Chapter 27

Sang Luo arrived promptly, coincidentally just as the commotion next door subsided with Shen Jin getting scolded and storming out.

Unaware of the uproar caused by a piece of pork crackling, Sang Luo wouldn't have cared much even if she knew, treating it as just an amusing incident.

She brought her household registration book and a half-pack of small dried fish, joining Mrs. Chen to visit the local headman.

Seeing her with the dried fish, Mrs. Chen thought for a moment, then took an egg from the jar in the kitchen.

"Ah, there goes another coin."

But to expedite the paperwork, such measures were necessary.

The headman of Shili Village didn't actually live in Shili Village.

In the Dagan Dynasty, a 'li' consisted of a hundred households, and with just over twenty families, Shili Village clearly didn't qualify.

Fortunately, it wasn't too far away, located just a mile beyond Shili Village in Zhoujia Gully.

The headman, surnamed Zhou, wasn't particularly close with Mrs. Chen, but they were acquainted. Mrs. Chen handed the half-pack of dried fish and the egg to Mrs. Zhou, whose smile instantly warmed up considerably.

Upon understanding their need, Chen Popo led them inside and sent her son to summon Zhou Lizheng from next door.

The process went smoothly. Zhou Lizheng, after understanding that the plan was to sell food in the county town, took out pen and ink to note down their details. For a fee of ten coins, he promised to visit the county town the next day, ensuring they could collect the permit by evening. With that, the matter was settled.

Returning to Shili Village, Sang Luo and Chen Popo parted ways at the crossroad. Once home, Sang Luo took the siblings to pick fairy tree leaves, preparing goods for their next trip to Sanli Village.

Indeed, before she could enter the county town, Sang Luo had to play the role of a hawker in Sanli Village one more time. She needed to earn enough for the permit fee and entrance costs.

With the extra time on their hands, Sang Luo continued to clear and cultivate the land behind their house, tirelessly working every moment with the children.

Having only consumed pig liver soup at noon, Sang Luo made a proper meal of dry rice in the evening.

Well, it was barely qualifying as dry rice.

Limited to a single earthenware pot and lacking a dedicated steaming vessel, cooking dry rice was a challenging task. It required reducing the water and carefully managing the fire, relying on her recent experience with the pot and rudimentary stove.

While fetching rice, Shen An, concerned about their dwindling supply, suggested, "Big sister, we could also eat some bean rice, right?"

Sang Luo reassured him with a smile, "Don't worry about meals, I won't let you go hungry. Those soybeans I have are earmarked for another purpose."

When it came to serving the meal, they used the large wooden spoon for cooking and serving soup, each person receiving half a spoonful.

It wasn't much, but this was white rice – a luxury that even eaten plain was a delight, not to mention the dish of stewed eggplant cooked with pork fat, seasoned with salt, soy sauce, perilla, and wild onions.

Midway through the meal, Shen An suddenly burst into tears, leaving both Sang Luo and Shen Ning baffled. He hastily wiped his eyes, crying and laughing simultaneously, "Big sister, this life feels like a dream."

As he tried to dry his tears, they only seemed to flow more freely, "If only our big brother could come back, it would be perfect."

This single remark triggered Shen Ning, her eyes reddening as tears began to well up, eventually spilling over in streams down her cheeks.

The tearful little girl looked to Sang Luo, "Big sister, will big brother come back? The villagers say since the government hasn't reported his death or removed him from the family register, he might still be alive. Are they right, big sister?"

Sang Luo remained silent.

According to the original host's memories, Li Shi, always resentful, often bitterly complained about the issue of fallen soldiers not being removed from the registry.

"Because the government doesn't officially register the death, they aren't obligated to provide compensation to the families of fallen soldiers. Without registration, the Emperor’s decree granting two years of tax exemption for families of soldiers who died in battle doesn’t apply."

"There were cases in neighboring villages where soldiers were confirmed dead but not officially registered."

"So, not being registered doesn't really prove anything. And those conscripted with Shen Lie have been back for almost half a year; the likelihood of his return after such a long silence is very slim."

"The greater likelihood is death in battle, nameless and unclaimed, with no one to tend to the remains or provide a proper burial."

"But faced with the earnest tears of the two children, she couldn’t bring herself to speak the harsh truth, unwilling to destroy their last shred of hope."

"Sang Luo nodded, 'Right, no bad news is good news.'"

"Such a comforting statement seemed to reinforce the little bit of faith in the children’s hearts. They tried to smile for Sang Luo, wiping away tears while meticulously finishing every last bit of food in their bowls."

"Their appetite was not due to the situation, but because the white rice and the oily, meaty dish in the bowl were a rare luxury, hard to come by, and too precious to waste a single bite."

"The next day, heading to Sanli Village as Sang Luo had anticipated, the miraculous tofu wasn’t selling as well as the first two days."

"With the buckets borrowed from the Chen family, she made twenty-four pieces of tofu that day. Even after walking around Sanli Village twice, she only sold fifteen pieces. The remaining nine were sold on the way back, calling out at each village."

"From these twenty-four pieces of miraculous tofu, she earned thirty-two wen, which she then exchanged for three and a half liters of soybeans and two eggs."

