Chapter 108 I also learn
"Didn't you ask Uncle Arita for help?"
"Look for it. Only look for difficult jobs. Sister-in-law should do everything she can herself. They say favors should be used wisely. You can't ask others for help for everything."
Well, it sounds reasonable, but how old is she? A young lady really doesn’t need to be so stubborn.
But on second thought, it must have been very difficult for her to take Xiao An and Aning with her when she first arrived. No one in the village could get along with the personalities of her third uncle and third aunt, and they would only offend people. He himself was able to get closer to the Chen family because he stuck to Chen Dashan, but it was limited to him, and there was not much interaction between the two families.
The reason why Sang Luo can make good friends with the four families nowadays is all due to her own abilities. Making tofu is one of them. Her meticulousness in dealing with people and things must have played a big role as well.
The smile that Shen Lie had on his face all day finally fell sullenly, and he asked Shen An: "What other things in the house did your sister-in-law make herself?"
"That's a lot!"
Shen An listed them one by one, of course, he also pointed out which ones were made with the help of Chen Youtian's family and which ones were made by the Boy Scout team.
While doing his work, Chen Lie listened to his brother telling him everything about how the family came to be today, and asked a few questions he wanted to know from time to time.
The bamboo frame had not yet been made, but Chen Lie had a rough idea of what kind of life Sang Luo and his two younger brothers and sisters had been leading in the village over the past six months.
How many details could I have counted? What was the situation like when the family just separated? What was it like when they were the hungriest? The first time I went fishing, the first piece of tofu I made, the stall I set up, the land I reclaimed, the house I built, including the news that Shen Jin and the others reported to their family, and how my third uncle and aunt tried to climb over the wall in the middle of the night but were bitten by a goose and were sentenced to labor service.
Chen An described it vividly, sometimes he was disappointed, sometimes he was happy, and sometimes he was in high spirits. Chen Lie listened and felt as if he had experienced it himself.
At the end, Shen An's face showed disappointment and worry again: "Brother, will there really be war here? Will many people die in the war?"
Shen Lie was silent. He wanted to comfort his brother, but in the end he chose to tell the truth: "It is very likely, so we have to make more preparations. If chaos really occurs, I am afraid we will have to hide in the mountains for a long time."
Chen An was somewhat reluctant to leave. He had watched the courtyard being built bit by bit, and many of its features were his own. However, Chen An also knew that he would not go into the mountains unless it was absolutely necessary. If he really had to go into the mountains, he would not care about the small courtyard.
"Brother, there are a lot of wild animals in the mountains, right?"
In the past, his eldest brother had warned him and Aning not to go into the mountains. His eldest sister-in-law was the same. They only dared to wander around the periphery. Although they said they went deeper, they were actually only a little deeper than the villagers.
Chen Lie nodded, "A lot, so you have to learn some skills to protect yourself, your sister-in-law and Aning. Let's see if it starts tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Big brother and Dashan, Second Uncle Lu, and Uncle Shi will take turns teaching you. You and Aning, Ershan, Daniu, Erniu, Shuanzhu, Tiezhu, Da Niu, Huzi, and Uncle Zhou's Sanlang, Silang, and Wulang, all of you older kids have to learn."
These kids have to learn the same way he and Chen Dashan learned before, and they even have to practice harder. The more skills they have, the less danger they will face, both for individuals and for the entire group.
When Shen An heard his eldest brother say that he wanted to teach them the skills to survive in the mountains, his eyes lit up: "Brother, are you really going to teach me? Will you teach me archery?"
There is no boy who does not admire the use of force, and Shen An is no exception.
Chen Lie smiled, "Archery is only one of them. You also need to learn how to judge the tracks of animals and learn some ways to deal with them. Of course, more importantly, your physical strength and running speed must also be improved. If you don't know how to climb trees and swim, you must learn it. If you can't fight when your life is at stake, at least you can run away first."
It would be nice to run away in all kinds of ways without having to distract them.
Shen An's eyes became brighter and brighter: "Brother, where did the bow and arrow come from?"
The children also knew that it was not allowed to hide arrows at home. Of course, he would ask his brother if he taught archery because he knew that his brother and brother Dashan had hidden their own bows and arrows in the mountains in the past.
