Chapter 9

On this day, not only did Shen An and Shen Ning manage to have lunch, but they also enjoyed delicacies that even Uncle Shen San, Aunt Shen San, Shen Jin, Shen Yin, Shen Tie, and Shen Tian had never tasted before!

Who would have thought that leaves picked from the mountains combined with a handful of wood ash could create something so delicious!

The two siblings, who had been anxious and fearful for months due to the family division, were ecstatic.

What did this mean? It meant they would never go hungry again!

For a moment, their eyes were filled with admiration for Sang Luo—she was truly amazing and so kind!

Like little refugees, their faces bloomed with smiles. Shen An ate happily, nearly moved to tears; the fear they had endured before now made his heart ache with gratitude.

The three of them shared a bowl of sweet soup mixed with divine tofu. When they finished, Shen An glanced at the other bowl and then looked at Sang Luo, tentatively asking, “Sister-in-law, could we send this other bowl to Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen?”

Such thoughtfulness.

Sang Luo smiled. “Of course. But we must keep the recipe a secret. The day after tomorrow is market day; we’ll make some to sell there and try to earn some money to buy food. If the method gets out, this won’t be worth anything.”

Though divine tofu was tasty, it could never replace a proper meal. Money and grain were still the top priorities for survival.

The siblings understood Sang Luo perfectly, having witnessed the simple process of making it. They nodded together, “We understand. We won’t tell anyone!”

The thought of earning money to exchange for grain made them beam with joy.

Seeing their understanding, Sang Luo laughed and cut the other bowl of tofu into small pieces, pouring sweet syrup over it. She personally carried the bowl, and the three of them set off toward the village.

It was midday, and most households were either resting or preparing for their noontime nap. The village path was deserted.

The Chen family’s courtyard gate was ajar. Inside were two children: an older boy of eleven or twelve and a younger girl of five or six.

As soon as the three arrived at the Chen family gate, the siblings were spotted. The little girl was especially delighted, calling out in a soft, childish voice, “Brother An, Sister Ning!” and ran over to them.

The older boy shouted into the house, “Grandpa, Grandma, Sister-in-law Shen and the kids An and Ning are here.”

The Chen family was still awake, sitting in the main hall. Hearing their grandson’s voice, Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen came out, followed by their son Chen Youtian and daughter-in-law Qin Fangniang.

“Why have you come?” Grandma Chen asked as she stepped forward. Just then, she noticed the bowl of jade-green food in Sang Luo’s hands. “What’s this?”

“Something we made ourselves, to share with you and the family,” Sang Luo replied.

Only last night, the children had nearly starved. Shen An had even come begging for grain from their home. And now, here they were, bringing them food?

Grandpa and Grandma Chen were momentarily stunned.

Grandma Chen looked down at the shimmering green dish. Could it have been made with the rice she had sent over?

No, that seemed unlikely. There was barely enough rice to eat sparingly, and the Sang family would surely be rationing carefully. Why would they send any to her?

Within moments, the elderly couple’s minds spun through many thoughts. Grandma Chen hesitated, then said, “With your situation now, you should keep the food for yourselves. Wouldn’t it be better if you and the children ate more? Why send it here?”

Sang Luo smiled gently. Though Grandma Chen’s tone wasn’t especially warm, Sang Luo felt the kindness behind it. She placed the bowl in the old woman’s hands and said, “Thanks to you bringing sugar and grain late at night, I’ve recovered a bit. This is made from things gathered in the mountains and doesn’t use any grain. Please, you, Grandpa, Uncle Youtian, Aunt Youtian, and the two little siblings try my cooking—it’s a small token from me, An, and Ning.”

Grandma Chen raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Sang Luo was so eloquent?

She hadn’t interacted much with Sang Luo before, recalling her as shy and always softly smiling, not very talkative.

Glancing at the bowl’s contents and then at the siblings eagerly praising its taste, almost drooling, and the little granddaughter seemingly hooked by the sight, Grandma Chen relented.

“You’re thoughtful. Then I won’t be polite. Come inside and sit, I’ll clear a spot for the bowl.”

The little girl nearly cheered at her grandmother’s acceptance but held back because of Sang Luo’s presence. Yet, she whispered excitedly to Shen An and Shen Ning, clearly thrilled.

Qin Fangniang moved a stool to the main hall’s doorway and invited Sang Luo to sit.

Sang Luo thanked Aunt Youtian with a smile, greeted Chen Youtian and Uncle Youtian, then turned to ask Grandpa Chen, “Grandpa, is your hemp processing tool still in use? If it’s idle, I’d like to borrow it for a few days.”

In August, everyone was busy weaving cloth, so hemp stripping and processing were less frequent.

Grandpa Chen, his face weathered and dark, was easy to talk to. “It’s just sitting unused lately. You don’t need to wait two days; I’ll get it for you now. You can take it back with you.”

He headed off to fetch the tool.

Grandma Chen poured the food into their own bowls and rinsed Sang Luo’s bowl. Having overheard their conversation in the kitchen, she came out holding the empty bowl and asked, “Are you preparing clothes for autumn and winter?”

She glanced at Shen An and Shen Ning’s patched and threadbare garments—too short, wrists and ankles exposed. The weather was still warm, but soon it would turn cold up in the mountains. The two children’s clothes wouldn’t last through the autumn.

Sang Luo shook her head. “That’s a plan for later. Without a loom, I can’t weave fabric. I just harvested some wild hemp, thinking of spinning a little thread to trade at the market for household tools. And, to be honest, the food I brought you—I plan to make more to sell at the market. But as you’ve seen, our house has almost nothing. We don’t even have proper containers to make or store things.”

Grandma Chen’s expression softened visibly with each word. Remembering what she had seen that early morning, she understood and praised, “It’s good to have a plan. Life has to be lived like this—building up possessions little by little, and slowly things will get better.”

She added, “If you’re making food to sell, the market is just the day after tomorrow. You don’t need to wait to trade thread for tools. If you need bowls or pots, I can rearrange a bit at home. I don’t have many extras, but I can lend you one or two for a few days.”

Waiting to trade thread for money would take at least until the next market, then using that money to buy tools and make products to sell would push the process even further. The market came only every five days; such delays were untenable.

Sang Luo’s visit was partly to express genuine gratitude to the Chen couple, and partly to borrow some items. Hearing Grandma Chen’s offer, she smiled brightly and replied, “That’s wonderful. Thank you so much, Grandma.”

Her smile was so sweet it drew several more glances from Grandma Chen.

Like before, she was quick to say thank you. Compared to when the family first split, when she was so thin she looked almost skeletal, she was no beauty, but now, with a sweeter smile and more confident demeanor, one could almost overlook her gaunt face. After all, such thinness was not uncommon these days.

Especially her cheerful, persevering spirit—it was so different from before.

Grandma Chen thought to herself, not having seen her for months, was this a rebirth after a brush with death? Then again, she hadn’t interacted much with Sang Luo before. Perhaps this was always her nature, just more reserved after the recent upheaval.