Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Before leaving, Shen Dong said to Shen Yuan, "Big brother, there were also a lot of wild vegetables in the yard this morning. I saw they were the same types Auntie Ping picked that day, all kinds that aren't found nearby."

Shen Yuan understood, thinking it must have been Auntie Ping who sent them over.

"I know. Once the food's hot, you eat with your younger brothers first—don't wait for me."

Shen Dong didn't nod in agreement; he just told Shen Yuan to be careful on the road and come home early.

Shen Yuan walked a bit slower, checking out the area. When he arrived at Auntie Ping's house, the family had just finished their meal.

From outside the fence, he could see Wang Sanhu splitting firewood.

Shen Yuan raised the coarse cloth in his hand. "I'm here to ask Auntie Ping to make me some clothes. The teahouse requires wearing better clothes, and what I'm wearing isn't good enough. I don't know how to sew either, so I could only bother Auntie Ping. Is she home?"

Knowing nothing major had happened at the Shen house, Wang Sanhu was relieved. "Yes, yes, she's here! Mother! Shen Da's here! He wants your help making clothes!"

A little old lady came out from the kitchen. Her hair was half-white, her thin, shriveled frame slightly hunched. Her wrinkled face had sharp eyes, which made her look kind of fierce.

"What kind of clothes do you want made?" Auntie Ping's gaze didn't linger on Shen Yuan's face, only looking at the cloth in his hand. She spoke stiffly, and her expression looked even fiercer.

But Shen Yuan wasn't scared.

He knew there was a reason Auntie Ping was like this. Her husband had been drafted into the army and she was widowed young. She raised six children alone when they were all young. Fortunately, her in-laws were still alive then and could lend a hand, so they managed to scrape by.

Later, her in-laws passed away one after another, and Auntie Ping's life became very difficult.

People love to gossip about a widow; outsiders didn't dare help too much for fear of being talked about. Auntie Ping also didn't dare ask for too much help, afraid people might have ulterior motives.

She forced herself to stop smiling, putting on a cold, harsh face towards others. Only this way could she raise her children with less gossip and survive.

Auntie Ping was stern-faced but warm-hearted.

Shen Yuan knew this; otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten up in the middle of the night to dig wild vegetables and gone out of her way to bring them to his house. So however fierce she acted, she couldn't scare him away.

"Just a simple short tunic will do. Auntie Ping, do you need to take my measurements?" Shen Yuan stepped forward with a smile, handing the coarse cloth to her. "Auntie, here are three coins for your trouble. I hate to be a bother, making you do this for me."

Auntie Ping didn't take the money. Instead, she was drawn by Shen Yuan's smile and his closeness. "You used to be afraid of me and didn't like to smile. Now you're acting different. Am I not scary anymore?"

Shen Yuan had been scared to tears by her expression when he was a child; in the whole village, he was most afraid of her.

As he grew up, he avoided her whenever possible. Because of this, she rarely interacted with him.

Seeing him like today, standing just a step away with a smiling face, was a first for Auntie Ping.

Earlier, hearing her third son say Shen Yuan had changed and was different from before, she didn't think much of it.

Seeing him today, he was indeed very different.

It was as if he had become a different person, which was strange.

"To be honest with you, Auntie, a few days ago after I fainted, a lot of things came to me, and I learned a lot I didn't know before. I suppose it's the 'immortal fate' that old Taoist priest mentioned back then. Thinking about it now, you have to live life as it comes, might as well be happy."

Shen Yuan had previously told Lao Xutou about the cenotaph and the restless spirits. If someone really came to inquire, it would be better to mention it to the village as well.

This was to avoid the villagers being scared by those words without any warning.

When he mentioned the "immortal fate," Auntie Ping really did nod.

Back then, her Sanhu gave the old Taoist a bowl of water to drink, and that old Taoist said her Sanhu would have help from a noble person in the future and could become a successful man.

Auntie Ping glanced at the scrawny man huffing and puffing as he split firewood, hoping what the old Taoist said was true.

But she knew her son; he was a simple, honest soul, not very capable. She didn't dare hope for him to become someone important.

She only wished he could eat his fill in the future, not go hungry or suffer from cold.

As for Shen Yuan, it really seemed like it was coming true; otherwise, how could a person change so drastically all at once?

