Chapter 97: Situation in the North
Chen Dashan looked puzzled and shook his head: "No, didn't I wash it?"
It was so dirty outside these two years. At the dirtiest time, I was almost like a savage. Now it’s very clean.
Shen Lie was relieved: "Okay, then I'll go back first, I'm only halfway through my meal."
Then he turned around and walked away.
Just then, Mrs. Chen came out of the Shen family courtyard. Chen Dashan hurried over and approached his grandmother and asked in a low voice, "Grandma, what happened to Alie's wife?"
When Granny Chen heard her grandson asking Sang Luo, she was delighted: "Alie's wife."
With just this word, her eyes curved and she smiled, "Alie is such a lucky kid!"
He pulled his grandson to bend down and pointed at the Shen family yard, "That couple has never done anything good, except for this one. They had evil intentions, but in the end, they hit the mark!"
The old lady was very happy. She no longer had to worry about whether or not to arrange a remarriage for Sang Luo, and she no longer had to be in a dilemma and feel guilty.
Chen Dashan saw his grandmother's eyebrows flying up when she mentioned Shen Lie's wife, and asked curiously, "So good?"
Mrs. Chen was delighted: "Great! She is the best. I can't find anyone better than her!"
She was so happy that she couldn't bear to see such a good young lady being a widow, and she wanted to persuade her to remarry. If she hadn't been concerned about Xiao An and Aning, she would have done so long ago.
Now I am just thankful that it hasn't happened yet, and Ali has come back safe and sound.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but think of Shi Dalang again, and I couldn't help but sigh, but it was just a soft sigh. Being able to come back alive is already a great blessing. How many people were buried in distant places like this.
Mrs. Chen couldn't help but hold her grandson's arm tightly again. Her grandson Dashan was also blessed. He escaped death and returned home safely.
…
Chen Lie returned to the middle of the mountain, and before entering the courtyard, he went to the water pipe next to the mountain spring and washed his hands with the thawed spring water that was flowing down.
Sang Luo and the other two had already finished their dinner, but his portion was left warm on the stove because the weather was too cold.
Chen An and Chen Ning had been waiting for their eldest brother in the courtyard. When they saw Chen Lie coming back, they hurried to get him food, but Chen Lie stopped them, saying, "Don't bother carrying it back and forth. I'll get it myself and eat in the kitchen."
Shen An and Shen Ning thought it was a good idea, and followed their eldest brother into the kitchen like little tails.
As a result, when Chen Lie arrived at the kitchen, he was stunned at the door.
He had never known anyone's kitchen to be so packed with shelves, jars, pots, millstones, and wooden racks of unknown use.
Sang Luo was washing dishes when she heard the three siblings talking in the yard. She turned around and saw him staring blankly at the kitchen. She said, "These are some of the family's livelihoods. We used to rely on these to make a living, and that's how we saved up our belongings."
She pointed her chin towards the stove and said, "The food is warming in the steamer. You can get some yourself. I'll use the big cauldron to boil two cauldrons of water for you to wash your hair and take a bath later."
Chen Lie hadn't figured out what this was all about, but when he heard Sang Luo's words, he subconsciously did as she said. He brought the steamer up and placed it on the wooden table beside him, then scooped some water into the pot, moved the pot to the stove, filled it with water, and then looked at the stove, added firewood, and fanned the fire. The whole process was so smooth and silky.
Sang Luo tilted her head to take a look and thought to herself that he was not bad, with quick hands and feet, and he didn't have any of the bad habits of a boss who had to wait on others for service.
During the time when Chen Lie went down the mountain, she also thought carefully. She had to figure out what to do next. Should she have a frank talk, divorce amicably and separate the household registration forms, and start over in the deserted house in the west of the village, or should she just get through the winter and wait and see? Sang Luo couldn't make up her mind for the time being.
After all, this was the home she built with her own hands, and she had raised Shen An and Shen Ning for three or four months. How could she just walk away from the home she created with her own hands? It was inevitable that she would feel entangled and wavering.
Before she made up her mind and reached an agreement, she and Shen Lie would inevitably have to get along with each other, and it was important that the other person did not make her feel disgusted when getting along with him.
Chen Lie had no idea what Sang Luo was thinking about. He put more firewood in the stove, looked up and saw her washing dishes, so he said, "Put the dishes and chopsticks there. I'll wash them together after I finish eating."
Sang Luo continued to move: "No need, it's almost done, eat the food while it's still hot."
Seeing that her hands were still moving, Chen Lie stopped talking, took the food out of the steamer, and started eating while standing beside the wooden table.
After traveling through the jungle for several months, he had not had a normal meal for a very long time. He was anxious to know the situation at home and had no mind to eat. Now he finally enjoyed the satisfaction of a meal.
