Chapter 38

The next day, Shi Erlang and the Lu brothers arrived at Chen’s house with a water-filled bamboo tube and a large axe as soon as it was light outside. Old Man Chen and Chen Youtian also did the same, borrowing an axe from their neighbors since they didn’t have two axes at home. The five of them then headed into the mountains together.

The villagers had only heard about Sang Luo’s house-building project yesterday, but today they could see it for themselves. Interestingly, Uncle Shen hadn’t shown up, which amused everyone. By this point, they had also seen Shen’s children happily running around, but as for Uncle Shen and Mrs. Li, neither of them had stepped out of their house.

As Old Man Chen and his group of five passed by each household, they attracted a lot of attention. People would give them a nod of acknowledgment from afar, and as they got closer, the more outspoken ones would ask, “Are you really building a house for the Shen family?”

The less polite ones would chuckle and ask, “What are you all planning? After a day’s work, is Sang Luo going to treat you to wild vegetable soup? Are you okay with that?”

Wild vegetable soup?

Old Man Chen just smiled.

At this time, all the families in the village were either preparing breakfast or already eating. The aroma of grilled meat spread throughout the small village.

Unlike Sang Luo and her family, who lived secluded in the mountains, the villagers of Sanli Village, although their houses were nestled among the mountains, lived relatively close together in clusters of twenty-two households.

If any family cooked meat, the aroma would waft throughout half the village, and seven or eight households would know about it.

And if there happened to be a breeze, the aroma would entice the children from most of the households to come out.

Today was one of those fortunate days.

People from all the households, whether they had eaten or not, came out of their homes. They would exchange glances with their neighbors, who did the same, and ask, “Who’s cooking meat?”

For those who had already started their meal, holding a bowl of porridge but hadn’t eaten yet, the aroma made their porridge less appetizing. Families would exchange glances as they held their bowls, asking each other, “Who’s cooking meat?”

Some lived farther away, some lived closer, but they all knew whose house was cooking meat. It was none other than the Shen family, who lived next to the Chen family.

Ever since Shen Jin, accompanied by his two younger brothers, tasted a bowl of meat porridge from their sister-in-law’s house yesterday and learned about her generosity in providing food, he became the most enthusiastic member of the land reclamation team.

As soon as it was light, while his mother was still asleep, he grabbed his small hoe and took his two younger brothers to show off their skills on the mountain.

After working for about an hour and a half, they returned home with empty stomachs. When it was time to eat, they eagerly grabbed their bowls. However, before they could even taste the sweet porridge, they sniffed the air, placed their bowls down, and ran out again.

Shen Yin and Shen Tie, who were kneeling on the bench, acted swiftly too. After placing their bowls down, they slid off the bench and followed their big brother out.

Shen Jin sniffed the air in the courtyard and accurately located the source of the aroma. Leaning against the courtyard gate, he fixed his gaze on the neighboring Chen family’s courtyard.

“Brother, meat!” Shen Tie was already licking his lips in anticipation.

Shen Yin sucked in a breath. “It’s from Chen Xiao Ya’s house.”

Shen Jin nodded. “Braised pork with preserved vegetables!”

The two-year-old Shen Tian wobbled over, holding onto the wall for support. She was still too young, and when she tried to follow her brothers into the courtyard, she stumbled. Fortunately, she managed to grab onto Shen Jin’s leg just before falling, steadying herself against him. However, her nose was running, and all her drool dripped onto Shen Jin’s coarse, short shirt.

When Mrs. Li came out and saw her four children gathered at the courtyard gate, she swallowed her saliva as she looked in the direction of the Chen family.

Just then, Old Man Chen and his group of five were making their way down the mountain. Behind them were Chen Ershan, Chen Xiaoya, and the siblings Shen An and Shen Ning, who had just finished their work in the grass hut.

Shen Jin’s brain was quick to react when it came to food. Seeing Shen An and Shen Ning following the Chen family down the mountain and remembering that yesterday, the grandfathers and uncles from the Chen, Shi, and Lu families were helping their sister-in-law cut trees and build a house, his eyes lit up.

He grabbed Shen Tian, who was hanging onto his leg, and handed her over to Shen Yin. Then he dashed towards Shen An.

Shen Tian, who was suddenly lifted up by her brother, stumbled and almost fell. Luckily, Shen Yin, with quick reflexes, grabbed her, but the sudden movement frightened Shen Tian, who pouted and burst into tears.

Shen Jin hadn’t even had a chance to strike up a conversation with his new buddies from the past two days of working in the fields before Mrs. Li, who had witnessed the scene, rushed out and dragged him back by his ear.

“Mom, Mom, what are you doing? Be gentle; my ear hurts!” Shen Jin howled as he protected his right ear. He knew exactly what Shen Jin was up to; she was his own mother, after all.

Seeing Shen An and Shen Ning coming down with the Chen family for breakfast, how could Mrs. Li not guess what was happening next door?

Looking at the villagers coming out of their houses with either empty hands or bowls in hand due to the smell of meat,Mrs. Li’s face turned ashen. She couldn’t control her grip on Shen Jin’s ear as she dragged him back home. Regardless of whether the meat was provided by Sang Luo or the Chen family, she couldn’t afford for Shen Jin to go over and ask for some today!

But the more she didn’t want to lose face and the less she wanted to attract attention at this moment, the less likely her wish would be granted.

Unfortunately, the more she didn’t want to lose face, the more unwilling she was to attract attention at this moment, and the less likely her wish would be granted.

Shen Jin was filled with joy, thinking about sneaking some braised pork with preserved vegetables from Shen An. However, his mother’s physical attack came too suddenly, and she really didn’t make any sense. He didn’t even know the reason; he was just pulled back by his mother’s ear.

