Chapter 185 Rations
Chen Lie didn't think about what Sang Luo's reaction meant at the time, until he saw some clues from Chen Dashan a few days later.
Of course, this is a later story.
During the day he stayed in the valley, he was not idle. He could ask Sang Luo to copy books on bamboo slips, but he couldn't just leave the task of making bamboo slips to her, so that day Sang Luo took Chen Ning to teach her how to make hawthorn preserves and dry banana slices, while Chen Lie led Chen An to make bamboo slips. After hearing Chen An say that he could also copy other books, he didn't rush to do it, but made several extra scrolls and took them out as needed in the future.
Every family in the valley was busy drying mountain products. Having discovered that they could get some produce from the mountains, they were no longer as panicked as they had been at the beginning. Everyone's face was filled with the joy of a good harvest.
Chen Lie and Chen Dashan only rested for one day, and led their people out of the valley early the next morning. The Chen family was still the old team, Chen Youtian and his son. Although Qin Fangniang was eager to find a daughter-in-law, she had seen people from the same village before. She listened to her mother-in-law's advice and decided to see if the younger generation was interested first.
As for the Xu family, unlike what Manager Xu said at the beginning, Xu Wenqing was very willing to run away, so it was still Xu Wenqing who went back this time. Only Manager Xu himself was allowed to leave the valley, and Uncle Xu was replaced to stay in the valley to rest. The Xu family also became a father-son team.
Before leaving, Shen Jin asked Sang Luo and Shen Ning to look after his two younger brothers. Together with Shen Lie and Chen An, they cut several baskets of grass outside the mountain and sent them to the entrance. Then the group left.
Life in the valley was peaceful and comfortable. Apart from two meals a day, all she had to take care of were the vegetables grown on the mountain wall and the chickens, ducks and sheep she raised. Sang Luo had a lot of free time. When Chen Ning brought back a scroll of silk book from Wang Yunzheng, Sang Luo first practiced writing on the stone slab several times until she was very familiar with it. Only then did she grind ink and start writing on the prepared bamboo slips.
During this period, he would go to see Shen Yin and Shen Tie from time to time. The youngest Shen Tie was not much taller than the simple stove. Occasionally, when Shen Yin was unable to help, he could stir with a spoon quite well. When he saw Sang Luo bringing them preserved fruits and banana chips, he hurried to get a plate to put them on, smiled with joy and said thank you sweetly.
At this moment, Sang Luo seemed to see Chen Tie again, who was leaning against the gate of her house and looking inside in Shili Village.
She smiled. The brothers were now much better than when they first came into the valley. Seeing that the house was tidy, she put down the food she had brought for the two brothers and went back home with peace of mind.
In her spare time, she and Shen Ning would do needlework together. She made shoes for herself and also a pair for Chen Lie. If we were to say whose shoes got worn out the fastest in this family, it would undoubtedly be Chen Lie.
Shen Ning now knows how to do needlework and is currently doing it for herself and Shen An.
Chen Lie went further this time and had to build a safe area for drying clothes and accommodation. Sang Luo expected that he might take eight or nine days to come back, but he came back on the seventh day, a day or two earlier than she expected.
Seeing Sang Luo, Shen Lie couldn't hide his happiness at all. Seeing her surprise and a little uncomfortable, he explained: "I found almost everything in that area, so I went back."
Sang Luo curled the corners of her lips slightly, pretending not to notice his discomfort, and turned to look at the harvest.
The things belonging to their family and Shen Jin were placed separately. There were really a lot of things. In addition to the two backpacks of smoked meat, there were raisins, hawthorn preserves, dried banana slices, dried black fungus and mushrooms, all packed in small bags. The least was a dozen kilograms, and the most was twenty to thirty kilograms. They had all been processed. The largest proportion of them was a whole hemp sack of wild persimmons, which could be kept and were brought back as they were without being processed.
Sang Luo was a little surprised: "So many wild persimmons?"
This time, Shen Lie didn't even need to answer. Shen An was excited: "Sister-in-law, we found a few wild persimmon trees. They are very tall, and the branches are full of fruits. Big brother tied a rattan basket with a long bamboo pole so that we can pick them. There are only a few trees, and each of us has a big bag."
