Chapter 88 – The Lamb Wept

Chapter 88 - The Lamb Wept

After having a meal at an in-between time, there was still plenty of daylight left. Wei Dahu put down his bowl and went to the village. He fetched Chen Sanshi, who was playing with Doggie Left and Iron Ox. A thousand catties of grain might take him several trips, but it would be foolish not to utilize available labor. Besides, the cellar on the mountain slope was dug by three families; it made sense to have someone guard the entrance when opening it. Among his brothers, Chen Sanshi was the idlest, so who else could he turn to?

Chen Sanshi had just returned from his home. Earlier, his cousin's wife carried chickens and ducks, followed by a few men carrying grain. Seeing this, Third Uncle Grandfather thought it inappropriate and pulled him aside, asking him to accompany his cousin's wife back home and inquire about the situation. He hadn't had much conversation with his cousin's wife before. As an unmarried young man, he felt nervous being alone with a young woman and struggled to find words. After grunting for a while, he failed to ask any questions and promptly fled after delivering her home.

When Chen Sanshi was dragged back by his brother Dahu to carry grain bags, he was dejected. "I should've known better than to go home. I might as well have begged for some pig's feet at your place."

The two brothers carried the grain up the mountain, familiar with the path they trod. With daylight shining and no one around, there was no need for the stealth and fear of moving the grain under the cover of darkness. Chen Sanshi didn't bother to lower his voice, his tone loud and clear. Wei Dahu scolded him, "Have you never heard the saying 'walls have ears'? Keep it down. Are you doing something so aboveboard?"

Certainly not. The grain could be seen in broad daylight, but the cellar could not. Chen Sanshi grunted in response, daring not to speak further. He followed his brother silently, focusing only on moving forward. Soon, they arrived at the entrance to the cellar. Wei Dahu dropped the grain sack from his shoulder, cleared the weeds with his foot, and then lifted the stones.

He instructed Chen Sanshi to keep watch above while he descended into the cellar. The open space near the entrance belonged to their family, with their uncle's territories marked off with ropes. Chen Sanshi assisted by passing the grain down to him. Wei Dahu didn't arrange the bags neatly; he simply stacked them, making room as needed. Later, he would use a rope to mark off his mother-in-law's portion.

In truth, marking wasn't strictly necessary, as each family knew how much grain they had. The ropes were more symbolic than practical. Following the norm, Wei Dahu decided to follow suit.

"Let's go." After securing the cellar entrance with stones, he called out to Chen Sanshi to resume their descent down the mountain with more grain.

"Maybe I should stay here and guard it?" Chen Sanshi cautiously suggested, mindful of the effort it would take to carry the stones up and down. He offered to keep watch to ensure no snakes or insects crept in.

Wei Dahu, well aware of his intentions, chuckled and playfully dragged him by the collar down the mountain. Having moved tens of thousands of pounds of grain before, this mere thousand pounds was nothing. With an extra pair of hands, they could finish the job with just two trips.

Securing his mother-in-law's grain with ropes, Wei Dahu stood at the entrance of the cellar, a smile on his face as he looked at the now-filled storage. The half-way up the mountain cellar had finally reached its capacity today.

Emerging from the cellar, Wei Dahu gazed down the cliff, his sharp eyes catching a glimpse of his wife hanging laundry in their yard. Chen Sanshi, mimicking his action, kicked the weeds onto the rocks to camouflage them. However, being slightly afraid of heights, he quickly retreated after one look. Thinking about playing spinning tops with Dogshrimp back in the village, he urged his brother to hurry down the mountain.

Back home, Wei Dahu fetched a small basket, filling it with plenty of hickory nuts. "These were picked with Mancang and Dog when we went into the mountains last time. They'll be even sweeter after a few days. Take some to your uncle's house, and the rest you can enjoy at home," he said.

Back then, they had encountered Sun's messenger as soon as they descended the mountain, leaving them no time to collect everything. Apart from the hickory nuts and persimmons that Mancang carried back, there were still plenty left at home. Their father had consumed some during these days, but there was still a significant surplus. Fruits would spoil if left uneaten for too long. It wasn't easy to pick them in the mountains, let alone carry them down. Since their family couldn't finish them all, they decided to share with their relatives; it would be a pity to let them go to waste.

"Wow, so many?" Chen Sanshi gazed at the overflowing basket of hickory nuts, almost leaping with joy. There were also hickory trees on the hill behind the village, but everyone in the village kept an eye on them. He could hardly eat much in a year; the competition was fierce. Nothing edible went unclaimed. Unlike his brother Dahu, who casually gave away a small basket at a time. According to Dahu, he had picked these with Mancang. This made Chen Sanshi envious; he wished he could join Dahu in hunting wild boars in the mountains. Instead, he was scolded and even frightened with stories. In the end, Dahu took his two younger brothers-in-law to pick fruits.

For the first time, Chen Sanshi experienced the concept of preferential treatment. They were both younger brothers, yet the disparity was striking!

He no longer wanted to be his cousin; he wished he was his sister-in-law's own brother.

Chen Sanshi carried the basket of hickory nuts, filled with both joy and resentment. Wei Dahu, however, didn't bother about his thoughts. Seeing that it was getting late, he fetched a yoke from the main room and headed to the rear hill with water buckets to replenish the water reservoir.

