Chapter 14

Waking up in the morning, the two little ones were already up before her, having finished washing outside.

When Sang Luo returned to the room and saw that her eldest sister-in-law was awake, Shen Ning trotted over to the bedside, shyly and happily telling Sang Luo that she had dreamed of making money to buy grain. It was then that Sang Luo realized she wasn't the only one who had been unable to sleep for excitement.

Filled with sudden motivation, she threw off the quilt and got up.

Seeing Sang Luo awake, Shen Ning turned and circled the stone where they kept their bowls, returning to hand Sang Luo a handful of cogon grass roots. "Eldest sister-in-law, here! My second brother and I picked these fresh this morning!"

This was the ancient version of a simple toothbrush—the rhizome of the cogon grass. Once the outer skin was rubbed off, it could be chewed. Because it contained a high amount of fiber, poor families who valued hygiene used it to clean their teeth and mouths.

Sang Luo had already experienced this the day before.

Seeing that the little siblings had prepared a portion for her as well, she smiled and ruffled Shen Ning’s small head. "Thank you."

She took the cogon grass root and went outside to wash up.

Only after heading out did she notice that the ramie she had soaked in the pond the night before had already been retrieved. Shen An was currently using the fiber-stripping tool she had borrowed from the Chen family to process the stalks. Though he was young, his movements were remarkably skilled.

Sang Luo was surprised; this wasn't the sort of task one could master just by watching. Thinking of the Li woman's character, however, she found it less strange.

Seeing Sang Luo up, Shen An’s eyes lit up. "Eldest sister-in-law, can we go check the fish traps now?"

He had been thinking about them since the moment he woke up.

"Sure!" Sang Luo smiled. "We'll go as soon as I’m finished washing."

Shen An and Shen Ning were overjoyed. While Sang Luo was still washing, the two children went ahead to prepare. Having gained experience, they put away the stripping knife; one went to fetch the empty backpack basket they’d brought home the night before, and the other carried the broken earthen jar used for cooking. They did this specifically to avoid using up the basket, so that once they collected the fish, they could set two more traps.

The traps set at night yielded a better harvest than those set during the day. However, the fish this time were not very large; the biggest one was not even the size of a palm.

Even so, the three of them were incredibly satisfied.

Shen An and Shen Ning cherished the fish and shrimp, even pouring water into the earthen jar, hoping to keep them alive a little longer. Sang Luo let them be.

But this was only for the journey; once they got home, the jar would need to be washed and used as a pot again. Naturally, it couldn't be left to the children for keeping fish. As for the bucket and ceramic basin borrowed from the Chen family, those were used by the Chens for fetching water and cooking—they couldn't risk leaving them smelling of fish. Moreover, they needed those very items to prepare their food for sale over the next two days.

Shen An understood this, and as soon as they got home, he asked Sang Luo how to handle the catch.

"Keep three or four fish for us to add to our lunch. Put the rest in a bowl; I have a use for them later. Wash the shrimp, boil them in the earthen jar, and then spread them out to dry on that stone slab from last night. Save the water used to boil the shrimp."

Although Shen An didn't know what his sister-in-law had in mind for that half-bowl of fish, he didn't let that stop him from following her instructions to the letter.

They still cooked porridge in the morning. Perhaps because they now had a way to acquire food, although Shen An still felt a pang of heartache when he saw Sang Luo scooping the rice, he held back and didn't try to scrape a handful back like he had the day before, even if his expression remained quite vivid.

Sang Luo found it amusing and took a moment to teach them: "Don't begrudge the grain. As the saying goes, 'Don't be empty in the morning, don't be full at night.' If you want a healthy body and good energy for the day, you can't skip breakfast."

Shen An felt sheepish. "Eldest sister-in-law, I didn't say anything."

Sang Luo smiled. Using the hot water in the jar where the shrimp had been boiled, she skimmed off the foam, added the rinsed rice, and stirred it occasionally.

Once the rice had bloomed in the jar, she sprinkled in some salt and added a handful of finely chopped wild onions. The aroma was so enticing that the two children crouched nearby, their nostrils twitching, struggling to keep from drooling.

River delicacies were true to their name; the "freshness" was no mere boast.

Between the sweetness of the shrimp and the fragrance of the onions, a bowl of savory shrimp porridge was ready. It was a pity there was no ginger, or the flavor would have been even better. But for three people who lived on wild vegetables, what was there to complain about with such a delicacy?

