Chapter 32

Qin Fangniang, mentioning the vegetable seeds she promised to bring Sang Luo, went to deliver them after the midday rest. Old Lady Chen personally brought them, along with two more pottery pots from the Chen family.

She didn’t enter the house but called Sang Luo out, handed the pots for Shen An and Shen Ning to take inside, then gave Sang Luo the seeds, explaining what each type was. After that, she brought up the main topic, asking whether Sang Luo wanted an additional kitchen built.

Sang Luo: ???!!!

"Isn't this like getting a pillow just as you're falling asleep?"

"Of course, I need it!"

Sang Luo replied with a radiant smile, "It's such a coincidence. I was just thinking about this at noon. With more work to do, my little hut is indeed getting cramped. I've been thinking about building another wall around the yard for added security in winter. I was planning to save up some money and ask for your help in finding people to assist."

Old Lady Chen looked around and sighed, "It is necessary to enclose the area. It's fine if it doesn’t snow much in winter, but if there's heavy snow, wild animals from the mountains might come searching for food."

"Isn’t this isolated straw hut in the mountains an easy target?"

"Since you're already planning this, we need to hurry up before the busy farming season. No one will have time then. You don't need to worry about saving too much money. In our village, building houses doesn’t typically involve labor costs. Good relations mean helping each other. Our family, your grandfather, and uncles can come help. We'll also call a few people from the village. Just prepare the materials and manage the meals."

"For materials, you can chop wood from these mountains, even the unclaimed ones. Find some good yellow clay, and for straw, we have some at home. I'll ask your Uncle You Tian to bring it over."

Then, considering their current situation with no male head of the household, she added, "Let your Uncle You Tian gather some people to help chop trees. If you're willing, since it's physically demanding, make sure the meals are substantial. Not necessarily lavish, but hearty with a few homemade dishes."

"These days, saving food for the family is considered earning."

"She’s taken care of everything for me."

Sang Luo's eyes curved in a smile as she quickly agreed, "Then, how about starting the day after tomorrow? I’ll borrow the stone mortar from your place in the evening to grind rice and consult your husband and You Tian Uncle about what preparations are needed."

"With the money I'll earn from the stall tomorrow, I can manage the meals the day after."

"Until the kitchen is built, I might need to use your place for cooking. Our house only has a small clay pot and can't really prepare decent meals."

"That's no problem at all," Old Lady Chen agreed readily.

After finalizing the plans, Old Lady Chen took a look at the land Sang Luo had cleared behind the house and gave some advice on which vegetables needed to be sowed and nurtured by a certain time, advising her to ask Qin Fangniang if she was unsure, before heading back home.

As soon as Old Lady Chen left, Shen An and Shen Ning, the siblings, almost jumped up on the spot with excitement.

"We're building a house! Even though it's just a kitchen and enclosing the yard, it's still a big deal."

"Big Sister, where will we build the kitchen? How big will the yard be?"

In reality, they couldn’t enclose a very large yard, given the house’s location halfway up the hill. How much space could they really have for building?

Sang Luo was pondering the same.

She realized she had forgotten something important – besides the kitchen, a proper toilet was essential. The one at the back of the house near the mountain was unbearable, dirty, disgusting, and dangerously positioned...

"Let's take a look around."

She picked up some small stones and began planning the layout of the property with the children, marking boundaries for the yard, kitchen, and other structures with stones on the ground.

When the topic of building a new toilet closer to the house came up, Shen An and Shen Ning were shocked, shaking their heads vigorously.

"Big Sister, that won't work, it will be too smelly."

"And disgusting."

Sang Luo thought to herself that she knew how to construct a non-smelly toilet, having renovated a small, dilapidated house in the mountains in her previous life. She knew exactly how to build a septic tank but hesitated to speak up, considering they would be using yellow clay for construction.

Bricks were definitely available, a more advanced and waterproof alternative to yellow clay. But did she have enough money for such materials?

"Well, I guess I can save up for it, but is it the right choice?"

