Chapter 141: Listen to Your Mother

The Shen Family's Third Branch.

Shen Jin, accompanied by Shen Yin, rushed home like the wind, heading straight for the room where Li Shi was staying, driven by the sound of her heart-wrenching cough. Li Shi, unable to sleep at night, was listless during the day, spending most of her time in bed, resting whenever she wasn't coughing or wheezing.

"Mother, mother, look what we've brought back!"

Hearing the commotion, Li Shi coughed violently for a while before easing up and looking up at her sons. She saw them empty-handed but with bright eyes.

Confused, she watched as Shen Jin's eyes sparkled, and he pulled out a string of coins from his pocket, followed by a handful of copper coins, spreading them all over her blanket.

"Mother, look, money!"

Shen Jin's voice, though restrained, couldn't hide the excitement and thrill in its tone.

Li Shi sat up abruptly from her bed, a complete shift from her previously slumped posture: "Where did you get this money?"

Shen Jin's eyes curved into a smile, and before he could speak, Shen Yin excitedly interjected: "Mother, brother caught a pheasant! We sold it to a peddler and got a hundred and ten coins."

"How much?"

"One hundred and ten coins!" Shen Jin answered.

Li Shi's breathing quickened, turning into a coughing fit, but she disregarded it, pointing at the door: "Close the door. Where are Xiao Tie and Tian Ya?"

Confused, Shen Yin closed the door while Shen Jin shook his head: "Haven't seen them, they might be nearby gathering wild vegetables."

Li Shi heaved a sigh of relief: "Good, listen, you mustn’t let your father know about making money by trapping chickens. Xiao Tie and Tian Ya are too young, they might not keep it a secret. Don't tell them either."

No longer hiding her distrust of Shen San, Li Shi instructed Shen Yin in front of her older sons: "Stand in the courtyard, make some noise if someone comes."

Obediently, Shen Yin nodded, reopened the door, stepped out, closed it behind him, and stood guard in the yard.

Only then did Li Shi ask Shen Jin in detail about how he trapped the chicken and sold it to the peddler.

After hearing everything, Li Shi sighed: "That peddler is a good man. You should listen to him and trade for some grain."

Knowing her son had set traps for over ten days before catching the chicken, Li Shi realized how difficult it was to trap them. Although inexperience was a factor, it would improve over time. But she also knew they avoided venturing deep into the mountains, where chickens were scarce near the village.

When Shen Lian initially taught him how to trap chickens, it must have been to prepare for times when they had no choice but to venture deeper into the mountains.

Li Shi, not cruel enough to send her nine-year-old son into the depths of the mountains to trap chickens for her, advised Shen Jin: "Next time you catch a chicken, exchange it for grains, but not fine grains. Get some beans or similar, and hide them in the cave you and Shen Yin dug."

Shen San couldn't be relied upon. If he knew Shen Jin could trap chickens, he wouldn't care about the dangers of the mountains, focusing only on the money-making opportunity. And with money in hand, he'd be quick to swap it for fine grains.

The old peddler's words were true too; with the unpredictability of life, even if they stored beans, there were still months to go before harvest. Would peace follow the bean harvest?

Therefore, storing grains was the right move. With Shen San's character of avoiding hardship, storing grains at home was futile; Shen Jin and his siblings needed to hide them elsewhere.

Shen Jin somewhat understood his mother's intentions. His father's discontent with their wild vegetable diet was evident in his irritable behavior at home.

Still, Shen Jin said, "Mom, you should focus on getting better first. This constant coughing is worrisome, it scares me a bit."

What he was afraid of went unsaid, but both mother and son understood.

The fear was of losing Li Shi. With Shen San as he was, who could the siblings rely on?

Leaning back on the bed, Li Shi reassured him, "Don't worry, it's just a cough. Annoying, yes, but it won't kill me for another decade or so."

She coughed again, her body bending forward with the force, and took a while to recover, slowly sitting back up: "Listen to me, if you trap another chicken, do as we did today. Quietly find that peddler, but exchange for grains to store. Grains will be more useful than money in the future. Even for medical treatment, having grains ensures doctors won't refuse to treat me."

Li Shi regretted not buying grains earlier when the village head advised it, especially since she and Shen San had mocked the idea.

Her disdain stemmed from the initiative being led by Sang Luo and her close associates, and she preferred to be contrary for the sake of it.

Later, when Shen Lian returned, he reminded the villagers to buy grains. He didn't specifically exclude their family, but at that time, she was serving labor. Shen San, to avoid labor, pretended to be bedridden and didn’t go to buy. Later, when grain prices skyrocketed, she fought with Shen San upon returning home, but by then, it was too late for regrets.

Sometimes she even felt like this was their karma catching up.

Shen Jin brought a cup of water for his mother to soothe her throat, then said, “Mom, I’ll follow your advice and exchange for grains. But please, go see a doctor first.”

Li Shi smiled, touched by her son's filial piety. Despite relying on an unreliable husband, her children were devoted. Holding back a lump in her throat, she said, “Alright, but 100 wen won’t be enough. The cost of food and medicine has risen. I’m still managing now; save it up first. Once we have more, we’ll go for the treatment. But remember, prioritize storing grains; in times of chaos, they’re worth more than money.”

