Chapter 117: What Should Shen Jin Do?

Everyone was busy transporting grain, so the business of selling tofu and dried bean curd had to be halted. Even the vegetarian tripe would be paused, considering the large influx of refugees from outside the county.

Moreover, today, everyone had gathered early before dawn, and Sang Luo didn’t have time to prepare the tofu for several restaurants. Only the dried bean curd and vegetarian tripe could be delivered.

Originally, it was supposed to be Old Man Chen, Chen Youtian, Old Man Lu, and Shi Dalang, a group of men, who would go to make the deliveries. But now they had all gone into the mountains. Sang Luo and Shen Lie had planned to make a trip to the county for several reasons: to put on a show, to sell some furs, and to stock up on more medicinal herbs. They decided to help deliver the dried bean curd for a few families as well, return the deposit for the tofu orders, and inform them that there would be no more supplies. Shen Lie also wanted to see for himself the situation outside the city gates.

After everything was discussed, dawn was breaking. To avoid drawing attention from the villagers, they didn’t linger. After a few words, everyone dispersed along different small paths.

Shen Lie and Sang Luo entered the house, and Shen An nervously asked, “Big Brother, Sister-in-law, what’s wrong with Hu Zi’s mother?”

The siblings had been sleeping soundly and were awakened by the commotion outside. They only caught a few words and hadn’t figured out what was happening. They noticed that everyone looked troubled, and Shuanzhu and Tiezhu were sitting dejectedly in a corner of the yard, indicating that something bad had happened involving their mother.

Sang Luo patted his head. “She let slip about our families hoarding grain. So now we need to hide it quickly. Xiao An and An Ning, remember this: don’t say a word about our family’s affairs to anyone outside. It could bring enormous trouble, and even cost lives.”

The siblings nodded, somewhat understanding. Their sister-in-law never hid things from them, so they had some idea about the situation. Although they didn’t fully grasp how leaking information could be life-threatening, they knew their sister-in-law wouldn’t scare them without reason.

They made a simple breakfast of soy milk and egg pancakes. After eating, Sang Luo locked the door and sent Shen An and Shen Ning to stay with the Chen family and Chen Ershan. She and Shen Lie then hurried off to the county.

They didn’t bring the siblings along because, at this time, the village was much safer than the area outside the county. Shen Lie and Sang Luo had prepared thoroughly and planned to return quickly.

By the time they reached the county gate, it was already light. There were twenty or thirty grass huts outside the gate, with many refugees sitting or standing at the entrances. Dressed in clothes donated by wealthy locals, they looked somewhat warm but stared numbly at the gate, waiting for the daily food distribution. Some eyed passersby entering the county.

Despite the restricted grain sales, some villagers still came daily, mostly traveling in groups of strong young men.

Before Shen Lie and Sang Luo got close to the gate, they felt the eyes of a dozen people on them, a look of greed and aggression. Shen Lie carried his load not with a pole but with a hoe, ready to use as a weapon if needed. The left side of his load had a stack of wooden crates, weighed down by an axe, while the right side had two large bundles of animal pelts, noticeably bear and wolf skins.

A hunter?

Some felt a chill—did he hunt a whole pack of wolves?

As they met Shen Lie’s sharp, knowing gaze, those watching quickly backed down. This young man was not to be trifled with.

Of course, no one without skills would dare bring a young woman to the county at this time.

Shen Lie discreetly scanned the area outside the gate. Because Qiyang County was remote, there were fewer than two hundred refugees, some with sinister looks, but most were numb, waiting for food or government help.

This situation was familiar to Shen Lie. The unrest in Qiyang County was like an undercurrent in a lake, not yet fully erupted but already brewing.

The gate had five or six times more guards than usual, many of them temporary recruits. The guards eyed Shen Lie’s hoe and axe but, given the outside situation, let them pass with a wave, assuming their weapons were for self-defense.

Sang Luo needed to deliver goods, so they went first to Dongfu Restaurant. Shopkeeper Xu was absent, and Chef Yu received them. Seeing Shen Lie’s bundle of animal pelts, Chef Yu was surprised and checked them out. “Did you hunt a bear?”

His first thought was, “Where’s the bear paw?”

Having used poison, they couldn’t eat it, but Shen Lie didn’t explain and just shook his head. “Couldn’t keep it.”

Chef Yu assumed he shared the hunt and didn’t get that part, feeling it was a pity.

