Chapter 59: Decorating a Road with Flowers

Shen An sprang to his feet, crying, "Eldest Sister-in-law, are you going to teach A-Ning and me how to read?"

Sang Luo smiled and replied, "I am. Your eldest brother left something out—it's not just failing to recognize numbers that leaves you at a disadvantage; illiteracy is just as bad. I'll start by teaching you some simple characters."

As for attending a village school, according to the original owner's memories, the prefectural, county, and village schools had all been abolished by the previous emperor more than a decade ago. The current emperor valued education and had reopened some schools, but execution was far from satisfactory.

At least in the original owner's hometown, there was a county school, but no village school. For village children who wanted to study, their only option was to apprentice themselves to a learned scholar, and in this day and age, finding a scholar who was both knowledgeable and willing to take on students was no easy task.

Since coming to this place, Sang Luo had never heard of a village school. As for the county school, although she often went into town, she mostly frequented the east and west markets and had never paid attention to whether a county school existed. It seemed she would have to inquire about it next time.

Hearing that his eldest sister-in-law was going to teach them how to read, Shen An was thrilled, yet completely bewildered, having no idea where to even begin.

Sang Luo laughed and said, "You and A-Ning can go find some fine sand, the finer the better. In a while, I'll ask Uncle Youtian to make you a wooden box to hold the sand, and you can practice writing with twigs in the sand first."

Paper and ink were simply unaffordable.

Paper was genuinely expensive—very, very expensive. To this day, even her toilet paper had to be substituted with suitable leaves, washed and dried until soft...

***

When Feng Liuniang and the others dropped off the wooden buckets and pottery basins, Chen Youtian came along as well.

Sang Luo went out to greet them, looking rather apologetic as she said, "I can manage making rough things myself, but we're selling this tofu, and if the frame isn't made properly, it will affect the appearance of the finished product. I'm causing trouble for you yet again, Uncle."

Chen Youtian minded not in the least. "It's nothing at all, it won't take long to finish."

Since all the tools were right here at Sang Luo's place and the lumber was readily available, Chen Youtian simply sorted through the materials and set right to work.

When Shen An and Shen Ning came back carrying a wicker basket full of fine sand and saw Chen Youtian, they each chimed in with a cheerful "Uncle Youtian!" As soon as they set the basket down, they crowded around him, brimming with enthusiasm.

"Uncle Youtian, could you make something for A-Ning and me too?"

Their faces were full of anticipation.

Chen Youtian had a wonderful temperament. Smiling, he asked, "Make what?"

Shen An and Shen Ning then explained the purpose of the sand table, gesturing and describing roughly how big and deep it should be—the little ones had been thinking about it all the way back.

Writing didn't require much depth, nor did it waste much wood, and it was simple to make. Chen Youtian readily agreed on the spot.

Shen An showered him with thanks. Remembering the bold declaration he had made when his eldest sister-in-law hurt her hand building the chicken coop, he didn't leave either, simply standing by to watch Chen Youtian work.

Chen Youtian found it amusing. "Do you want to learn carpentry too?"

It was meant as a casual joke, but Shen An nodded with utter seriousness. "I do. Uncle Youtian, won't you teach me?"

Chen Youtian: "???"

"You really want to learn?"

Shen An nodded. "I really do. I'm the only male in my household, and in the future, these chores should be carried by me."

His words cracked Chen Youtian up, though a second later, the hardship behind the statement brought a sigh. "Your brother learned from me too, and the work he turned out was even finer than mine."

One old man and two children, all three fell into a subdued silence.

Chen Youtian patted Shen An's shoulder. "Learn then. If you want to learn, I'll teach you."

True to his word, as he worked, he began explaining some of the underlying principles and techniques to Shen An, while Shen Ning crowded close to listen as well.

Seeing how engrossed they were, Sang Luo didn't disturb them. She went down the mountain to ask Old Mrs. Chen for some straw and borrowed a shovel.

The old woman didn't ask what she wanted the straw for; straw was the one thing in abundance during this season, and she directly tied up a large bundle for her.

Sang Luo didn't actually need that much, but thinking that she ought to change the straw in the chicken and duck coops frequently—well, hoarding a little extra was fine too. Thanking the old woman, she shouldered the large bundle of straw and carried the shovel back home.

Instead of going inside, she stopped by some sticky yellow clay left over from building the house just outside the courtyard. Shoveling out a pile of mud on the spot, she fetched water to mix it right there.

When Shen An and Shen Ning heard the slight commotion and came out, Sang Luo was already tossing straw into the pile, preparing to take off her shoes and mix the mud with her bare feet.

The little pair were old hands at this chore!

They had watched it being done for days when the house was built, and they had even stepped into it themselves.

***

Both siblings dashed over. "Eldest Sister-in-law, are you mixing mud? Let me, let me!"