The people who were also there to pick up their families and carry things laughed when they heard this. Granny Chen said, "It will be sunny later. You won't have to worry about having nothing to eat when you're hungry."
Even Shen Yin and Shen Tie, holding their own things, were grinning from ear to ear. Shen Tie flipped through the backpack: "Third brother, are these all ours?"
Shen Jin smiled happily, "Yes, they are all ours."
Shen Jin had one more sack than the others, which could hold 40 to 50 kilograms. He filled more than half of it, which looked to be more than 30 kilograms. He pulled the sack and said to Sang Luo, "Sister-in-law, I picked a lot of grass seeds this time. I'll send some to you later to feed the chickens and ducks."
Actually, Chen An also picked some. He was the youngest of the two, so most of the time he was accompanied by adults when hunting. In addition to picking fruits, when there were no wild fruits or prey on the road, he would pick dogtail grass when he saw it. He picked a lot of this stuff, but Chen An knew Shen Jin's plan from the beginning. He also knew that Shen Jin had eaten a lot of things that his eldest sister-in-law asked him to send, so he always wanted to give something in return, so he smiled and said nothing.
Sang Luo didn't refuse. She looked at the grass seeds and praised them a few times, then smiled and agreed: "Okay, it's just right for you. I'll ask Xiao An to go to your house and get them later."
Shen Yin and Chen Tie, who were still rummaging through the backpack, heard the voice and said hurriedly, "Sister-in-law, I'll deliver it in a while."
The families nearby all laughed when they heard this, and couldn't help but make some jokes, asking them whether they should give it to them or not. Shen Jin smiled and said, "We will give it to them."
The three brothers really delivered gifts, not only to their eldest brother and sister-in-law, but also to every family in the valley. It wasn't much, either. Except for the five or six pounds in a small cloth bag sent to Sang Luo, each family got a large bowl.
They received a lot of praise for this. People like Mrs. Chen, who had some extra food at home, could even give each of the three brothers a pocket full of dried fruits to take away.
Of course, this is a later story.
…
Right now, each family was moving their belongings back. The three brothers Shen Jin lived very close to the entrance. Their belongings were carried by Chen Lie and several other young men, one each, and were moved to the bottom of their cave in a few steps. The three brothers then carried them up slowly.
Chen Lie carried all the heavy things home, and Sang Luo took a few younger ones with smaller bags and made two trips back and forth. The shelves that were previously emptied after moving grain to the Shen Jin brothers should be able to be filled up again today if these mountain products were neatly placed on them.
The house hasn't been cleaned up yet, and a group of boys came to look for Chen An. You don't need to think to know why they came. They want to know what it's like to go out hunting.
Sang Luo found it funny and waved her hand to let Chen An go and play. After all, except for the persimmons, everything else had been processed by Chen An outside. She just needed to see if they were dry enough. If they were not dry enough, she could take them out tomorrow and dry them for a few more days.
Shen An was also happy. He put down his bow and arrow and ran away with Xu Wenhong, Xu Wenbo, Erniu and the other boys. Shen Ning saw Xu Wenyin and Shi Qiaoer were also outside, so he said something to Sang Luo and ran away too.
Chen Lie was the only one left to help Sang Luo organize things.
Chen Lie was happy, and thinking of something, he asked Sang Luo in a low voice: "Did Grandma Chen and Aunt Youtian tell you about Dashan's marriage?"
Sang Luo frowned, "No, why?"
"I think Dashan seems to have some interest in Uncle Zhou's daughter. He was not sure when he went out, but I saw him taking good care of Uncle Zhou and Zhou Erlang during the days of hunting outside. When he came to Zhou's house on the way back, he gave them seven or eight rabbit skins."
Shen Lie was obviously thinking of what Chen Dashan said before, and laughed, "Did you guess it last time?"
Sang Luo chuckled and asked Chen Lie, "Age was there at the time, right?"
Chen Lie nodded, and Sang Luo smiled and said, "Just wait, there might be some happy events in the valley."
