Chapter 170 Each Family
In the valley, the Chen family, Zhou family, Shi family, and Lu family were doing the same thing.
Mrs. Lu took Feng Liuniang to two small cloth bags to measure the food. She turned to her husband and asked, "Three liters of rice and one dou of beans?"
Old Man Lu nodded: "Okay."
Lu Dalang was watching from the side until Lu Shuanzhu pushed him from behind. He seemed to come to his senses and asked, "Dad, you guys gave it to me, do I need some more?"
When Wang Chunniang heard that her family also needed to provide food, she could no longer lie still in the cave. It felt like thorns were growing under her body, pricking her. But since the two old people were at home, she could only turn over and look outside, not daring to say a word.
Just as Old Man Lu was about to nod, Mrs. Lu beside him interrupted him and said, "You have many children and no hunting skills, so just keep them for yourselves."
When Lu Dalang heard this, he responded with two "eh".
Wang Chunniang in the cave breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang glanced at Lu Dalang, and the two brothers just glanced at him and then looked away without saying a word.
Old Man Lu looked at his wife in surprise, but didn't ask anything. He waited until he went out to deliver food to the Shen family. After walking a distance, he quietly asked, "Why are you stopping the boss?"
Mrs. Lu glanced at him and said, "How could you not know it in your heart?"
"If you want to give it, you don't need to ask. If you don't want to give it, forget it. Chen Lie and A Luo may not want to take advantage of him, so don't make them upset."
Old Man Lu sighed: "I also want to be a good person to Shuanzhu."
Old Man Lu saw Shuanzhu's anxiety as he watched his father remain silent and motionless for a long time, and he also saw the poking.
Boss, you are not even as good as the fifteen-year-old Shuanzhu.
After walking a few steps, they ran into the couple from the Shi family, who were also carrying cloth bags. In front of them was the Zhou family, where Zhou Cunzheng and his wife also came out. Among the three families, none of them had idle hands, and they all smiled at each other.
…
When the Xu family carried the grain bags to the entrance of the Shen family cave, Shen Lie and Sang Luo came out of the cave to greet them.
"Manager Xu, what are you doing?"
Chen Lie put his hand on the grain bag and knew what was inside. He also guessed the intention of Shopkeeper Xu: "Shopkeeper Xu, you have a large family and you are short of food. You can't do this."
Shopkeeper Xu took a look at the Shen family's cave and really saw the bottom at a glance.
He said, "Everyone is short of food right now, but thanks to you and Dashan, we are not short of food right now. Isn't it much better than outside? We can't predict what will happen in the future. We can save a little bit for now. If each of us saves a mouthful of food, we can save enough food for three children for several months, and it will also lighten your burden."
Seeing that the couple had no intention of accepting it, Shopkeeper Xu said with a smile: "If you don't want to take it for free, you can give us some meat occasionally when you kill prey. Just think of it as my family exchanging meat with you."
The mother and children looked really good, a look that could not be achieved from eating meals and wild vegetables. There was half a can of animal oil on the chopping board. Manager Xu didn't even need to ask, to know that the family usually relied on a few hunters to take care of them.
Before Shen Lie could reply, the old man Chen's voice came from the other end with a hint of laughter: "Shopkeeper Xu is still quick, we are still one step behind you."
Shen Lie and Sang Luo heard the sound and walked down the stone steps at the entrance of the cave. They looked over and saw the old couple of the Chen family coming over. Behind them, Chen Youtian and Qin Fangniang were each holding a cloth bag. A few steps behind them, the Zhou family, the Shi family, and the Lu family were all holding cloth bags. Further behind, there were the young wives who came with them and the children who were peeking in because they heard that Shen Jin and the others had arrived.
Mrs. Chen followed her gaze and looked back, laughing: "We didn't even discuss it, but we managed to get things done together."
Everybody laughed. The situation outside the mountain was very bad, but it was precisely because of this that the tacit understanding in the valley and the intention to support each other became even more precious.
Zhou Cunzheng's wife said, "I listened to what Manager Xu said. Our family is the same. We usually rely on everyone's help. In the past, there was not much we could do to help. Now that Xiao Jin and his friends are here, we think that A Lie and his wife are under a lot of pressure, so we can help as much as we can. To be honest, after hearing what the situation is like outside, our family is grateful. If it weren't for everyone's willingness to take care of us, we don't know what our family would be like now."
Not only do they have to pay taxes and be conscripted, but their entire families are also driven to the county town. How can they escape unscathed if the city is captured?
The woman was sentimental and even frowned when she said this.
Gan also took up the conversation and said, "It goes without saying that our family was able to save all this food thanks to Ah Luo's kindness. She took us with her when she did business, and helped with Manager Xu to buy food. Otherwise, how could we have any surplus food now? We are not much better off than the people outside."
When she said this, she looked at Sang Luo and said, "In the past, our family couldn't even get enough to eat, and we didn't have the strength to do so even if we wanted to. But now, this little bit of food won't cost us a lot of money, it's just a token of our appreciation."
Sang Luo knew that Gan was talking about the time when their eldest branch was separated and had no food to eat, and they did not help.
