Chapter 173: Slate

As the two left the valley, Little Jin and his brothers were delivering wild vegetables to each household on the other side.

Families like the Xus and Zous, who had yet to leave the valley, were delighted to have two varieties of wild vegetables to change their taste buds. They praised Jin and thanked him profusely. The Xu family, who were more well-off, even gave the three brothers a small handful of red dates as a snack.

The Chens and Shis had family members who had gone out of the valley that day, so they weren't lacking in wild vegetables. However, they were still happy to see Jin leading his younger brothers to deliver them, and cheerfully accepted the gift. Old Lady Chen, who had some malt sugar at home, saw how skinny the three boys were and gave them a piece, saying, "Melt it into a sweet drink when you get back."

After visiting a few houses, not only Jin but even Tie felt that something was different.

This was very different from how they were treated in the village before.

Jin began to understand something vaguely, and also had an inkling why his eldest sister could get along so well with these families in the village.

Yes, one didn't need to wait until they grew up or had the ability to do something to repay kindness. What mattered most was the sincerity behind the action.

Their last delivery was to the Lus. Jin handed the items to Old Lady Lu by the entrance of the cave. As he and his brothers prepared to leave, Jin sensed someone's gaze on him. Curious, he turned around and saw Wang Chunniang, who was locked up.

Wang Chunniang was also looking at them, and her gaze made Jin feel particularly uneasy.

He hesitated for a moment but quickly averted his gaze and didn't ask further. He informed the Lu family that he needed to return to work and led Shen Yin and Shen Tie back home.

After walking quite a distance, Shen Yin softly asked, "Third Brother, did Mother Huizi get locked up?"

Jin squeezed his hand and replied, "Don't mention it now. We'll ask Second Brother when we get back."

Shen Yin was surprised. "You called him Second Brother?"

In the past, Jin usually referred to Shen An and Shen Ning by their names.

Jin Shen felt a bit uneasy but still admitted, "What I did before wasn't right."

Both Shen Yin and Shen Tie burst into laughter, their mirth gradually subsiding as Shen Tie's thoughts turned to Tian Ya. Lowering his head, he said, "How wonderful it would be if Tian Ya and our parents were still here. There would be food aplenty then."

With a slight stiffness on his face, Shen Jin's hand holding the basket handle trembled slightly. He suppressed his emotions with great effort. After a moment, he patted Shen Tie on the shoulder. "Don't dwell on it."

Regarding this matter, I shall refrain from further comment.

There is a kind of bliss in ignorance, at least one is spared from his plight.

Back at home, Shen An and Shen Ning were boiling water. Shen Jin took out the barley candy and a small handful of dates from his pocket, saying, "These are from Aunt Chen and Aunt Xu."

Shen Ning glanced at them, smiled, and fetched a bowl from the cupboard. "I'll keep these for now. We'll use the sugar for egg-flower porridge. Later, I'll ask Sister-in-law about how to prepare the dates; she knows more about it."

Turning around, he placed the bowl back in the cupboard.

Observing Shen Ning's seamless arrangements, Shen Jin couldn't help but recall his past self. His throat constricted, but he found himself unable to express anything.

The water was still boiling, so Shen An had already taken out a clay basin to prepare the three mountain chickens for plucking. Shen Jin approached, ready to assist, and quietly inquired about the Lu family's situation.

Upon Shen Jin's question, Shen An briefly recounted Wang Chunniang's two incidents. "Aunt Lu and the others will keep an eye on her. You don't need to concern yourselves, just pretend you know nothing."

Recalling why Wang Chunniang was confined, he warned his three brothers, "But while we're in the valley, remember not to shout or cry out loudly. We're safe here for now, but if someone else is in the outer forest and discovers us, our peaceful days will be over."

All three brothers nodded in unison, with Shen Jin especially well-aware of just how terrifying some people could be.

...

Shen Lie and Sang Luo left the valley, heading straight for the mountain stream that Sang Luo had mentioned. Along the way, Sang Luo kept an eye out for suitable rocks, while Shen Lie also assisted, stealing glances at her whenever she wasn't looking.

Together, they emerged from the house, and his heart was filled with joy. He had left the valley in early May and returned at the end of the month; he hadn't seen Sangluo for far too long. Yet, yesterday and today had been packed with endless tasks, leaving them little private time together.

Of course, simply being able to see her, to be in each other's company, was enough to satisfy him deeply.

The mountain stream that Sangluo mentioned wasn't actually very far from the outer edge of the valley – a mere quarter-hour walk. The stones in the stream seemed more moist and were smaller than those on the mountain. The likelihood of finding a thin stone slab was indeed higher.

