Chapter 96: You Call Yourself an Uncle?

To Sang Luo, Shen Lie existed only as two characters in their family registry.

Yet, these characters, which she seldom even remembered, had suddenly and abruptly materialized before her eyes.

He bowed slightly, sincerely thanking her for taking care of Shen An and Shen Ning, two children whom, after months of being together, Sang Luo had come to consider as her own to protect.

Sang Luo was somewhat bewildered. It felt as though she had painstakingly built a bridge, and just as she reached the middle, someone appeared claiming to be the owner of the bridge's foundation and planks. He looked at the completed bridge with satisfaction and gratitude, bowing to thank her for helping construct it.

His gratitude seemed genuine, and he appeared to be an upright person, unlikely to harm her. But how to describe that feeling?

It was as if the bridge she had laboriously built had suddenly changed ownership. He could allow her to cross it freely, but he also had the power to remove its planks at any time, as the bridge, which she had built, nominally and legally belonged to him.

In reality, this bridge could represent the home, the house she had diligently built, the nest where she had established herself in this world.

This feeling was truly unprecedented and unpleasant.

Yet, she couldn't direct her anger at him. She knew that this emotion could only be described as displaced anger because this was originally Shen Lie's home, and Shen An and Shen Ning were his siblings. Instead, it was she who was the rootless driftweed, reliant on his status and household registration, transitioning from a refugee to a lawful citizen, and finding her footing in this little straw hut on the mountainside of Shili Village.

Sang Luo thought, if Shen Lie had returned earlier, when she first arrived in this world, she would have sought a way to leave, unable to accept being married to a completely unknown man, or rather, a young man she knew nothing about.

Yet, she also knew that no one was to blame, not even fate, as it had granted her the chance to live again. With such a gift, how could she harbor any complaints, only gratitude?

She sighed deeply, nodded in acceptance of his thanks, and then fell silent.

Fortunately, the main house was close to the kitchen. Shen An and Shen Ning had already brought over stools and set the table with bowls and chopsticks.

Shen Ning, radiating happiness, arranged the stools and eagerly beckoned her brother to sit at the table, her eyes bright with joy.

She was immersed in the joy of her big brother’s return, not yet contemplating anything else. At nine years old, she wasn’t inclined to think too deeply.

But what Shen Ning didn't understand, Shen Lie did. He could clearly see the young woman's distress, confusion, and discomfort.

A mere glance around the room revealed an old bed, a new bed, both covered with brand new, thick bedding, clearly comfortable and warm.

On the outer shelves were bags filled with unknown contents, but Shen Lie guessed they were stores of grain, carefully preserved.

From entering the courtyard to this room, and seeing the food on the table, Shen Lie had to admit that she had managed the home exceptionally well, better than he could have done even two years prior.

Zhou Village Chief had said she married into the family half a month before the two households split, so it had been just half a year.

To manage and build such a household in just half a year must have been extremely hard. To her, he likely appeared as someone who had returned just to reap the benefits.

Shen Lie felt uneasy. He cleared his throat subconsciously and said to Shen Ning, “Big brother has been rushing back, I’m too dirty to sit at the table.”

Turning to Shen An who had the bowls and chopsticks, Shen Lie said, "Shen An, could you get me some food? I'll eat standing outside."

At this statement, both Shen An and Shen Ning paused in surprise, and Sang Luo looked up at Shen Lie. Their eyes met, and he offered her a friendly smile.

There was a resemblance in his eyes and brows to Shen An.

Sang Luo: ……

She suddenly felt like the villain.

Standing up, she said, “Please, sit down and eat. There might not be enough food, so you eat. I’ll go make myself some noodle soup. You siblings haven’t seen each other for years, you must have a lot to talk about. Enjoy your meal and conversation.”

Saying this, she got up to head to the kitchen.

Hearing that his sister-in-law was going to cook something else, Shen Ning hurriedly offered to help: “Big sister-in-law, let me help you with the fire.”

Sang Luo gently insisted with a smile, “Sit and eat your meal, and talk with your brother. I can manage this easily.”

Besides, she felt somewhat superfluous in the room. She believed Shen Lie probably wanted to catch up on everything that had happened during his absence, including the split of the Shen family and her unexpected role as his wife. These matters she preferred not to involve herself in, leaving the siblings to explain to him.

