Chapter 107: Hand Pain

The smile on Shen Lie’s face didn’t fade for quite a while after they left the tailor shop. Sang Luo hadn’t noticed at first, but Shen Ning, walking beside her, kept glancing back and giggling, prompting Sang Luo to look back too.

Behind them, the two brothers walked along. The older one carried two large bags of medicine, while the younger one held Shen Lie’s old fur. Shen Lie’s smile was indeed dazzling.

When Sang Luo looked back at him, Shen Lie instinctively grinned, and then the brothers quickened their pace together.

Unbeknownst to Shen Lie, his smile had an impact on Sang Luo.

The Shen family had good looks, especially Shen Lie and his siblings. Sang Luo thought that their parents must have been quite attractive to pass on such good genes.

The younger siblings were still growing and had a cute appearance. But with Shen Lie, after some grooming, he looked particularly handsome, especially when he smiled. His thick eyebrows and large eyes became even more expressive.

Sang Luo was unsure whether she was more struck by his curved brows or his bright, white teeth.

He really likes to smile, she mused, quickly turning her face away.

Shen Ning whispered, “Sister-in-law, my brother is happy because it’s the first time someone bought him clothes and shoes.”

Sang Luo glanced at her and whispered back, “What did he wear before?”

“My third uncle’s old clothes. Later, when he could hunt, he bought fabric and had Grandma Chen make some.”

Sang Luo tutted inwardly. No wonder he smiled so sweetly when given a hot meal, and now he’s so happy about new clothes.

She felt an odd sense of having another young Shen An to care for.

She patted the small bun on Shen Ning’s head. “Got it. When we get back to the village, I’ll buy some fabric and make your brother another outfit and a pair of shoes for changing.”

The clothes from the tailor shop were practical and could be layered. Making another set at home would be convenient.

Shen Ning beamed, her eyes curving into crescents. “Sister-in-law, you’re so nice!”

Sang Luo: …

These three siblings really look alike when they smile, with the same eye shape and expression.

Am I really taking care of three kids?

She, who had never been in a relationship, had suddenly jumped to this level?

Unable to pinch Shen Lie’s cheek, Sang Luo settled for squeezing Shen Ning’s chubby face, enjoying a bit of the fun of pinching a child, making her efforts worthwhile.

…

The family of four returned to Dongfu Lou, with Shen Lie now dressed in new clothes from head to toe. Chen Youtian and the others laughed when they saw him.

The men were straightforward, and as elders to Shen Lie and Sang Luo, Shi Dalang laughed, “Ah Lie is different now that he has a wife. This outfit looks very sharp.”

What he didn’t say was that Shen Lie’s little wife was truly generous.

Clothes from a county tailor shop cost much more than homemade ones. It must be because Shen Lie’s old clothes were in such poor condition.

These men all had old clothes and shoes at home. Even Chen Dashan, who had grown, had his father’s and grandfather’s clothes to wear. Only Shen Lie had returned in the same autumn clothes and fur.

Lu Erlang laughed, “Ah Lie’s wife is very considerate.”

Listening to their comments, Shen Lie was overjoyed but also worried that Sang Luo might feel embarrassed. He quickly handed the small bag of medicine to Zhou Dalang and said, “These are the medicines we bought for your family. Sang Luo asked the old doctor to write down the symptoms and usage for each one. Uncle Zhou can check them out. If anything is still missing, we have time to come back to the county and buy it.”

Zhou Dalang, pleased to hear that even the symptoms and usage were written down, took the bag happily. “Thank you for your efforts, sister-in-law.”

He opened the bag and looked inside. He could read and saw that the medicines were practical remedies. Noticing even snake bite antidotes were included, he thought to himself, no wonder his father had insisted on following Shen Lie’s wife to buy medicine; she was truly meticulous.

Sang Luo smiled and told them not to be too polite. She then turned to Chen Youtian and the others and said, “Uncle Chen, if you need to get medicine in the future, you can come to me. I’ll let you copy the prescription so you can get the medicine directly, saving the consultation fee.”

Doctor consultations for prescriptions are expensive, especially for multiple prescriptions. Chen Youtian and the others were delighted and expressed their gratitude repeatedly.

As they spoke, Brother Dong appeared, looking around before heading straight to Sang Luo. “Lady Sang, Shopkeeper Xu has returned and asked me to inform you. He wants to discuss how much you need so we can prepare it in advance. The grain store workers will bring the grain soon.”

He also glanced at the several carts in the alley and suggested, “Let’s move these carts to our warehouse first. Leaving them here might attract too much attention.”

It was indeed conspicuous to have the grain store workers see these carts.

Sang Luo nodded, “Please lead the way.”

Brother Dong smiled, “Sure thing.”

He then invited Chen Youtian and the others to follow him. He led them to a spacious courtyard adjacent to Dongfu Lou’s kitchen. They parked the carts inside.

Sang Luo confirmed the specific grain needs with the Zhou family. She asked about the Chen, Shi, and Lu families and found they only needed half of what they initially stated. The total for the five families was fifteen and a half kilograms.