At that time, the government collected grain in advance, and the autumn harvest had not yet arrived. Every household's rice jar was almost empty, and every household was having little to eat. They really had no spare energy to help others, and there was no such friendship at that time.
People's friendships are built through getting along with each other.
Everyone was talking at once, and Sang Luo didn't know what to say for a moment, but she really felt warm from the bottom of her heart. Maybe it was because they all knew how to be grateful and had soft hearts that this group of people could come together.
She smiled at everyone and said, "We appreciate your kindness, but there is really no need to give you food. Shen Liegang and I have discussed that he should hunt more and the family should cook more meat on a daily basis and save as much food as possible. When autumn comes, there will be a lot of things in the mountains. These can replace food. If we save a little, we can still live a decent life."
The grain has been brought here, so who would take it back? Mrs. Lu put her own grain bag on top of the two big bags of grain sent by Manager Xu and said, "Aromo, every family in this valley is taken care of and supported by you. We can't afford to give more, but this one or two bushels is just a token of our appreciation. Three children are not a small burden, and we can't help much. You will have to work hard in the future."
As soon as Mrs. Lu put the grain bags down, every household put their grain bags up. Chen Lie and Sang Luo looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment. Finally, they both laughed, did not refuse, and bowed to thank everyone.
Chen Lie turned around and called out Shen Jin and Shen Yin who were leaning against the door watching the scene outside. He patted the two brothers and said, "Knock down and thank your grandparents, uncles, and aunts. Even though we are not relatives, you should remember their kindness in giving us food and keeping us alive."
Shen Yinguai felt very happy. When his elder brother spoke, he was ready to kneel down and kowtow, but was pulled by Shen Jin. He turned around and knelt down in front of Shen Lie and Sang Luo first. He kowtowed three times before saying, "I would like to take my younger brothers to thank my elder brother and his wife for not caring about the past and saving us. I will learn to hunt well and work hard to support my younger brothers. When I grow up, I will definitely repay my elder brother and his wife."
After saying this, he kowtowed three more times. After he was done, he led Shen Yin to turn around and kowtow to Mrs. Chen and the others to express his gratitude.
Mrs. Chen sighed and pulled the man up. She patted Shen Jin and Shen Yin's knees and said, "We should thank your eldest brother and sister-in-law. We don't know how many years this world will be in chaos. None of us knows what to do. We can only help once. Your eldest brother and sister-in-law should bring you three brothers back. It's not easy these days."
Shen San and Li are really not human beings. They just hope that these children will resemble whoever they look up to and learn well in the future.
Shen Jin nodded. He actually knew everything. In fact, everyone carried so much food here today because of his eldest brother and his wife. All these favors were placed on his eldest brother and his wife.
He knows everything.
The food had been delivered and the bags had to be returned to everyone. Sang Luo went into the house, found two bags, and sorted the food into her own bag.
Shopkeeper Xu directly brought over two stone of millet and did not return the bag for the time being. As for the rest of the grains, there were both coarse grains and fine grains from each household, ranging from more than one dou to more than two dou. Finally, when they were added together, it was roughly estimated that there were more than two stone and six dou of grain.
Sang Luo roughly recognized which bag belonged to which family and took careful note of it in her mind. She returned the bags of grain and invited each family to come into the house and sit down and talk.
The cave was too narrow, so everyone waved their hands and said, "Just take care of the kids. We don't need all this politeness."
The adults all went back, leaving only the shopkeeper to talk to Shen Lie about the cave. Chen Youtian also stayed. It was obvious that both the Xu and Shen families were going to build beds, so he stayed to help.
A group of children waited for the adults to leave, and now they finally had the chance to swarm around Shen Jin and Shen Yin. Children have their own words.
Xu Wenyin also saw Shen Jin and Shen Yin, and came to Shen Ning who was stirring porridge in the kitchen: "He is Xiao Jin?"
Shen Ning's eyes were still red, and she nodded and said, "I heard what Xiao Jin said. Fortunately, your father and the others went there quickly and brought them out, otherwise Xiao Jin, Xiao Yin, and Xiao Tie would not have survived."
She wiped her tears, took out a small jar from the cupboard, took out a small piece of malt sugar from it and threw it into the porridge, then put the jar back, took out an egg from another basket, cracked it and stirred it, then put a little into each of the three large bowls, scooped up the hot porridge with a large spoon, stirred it, and made a bowl of sweet egg drop porridge.
Xu Wenyin helped her move the firewood to the side and said, "My parents and brothers are lucky that your elder brother and Dashan left quickly, otherwise it would have been dangerous."
Seeing Shen Ning carrying porridge into the cave, he helped her carry the porridge.
Shen Jin kept his eyes on the work. He was originally surrounded and talked by his friends who were familiar with him before. When he saw Shen Ning made the porridge, he hurried inside to wake Shen Tie up, and fed Shen Tie porridge together with Shen An and Shen Ning.
Needless to say, the cave was crowded with children.
When Chen Tie opened his eyes, he saw a group of familiar faces, and his dull eyes lit up.