Shen Lie stood by the door, stepping back outside to give Sang Luo space as she passed.

What caught Sang Luo’s attention, however, was his attire – he wore only a thin undershirt beneath animal skins, perhaps wolf or some other type, that seemed to be his only source of warmth, wrapped around his body and tied at the waist with a coarse rope. He also carried a large bundle on his back.

Fortunately, although he appeared travel-worn, he wasn't particularly dirty or emitting any strange odors.

In just the brief moment they passed each other, aside from these observations, she didn’t notice anything else, proceeding straight to the kitchen, leaving the main house to Shen Lie and his siblings.

Shen An, observant as always, noticed that his sister-in-law might be feeling uncomfortable and probably wouldn't come back to the main house for a while, so he hurriedly carried the stool she had been sitting on to her in the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, he saw Sang Luo adding wood to the still-smoldering stove. He placed the stool down and cautiously approached, turning his words over in his mouth before saying, “Big sister-in-law, my big brother is really a good person, don’t feel uneasy.”

Sang Luo was somewhat surprised, then chuckled. It made sense – Shen An had always been perceptive and sensitive.

She nodded with a smile: “Alright, I’m just not used to it yet. And I thought you might have things to discuss. Go back and eat. I’ll eat here in a bit, and later I’ll boil some water for your big brother to clean up.”

From what she remembered, the imperial army’s large-scale deployment over the past two years was in the northeastern part of the Da Qian Dynasty, traversing half the country to return here, through several northern provinces, all of which were now under lockdown. Sang Luo wondered how he managed to return, and whether he had passed through any infected areas. It would be best for him to have a thorough wash.

The thought of having only one bathtub and one livable room in the house made her start to worry.

Shen An didn’t realize she was worrying so far ahead. Hearing that she was just unfamiliar with his big brother and was even willing to boil water for him to wash, his half-lifted heart eased, and he happily replied, “Then I’ll go back first.”

Waiting for Sang Luo's nod, he quickly ran back to the main house.

……

Inside the main house, Shen Lie had already taken a seat at the table. Although the conversation between Sang Luo and Shen An wasn’t loud, the quiet of the mountains, coupled with the proximity of the main house and kitchen, meant that Shen Lie heard everything, despite not intending to listen.

When Shen An returned, the three siblings sat together, eating becoming secondary to the many things Shen Lie wanted to know.

Continuous low murmurs filled the room, which Sang Luo chose not to disturb. She prepared some simple noodle dough and cooked a small bowl for herself. Halfway through eating, she noticed some unusual movement from the main house. Looking out the window, she saw Shen Lie, who should have been eating, quickly leaving the house and heading straight out of the yard.

Sang Luo: ?????

Soon after, Shen An and Shen Ning also came out of the main house. Sang Luo, putting down her bowl, stepped out of the kitchen and asked, “What happened?”

Shen An blinked: “We told big brother about how you came here, the separation of the household, and how you almost starved before…”

“Big Brother's expression was terrible at the time. He set down his bowl and abruptly said he was stepping out, then left.”

Sang Luo arched an eyebrow and smiled, “It's alright, you two keep eating.”

“Some people are about to face misfortune. Considering Shen Jin and the others, I won't rush to join the excitement, but just thinking about Shen San probably getting a good scolding makes me quite happy!”

“I'm not at all worried about Shen Lian being unable to handle Shen San. Shen Lian, I don’t know how he grew so tall at only eighteen, almost nineteen. He's really tall, at least 188 cm, and not just skinny tall. Perhaps it’s from his life-and-death experiences on the battlefield. Anyway, he has this deliberately restrained sharpness about him.”

“His face still has a youthful look, deceiving in a way. Just considering his build and presence, when I walked past him earlier, if he hadn't stepped back, I would have felt quite intimidated.”

“Shen An and Shen Ning seem to know what their big brother is up to and share my thoughts. Considering our younger cousins, they decided not to add to the commotion. Just knowing Uncle Three is in for it makes them quite cheerful.”

……

Shen Lie, upon learning of the harsh life his siblings endured, became furious. His anger, previously calmed by seeing the children well and distracted by Sang Luo's matters, reignited. He headed straight to his uncle Shen San's house after descending the mountain.

Since winter's onset, Shen San had been mostly confined to his bed, emerging only to cook meals. His laziness was such that he would stay in bed rather than sit up, despite having adequate clothing.