Even though he was trying his best to keep up with his mother’s pace, the footsteps of adults and children were inherently different, not to mention being dragged by the ear.

Shen Jin’s ear was hurting from being pulled, and shouting for his mother to let go was useless. Plus, being dragged like this in front of the entire village, he felt completely humiliated. Shen Jin howled, tears streaming down his face, and if he continued to cry, it would bring out an angry tone.

“Why are you hitting me? Why are you allowed to hit me?”

Why indeed? Why would you want to embarrass your own mother like this?

But could Mrs. Li say such things?

No, she couldn’t. Unable to express her embarrassment in front of half of the village’s people, not only could she not say anything, she also had to justify her actions. So the response Shen Jin received was his mother’s stern scolding in a low voice, “What’s wrong with hitting you? I gave birth to you, and I can’t even hit you? Why did you run out while eating? Are you watching out for your sister? Tianya almost fell because of you! If I don’t hit you, who else will?”

Shen Jin and Shen Tian, the two siblings, created quite a dramatic scene. Even the two free-range chickens scratching for food in the yard were startled and flapped their wings to flee.

With the cries of these two siblings guiding them, the villagers, who had been lured out by the smell of meat, didn’t need to search anymore. Following the cries, they came to witness this scene. No one thought it strange to hit a child, and no one would blame Mrs. Li for Shen Jin’s crying. Hitting children? It was too common; which family didn’t hit their children?

Especially Shen Jin; he was particularly naughty. Usually, even if Mrs. Li didn’t hit him, he would cry, rolling on the ground by himself. Shen Jin’s crying didn’t attract much attention; it was just seen as part of the commotion.

When everyone confirmed that the direction of the meat fragrance was coming from the Chen family and they saw the Chen family heading down with Shen An and Shen Ning, they all knew it was the first day of big meat for the Shen family’s main house.

Oh my, what a scene!

Building the Shen family’s main house while cooking at the Chen family’s place made the children from the Shen family’s side cry from hunger.

Seeing Mrs. Li fiercely beating her children, the villagers holding bowls didn’t need their home-made pickled vegetables anymore; just the smell of meat and the excitement were enough to satisfy their appetites.

They gathered together and chattered: “The Shen family’s main house construction is actually having food at the Chen family’s place. When did the two families become so close? The Chen family not only helps with the work but also with the meals.”

“Yeah, who knew? But it seems like Sang Luo has been visiting the Chen family frequently recently.”

Some more astute women whispered to their family, “Where did Sang Luo get the money from? Is anyone really buying wild vegetables? How much could they be worth?”

And so on, the conversations continued…

The Old Man Chen and his group of five, who were mocked and watched by the villagers in the morning, didn’t mind much. Both Old Man Chen and his son knew that Sang Luo had provided enough money for the meals. It didn’t affect them much. As for Shi Erlang and the Lu brothers, they were simply delighted. They walked with straight backs and smiles. They were full of pride and confidence.

The first meal had meat, and it wasn’t just a few small pieces fried with vegetables; it was braised pork with preserved vegetables!

Not cut too thin, not cut too small—everyone could have at least one slice of braised pork with preserved vegetables!

You see, for poorer families in the village, this dish was only made during the Chinese New Year. Even if it was made, family members dared not eat it and had to save it for entertaining guests during the New Year.

Shi Erlang and the Lu brothers suddenly felt that the hard work of this morning and the next ten days or so were suddenly not hard at all.

It was worth it! Totally worth it!

Just this one meal with meat made it worth it!

Even before entering the Chen family’s courtyard, their mouths were salivating incessantly, and their steps unconsciously quickened.

Not far away, Shi Erlang’s wife looked at her husband with envy, both jealous and happy. Uncle Chen really found a good job for her husband this time. Despite the fatigue, meat and white rice would nourish him. A few days of rest before the busy farming season were like a godsend.

As for whether Sang Luo provided the white rice, who would even think about it? Meat was already served; could rice be missing?

Shi Erlang’s wife couldn’t stop smiling with joy.

The neighbors from the Shi family were both envious and sour: “The Chen family is still treating you well. This good fortune won’t forget about your Shi Erlang.”

Why didn’t they come to my house and call me? My husband is also free and can help with building the house.

Oh, envy.

Salivating while envying.

Shi Erlang’s wife was almost smiling with joy, but she remained modest: “It’s not that Uncle Chen didn’t invite us. I heard that Sang Luo managed to save some money by selling a few wild vegetables. How much money can you really make from wild vegetables? If there were too many guests, they might not be able to afford the meals.”

As she spoke, she could barely contain her laughter. It was good that there were fewer guests. With fewer people, they dared to make hard dishes like braised pork with preserved vegetables, right? If they had invited ten or more people, would they dare to make braised pork with preserved vegetables? Who could afford it?

Seeing her laugh so brightly, the neighbors couldn’t help but feel sour and envious. They sighed and said, “Mrs. Li can’t save faces anymore, so she’s taking it out on the children. Poor Shen Jin, he’s having a bad day today.”

Shi Erlang’s wife nodded in agreement. “Exactly, she’s feeling uncomfortable, so she’s taking it out on the kids. These days, she even avoids people when washing clothes.”

The Shen family’s main house construction was a disgrace for the Shen family, and now they had to smell the aroma of meat from next door while eating vegetable porridge. Seeing Shen Jin approaching Shen An, it was inevitable that he would get scolded.

She pursed her lips. They had separated their families so decisively, so why was Mrs. Li taking it out on the children? She looked down on Mrs. Li a hundred times for such behavior.