Chen Lie flicked his brother's forehead and said, "What are you talking about? If you want to practice, you should learn how to use a slingshot first and practice your aim. Don't say anything that shouldn't be said to others."
As for bows and arrows, we made them privately, and when the children were all proficient in slingshots, we would select a few talented ones and teach them in the mountains.
Shen An chuckled: "I know everything."
…
The two bamboo frames were an extremely difficult task for Sang Luo to make, but they were particularly obedient in Shen Lie's hands. When Sang Luo brought Shen Ning back, she saw him calmly fiddling with the bamboo materials. By the time she and Shen Ning had made lunch and took a nap after lunch, he had finished making the two bamboo frames.
What kind of efficiency is this?
The key is that the things she made are beautiful and have a unique spirituality. Anyway, what she made is incomparable.
Sang Luo finally understood why Chen Youtian said that Chen Lie was good at these things. Some people have talent in this area.
Sang Luo looked around the bamboo rack and found it was really beautifully made. It made the drying racks she had made before look too rough.
Sang Luo lent a hand, and together they moved the two shelves into the main house.
The room was not very big to begin with, and now with two beds, a food rack, a table, and these two shelves, the room is quite crowded.
Chen Lie looked around and said, "Just make do with this for a while. I'll go find a place in the next two days. Once I find a place, I'll slowly move these away."
Sang Luo smiled: "No, there is so much food, it makes me feel safe, but I have to find a place to settle down as soon as possible and take the food away. It's not safe to leave it here."
Chen Lie nodded, turned around and started to move the grain bags that were temporarily piled up in the kitchen. In the past, Sang Luo had to bring the two children with her to move things, but he could lift them easily. Perhaps because he felt sorry for the new clothes, he didn't even carry them on his shoulders, and just relied on his arm strength to carry all nine bags of rice and beans.
Sang Luo finally understood what Shen Lie meant by great strength.
It turns out that it's really not about showing off or bragging.
Chen Lie finished his work and turned to leave. Sang Luo hurriedly stopped him, "Wait a moment."
Chen Lie stopped as he was told. He thought Sang Luo was going to ask him to do something, but he saw her take out a purse from under her pillow.
Sang Luo had put the purse there before taking a nap. She motioned Chen Lie to sit down at the table. "We are living together now. You have to take a look at the money in the house. Today we bought grains, rice, medicine and your clothes and shoes. All our belongings are now here. Take a look."
If you are living together, you have to have the attitude of living together. Sang Luo is very aware of this. They both earn a share of the money in the purse, so Chen Lie still has to know how much wealth the family has.
Chen Lie was a little stunned, and then said: "You don't need to show this to me, just take care of it."
If he is honest, he is not afraid that after a few years of peace, she will leave and he will not even be left with a wife.
Sang Luo simply poured all the money in her purse onto the table and sifted through it: "Nineteen taels of silver, a string of copper coins is one hundred coins, and there are more than five hundred coins left."
She looked at the clothes on Chen Lie and said, "I will go to the village later and buy some cloth to make you a coat and a pair of shoes that can be worn interchangeably with the one you have now. We can keep the remaining cloth. If we really have to leave, we don't know how long we will stay outside. There are many things that we cannot predict, so it's a good idea to prepare a little bit of everything."
When Chen Lie heard that Sang Luo was going to make clothes and shoes for him, his face began to turn red again. Then, when he heard her seriously planning what preparations she would make, the inexplicable feeling faded a little. He nodded and thanked her.
Sang Luo looked calm. In her opinion, making clothes and shoes for Chen Lie was just to save labor costs, which was no different from making clothes for Chen An and Shen Ning. Therefore, she did not think much about it. Seeing that Chen Lie had no objection, she said, "We don't need to buy food with the remaining 19 taels of silver. The main reason is that we may not be able to take it out if we buy it."
She looked at the grain piled on several shelves and the several bags of soybeans in the kitchen. Together with the grain hidden in the warehouse of Dongfulou that had not been brought back, the total amount of coarse and fine grains would be enough for their family of four to eat for a year and a half.
To avoid disaster, one must of course stay far enough away to be effective. Chen Lie and his group are just a few people. Even if all the men from several families are mobilized, it is unknown how long it will take to transport all the food from the five families back there.
