The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 121: A Visitor in the Night

The brothers understood the reasoning, but their hearts were inevitably heavy.

People are not made of stone. Even Shen Ning, knowing the outcome, squatted in the kitchen and cried quietly.

Sang Luo was processing some geese and chickens, boiling them slightly before cutting them into strips of meat. She roasted the meat on bamboo skewers previously used for grilling dried sauce, preparing to make jerky to take with them. Watching the young girl sob quietly while tending the fire, she felt heavy-hearted too, thinking about the bond they had formed with Shen Jin and the other children over the past six months.

Even the young girl teared up over the chickens, ducks, and geese they had raised for half a year now being killed. How much more so when childhood cousins were to be separated as chaos loomed.

She could only console her in a low voice: “It’s not about whether Shen Jin and the others want to come with us or not. Think about it. Huzi, Axu, Erniu, Sanniu—don’t they also have cousins? Aren’t they, like you and Xiao An, thinking about their cousins too? Can we take them all? We can’t.”

Shen Ning wiped her tears, hiccuping as she said, “Sister-in-law, I know. I just can’t help but cry. I’ll be fine after a little more crying, really.”

She cried and thought, if only Third Uncle and Third Aunt weren’t so bad, if things hadn’t been like that before, if they were still a family, Xiaojin, Xiaoyin, Xiaotie, and Tianya could have come with them.

Erniu and Sanniu were cousins.

Shen Ning understood the difference between cousins and brothers. All the cousins in each family were leaving together.

But she knew even better what kind of people Third Uncle and Third Aunt were. No one in the family would want to take them along, and she herself didn’t want to. Thinking about the days they endured last summer, the fear and despair, and how her sister-in-law almost lost her life, she felt it was unfair.

But Xiaojin and Xiaoyin were really pitiful. Why did they have such terrible parents? If only they had good parents.

Shen Ning knew that this was no longer something that could be solved by secretly giving some food or playing together quietly. This was beyond that.

Shen Ning’s stifled sobs faintly reached the backyard. Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang sighed too, thinking that their family had already been well taken care of. At least their eldest brother’s family wasn’t kicked out alone, and among the six children in the family, five were with the main household.

Of course, Lu Sanlang knew this was partly due to his second brother’s friendship with Shen Lie and Chen Dashan over the past three years, sharing life and death. Also, their Lu family was already deeply involved, so they were all vigilant and cautious around their sister-in-law and the Wang family, not daring to make any mistakes.

The brothers didn’t know that thoughts could bring trouble.

The Wang family’s daughter-in-law was coming to Shili Village again.

Mrs. Lu was really fed up with this pair of daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, who seemed to regard her family’s grain as their own. Ever since returning from the mountainside cottage, Mrs. Lu had been on guard against them. She didn’t dare to tidy up too much at home, fearing that once the news of the tax came out, the Wang family would visit again and discover something. So while other families quietly started preparing, her home remained as usual.

And she was right.

Mrs. Lu quickly got into character, looking disheartened and dejected. Seeing Mrs. Wang, she acted as if she had finally found someone to talk to, rushing over: “In-law, life is unbearable. Another tax levy! Did you hear about it?”

Mrs. Wang’s face didn’t look good either. Who could have expected this? Early tax collection had become a habit, getting earlier each time.

The two old ladies, like close confidantes, lamented together until Mrs. Wang subtly brought up the topic of grain. Mrs. Lu immediately snapped out of her sorrowful state, regaining her usual sharpness, and eyed Mrs. Wang warily: “In-law, you aren’t thinking of borrowing grain from us now, are you? Even without buying grain, we have enough to pay the tax.”

Mrs. Wang’s expression froze. That was exactly her plan. As soon as she heard about the tax, she thought of the Lu family’s full granary.

But her husband had suppressed her idea, explicitly telling her not to bring it up. If she did, knowing Mrs. Lu’s nature, not only would they not get any grain, but the grain might end up with the Feng family, giving them an advantage.

Mrs. Wang quickly said, “What are you saying? Of course not. I heard someone in the neighboring village injured themselves over the tax. I was worried about you and came to check on you.”

Mrs. Lu sighed with relief upon hearing this. “Oh, that. I heard about it. The daughter of that family married into our village. The court is too ruthless, really driving people crazy.”

Mrs. Wang’s eyes gleamed. “Exactly.”

She looked around sneakily and pulled Mrs. Lu into the main room. “In-law, under these circumstances, don’t you have any thoughts?”

Mrs. Lu pretended to be clueless. “What thoughts?”

Mrs. Wang said, “Taxes! With the current grain prices, how much tax do we have to pay? And the conscription—who’s going from your family this time? Are you sending Sanlang?”

