Chapter 113: The Beginning of Chaos

It’s surprisingly easy for people to form habits.

Shen Lie had only been back for ten days, but now that he suddenly left again, the household felt a bit emptier. Sang Luo found it somewhat hard to adjust, and the same went for little Shen An and Shen Ning.

What surprised Sang Luo the most was how insecure she felt sleeping at night without him. She found it hard to believe herself, considering how guarded she had been around Shen Lie when he first returned. Yet, in just ten days, the person she had been wary of ended up giving her a sense of security.

Sang Luo knew the real reason behind this anxiety was the escalating prices of even basic grains in town. Today, Mrs. Gan brought back news from the county that not only had the prices of coarse grains soared, but even small eateries were now demanding grains in exchange for tofu and dried bean curd. Hesitating between accepting the inflated prices or giving up on the items, many chose the latter.

The news of rising grain prices had spread through the village like wildfire. Families that went to the county a bit later and missed out on buying grains were all deeply worried when they heard how much the prices had risen. The household that caused the most commotion was the third branch of the Shen family. Aunt Li had just been sent back home for a day after a month of hard labor, expecting to switch shifts with her husband. However, her husband refused to go, claiming he was too injured to serve, which made her furious. She wanted to pick a fight with the main branch of the Shen family but feared Shen Lie might deal with her harshly. Additionally, she was wary of the other families that had now allied closely with the Shen family’s main branch. In the end, she didn’t dare act out.

Just as she was still fuming, the news about the grains reached her. Learning that her husband had had time to buy grains but didn’t, she angrily shut the door and had a fierce fight with him. Both ended up with scratch marks on their faces, and their screaming and crying turned the house into a chaotic scene.

Emotions are contagious. Other families that hadn’t managed to buy grains were initially just frustrated but soon also erupted into quarrels.

In such a tense situation, those like Sang Luo who had stashed away a house full of grains, albeit secretly, couldn’t help but feel nervous, even though they lived in a single-family courtyard.

“Tsk, it seems I’ll have to rely on the three good geese to guard the house,” she thought to herself.

Just as she was feeling tense in the darkness, she noticed someone approaching. It wasn’t until they got closer that she recognized them as Qin Fangniang and Mrs. Gan, carrying a quilt.

They were worried about Shen Lie going into the mountains and leaving Sang Luo alone with two children in such an isolated place. Afraid that someone with ill intentions might take advantage, they had decided to come and stay with her for the night.

Qin Fangniang smiled, “I wasn’t sure if you’d be comfortable with us staying over, so I just brought one quilt. If you’re not used to it, you can sleep with Xiao An and Anning on the new, bigger bed your uncle made, and I’ll share a bed with Aunt Shi.”

Sang Luo heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly pulled Qin Fangniang inside. “Why wouldn’t I be used to it, Aunt? You came just in time. Honestly, seeing how chaotic things were in the village this afternoon, I was getting really anxious.”

She pointed to the three majestic white geese outside the courtyard and laughed, “I was just thinking that tonight I’d have to rely on these three to guard the place. I was about to light an oil lamp and check if we could make any arrangements.”

Amused by her joking manner, Qin Fangniang and Mrs. Gan burst out laughing. Mrs. Gan said, “If there was enough space here, Liu Niang would’ve come too. Even the wife of the Zhou family’s headman asked about it.”

Sang Luo laughed, “How kind of them! All the aunts really do care about me.”

Her sweet words and considerate nature were well-known. Qin Fangniang knew why the family’s matriarch was so concerned about Sang Luo. Right after dinner, she had rushed to discuss with the Lu and Shi families about arranging someone to stay over for the night.

She was just thinking about this when Mrs. Gan, smiling, said to Qin Fangniang, “No wonder your family’s matriarch dotes on her. Her personality is just so endearing.”

Leading the two women into the courtyard, Sang Luo was curious. “Is Grandma thinking about me?”

Qin Fangniang smiled while Mrs. Gan took over the conversation. “Of course she is. As soon as she finished dinner, she came to our homes to discuss. It was her idea to have someone stay with you tonight. We, along with Aunt Tian, waited until it was completely dark to avoid attracting attention from the villagers and then brought our quilts over.”

She laughed and added, “I think Aunt Chen truly treats you like half a granddaughter.”

Sang Luo laughed. “Half a granddaughter? That won’t do. I’ll have to be even more attentive to Grandma so she’ll treat me as a full granddaughter.”

Qin Fangniang freed a hand to playfully point at Sang Luo. “Then I’m getting the benefit of an extra daughter.”

Laughing, Sang Luo exaggeratedly tilted her head back in response to Qin Fangniang’s nudge.

By the time they were joking their way to the main house’s door, Shen An and Shen Ning were inside practicing writing on sand trays. Hearing the commotion, they stood up to greet the visitors, calling them “Auntie” one after the other.

The siblings had overheard enough to know that the two aunts were staying the night and were quite happy about it.

Children are very sensitive to emotions and ill intentions. That afternoon, when some villagers who hadn’t managed to stockpile grains looked at those who had, there was an undercurrent of discomfort that Shen An and Shen Ning couldn’t quite articulate but still felt uneasy about.

Sang Luo moved her bedding from her bed to Shen An’s bed and smiled. “This bed is simple and the room is narrow, so I hope you two aunts won’t mind the inconvenience for a few days.”

Qin Fangniang and Mrs. Gan didn’t mind at all. The bed was simple, made by piecing together several benches, but it was surprisingly comfortable. The straw was thick, and on top of it was a mat with a clean, soft, thick quilt.