There were only two bowls left in the house, so Sang Luo smiled and filled half a bowl for each of the siblings. "You two eat first. I'm going to Grandma Chen's place."

She carried the half-bowl of fish and left.

Shen An and Shen Ning looked at each other, neither asking what the fish was for.

The fish were caught through their sister-in-law's ingenuity, so it was only natural for her to decide how to use them. Besides, it wouldn't matter if they were for Grandma Chen; after all, Grandpa and Grandma Chen had saved their sister-in-law’s life.

...

Sang Luo was indeed bringing fish to the old lady, but it had nothing to do with saving lives, and it certainly wasn't a handout.

She was shamelessly trying to trade that half-bowl of fish for a piece of maltose candy.

"It's fresh food, and I'm afraid people won't buy it if they don't know what it tastes like. I figured I should probably have some sugar water ready to let people have a sample."

It was a sensible plan.

When Mother Chen heard her intention, she didn't take the bowl from Sang Luo. She simply said, "Wait," turned, and went into the house. A moment later, she returned and handed her two pieces of maltose. "Hurry back. Put them in a bowl; in this weather, the candy will melt if you carry it around."

Sang Luo beamed and took them. "Grandma, would you like to use a bowl for the fish?"

Mother Chen had given away four pieces of maltose in two days, which pained her heart, but she had seen the situation at the Shen household with her own eyes. With only that small amount of fish—which she wasn't even sure they hadn't spent the whole day catching—how could she possibly take food from the children?

She waved her hand to shoo her away. "Our family isn't lacking for that. Take it back and eat it yourself."

Sang Luo said, "Come now, if I do that, wouldn't I be taking your candy for nothing? That wouldn't be right. I said it was a trade, so it’s a trade."

As she spoke, she headed straight for the kitchen, familiarly pulling Qin Fangniang aside. "Auntie Youtian, could you please find a bowl for me to put this in?"

Since her mother-in-law hadn't accepted it, how could Qin Fangniang dare to? She peeked at her mother-in-law’s expression.

Seeing this, Sang Luo didn't wait around. She scanned the kitchen, spotted the cupboard, and deftly walked over to fish out a bowl, dumping the half-bowl of fish into it.

Only then did she smile at Grandma Chen. "Grandma, I have one more favor to ask. Could you lend me another bucket? Just for the market tomorrow. I'll come get it tonight. I promise it won't interfere with your use of the bucket today, and I'll bring it back as soon as I return from the market tomorrow."

Mother Chen and her daughter-in-law exchanged looks.

She used to be so shy, but now, if you gave her an inch, she’d take a mile. You didn't even need to offer her a pole; she’d find a way to climb up on her own.

Mother Chen felt like she was being latched onto. She glanced at Sang Luo irritably. "Is one bucket not enough to carry what you're selling? Do you think money at the market falls from the sky like rain? It's not that easy to make."

The people who went to the local market were all farmers; in these times, how many families were willing to spend much on food?

Sang Luo looked embarrassed. "It's not that, but if I only have one bucket, I have to carry it. The market is seven miles away."

She pinched her thin arm. "Look at me. With my build, if I carry a full bucket of tofu for seven miles, not to mention my arms, I'll be completely ruined."

"That's why I want to borrow another bucket from you. If I split the load into two, it'll be much easier to carry with a shoulder pole."

At this, she gave the old lady a flattering smile and held up a finger. "And I'll borrow a shoulder pole, too."

The sheer fawning look on her face...

Mother Chen had no choice but to nod. "Fine, fine, fine. Just come get them tonight."

In return, she received a mountain of compliments from the now-sly Sang Luo, whose tongue was as sweet as if she were handing out compliments for free.

Mother Chen felt her lips twitch as she listened. She wanted to laugh but tried to maintain her stern demeanor, waving her away. "Alright, you have a stall to run tomorrow; you've got enough to keep you busy today. Hurry back."

Sang Luo, feeling perfectly satisfied, clutched the empty bowl and the two pieces of maltose as she stepped out of the Chen family’s courtyard. She hadn't gone far when she heard a sarcastic, exaggeratedly drawn-out "Oh!"

The Li woman was leaning against her own courtyard gate, chin slightly tilted, eyeing the empty bowl in Sang Luo’s hand with a curled lip. "Did you go begging at another door? What? Didn't get anything?"