Chapter 127: Choosing and Heritage

Sang Luo hadn’t expected that her family would get the first pick of the caves. However, given that the families were quite familiar with each other and that Shen Lie and Chen Dashan had discovered this place, she didn’t refuse.

Excluding the two higher caves, they had seen the ones below. The canyon was essentially L-shaped, with the caves concentrated on the mountain sides along the longer part of the canyon. The main differences among the caves were their sizes, as they all required significant renovations to be livable.

So, the choice really boiled down to the cave size.

Among the six families, Sang Luo’s was the smallest, with just four members. Even the Xu family, who had joined later, had five people. Since everyone deferred to her for the first pick, she felt it wouldn’t be right to choose a large cave. However, the smallest cave was only thirty square meters, which might be too tight for storing all their grain and household items, let alone fitting in two beds.

After some hesitation, Sang Luo glanced around and finally focused on the cave located four or five meters up the middle of the canyon wall.

The height was considerable. Would it be possible to build a ladder? If they did, would it be visible to anyone approaching the mountain top? She quickly thought of camouflaging the ladder with plants, which seemed like a feasible solution. This gave her the idea to choose the elevated cave in the middle of the canyon. Its higher position meant it would get more sunlight during the day, an advantage given that caves could be damp and cold.

Sang Luo hadn’t actually been inside the upper caves but had heard Shen Lie and Chen Dashan mention that the highest cave had an exit and was particularly large. She asked Shen Lie about the size of the middle cave.

The answer disappointed her. According to Shen Lie’s description, that cave was only about twenty square meters, maybe even less—smaller than the thirty square meter cave.

That option was out.

Feeling a bit helpless, she smiled and pointed to the cave near the bottom of the canyon, not far from the one elevated at four and a half meters. “Our family is small; we’ll take the smallest one.”

Thirty square meters was indeed very small, but it wouldn’t be fair to let the larger families squeeze into such a tiny cave. The Zhou and Lu families, each with many members, would be too cramped, even the Shi family with eight people and the Chen family with seven. Thirty square meters would be impossibly tight for them.

The Xu family had only five members, but with an elderly grandmother, an unrelated man, and three children—especially considering that Wang Yunzheng and Xu Wenyin were cousins, not siblings, aged twelve and nine respectively—it was more complicated. In ancient times, cousins could marry, and even in large families, there were strict rules about separating boys and girls once they were seven years old.

If the Xu family were like the others, Sang Luo wouldn’t have sacrificed her own comfort for them. Five people in a thirty square meter space was tight but manageable in an emergency. However, the Xu family was different. Shopkeeper Xu had significantly helped her. Without his assistance, she wouldn’t have been able to gather enough grain to pay taxes, let alone escape with it now.

With Shopkeeper Xu entrusting his mother and children to her and Shen Lie, Sang Luo felt compelled to consider the grandmother and the children more thoughtfully.

Although the cave was small, its location was favorable, similar to the elevated one. Being situated mid-canyon, even if it wasn’t high up, it received the longest daily sunlight compared to the other caves, which Sang Luo appreciated.

Seeing that she chose the smallest cave first made the other families uneasy. Families like the Zhou and Lu had many members, making it impossible for them to squeeze into such a small cave. Even the Shi and Chen families had quite a few people.

The Xu family’s grandmother spoke up first: “Sang Luo, why not choose a slightly larger cave? The smallest one can go to us. We have three children and can manage in a smaller space.”

The grandmother understood that her family had joined later, and over the past nine days, she had noticed the number of people in each family. Sang Luo choosing the smallest cave was clearly an act of consideration for them.

Sang Luo shook her head. “Each family has many members, and you’re elderly. Moreover, Wen Yin is nine now, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to squeeze in with her cousin and uncle. Your family should have a larger space to create separate rooms. Let’s keep it this way. I can think of ways to optimize our space. If needed, we can store grain in the large unused cave outside. Each family can have their own area and store surplus grain there.”

Storing grain outside would free up a lot of space. As for mixing up the grain, each family had locks and could build small storerooms inside.

As for Shen Ning, who was ten, she slept with Sang Luo and didn’t need to share space with Shen An. Of course, this wasn’t for public discussion.

