Chapter 107: Sore Hands

The smile on Shen Lian's face didn't fade for quite a while after leaving the clothing store. Sang Luo initially didn't notice, but Shen Ning, walking beside her, kept glancing back and chuckling, drawing her attention to look back as well.

Behind them, the elder brother, carrying two large bags of medicine, and the younger one, holding his brother's fur, walked with a noticeably bright smile from Shen Lian.

Realizing Sang Luo was looking back, Shen Lian instinctively grinned even wider, and then the brothers quickened their pace.

Little did Sang Luo know, she was quite struck by his smile.

The Shen family members were all quite good-looking, especially the three siblings. Sang Luo thought their parents must have been very attractive to pass on such fine genes so evenly.

The two younger ones were still okay, not quite grown up and still adorably cute. But with Shen Lian, a bit of grooming made him look especially handsome, especially when he smiled, his thick eyebrows and large eyes becoming animated.

Sang Luo wasn't sure if she was more captivated by his arched brows and eyes or by his bright, gleaming teeth.

"He really loves to smile."

She muttered to herself inwardly, quickly turning her face away.

Shen Ning whispered, "Sister-in-law, my big brother is happy because it's the first time someone has bought him clothes, shoes, and socks."

Sang Luo glanced at her and asked in a low voice, "What did he wear before?"

"Old clothes from our third uncle. After he learned to hunt, he bought fabric and had Aunt Chen help make some."

Sang Luo thought to herself, no wonder he smiled so sweetly when given a hot meal, and is this happy with new clothes.

She felt like she was somehow caring for a younger version of Shen An.

She patted the little bun on Shen Ning's head, "Got it. When we return to the village, I'll buy more fabric and make another set of outer garments and a pair of shoes for your brother, so he has something to change into."

The coats bought at the clothing store were practical, designed to be worn layered or alone, making it convenient to have an extra one for rotation.

Hearing that her sister-in-law would make another set for her big brother, Shen Ning smiled so broadly her eyes crinkled, "Sister-in-law, you're so kind!"

Sang Luo: ...

These three siblings really look alike, with the same smile and the crescent-like laugh lines under their eyes.

Does it seem like she’s taking care of three children???

She, who has never been in a relationship, has suddenly leveled up to this?

Unable to pinch Shen Lian anymore, Sang Luo playfully squeezed Shen Ning's chubby cheeks to enjoy the pleasure of pinching a child's face, feeling her efforts weren't in vain.

……

The family of four went out for a trip, and when they returned to Dongfu Tower, Shen Lian was dressed in new clothes from head to toe, making Chen Youtian and others smile upon seeing him.

The men, uninhibited in their conversation and all elders to Shen Lian and Sang Luo, laughed. Shi Dalang commented, "A-Lie really changes when he gets a wife. His clothes look so smart."

What they didn't say out loud was how generously Shen Lian's young wife spent on him.

Clothes from the county's ready-made shops were significantly more expensive than homemade ones, probably because Shen Lian's old attire was really in poor shape.

All these folks had old clothes and shoes at home to wear. Even someone like Chen Dashan, who had outgrown his father's and grandfather's clothes, still managed, but Shen Lian only had his autumn clothes and fur to wear upon returning home.

Lu Erlang laughed, "A-Lie’s wife is really caring."

Hearing these comments, Shen Lian felt indescribably happy. He glanced at Sang Luo now and then, feeling joyous yet worried she might feel embarrassed. He quickly handed a small bag of medicine to Zhou Dalang, saying, "This is the medicine I bought for your family. Sang Luo asked the doctor to write down the symptoms and usage for each. Zhou Uncle, take a look, and if anything is missing, there's still time to buy more from the county."

Zhou Dalang, delighted to hear that the indications and instructions were written out separately, gratefully accepted the bag of medicine from Shen Lian, "Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, brother-in-law."