“This bed is comfortable. It’s hardly an inconvenience.”

Qin Fangniang put down the quilt and looked around the room. She noticed the curtain rolled up between the two beds and exclaimed, “What a clever design! It’s very convenient to put up and take down.”

They weren’t sure if Sang Luo and Shen Lie had consummated their marriage, considering four people were sharing a room. They didn’t want to pry, but joked, “Once things are peaceful, you can fill in the foundation and build two more rooms to have enough space.”

The two children didn’t understand, but Sang Luo caught the implication and felt a bit embarrassed. She smiled and vaguely replied, “Yes, once things are peaceful. Who knows when that will be with all the unrest around?”

This comment added a somber tone, so Mrs. Gan shifted her gaze to the oil lamp and sand trays on the table. “Are Shen An and Shen Ning practicing writing?”

She looked closer and saw Shen An’s sand tray had seven or eight words on it. Mrs. Gan couldn’t recognize them, but she was still impressed by how well Shen An wrote.

“Shen An is so diligent. His writing is much better than your cousins’.”

Her children could only manage two or three crooked words on a sand tray.

They chatted for a while. Sang Luo still had to make dried bean curd. Qin Fangniang and Mrs. Gan, avoiding the topic of helping, saw an unfinished pair of shoes in Sang Luo’s sewing basket. Each took one and, by the light of Shen An and Shen Ning’s oil lamp, started working on them.

The night passed uneventfully. At the crack of dawn, Sang Luo got up early to make tofu, with the children sensibly helping. Qin Fangniang and Mrs. Gan saw this and thought to themselves how hard Sang Luo worked for her earnings. They were grateful, too, knowing that her efforts had helped their three families live better lives.

Fortunately, now they were only supplying a few restaurants, making the work simpler. Delivery was handled solely by Chen Youtian and Lu Erlang, so the women no longer needed to pull carts or carry loads into town.

During the day, Qin Fangniang and the others gathered at Sang Luo’s small hillside courtyard, practicing with slingshots alongside her.

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed. The village remained relatively peaceful, but news of the war outside was rampant in the county. The wealthy discussed it in restaurants and teahouses, while the poor worried at street corners. Each household had its own sources and rumors.

Chen Youtian and Lu Erlang, who frequently traveled to the county, brought back a mix of information. One moment a new king would emerge in one place, and then another somewhere else. They even heard that the Henan region was also in turmoil.

On the thirteenth day after Shen Lie and Chen Dashan left, refugees appeared around Qiyang County.

Unlike the previous few who had avoided people, this time dozens of them moved together. Within a single day, several groups were seen around the county gates, begging everyone they met for food, water, and clothing.

Refugees were strictly forbidden from entering the city, but with so many surrounding the gates, the county office finally took action. They quickly strengthened the gate defenses, set up temporary shelters for the refugees, and erected large pots to cook thin porridge that was distributed.

According to Chen Youtian and Lu Erlang, there were hardly any grains in the porridge. It was so thin it could barely be called porridge; calling it rice water would be more accurate.

However, some wealthy families in the city had set up porridge stalls to provide disaster relief, offering medicine and clothing as well. Though the porridge was also thin, it was much better than what the government provided. The clothes, although second-hand, were warm and better than what many rural folks wore.

Sang Luo and her companions had completely ceased their business activities, including their morning runs to Sanli Village. The children’s training was relocated to the mountains near the village, and Village Head Zhou began organizing the young and strong men of the village to keep an eye on strangers approaching Shili Village.

Another piece of news brought back by Chen Youtian was that Shopkeeper Xu had returned to Shexian to settle his family.

Given the current situation, it was natural for people to worry about their families and want the head of the household to be home to make decisions.

As Zhou Village Head and the families of Chen, Shi, and Lu privately discussed guarding against potential refugee attacks, they decided each family would provide one man to take turns keeping night watch at the Shen family’s main house.

Just as they were making these plans, Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, who had been away for nearly half a month, returned home under the cover of complete darkness.

Carrying straw mats, quilts, and bedding, Shi Erlang and Zhou Dalang, who were on their way to set up camp, stumbled upon Shen Lie and Chen Dashan at the foot of the mountain. Shen Lie and Chen Dashan looked like wild men, with backpacks and large bundles of unknown items strapped to them.

They were both taken aback when they recognized each other. Shen Lie asked, “Uncle Shi?”

Shi Erlang and Zhou Dalang, excitedly recognizing the voice, exclaimed, “Alie and Dashan?”

“It’s you! You’ve returned!”

“What happened?”

Everyone spoke simultaneously. Shi Erlang and Zhou Dalang were excited, while Chen Dashan and Shen Lie were puzzled.

Shen Lie’s expression turned serious as he realized something. “Has there been trouble here?”

Shi Erlang nodded. “Yes, there are refugees, quite a few of them. It seems the plague to the north has passed, and nothing’s stopping them anymore. We were worried about your isolated house, so we were on our way to keep watch. Did you find a suitable place?”

The first part was an explanation, but the latter question was asked urgently.

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan both nodded, their eyes gleaming. Shen Lie said, “Yes, we found a place. Uncle Shi, let us go home first to put our things down. Then please quietly return to the village and ask the elders to come over so we can discuss further.”

Shi Erlang and Zhou Dalang agreed eagerly. Together with Chen Dashan, who was already heading home, they quickly made their way back to the village with their belongings.