Chapter 134: The Cave

Sang Luo didn't know how to make a wooden barrel. She could only resort to a more rudimentary method.

While Chen You Tian and the others were still busy chopping wood, Sang Luo borrowed a set of carpentry tools from Grandma Chen. She picked a suitable piece of wood Shen Lian had left at the cave entrance, sawed off a section, stripped the bark, and then set about carving out a container with a hammer and chisel. She believed she was up to the task!

When she explained her plan to Old Lady Chen, the latter slapped her thigh in realization, "We need one too! Let's do it together. Sang Luo, could you help me find a suitable spot outside our cave for a washroom?"

Washroom – that's the word, right?

Such an elegant name. This literate young woman is different indeed. Not only smart but also so thoughtful in naming things.

Sang Luo was then led by the old lady to inspect around their cave. After examining Sang Luo's chosen spot, Old Lady Chen couldn't find a similar suitable space outside their cave and worried, "Do we need to partition off a section inside the cave?"

It would be rather cramped, and even if it's just for nightly use or a quick relief, wouldn't there still be some odor? A cave can't be ventilated like a house with proper airflow.

After a thorough look, Sang Luo suggested, "Actually, it's feasible."

Old Lady Chen, still a bit slow to catch on to what "feasible" meant, was shown by Sang Luo to a recess about sixty to seventy centimeters above the ground.

The Chens had filled that spot with soil, evidently planning to plant some vegetables there.

"This spot, with its wide recess, allows enough room for turning around, and the vertical surface is even. If we can chisel away the lower part of the rock and expand a bit to the side for flattening, it should work."

Old Lady Chen's eyes lit up: "And the roof?"

"For the roof, we can build a simple structure with wood and straw mats. Given the small size, we can plant some climbing vines next to the rocks and cover it with their leaves. It won’t be noticeable at all."

Old Lady Chen, excitedly, almost hugged Sang Luo, then restrained herself to a pat: "Oh my, what a clever mind you have!"

In reality, the space under the tree allocated to their family could also be used, but Old Lady Chen was reluctant. To maximize the area for growing food, each family's allotted space, combined with the pathway previously cleared, only measured about half a zhang wide. This included the area beside the waterfall and the lush tree near it. The entire half-zhang wide area on the right side of the gorge was all they had for activities.

This was their space for moving around, stepping out of the cave for fresh air, raising ducks and chickens, drying things, and gardening. No one wanted to use it for building a toilet when trees could provide cover from people atop the mountain.

Now, with a bit of modification to the existing terrain, carving out a small washroom, they'd save space. As for the few plants they'd have to forgo, they could just build a small stone structure and plant them a bit higher up.

Old Lady Chen even considered moving the chicken and duck coop to the rock face, but unfortunately, there weren't many suitable locations for that. For now, she set aside that idea.

As the two chatted animatedly, Old Lady Xu came out to dump soil and saw them, joining in.

If anyone couldn't stand using that makeshift toilet, Sang Luo, from the modern era, would be first in line, closely followed by the Xu family.

Eventually, they involved Sang Luo and Old Lady Chen in the selection process. After several rounds of scouting, they chose a spot, similar to the Chen family's, requiring chiseling to carve out a space.

The men would handle this task while the two old ladies and Sang Luo pondered over constructing makeshift toilets, following Sang Luo's basic method. Old Lady Chen even suggested taking turns since there was only one set of hammer and chisel. Sang Luo's idea was the priority.

Old Lady Xu laughed, “Not just one set, we have more; we can work on them together.”

She shared how her son had sent an entire set of stone-carving tools with Shen Lian, and Sang Luo promptly asked Shen An to find out where Shen Lian had stored them.

While the men were still busy chopping trees, Old Lady Chen, Old Lady Xu, Qin Fangniang, and Sang Luo were busy carving wooden stumps in the Chen family's cave.

It was then that Sang Luo learned Chen Youtian couldn't make barrels either, having tried unsuccessfully several times. This meant Shen Lian probably couldn't either.