"It's not suitable. It would attract too much attention."

"Just a while ago, I was nearly starved to death, and now, within a few days, buying bricks to build a toilet and septic tank..."

"Let's forget it. I need to think of an alternative. Being a time-traveler already makes me feel insecure. Right now, keeping a low profile while making money, quietly storing food and acquiring belongings is what I should do. Being too conspicuous isn't wise."

"Alright then, I'll convert it into a washroom."

"As for the toilet, I'll endure for now and place a makeshift commode in a corner of the washroom. When I have more money, I can think about more permanent solutions."

Seeing their big sister fall silent, Shen An and Shen Ning didn't insist on placing the toilet near the house, much to their relief.

While they were talking, Shen Jin, carrying his hoe, arrived with Shen Yin and Shen Tie, ready to start working. Sang Luo also stopped discussing and got ready to leave.

Shen An and Shen Ning went to till the land, while Sang Luo shouldered a basket to gather leaves from the divine tree.

"Today, I need to explore one or two more hills. The nearby hills where I could find divine trees have been almost stripped of usable leaves. Even Shen An and Shen Ning know not to strip the trees bare to avoid arousing suspicion, and I'm well aware of this too."

Watching Sang Luo head down the hill and into another, Shen Jin curiously approached Shen An, "Shen An, where's your big sister going?"

Shen An frowned slightly, disliking Shen Jin's informal attitude towards his sister-in-law, but then he remembered that his sister-in-law wouldn’t bother with Shen Jin and relaxed.

"Nothing much, just looking for wild vegetables."

Shen Jin's mouth twitched, "Still eating wild vegetables every day? Where do you get the money to buy meat for oil residue?"

Shen An glanced at him, "Why are you so nosy? Are you going to help till the land?"

"Of course, I'm working." Shen Jin immediately fell silent, understanding Shen An's look meant he could forget about the oil residue if he kept prying.

It was a clear threat, and Shen Jin felt intimidated, quickly turning to work on the plot of land Shen An had assigned to him.

……

"As for Sang Luo, this time she ventured a bit farther than usual. The main task was gathering the leaves of the miraculous tree. Along the way, she didn’t miss any other wild vegetables she came across. After spending over half an hour in the mountains, she picked a whole basket of the tree leaves and a good amount of ferns. On her way back, she compressed the leaves and placed the ferns on top of the basket, securely covering the miraculous tree leaves."

"Calculating the amount of miraculous tofu she needed to make for the evening, she ran to the mountains and back three times, carrying three full baskets of items, including large leaves suitable for wrapping."

"Shen Jin was indeed observant. From afar, when he saw Sang Luo, his neck stretched out like a goose's, hoping for something good. But when he realized it was just ferns and lotus leaves, he retracted his neck and continued his work."

"Using quality tools, he efficiently cleared the small piece of land assigned to him by Shen An. Shen An and Shen Ning inspected it together and found it well done. Even Shen Ning, who was usually keen on finding faults with him, couldn’t find anything to criticize after a few passes with the stone hoe."

"Keep watching, I bet I can hoe much cleaner than you can with that stone hoe!" Shen Jin boasted to Shen Ning, acting as if he would wag his tail if he had one.

"Shen An, true to his word, put down his tools saying, 'Wait here.' He then went to wash his hands before returning to fetch the pork scraps."

"This sent Shen Yin and Shen Tie, the two youngest, into a panic. They hadn’t been assigned any tasks by their second brother in the morning, but even when they tried, their small size and strength only allowed them to use bamboo sticks to dig, leaving much to be desired."

"Shen Yin, looking at his own work and then at his third brother’s, was left dumbfounded by the stark difference."

"Now that their third brother was getting pork scraps, what about them?"

Shen Yin, in a panic, stood up to grab the hoe his older brother had left aside, prompting Shen Ning to urgently call him back: “You’re not even as tall as the hoe handle, and you dare to use it? If you accidentally hurt your foot, I wonder how you’d cry.”

