Chapter 67: Discussion

As for Sang Luo, after seeing off the brothers who had helped with the grain delivery, she turned around and faced the nearly twenty sacks of grain in the courtyard, feeling troubled.

Apart from a clay rice vat, there was no place in the house to store grain. Where should she put it?

She couldn’t just pile it on the ground, as it would become damp and the grains would soon mold and attract insects.

Another issue was where to store it. Although the kitchen was large, it was always busy. It was either used to cook sour jujubes, soy milk, or konjac. It wasn’t a suitable place to store grain with all the steam.

In the end, she had no choice but to use the main house.

The two beds that originally occupied half of the room now had to make space for the grain. Sang Luo, with the help of the two children, painstakingly moved the new bed that Shen An and Shen Ning slept on closer to the wall, leaving only a narrow passage between the two beds.

Shen An and Shen Ning were quite pleased with the arrangement, feeling that it was better than before to be close to their elder sister-in-law.

Sang Luo thought to herself, “Alright, as long as you two are happy.”

After moving the beds, half of the room was empty, so she had to set up a wooden rack to store the grain bags, to prevent them from touching the ground and getting damp or attracting insects.

After searching through the old wood, she couldn’t find any suitable wooden stools. She decided to cut some bamboo and thin branches herself to make the rack. As for chopping down trees…that was out of the question.

In the end, she had to requisition three out of the four stools in the kitchen and use some thick wooden boards to assemble a sturdy rack for the grain bags.

After fussing around for half a day, they could finally start moving the grain bags. Sang Luo, accompanied by the two children, came out of the house, and the three of them lifted a sack of grain, preparing to carry it into the house. It just so happened that Shen Jin, who hadn’t visited this side in a long time, came over at that moment.

With his head tilted, Shen Jin glanced into the courtyard and saw dozens of sacks piled up.

Shen Jin: ??? 

Shen An was annoyed and almost bit his tongue in frustration. He had forgotten to close the courtyard gate.

Shen Jin, oblivious to any potential offense, saw Sang Luo and the others and cheerfully called out, “Eldest Sister-in-law, Shen An, Shen Ning, do you need any help?”

Then he briskly ran into the courtyard.

Looking at the large pile of bags in the courtyard, he exclaimed, “What’s all this? So much grain!”

He then reached out and poked one of the sacks. His eyes lit up, “It’s grain! Wow, Shen An, your family has so much grain!”

He moved closer and offered to help Sang Luo and the others carry the grain.

Although he wasn’t very strong, he put in a lot of effort to help, his willingness shining through.

Sang Luo thought to herself, “Alright, she had to carry three kids, so carrying one sack of grain with three others wasn’t too bad.”

After clumsily stacking all the grain bags, even Sang Luo, not to mention the children, was exhausted. They all collapsed on Shen An’s new bed, lying side by side, not even wanting to move a finger.

After a while, Shen An had enough strength to speak. “You haven’t been here in a while. Why did you come today?”

Hmm, he was asking Shen Jin.

Shen Jin replied, “Don’t mention it. My old man is petty. Since I brought my younger siblings to your place for a meal, but he wasn’t invited, he got upset. He knows I’ve worked for your family before, so he made me work in the fields. Then I had to sun-dry the grains and guard the rice from birds in the sun-drying area. I only managed to leave after all the grains were stored.”

In fact, he even got beaten up. It was humiliating, so he didn’t mention it and just grunted in frustration.

Shen An thought to himself that it was quite a coincidence for him to come today. His sister-in-law had deliberately avoided people and used the mountain path to move the grain, and it hadn’t been hidden yet, so he stumbled upon it.

Now they could even lie down on his bed.

Shen An didn’t feel like talking anymore.

Shen Jin was still in a good mood. He patted the bed beneath him and rolled around a bit, “Shen An, your bed is so comfortable. The mat is still new and has a grassy scent, unlike ours at home, which has been made smelly by the naughty girl.”