Their efforts in carving were not wasted after all.

By midday, when the men were still chopping trees, four unique wooden barrels were completed by the women. They even smoothed the rims with a plane and drilled holes on each side to later add a sturdy hemp rope for carrying – perfect!

……

Lunch was a communal pot meal. In the afternoon, the women and children continued tilling the unfinished plot while the men busied themselves with carpentry.

By evening, the outermost area of the valley was cleared of stones and roots. As Sang Luo returned to the cave with tools and a basket, the Chen family was already fitting door frames, while Old Man Chen helped Wei Qinghe with their door, as no one in the Xu family had the skills.

Shen Lian was still busy outdoors with a chisel, seemingly making components for mortise and tenon joints.

Nearby lay piles of wooden stakes and planks, and even some not-too-thick pointed logs, possibly branches of trees about as thick as an adult's arm. Sang Luo couldn't quite figure out their use but guessed they were for constructing the walls and doors of the latrine.

Observing the diminishing daylight, Sang Luo hurried over, "Do you need a hand?"

Shen Lian glanced at her farming tools and nodded, "Yes, but later. I still need a few things. I’ll call you when everything is ready to help me out."

"Okay," Sang Luo responded, entering the cave to shovel the remains of the day's fire into a basket. She had Shen An dispose of the wood ash in the latrine.

In fact, not just wood ash, but sawdust, grass clippings, leaves, and soil were excellent for composting. Properly mixed, they not only activated the full potential of the fertilizer but also completely neutralized any odor, preventing stench in the valley when applied.

Sang Luo had more experience with green manure, but she also knew about fermenting manure, which, when properly processed, turned brown and resembled soil.

Of course, properly fermenting manure would ideally involve digging separate pits, covering them with wooden boards and thick grass mats with slight gaps for air. Without modern microbial agents, the fermentation process would take longer, around two to three months, depending on temperature.

Considering this, Sang Luo went to discuss the idea with Old Man Chen next door.

Old Man Chen, taking the matter of manure seriously, stopped installing the door frame and attentively listened to Sang Luo's explanation of the manure fermentation process.

As a veteran farmer, he had relied on crop rotation and resting fields to enrich the soil. They used to plant dense beans in May or June, especially green and adzuki beans, and then plowed them under in July or August as green manure, preparing the field for grain crops the following spring.

As for animal manure, they typically applied it directly. Only wealthier families with cattle might use the animals to trample the manure before spreading it. In their village, such practices were more hearsay than common.

Upon hearing this novel approach, Old Man Chen was intrigued and asked in detail, naturally skeptical of new methods. He also confirmed with Sang Luo where she learned it.

The source was attributed to the family’s collection of books.

Books are highly trusted by ordinary people as they're believed to be written by highly capable individuals.

Moreover, Sang Luo shared her experience of following the book's method to prepare fertilizer last August. The hot weather hastened the composting process, and by October, the fertilizer was ready for use. The crops in her vegetable garden flourished remarkably.

Old Man Chen's most vivid memory of Sang Luo's gardening was her first attempt, which was quite an experience.

His readiness to listen to Sang Luo's composting technique stemmed from her drastically improved reputation in his eyes, reverence for the written word, and notably, the success of her vegetable garden last autumn and winter.

Old Man Chen knew about the quality of those vegetables because, ironically, they were more nurtured by his wife alongside Shen An and Shen Ning, rather than solely by Sang Luo.

The vegetables grown in the small courtyard behind their home surpassed even their own produce.

Old Lady Chen was initially puzzled by their quality, especially as no manure water seemed to have been used. Upon closer examination, she noticed the exceptional quality of the soil, which was now clear to Old Man Chen as the effect of the compost.

Thus, when Sang Luo introduced her composting method, Old Man Chen was genuinely excited, putting aside the task of fixing the door frame: “Come on, Sang Luo, let’s go inform the other families about this composting technique. You have more knowledge and can explain it more clearly. After discussing with them, we can start digging a compost pit in the next few days. With all the grass, leaves, and sawdust we have now, we can start composting right away.”