At noon, they simmered two pork legs and cooked enough rice for the day, leaving quite a bit left over for dinner. He went to fetch water while Taohua washed clothes, then started cleaning the pig's head he had brought home. Today, they didn't need to build a fire in the courtyard as his father knew that roasting was the main process, so he moved the pot from the stove. He didn't ask Taohua for help either, instead filling the stove with firewood and igniting it himself. He held the pig's head with his bare hands to roast it for a while. When it became too hot to handle, he used tongs to hold one half of the head and continued roasting it back and forth.

Taohua watched in amazement, thinking to herself, Why didn't I think of this before? It's so much more convenient, no need for a fire in the courtyard.

Nowadays, the nights fell early; usually at this time, the sun would still be up. The yard was already barely visible, and the evening chill made their dinner feel cold.

The family of three ate by the light of an oil lamp. On the table were the leftover braised pork trotters and a plate of scrambled eggs. Despite the decent meal, the father and son kept sniffing, as if they could smell something else. Thinking about the simmering boiled pig's head and tail in the kitchen, Taohua chuckled and shook her head.

They're always longing for what they don't have.

No wonder Father is going to town tomorrow to buy wine. He should get a couple more jars. Men always crave some appetizers to go with their drinks. Even she was tempted by the savory aroma wafting from the kitchen.

After dinner, Wei Dahu fetched hot water for his father to soak his feet and warm his knees. In winter, his injured leg would ache, especially when it was cold. After pouring the water, he didn't leave but pulled over a stool. Once his father had washed his face and started soaking his feet, Dahu also dipped a cloth into the scorching water, wrung it out, and applied it to his injured leg: "Tomorrow, Ming'er, go to the tailor's shop and get a thicker pair of pants for winter, well-stuffed with cotton, the warmer the better. In a few days, I'll venture deeper into the mountains. The wool we use for our bedding came from a sheep I caught a few years ago in the hills. Since I stumbled upon one, there must be a herd. Although I haven't seen them in recent years, when I was in the mountains last time, I saw a flat area from a high point. I wonder if they live there. I want to check it out."

Looking down at his son, the old man thought, What a sturdy lad. Now, he's sitting on a small stool, warming my knee with a hot cloth. He's always had a big appetite, and I've worked hard to raise him. I wasn't as skilled at hunting as he is, but we both ate well and never went hungry. The old man felt proud. As his cold knee was warmed by his son, his heart also felt cozy. No matter how hard it was, now he could sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

"Autumn and winter are good seasons for hunting, but they're also dangerous. Be careful."

"Sure thing," Wei Dahu nodded with a smile, joking, "If I'm lucky enough to find the sheep, I'll bring back two. We'll shear the wool, clean it, and stuff it into your and Taohua's clothes to keep you warm. Mutton is delicious too. When the snow falls, we can have a mutton hotpot at home. Just imagine that, how wonderful life will be."

Upon hearing this, Elder Wei jokingly scolded, "You're already eyeing the wool and meat of those sheep before you've even seen them. Bring them back first before you start daydreaming!"

"How can I not bring them back? It's just that I haven't found them yet. If I spot them, I'll definitely hunt down at least two." Wei Dahu lacked confidence in everything except his hunting skills. He believed that once he set his sights on a prey, it would never escape his grasp. If he were to stumble upon a flock of sheep, he wouldn't be satisfied with just two; he'd want to hunt three. One would be sold to the tavern in town, while the other two would be kept for themselves. If they couldn't finish them, they could smoke the meat for the long winter ahead. How could two sheep not suffice?

Moreover, he genuinely coveted that wool; it was incredibly warm, even warmer than cotton.

Country folk were poor, and not every household could afford cotton. The destitute stuffed their bedding with straw and their clothes with willow fluff. That's why the elderly often struggled through winters, and many perished during these cold months. Cold could kill, or it could lead to sickness, and without money for medicine, death was inevitable.

Their family had two blankets filled with a mixture of wool and cotton. This wool was from a stray sheep that Wei Dahu had encountered in the mountains a few years back. He hadn't left a single scrap of meat or wool behind. His father had been warm that winter, sleeping under those two woolen blankets, claiming he didn't feel the cold at night.

Now that he had a wife, Wei Dahu naturally thought of her as well. She too had a constitution that made her susceptible to the cold. Winter clothing was a necessity, as were warm blankets.

Therefore, despite having sufficient food, he needed to earn more silver. The trip to town would likely deplete his father's savings, spent on rare and valuable items. A single warm garment could cost several taels of silver. Wei Dahu, being robust and unbothered by the cold, didn't need new clothes, but his father and wife certainly did. Even if they didn't buy ready-made clothes and spun cotton into fabric themselves, it would be time-consuming and costly.

Wei Dahu was reluctant to burden Taohua with needlework all day. Many village women had damaged their eyes from such meticulous work. Taohua's night vision was already poor, and he truly didn't wish for her to suffer further damage. He was capable of earning money; there was no need to pinch pennies.

For the winter, his father and Taohua should each have two sturdy outfits, while he could manage with slightly thinner ones, also needing two for rotation. As for the blankets, they already had two with wool filling, but ideally, they needed two more. The outer fabric wasn't an issue; it was the wool they lacked.

In conclusion, he needed to venture into the mountains to catch two sheep, shear their wool for blanket stuffing, and consume their meat to keep their bodies warm. Only then could they survive the harsh winter.

"Author's Note"

It's been mentioned that the wool isn't sufficient. I suppose that's true. Although I intended to portray the sheep with incredibly thick fur and a slightly thinner blanket, it seems inadequate. Thus, I've made an alteration - adding cotton to the mix. Hopefully, this will improve the scenario.