Chapter 117 What should I do with Shen Jin?
All the manpower was used to transport grain, so the tofu and dried bean curd business could no longer be done. Even the vegetarian tripe business, considering that there were too many refugees from outside the county, Sang Luo was also ready to stop.
Moreover, because everyone gathered here at four o'clock today, there was no time to prepare the tofu and mulberry leaves for the restaurants, and the only things that could be delivered were the braised bean curd and vegetarian tripe.
Originally, Chen Lao Han, Chen Youtian, Lu Lao Han, Shi Dalang and several other men were supposed to go together to deliver the goods, but now everyone has gone into the mountains. Sang Luo and Shen Lie should have gone to the county. First, they had to put on a show together, second, they had to sell the furs, and third, they had to prepare some more medicinal materials. Now they simply helped a few families deliver the dried bean curd as well, and also returned the deposit for the tofu, and also informed them that there would be no supply in the future. Shen Lie also wanted to see the situation outside the city gate with his own eyes.
Everything was settled and it was almost dawn. As they didn't want to attract the attention of the villagers, they didn't stay long. After a few words, they dispersed through the side roads.
After Shen Lie and Sang Luo entered the house, Shen An asked anxiously, "Brother and sister-in-law, what happened to Hu Zi's mother?"
The brother and sister were sleeping in a daze. They woke up when they heard some noise outside the yard. They only heard a few words and didn't quite understand what was going on. They only knew that everyone looked unhappy. Shuanzhu and Tiezhu were in a corner of the yard, both with their heads drooped, as if their mother had done something wrong.
Sang Luo patted his head and said, "The news of our grain hoarding has leaked out, so we have to hide the grain as soon as possible. Xiao An and Aning, remember, don't say a word about our family's affairs outside, otherwise it may cause huge trouble, and it is unknown whether you will lose your life."
The brother and sister nodded as if they understood. Their sister-in-law had never hidden anything from them about family matters, so the brother and sister knew something more or less. Although they didn't know how to specifically link the leak of the matter with their lives, their sister-in-law never threatened them.
In the morning, she cooked some soy milk and made a few egg pancakes for a simple meal. Then Sang Luo locked the door, asked the siblings Chen An and Chen Ning to stay at Chen's house with Chen Ershan, and hurried to the county with Shen Lie.
It’s not that they didn’t take the little brother and sister with them, but the village at this time was much safer than the small area outside the county town. Even Chen Lie and Sang Luo had made sufficient preparations and would come back quickly.
When we arrived at the gate of the county town, it was already very bright. There were twenty or thirty thatched huts of various sizes outside the city gate. Many refugees were sitting or standing at the entrance of the huts. They were probably given clothes by the rich families in the county, so they were dressed quite warmly. They just stared blankly in the direction of the city gate, waiting for the person who was distributing porridge today to come out. Some people were staring at the passers-by coming to the county.
Although the sale of grain is restricted, villagers who want to buy grain still come to the county every day, but most of them travel in groups of several young and strong people.
Before Shen Lie and Sang Luo even got close to the city gate, their eyes were locked on by more than a dozen gazes, which were filled with extremely aggressive greed.
But his eyes fell on the load that Shen Lie was carrying. He did not use a shoulder pole to carry the load, but a hoe. The refugees knew very well that this thing could be used as a weapon at any time if it was pulled out. Among the two loads of things he was carrying, on the left was a wooden frame with unknown things in it, and on the top of the frame was an axe. In the basket on the right were two large bundles of animal skins that were piled much higher than the baskets. Upon closer inspection, they were bear skins and wolf skins.
Hunter?
Some people were frightened. Did they hunt down an entire pack of wolves?
When they met Chen Lie's gaze again, with his insightful and sharp eyes, they all shrank back and became obedient instantly.
This young man is not a good person.
That's right. If he didn't have some skills, how could he dare to bring a young woman to the county alone at this time?