Sprinting over on flying feet, they kicked off their shoes and prepared to jump right in. Rolling up their trouser legs, they stepped into the mix before asking, "Eldest Sister-in-law, what are we mixing mud for?"

Sang Luo chuckled. "Did you forget the cobblestones I told you to gather? We're going to pave the path with them today."

Although Qiyang County had seen little rain lately, it didn't mean it wouldn't rain later. Naturally, the sooner this cobblestone path was laid, the better.

With these two little ones to mix the mud, she wouldn't have to take off her shoes and step in herself.

She turned to tidy up the courtyard—though there wasn't much to tidy, she simply had to shovel the designated pathway a bit lower, calculate the height so the mixed mud could be smeared on, and then press the cobblestones in so the surface would be level with the unexcavated ground beside it.

She also hauled the stones needed over in wicker baskets, dumping them to the side for later use.

Chen Youtian noticed and asked about it. Hearing that she was laying a stone path, he couldn't quite understand why a courtyard with such well-compacted earth needed stones paved over it, but he didn't say anything. In his opinion, this woman surnamed Sang had quite a few skills, and since she could read, she naturally had her reasons for doing things.

He lowered his head and went back to work.

Once everything was prepared, it was time to haul the mud over.

The two children's legs were smeared with mud from top to bottom, yet they were having a grand time. Seeing Sang Luo coming in with loads of mud, they simply stopped treading it—since it was already well-mixed—ran over to the puddle to wash their feet clean, and dashed inside without even bothering with their shoes.

Sang Luo dumped the mud from the basket directly onto the shoveled roadbed, set the basket aside, and led the two children in fetching stones.

"Pick out the cobblestones that are noticeably black first. We'll use those to arrange a floral pattern later."

The two children were beside themselves with excitement. Chen Youtian: "..."

They were laying a path and arranging flowers on it too?

Shen Ning was the most excited of all. "Eldest Sister-in-law, how do we arrange the flowers?"

Sang Luo caught the playful mood as well. "Come here, I'll teach you."

She picked up some black cobblestones and began tracing out the lines of a floral pattern. "Like this. If you want to make a particular shape, you can outline the border first, and then fill it in with stones of the same color."

One adult and two children put their heads together, squatting there to fill in the pattern with stones, having the time of their lives.

By the time Chen Youtian finished making the tofu carrying poles and the pressing frames that Sang Luo had requested, the winding stone path from the courtyard gate to the main thatched cottage in the little Shen courtyard had already been laid—and it actually had flowers on it...

As soon as he got back, he recounted the whole thing to his father, mother, and wife. "That Sang woman is truly remarkable. She's literate, and she even had me make a sand table for the two children to use so she could teach them how to read. Little An and A-Ning have really struck gold. It's just that their courtyard was already fine, yet she had to go and make a stone path—and decorate the path with flowers while she was at it."

Old Man Chen, Granny Chen, Qin Fangniang, Chen Ershan, and Xiao Ya: "???"

How do you put flowers on a road?

Of course, he didn't forget business. Before leaving, Sang Luo had asked Chen Youtian if he wanted to carry poles to sell tofu in the surrounding villages.

Originally, the market business was meant for Old Mrs. Chen, but the major market only came once every five days. Sang Luo had tested the waters herself over the past few days and found that selling tofu within the villages worked quite well too, as it allowed them to trade for soybeans and the like.

Sang Luo's idea was that even if they traded for soybeans, it didn't matter; the soybeans could be exchanged for tofu at her place, or she could buy them outright if there were too many.

Even if she bought every single soybean obtained from selling tofu across a dozen villages, it wouldn't be an overwhelming amount, and making tofu could consume seven or eight-tenths of it.

Hearing this, Granny Chen slapped her thigh in delight. "Of course it works! During the busy farming season I'll go, and during the slack season you can go. Our family has basically started two separate businesses just like that."

The old woman was so happy she spun around in circles at home. "How on earth can I ever thank her enough?"

The old woman felt that her greatest stroke of luck in this life must have been the night she helped Sang Luo out with two liters of rice and two pieces of malt candy.

***

When Qin Fangniang went to pick up her goods the next day, she saw it by the faint light of dawn.

So that's how you arrange flowers on it.

The women of the three households arrived together. Of course, Chen Youtian was there too; Qin Fangniang and the other two were heading to the county town using Chen Youtian's flatbed cart, walking together. As for Chen Youtian himself, he was also there to pick up goods, having already told Sang Luo how much he wanted yesterday. Today, he brought linen cloth cut out by his own mother to pay for today's batch.

Only then did Gan Shi and the others learn that the Chen family actually had two separate stalls—Chen Youtian had taken over the business in the surrounding villages. Though they felt a pang of envy, they also knew there was no comparing to it. They had vaguely heard that the woman surnamed Sang had once nearly starved to death, and it was the old woman who had braved the mountain in the middle of the night with sugar and grain to save her life.

