Chapter 36

Shen Jin never did manage to learn from Chen Ershan exactly what made the flatbread so delicious. Chen Ershan was a man of few words; he simply grunted an "mm," and that was the end of it.

Shen Jin waited and waited, and when he finally saw Shen Ning and Sang Luo enter the house and Shen An return to continue hoeing the field—ignoring the Chen girl, Xiaoya, who was trailing behind him—he pulled Shen An aside and asked urgently, "Shen An, is there any more flatbread?"

Having grown up together, Shen An knew his cousin too well. He had known trouble was brewing the moment the little girl mentioned the flatbread. Sure enough, here it was. If he gave in today, would he ever be able to shake him off? Would he end up squatting here every single day?

Just thinking about it made Shen An’s shoulders slump. He replied with a blank face, "There isn't. It was just a tiny piece, and the three of us split it for lunch yesterday."

Hearing the word "yesterday," Shen Jin wilted, not even registering the mention of lunch—a meal people in the countryside simply didn't eat. His focus was entirely on the words "there isn't."

He stayed dejected for only a few moments before glancing toward the thatched cottage. Suddenly, he perked up, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Shen An. "Shen An, did our eldest sister-in-law buy more flatbread today?"

Shen An was so annoyed he laughed. "My sister-in-law."

Shen Jin grinned. "My cousin-in-law."

Infuriated, Shen An stopped bothering with him. "There is no flatbread. We struggle just to have enough to eat; who could possibly eat flatbread for every meal?" He glanced at the plot Shen Jin was hoeing and urged, "You’re almost done. Finish it up quickly, and I’ll give you the pork cracklings. Once you have them, head home. We’re out of cracklings too, so you don’t need to come back tomorrow."

Yesterday—or even this morning—if Shen An had said this, Shen Jin would have left without a word. Why stay if there were no cracklings? But now, he wasn't happy about it. "Are you trying to chase me away? I’m staying!"

His cousin-in-law was actually so good to Shen An and Shen Ning that she was willing to buy them flatbread. He didn't even know what kind of bread it was, but it was bread, and therefore, it must be delicious. He would just squat here; he would take root here. He refused to believe that if he spent every day tilling the fields, his cousin-in-law wouldn't spare him a bite. If Chen Ershan and Chen Xiaoya could have some, there was no reason he couldn't.

With that thought, Shen Jin made up his mind. Ignoring Shen An’s dark expression, he began to hoe with renewed vigor. If he couldn't outwork Chen Ershan, he could at least outwork little Xiaoya.

As he worked, Shen Jin sniffed the air. He sniffed again. "Shen An, do you smell that? Something smells good."

Shen An gripped his stone hoe so tightly his knuckles turned white. "It’s my sister-in-law’s lunch. If you’re hungry, go home and eat."

Shen Jin swallowed his saliva and kept working without a word. The fragrance grew richer. Soon, Shen Ning came out with a large bowl, squatted by the mountain spring for a moment, and then turned back into the cottage. Shen Jin felt as if his very soul had followed her inside.

He continued hoeing in a daze, unsure if it had been a short while or a long time. Eventually, Shen Ning came out again, foraging for something near the mountain path. Shen Jin, who had been swearing that morning to ignore her and eat his cracklings right in front of her face, suddenly felt a desperate urge to follow her and ask what was inside that smelled so divine. But he was too embarrassed.

He was famished, feeling his strength wane, and couldn't help but lean closer to Chen Ershan. "Tell me, does that smell like meat?"

Chen Ershan thought it did. He fought back the urge to swallow and nodded calmly, then moved a bit further away, fearing he might lose his composure.

Shen Jin added, "It smells even better than meat."

Shen Yin and Shen Tie couldn't help themselves either, swallowing hard. "Third Brother, I'm hungry." "Third Brother, I want to eat."

Shen Jin replied, "I want to eat, too."

Chen Ershan moved a little further away, discreetly.

Little Xiaoya was hungry too, but she knew she was there to help. Her grandmother had told her not to enter the cottage and not to ask for food. She kept her head down, trying to loosen the large rocks in the soil with a bamboo shard, hoping that focusing on her work would make her ignore the scent of meat drifting from the house.

***

Shen Ning returned quickly. As she got closer, the children saw she was holding a bunch of wild onions. She washed them in the spring and ducked back into the cottage. This time, not only Shen Jin but Shen Yin and Shen Tie also turned their heads in unison to follow her.

Shen An felt conflicted. They were all here helping to clear the land, and they were so hungry... but that was meat, and his sister-in-law looked exhausted; she needed it to regain her strength.

Just as he was struggling with the dilemma, the scent in the air changed. The wild onions must have been added. The already rich aroma was sharpened by the scent of the onions. Shen An noticed that Shen Yin and Shen Tie had gone glassy-eyed, staring at the cottage with mouths watering, their bamboo shards forgotten in their hands.

"Second Brother." Shen Ning called out from the corner of the cottage.

For the first time, Shen An felt troubled. Would his sister-in-law really ask him to come in and share the bone soup? Wouldn't that just make the little ones cry with hunger?

Before he could dwell on it, Shen Ning said, "Eldest sister-in-law told you to come in and help carry out two bowls of meat porridge for everyone."

Shen Jin and Shen Yin's eyes lit up instantly. Shen Tie, slower to react, eventually understood, swallowed hard, and reflexively started to put his fingers in his mouth.

Little Xiaoya looked at her brother. Chen Ershan looked bewildered and shook his head. "No, no, I had breakfast. I'm not hungry. And my mother said if we sell the wild vegetables today, she'll buy pork bones too."

Shen An had already gone inside.

