Chapter 36

In the end, Shen Jin couldn’t find out from Chen Ershan how the hu cake actually tasted.

Chen Ershan was a man of few words; he just grunted in response, and that was it.

Shen Jin waited impatiently, and when Shen Ning finally went inside with Sang Luo, and Shen An returned to his hoeing, ignoring the envious Chen Xiaoyi trailing behind him, Shen Jin pulled Shen An aside, asking eagerly, “Shen An, is there any hu cake left?”

Growing up together, Shen An knew Shen Jin all too well. He had anticipated this situation as soon as Xiaoyi mentioned the hu cake.

How could he escape this now that he claimed there was no more oil dregs for the day? Could Shen Jin start showing up here every day?

Shen An just sighed inwardly, his shoulders drooping. With a wooden expression, he said, “No, there isn’t any left. It was just a tiny piece, and we three had it for lunch yesterday.”

Hearing the word "yesterday," Shen Jin felt deflated, even forgetting to consider their lunch.

After all, lunch wasn't a common meal in the countryside.

His focus was entirely on the words "no more."

Shen Jin perked up suddenly and looked towards the grass hut, his eyes shining with anticipation. “Shen An, did our sister-in-law buy any hu cake today?”

Amused, Shen An corrected him, “My sister-in-law.”

Shen Jin chuckled slyly, “My cousin-in-law.”

Annoyed, Shen An chose to ignore him: “No hu cake. We're barely managing our meals; who can afford to eat hu cake every day?”

Glancing at the patch Shen Jin was hoeing, he urged, “You’re almost done. Finish up and I'll give you the oil dregs. Then go back home. We don’t have any more oil dregs, so don’t bother coming tomorrow.”

If it were yesterday, or even this morning, Shen Jin would have left immediately upon hearing there were no oil dregs.

But now, Shen Jin felt aggrieved, “Are you trying to drive me away? I will come!”

He couldn’t believe their sister-in-law was so caring towards Shen An and Shen Ning, even buying them hu cake. He had no idea what hu cake was, but being a cake, it had to be tasty.

Resolute, he thought, “I'll just stick around here. I refuse to believe she won’t give me something to eat if I keep working every day. If Chen Ershan and Xiaoyi can get some, there’s no reason I can’t.”

With that thought, Shen Jin was determined. Ignoring Shen An’s glowering face, he kept hoeing with great zeal.

He might not be as good as Chen Ershan, but surely he could match Xiaoyi, right?

While hoeing, Shen Jin sniffed the air repeatedly.

"Shen An, do you smell something? It's really fragrant."

Annoyed, Shen An tightened his grip on the hoe, “It’s my sister-in-law's lunch. If you’re hungry, go eat at your own home.”

Shen Jin swallowed hard but remained silent, continuing his work.

The aroma grew stronger. Then, Shen Ning came out with a large bowl, squatting by the spring for a while before heading back into the hut.

Shen Jin felt as if his soul was drawn towards the hut.

Absent-mindedly hoeing the land, he lost track of time. Eventually, he cleared a small patch of land. Shen Ning reappeared, seemingly searching for something near the mountain path.

That morning, Shen Jin, who had turned his back on Shen Ning, swearing never to deal with her again and fantasizing about flaunting oil dregs in front of her, now desperately wanted to follow and ask, “What are you doing in there that smells so delicious?”

Yet, he couldn't muster the courage.

His stomach growled with hunger, weakening his strength. He moved closer to Chen Ershan and asked, “Do you think that's the smell of meat?”

Chen Ershan thought it did seem like it, but he restrained himself from salivating and nodded calmly, purposely distancing himself from Shen Jin.

Shen Jin added, “It seems even more fragrant than meat.”

Unable to resist, Shen Yin and Shen Tie swallowed hard, “Third Brother, we’re hungry.”

“Third Brother, we want to eat.”

Shen Jin echoed, “I want to eat, too.”

Chen Ershan remained silent.

"Subtly, keeping a distance from the rest."

"The little girl was also tempted by the food, but she knew her role was to help. Her grandma had made it clear: she was not to enter Sister Ning's house or ask for food."