The back kitchen staff gathered to see the pelts and asked many questions about the hunt, but Shen Lie only gave vague answers.

After delivering the goods and settling accounts, they informed the staff that there would be no more deliveries for a while.

Chef Yu and the accountant sighed. “Better not deliver for now. It’s unsafe outside the city. Even we in the city are on edge, not knowing how the county magistrate will handle things. Keeping refugees at the gate isn’t a solution.”

They muttered, knowing they had no say in government matters.

Shen Lie and Sang Luo were busy and soon headed to other restaurants. After all deliveries were done, Sang Luo asked, “Where should we sell these pelts?”

Shen Lie had little experience. Before joining the army, he and Chen Dashan mostly hunted small game, the biggest being a wild boar, which they mostly sold to Dongfu Restaurant, with the skin sold to a butcher. He had never sold pelts himself.

“Let’s try the largest clothing shop in the county.”

They found a shop that bought pelts. The shopkeeper inspected them and said, “These are good pelts but poorly processed. I’ll need to rework them. Besides, there’s unrest in the north, and we don’t know what’s coming. We don’t want to spend much on stock. I’ll offer one and a half taels per wolf skin, five taels for the bear skin. Take it or leave it. Other shops might not even buy them now.”

One and a half taels.

According to Mrs. Chen, a good wolf pelt used to fetch seven or eight taels. This price was rock bottom.

Shen Lie knew their processing skills were poor, especially since they rushed it. Even in normal times, the price would be pressed to around four taels.

Now, with news of unrest spreading, people were hoarding food and money, not buying pelts.

This shopkeeper was willing to buy because they were gambling on the government quelling the rebellion, betting on making a profit by buying cheap now.

But Shen Lie knew the situation outside. Even if it was only one tael, he had to sell.

Holding onto these was useless, but silver was crucial for the Chen family to buy salt and medicine—essentials that cost money. This was also what Chen Dashan had entrusted him to do before leaving.

Shen Lie, preoccupied with the village, didn’t bother haggling over the price. He nodded and said, “Alright, sell them all.”

This surprised the shopkeeper, who briefly regretted not offering a lower price, but it was too late to renegotiate. Even at one and a half taels per wolf pelt, it was a good deal. With some processing, he could resell them for a hefty profit since pelts don’t spoil quickly.

Feeling satisfied, he handed Shen Lie the money.

Two large bundles of pelts only fetched seventeen taels of silver. In better times, one pelt in the north would be worth more than that.

Shen Lie and Sang Luo didn’t complain, taking the silver and heading quickly to the pharmacy.

Because Sang Luo had bought a significant amount of medicine previously and had discreetly warned the elderly doctor, they were immediately recognized.

Hearing they wanted to buy another batch of the same medicines, including the materials for making poison arrows, both the shopkeeper and the doctor sighed.

“Come with me,” said the elderly doctor, turning to write the prescriptions.

Sang Luo and Shen Lie followed him. “How many copies of the prescription do you need today?” the doctor asked as he started writing.

“Just one.”

Nodding, the doctor wrote the prescription, detailing the symptoms and usage.

When the prescriptions were done, and the last one was drying, the doctor looked at Sang Luo and Shen Lie. “You’re preparing all these medicines to hide in the mountains, aren’t you?”

There were no other customers in the pharmacy at the moment, only the shopkeeper and an apprentice. Though the doctor’s voice was low, Shen Lie and Sang Luo tensed briefly before relaxing. “You’re joking,” Shen Lie said.

The doctor waved his hand. “I’m not prying, just advising. If you use that poison to hunt animals, you can eat them. Just cut out the poisoned part and cook the rest thoroughly to neutralize the toxin.”

He meant to give them helpful advice, fearing they might misuse the poison for profit. But in survival, preserving life was paramount.

Shen Lie and Sang Luo were stunned, then overjoyed. They started to thank him, but he shook his head. “Don’t thank me. Hunting animals with poison is harmful. If you want to repay me, don’t use this method for hunting once peace returns. Let me preserve some virtue.”

This doctor believed in karma and reincarnation.

Shen Lie bowed deeply. “Thank you, sir. I will remember your advice.”

Once the medicine was ready, filling a large bag, Shen Lie packed it into the basket, thanked the doctor again, and left the pharmacy with Sang Luo.

