Chapter 5

Having been a couple for decades, Old Man Chen quickly understood his wife’s intentions and cooperated by standing quietly and listening intently.

They didn’t have to wait long before hearing Sang Luo’s low voice from inside, instructing Shen An and Shen Ning to drink some sugar-salt water. Mrs. Chen’s face, full of wrinkles, softened into a smile at this. She gestured for her husband to leave quietly.

Sang Luo was unaware that she had been secretly observed by Mrs. Chen. Feeling her physical strength gradually recovering and having escaped the crisis of sudden death, she naturally noticed the two children, who were as thin as bamboo poles.

Thinking about how these two children had helped save her life, she felt grateful and warm-hearted.

Shen An and Shen Ning were truly frightened this time. Initially, when Sang Luo offered them the salt-sugar water, they shook their heads vehemently, refusing to touch their sister’s “life-saving ration.” However, when Sang Luo smiled and said she was feeling much better and would be able to cook some porridge soon, confirming that she wouldn’t die of sickness and hunger anymore, Shen Ning tentatively took a sip after looking at her sister and then her brother, and swallowed.

It was sweet and slightly salty—an unusual taste for them. But Shen Ning, who rarely tasted sweetness other than the occasional wild berries she could find on the mountain, found it delightful. Her eyes and eyebrows curled with delight.

She only took a small sip, then handed the bowl to Shen An, “Brother, it’s so sweet. You should drink it too.”

Although Shen An had been acting like a big brother, taking charge of everything for his sister since they heard about their eldest brother’s death, when the bowl of sweet water was brought to his lips, he reverted to his true self.

After all, he was still a child. How could he refuse the sweet water brought to his lips? In the end, Sang Luo didn’t drink any more of the sugar water. The two siblings shared the bowl cleanly, with Shen An being the older brother, taking only a sip each time and mostly giving it to Shen Ning. When there was only one sip left for him, the little guy didn’t pretend to be mature anymore. After drinking it all up, leaving not a drop behind, he naturally licked the bottom of the bowl. He then rinsed the pot that had been used to boil the sugar water, shook it around, rinsed it again with water, and boiled it once more before it was considered clean.

Sang Luo didn’t find it disgusting at all. In times when people could starve to death, it was completely normal.

She had been an orphan in her past life. She had only worked for a year after graduating from university before falling ill and being hospitalized. After a series of examinations, she found out that she didn’t have long to live.

If she had been born into a wealthy family and could spend millions in hospitals for treatment and maintenance, Sang Luo might have been able to endure for a few more years.

But she didn’t have millions to spend, so she decided not to suffer. After crying in bed for two days and thinking for three days, she submitted her resignation. Using the savings she had earned from part-time jobs and selling goods since university and the year of work after graduation, she did thorough research online, visited several places in person, and finally found a mountain she liked. She bought an old, abandoned house there, settled down, and started living the life she had always dreamed of.

Living alone in the mountains for five years, Sang Luo mostly kept to herself. There were neighbors, but they were somewhat distant, mostly elderly people left behind while the younger generation went to the city for work and school.

So, Sang Luo didn’t have many opportunities to interact with children.

Seeing the two little siblings taking care of each other affectionately, she felt a warm feeling inside.

Living in the mountains wasn’t so bad. Compared to the last few years of her previous life, spent in illness and pain, she now had a chance to recover her health after a period of adjustment, and she had two companions.

Being poor wasn’t frightening; as long as she had hands, feet, and a brain, there would always be a way to earn money.

Sang Luo felt that this was quite good; fate had been kind to her.

When the three of them had drunk their fill of water, dawn was breaking, and Sang Luo had regained her strength. At least she wouldn’t black out and collapse when moving around the house anymore.

Without much careless, she took a short rest and then called on the two children to help with chores like fetching water, washing the pot, and cooking porridge.

It was plain rice porridge, without any wild vegetables mixed in.

When Sang Luo took out a handful of rice from the cloth bag and handed it to them to wash, Shen An and Shen Ning were stunned.

Neither of the two moved, staring dumbfoundedly at the rice in the pot, then at Sang Luo.

Shen An pursed his lips and said, “Sister-in-law, this way of eating, this rice, will be gone in a few days.”

His face was full of disapproval.

Seeing her brother speak up, Shen Ning quickly nodded in agreement, her little head bobbing like a chicken pecking at rice, eagerly looking at Sang Luo without saying a word, but seemingly saying with her eyes: Brother is right, Sister-in-law, you should take some of it back.