Sang Luo asked Brother Dong, “Did Shopkeeper Xu mention the grain price?”

Brother Dong smiled, “It’s still 350 wen per dou.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, having been wary of price increases.

They handed their money to Sang Luo, and when it was Shen Lie’s turn, he gave her the small bag of silver he earned from selling ginseng.

Sang Luo accepted it with a smile and went inside with Brother Dong to settle the payment with Shopkeeper Xu. They didn’t need to deal with the grain store directly and only had to wait for the grain to be delivered.

Buying the grain went smoothly. Sang Luo and Shopkeeper Xu agreed to store the grain temporarily in Dongfu Lou’s warehouse, as moving all of it at once would draw too much attention.

Grain wasn’t expensive, but transporting it all at once required borrowing carts from Shopkeeper Xu, which would be heavy and noticeable. Bringing it all back to the village at once might arouse envy and suspicion.

Shopkeeper Xu understood and allowed Brother Dong and an old warehouse manager to clear out a small section of the warehouse for Sang Luo and her group to store the grain. This way, they could transport it back gradually over several days.

They didn’t borrow carts from Dongfu Lou in the end. Chen Youtian’s group used their original three carts and, along with Qin Fangniang and a few others, brought back some beans instead.

Beans wouldn’t arouse suspicion, as every household had some and could easily store a few bags.

On the way back, they indeed encountered acquaintances from the Zhou clan in Shili Village. They asked a few questions about the beans, then waved them off after learning it was a joint purchase by five families.

Shi Dalang, Lu Erlang, and Chen Qingshan, who had just returned from outside, were impressed by Sang Luo. They understood why their families relied on this young woman for major decisions. She was truly capable.

She was meticulous and resourceful, even managing to gain favor with Shopkeeper Xu and borrow Dongfu Lou’s warehouse.

Previously, they wouldn’t have been welcome even standing near the back kitchens of any county inn. Now, at Dongfu Lou, they were offered seats and even served hot water by apprentices, all because of Sang Luo.

When they returned to the village, they first carried all the grain that Shen Lie and Sang Luo had transported through the back path. Sang Luo didn’t have to lift a finger; even the medicine bag was carried by Shen Lie.

Qin Fangniang joked, “With so many men, do we need to do anything? Just take An and Ning home to unlock the door.”

Back home, Shen Lie and Chen Youtian’s group made two trips to move all the grain. Shen Lie returned home, while Chen Youtian and the others fetched their carts and went back to the village.

The village was abuzz with questions, and they let everyone see that they had only bought soybeans.

People were practical. Seeing the beans reassured them. They wouldn’t overthink it, especially since everyone had their own stock.

Returning home, Shen Lie took a machete to cut bamboo, planning to make more storage racks, with Shen An eager to assist.

Sang Luo didn’t need to worry about anything. She and Shen Ning fed the chickens, ducks, and geese, soaked the beans for dinner, and then grabbed a hoe, calling out to Shen Ning, “Let’s go dig up winter bamboo shoots.”

Shen Ning was thrilled. She had wanted to join her sister-in-law earlier but had been stopped due to the snow.

Hearing the call, the girl abandoned the wild vegetable leaves she was feeding to the poultry and ran to grab a basket, waiting eagerly at the gate.

Locking the door, Sang Luo led Shen Ning to the bamboo forest.

They had barely left when they saw that Shen Lie had already felled two thick bamboo stalks and was trimming them. Seeing Sang Luo with a hoe, he asked, “Need help?”

Sang Luo shook her head, “No need, I’m just teaching Ning.”

Learning survival skills was beneficial. Sang Luo herself was an example. If she hadn’t spent years in the mountains learning various things, she wouldn’t be enjoying such a comfortable life now. She was more than willing to teach the two youngsters.

Shen Lie nodded after hearing this. Once Sang Luo gave him the key, he took Shen An and dragged the bamboo away.

As for carrying it, that was out of the question—he was wearing new clothes. If Sang Luo hadn’t mentioned how good he looked in this outfit, Shen Lie would have preferred to change back into his old leather attire for work. However, today’s tasks wouldn’t damage his clothes, so it was fine.

While Sang Luo taught Shen Ning the techniques for finding winter bamboo shoots, Shen An followed his elder brother back to the courtyard gate.

Chen Youtian often did carpentry here, and the woodworking frame was already set up. After fetching some tools from the Chen family, they could start right away.

As they sawed the bamboo, Shen An chattered on, “Big brother, it’s great that you’re back. You don’t know, but before, Sister-in-law had to do all this work herself.”

Shen Lie paused with the saw in his hand and looked up at Shen An.

Shen An pointed to the chicken and duck coop and said, “Look, Sister-in-law built that coop herself. She got so many cuts on her hands that day, with bamboo splinters stuck deep. She had to use a needle to pick them out one by one.”

Having learned woodworking alongside Chen Dashan and Chen Youtian since he was a teenager, Shen Lie had often been pricked by bamboo splinters. Hearing this, he suddenly felt his hands ache in empathy.