Chapter 16

"What reputation? Too aggressive? Disrespectful to elders?"

Sang Luo sighed, "Granny, I'm now a widow, a fifteen-year-old widow. I have to raise little An and Ah Ning. Having a formidable reputation would be beneficial."

"In just over a day since Sang Luo arrived, she had already noticed that the old lady, despite her stern words, had a soft heart and was kind, which is why she felt inclined to explain things more clearly."

"As for disrespecting elders, even little Shen Jin could demand food while mentioning little An and Ah Ning. Today, I realized he's just mimicking Aunt. As for respecting an unkind elder, I truly can't bring myself to do it. Let the reputation be whatever it may."

"It's not that I underestimate the importance of reputation in ancient times, but Shen San and Mrs. Li's actions, one after another, cross my bottom line. I can't respect such people."

"Being tactful and adaptable depends on the situation and the person involved. In the case of Shen San and Mrs. Li, I'm not willing to compromise my own principles just to maintain a good reputation."

"Moreover, the original host followed Mrs. Li here knowing her situation, hoping for a way to survive. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Li's intention in bringing her back was different, leading to a tragic end of dying from illness and hunger. Now, relying on this body to survive, how can I pretend to have a harmonious relationship with Mrs. Li, disregarding the original host's fate?"

"And I believe that over time, I will manage to improve my life. With people like Shen San and Mrs. Li, it's better to make things clear early. Everyone will know what to expect in the future."

"Old Lady Chen felt a pang in her heart upon hearing 'a fifteen-year-old widow'."

"She had taken care of Sang Luo these past few days, mainly out of consideration for the children, Shen An and Shen Ning. But now, she truly felt a sense of pity for Sang Luo."

"Such a hard life."

"Thinking of Shen San and his wife's behavior: 'Well, it's good that these things were brought into the open today. It'll prevent them from using their status as elders to oppress you in the future.'"

"This was an acknowledgment of Sang Luo's principles and way of handling things."

"As Sang Luo was about to leave, the old lady called her back: 'Wait a moment.'"

"Sang Luo looked her way and saw the old lady's cheeks twitch slightly before she asked, 'How will you transport the sugar water to the market?'"

"Sang Luo smiled and replied, 'I'll take a clay pot with me, pour it directly into it, and carry it on my back with a carrying basket.'"

"After hearing this, the old lady didn't say much. She just waved her hand and said, 'Alright, go back to your work.'"

"Sang Luo bid farewell to the old lady and headed home. The shrimp porridge without ginger and rice wine would soon lose its freshness, and besides, the big market was the next day. She had a lot of preparations to make."

"Watching her leave, the old lady muttered to herself, 'That won't even be enough for the journey.'"

……

"A day passed in the blink of an eye."

"The next morning marked the day of the big local market."

"For their first time selling 'Fairy Tofu', Sang Luo and the two little ones took it very seriously. In the mountains of August, the days were still hot. To ensure the freshness of the ingredients, apart from the leaves picked in the evening, Sang Luo got up in the middle of the night to make the Fairy Tofu."

"Of course, the two little ones couldn't sleep either, bustling about, carrying water and handing over spoons."

"Though the plan was to split one bucket into two for sale, in reality, given the scarcity of everything at home, it was impossible to make too little."

"The big market only came once every five days, and their business was a no-capital venture. Not trying to make the most of the mountain's resources would be a waste."

"As for carrying two buckets of Fairy Tofu, Sang Luo thought it was just a matter of gritting her teeth and enduring it."

"After simmering for most of the night and making two batches, she filled four large clay pots. Just as dawn was breaking, the second batch solidified perfectly. Sang Luo used a bamboo knife to cut them into neat squares, packing thirty-two pieces into two wooden buckets borrowed from the Chen family. Even the trimmings weren’t wasted but were included for tasting samples at the market."

"It's one thing to imagine, but when it actually came to lifting those buckets of tofu, Sang Luo clenched her teeth in vain..."

"So heavy! This stuff was seriously solid."

"In her last life, especially in the later years due to health reasons, Sang Luo rarely engaged in strenuous tasks. And the original owner of her current body, even after months of hardship, had lived a life so pampered before the floods, always waited on hand and foot, hardly someone used to heavy labor."

"From the mountains to the village, even before reaching the village entrance, Sang Luo's shoulders began to ache, and walking became laborious, a sight that terrified her little brother-in-law, Shen An, and his sister, Shen Ning."

"‘Sister-in-law, how about I go back and get another clay pot? We can split some into our baskets,’ Shen An suggested."

"Their sister-in-law had just recovered from a serious illness, nearly losing her life, and had only been recuperating for a couple of days."

"Initially confident in her strength, Sang Luo began to doubt herself after walking just a short distance. It seemed her current body was much frailer than in her previous life."

"It wasn’t just a matter of poor health; she had been overly pampered from childhood, rarely even walking much, let alone engaging in physical labor, leaving her with little stamina."

"However, the two little ones weren’t empty-handed either. Each carried a basket on their back; Shen An’s contained a relatively heavier clay pot and several bamboo tubes made hastily the day before, filled with sugar water and clean water for washing hands at the market."