Sangluo looked down at her cloth shoes and socks, contemplating whether she should remove them to wade into the water. Before she could decide, Shen Lie called out to her, "I'll go down. You stay here and watch. If you see something you like, I'll fetch it for you."

With that, he removed his own footwear and stepped into the water, searching for a suitable stone slab for Sangluo. She walked along the bank while he waded in the stream. After scanning the area near the bank and not finding anything satisfactory, Sangluo started looking towards the center of the stream. Whenever she spotted something resembling a stone slab, she would point it out to Shen Lie.

"Shen Lie, look at that one in front of you, to the left."

It was a relatively flat stone. Shen Lie flipped it over, only to find that its underside was too thick and irregular, much like the stone platform they used at home.

He shook his head, and Sangluo's face fell slightly. She resumed her search in the water. "To the right, three steps over, there's another one. Check if it's any better."

One watched while the other waded in to flip the stones, making the search quite lively. They followed the stream downstream for about 30 feet before Shen Lie discovered a stone slab roughly the size of a pottery basin, two inches thick, with a fairly flat surface on one side. Although the other side wasn't entirely flat, it was significantly better than the dozens they had previously examined.

He picked up the slab and showed it to Sangluo. "Ah Luo, do you think this one will work?"

As he spoke, he climbed ashore and turned the stone over for Sang Luo to examine. Her eyes lit up. "Perfect! It couldn't be more suitable!"

A smile crept into Shen Lie's eyes. He set the stone aside and said, "I'll keep looking. We'll use whichever one fits best."

Sang Luo flipped through the stone slab as she replied, "If there's any extra, bring one for Aunt Chen too."

The stone was large enough for Little Jin and his siblings to share with them, but Chen Dashan would undoubtedly be envious. They roasted meat often, and the Chen family had plenty of game. It would be much more enjoyable to roast together.

Shen Lie seemed to have had the same thought, and they both laughed. They continued searching downstream. When they reached a small pond, they found another suitable stone.

Shen Lie returned to put on his shoes and socks. He carried the first stone he found to the edge of the small pond. There, he broke off a few branches nearby, stripped off their bark, and tied them together to make a makeshift brush. Together with Sang Luo, they carefully scrubbed the stone clean.

Perhaps the leaves from the branches had attracted the fish, because Sang Luo noticed some swimming near the shore. The fish had to weigh at least a pound, much larger than the ones they raised in their rice paddies. And there were more than one.

What a wonderful ingredient! She suddenly craved fish soup.

She whispered to Shen Lie, "There are fish."

As she spoke, she carefully reached for the basket behind her, planning to catch them. If she couldn't, she'd build a fish trap – that was something she was skilled at!

Shen Lie observed her shining eyes, and a smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of his lips. Glancing at the fish in the pond, he whispered, "I'll do it."

He put down the bark brush without picking up the basket, then cautiously leaned over the pond's edge, holding his breath as he intently stared at the water surface.

Sang Luo couldn't help but hold her breath too, biting her lip as she watched.

Was he going to catch fish with his bare hands?

"Is this possible?"

When Shen Lie seized the opportunity and plunged his hand into the pond, Sang Luo was even more nervous than him. When he pulled his hand out of the water, clutching a thrashing fish tightly, her eyes widened. "You actually caught one?"

It was almost magical.

Her tone of surprise brought a subtle smile to Shen Lie's face.

"In the mountains, there's no food, so we have to rely on these. Over time, we develop accuracy."

After placing the fish in the basket, he asked Sang Luo, "Want me to catch another one?"

Sang Luo nodded repeatedly.

The school of fish, startled, had already dispersed in a frenzy. However, there seemed to be no inhabitants here, as the fish were not particularly cautious. The pond was small, and the fish that had swum away returned after a short while.

Shen Lie didn't rush to catch them. He waited for the perfect moment, failing once before successfully catching another fish on his third attempt, which he placed into the bamboo basket.

Sang Luo glanced at the two fish and stopped scraping the stone slab. "Let's scrape it later. We don't have a bucket. Will these fish survive the journey back?"

Shen Lie looked at her. "Do you want to eat them tomorrow?"

Sang Luo nodded. "We have a pheasant today."

Shen Lie surveyed their surroundings and got up to pick a few large leaves. "We're not far from the valley. Let's give it a try."

He removed the fish from the basket and lined the bottom and sides with the leaves, about six or seven inches high, securing them with a few medium-sized stones. Then, he scooped some water into the basket.