Chen Lie finally put aside the strange feeling in his heart when he heard the serious matter. He nodded and said, "It is indeed unlucky. In fact, we noticed a few caves on the way back. They are habitable and far away from human habitation in the mountains, but they are not safe enough, so we have to look for more. These food are enough for now. As long as there is no severe drought or flood, we can find a lot of food in the mountains."
The two reached a consensus on this point, and Sang Luo said, "Okay, then we can keep the 19 taels of silver as a reserve for the family. We can take it out if we need it later."
Chen Lie had no objection: "As you wish, just keep it."
I never thought about managing the money.
Sang Luo was quite happy with his temper, and happily put the money into her purse and hid it.
Chen Lie watched from the side with his eyes curved, and then said: "I'll go out for a while and go discuss things with Dashan and the others."
Sang Luo hummed indifferently: "Go ahead."
After Chen Lie left, Sang Luo hid the money and continued making shoes.
Not long after, Shen An and Shen Ning, who had not been seen since she woke up from her nap, ran back. Of course, Hu Zi and Er Niu were following behind them.
Shen Ning didn't say anything. The three boys were very excited at first glance and huddled together, whispering something.
This was the first time the children came here after the snow melted. Sang Luo looked at them several times while doing needlework, then waved to Shen Ning to come over: "Did your second brother and the others pick up some silver?"
Shen Ning burst into laughter.
"It's not about picking up silver. It's because my eldest brother said he wanted to teach them how to hunt. Not only my second brother, but also Ershan, Da Niu, Er Niu, Tiezhu, Shuanzhu, and Huzi. Anyway, all the older children have to learn." She said with curiosity and a little trepidation, "It seems that my sister Da Niu and I have to learn too, but, sister-in-law, do women also learn to hunt?"
Sang Luo blinked. This was not about learning hunting, but about learning how to survive in the jungle.
She nodded: "Isn't it good to have someone to teach you? It's always good to have many skills."
Shen Ning felt at ease immediately.
Sang Luo called out to Chen An, who was mumbling something with his friends outside the courtyard. When they came in, she asked, "Your eldest brother said he would teach you hunting. Did he say what he would teach you specifically?"
Shen An's eyes sparkled as he repeated to his sister-in-law what his eldest brother had said.
Sang Luo listened carefully, nodded, and asked, "Am I not included in the long list of names you mentioned?"
Shen An: ????
"Sister-in-law, do you still need to learn this?"
Isn’t this what we children learned?
When Chen Lie came back, Sang Luo asked him the same question, and Chen Lie was also confused: "You want to learn this too?"
Sang Luo looked back at him: "Why don't I need to learn? The wolves, tigers and leopards will automatically avoid me when they see me."
Chen Lie's face flushed, and he almost stuttered when he spoke: "It shouldn't be the case with tigers and leopards. We will be careful before we take you over."
To deliver food, one has to make more than ten trips to avoid ending up in a den of tigers and wolves.
At the end, seeing that Sang Luo was still looking at him, he could no longer explain and swallowed it all back. What he said next was: "Then I will teach you."
Sang Luo burst out laughing. Chen Lie's skin was tanned to a bronze color. Only then did she realize that his ears would turn red when she stared at him.
She smiled and said, "The rest doesn't matter. Just teach me how to climb trees and use the bow and arrow."
At this point, Sang Luo's eyes moved and she asked, "Chen Lie, if you really encounter a ferocious beast, do you have the kind of medicine that can be applied directly to the arrowhead? It's not used at ordinary times, but it's used to protect yourself at critical moments."
Aren't these a bunch of child soldiers? No matter how much they train, how much combat effectiveness can they have? Shen Lie's goal is just to make everyone more adaptable to the mountains and forests, so that if something really happens, they can run away first, leaving them with combat effectiveness to deal with it.
But what if the arrows are poisonous? If the women and children are good at archery, their fighting power will be no worse than that of mountain hunters.
Chen Lie's eyes lit up: "I'll go ask Dashan."
If we were to say who is most likely to know this thing, it would be Chen Dashan, although the probability is also very small, because Dashan never mentioned this on their way back, nor had he prepared such a thing.
Come to think of it, Chen Dashan was only eleven years old when he was separated from his maternal grandparents during the drought that year, and he learned very little, even hunting, which he learned through the two of them working together over the years.
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