Chapter 26

"Of course, you can. It's your snack, after all. You two decide how to share it," Sang Luo responded.

Mrs. Chen had mentioned not bringing things every time, and Sang Luo didn't plan to bring anything this visit. But for the children's friendships, they were allowed to make their own decisions.

Hearing Sang Luo's agreement, Shen Ning happily fetched a small bamboo tube, put in two pieces, then added two more after some thought, cautiously explaining to Sang Luo and Shen An, "Two pieces for Brother Er Shan too."

Er Shan was the second brother of little Ya from the Chen family.

Shen An had no objections, and both siblings looked to Sang Luo for approval.

Sang Luo smiled, "I said it's your decision. But take two more pieces, so you and Shen An won't have to just watch Er Shan and little Ya eating later."

It meant the siblings could enjoy another piece later on.

Shen An and Shen Ning both smiled, not so much for the extra piece they'd get to eat, but because they could now share with their friends, something Er Shan and little Ya had previously done for them. Their excitement was palpable.

Despite the excitement, Shen An chose to stay home and guard their belongings, now considered his treasures.

Thus, Shen Ning only carried five pieces of pork rinds in her small bamboo tube, cheerfully following Sang Luo to the Chen family's house.

……

The August sun was too fierce, making it a poor time for farm work. Most men who had worked in the fields that morning were now resting. Women, however, took only a brief break before resuming their tasks like spinning hemp or weaving.

The Chen family was no different.

When Sang Luo and Shen Ning arrived at the Chen house, Shen Ning greeted Mrs. Chen and quickly joined little Ya, whispering and chatting away, soon running outside together.

Sang Luo wasn't concerned about them; she was focused on discussing her purpose with Mrs. Chen, who was bustling to offer her a chair.

Mrs. Chen was momentarily stunned, as if she couldn't believe her ears.

"Help you sell Fairy Tofu?"

"Yes, whether it's you or Auntie, I'll give half a coin for every piece you sell. How about it?"

Was there even a need to ask? It sounded like a windfall from heaven.

Yet, Mrs. Chen didn't understand.

"There's only one market every five days. Why don't you sell it yourself? That way, you won't have to share the profits."

Sang Luo shook her head: "I'm not asking for help to sell at the market, but to expand to the county town. Your family can provide help, and I'll go too. It's like having an extra stall, selling separately."

Mrs. Chen instantly grasped the idea; Sang Luo, having tested the waters the past two days, now sought to expand her business.

This Sang Luo...

Mrs. Chen pondered, "Entering the town requires a fee. What if we can't sell the expanded stock?"

Sang Luo confidently reassured, "I'll cover that. The entrance fee will be on me."

Fairy tofu cost her almost nothing, so she made the offer without hesitation. However, she added seriously, "Of course, if we set up a stall in the county, we need to get a pass from the local official, which costs a fee of five coins, and that would need to be paid by your family."

A pass was akin to an identity letter from the 70s and 80s in later times, serving as a population control measure. To enter a town or pass through checkpoints, one needed a valid identification, and for commoners, it was called a pass.

To enter the county town, the pass had to be drafted by the local official and then verified and stamped by the county magistrate.

For travel to other counties or states, the process was more complex, requiring approval from the state administration's household department.

Five coins weren't a small sum for rural folks, but fortunately, a pass was valid for three months. Mrs. Chen hesitantly agreed.

It wouldn't be right to expect someone to offer a money-making opportunity, cover the entrance fee, and also pay for the pass.

Resolved, Mrs. Chen said, "Of course, I'll get the pass from the local official shortly. We can go today, and it should be ready by tomorrow afternoon. Will you join me to visit the official's place later?"

Sang Luo hesitated, mainly because she had already spent all her earnings that day.

"Let's do it tomorrow."

Mrs. Chen noticed her hesitation, "Is it a matter of funds?"

Sang Luo nodded, "I spent today's earnings on some essentials."

Now committed to selling for Sang Luo, Mrs. Chen generously offered, "I'll advance the money for you. You can repay me when you're able. Otherwise, it'll delay us another day."

Appreciating the offer, Sang Luo agreed, "Alright, I'll get my household register and come to find you."