"Bent over, she diligently used a small bamboo piece to dig the soil, loosening the larger stones bit by bit before flipping them out. The work helped her distract from the tempting aroma of meat wafting from the house."

"Shen Ning returned quickly, and as she approached, the children clearly saw she had picked a bunch of wild spring onions."

"She washed the wild onions in the mountain spring and quickly re-entered the thatched hut."

"This time, not only Shen Jin, but also Shen Yin and Shen Tie turned their heads in unison to follow Shen Ning's movements."

"Shen An: ..."

"He was somewhat conflicted."

"They were all working on the land for his family, and to be so enticed by the scent... but it was meat, and big sister was visibly exhausted, needing something nourishing."

"Caught in this dilemma, the scent in the air changed again, likely from the addition of the wild onions. The already rich aroma was now intensified by the scent of onions, causing Shen An to glance sideways, noticing Shen Yin and Shen Tie were spellbound, staring at the hut and salivating, their hands holding the bamboo pieces motionless."

……

"Second Brother."

Shen Ning called out to Shen An from around the corner of the hut.

For the first time, Shen An felt truly torn. Could his sister-in-law be calling him in for some bone broth? Wouldn't that just make the kids even more envious?

Before he could dwell on it any longer, Shen Ning said, "Sister-in-law wants you to help carry out a couple of bowls of meat porridge for everyone."

Shen Jin and Shen Yin's eyes instantly lit up with excitement. Shen Tie, a bit slower to catch on, finally realized what was happening, involuntarily swallowed, and almost instinctively started to suck on his fingers.

Little Ya also swallowed hard, glancing at her brother.

Chen Ershan was somewhat baffled and shook his head, "No need, no need, I had breakfast already and am not hungry. Plus, my mom said if she sells some wild veggies today, she might buy some pork bones."

Shen An had already left.

Shortly after, the siblings emerged, each carrying a large bowl. The bowls contained porridge made from bone broth and minced meat mixed with white rice. Each bowl was only half-filled.

The three Shen brothers quickly gathered around, while Chen Xiaoya went to her older brother, Chen Ershan, who looked somewhat bewildered. Meat, even if just pork bones, was a luxury, and his family might only afford it once in a month or two.

"He wanted to go back, but they hadn’t plowed much land yet. Should he stay and continue plowing, or go eat?"

"The twelve-year-old boy didn’t know how to handle such a situation."

"Before he could decide, Shen Ning came over with a bowl, smiling: 'Er Shan brother, little girl, this is for you. We don’t have enough bowls, so you’ll have to share. Go wash your hands and come eat; my sister-in-law’s cooking is delicious.'"

"On the other side, Shen Yin and Shen Tie, experienced as they were, had already run to the spring to wash their hands."

"Shen Jin, as usual, wanted to take the bowl of porridge directly from Shen An’s hands. He saw clearly that it contained not just rice, but also meat – white rice, minced meat, and green onions – making his mouth water."

"But this time, Shen An wouldn’t indulge him: 'Go wash your hands, or do you want Shen Yin and Shen Tie to end up drinking mud from the rim of the bowl?'"

"Shen Jin was annoyed, looking at his hands: 'What mud?'"

"There was a bit; he brushed it off. Wasn’t that enough?"

"Shen An just looked at him."

"Shen Jin: '...Having food is what really matters.'"

"‘Fine, fine, I’ll go wash, okay?’ He turned and ran swiftly towards the spring."

"Five people, two bowls, grouped by bloodline – one bowl per family – they stood behind the house and started drinking."

Naturally, at the Chen family's side, Xiaoya was allowed to drink first, while at the Shen family's side, the three brothers took turns drinking, each ensuring they got their fair share.

If Shen Jin took too big a gulp, Shen Yin would immediately protest vociferously.

Shen An: ……

"The porridge is just off the stove, why are you rushing to drink it? If your brother gets impatient and drinks too quickly, he’ll burn himself."

Shen Jin wanted to retort, but the porridge indeed was quite hot. He grunted in agreement, visibly calming down.