Chen Lie glanced at the area outside the city gate without leaving a trace. It was probably in the remote area of Qiyang County, so there were not many refugees, probably more than a hundred people, less than two hundred.
Some people looked unhappy and it was obvious that they had bad intentions, but most of them were numb, waiting for the porridge to be distributed and for the government to give them a way to live.
Chen Lie was not unfamiliar with this situation. The chaos in Qiyang County was like an undercurrent beneath the surface of the lake. It had not really begun yet, but it had already begun to lurk and brew.
The number of guards at the city gate increased five or six times compared to usual, and many strong men were temporarily recruited. Shen Lie's hoe and axe were looked at several times by the guards who had checked the station, but given the situation outside the city, the two people who came out at this time were skilled and brave, so it was normal for them to bring some self-defense. They waved their hands and let them in.
Sang Luo had to deliver the goods, so she went to Dongfulou first. Shopkeeper Xu had not returned yet, so it was Chef Yu who received the goods. When he saw the pile of animal skins on Chen Lie's other shelf, Chef Yu was surprised and flipped through it, asking, "Did you hunt a bear?"
First reaction: "Where's the bear's paw?"
Since it was poisoned, it was naturally inedible, but it was hard to explain in detail. Shen Lie just shook his head and said, "I couldn't keep it."
Chef Yu thought that he was hunting with others and didn't get a share, which made him feel sorry.
There were so many animal skins that many people in the kitchen came over to see them and asked how they were hunted. Chen Lie didn't say much and just mentioned it vaguely.
After the goods were delivered and the money was settled, he also told them that he would not be delivering goods to the county in the future.
Chef Yu and the accountant also sighed: "Don't send them recently. It's not peaceful outside the city. Those of us who live in the city are a little scared. We don't know how the county magistrate will arrange it. It's not a good idea to keep them at the city gate like this."
They just grumbled a few words. How could they, the common people, have the energy to worry about government affairs?
Chen Lie and Sang Luo were also busy, so they said a few words and then left to go to other restaurants. After delivering all the things, she looked at Chen Lie and asked, "Where are you going to sell these animal skins?"
Chen Lie actually had no experience. Before joining the army, he and Chen Dashan could only hunt small wild animals most of the time. The largest one was the wild boar. Most of them were given to Dongfulou, and the wild boars were sold to butchers. He had never sold the skins or anything like that.
"Go to the clothing store?"
The two went to the largest clothing store in the county, which indeed bought skins. The shopkeeper turned over all the skins and took a look: "The skins are good, but they were processed so badly that I have to process them again if I buy them. Besides, I heard that there is chaos in the north, and we don't know what will happen in the future. We don't want to spend money to buy them. If you really want to sell them, wolf skins are one and a half taels each, and bear skins are five taels. If you are willing to sell them, go ahead. If you don't want to sell them, it's okay. Ask other shops. No one dares to buy them."
One and a half taels.
According to Mrs. Chen, if her family hunted wolves in the past, they could get seven or eight taels of silver for a good-quality wolf. This price was considered a bargain.
However, Chen Lie also knew that he and Chen Dashan's skills in processing leather were really not good, not to mention they were in a hurry to travel at that time. The processing method was so rough that it was not wrong to say that the leather was ruined. Even if they had not encountered this situation, the price would inevitably be pushed down to around 400 grams.
Now the news of the war has spread here, and people are in panic. Except for the extremely rich, everyone will come with food and silver to buy this damn leather.
The merchants were willing to buy it because they had only heard about the rebellion and had never seen the real situation in the north. Although the people of the Dagan Dynasty suffered, the impression of the imperial court's strong military and military power was deeply imprinted in the hearts of the people over the past few decades. They bet that the imperial court could suppress the rebellion, so they dared to buy it and lowered the price to buy it. If they didn't buy it, they would not suffer a loss, but if they did, they would make a big profit.
But Chen Lie knew exactly what was going on outside, so he had to sell it even for one tael today, let alone one and a half taels.