Sang Luo found it both amusing and heartbreaking. She made a decision, “This will do, let’s go wash the rice and cook the porridge.”

Her decision was final, but the two children still didn’t budge.

Sang Luo had to explain, “Don’t worry, Sister-in-law will figure out a way to get more grain. I promise!”

 The two children looked at her but still didn’t budge, evidently having spent several months together, Sang Luo’s assurance held zero persuasiveness.

Sang Luo sighed, “Look, sister-in-law almost starved to death this time, right? If we keep eating like this, not only me, but both of you will also collapse. Trust me, let’s wash and cook this rice, enjoy a good meal, and when I regain my strength, I’ll take you out to find food. Saving on food won’t get us anywhere.”

Shen Ning blinked her eyes, ignoring the long string of words. She only heard the phrase “sister-in-law almost starved to death this time” and turned to look at her elder brother.

Shen An’s face also showed a conflicted expression. Obviously, his mind was wavering. After a moment’s thought, he reached into the pot and grabbed a thin layer of rice from the part that wasn’t submerged in water, putting it back into the rice bag, saying, “Cook with this. I won’t need to eat much.”

He was being too considerate.

Sang Luo recalled herself when she was young; a tough life would shape such a character.

She nodded without insisting further.

Shen An and Shen Ning visibly breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t give Sang Luo a chance to change her mind. They grabbed the pot and went out to fetch water and wash the rice.

The three of them—one adult and two children—huddled around the makeshift stove made of rocks, listening to the bubbling sound coming from the pot. Shen An occasionally stirred the pot with a wooden spoon, waiting for the rice to boil. The aroma of the rice porridge made them all salivate.

When it came time to serve the porridge, Shen An was the one serving. Sang Luo took a ladle, Shen Ning a slightly smaller portion, and Shen An only half a ladle.

The ladle wasn’t large, and in the coarse ceramic bowl commonly used in ancient times, it was just about a shallow bowl’s worth. Sang Luo couldn’t bear to see Shen An with so little, so she took back some of the rice she had put into her own bowl and gave it to him. Shen An was a little stunned, but Sang Luo smiled and said, “Alright, young man, eat up. I was really hungry earlier, and I shouldn’t eat too much now. Eating less but more frequently is the right way to take care of your stomach.”

The siblings stared at the steaming, thick white porridge but still hesitated to eat.

Sang Luo urged them, “Come on, eat. Just remember to blow on it to cool it down.”

Shen An didn’t say anything this time, but Shen Ning looked at the bowl of porridge and then at Sang Luo. “Sister-in-law, are you really going to eat? With some wild vegetables, this would be enough for us to eat for many days.”

“Eat!” Sang Luo affirmed firmly. “After eating, take a rest. When I regain my strength, I’ll take you out to find food.”

Her confident and self-assured demeanor gave the two hungry children some confidence, even though it was meager. The tantalizing aroma of the white rice porridge wafted into their noses, and their hearts leaned towards Sang Luo’s words!

Eat!?

Eat until they were full!

Without chairs and with bowls too hot to hold, the three of them squatted by the makeshift stone table, blowing on their bowls of porridge until the surface cooled down. Then, they carefully skimmed off the top layer with chopsticks and savored each mouthful.

The two children treasured their meal, reluctant to finish quickly. In between bites, Shen Ning couldn’t help but turn to her elder brother and say, “Brother, this white rice porridge is really fragrant! It’s been so long since I had such fragrant porridge.”

That enraptured expression made it seem like the bowl contained delicacies from the sea and mountains.

However, Shen An knew all too well how long “a long time” meant. It was before his older brother left home. His eyes stung, and he rubbed them before smiling at his sister and saying, “Let’s eat.”

From now on, I’ll make sure you eat your fill.

He only dared to think about this in his heart, not daring to say it out loud because Shen An knew he was still too weak and couldn’t fulfill that promise.

His mood visibly dropped, but he would smile when Shen Ning looked over, though his eating speed noticeably slowed down.

With only half a bowl of porridge left in Shen An’s bowl when Sang Luo and Shen Ning finished theirs, Shen Ning looked at Shen An, and he placed the bowl in the middle of the stone table, saying, “You can have the leftovers for lunch.”

Then he quickly washed the bowls and covered the remaining two mouthfuls of white rice porridge in another bowl, treasuring them by turning the bowl upside down to seal it.