Zhou Dalang opened the bag and peered inside. Being literate, he recognized these were practical prescriptions. He was particularly impressed to find medicine for snake venom, thinking to himself how thoughtful it was of his father to follow A-Lie’s wife's recommendations.

He thanked them profusely.

Sang Luo smiled, assuring them there was no need for formalities. She then turned to Chen Youtian and others, saying, “Uncle Chen, if you need to get medicine in the future, you can copy the prescriptions from me and go directly to the pharmacy, saving the doctor’s consultation fee.”

Doctor’s prescriptions aren’t cheap, especially with so many of them. Chen Youtian and the others were overjoyed, thanking her repeatedly.

While they were talking, Dong Ge'er came out, glanced around, and headed straight for Sang Luo, “Madam Sang, our manager Xu is back. He asked me to check how much you specifically need, so we can prepare it in advance. The grain shop assistants will be bringing the grain soon.”

He glanced at the carts in the alley, suggesting, “These carts should be taken to our warehouse first; keeping them here will be too conspicuous.”

He meant that the arrival of the grain shop assistants, seeing all these carts of grain, would indeed attract attention.

Sang Luo nodded, “Then please lead the way, little brother.”

Dong Ge'er smiled, “Sure thing.”

He then invited Chen Youtian and the others to follow him as he led the way.

The storage room and kitchen of Dongfu Tower were actually adjacent. Opening the gate revealed a reasonably spacious courtyard, where they parked all the carts.

The specific amount of grain needed was clear for Sang Luo and Zhou's family, but she still had to confirm with Chen, Shi, and Lu families. After asking, it turned out they only needed half the amount initially reported, so in total, it would be fifteen and a half stones for the five families.

Sang Luo asked Dong Ge'er, “Did Manager Xu mention the price of the grain?”

Dong Ge'er smiled, “It’s still 350 wen per dou.”

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this, truly relieved after worrying about price hikes.

They each gave their money to Sang Luo. When it was Shen Lian's turn, he handed over the entire small bag of extra money he had made from selling ginseng for her to manage.

Sang Luo accepted it with a smile and went into the tavern with Dong Ge'er to settle the accounts with Manager Xu, so they wouldn't have to deal directly with the grain shop later; they just had to wait for the grain shop's delivery and then transport it.

The grain purchase went smoothly, but after discussing with Manager Xu, they decided not to transport all the grain on the same day, instead temporarily storing it in Dongfu Tower's warehouse.

In her words, moving it all at once would be too conspicuous.

Coarse grains weren't expensive, but transporting them all at once would have meant borrowing a cart from Manager Xu, not to mention stacking several carts so high. It would be heavy and, once back in the village, likely attract envy and unwanted attention.

Manager Xu understood and had Dong Ge'er and an old man in charge of the warehouse set aside a space in the warehouse for Sang Luo's group, allowing them to transport the grain back gradually over several days.

So, in the end, they didn’t borrow a cart from Dongfu Tower. Chen Youtian and his group used the same three carts, joined by Qin Fang's mother and others from the village, hauling some beans back.

Beans were common in the village; every household had some and could afford to store a few bags without raising suspicions.

On the way back, they indeed ran into acquaintances from the Zhou family in Shili Village. The usual pleasantries were exchanged, and upon learning they had bought beans, and just three small carts for five families, the conversation moved on after a brief discussion on price.

After this trip, Shi Dalang, Lu Erlang, and Chen Qingshan were thoroughly impressed with Sang Luo. It's no wonder that in important matters, everyone subtly regarded Sang Luo, a young wife, as the leader. She truly had capability.

Not only was she meticulous and capable, but she also had the charm to influence people like Manager Xu. She managed to get his help with buying grain and even borrow the warehouse at Dongfu Tower.

Before, these men would have been unwelcome even just standing in the kitchen of any tavern in the county, but now at Dongfu Tower, they were not only offered seats but also engaged in casual conversations. The boy named Dong Ge'er and the two apprentice cooks inside were so polite that they even brought out several bowls of hot water for them.