It was useless for them to hold this thing, but the Chen family was in dire need of money. Which of the following things did not cost money? This was also Chen Dashan's entrustment before he left.
Shen Lie was thinking about the village, so he didn't want to bargain, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll sell them all."
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment and regretted his decision. He thought that he could lower the price a little more, but he also knew that it was impossible to do so now. However, one and a half taels would be fine. He could sell it for more than ten taels, and the leather would not deteriorate for a while.
Thinking of this, I felt relieved and gave Chen Lie the money.
Two large bundles of leather were only exchanged for seventeen taels of silver. If the world were better, in the north, one leather would cost more than that.
Chen Lie and Sang Luo said nothing, they took the money and hurried to the clinic.
Because Sang Luo bought so many medicines at that time, and she later reminded the old doctor privately, the owner of the clinic and the old doctor still recognized her at a glance even after twenty days.
When they heard that they needed to buy another batch of medicine according to the previous prescriptions, as well as another batch of medicinal materials for making arrow poison, the shopkeeper and the old doctor both sighed.
"Come with me."
The old doctor turned around and started writing a prescription.
Sang Luo and Shen Lie followed behind. The old doctor picked up his pen and asked, "How many copies of this prescription do you want today?"
"One."
The old doctor nodded and started to write a prescription. Without Sang Luo's instruction, he wrote the words neatly and also wrote down the applicable symptoms on the prescription.
After several prescriptions were written and the ink on the last one was dry, the old doctor looked at Sang Luo and then at Chen Lie: "You prepared so many medicines, not for a long journey, but to go into the mountains to avoid disaster, right?"
There was no one else in the clinic except the shopkeeper and the medicine boy who prepared the medicine. The old doctor's voice was not loud, but Chen Lie and Sang Luo were still alert for a moment, and then they quickly relaxed: "You are joking."
The old doctor waved his hand and said, "I'm not trying to find out anything. I just want to tell you that if you live in the mountains, you can eat the beasts you kill with the medicine. Cut out the poisoned piece of meat and throw it away. Cook the rest and the poison will be gone."
I originally wanted to accumulate some virtue, so I didn't say this out loud, for fear that they would find out and use this medicine as a means of making money. But if it is for escape, people can't survive, so why should I care about the plants and trees?
Chen Lie and Sang Luo were stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. Just as they were about to thank him, the old doctor shook his head and said, "Don't thank me. Hunting animals is against the harmony of nature. I have committed a sin. If you really want to thank me, don't use this method to hunt in the future when things are peaceful. Just let me, an old man, lose less merit."
This person talks about cause and effect and believes in reincarnation.
Chen Lie hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you for your advice, sir. I'll remember it."
After the medicine was ready, a full bag was stuffed into the basket by Chen Lie. He bowed to the old doctor and then left the clinic with Sang Luo on his shoulder.
The infirmary owner and the old doctor looked at each other as they walked away. The old doctor said, "Let's think of a way to prepare a backup plan."
Even the little medicine boy was a little frightened. Is it really going to be a chaos? No way, how powerful is Dagan? In recent years, he has led millions of soldiers to conquer, although he has suffered several defeats.
…
Sang Luo and Shen Lie bought two large bags of salt. Thinking of the considerable amount of flour and glutinous rice stored at home, they also bought some koji and then headed back.
Chen Lie stopped in the direction of the city gate and asked a few groups of villagers who seemed to be going out of the city for directions. He chose the group from the Sanli Village area, dozens of young and strong people. The refugees outside could only stare at them and suppress any thoughts they had.
This time when I returned to the village, I didn’t take the shortcut. I went straight into the village and visited each of the houses. The show was complete.
When the villagers heard that these families had found long-term jobs in the county, they couldn't help but envy and ask questions. Sang Luo answered with a few words and went into the Chen family with Shen Lie.
The salt, medicine and the remaining silver were given to Mrs. Chen. As soon as Chen Lie came back, the training of the boys naturally started again. After Chen Dashan, Shen An and Shen Ning notified their families, they all went into the mountain, and Shen Jin also followed them quietly.