Sang Luo’s consideration deeply moved the grandmother. Her granddaughter, growing older, couldn’t share space with her cousin and uncle for long. If things stayed chaotic outside for years, it would become inappropriate.

She had initially thought they could make narrow beds and separate them with a curtain. Living in exile wasn’t a time for comfort. But someone thinking about these details for her was touching.

Moved, the grandmother looked at Shen Lie and Sang Luo, and then at Shen An and Shen Ning, who were also ten.

She pulled Sang Luo aside and whispered, “If the grain can be stored in the large cave, let us take the small cave. You two are newlyweds; sharing space with your siblings isn’t appropriate. Choose a slightly larger cave so you can have separate rooms.”

This topic shift caught Sang Luo off guard, leaving her stunned.

Even if she was inexperienced in this area, in an age of information explosion, who didn’t know about such matters? Watching dramas, she enjoyed sweet moments too. But her and Shen Lie? Their personal lives were not romantic.

But with the grandmother’s earnest whisper, her mind couldn’t help but think of those implications!

Her face flushed from her neck to her ears.

Unsure how to respond, she coughed to cover her embarrassment and quickly pulled the grandmother back. “I know you’re thinking of me, but there’s no need.”

The grandmother was puzzled, but Sang Luo led her back to the group.

“What’s the discussion?” the group asked, curious.

Sang Luo smiled and said, “The grandmother wanted me to choose another cave, but there’s no need. We’ll stick with the smallest one. Mrs. Chen, you choose next.”

Diverting the conversation, the grandmother couldn’t question further.

The Chen family chose the neighboring cave, about forty-two to forty-three square meters, which seemed fair given their seven members. With this choice, Sang Luo’s decision to take the smallest cave seemed less cramped.

With the Chen family settled, it was the Xu family’s turn.

Everyone let the grandmother choose next, out of respect for Shopkeeper Xu’s help.

The grandmother, thanking everyone, chose the cave to the right of Shen Lie’s, intending to stay close. Although that cave was about forty square meters, its irregular shape made it less ideal, but being near Shen Lie’s family was more important.

The next ones, the Lu family, the Shi family, and the Zhou family, were also easy to deal with. Zhou Cunzheng was the first to make it clear that their family would be the last to choose. The people in charge of the Lu and Shi families were also reasonable. There were only three families left, and they each chose a suitable one according to the population of the three families.

No hidden agendas, no fighting, everyone considering others first.

Old Mrs. Xu had observed this throughout the journey and was well aware of the families’ unity. When it came to choosing the caves, she was even more impressed. Her son had made rare and valuable connections. Being with such people during this crisis brought her great peace of mind, as she didn’t have to worry about being schemed against or betrayed.

She was genuinely grateful.

Wei Qinghe also felt fortunate. His family had been servants to the Wang family, with his parents serving as capable stewards. He and his siblings had essentially grown up in the Wang household.

After his eldest sister married Shopkeeper Xu and was freed from servitude, she lived a relatively peaceful life. His second sister, originally the grandmother’s favorite maid, inexplicably became the concubine of the Wang family’s third master. Wei Qinghe himself, as a child, was the companion of the Wang family’s sixth master. When the sixth master began his studies, Wei Qinghe became his study companion. Despite the title, he received the same education as the Wang children, thanks to the private schooling and the grandmother’s kindness.

Growing up in such an environment, the three siblings were accustomed to the scheming and intrigue of a large household. Especially after his second sister became a concubine, they witnessed many hidden manipulations in the backyards. After his sister’s death, his nephew Yun Zheng, then just a baby, nearly lost his life. His parents sought help from the grandmother, who, given the unclear circumstances of his sister’s death and her unwilling entry into the third master’s household, decided to move Yun Zheng to the outer courtyard. At eleven years old, Wei Qinghe was assigned to look after Yun Zheng along with a wet nurse.

He had been vigilant from the age of eleven to twenty-one, never daring to relax.

Now, seeing the camaraderie among Shen Lie and the other families, Wei Qinghe felt an indescribable sense of ease and security.

He realized that leaving Shezhou with Yun Zheng, thanks to his brother-in-law’s intervention with the Wang family patriarch, was the right decision. Had they gone elsewhere or stayed with the Wang family, he would have been a helpless young man in the chaos. Even a simple scheme from the third master’s wife would have been insurmountable.