Chapter 5

They had been an old couple for decades. Old Chen quickly understood his wife’s intentions and cooperated quietly, standing still with his ear raised to listen.

Not long after, they heard Sang Luo’s low voice inside, telling Shen An and Shen Ning to drink some sugar water. Only then did Old Chen’s weathered face soften into a faint smile, signaling his wife to quietly leave.

Unbeknownst to Sang Luo, the old woman had secretly observed her once again. Sang Luo herself felt her strength gradually returning, having escaped the brink of sudden death, and naturally began to notice the two children, thin as bamboo sticks.

Thinking that her own life had been held on by these two little ones, gratitude and warmth swelled quietly in her heart.

Shen An and Shen Ning were genuinely frightened this time. At first, when Sang Luo offered the sugar-salt water, they shook their heads vigorously, refusing to touch the “life-saving food” from their sister-in-law. But when Sang Luo smiled and assured them she was much better and could soon cook some porridge, no longer at risk of starving to death, she brought the bowl to Shen Ning’s lips. The little girl swallowed nervously, glanced at her sister-in-law and then at her elder brother, and tentatively took a small sip.

The taste was sweet with a hint of salt—an unusual flavor to them, but since they rarely tasted sweetness except for the occasional wild berries near the mountain, even a touch on the lips was heavenly, and their faces brightened with smiles.

Shen Ning took just a sip before passing the bowl to Shen An. Since their eldest brother had passed away, Shen An had always tried to be mature, taking responsibility for his sister. Yet when half a bowl of sugar water was offered to him, his true nature emerged—he was still a child, after all, unable to refuse the treat brought to his lips.

Sang Luo did not drink the remaining sugar water; the two siblings finished it between them, taking turns.

As the older brother, Shen An only took small sips, mostly letting Shen Ning drink more. When the last drop was left for him, he no longer pretended to be the grown-up. He drank it all, then naturally licked the bottom of the bowl clean. He even added water to the clay pot that had held the sugar water, swirled it around, and boiled that water once more before calling it done.

Sang Luo felt no shame in this; in times when people could starve to death, such behavior was perfectly normal.

In her past life, Sang Luo was an orphan. After graduating from university, she worked for only a year before falling ill and being hospitalized. The tests revealed her life was limited.

Had she been born into wealth, with millions to spend on treatment and maintenance, Sang Luo might have lasted a few more years.

But she had no millions to throw away, couldn’t afford the expense, so she spared herself the suffering. She cried in bed for two days, thought for three more, then handed in her resignation. Using savings from part-time jobs during university, street vending, and her year of work after graduation, she thoroughly researched online, visited several places, and finally bought an abandoned, run-down house in a mountain she loved. She began to renovate it and settled there.

She started living the life she had once only dreamed of.

Sang Luo lived in the mountains for five years, mostly alone. Though neighbors existed, they were distant and mostly elderly left behind, while the young and children had moved to the city for work and school.

Thus, opportunities to interact with children were rare.

Now, watching the two little siblings care for each other so lovingly, she felt only warmth.

Living in the mountains was not so bad. Compared to the last few years of her previous life spent in pain, her current body, after some recuperation, was at least relatively healthy—and she had two companions.

Poverty was not frightening; with hands, feet, and a mind, there was always a way to earn a living.

Sang Luo thought this was good enough; fate had truly granted her a blessing.

When the three of them finished drinking and feeling somewhat full, dawn was breaking. Sang Luo’s strength had returned enough that she no longer felt dizzy walking around the house.

Not taking chances, she rested briefly before calling the two youngsters to help run errands—washing the clay pot, fetching spring water, rinsing rice, and cooking porridge.

Real plain rice porridge, without any wild greens mixed in.

Shen An and Shen Ning were stunned when Sang Luo took a small handful of rice from her cloth bag and handed it to them to wash.

Neither of the two moved, staring blankly at the rice in the pot, then at Sang Luo.

Shen An pursed his lips. “Sister-in-law, if we eat like this, this grain will be gone in a few days,” he said, frowning in disapproval.

Beside him, Shen Ning nodded eagerly at her brother’s words, pecking her head like a little chick, silently pleading with Sang Luo to take some of the rice back.