Sang Luo was not in a hurry to go back. She was still at Chen's house. She saw Shen Jin slipping out of the house from afar, bypassing his own front door to meet up with a group of children. After they successfully got together, she saw the happy look on his face. She felt worried.
She raised her chin slightly towards the Shen family's courtyard and asked Mrs. Chen in a low voice, "Grandma, have you bought any food there recently?"
Mrs. Chen also saw Shen Jin. When she heard what Sang Luo said, she sighed and shook her head: "It's really unlucky for Xiao Jin and his friends to have this baby. Those two are really generous."
He whispered to Sang Luo about what happened after Li came back last time, and said that after Li left, Shen San felt completely comfortable. Apart from getting some food every day, he would stay in the house to hibernate.
"The little girl has been taken care of by her brothers this winter."
If things got really chaotic, no one knew what was going to happen to the third branch of the Shen family. Only Mrs. Chen knew everything about the second branch of the Shen family and didn't say a word more.
…
In the evening, Shen An and Shen Ning were taking a group of children to learn to read in the yard. Shen Jin was there too. Sang Luo was preparing dinner in the kitchen. She couldn't help but lower her voice and asked Shen Lie, "I asked Chen A-nan privately this morning. Your Third Uncle and Third Aunt didn't go to buy food. What are Shen Jin and the others going to do next?"
The couple had that fight because they missed the opportunity before the price of beans went up. After the fight, Li was reluctant to buy any more because even the beans had become too expensive. There were still some grain and beans in stock at home, so he continued to serve in the army hoping for a lucky break.
Even though he wasn't right in front of him, Shen Jin came here almost every day. During the day, Shen Lie taught Shen Jin the techniques of slingshot and pheasant lasso. How could he forget these little cousins? He was the one who brought them up, and he must be tormented in his heart.
But asking him to take Shen San and Li with him was absolutely impossible.
He can take care of several cousins, but he can't have no grudges towards Shen San and Li. Can children be separated from their parents?
Even if he is willing, would Shen Jin and the others be willing?
In this world, as long as parents are not extremely bad to their children, no matter how close the children are to you at normal times, they will still love their parents at critical moments. This is the same for any child in the world.
So Chen Lie couldn't even ask. It was fine to teach hunting, but if it came to avoiding disaster, don't test Shen Jin. Could such a thing be controlled without leaking to the parents?
Not to mention that he was unwilling to take Shen San and Li with him, just talk about what the consequences would be if this matter leaked out, especially with the temperament of his third uncle and third aunt.
The five families are tied together, and he cannot bring risks to his own family and the other families, otherwise he will be no different from Wang Chunniang.
Looking at Shen Jin's ignorant smile in the yard, both of them were silent.
…
The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month was the Little New Year, and none of the five families did much to prepare for the New Year because everyone was in the mountains. On that day, two people from other villages came to Shili Village. The villagers knew them. They were Mrs. Lu's mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law, who came to visit their relatives with a basket in their hands.
The author has something to say:
The last version of this chapter actually took me three days to write, including today. I changed the document several times. The original version was relatively detailed and related to the subsequent plots. There was no risk in the subsequent outline, but I thought about it carefully today. It should be because of my arrangement as the author that there is no risk. If it were a real world, it would be so perfect. It's hard to say. After three days of struggling, I still changed it in the afternoon, because the characters and plots will be more reasonable after the revision. I'm sorry to have caused a bad reading experience for friends who have already read it. I hesitated before revising the text because I was afraid of affecting everyone's reading experience. This chapter was revised until six o'clock. The chapter that was supposed to be updated today will not be updated in time for six o'clock. I will finish it later and release it.
In addition: the content about arrow poison is not rigorous, the author has never studied medicine, this is information he found on the Internet, don’t take it seriously and don’t imitate it. Also, this is an ancient setting, hunting is allowed, and we still advocate the protection of wild animals.
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