"Yes, these were the hastily made bamboo tubes, not crafted by Sang Luo, but by the old lady’s son, Chen Youtian, as arranged by Sang Luo when she went to fetch the buckets in the evening."

"Shen Ning, on the other hand, carried a basket half-filled with washed and dried lotus leaves."

"In ancient times, there were no plastic bags, so Sang Luo couldn't just sell her goods and expect people to carry them home in their hands. After much thought, she had walked a considerable distance yesterday evening to a wild pond to gather over thirty lotus leaves, along with several dozen smaller leaves suitable for makeshift tasting cups."

"Considering the small stature of her younger brother and sister, and worried about stunting their growth with more weight, Sang Luo bit her lip in determination: 'No more fussing, I should be able to make it if I rest a few times along the way.'"

"As they were talking, someone up ahead called out, 'Is that little An?'"

"'Uncle Youtian!' Shen An exclaimed excitedly, running forward. 'Uncle Youtian, it’s me! What are you doing here? Are you also heading to the market?'"

"Chen Youtian looked at the little one, then at Sang Luo behind, struggling under her load, thinking to himself that his mother had predicted this."

"He nodded, 'I'm also heading to the market to sell some things. Your granny asked me to wait here for you, fearing your sister-in-law couldn't carry the load for six or seven miles. I'm here to lend a hand and watch over you at the market.'"

"The last part of his statement was meant for Sang Luo, who was approaching with her load."

"In fact, his mother's exact words were: 'That Sang woman is as thin as a stick, yet so ambitious. Two buckets? I bet she’ll collapse halfway! I’m sending you to the market early with our eggs to make some money. Wait at the village entrance, and if you see them, help her with her load. Keep an eye on her at the market too. It’s the least we can do after eating her half bowl of fish.'"

"Wasn't it exactly as she had predicted?"

"Without even reaching halfway, Chen Youtian noticed that Sang Luo was already exhausted before even reaching the village entrance."

"For the rest of the journey, Sang Luo’s bamboo shoulder pole was carried by Chen Youtian, while Sang Luo held his basket of eggs."

"Though he referred to it as a basket, Sang Luo saw that it contained only about a dozen eggs."

"Either the Chen family didn’t have many chickens, and with the hot weather, they were worried about the eggs spoiling, necessitating the trip for just a dozen, or they didn’t need to go to the market today and were only doing so to help her."

"Considering that the old lady had silently arranged for Uncle Youtian to make several new bamboo tubes for her yesterday, the latter seemed highly likely."

"Feeling grateful, Sang Luo found that any words of thanks seemed too superficial at the moment. Her normally sweet-talking mouth became uncharacteristically earnest as she simply said, 'Thank you for the trouble, Uncle Youtian.'"

"In her heart, she resolved to foster a good relationship with the Chen family, knowing the saying, 'A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor.' In comparison to her close but indifferent Uncle Shen San's family, the elderly Mrs. Chen, a mere neighbor, seemed far more valuable."

"Chen Youtian chuckled, 'Let's go, getting a good spot at the market means getting there early.'"

"While carrying the load, he glanced at the green lotus leaves in Shen Ning’s basket, 'Are these lotus leaves for wrapping the Fairy Tofu?'"

"Before Sang Luo could respond, Shen Ning eagerly nodded and went on to explain how Sang Luo had found the smaller leaves for tasting, proudly adding to Chen Youtian, 'My sister-in-law knows so much!'"

"Hearing the details of the tasting setup, Chen Youtian nodded in approval along with Shen Ning’s remarks, 'That's quite well-organized.'"

"The six or seven-mile journey passed quickly amidst the excited chatter of Shen An and Shen Ning. They started out in the dim light of dawn, and by the time they reached the market, the day had brightened considerably."

"The so-called big market was actually a marketplace in a centrally located large village in Qingpu Township, facilitating exchange among the surrounding villages."

"‘This place is called Sanli Village, named for being three miles from the county seat. Several villages along our route are named after their distance from the county seat, like Sanli Village, Wuli Village, Qili Village, Shili Village.’"

"Sang Luo realized only then how close the big market was to the county seat, finding it intriguing. She asked, 'Didn’t we pass more than two villages on the way? What about the other villages?'"

"Chen Youtian replied with a smile, 'Many others are clan-based settlements named after family surnames, and some are named after the local geography or landmarks.'"

"Sang Luo absorbed this new information as they entered Sanli Village. By now, the market was bustling with early arrivals. The villagers who lived closer had already secured their spots, displaying their goods on shoulder poles, in baskets, tied with straw ropes, or even just laid out on the ground. There were all sorts of arrangements."

"Shen An and Shen Ning were wide-eyed with fascination. The last time the siblings had been to the market was when Shen Lie was still around."

"Shen An scanned the market and pointed to a spot near an intersection, 'Sister-in-law, there are more stalls over there, and it’s by the intersection. Should we set up our stall there?'"

"After asking, he realized that his sister-in-law was unfamiliar with the area and turned, along with the two children, to look at Chen Youtian for guidance."