Chapter 42

"Every day at noon, Shen An and Shen Ning quietly pick the leaves of the magical tree. Sang Luo's first task after lunch at the Chen family is to make sour date cake."

"Because of the two Hu cakes, the children behind the grass hut were invigorated as if energized, and became especially curious about Sister-in-Law Sang Luo, who actually bought them Hu cakes."

"Naturally, as curious as they were and as much as they wanted to get closer, the children were shy and timid, and none dared to approach her."

"This situation wasn't exclusive to the two new kids; in fact, except for Shen An and Shen Ning, and Chen Ershan who had eaten the cakes and gone to dig and carry mud, the rest were similarly reserved, particularly Shen Jin."

"Shen Jin hadn't forgotten the delicious taste of the Hu cakes. Seeing Sang Luo return, he was restless as if he had ants in his pants, sneaking glances at her, only to see her ignoring him and going straight into the grass hut."

"Shen Jin's feet shuffled... but only slightly, almost as if he hadn't moved at all."

"But who is Shen An? He immediately spotted Shen Jin's little scheme and pulled him back from his half-step forward."

"'What are you up to? Stick to your work or go back to your house. Anyway, don't go over there. My sister-in-law has been up since dawn to go to the county and is very tired now. She needs rest, and you must not disturb her.'"

"In fact, Shen An knew very well that his sister-in-law was going to process those sour dates that afternoon."

"How could sour dates be turned into something delicious? Shen An pondered several times but couldn't imagine it."

"But that was his sister-in-law's family recipe, and he couldn't let Shen Jin, that simpleton, barge in and see, so Shen An was particularly vigilant in keeping an eye on him."

"Shen Jin continued to hoe the ground and pick out stones with a sense of frustration. He actually didn't dare to approach her."

"He just wanted to show his loyalty to Sister-in-Law Sang Luo, to familiarize her with him and change the poor impression he had previously made on her."

"Not going was fine. Sister-in-Law Sang Luo was quite formidable when she was serious, and he didn't dare to disturb her."

"Sang Luo was indeed making sour date cakes. With many prying eyes outside, she didn't come out but prepared two large round sieves for drying the cakes, fetched two buckets of water into the house, and processed all the subsequent steps with the door of the grass hut closed."

"Making sour date cake was not difficult. While living in the mountains, it was a snack Sang Luo made for herself every year when sour dates ripened. She made a good amount, dried them, and sealed them in boxes – a nutritious, clean, and delicious snack, with absolutely reliable ingredients, which became one of her favorite treats."

"Now in a different place, Sang Luo was adept at making sour date cakes. Washing, boiling, peeling, removing pits, and then gradually kneading in the melted malt sugar, the sour date cake was practically finished. It required more labor than skill."

"She took out the sieves prepared in the morning, and placed handfuls of the mixture onto them. While it was still moist and soft, she gently shaped them into small round cakes with her hands."

"Covering two full sieves densely, after packing away the peels and pits, Sang Luo finally opened the door and stepped out."

"Lacking a drying rack, and with every chair in the house used to prop the bed planks, she chose two trees with suitable branches to serve as a natural drying rack. After testing a large stone for stability and reach, she carried the sieves out and set them up. In three days, the sour date cakes would be ready."

"Lu Dalang and Shi Erlang, who had just returned with mud, only saw Sang Luo setting something up in the tree branches to dry, but they couldn't tell what it was."

"Both had the decency not to pry, assuming it was probably unsold ferns or something similar. Their wives also dried ferns annually, saving them for winter when soaked in water as a delightful dish."

"After finishing these tasks, Sang Luo took an empty basket, tied up her trouser legs, sprinkled some snake repellent powder, and geared up to head into the mountains."

"Having found sour dates, she didn't rush to borrow a hoe from the Chen family to dig for konjac. With over a dozen people around the house, processing sour dates indoors was feasible, but konjac was not as convenient. Anyway, there was no rush in these few days, so she decided to wait until the house construction was completed."

"After instructing Shen An and Shen Ning, and greeting Shi Erlang and the others, Sang Luo entered the mountains."

"Taking the same path as yesterday, Sang Luo went deeper into the woods. She removed the sour date peels wrapped in lotus leaves from her basket and buried them in a loose, leaf-enriched soil patch, simply digging a small hole with a stone axe."

"As for the seeds, sour date kernels are a type of medicinal herb with several processing methods, one of which involves drying. However, drying them at home was not suitable; while people might not recognize the finished sour date cakes, the kernels were easily identifiable."

"Everyone in the village had eaten sour dates before. In Sang Luo’s region, the southern sour date is also known as 'Wuyan fruit', and the kernels have a very distinct appearance."

"Therefore, Sang Luo decided not to process them at all. She planned to wash and dry them in the evening, pack them in a cloth bag, and inquire at the pharmacy in town the next day about selling them."

"Sang Luo continued to gather sour dates in the forest. Nature’s bounty should be fully utilized, especially during the ripe season of the fruits."

"Having spent considerable time making sour date cakes, by the time Sang Luo gathered a basket full of sour dates and returned, it was already dinner time. The bustling area around the grass hut had quieted down, with only Shen An and Shen Ning still busy outside, waiting for her."

"On seeing Sang Luo's return, the siblings breathed a sigh of relief, put down their hoes, and greeted her."