"This time, Sang Luo was cautious with her spending. She only spent three wen on an iron needle and two wen on malt sugar, bringing the remaining twenty-seven wen back home. After a visit to the Chen family to repay five wen, she still had twenty-two wen left."

"This was the first time she had some spare money overnight."

"Unbeknownst to Sang Luo, her prompt repayment excited the Chen family, especially Qin Fangniang, who was about to set up a stall in the county to sell miraculous tofu, as if she could already see herself making money."

"That evening, without waiting for Sang Luo to come, Old Lady Chen went early to Zhoujiagou, retrieved the two women’s passes, and sent her daughter-in-law to deliver them to Sang Luo."

Old Lady Chen was meticulous. When Qin Fangniang prepared to deliver the travel permit, she was instructed to only call out from a distance outside the door and never to step inside Sang Luo's house.

Sang Luo's skill in making 'Fairy Tofu' was now her livelihood. Old Lady Chen worried her daughter-in-law might accidentally see something inappropriate inside Sang Luo's home, which could create unnecessary misunderstandings.

……

On her sixth day in this new world, Sang Luo was ready to enter the city.

On Qin Fangniang's first day of setting up a stall, she was so excited that she barely slept the night before. She woke up exceptionally early, while it was still dark, and her husband, Chen Youtian, accompanied her to Sang Luo's place.

Sang Luo was also up early, fully prepared by the time Qin Fangniang arrived.

The lotus leaves for wrapping the goods, bowls for taste testing, sugar water, wooden spoons, and other necessities were packed in the carrying basket. Sang Luo also brought along six bunches of purslane picked the previous evening and some sun-dried small fish, hoping to exchange them for some coins.

Thinking of purchasing household items, Sang Luo carried the 22 coins she had saved the day before in her sleeve.

Shen An and Shen Ning eagerly followed her around, clearly wanting to join. However, Sang Luo explained, "The pass for the county was too expensive, I can't take you this time. Don't worry, once we're financially stable, I'll definitely take you to the city."

After comforting the children, who were capable of cooking and managing the fire, Sang Luo confidently left them at home and set off with Qin Fangniang.

Chen Youtian, having accompanied his wife, volunteered to carry the heaviest buckets, while Qin Fangniang took over Sang Luo's lighter baskets.

Eventually, the three of them headed towards the village exit, with only Sang Luo empty-handed.

Chen Youtian continued to help for about three to four miles until it was fully daylight, then handed the carrying pole back to Qin Fangniang and returned home.

Sang Luo, having endured their affectionate display, finally took back her load and thanked Chen Youtian. After he left, she joked with Qin Fangniang, "Auntie, Uncle Youtian is really good to you."

Qin Fangniang replied somewhat shyly: "It's just simple brute strength."

The couple shared a similarly reserved and bashful nature.

Observing Sang Luo's frail appearance, Qin Fangniang asked, "Can you manage to carry it?"

Sang Luo smiled, "It's manageable. It's much lighter than the buckets of water I carried initially. After carrying things these past few days, I've built up some strength. Auntie, have you been to the county town before?"

"Yes, I have," Qin Fangniang replied, hesitantly adding, "But it's been many years, and I'm not very familiar with it."

In fact, her experience was quite limited. Her first visit to the county town was during the year they fled famine. They only reached the town gates, where a wealthy family was distributing porridge. As refugees, they stayed outside the gates, never actually entering the town.

Her second visit was for settling in Shili Village, accompanying her mother-in-law to trade and purchase supplies. That time too, her mother-in-law went inside while she waited outside. After all, people living outside the town needed a pass to enter, which cost money. Who would willingly spend five coins just to visit the town for no reason?

Over the years, only the men in her family would go to the town for temporary work during the agricultural off-season. She hadn't been there herself.

Thinking this, Qin Fangniang began to feel nervous.

Sensing her unease, Sang Luo shifted the conversation to farming and asked what crops could still be planted at this time of year.

Qin Fangniang remembered seeing Sang Luo's backyard with a small patch tilled and planted with mint and perilla she had transplanted from the wild. She realized Sang Luo wanted to grow vegetables.

This was something Qin Fangniang was good at. She gradually relaxed.

"Our local climate is favorable. At this time, we can still plant many things like radishes, Malabar spinach, turnips, cabbage, mustard greens, cucumbers, onions, garlic, and Chinese chives. If you want, I can bring you some seeds when I return today."

"That would be great, though I don’t have much experience in gardening."

Qin Fangniang’s face lit up with a smile, "It’s not difficult. I'll teach you when the time comes."

Qin Fangniang was honest and enthusiastic. Promising to teach Sang Luo, she spent the entire journey sharing her knowledge about farming.

Sang Luo had experience in gardening during her years living in the mountains, but her original persona lacked such skills. To properly cultivate the crops, she indeed needed a mentor, especially since she was unfamiliar with the appearance and cultivation of many vegetables at that time, so she listened very attentively.

One teaching and the other learning, they passed Sanli Village without realizing it and soon left the mountain path. The landscape opened up, and from a distance, they could see the earthen walls of the town.

"That's the county town ahead."