This would save the effort of fertilizing before planting, as the soil in the valley and the additional soil soon to be brought in were already of good quality. By composting now, it would be perfect for subsequent fertilizing.

After briefly excusing themselves to Wei Qinghe and notifying Old Lady Xu they’d be back soon, he called for Sang Luo to leave with him.

Sang Luo understood the importance of this matter, knowing that for farmers, nothing is more crucial than cultivating their land.

After hearing the entire discussion, Old Lady Xu also realized the significance of the matter and waved her hands at them, saying, “This is important work, go ahead with it, we can wait.”

As she watched them leave, she mused to herself, “Could Sang Luo be a young lady from a noble family, displaced and fallen on hard times?”

While Old Man Chen was mainly excited about the prospect of rich fertilizer for the valley, Old Lady Xu saw more in it, recognizing that even a slight improvement over current methods would be a tightly guarded secret among the elite families.

Typically, if a lesser-known family possessed such valuable knowledge, they would use it to gain favors or official positions for their clan, aiding in its resurgence.

……

Sang Luo, unaware that her simple composting technique had added to the mystery of her background in Old Lady Xu's eyes, was just an ordinary citizen with no grand ambitions. Her motivation was purely to address immediate survival needs and enhance her own quality of life.

Having shared the basic composting method, Sang Luo left the specifics, like the location of the compost pit, to the elders to decide. Likely, it would be near the valley's entrance where they already had access paths, but if multiple pits were needed, the Lu family might have to cede some land for this purpose.

Sang Luo excused herself from the group and returned to her own cave dwelling. At that moment, Shen Lie finished his work and called her over to assist him.

Helping out mostly meant holding up door frames or passing tools, similar to what Wei Qinghe was doing.

It was then that she witnessed what Chen Youtian had mentioned – Shen Lie was truly skilled at carpentry, working with remarkable steadiness.

From the assortment of processed wood, poles, and planks, she saw Shen Lie skillfully hammering them into the ground as posts or fitting them together with tenons and mortises. The rhythm of his hammering turned the disparate pieces into a coherent structure, and in less than half an hour, the door and walls of the cleaning chamber were all set up.

Even the door latch was complete.

Moving to their dwelling cave, Shen Lie busily crafted the door frame. Watching him affix thick wooden boards one after another, Sang Luo finally understood what he meant by a temporary, makeshift door.

She had imagined a simple door as something similar to the ones at the large cave, where wooden slats were simply tied together, sturdy enough to block snakes and insects and stable enough not to fall over and hurt someone.

Well, since Shen Lie had sawn the planks, Sang Luo thought they would be like bamboo rafts at most, a few boards put together to form a few large pieces, which would be considered fine work compared to the large cave.

To her surprise, Shen Lie's temporary door was akin to those of the stores on the county's main street, where panels are dismantled and reassembled for opening and closing the shop. His creation was exactly that!

He called this a makeshift door!

If this is his idea of 'simple', then what grand designs must he have for a more elaborate door?

Sang Luo, grounded in reality, was overjoyed to have such a skilled craftsman in the family, especially while they were in hiding in the mountains.

Touching the smoothly planed door, she didn't hesitate to praise him: "Uncle Youtian wasn't lying. Shen Lie, your craftsmanship is truly impeccable!"

Receiving praise...

Shen Lie's lips couldn't help but curve into a smile, feeling extremely pleased inside, but not wanting Sang Luo to see it, he busied himself with work, dismantling the door panels and leaning them against the cave wall, while saying, "We'll make do with this for now. Once I've finished transporting the grain and the wood has dried out, I'll make a proper door that opens and closes easily."

Sang Luo was all too happy to agree, even lending a hand in dismantling the door.

After the panels were removed, she noticed four cylindrical wooden posts outside, smoothly shaved, with mortises at one end.