One day, hearing cries and shouts outside, Shen San considered investigating but chose to stay in bed due to the cold. He thought of sending his sons, but they were not at home.

Listening more intently, he realized it wasn't a matter of danger but mere curiosity. He opted for the warmth of his bed over satisfying his curiosity.

However, his rest was short-lived. Suddenly, his door was kicked open with a loud bang, striking the mud wall and sending clumps of dried mud scattering.

As Shen San realized who had kicked the door open, his first reaction was disbelief. As he stammered in shock, he was grabbed by his collar and punched in the face.

Villagers gathered to watch the commotion from a distance heard Shen San's pig-like screams: "Shen Lie! I'm your uncle!"

"Uncle? You dare to call yourself an uncle? You think you're worthy of that title?"

Then followed the sound of fists meeting flesh and Shen San's continuous, pitiful screams for mercy: "Stop, please stop, it hurts... it's going to kill me... Ahh! Ahh!"

Shen San regretted his choices; he should have just dutifully served outside. Then he wouldn't have had to suffer this beating today!

A crowd gathered in the yard, drawn by the commotion. Even the neighboring Chen family, who had just been reunited, hurried out to see, old and young alike.

Shen San was dragged out by Shen Lie like a chicken, then thrown onto the ground.

Shen Lie addressed the villagers gathered in the yard, “Witness this, I, Shen Lie, at the age of sixteen, was sent to the battlefield in place of my third uncle. They, hearing of my supposed death, brought back a wife for me and kicked out our main family branch with only two bags of grain, nearly starving us to death.”

“I, Shen Lie, have survived and returned. This beating is just to vent my fury. From today onwards, there is no connection between our main Shen family branch and the third branch. I no longer recognize any third uncle or aunt.”

At this point, he glanced sideways at Shen San, cowering on the ground: “You call yourselves uncle and aunt? You don’t deserve it!”

The crowd of onlookers had mixed reactions, some cheering, some discussing. Shen Lie didn’t care. He glanced at Chen Dashan who had just entered and then walked out of the Shen family's courtyard.

Chen Dashan had just returned home. At the village entrance, his father and grandfather had rushed to him, especially his father, who embraced him and cried pitifully. Soon, his grandmother, mother, and younger siblings joined them, creating a scene of tears and laughter. He hadn't heard the conversation between Zhou Village Chief and Shen Lie.

In the brief time since his return, the family was still sharing stories of his absence and hadn’t asked about anything else. He was unaware of the separation of Shen An and Shen Ning until hearing Shen Lie's revelation, leaving him shocked. Seeing Shen San curled up on the ground, he was so furious he nearly kicked him himself.

“Shen Lie went to war in your place, nearly dying several times, and you couldn’t even bear to raise Shen An and Shen Ning properly. Have you no conscience at all?”

Saying this, he spat in disgust and left to catch up with Shen Lie.

Shen Lie hadn't gone far, just a short distance outside the courtyard. Seeing Chen Dashan coming out, he said, “I'll quickly tidy up at home and will be at your place in an hour. Please also invite Uncle Zhou and the Shi and Lu families. We need to inform everyone about the situation in the north so that they can prepare early.”

Chen Dashan nodded in agreement. As Shen Lie was about to leave, he quickly grabbed him, asking, “Did you just say your third uncle and aunt arranged a marriage for you?”

Thinking about the reason his third uncle had arranged his marriage, as told by Shen An, Shen Lie’s jaw tightened. Then, thinking of the well-arranged courtyard on the hillside and the woman living there, his resentment turned into gratitude, a mix of complex emotions.

He nodded, unsure of what to say about this person he hardly knew, and vaguely replied, “Yeah, I’ll talk about it later. I need to head back now.”

As Shen Lie was about to walk away, he remembered the conversation he overheard between Shen An and her, particularly her offer to heat water for him to wash.

Subconsciously raising his hand to his nose, he asked Chen Dashan, “I don’t have any unpleasant smell on me, do I?”

Moving through the mountains, cleanliness was hard to maintain, and he was worried he might not detect his own odor.

However, four days ago, they had found a hunter’s cabin in the deep mountains with a large kettle for boiling water, where they had managed to clean themselves. It was winter now, so he shouldn't be too dirty, right?