As he was complaining about the bed at home, he suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, “Oh, I almost forgot the main thing! Look at what I brought you guys!”

As if they were treasures, he pulled out a handful of lard scraps from his pocket. “My family also rendered some lard. Here, I won’t eat yours for free. Mine is for you two to enjoy too!”

After saying this, he realized it didn’t sound right and quickly added, “Eldest Sister-in-law can have some too.”

Sang Luo couldn’t help but be amused by his proud tone. She leaned over and saw a small black paw, which was holding six or seven pieces of lard scraps, either sun-darkened or just dirty.

She chuckled, “I won’t eat, but you two can.”

Even if they were a bit black, the siblings shouldn’t mind. Shen Jin, this kid, rarely managed to save a few bites of food from his own mouth.

When Shen Jin heard that Sang Luo wouldn’t eat, his expression was a mix of disappointment at the thought of his big sister-in-law not eating his food and a bit of relief that he could save a piece for himself.

He was conflicted.

Upon hearing about the lard scraps, Shen An and Shen Ning also sat up straight.

Could Shen Jin actually save some lard scraps for them to eat?

The siblings couldn’t believe it.

It wasn’t until they saw that little black paw actually holding a handful of lard scraps.

Sure, his hand was a bit dirty, but the lard scraps looked really appetizing.

Although Shen An and Shen Ning weren’t particularly hungry at the moment, they rarely got to eat lard scraps and meat. Especially after the meal they had at the tavern, which almost emptied their pockets, they had been quite frugal these days.

Now, the enticing smell of the lard scraps made them both salivate.

Shen Jin was delighted, his eyes squinting with pride. It wasn’t just him benefiting from Shen An and Shen Ning’s food anymore; he could also share his own. “Let’s divide it up and eat. I’ve only had two pieces myself.”

Seeing there were only seven pieces of lard scraps, Shen An quickly calculated that each person should have two, leaving one extra.

But Shen Jin insisted on dividing them piece by piece. “You get one, I get one, An Ning gets one, you get one, I get one, An Ning gets one, you get one… Wait, why do you have three???”

Sang Luo chuckled nearby. “Shen An, teach him some arithmetic when you have the time.”

Shen An sighed, “Big brother used to teach him, but he doesn’t like learning.”

Shen Jin retorted, “Why learn arithmetic when eating lard scraps?”

Then, he eagerly eyed the third piece of lard scrap in Shen An’s hand. “This is my lard scrap. Can I have three while you and An Ning each have two? It’s only fair for me to have a bit more, right?”

He was tempted to take back the piece of lard scrap he had given Shen An himself.

Seeing Shen Jin’s expression, Shen An was surprised that he was willing to give up four pieces, let alone one. So, he took the piece Shen Jin was eyeing and handed it back to him. “Sure, it was yours to begin with. You can have as many pieces as you want. Enjoy.”

The three of them sat on the bed, chewing on the lard scraps, their mouths full of flavor. Sang Luo watched as Shen Jin devoured his scraps the fastest. Once he finished, he was ready to wipe his oily hands on his clothes, but Sang Luo stopped him. “Stop right there. Don’t wipe the oil on your clothes or on my bed mat. Get off the bed and wash your hands outside.”

Shen Jin froze in embarrassment, then obediently moved off the bed. He stood there in his shoes, waiting for Shen An and An Ning to follow suit. Then, they all ran outside together.

As they reached the courtyard gate, they bumped into Chen Ershan.

“Ershan, why are you here?”

“My grandfather sent me to find your eldest sister-in-law. Is she here?”

Hearing his voice, Sang Luo came out and said, “Grandfather Chen is looking for me?”

Seeing her, Chen Ershan called someone over and then said, “Yes, my grandfather wants to ask about the price of grain. He asked if you have time to come over. It’s not urgent, though. He said you should focus on your work first and come over when you have time.”

The Chen family knew that Sang Luo’s fairy tofu required her to go into the mountains to find the ingredients.