It worked well since the leaves were large enough not to leak.

He placed the two fish back into the basket, covering them with another leaf before handing it to Sang Luo. "Be careful. They'll probably struggle along the way."

He would have preferred to carry them himself, but the two slabs were substantial, heavy in his arms. It wouldn't do to ask Sangluo to bear the weight.

Sang Luo wasn't intimidated by the creature's struggles. She adjusted the straps of the bamboo basket, treating it as if it were a bucket, and lifted it up.

The valley wasn't too far away; after a little over a quarter of an hour's walk, they reached its entrance. With their tails flapping, the two fish were still very much alive – Sangluo could tell without even lifting the leaves to inspect them.

Descending into the valley, it was already past the hour of wǔzhèng. With only two meals a day, the evening sustenance being prepared during shēn shí, there wasn't much time left until then.

Sang Luo passed the bamboo basket to the younger ones, instructing them to keep the fish alive in buckets. She then joined Shen Lie to scrub the two slate slabs they had just carried back. After cleaning them, they returned and, together under a tree outside the house, found an open space to set up a makeshift campfire stove – essentially stacking stones to form it.

The more casual and unpretentious it was, the more it piqued the curiosity of the youngsters, so much so that even Xu Wenbo, Xu Wenying, Chen Ershan, and Chen Xiaoya from the neighboring house joined in.

Chen Xiaoya crouched aside, passing stones, and as she watched, her eyes lit up. "Auntie Luo, are you playing house?"

In Ten Li Village, children had few playthings, so playing house was a popular game among them. Especially for the younger ones like Chen Xiaoya, Sanlang had seen her several times squatting with Qiaoer, San Niu, Shitou, and Awei. They would stack stones to make a stove, use stone slabs as pots, wooden blocks as spatulas, gather leaves and water, light a fire, and play-cook seriously, each taking on roles as fathers, mothers, and siblings.

She chuckled. "Yes, we're playing house. Do you want to join?"

"Really? Can I call some more friends?" Chen Xiaoya became excited, shifting restlessly on her haunches, clearly eager to summon her playmates.

Sang Luo stopped him, "No rush, let's test if this stone works first."

If the stone couldn't withstand the heat and exploded, it wouldn't be a pleasant experience. However, looking at the hardness of these two stones, she didn't think that would happen. They would know for sure after trying.

Once the stove was set up, Shen Lie started a fire and added wood. Sang Luo watched from the side, instructing, "Don't make the fire too strong."

Grilling meat on a stone slab didn't require intense flames.

When the fire was blazing, the stone slab was placed on top, and the children were asked to keep their distance. After some time, Sang Luo prodded the stone with a long wooden stick.

Perfect, nothing happened.

She was delighted, "This stone is usable."

Shen An and Shen Ning had already prepared the three chickens with the help of a few younger kids. The remaining embers under the stone slab would soon die out, so Sang Luo didn't bother with them. She instructed the children to stay away and began preparing the ingredients herself.

At this moment, Chen Dashan noticed the commotion and came over. After inquiring with Shen Lie, he learned that Sang Luo was experimenting with a new dish and had even reserved a stone slab for his family. He eagerly rubbed his hands together, urging Shen Lie, "Hurry, hurry, go eat. Let's go early and return early. That way, I can try this stone-grilled meat when we get back."

Sang Luo was teaching Shen Ning how to debone the chicken when she heard this and asked, confused, "Where are we going?"

Shen Lie then explained, "This morning, I ventured deeper into the forest for over an hour and discovered boar tracks. There might be several of them. Wild boars usually come out in the evening, so we plan to set up an ambush later."

He glanced at the sky. "At this time, we should start moving soon. We need to find a place to hide beforehand."

Sang Luo was taken aback. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I could have prepared dinner earlier."

It was rare for her to invite him out of the valley, so how could he bear to mention it?

Shen Lie only smiled. "I'm not hungry yet. You guys can eat as usual and save some for me. I'll eat when I return."

Chen Dashan didn't know about all that. He knew that everything Sang Luo cooked was delicious. Hearing this, he grinned and hooked his arm around Shen Lie's shoulder. "Come on, come on. My mom made some simple vegetable congee. Let's go to my place first for a bite. Then, I'll drop by your place for dinner later tonight."

He turned to Sang Luo and said, "Sister-in-law, save me some of your delicious food."

Sang Luo chuckled. "Sure, go ahead. I'll prepare some grilled meat for you guys separately tonight."