The dish in the bowl that Xiao An called tofu was really delicious. He had eaten a lot of cabbage in the past, and he didn't know how she cooked it. Although it was not as crispy as at the beginning after being heated, it was much better than what he had eaten before. He couldn't help it and ate it all in one gulp.
Sang Luo glanced sideways slightly, and Chen Lie saw it out of the corner of his eye. He paused in his eating movements and his eating speed visibly slowed down.
Shen An saw his elder brother eating and his elder sister-in-law busy. He turned to the stone mill and looked at the beans soaking in the bucket: "Sister-in-law, are the beans almost soaked? Shall we grind the beans in a while?"
Sang Luo nodded: "Well, it's okay to rest for another two or three quarters of an hour. It's cold today, so the beans need to be soaked a little longer."
While she was talking to Shen An, her mind had already wandered far away, thinking that if she proposed a divorce, Shen Lie would agree, right? She and her original body had been together, and she had raised the two little ones for half a year, and even got them such a comfortable little courtyard.
Tsk, Sang Luo herself couldn’t bear to do it.
As for cooking skills, her two children actually know how to make them, and they can make tofu and dried bean curd together.
She used the jar of dried konjac chips that she had saved to make vegetarian tripe for Dongfulou, which was enough to get by for now. She could also find other ways to make a living in the future. With her friendship with the Chen, Shi and Lu families, she should be able to make a living in the village.
As for food and money, food was too expensive now, Sang Luo didn't plan to take it all, she just wanted to share it so that everyone could take care of it, and it was all for the two children. As for the remaining money, she knew Chen Lie well, and he didn't look greedy or evil, so she should be able to take it away.
While washing dishes, she was thinking about the possibility of breaking away from the Shen family and setting up her own household.
Shen Lie knew nothing about this. He only heard Shen An say that grinding beans was not an easy job, so he said, "I'll take a shower and go to Chen's house soon. If it's okay to do it later, can you grind the beans when I come back?"
Then he felt that he hadn't explained it clearly, and it seemed like he was trying to shirk responsibility, so he added, "The situation in the north is not very good. I asked Dashan to invite the Shi family, the Lu family, and Zhou Cunzheng to discuss it with everyone. Do you want to go over and listen?"
This "you" naturally refers to Sang Luo.
When Sang Luo heard this, she finally stopped thinking about it. She paused while wiping the dishes and looked at Chen Lie: "What's going on in the north?"
Since she asked, Chen Lie naturally had nothing to hide, so he said, "There have been too many conscriptions in the past few years, especially the expeditions in the past two years. At least nearly a million soldiers and civilians have been killed or injured. The people are very resentful. In addition, the northern states have suffered disasters, and the court has not taken any action. Many people have rebelled. On our way back, we encountered three forces that occupied the mountains and claimed to be kings."
Sang Luo's grip on the bowl tightened: "Are you talking about treason?"
Shen Lie nodded: "Those three forces are only the ones we encountered on our return route. There should be others in other places, but I don't know how many there are."
Chen Lie looked at Sang Luo and the other two, talking about the situation in the north and explaining why he returned late. "We were at the vanguard on the battlefield at the time, and we went too deep into enemy territory. The rear army withdrew, and our vanguard was almost abandoned in enemy territory. Uncle Shi had an arm broken, and Uncle Lu was also seriously injured. Dashan and I fled with them. The four of us hid in the deep mountains and forests for more than two months to avoid the enemy's search for the remaining troops. We only dared to go back after we recovered from our injuries."
"We didn't dare to take the official road and could only grope in the mountains and forests. It took us more than a month to escape back to the Dagan Dynasty. At that time, the disaster in some counties in the north was very serious, but the taxes and labor service were not reduced. The people could not survive and went into the mountains to become bandits and rebelled against the court. However, these people needed food and drink, and they lacked discipline. After they became powerful, they burned, killed, looted and did everything they could. The north is now in chaos. In order to avoid the rebels, we could only go deep into the mountains, so we didn't come back until today."
In fact, if they went further into the mountains, they would find that many rebel forces were also hiding in the mountains to avoid the imperial court, so they would inevitably encounter each other. During this period, the four of them were bumped into by one of the forces. After a fierce fight, the other side took a fancy to them and wanted to recruit them.
There was no way to avoid it, either be killed or surrender, so Chen Lie and his companions had no choice but to join them and follow them back to the mountain stronghold where the rebels were rooted. They stayed in the stronghold for more than 20 years before they gained the trust of the leaders and were led out of the mountains to attack a small county. The four of them took advantage of the chaos to escape.
Whether he was against the imperial court or not, he had no interest in the good life and the title of nobility and general that the leader Xu had promised. They were all people with concerns, and all they wanted was to return home and reunite with their families as soon as possible.