Speaking of happy events, Chen Lie couldn't help but look at Sang Luo secretly.
They were husband and wife in name only, but in reality they had no wedding at all. Of course, things got even worse after he came back, and they just became a fake couple.
His mind wandered, thinking about himself, but Sang Luo remembered the business and asked Chen Lie: "Did you find any chestnuts in the mountains this time?"
Wild fruits are good, but they are hard to be used as staple food. Chestnuts, on the other hand, are durable, filling, nutritious, and can be stored. If you can find chestnuts, you can save a lot of food for the winter.
There were chestnuts in the Dagan Dynasty, but they were less in quantity and mostly wild. There was no large-scale cultivation. As far as I can remember, my family could occasionally buy them from outside.
Chen Lie shook his head, thinking of his concern for the past few days, and asked Sang Luo tentatively: "We are going to a new place the day after tomorrow, do you want to go out for a walk?"
As Sang Luo put things on the shelf, she casually said, "Okay, let's ask Aning if she wants to go out."
Last autumn the little girl was looking forward to going into the mountains with her, but at that time the brother and sister's trouser legs were too short to cover their ankles, and there were no door locks at home, so they had to wait a long time to go into the mountains at first.
When Shen Lie heard her answer, the corners of his lips curled up, "Okay, then I'll ask later."
…
"Are you really taking me there?" Shen Ning undoubtedly wanted to go, his eyes lit up.
Seeing her like this, Shen Lie smiled and said, "I'll take you there. It's just right that you'll have company with your sister-in-law."
Sang Luo added, "It's harder out there than in the valley. The food is okay, but the accommodation may not be good. Are you afraid?"
Turning to Chen Lie, he asked, "You're staying outside for a few days, right?"
After all, if they expand further outward, they will be quite far away from the valley, and it will be difficult to go back and forth, which is why she proposed to build a safe transit point.
Chen Lie nodded: "Yes, because we need to enclose a drying area. If there is no cave like the Zhou family's that is suitable for defense and has a water source nearby, we can only find a flat area to enclose and then build a simple shed."
Chen An was most excited when talking about this. He told his eldest sister-in-law and younger sister, "We built a shed with wood or stones inside, and laid a bed with some hay and animal skins. We also had a bonfire outside. It was really fun. But at night, we could hear wolves howling and some unrecognizable beasts calling from time to time. We were a little scared at first, but nothing really happened. One time, my eldest brother and Dashan brother said a bear was approaching. But the wooden fence was strong, there was a bonfire, and we were many people, so the bear left after a while."
He spoke with great joy, and Shen Ning's heart almost flew away as he listened. The brother and sister took the things out to collect as if they were camping, and Sang Luo wanted to laugh when she saw it.
But it is true that this experience is indeed special. If it weren't for Chen Lie and his group, none of these people would have the chance to experience camping in the deep mountains and forests in the middle of the night in their entire lives.
After listening to this, Shen Ning asked Shen Lie: "Brother, when are we leaving?"
I can't wait to pack my bags.
Chen Lie smiled and said, "Rest for a day and leave early the day after tomorrow. We've walked a long way this time, so we've already explored the places to rest before we come back."
…
There was one day to make preparations. This time, Sang Luo not only brought salt, clay pots and animal skins, but also dug some ginger, and brought peppercorns and dogwood. If the bacon was to be delicious, these things would have to be used more or less. Except for salt, the amount had to be controlled. Peppercorns and dogwood were grown in the valley now, so they could be supplied.
In order to make it easier to cut meat, they also brought a kitchen knife. As for chisels, axes, saws and the like, Chen Lie and Chen Youtian had experience and brought them with them.
It doesn't matter if there is no kitchen knife at home. Shen An is the only one left at home. Let him bring his own ingredients to Shen Jin's house to eat together.
Before leaving home, you have to deal with wild persimmons. In fact, a better way is to dry the persimmons in the sun, but Sang Luo is a little selfish. There is no such thing as persimmon cakes in the Dagan Dynasty. People either eat persimmons fresh, or soak them in salt water for a quarter of an hour, drain, cut into pieces, and then dry them for six or seven days. If you want to eat them later, you can roast them over fire to remove the astringency.