“Alright, tell your grandfather I’ll come over after dinner,” Sang Luo replied. She was indeed preparing to go out. If it got too late, she wouldn’t dare to venture deeper into the mountains. Plus, the usable leaves of the fairy trees on the outskirts were becoming scarcer. Lately, she had stopped letting the younger siblings pick the leaves and had been going into the mountains herself.

Chen Ershan agreed, bid farewell to Sang Luo and the others, and headed home.

Sang Luo packed up and took two baskets into the mountains, intending to pick sour jujubes in one basket and tree leaves in the other.

Just as she was leaving, she heard Shen An say to Shen Jin, “Don’t talk to anyone about our grain supply at home.”

Shen Jin questioned, “Why can’t I talk about it? My family has grain too.”

“Just don’t say anything. If you do, don’t expect to get any food from me in the future.”

“Fine, I won’t say anything. Everyone has grain anyway, what’s there to talk about? I promise not to tell anyone.” He grumbled, then added, “I need to go home now. My parents were angry yesterday. They promised me some lard scraps to eat but wouldn’t give me more. Otherwise, I could have brought you more today. I have food, so remember you owe me some too.”

Sang Luo smiled wryly. Children truly didn’t understand worry. They could find joy in having something to eat.

…

In the evening, after dinner, Sang Luo went to the Chen family as arranged.

However, it wasn’t just the members of the Chen family present in the main hall. Shi Erlang and his wife, Gan, were there too, along with Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu. There was also someone unfamiliar, Zhou Cunzheng.

When they saw Sang Luo coming, everyone who had been sitting with their heads down stood up.

“Ah Lie’s wife is here!”

Sang Luo greeted everyone and sat down on the stool Mrs. Chen had prepared for her. Before she could even settle, Old Man Chen asked, “Fang Niang came back and said you suggested we buy some grain? She couldn’t explain it clearly. Now that several families have gathered, we’ve invited you over to explain.”

Sang Luo had already guessed the reason for Old Man Chen’s invitation before coming. Now, she didn’t hide anything and explained the situation with the county grain shop and the information she had received from the shopkeeper there.

When they heard about the epidemic and the famine, everyone’s expression changed, especially the Chen family members who had fled here during the drought year, who were particularly frightened.

“Is this news true?” both Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen asked at the same time.

Before Sang Luo could answer, Zhou Cunzheng, who had been silent all this time, spoke up, “If it’s news from the shopkeeper at Dongfu Restaurant, it’s most likely true. Because the owner of Dongfu Lou not only runs a tavern in our Qiyang County but also has branches in several neighboring counties. Trusted subordinates like the shopkeeper would have much easier access to outside information than us.”

The mood grew heavy, and Old Man Chen asked, “Should we really stock up on this expensive grain?”

As he said this, he looked at everyone, finally fixing his gaze on Sang Luo and Zhou Cunzheng.

These two, come from a good background, are skilled in managing affairs, and have helped several families earn money; the other has been serving as the village head for many years and has broad experience.

Seeing everyone looking at her and Zhou Cunzheng, and Zhou Cunzheng looking at her, Sang Luo thought for a moment and said, “Aunt Arita’s previous concerns are not unfounded. There is indeed a possibility that the grain prices will sharply drop next year when the new harvest comes in. But personally, even if I have money left, I will still buy some salt and grain for storage. If I lose money, I’ll accept it, just for peace of mind.”

For peace of mind.

Everyone’s thoughts were stirred by this statement.

Everyone looked at Zhou Cunzheng again.

Zhou Cunzheng gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll buy too! You all should consider it yourselves. I think Ah Lie’s wife is right. For peace of mind. If things really go south, will having money be enough to buy grain?”

Indeed, when things go south, can money alone buy grain?

The families from the Shi and Lu households may not have been deeply affected, but the Chen family, who had survived hardship, could identify with this sentiment.

Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen exchanged glances. “We’ll buy too!”

Even if they incur losses, what’s more important than having grain, which could potentially save lives?