Shen Yin pouted, glancing at the stark contrast between the two patches of land, and stood dejectedly with Shen Tie.

Shen Jin, on the other hand, was quite cheerful: “Don’t rush, take your time. We still have plenty of time.”

While saying this, he kept glancing towards the house. As soon as he saw Shen An emerge, he dashed over, eagerly extending his hand: “Hurry up, give me my pork fat residue.”

Shen An glanced at Shen Jin’s dirt-streaked hands, his lips twitching slightly: “Aren’t you going to wash your hands first?”

“No need, why bother? A bit of dirt never hurt anyone.”

Resigning to his brother’s ways, Shen An handed over a piece of pork fat residue.

Shen Jin, with a keen eye, noticed there was more in Shen An's hand, his eyes lighting up. When Shen An headed towards his younger brothers instructing them to wash their hands before eating, Shen Jin suddenly protested: “Shen An, they get some for just that tiny bit of land?”

The previously delighted Shen Yin and Shen Tie were shocked by this unexpected betrayal from their own brother, freezing on the spot.

Unaware of the existential crisis he’d triggered in his younger siblings, Shen Jin eagerly followed Shen An, haggling: “Then you should give me two more pieces. The patch I worked on is bigger than both of theirs combined. If they get one each for that little work, surely I deserve three.”

Shen An gave him a sidelong glance: “What are you dreaming about? What you got is exactly the deal we agreed on.”

Seeing that their older brother Shen An didn't deny them their share, Shen Yin and Shen Tie relaxed and ran to a nearby spring to wash their hands. They hurried back, quickly drying their hands on their clothes: “Big brother, our hands are clean now.”

Shen An smiled and gave each of them a piece.

The brothers, fearing their eldest brother might snatch their share, quickly stuffed the pieces into their mouths. Chewing contentedly, their eyes lit up with delight. The younger one beamed, “The fat residue is so delicious.”

The hours of labor spent digging through soil and roots seemed to melt away in that moment of enjoyment.

Being older, Shen Yin happily thanked Shen An for the treat, and didn’t forget to extend his gratitude to Shen Ning as well.

Shen Jin, however, was discontented. Having already finished his piece, he watched his brothers chew theirs and complained, “Shen An, this isn’t fair! Why do they get the same amount for less work?”

Shen An laughed: “Because they’re sweet and well-behaved, unlike someone who badmouths and complains.”

Sang Luo, who was spinning hemp under the eaves, nearly burst into laughter upon hearing this.

So satisfying.

But when it came to dealing with Shen Jin, she thought: Nicely done!

Sang Luo managed to hold back her laughter, but Shen Ning didn’t. Ever since Shen An promised Shen Jin pork fat residue for working, she had been feeling resentful. Seeing Shen Jin’s frustration now, she found immense satisfaction and relief.

Shen Yin and Shen Tie finished chewing their pieces, licking their fingers and palms where they had held the fat residue. Despite their eldest brother’s grumbling about their lesser efforts, the more aware Shen Yin quickly added, “Big brother, I’ll finish the rest later and come back tomorrow. It might be slower, but I can dig as much as big brother.”

"Shen Tie, as Shen Jin’s loyal little sidekick, quickly nodded too, his voice still babyish: 'Second brother, I’m well-behaved too.'"

"Shen Jin glared at the two younger boys, almost wanting to ask sarcastically who they were trying to impress, questioning who their real brother was."

"But the lingering taste of deliciousness between his teeth made him wisely swallow down those words."

"The one with the pork scraps is the real brother."

"Looking down, Shen Jin saw Shen Tie sticking out his tongue to lick his palm, his face blissful. Shen Jin’s hand instinctively moved, but then he looked down to see it dirty…"

"This was a bit too dirty to lick off."

"Shen Jin swallowed, glanced at Shen An and then at the small patch of land his younger brothers had worked on, compared it to his larger plot, felt a reluctant envy, but couldn't resist the delicious pork scraps. Finally, he gave in, 'If I dig another patch, will you still give me some pork scraps?'"