"Big Sister, did you go far?"

"As it was a foray into the mountains, and it was getting dark with no sign of her, the siblings were understandably worried."

"Sang Luo smiled, 'It was okay, just a bit deeper than yesterday.'"

"Shen Ning frowned with concern, 'Big Sister, don’t go too deep into the forest when it gets late. It's dangerous in the mountains at night.'"

"'Alright, I'll be careful next time.' Sang Luo reassured them warmly, looking around, 'Has everyone gone for dinner? Why didn’t you two join them?'"

"Shen An smiled, 'We're not hungry. We just wanted to wait for you.'"

"He tiptoed to peek into the basket behind Sang Luo, whispering, 'Is that wild vegetables on top? Are the sour dates underneath?'"

"Shen Ning, also excited, pointed towards the side of the house, 'Have the ones you picked yesterday been processed this afternoon?'"

"Both she and her brother saw the large winnowing basket placed high in the tree, curious yet unable to see due to their short stature."

"Sang Luo laughed and nodded, 'It needs three more days of sun-drying. I'll make another batch tonight and let you two taste the fresh sour date cake. However, we can't call it that to others; we need to come up with a different name.'"

"Otherwise, it would give away the ingredients."

"Both siblings nodded in unison, making a mental note to never reveal the true name of the product to outsiders, even if they end up selling it at home."

"Shen Ning, initially regretting not seeing how the sour date cake was made in the afternoon, now brightened up upon hearing that a new batch would be made that night, especially since they would get to taste it: 'Are we really going to eat some?'"

"Malt sugar was expensive, and Sang Luo had even bought them Hu bing (a type of bread) that day."

"'Of course, why wouldn't I give my own homemade food to you? Come on, clean up and wash your hands for dinner. I’ll need to borrow a few more winnowing baskets from your Aunt Chen tonight so we can process this whole basket of sour dates.'"

"They didn’t want to leave for fear that the Chen family might be waiting for them to start dinner."

"Upon hearing about making more date cakes in the evening, the siblings were invigorated and quickly went to wash their hands."

"Sang Luo also placed the basket back inside the house."

"As they were about to leave, already outside the house, Shen An suddenly stopped: 'Big sister, I'll stay at home, can you bring my meal back?'"

"In Shen An’s view, their home wasn’t just making fairy tofu anymore, but also sour date cakes. These were crucial for their future livelihood. With a basket full of sour dates inside, what if someone from the village sneaked in and found them? Then people would guess what they were using to make the sour date cakes."

"Shen An was extremely protective of his big sister’s recipes, almost to the point of being overly cautious."

"Having thought this through, he decided not to wait for Sang Luo's reply, 'That’s settled then, Big Sister. You and Ning go eat. Just bring some food back for me.'"

"Sang Luo understood the boy’s concerns and felt reassured. When she first arrived, she was in dire poverty."

"Indeed, they were still poor, spending almost all the money they made on food and household items. She didn’t save much to avoid drawing attention, buying just enough food daily, without storing any surplus."

"Thus, Sang Luo currently hasn't saved up even a hundred coins in her purse."

"Waking up at midnight to make fairy tofu, leaving the house before dawn to set up the stall, walking twenty li to and fro every day – it sounds simple in just a few words, but the daily repetition is truly exhausting."

"Yet, these two children are so understanding and caring that Sang Luo feels her efforts aren’t in vain. Despite their small stature and limited strength, they give their all for this family, protecting and supporting both the household and her."

"Sang Luo, who had always been alone, only after becoming Sang Luo in this world did she realize the feeling of having family and companions through these two unrelated children."

"She patted Shen An's head, 'Alright, thank you for your effort, little An. I’ll bring you some food later.'"

"Was that a compliment?"

"Moreover, this 'our little An' was the first time Shen An had heard such affectionate words from his big sister."

"The child felt a surge of excitement."

"Though young, Shen An was not really that young, especially having lost his parents early and then his elder brother. As an elder brother himself, he needed to protect his younger sister, maturing earlier than his peers."

"Shen An understood certain things. For instance, he knew his big sister was only taken in by his third aunt in exchange for half a bag of grain, and she hadn't truly married his elder brother. He had seen marriages in the village, where the couple wore wedding clothes and worshiped heaven and earth. Only then was it considered a true marriage."

"Therefore, if Sister-in-law really insisted, she actually wouldn't be obliged to take care of him and his sister."

"Deep down, Shen An knew this, and he had felt fear and uncertainty in his heart."

"But Sister-in-law never thought of abandoning them. Not when they were so hungry they could only eat chaff, and not now either. These days, she’s been genuinely kind to him and his sister."

"However, this heartfelt closeness, the feeling that 'we truly are a family,' Shen An only clearly realized just now."

"He was a bit excited, so much so that his tongue seemed to tie itself in knots, and for a while, he struggled to find the right words: 'I’m not the one who's having a hard time, Sister-in-law is the one who’s really struggling.'"

"That joyful and eager feeling of wanting to please or be close to someone, Shen An couldn’t quite put it into words, he just smiled with his eyes curved, urging, 'Sister-in-law, you should go now.'"

"He thought that, with nothing else to do later, he would wash all the fairy tree leaves, so that Sister-in-law would have less work to do when she returned in the evening."