Shen Jin nodded repeatedly: “Okay, I’ll set more traps.”

He was about to leave.

Li Shi called him back: “Don’t venture deep into the mountains. Also, take these coins with you. Next time you see the peddler, exchange them for grains.”

Shen Jin looked at the coins, thought for a moment, and nodded: “Okay, I’ll hide them now. Tomorrow, if I meet the peddler, I’ll exchange them for beans.”

He put the pile of copper coins back into his pocket.

……

Meanwhile, Shen Lian and the others had already prepared another field in Yun Valley, sowing the rice seeds that Chen Popo and the others had soaked in advance.

This was their third day back in Yun Valley, and of course, Shen Lian still hadn't found time to make his bed.

The first day was spent carving a bathtub, the second day he was out fetching soil and shale. After returning, he didn't rush to set up the stove but spent half the night carefully carving the walls of the cleaning room.

By the third day, after finishing the farming tasks and continuing work in the afternoon, they managed to carve the cleaning room to fit both a bathtub and a toilet bowl, just in time for dinner.

In the afternoon, Sang Luo used a small piece of dried konjac stored from last year, grinding it into powder with a stone mortar to make vegetarian tripe.

A little of this konjac could produce a large pot; she had saved quite a lot last year, initially planning to supply it to Dongfu Tower. However, due to the refugee crisis, it was never delivered. Unable to carry the large jars, she packed the dried konjac in bags, stuffing in plenty of lime packets for preservation. Later, when she had time, Sang Luo intended to carve a few wooden barrels with lids for storage.

Since their arrival in Yun Valley, everyone initially lived together in the large cave, which was inconvenient. Later, when they lived separately and were busy, this was the first time she made vegetarian tripe. She distributed a small half-bowl to each family, not a large quantity, but enough to stir-fry with wild chives and wild leeks, making a small dish as an addition to the meal.

The Lu family received only one portion. As for Wang Chunniang's side, Sang Luo simply ignored her and directly gave it to Old Lady Lu.

When returning, she didn’t come empty-handed, bringing wild chives, wild leeks, dried mushrooms, and dried vegetables for everyone. Except for Wang Chunniang, who was somewhat ignorant, everyone else living in the valley was quite decent.

After dinner, the children gathered under the tree to read, while Shen Lian busied himself with laying shale in the cleaning room and arranging the drainage channel. Sang Luo went to help and heard Shen Lian say they had to leave early the next morning.

“It's our last trip to transport grains. I need to find a way to meet with Xu Zhanggui, so I might stay outside for an extra two or three days before returning. Don't worry if I'm late.”

Sang Luo was surprised: “Meet Xu Zhanggui? Weren't we supposed to check for any letters after transporting the grains periodically?”

“We were, but do you remember me telling you about relocating the grains from our first storage site?”

Sang Luo: “I remember, what about it?”

Shen Lian explained: “To hide those grains, Da Shan and I had to think hard. The method we came up with is great not just for hiding grains but also for people. Hidden inside, it should be safe from both humans and wild animals in the forest.”

“You want to teach this method to Xu Zhanggui?”

Shen Lian nodded: “Yes, I thought with the outside world becoming chaotic, knowing this method would greatly increase the chances of survival for those who can flee into the woods.”

Sang Luo, curious, turned to Shen Lian and wondered: "What method did you use that worked so well?"

Shen Lian thought for a moment and said, "It's also about digging a hole, but with some additional techniques. The entrance is made larger, big enough for a person and barely enough for food to pass through, yet it can be completely camouflaged. From the outside, it blends seamlessly with the rocks and vegetation, making it hard to detect."

He found it difficult to describe, which was why he wanted to meet with Manager Xu personally and show him how to do it.

Sang Luo struggled to visualize what Shen Lian described but trusted his judgment. Curiously, she asked, "If it's such a quick trip of just two or three days, Manager Xu might not even receive the message by then. Do you have another way to contact him swiftly?"

"Yes, the Xu family has an old servant who disguises himself as a peddler and travels to Shili Village daily. One reason is to look after Shen Jin and the others; the second is to provide a way for me to quickly contact Manager Xu if needed. All I have to do is wait for him halfway up the mountain."

"I see," Sang Luo smiled. "Manager Xu is always thorough in his arrangements."

Having a specific method to communicate with the outside world from their mountain hideout was beneficial. It kept them informed about external affairs and provided a means to seek help for issues they couldn't resolve within the mountain.

Recalling a recent letter from Manager Xu about Shen Jin's situation, Sang Luo suggested to Shen Lian, "Since you're going near Shili Village and will teach Manager Xu the method, you might as well teach Shen Jin. On the way, hunt some game to make jerky for him. Given their current family situation, it won't be easy for them to save up any food."

With the limited resources in the valley, it wasn't feasible to send anything to Shen Jin, but the abundance of the wilderness outside offered a solution for stashing some provisions for the children.

Shen Lian nodded with a smile, "I had planned to do that. The burrow I initially taught him to dig is not as safe as this new method, so I'll quietly take him into the mountains to teach him. I'll also get him some meat along the way."

As for whether Shen Jin would share the food with his parents, Shen Lian didn't want to dwell on that anymore. He felt he had done his part for Shen Jin and the others; how they chose to share with their parents was their own decision.