Remembering why Shen Yuan had fainted back then, Auntie Ping's expression faltered; she had shooed Shen Dong away that day.

Seeing Auntie Ping's expression change slightly, Shen Yuan placed the copper coins on the coarse cloth. "Auntie, thank you for your and Brother Sanhu's help before, which helped me and my siblings survive. This money isn't much, but it's my sincere intention. Auntie, please accept it and don't look down on it. Also, Auntie, you don't need to leave wild vegetables in our yard every morning anymore. I found a job that provides two meals a day. With what my younger siblings dig themselves, it's enough for a day's food."

Shen Yuan said sincerely, "Auntie Ping, you've gone to a lot of trouble these past two days. Getting up so early and walking all that way to dig wild vegetables for my family."

Hearing him say so much, knowing Shen Yuan didn't blame her and was still thinking of her, Auntie Ping's eyes grew slightly red. "Yuan, as long as you don't blame Auntie Ping, that's enough."

That bit of walking, those wild vegetables, that bit of hardship—it was nothing.

The three coins Shen Yuan gave, Auntie Ping still accepted.

A child finding work to make a living, feeling happy and wanting to help his poor neighbor, was kind-hearted of him. She accepted this sentiment.

Making a short tunic wasn't difficult. Using a cloth strip, she quickly measured Shen Yuan's figure and had an idea in mind. Knowing Shen Yuan needed the clothes urgently for work, Auntie Ping told him to come get them tomorrow evening, so he could wear the new clothes the day after.

After thanking her, Shen Yuan headed home. On the way back, he walked much faster, knowing his younger siblings would wait for him to eat together.

When he got home, Shen Dong and the others were indeed waiting for him.

For dinner, Shen Yuan ate mostly the wild vegetable paste. The leeks and millet paste he brought back from the teahouse were divided among his younger siblings.

The teahouse's millet was new rice, with thick rice oil and a strong aroma. It was fine, soft, and dense in the mouth, carrying a fresh fragrance and an excellent taste.

The spring leeks were crisp, tender, and soft. Simply seasoned with fine salt, their own pungent aroma wrapped around a salty taste without bitterness, pairing very well with the millet paste.

The family had no table. All five of them held their bowls, sitting on the mud ring built around the base of the stove.

Shen Yuan thought this couldn't go on; they still needed to buy a table.

But it seemed around here people had carpenters make tables. He didn't know any carpenters; he'd ask Brother Sanhu on the way to the county town tomorrow.

After eating, Shen Yuan bathed the children first.

The house didn't have a dedicated bathtub, so they had to use the large water vat. For bathing small children, they would also directly sit them in the pottery pot on the stove to wash.

The pottery pot at home needed to keep heating water, so Shen Yuan chose the water vat.

He took half the well water out of the vat. The pottery bowls and basins at home were all filled to the brim, placed all over the ground.

Little Beibei was still too small. Afraid she might catch a chill and get sick, Shen Yuan didn't dare bathe her. Shen Dong held her while continuing to heat water, and Shen Yuan bathed his two younger brothers.

He washed the two children's hair first, which was troublesome because it was dry and tangled.

He checked carefully for lice. Fortunately, there were none; otherwise, combing them out would take time and need to be done daily.

Shen Xi and Shen Nan felt very comfortable while having their hair washed, but it hurt when scrubbing off the dirt.

But they didn't want Shen Yuan to take too long bathing them; they wanted him to be able to rest earlier. So they gritted their teeth, enduring the sharp, stinging pain from the scrubbing, and let Shen Yuan use the loofah to scrub the grime off their bodies.

In his previous life, Shen Yuan had often helped bathe the children at the orphanage, so he knew exactly how much force to use. He could clean them thoroughly without actually hurting them.

When he used to bathe those children, they would scream at the top of their lungs.

He had been prepared for Shen Xi and Shen Nan to shout, but unexpectedly, the two children didn't make a sound.

This allowed him to relax much more.

The bathwater quickly turned black, with a layer of grime floating on top. The kitchen hut had a stove with a fire going, and a charcoal brazier burning firewood had been placed near the doorway, so the room temperature was quite high. Shen Yuan had been working hard and broke a sweat; it was pretty tiring.

Fortunately, he managed to wash the two children until they were fresh and pink.