The shopkeeper and the doctor watched them leave, then exchanged a glance. “We should prepare some supplies as well,” the doctor said.

Even the apprentice looked worried. Could there really be unrest? Surely not, considering the strength of the Great Qin Dynasty, despite recent military defeats.

…

Sang Luo and Shen Lie bought two large bags of salt. They already had a good stock of flour and glutinous rice at home, so they also bought some wine yeast before heading back.

On the way to the city gate, Shen Lie stopped and asked several groups of villagers heading out of the city for directions. They found a group from Sanli Village to travel with, about thirty young men. The refugees outside only watched them, suppressing any thoughts of trouble.

This time, they took the main road back to the village, stopping at each family they needed to visit, completing their “act.”

Hearing that these families found steady work in the county, the villagers were envious and curious. Sang Luo handled their questions with a few words before she and Shen Lie went to the Chen household.

They gave the salt, medicine, and remaining silver to Mrs. Chen. Shen Lie resumed training the boys, including Shen Jin, who had quietly followed them into the mountains.

Sang Luo stayed at the Chen household, watching from afar as Shen Jin sneaked out of his house to join the group. Seeing his cheerful demeanor, she felt troubled.

She subtly pointed towards the Shen family’s small courtyard and asked Mrs. Chen quietly, “Have they bought any grain recently?”

Mrs. Chen sighed and shook her head. “Those poor kids are unlucky to be born into that family. Their parents are so negligent.”

She explained in a low voice what had happened after Mrs. Li returned. With Mrs. Li gone, Shen San had become even more complacent, only preparing food and staying indoors.

“The youngest, Sweetie, has relied entirely on her older brothers this winter.”

If chaos ensued, the future of Shen San’s family was uncertain. Mrs. Chen knew well about the Shen family’s situation and said no more.

…

In the evening, Shen An and Shen Ning were teaching a group of children, including Shen Jin, to read in the courtyard. Sang Luo was in the kitchen preparing dinner when she couldn’t help but ask Shen Lie softly, “I asked Mrs. Chen privately this morning. Your third uncle and third aunt haven’t bought any grain. What will happen to Shen Jin and his siblings?”

The couple had fought over missing the chance to buy beans before prices soared. Afterward, Mrs. Li still didn’t buy any because even beans had become too expensive. They had some stored grain and beans and hoped for the best, continuing with their work.

While Shen Jin frequently came over, Shen Lie taught him skills like using a slingshot and setting traps for pheasants. He couldn’t forget his younger cousins, whom he had practically raised. But taking Shen San and Mrs. Li along was out of the question.

He could care for his younger cousins, but he couldn’t forget the wrongs done by Shen San and Mrs. Li. Could the children be separated from their parents?

Even if he was willing, would Shen Jin and his siblings agree?

In this world, unless parents were extremely cruel, children would always cling to them in critical moments, no matter how close they were to others. This was true for every child.

Therefore, Shen Lie couldn’t even bring himself to ask. While he could talk about hunting, mentioning anything about avoiding disaster would be too much for Shen Jin. How could such a thing not be leaked to his parents?

Not only was he unwilling to take Shen San and Mrs. Li along, but considering the consequences if this information got out—especially given the nature of his third uncle and aunt—was too risky.

The five families were tied together, and he couldn’t endanger his own family or the others, or he would be no different from Wang Chunniang.

Watching Shen Jin’s blissful, ignorant smile in the courtyard, both Shen Lie and Sang Luo fell silent.

…

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month was the Little New Year. None of the five families were making much preparation since they were all in the mountains. That day, two visitors came to Shili Village—Mrs. Lu’s daughter-in-law and her daughter-in-law, carrying a basket to visit their relatives.

**Author’s Note:**

This chapter has actually taken three days to finalize, including today. I revised it several times in the document. The original version was detailed and tied to subsequent plots. According to the outline, there was no real risk, but after careful consideration, I realized that the lack of risk might be due to my influence as the author. In a real world, things might not be so perfect. After three days of deliberation, I decided to revise it to ensure higher character and plot rationality, which might have caused a poor reading experience for those who had already read it. I apologize for any inconvenience. I revised this chapter until six o’clock, so the chapter that should have been updated today will be released later.

Also, regarding the poison for arrows, I am not a medical professional, and the information was researched online. Please do not take it seriously or imitate it. Since this is set in ancient times, hunting is depicted, but we should promote wildlife protection today.