Sang Luo found it both amusing and bittersweet. She made a firm decision: “This is all we have—go wash the rice and cook the porridge.”

But her decision was useless; the two children still wouldn’t budge.

Sang Luo explained, “Don’t worry, sister-in-law will find a way to get more grain, I promise!”

The two looked at her but still didn’t move. After months together, they knew her promises held little weight.

Sang Luo sighed. “Look, sister-in-law almost starved to death this time, right? If we keep eating like this, not just me, but both of you will fall apart too. Trust me—just wash this rice and cook one pot of porridge. Let’s have a good meal, and when I regain strength, I’ll take you out to find food. Saving grain by rationing won’t work.”

Shen Ning blinked. She didn’t catch the long speech, but the part about sister-in-law nearly starving to death stuck. She looked at her brother.

Shen An’s face showed conflict. After a moment, he reached into the pot, scooped up a thin layer of rice from the dry surface, and put it back into the rice bag. “Cook this much; I won’t eat too much,” he said.

Too sensible for his age.

Sang Luo recalled her own childhood—hardship breeds such maturity.

She nodded and stopped insisting.

Shen An and Shen Ning clearly relaxed and didn’t give her a chance to change her mind. Hugging the clay pot, they went out to fetch mountain spring water and wash the rice.

The three of them—one grown woman and two children—gathered around a simple stove made of stones, tending the pot as the rice porridge bubbled and boiled. Shen An stirred occasionally with a wooden spoon, and the aroma alone was enough to whet their appetites.

When it came time to serve, Shen An, as the one in charge of ladling out the porridge, gave Sang Luo a full spoonful, Shen Ning a bit less, and himself only half a spoon.

The wooden spoon was not large; in modern terms, it was about the size of a small, shallow bowl. Sang Luo and Shen Ning’s portions were decent; Shen An’s half spoon barely covered the bottom of his rustic bowl.

Sang Luo couldn’t bear to see this. She took the spoon from her bowl and gave him nearly half of her portion.

Shen An was momentarily stunned. Sang Luo smiled, “Alright, little man, eat up. I was very hungry earlier, but I can’t eat too much at once. It’s better to eat small amounts more often to protect the stomach.”

The siblings looked at the steaming, thick white porridge but still dared not eat.

Sang Luo urged them, “Eat, just remember to blow on it first so you don’t burn yourselves.”

This time Shen An said nothing. Shen Ning glanced between her bowl and Sang Luo. “Sister-in-law, really eat this? We could add wild greens and stretch this for days.”

“Eat!” Sang Luo said firmly. “Eat and rest. When I have more strength, I’ll take you to find food.”

Her confidence gave the two starving children a bit of hope. Though faint, the fragrant steam of the plain porridge wafted into their noses, and their hearts wavered toward Sang Luo’s words.

Eat?

Just one full meal!

With no chairs and bowls too hot to hold, the three half-crouched by the stone table they used as a makeshift dining surface. They bent over their bowls, blowing gently to cool the porridge’s surface, then scooped small mouthfuls to savor.

The two children ate especially carefully, unwilling to finish too quickly. During a brief pause, Shen Ning turned to Shen An and said, “Brother, this plain rice porridge smells so good! I haven’t had porridge this fragrant in such a long time.”

Her expression was one of pure delight, as if the bowl held ocean delicacies instead of simple porridge.

Shen An knew how long “such a long time” really was—before their eldest brother left home. His eyes grew moist. He pressed a hand to his face, then smiled at his sister. “Eat.”

From now on, your brother will make sure you eat well.

He dared only think this in his heart but could not speak it aloud, knowing he was still too weak to fulfill that promise.

His mood visibly sank, though he smiled when Shen Ning looked at him, but he ate noticeably slower.

When Sang Luo and Shen Ning finished their small bowls, Shen An still had half a bowl left.

Shen Ning looked at him, and Shen An placed his bowl in the center of the stone table. “Save the rest for you at noon.”

Then he quickly washed the bowl and carefully covered the remaining two spoonfuls of porridge with another bowl, treasuring it as if it were precious.