That kind of bond couldn't be matched.

Before leaving, Gan Shi and Feng Liuniang told Sang Luo that they would confirm the amount of tofu for tomorrow after returning from the county town and checking the sales volume.

Sang Luo naturally had no objections. As long as she had enough time to harvest the fairy herb leaves, her supply of soybeans was currently sufficient, so she simply told Qin Fangniang and Chen Youtian to finalize their quotas in the afternoon as well.

***

Just as day was breaking, Xiao Ya came over to the little courtyard looking for Shen Ning.

She stared at the cobblestone path in the courtyard in fascination for quite a while. "So that's how you make flowers."

Shen Ning was immensely fond of the stone path her family had worked together to build. "Isn't it pretty? My eldest sister-in-law taught us how to do it. Walking on this path to get into the house on rainy days keeps our shoes from getting dirty easily. We're planning to lay another one from the courtyard out to the puddle outside."

Xiao Ya was consumed with envy. "It's so pretty! You're going to lay another one? Do you have enough of those pretty stones? I can help look for them."

Shen Ning shook her head, however. "The ones outside don't need to be stones this small and pretty. My eldest sister-in-law said we can pick slightly larger ones, the shape doesn't matter as long as one side is flat. When we piece them together into a path, it'll look really nice too."

Delicacy had its own kind of beauty, and rustic simplicity had its own poetic charm.

Well, Shen Ning didn't quite understand that last sentence, but she knew it would look good either way.

"Is your eldest sister-in-law still teaching you how to read? What words are you learning?"

"Our names. My second brother's name and mine. The 'Shen' character is too hard, but I already know the 'Ning' character."

With that, she eagerly led Xiao Ya into the courtyard, brought out her prized sand table, and drew a crooked "Ning" character in the sand with a twig.

Though Xiao Ya had no idea what reading was good for, seeing her playmate so happy filled her with envy from the bottom of her heart. "I wonder how my name is written."

Shen Ning thought it over. "Once I master my own name, I'll have my eldest sister-in-law teach me how to write your name next time, and then I'll teach you."

"Okay, okay!" Xiao Ya was thrilled. "I'll help you pick up stones then!"

After all, big rocks were everywhere.

As the two little girls chatted away, Shen Ning suddenly remembered something and asked Xiao Ya with mild curiosity, "Have you seen Shen Jin and the others lately?"

They hadn't come to their house for many days now, which didn't really seem like Shen Jin's usual style.

Hearing this question, Xiao Ya nodded. "I saw them. Aside from Shen Tie, who's staying home to look after Tianya, Shen Jin and Shen Yin have both been driven out to the fields to do hard labor."

Xiao Ya leaned closer to Shen Ning and whispered, "Right after that banquet at your house, Shen Jin got a beating as soon as he went back. It seemed like only a couple of slaps, but I heard it. The very next day, he was chased off to the fields."

Shen Ning had no idea why her third uncle and third aunt had resorted to beating people this time around. But ever since her life had improved and she no longer had to walk on eggshells around them, the busy little girl had long since cast those people to the back of her mind.

As for Shen Jin going to work in the fields—well, it wasn't surprising either. She and her second brother had been assigned all sorts of chores by the time they were seven.

Shen Ning didn't give it another thought.

The two girls put their heads together and chattered away. Shen Ning watered the vegetables along the way, put her precious sand table back inside, grabbed Xiao Ya, and went off to gather wild greens to feed the chickens.

Xiao Ya found it strange. "How come I don't see your second brother?"

Shen Ning shut the courtyard gate. "He's busy."

As for what he was busy with, she didn't say a word.

What was he busy with? He was behind closed doors in the back courtyard, drying sour jujube糕.

In the back courtyard, both Shen An and Sang Luo were busy drying things. The ground had been propped up with stones, and two large round wicker trays rested on top. Hearing the courtyard gate close, Shen An said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, shouldn't we buy a few more wicker trays? These aren't quite enough; I don't dare make too much at once."

He looked at the size of their back courtyard and added, "We need four, right? If we spread everything out in the back courtyard, we can fit four."

Sang Luo smiled. "Four? Nowhere near. If we build a few multi-layered racks and stack them tier by tier, we can fit more than a dozen."

"What do multi-layered racks look like?"

Sang Luo roughly gestured. "We'll figure it out in a bit."

Four was far from enough; she still needed to store dried konjac.

Konjac wasn't something that could only be processed immediately after being dug up; it could also be sliced and dried. Dried konjac could be stored for a very long time, and when it was time to make konjac tofu, it could simply be pounded into powder with a stone mortar and used directly.

Once all the sour jujube cakes were laid out to dry, she carried out the pottery basin, closed the back courtyard door, and washed the basin clean. Then the sister-in-law and brother-in-law duo piled a heap of lumber in the courtyard and, like two carpentry novices huddled together, set their minds to figuring out how to build a multi-layered rack.