Mrs. Chen nodded, then inquired, "Besides labor, what else is needed? We can lend you buckets and basins if necessary. Let me know if you're missing anything. We can lend you items from our home."

In reality, the arrangement had evolved beyond a simple loan to Sang Luo. It was a mutually beneficial partnership. The more tofu she made, the more they helped sell, resulting in higher profits for both.

After all, if she contributed to running the stall, the earnings were divided accordingly. Selling just two more pieces of tofu meant she could earn an extra coin.

Chen Popo calculated the profits clearly, realizing this was no longer about helping Sang Luo, but about helping herself!

Reflecting on Sang Luo's ability to sell over thirty pieces of tofu within an hour at Sanli Village's grand market, Chen Popo's enthusiasm instantly soared.

The old lady's willingness to support was undoubtedly beneficial for Sang Luo, who cheerfully said, “Even if you hadn’t offered, I would have brazenly come to borrow. I need a pair of buckets and, if possible, two smaller carrying baskets and a carrying pole. I now have two pottery basins at home. Carrying them by basket alone is challenging, but using a pole should be more effective.”

Chen Popo, seeing her well-thought-out plan, agreed, “Alright, we have all those. I’ll have your aunt accompany you to bring the items over.”

Sang Luo interrupted, “No need to bother, Granny. They're light when empty. I can carry them myself. Let’s decide on a day to go to the county town. We can bring the carrying pole from your house that day. Either you or Auntie can join me early in the morning to pick up the items from my place.”

After stacking the buckets and small baskets and shouldering them, Sang Luo bid farewell to Chen Popo and left.

Qin Fangniang emerged from the west room, confused, just in time to see Sang Luo carrying away their buckets and baskets, with Chen Popo herself escorting her out. When the old lady returned, Qin curiously asked, “Mother, what were you calling me for just now?”

What she really wanted to know was the purpose of Sang Luo's visit.

It wasn't Qin Fangniang's first time borrowing items, but her mother-in-law had never been so enthusiastic as to escort someone out of the courtyard.

Mrs. Chen's face was beaming with joy: "It's a good thing."

As she walked back inside, she said to her daughter-in-law who was following her, "Weren’t you envious of Sang Luo making money by setting up a stall? In a few days, I’ll let you go with her to set up a stall in town."

Qin Fangniang was baffled.

Mrs. Chen’s eyes twinkled with amusement, "She came over and asked us to help her set up a stall in town to sell fairy tofu. For every piece sold, she’ll give us half a coin."

Qin Fangniang’s eyes widened in surprise, "Half a coin for each piece sold? Mother, is this for real?"

Mrs. Chen glanced at her sideways, "Do you think I’d make up such a thing just to tease you?"

Qin Fangniang then broke into a smile, "It’s not that, mother. I just didn't expect such a good opportunity to come our way."

Thinking of how Sang Luo sold over thirty pieces in less than an hour at the market the day before yesterday, she knew this product would also sell well in town. Even without Sang Luo’s eloquence, she figured she could sell around thirty pieces, albeit taking a bit longer. That could earn her over ten coins in a day.

Even just earning ten coins would be worthwhile.

In those days, besides raising chickens and weaving, there weren’t many income-generating opportunities for women at home. The number of chickens one could raise was limited since livestock also required feed.

To Qin Fangniang, the task Sang Luo offered was like a pie falling from the sky, landing squarely in their lap, igniting a fiery excitement in her heart.

Mrs. Chen, seeing her daughter-in-law's beaming face, said, "If Sang Luo had enough strength, she wouldn’t have needed our help. When you go with her in a few days, pick the heavier loads yourself. Whatever she allocates for you to sell in town, you sell that amount. Don’t assume that just because you carried it, you have to sell it. If she buys something, help her carry it back too."

Qin Fangniang replied, "Mother, I understand."

Having said this, the old lady didn’t linger on the topic. She turned to fetch her daughter-in-law’s household registration book, preparing for Sang Luo's arrival so they could go together to get the travel permit from the village head.

Mrs. Chen had just found the registration book when she heard a loud wailing outside.

She hurried out, just as little Ya came running in. Seeing her grandmother, Ya’s eyes lit up, and she called out, "Grandma!" before running towards Mrs. Chen.