There was chaos in the north, and they watched it all the way. What they feared most was that there would also be chaos in the south. They were afraid that their loved ones would meet with accidents, so they rushed back anxiously. Fortunately, the south was relatively peaceful when they returned.
Sang Luo suddenly thought of the few people who looked like refugees that she saw not far from the county gate a month ago, and asked Chen Lie: "Are there many people like you who escaped from the enemy territory and returned to the south?"
Chen Lie shook his head. "It shouldn't be many. It's hard to escape back intact. Those who live in the north are fine. After all, it's relatively close and they can make it back home. If they want to go back to our side, most people don't dare to go through the deep mountains and old forests. If they are not careful, they will be eaten by wild beasts and nothing will be left. If they go to the periphery, they are very likely to encounter the rebels. In addition, there are epidemics everywhere, and the official roads to the south and the periphery roads are blocked. Most people either join the rebels out of desperation or die of illness or starvation on the way. There should be very few who can come back."
As for their return, it was due to the fact that both he and Chen Dashan had some hunting skills. Chen Dashan's maternal grandfather was originally a hunter, and he was taught these things by his uncles before their family fled. After fleeing to the south, the sixteen-year-old Chen Dashan and the fourteen-year-old Chen Lie went into the mountains together. They first practiced with pheasants and rabbits, and gradually dared to go deep into the mountains.
During the two years in the army, everyone else could only survive on a few military rations, but the two of them often went to the mountains to get some food to eat, and they could also share some with Shi Dalang and Lu Erlang who were assigned to the same place.
With so many years of experience, not to mention fighting against wild beasts, the two of them were able to at least avoid areas where wild beasts appeared in time and hunt for food based on their experience. Only then could the group of four return here safely.
Of course, they have encountered tough guys before. That's why several of them were wearing wolf skins to keep warm. It was a life-and-death experience.
After hearing what Chen Lie said, Sang Luo felt that the people they met a month ago might be the few who escaped from the enemy territory.
She nodded and asked Chen Lie tentatively: "Do you think there will be chaos in the south?"
Chen Lie hesitated: "It's hard to say. Life in the south is relatively better than in the north. Most people won't think of rebelling as long as they can get by. But if the rebels in the north have a chance of winning, I'm afraid all parts of the country will rush to respond. If too many people rebel, it's hard to say."
The people in the north who are in chaos now are those who can’t make a living, and those who went to the enemy’s territory and escaped death and returned to find their families dead or exiled, so they are angry and revolted. But what about those aristocratic families? Do they really have no ambitions?
I'm afraid they are all just waiting and watching.
In the Dagan Dynasty, including the dynasties before it, many founding emperors were from aristocratic families who usurped the throne. In that era, it was very easy for people to accept the replacement of dukes and marquises as emperors. Even ordinary people like Chen Lie had heard this from storytellers in the county.
Once those people feel that the time is right, it will no longer be a question of whether the common people will join in the opposition or not.
What's more, the one sitting on the throne now does not care about the people. Who knows how many days of peace we can have.
Sang Luo was silent for a while, then said, "Life in the south is not easy either. This year, they have collected four corvées and two taxes. The court has collected all the taxes for next year in advance. If there is a shortage of food next year, will they collect taxes in advance for the year after next and the year after next?"
Chen Lie was stunned: "Taxes were collected twice?!"
Shen An on the side nodded: "Not only are rents and taxes collected twice, but even those who died in the war have to pay taxes, because there is no death certificate issued by the government, but no one has it."
His elder brother and several others did come back, but the other people in the village did not, and they also had to pay taxes.
Chen Lie clenched his fists. He was lucky to come back, but most people really died in a foreign country on the border. No one even collected their bodies. Under such circumstances, their families were still exploited. No wonder so many people rose up in rebellion.
Sang Luo sighed inwardly and said, "I'll go with you in a bit. Call me when you leave."
She still needs to listen to the situation outside and the subsequent plans of each family.
As for divorce and living alone, there was no need to think about it. She looked at Chen Lie and realized that if things really got chaotic, her chances of survival would be much higher if she was with him than if she were alone.
Sang Luo is the one who values life the most, and puts her life first.
Chen Lie had no idea that in just a few words, he almost lost his wife, but saved her. When he heard Sang Luo say that she wanted to go with him, he smiled and nodded in agreement.
Sang Luo then told Chen An to give his bath towel to his brother, and then left the kitchen.
After walking out of the kitchen for a while, she slowly let out a long breath. She looked at the door of the main house. Well, she had to think about how to sleep tonight and how to convince Chen Lie not to become a real couple for the time being.
Chen Lie was good-looking, and his behavior and speech were pleasing to the eye, but that was different from being able to become husband and wife right away. The most Sang Luo could accept was that they could just live together first.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
