Chapter 98: His Remarkable Composure

Inside the kitchen, Shen Lie’s ears twitched. He turned his head towards the kitchen door and saw Sang Luo briefly standing there before walking towards another courtyard.

He asked Shen An, “How much tax did our family pay this year?”

Shen An was well aware of this. He raised his thumb and extended four fingers. “Four kilograms four, brother. Grain is precious. Our family didn’t have that much grain at the time, so it was Sister-in-law who borrowed money from the shopkeeper who bought our goods to purchase the grain and pay the taxes. Later, there was also corvee labor, and even though there were no able-bodied men in the family, we still had to send people. Sister-in-law also used one kilogram of grain to hire people from Uncle Zhou’s family to do the labor for us.”

Five kilograms four.

Shen Lie felt guilty just thinking about it. Sang Luo had shouldered the burden of the household’s taxes alone, and Shen An and Shen Ning had helped her, while he, an ignorant fool, had only added to her load by two kilograms of grain.

“Do you know the current price of grain here?” Sang Luo never kept household matters from the two young ones, and they indeed knew about the price of grain.

“It’s three hundred and fifty cents per kilogram now. Sister-in-law has been gradually stockpiling grain, but it’s too expensive,” Shen An replied.

Shen Lie nodded and asked if the sacks stacked on the main house’s shelf were all grain.

Both children nodded. “Mostly millet, with a few bags of flour.”

Shen Lie silently calculated. Originally, there was enough grain to last over a year, but with him, it would probably only last until the end of next summer at most.

He finished the food in his bowl, washed the dishes, and then arrived at the main house’s door. Sang Luo was sitting at the table with a large bundle of reeds and three rolls of hemp thread.

Shen Lie knocked on the open door, and when Sang Luo saw him, he entered.

His gaze fell on the bundle of reeds, feeling somewhat puzzled, but he went to his own large bundle on the floor beside the table first.

Sang Luo thought he was getting clothes for a bath and didn’t say much. She gathered the three rolls of hemp thread together and started twisting them into rope.

But Shen Lie wasn’t getting clothes. Instead, he took out a cloth bundle and sat down opposite Sang Luo. He unfolded the cloth bundle, revealing a wooden box that wasn’t particularly exquisite, which he placed in front of Sang Luo.

Sang Luo was puzzled. She looked at Shen Lie. “What’s this?”

He opened the wooden box, revealing what looked like a high-quality ginseng root.

Sang Luo was stunned.

Shen Lie said, “I spent most of the past eight or nine months wandering in the deep mountains. I was lucky enough to dig up this ginseng. I heard from Shen An that our family used five kilograms four of grain for taxes and corvee labor this year, all of which you borrowed money to buy grain. This ginseng is for you.”

Sang Luo looked at the ginseng and then at Shen Lie. “Do you know the age of this ginseng?”

Its skin was dark, with fine and dense iron lines. Although Sang Luo couldn’t determine the exact age, she knew it was definitely valuable.

Shen Lie nodded. “When I dug it up, there were three palm-shaped compound leaves. Dashan knows about this. He said it should be at least thirty years old.”

Sang Luo asked, “And you’re giving this to me?”

Shen Lie was taken aback by her question. After all, she had borrowed so much grain for the family, and this ginseng was the only valuable thing he had. Wasn’t it right to give it to her?

After a moment of hesitation, he said, “It’s all I have now.”

Sang Luo couldn’t help but smile inwardly, afraid he would notice. She lowered her head and said, “Borrowing grain intermittently probably cost around eleven taels. Including these sacks over there.”

Since he didn’t speak, it was obvious he was waiting for more.

This time, Sang Luo’s eyes really curved up. “So, I don’t need this ginseng. If you really want to contribute to this family, you can sell the ginseng to me for six taels of silver.”

She didn’t ask for eleven taels, after all, she needed to eat this grain too.

Shen Lie didn’t expect her to say that. Eleven taels for six taels? What kind of calculation was this?

He felt a moment of strangeness in his heart, but didn’t delve into it. “No need, it’s all yours. If there’s any extra, you can buy more grain and stock up. A few months ago, I passed through Qizhou, and the price of grain there was already six hundred and sixty cents per kilogram. Who knows how much it’s risen to now. If the world is going to be in chaos, it probably won’t be peaceful for the next few years. While the price of grain here isn’t too high yet, it’s better to stock up for stability.”

When Sang Luo heard six hundred and sixty cents per kilogram, her breath tightened. “You said it was already six hundred and sixty cents per kilogram a few months ago?”

Shen Lie nodded. “Yes, about four months ago.”

Four months ago, he was still in his original body.

Sang Luo had crossed over in early August, and at that time, the price of grain had risen, but not excessively, to seventy cents per kilogram. However, in September, the price of grain suddenly skyrocketed from over eighty cents to over one hundred and fifty cents per kilogram and had been rationed since. Compared to the north, the response in the south was delayed by more than a month. Now, the price of grain in Qiyang County had risen to over three hundred cents per kilogram. How high had the price of grain in the north risen?

Just thinking about it made Sang Luo’s scalp tingle.

She closed the wooden box containing the ginseng, wrapped it in cloth, and said, “Okay, let’s go to the county in a couple of days and sell this ginseng. Let’s exchange it all for grain. I’ve also saved up some silver. We can find a pharmacy to prepare some commonly used medicines and stock up on more medicine.”

When the world is in chaos, what is most lacking is food and medicine. Food is essential for survival, while medicine is crucial for saving lives. Ironically, money becomes the most useless thing at that time.