…
Children can take care of their own affairs. There is room on the platform at the Shen family's side for the time being, so after a discussion, a few people decided to help the Xu family make a bed first. So at this moment, Chen Youtian also went to work with Manager Xu to turn over the wood.
Sang Luo and Shen Lie were trying to find a way to build a path to the cave above. They had to make use of the original terrain by digging, chiseling or paving. This section of the mountain wall happened to be where their family grew vegetables, and some of the vegetables had to be moved. The two gathered together to discuss it, and soon, Shen Jin and Shen An also came over to help.
Sang Luo looked at Shen Jin calmly. This child was much quieter than before.
Yes, after going through all these things, how could there be no change?
By the time they had built a path that could be walked up, it was already mid-afternoon. Sang Luo entered the small cave and looked around: "It's very nice. Although it's not big, it's neat and the light is good."
Shen Jin was also looking at the cave. He licked his dry, cracked lips and asked, "Sister-in-law, will this cave be ours to live in from now on?"
Sang Luo smiled and said, "Yes, I will ask your elder brother and Uncle Youtian to help build a double-decker bed and a few cabinets. But you have to be careful when going up and down."
Shen Jin's eyes were filled with joy. This cave meant that the three brothers had finally settled down in this valley. He nodded repeatedly, "Don't be afraid of that. We're in the mountains every day."
He pointed to the cave entrance and asked Chen Lie, "Brother, can you help us build a stove here?"
People are much more lively.
Chen Lie smiled and said, "Okay, I'll make the desk, table and chairs for you too. You and Xiao An can level the floor. I'll go get the stone chiseling tools and chisel the wall for you."
Sang Luo was fine, so she followed him down. When she got to the ground, she said to Shen Lie, "Xiao Jin has grown a lot."
Shen Lie pondered and said, “Maybe it’s because Xiao Yin and Xiao Tie need him to take care of them.”
Very much like him back then.
Sang Luo looked at Chen Lie, who was obviously thinking the same thing. She looked away and said, "Let's build a shelf for him to put the grain bags, and put all the grain we harvested today on it. We can give him another shi of millet and another shi of coarse grains, which together is 4 shi and 6 dou, or more than 550 kilograms of grain. There will be more meat for three children to supplement. If they save some, they will have no problem eating for two and a half years. Then we can find a way to get some mountain products, so they won't be hungry. If the world is still in chaos, we'll give them more."
He added, "Give them two chickens and two ducks each and let them raise them themselves. Also give them some salt. Apart from these, they should not lack anything else."
Shen Jin carried in all the clay pots, bowls, chopsticks, ceramic basins, kitchen knives, bedding and other items himself.
Chen Lie looked at Sang Luo and thanked her solemnly. After thinking for a while, he said, "There's no need to bring chickens and ducks. The pheasants we caught are alive. We can clip their wings and keep them alive. They can also lay eggs."
After he said that, Sang Luo didn't care and nodded. She just had one thing in mind: "The food that Manager Xu sent today is too much. There are enough people in the Xu family now. Is there enough food?"
Chen Lie calculated and said, "It should be enough. The grain transported in at that time was enough. It was originally counted as a gift for each family, and each family was not prepared to take it. Now that the Xu family has added so many people, they will not take it. Instead, our family took the two stone of gifted grain. The Xu family should have more than 37 stone of grain now. There is also a lot of grain hidden in the shelter outside the county. There is no rush. When the outside is not so chaotic, I will take the Xu family out again and find a chance to bring food in."
It can be considered as returning a favor.
It was not difficult for Shen Lie to walk outside, so he did not take it too seriously. He turned to ask Sang Luo: "I will leave the valley early tomorrow morning and go deeper. Is there anything you want to find?"
Sang Luo nodded: "Yes, there are some. Mugwort, cut more while there is still some. If there are any grown rushes, pick some as well. They are useful for making wicks or pillow cores."
She actually wanted to go out with him. You can only imagine many things by looking at them. She looked at Chen Lie and said, "Are you really going to take Xiao Jin out hunting?"
Chen Lie nodded: "Teach him slowly, he will grow up in two or three years. When the outside world is peaceful, it should not be difficult for him to get some prey in the mountains as long as it is not deep in the mountains. He can also support the family."
He said here to look at Sang Luo.
Sang Luo just nodded and was not very interested in what he said.
Chen Lie looked at her expression and realized belatedly: "You want to leave the valley?"
Sang Luo's eyebrows moved, and then she looked at Chen Lie, her eyes sparkling a little, and nodded: "I want to see what's out there, and save some money while there aren't many people around here?"
Chen Lie laughed, "Then wait for two days. I won't take Xiao Jin out for the first few days, for fear that he might have some wild thoughts. After a few days, I'll get to know the inner forest better, and then I'll take you out."
Sang Luo's eyes immediately curved with a smile: "Okay!"
Chen Lie just saw her smile, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but rise. He looked at Sang Luo curiously: "Aren't you afraid of the danger outside?"
None of the Zhou brothers dared to go out very often.
Sang Luo said honestly: "I'm scared, can you protect me?"
Shen Lie's eyebrows curved: "I can protect it."
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