Once the two kids were cleaned up, they were actually very good-looking, with red lips, white teeth, and big eyes.

After Shen Xi and Shen Nan finished bathing, they helped pour out the bathwater from the vat. Shen Yuan went to fetch more water from the village well.

After several trips, Shen Dong bathed first. When he finished, the children again helped empty the bathwater and rinse the vat. Shen Yuan went to fetch well water once more, and finally, it was his turn.

Shen Yuan told the younger ones to go to sleep while he took a slow, leisurely bath.

The water temperature was just right, very comfortable.

After washing off the grime and cleaning his hair, Shen Yuan felt much lighter.

When he went out to dump the water, the clear moonlight allowed him to see the general shapes outside, enough to move around without hindrance. Unlike the brightly lit nights of his previous life, Shen Yuan couldn't help but look up at the starry sky, where the full moon hung high like a silver plate, casting a soft glow.

What a beautiful night view.

I wonder how the director and the younger siblings at the orphanage are doing...

He had truly arrived in another time and space, never to return.

Shen Yuan gave a helpless sigh and sped up his cleaning of the vat. He used a torch to check the inside and out several times to make sure it was clean, then went to fetch water in the dark so the children would have water to use tomorrow.

When he finally lay down, Shen Yuan felt his back and waist instantly relax.

Out of habit, he shifted the quilt more toward the children's side. He was too exhausted and quickly fell asleep.

...

Wang Sanhu had heard a saying while working in the county: "Clothes make the man, and the saddle makes the horse."

But looking at Shen Yuan, he felt that even in ragged clothes, the youth looked quite handsome now that he was cleaned up.

In any case, no one in the village was better-looking than Shen Yuan.

He was just a bit too thin; it would be better if he had a bit more meat on his bones.

Shen Yuan called out twice, bringing Wang Sanhu back to his senses. "Brother Sanhu, do you know any carpenters you could recommend? As long as their skill is passable. I want to have a table and a few long benches made. If we use the carpenter's wood, about how much would it cost for something cheap?"

Wang Sanhu thought carefully. Shen Yuan didn't have much money; everything in his house that could be bartered for food had been traded away. Not having a proper place to eat was really inconvenient.

"If you need it urgently, just have a small low table made first. You can just sit on a stone. The carpenter has suitable wood and can lend it on credit. Later, when the village goes into the mountains together to gather firewood, I'll help you go up and chop some to return to him. You'd only have to pay for his labor, which wouldn't be much."

Half of the mountain at Big Tree Village had been bought by a landowner, and the other half was unowned wilderness.

The reason no one bought the latter was that the terrain was steep and dangerous. It was hard to transport anything grown there, and there wasn't much profit to be made; one would just end up paying a huge tax to the government every year for nothing.

The mountain was full of wild animals, making it difficult for ordinary people to enter.

Villagers were not allowed to enter the landowner's part of the mountain to chop or gather firewood. Buying firewood from the landowner cost money, and where would families get the copper coins for that?

So the whole village had to organize teams to go to the wilderness mountain together to chop firewood and haul it down.

They went once a month.

The next trip wouldn't be for another half a month.

Wang Sanhu was afraid Shen Yuan was in a hurry. "By the way, do you remember Xu Dagui, whom we mentioned yesterday?"

"I remember," Shen Yuan nodded.

"Although he lost one hand, he's an old hand at the craft. He can still make simple tables, and he has wood at home. Because of his hand, people think his work is bad luck. Even though he charges half the usual price and the wood is half as cheap, no one goes to him."

Wang Sanhu said to Shen Yuan, "If you don't mind that and need a table urgently, why not go take a look?"

Originally, Wang Sanhu hadn't intended to mention Xu Dagui. He chose to tell Shen Yuan now because, firstly, he believed Xu Dagui lost his hand because that rich merchant was cruel, not because the man was cursed with bad luck.

Secondly, it was indeed cheap and saved a long wait. Shen Yuan's priority was something affordable and functional, so Xu Dagui was the most suitable choice.

Shen Yuan certainly didn't mind. He just wanted to save money and have a table to use sooner.

"After we come back from the city today, could you accompany me to Carpenter Xu's house?"

Wang Sanhu grinned. "Sure thing."

Author's Note:

If there are typos/bugs, I'll fix them tomorrow.

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