Shen Lie didn’t expect her to react so quickly, and the price of grain at three hundred and fifty cents per kilogram didn’t even make her bat an eyelid. He was quite impressed, but upon reflection, it made sense. From what Shen An and Shen Ning had told him, she had been stockpiling grain all along, whether it was at the beginning when it was over eighty cents per kilogram or later when it was over three hundred cents per kilogram. It was evident that she took this matter very seriously.

Seeing her put away the medicine, Shen Lie prepared to go get his clothes for a bath. Just as he was about to stand up, he noticed the bundle of reeds on the table. “What are you planning to do with these?”

Sang Luo had just put away the ginseng and was at a loss for words when Shen Lie asked. She was planning to make two curtains.

Shen Lie had returned, and she couldn’t let someone go down the mountain to stay elsewhere. It wasn’t realistic to sleep on the floor in the kitchen in the dead of winter. Although he had slept without a bed while traveling through mountains and forests, this was his own home. It didn’t make sense not to let him sleep on a bed.

Sang Luo hadn’t thought of making such an unreasonable request.

She thought about letting him share a bed with Shen An while Shen Ning slept with her. They could hang a curtain between the two beds during the day and separate them at night. Separating the two children with another curtain ensured there wouldn’t be any issues.

Sang Luo believed she was good at reading people. Although she didn’t know Shen Lie well, she felt his character should be decent enough. Most importantly, she didn’t have many other options.

So, it was a kind of compromise.

Now that Shen Lie asked, Sang Luo pursed her lips, feeling that there was no better time than now to bring it up. “I want to make two roll-up curtains to hang between the two beds. They can be rolled up during the day and lowered at night.”

Shen Lie’s eyebrows twitched, and he heard Sang Luo continue, “Actually, I want to discuss something with you.”

Shen Lie vaguely sensed something but couldn’t quite grasp it, like it was veiled by a layer of gauze. He sat back down when he heard her say she wanted to discuss something.

“Go ahead.”

Sang Luo glanced at his expression and said, “I don’t know if Shen An and Shen Ning have told you, but I am a refugee who fled from the north.”

Shen Lie nodded.

Sang Luo continued, “When I married you, I actually already knew you were gone.”

Realizing her mistake, she corrected herself, “I heard you were killed.”

Shen Lie didn’t pay much attention, just looked at Sang Luo, indicating for her to continue.

Sang Luo said, “I stayed behind at that time because I wanted a place to settle down and have a livelihood, to register my household, and have a place to stay.”

At this point, Shen Lie vaguely understood what she was getting at. She didn’t want to marry him, she wanted a household registration.

So, now that he was back alive…

He realized what she truly wanted to say, and when he looked into her clear eyes filled with expectation, Shen Lie experienced for the first time that when a person is embarrassed, their face really does burn.

From his face to his ears, and from his ears to his neck.

He suspected his whole body was red now. For the first time, he was grateful that his skin had darkened a lot from staying in the mountains. His face wouldn’t blush too visibly.

Just now, he couldn’t dare to look at those eyes full of expectation. He hastily nodded, “Okay.”

“I’ll go take a bath.”

Shen Lie didn’t know how he stood up, how he found his clothes in the bundle, or why he didn’t just escape outside and change there. Because staying a moment longer might have revealed his flushed ears and embarrassment to her?

But strangely, he pretended to be calm.

He nodded calmly, answered calmly, stood up calmly, walked calmly to the bundle, found his clothes calmly, and then walked out calmly…

He was truly calm.

Thinking like this, Shen Lie fiercely rubbed his face and pulled his ears twice, feeling the burning sensation.

Shen An and Shen Ning had just gone to feed their beloved chickens and ducks. When they came back in, they saw their eldest brother standing under the eaves holding a few pieces of clothes and pulling his ears.

Shen Ning asked, “Big brother, do you have chilblains on your ears?”

If your ears have chilblains, they’ll itch. Both she and her second brother had them before, and it was only after Sister-in-law went to the county and got some chilblain oil that they got better.

Shen Lie was so embarrassed he felt like he was about to emit smoke, especially when Shen Ning said this. The people inside must know he had just been standing not far outside, right?

His ears seemed to be smoking.

“No, I’m going to take a bath. Where do we bathe at home?”

“In the bathroom.” Shen An pointed to where the bathroom was and said, “Big brother, let me get a bath towel for you.”

Shen An hurried back into the house. Before winter came, Sister-in-law made four bath towels for him. One was made of new cloth for bathing, and the other three were made of scraps for drying hair.

Apologies for the oversight. Here’s the corrected text:

—

As they handed over the bath towels to Sang Luo, Shen An reported, “Sister-in-law, we’ve fed the chickens, ducks, and geese, and we’ve also put the chickens and ducks back in their coop.”

Sang Luo smiled, “Good, thank you both for your hard work.”

Shen An felt that Sister-in-law was really different from anyone else in their village, especially courteous. Whenever he and Shen Ning did something, they would either be praised or receive a kind smile of acknowledgment from Sister-in-law.

Shen An really liked it. He grinned, “Not hard at all. Sister-in-law works hard every day. I’ll go give the bath towels to Big Brother.”

Seeing Sang Luo busy, he asked, “What are you doing, Sister-in-law? I’ll come help you in a bit, and I’ll call Ning to join us.”

Without waiting for Sang Luo to respond, he happily dashed out with the bath towels like a whirlwind.

Sang Luo couldn’t help but chuckle.

Hmm, hesitating and wavering might be partly due to these two children. They’re really warm, thoughtful, and cute.