Curious, Sang Luo touched them and turned to ask Shen Lie, "What are these for? Stools?"

They seemed a bit narrow and oddly shaped for stools.

Hearing her guess, Shen Lie couldn't help but chuckle: "These are bed posts. Our family, along with the Chen and Xu families, sawed boards together. We had just one saw, and since we made the additional cleaning chamber doors and walls, we haven't gotten around to the bed boards. I sawed a few sections for the bed posts. Tonight, if you don’t sleep too early, I can borrow the saw, get help from Dashan, and quickly make the bed frame and boards by firelight so you, Ah Ning, and Xiao An don't have to sleep on the ground."

As for the untreated wood being used for a bed, concerns like cracking or bugs would arise after prolonged use. By then, he planned to prepare more wood and build a new bed. In these mountains, they wouldn't lack time.

With the cold of late February, especially in the mountains, sleeping directly on the ground, no matter how thickly layered, couldn't shield from the damp and cold rising from the earth. Before, he couldn’t attend to it, but now that he could, he wouldn’t let them continue sleeping on the ground.

Sang Luo’s eyes lit up at the prospect of sleeping in a bed that night, “Yes, I want that! I don’t sleep early anyway, and Ah Ning and Xiao An can probably wait too!”

Sleeping on the ground was genuinely cold, chilling to the bone. Every morning, she felt the moisture in the straw mats, so all the households had to find ways to air out their bedding daily.

Shen Lian, seeing her reaction, understood how eagerly she needed a bed. Smiling, he nodded, “Okay, I’ll go make the bed frame while there’s still light.”

Sang Luo was so thrilled she even momentarily wanted to give Shen Lian a leg massage or a back rub in gratitude. She was overjoyed!

Containing her excitement, she smiled and said, “Alright, you get busy. I’ll call Xiao An and Ah Ning to move our cooking utensils here, and I'll make you something delicious tonight. Invite Da Shan to join us; it's only right since he’s been helping us.”

She knew Shen Lian’s appetite too well – he would never be satisfied with communal meals.

Besides, now that the cave was set up, it was time to start cooking separately, starting with this meal.

Their family had a stock of twenty-one stones of grain, mostly finer varieties. Along with Shen Lian’s hunting skills, and her ability to gather mountain goods, Sang Luo felt they didn’t need to be too frugal with food. Everyone had been doing heavy labor, so it was essential to eat well to maintain their strength.

After giving her instructions, she dashed out like a whirlwind. Shen Lian watched her leave for a while before heading towards Chen’s house.

……

Meanwhile, in Shi Li Village, Shen Jin and Shen Yin had just crawled out of an inconspicuous cave behind their house. They hadn’t noticed the change in daylight from inside and realized it was later than they thought, hurrying back home.

Fortunately, Li Shi's luck was not too bad. Despite being injured in the cold weather, the herbal paste Shen Jin prepared was effective, preventing the wound from worsening. Other than a persistent cough and shortness of breath after exertion, possibly due to lung injury from the kick, she had no other major issues and could now do some light chores.

As dusk approached and noticing the absence of her older sons, Li Shi got up to prepare dinner. Stepping out, she was greeted by the sight of her two sons rushing in, covered in dust as if they had been rolling in mud.

She was taken aback, "What happened to you two?"

The brothers usually took care to dust off their clothes and wash their hands and face before coming home, but today, running late, they had skipped these steps and were caught by Li Shi.

Shen Jin, reflecting on the seven or eight days spent digging a hiding spot with Shen Yin, and seeing no one passing by their courtyard, whispered secretly, “Mom, Shen Yin and I have made a hiding place.”

Li Shi's eyes flashed with curiosity as she was about to ask more, but then Shen San returned with a hoe in hand.

Shen Jin was about to continue speaking, but Li Shi grabbed his hand tightly, silencing him. Confused, Shen Jin turned to see Shen San and then back at his mother, remaining silent about the cave they'd dug, quickly leaving with Shen Yin.