Inside, Shen An and Shen Ning were called by Sang Luo. Each sibling received a small bamboo cup of meat porridge.

Shen An pursed his lips, whispering, "Sister-in-law, Ning and I had fairy tofu for lunch. You should have this."

Sang Luo gestured towards the clay pot, "There’s enough, go ahead and eat."

"Feeling distressed?" Sang Luo teased, ruffling Shen An’s hair, and whispered, "Cooking soup with bones just means adding a couple more bowls of water. What's there to worry about?"

Shen An shook his head, wanting to deny it, but couldn’t find the words.

To say he wasn’t worried would be untrue. It wasn’t just a matter of adding a bowl of water; the porridge had a decent amount of rice and wasn't too thick or thin – it simply looked delicious.

Having truly experienced hardship over the past few months, Shen An valued food greatly. But to say he was distressed wasn’t accurate either. Given the circumstances, it seemed only proper to share some food.

When Shen Ning told him their sister-in-law asked him to serve the food, he felt happy. Though there was a tinge of regret when he served it, joy predominated.

It was only after serving the food and being urged by his sister-in-law to eat that Shen An began to feel a pang of regret.

Shen An wasn't sure whether he was reluctant or willing to part with the food; he just moved his lips, uncertain what to say.

Sang Luo seemed to understand his concern for the food. Recalling the hardships endured in her past life, she felt a deeper empathy for the siblings. She softly said, “Think about it, when we're asking people to help build the house, shouldn’t we treat them well? Considering the land they've cleared these past days, adding an extra bowl of water occasionally isn’t a big deal. It’s okay to be generous at times like these. Weren’t you also happy when you served them the porridge?”

Shen An nodded in agreement.

Sang Luo smiled at his response.

Her affection for these siblings wasn’t without reason; not only were they intelligent and sensible, but they also had strong moral values, whether towards her as their sister-in-law or towards others, including the previously difficult Shen Jin.

Wanting to ease the boy's concern, Sang Luo gestured him closer with a mysterious wave of her hand. Whispering, she said, “Actually, I only used one bone and very little minced meat. It just looks more substantial. I’ve saved the larger portion for our dinner tonight."

She then lifted another bowl covered with lotus leaves to show Shen An.

Indeed, it contained several large bones and a good amount of minced meat.

Shen An's eyes lit up at the sight.

Sang Luo chuckled softly, “You see, sometimes we need to consider social niceties, but the best parts are always kept for our own family.”

Having heard the entire conversation, Shen Ning giggled to herself. She had already seen her sister-in-law set aside a portion earlier.

To Shen Ning, there was no one better than her sister-in-law. In her eyes, she and her brother were treated differently, more closely than the likes of Shen Jin.

This realization alone filled her with joy. Ever since their eldest brother left home, it felt like they had regained a sense of belonging, unlike before when she and her second brother felt like outsiders in their own home.

For the first time, the young girl felt that the family division had its advantages.

After the division, the sister-in-law only showed kindness towards her and her brother.

Lost in her thoughts, her eyes curved into a smile.

……

The Shen brothers, eating outside, also commented on how wonderful their sister-in-law was.

Sharing a bowl among the three of them, each taking turns for a sip, they even found themselves thinking about their previously inconspicuous eldest sister-in-law.

It was all due to the power of delicious food.

Even Shen Jin, who had held some reservations, nodded in agreement.

The eldest sister-in-law was truly kind, generously sharing meat porridge with them.

Meat porridge.

Meat was a rare treat at home, only enjoyed during pig butchering when some lean meat came with the fat bought by their mother.

Holding his bowl, Shen Jin gazed at the dilapidated thatched house, sighing.

Shen Tie continued to sip his porridge, while Shen Yin looked at him, puzzled.

Shen Jin sighed, “I’m actually envious of Shen An and Shen Ning.”

Being with their parents was nothing compared to being with their eldest sister-in-law.

First, it was the oil residue, then the scorched pancakes, and now meat porridge.

Why couldn't he have been sent to live with his parents as well?

Sigh.