother’s suggestion, Shen Ning also looked at Sang Luo, clearly tempted by the idea.

Sang Luo responded with a smile, “Sure, just look around nearby. Don’t go too deep into the mountains.”

Shen An nodded vigorously: "No need to go deep, there are plenty of these plants nearby."

Seeing Shen Ning restless, Sang Luo casually waved her off: “If you want to go, follow along. I can handle the hemp stripping myself.”

Shen Ning’s eyes sparkled with excitement: “Then I’ll go and look for more purslane too.”

The two children ran off joyfully, with Shen An quietly instructing his sister along the way: “Don’t break the branches, just pick the leaves like sister-in-law said. We need to be discreet and spread out our picking. If the villagers find out we are selling this at the market, they might get suspicious.”

Shen Ning nodded earnestly: “Got it, big brother.”