"Slow down, why are you running like that?" Mrs. Chen cautioned.

Mrs. Chen barely finished speaking when little Ya reached her, tugging at her sleeve, urging her to bend down.

Mrs. Chen instinctively bent over, about to ask what had happened outside, when she smelled a buttery fragrance. Something was suddenly stuffed into her mouth by little Ya.

Mrs. Chen immediately recognized it as pork crackling. The delicious treat was now in her mouth, already moistened with saliva. She was torn between spitting it out and savoring it, a real dilemma.

"Where did this come from?"

"Sister Ning gave it to me, and brother Ershan asked me to bring some back for you and mom to try."

“Did you thank your Aunt Ning? Why aren’t you eating it yourself?”

“I did thank her! Aunt Ning gave me four pieces. Brother didn’t eat his, so I saved one piece,” the little girl explained, rushing to Qin Fangniang and attempting to stuff the lard residue into her mother's mouth.

Qin Fangniang quickly turned her head away and blocked with her hand, “I won’t eat it, save it for yourself and your brother.”

While the mother and daughter gently refused each other, a commotion erupted next door, “Shen Ning got to eat pork lard residue, why can’t we have some? Mom, when are we rendering pork lard?”

Chen Popo clearly heard the unmistakable voice of Shen Jin; the two courtyard walls did little to muffle the sound.

Chen Popo looked at her granddaughter in puzzlement, “Did Shen Jin see you eating the pork lard residue?”

The little girl shrank her neck under her grandmother's gaze and confessed, “I took Ning to find Brother, but we didn’t know Shen Jin was playing in the reeds. He tried to snatch Ning’s bamboo tube of lard residue, so Brother just picked him up and moved him aside.”

She added quickly, “We didn’t hurt him, just moved him aside to stop him from bullying Sister Ning.”

It was a scene of effortlessly picking someone up.

Chen Popo could easily visualize the incident.

Fortunately, Shen Jin, focused only on food, wasn’t the type to make a fuss over a slight nudge; otherwise, he would have been throwing a tantrum somewhere else by now.

Indeed, Shen Jin’s attention was solely on the food. He watched Shen Ning, Chen Er from next door, and their little sister enjoying pork lard residue, standing just close enough to be tantalized by the aroma.

Unperturbed by Chen Er’s intervention, he was single-mindedly pestering his mother to buy meat for rendering lard residue.

Following behind, Shen Yin and Shen Tie, who were not even as tall as an adult's thigh, were also drooling and making a fuss.

"Are you sure those pork cracklings are Shen Ning's and not from the Chen family?"

Li Shi was skeptical.

Shen Jin asserted, "I heard it clear as day; they are Shen Ning's!"

Six-year-old Shen Yin and five-year-old Shen Tie also chimed in agreement.

Li Shi's eyes flashed with doubt. Thinking carefully, she realized she hadn't smelled any pork fat being rendered at the neighbor's in the past few days.

Frowning, she turned to Shen San, "Where did they get the money to buy pork?"

Since the day Shen San was publicly called out by Sang Luo in front of the neighbors and exposed by Mrs. Chen next door, he had lost face and had been irritable these past few days. Hearing about the eldest family's affairs only added to his annoyance.

"How should I know? Who knows how they got those things? They can't even afford grains, let alone pork."

Li Shi muttered to herself, "Indeed, they have been quite bold these days; those two kids haven't come begging for food."

Shen Jin, seeing his parents only concerned with their irrelevant chatter and not mentioning when they would buy pork, started wailing again, "Mom, I want meat, I want pork crackling!"

Li Shi, her ears ringing from the noise, snapped back, "Enough, stop your fussing! It's just pork crackling. We'll render some fat in our house too."

"When is 'eventually'? If we're going to render it anyway, do it tomorrow, Mom."

Li Shi, now irritated, retorted, "Who renders pork fat just like that? In this sweltering heat, do you think it won't spoil?"

Then there was another round of wailing and howling from next door, with the older ones leading the younger ones, almost loud enough to lift the roof.

Mrs. Chen: ...

"Well, now what? Crying over a piece of pork crackling, how will they cope in the future?"

Mrs. Chen chewed on the pork crackling in her mouth, savoring it, "Hmm, truly delicious."