Do these people know who they are?

All this courtesy was undoubtedly thanks to Sang Luo’s influence.

In the village, the families first helped to carry all the grain Shen Lian and Sang Luo brought back via a narrow path. Sang Luo didn't have to lift a finger; even the bag of medicine was carried by Shen Lian along with the sacks of grain.

Qin Fang's mother joked, "With so many men and boys around, do we even need to get our hands dirty? You just take Xiao An and Xiao Ning back home and open the door for us."

Once they arrived home, Shen Lian and Chen Youtian’s group only needed two trips to finish moving all the grain. After that, Shen Lian went home while Chen Youtian and the others went back to where they had parked their carts, to then return to the village.

There was quite a buzz in the village, with many inquiries. Well, let them look. We're not short of grain now; what we bought was all soybeans.

Rice and beans can be distinguished by a simple squeeze.

Don't overestimate the villagers; there are quite a few who can identify grains by touch.

Let them squeeze and see. Those who need to stock up on mixed grains will do so promptly. Those who don't, well, that's their fate and no longer a concern for Sang Luo and the others.

……

The storage racks at home were already full, so Shen Lian went to cut bamboo with a sickle, planning to make two more racks himself, with Shen An eagerly offering to help.

This time, Sang Luo didn’t have to worry about anything. She and Shen Ning fed the chickens, ducks, and geese, soaked the beans for the evening, and then, picking up a hoe, she invited Shen Ning, "Let's go dig some winter bamboo shoots."

Shen Ning was thrilled to hear this; she had wanted to join her sister-in-law in digging bamboo shoots before, but was not allowed due to the unmelted snow.

Upon hearing Sang Luo’s call, the young girl immediately stopped playing with the chickens, ducks, and geese, threw the wild vegetable leaves she was holding, grabbed a basket, and excitedly ran to the yard's entrance to wait.

Locking the door, Sang Luo led Shen Ning towards the bamboo forest.

During the time they were at home, Shen Lian had already felled two thick bamboo stalks and was stripping them of their branches, preparing to drag them back.

Seeing Sang Luo and realizing from her hoe that she was going to dig for bamboo shoots, Shen Lian asked, "Do you need help?"

Sang Luo waved her hand, "No need, I’m going to teach Ah Ning."

Learning survival skills is always beneficial, as she herself was a living example. Had she not lived in the mountains for a few years by a twist of fate, learning various skills, she wouldn't be enjoying her comfortable life now after her time travel. Therefore, she was keen on teaching these skills to the youngsters.

Hearing this, Shen Lian nodded and waited for Sang Luo to hand him the keys, then set off with Shen An, dragging the bamboo behind them.

As for carrying it, that was out of the question. He was wearing new clothes, and unless Sang Luo had not insisted that he looked particularly good in them, Shen Lian would have preferred to change back into his old furs for work. Well, today's tasks shouldn’t scrape or damage the clothes, so it should be fine.

While Sang Luo was teaching Shen Ning how to find winter bamboo shoots, Shen An followed his elder brother back to the outside of the courtyard.

Chen Youtian often did carpentry work here, so the necessary framework and tools were readily available. Just a quick trip down the hill to Chen’s house to grab some tools, and they could get straight to work.

As they sawed the bamboo, Shen An chattered away, "Big brother, it's so good you're back. You don’t know, before, our sister-in-law had to do all this kind of work by herself."

Shen Lian paused with his saw, looking up at Shen An.

Shen An pointed towards the chicken coop, "There, that chicken coop was built by sister-in-law alone. She cut her hands and got so many bamboo splinters that day. She had to pick them out one by one with a needle later."

Shen Lian, who had learned carpentry alongside Chen Dashan under Chen Youtian since his teens and had been pricked many times, suddenly felt a pang in his hands.