A moment later, the siblings emerged, each carrying a large bowl. Inside was a meat porridge made with a bone broth base, simmered with minced meat and white rice. It wasn't much—only half a bowl each.

Shen Jin and his brothers swarmed over. Chen Xiaoya looked at her brother, who stood there feeling at a loss. Meat was a luxury; even if it was just bone, his family might not buy it once in a couple of months. He wanted to go back to work, but the field wasn't finished. If he stayed, should he eat or not? A twelve-year-old boy didn't know how to handle such a situation.

Before he could decide, Shen Ning walked over with a smile, holding the bowls. "Brother Ershan, Xiaoya, these are for you. We don't have enough bowls, so you'll have to share. Go wash your hands and eat. My sister-in-law is a great cook."

On the other side, Shen Yin and Shen Tie, having experience, had already run to the spring to wash their hands.

Shen Jin tried to grab the bowl from Shen An as usual. He had seen it clearly: not just rice, but bits of meat, white grains, and green onions. His mouth watered.

This time, Shen An didn't indulge him. "Go wash your hands. Do you want Xiao Yin and Xiao Tie to get mud in their mouths while they drink from the bowl?"

Shen Jin looked disgruntled, checking his hands. "There's no mud." There was a little, but he could just pat it off, right?

Shen An just stared at him.

Shen Jin: ...Fine, the one with the food is the boss. "Alright, alright, I'll go wash, happy?" He turned and ran toward the spring.

Five children, two bowls. They stood behind the house and began to eat, family by family. Naturally, the Chen family let Xiaoya eat first, while the Shen brothers took turns, each taking a sip to ensure no one felt cheated. If Shen Jin took too big a gulp, Shen Yin would immediately raise a ruckus.

Shen An sighed. "It's fresh off the stove. Why are you drinking so fast? If you make your brothers anxious and they drink too fast, they’ll get burned."

Shen Jin wanted to retort, but it was indeed quite hot. He hummed in agreement and behaved much better.

Inside, Sang Luo called for Shen An and Shen Ning. The siblings went in and each received a small bamboo tube filled with meat porridge.

Shen An pursed his lips and whispered, "Sister-in-law, Ah Ning and I had 'immortal tofu' for lunch. You should have this."

Sang Luo gestured toward the clay pot. "There's plenty. Eat."

"Are you feeling bad about the cost?" Seeing his pained expression, she laughed and ruffled his hair, leaning in to whisper, "It's just bone broth—I just added two extra bowls of water. What's there to feel bad about?"

Shen An shook his head, wanting to deny it but not knowing how. It was a lie to say he didn't feel bad; it wasn't just an extra bowl of water. He had seen the porridge—there was plenty of rice, and it wasn't thin at all. It looked excellent.

He had truly suffered over the past few months and placed great value on grain. But it wasn't just regret; when the moment came, he felt it wasn't appropriate to be stingy. When he heard his sister-in-law tell him to take the food out, he was happy. When he handed it out, he felt a twinge of pain, but he was mostly happy. It was only now, when he was told to eat, that he felt the pinch.

Shen An didn't know if he was being stingy or generous. He just moved his lips, at a loss for words.

Sang Luo, sensing his concern for the grain, remembered the life the original host had lived over the past few months. She felt a surge of tenderness for the siblings and said softly, "Think about it: if you hire someone to build a house, don't you have to treat them well? Look at those small plots of land cleared in the last few days. When it happens occasionally, adding an extra bowl of water is fine. When you took the porridge out, weren't you happy yourself?"

Shen An nodded.

Sang Luo smiled. There was a reason she liked these two siblings. They weren't just smart and sensible; they had good values. Whether it was toward her, their sister-in-law, or others—even toward someone like Shen Jin, who wasn't exactly close to them—they were kind.

Hoping to relax him, Sang Luo beckoned him closer mysteriously. She whispered, "Actually, I only used one bone, and the meat was very little. It just looks like a lot. I saved the rest, and the three of us will make porridge with it tonight." She uncovered another bowl hidden under a lotus leaf to show him.

Sure enough, there were several large bones and plenty of chopped meat.

Shen An’s eyes lit up.

Sang Luo laughed softly. "You see, you have to be mindful of social graces, but the best food is always kept for our own family."

Shen Ning, who had heard the whole exchange, giggled. She had known her sister-in-law had set some aside. She felt there was no one better than her sister-in-law. In her eyes, she and her brother were different from the others—they were closer. This realization filled her with joy. Since her eldest brother had left, she had felt like an outsider in her own home, constantly walking on eggshells with her second brother.

For the first time, the young girl thought that splitting the family was a good thing. Once the family was split, her sister-in-law would only be good to her and her brother. She curled her eyes and smiled to herself.

***

Outside, the three Shen brothers were eating, also talking about how good their sister-in-law was. Sharing one bowl, taking turns, they couldn't help but think of their cousin-in-law, who had previously been a background presence in their lives.

The power of good food, indeed.

Even Shen Jin, who still felt a bit awkward, nodded. His cousin-in-law was truly good; she was actually willing to give them meat porridge.

Meat porridge.

They rarely ate meat at home. Only when their mother rendered pork fat and bought a little lean meat with it could they taste it.

Shen Jin held the bowl, looking at the dilapidated thatched cottage, and sighed. Shen Tie was busy drinking, while Shen Yin looked at him curiously.

"I'm jealous of Shen An and Shen Ning," Shen Jin sighed.

Living with their parents was nowhere near as good as living with their cousin-in-law. First the pork cracklings, then the flatbread, and now the meat porridge. Why hadn't he been split off with them?

Sigh.