This kind of food existed in the original body's memory. It had a different taste from persimmon cake, not to mention the appearance, which was completely different.
This valley is too small, with no shelter, and it is difficult to hide the recipe by drying it. After all, they have to live in this time and space for the rest of their lives, so they can't let the people in the valley starve without teaching them. The recipe should be hidden. Sang Luo simply stopped making persimmon cakes and just dried persimmons according to the method here.
After a day's rest, all matters at home were handed over to Chen An. She and Shen Ning packed up and set off with Chen Lie and his group. As usual, they had to take care of the land outside the valley. It was only at this time that Chen Ning learned that her family had a small cave outside the valley.
However, people like Shen An and Shen Jin who have been out before would be told not to mention anything about the cave outside when they return to the valley.
Why didn't you mention it? Even though these two are nine and ten years old, they are both smart. Even if Chen Lie didn't say it, they would have figured it out by themselves.
Chen Lie sent some firewood and grass inside and cleaned up the mess outside before they really set off.
When they arrived at the Zhou family to pick up Zhou Laizi and his son, Sang Luo couldn't help but pay more attention. She saw Zhou Ge also coming out to see them off. He was indeed coming to see her father and brother off, but his eyes would occasionally inadvertently fall on Chen Dashan for a moment.
Others may not have noticed it, but Chen Dashan caught it accurately, and Zhou Ge quickly lowered his eyes.
Sang Luo's eyes curved as she looked at him, and she quickly looked away and stopped staring. She only knew in her heart that after this autumn, Aunt Youtian would probably arrange for someone to help arrange a marriage for her.
After saying goodbye to the Zhou family and walking forward for more than an hour, Sang Luo saw the safe zone that Chen An mentioned and the small shed inside the safe zone.
It was a small piece of land, with several drying racks in the middle and six or seven small sheds around it. The doors of the sheds faced the wooden wall, and a bonfire was lit not far from the door. It was thought that the firelight could shine through the gaps in the wooden wall at night to drive away and scare away wild beasts, and it could also be used to smoke meat and cook during the day.
Several young and strong men rolled up the drying mats, dismantled the drying racks, tied them up with rattan, and each person carried a part of the things, and then they moved all the things away. At the new place, they only needed to build a shed around the wall, which saved the trouble of making racks and weaving mats. The shed was not dismantled, firstly, it might be used again in the future, and secondly, if people outside really had to take shelter in the inner area in the future, it would be a place to shelter from the wind and rain and temporarily avoid wild animals, which could be considered as doing good deeds and accumulating virtue. Thirdly, if there were more places like this, the cave in the village outside their village would not be so conspicuous if the door was locked.
These things will not be left to Chen Lie, Zhou Dashan and Lu Erlang, because the three of them are actually the main force of defense.
The path at the bottom of the mountain and the edge of the forest was not difficult to walk on, but since they were away from the Zhou family for a certain distance, Shen Lie and his men had to be much more vigilant. Obviously, although they had raided the place before, they had only come once and stayed for seven days, so they were definitely still far from completely wiping it out. Moreover, she still remembered what Shen An had said about the bear that had targeted them and left.
The place to stay was exactly what Chen Lie had said. It had been explored before, and their group headed straight for that place. Sang Luo only realized when they arrived that it had not been explored before. Even the trees had been cut down. They just needed to build a wooden wall when they came here today.
While Chen Lie and his men were building the wall, Sang Luo, Chen Ning and Shi Erlang's wife were not idle either. After putting their things down, they helped to remove some particularly tall weeds and shrubs, but they didn't cut down much, which gave Sang Luo a chance to see something good.
She used a hatchet to hook the bush towards her and pulled the vine with the fruit hanging on it in front of her. She looked at the fruit, the vine and the leaves and smiled.
What you lack will come to you.
Shen Ning leaned over: “Sister-in-law, is this a wild fruit?”
Sang Luo smiled with her eyes curved: "This is much better than wild fruit. This is food."
"Let's not clear this piece of land yet, move it to the side."
As he spoke, he called out to Chen Lie.
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