After saying this, Mrs. Wang closely watched Mrs. Lu’s reaction.

Mrs. Lu’s heart skipped a beat. The Wang family was eyeing her grain.

Fortunately, in times of panic, she also scrutinized Mrs. Wang. “In-law, are you suggesting…”

“Exactly what you’re thinking.”

Mrs. Lu shook her head vigorously and lowered her voice. “That would mean abandoning everything. We’re not at that point yet. We’re stockpiling grain mainly to guard against potential uprisings. Fleeing and becoming refugees because of taxes and conscription? No way.”

She shook her head like a rattle, looking around her house with reluctance. “If we leave and there’s no chaos, what then? This home, this yard, these fields, decades of hard-earned property would be gone. No way.”

She countered, “Would your family be willing to leave everything behind?”

Mrs. Wang naturally wasn’t willing. Mrs. Lu had a point. It hadn’t come to that yet. What if there was no rebellion, and the Daqian Dynasty didn’t fall? Leaving now would mean losing everything.

She was merely following her husband’s instructions to test the Lu family. She hadn’t visited in a few days, and without confirming the grain’s presence, she couldn’t be at ease.

Seeing that Mrs. Lu had no intention of leaving, Mrs. Wang relaxed. She wasn’t being overly suspicious. She hadn’t seen her daughter in over two months. When she visited before the new year, Chunniang and her husband were away. When she came back after the new year, the whole family was working, leaving only the elderly and children at home.

Mrs. Lu had explained that a household in the county was rushing their project due to fear of bandits. They were fortifying their home and even secretly having trusted servants dig escape tunnels. The workers had to keep up with the schedule, allowing little time to rest at home.

Unable to see Wang Chunniang, Mrs. Wang felt uneasy. She visited frequently to hold Mrs. Lu’s attention, giving her daughter-in-law a chance to confirm the grain was still there by peeking through the window.

Today’s probing questions were also her husband’s idea, to gauge the Lu family’s intentions. If they planned to leave now, it would be a problem if they fled with the Feng family after being watched for so long.

Now that she had tested them, and her daughter-in-law likely had checked, Mrs. Wang, seeing Mrs. Lu’s reaction, played along, slumping her shoulders. “Exactly, abandoning everything. Who could bear it? But haven’t you heard? Our Huainan Road is also unstable. Many counties have bandits, and some big households have been wiped out. Entire villages have been killed and robbed. Our family found a hidden place in the mountains to store grain. If things go wrong, we can flee anytime. Chunniang father specifically asked me to see if you want to store some grain with ours. If there’s a disaster, all your grain at home would be lost.”

Mrs. Lu wasn’t surprised that the Wang family was preparing an escape route. Bad news had been rampant since the new year. But Mrs. Wang’s words made Mrs. Lu want to spit in her face. She held back, appearing hesitant yet curious. “Store grain? Where?”

Mrs. Wang smiled. “That’s a secret. Our whole clan’s grain is stored there. It has to be done discreetly. We haven’t told anyone else, just you. We can include you, but we can’t reveal the location.”

Seeing Mrs. Lu’s hesitation, Mrs. Wang’s eyes twinkled. “In-law, don’t you trust us? If we don’t store grain now, it’ll be too late later. If things get bad, we can’t help you then. Think about it. If you don’t have enough people, Chunniang brothers can come at night to help.”

Offering to help move the grain herself, Mrs. Lu inwardly cursed but outwardly acted scared by Mrs. Wang’s last words. She paced around the main room, making Mrs. Wang dizzy, before seeming to make up her mind. “In-law, storing some grain as a precaution is wise. Even rabbits dig multiple burrows. But such a big decision can’t be made by me alone. With taxes and conscription, my family in the county must have heard the news. They’ll be back in a day or two. I need to discuss this with my husband.”

“And moving grain is serious. This is our family’s lifeline. If we can’t go with you, at least Dalang and Chunniang, your daughter and son-in-law, should know where the grain is stored. Otherwise, I can’t hand it over.”

Feeling her words were harsh, she softened. “It’s not that we don’t trust you. If things get chaotic, our villages are a bit apart. If we can’t catch up, how will we find the grain? It would be wasted.”

In short, it would benefit your Wang family.

Mrs. Wang thought, you really don’t trust us, old hag. But Mrs. Lu’s cautiousness reassured her that the Lu family wanted to join them.

She played along, looking troubled. “An old saying goes, ‘a married daughter is like spilled water.’ We don’t see Dalang and Chunniang as outsiders. We trust them. But the clan might not agree.”

Mrs. Lu immediately said, “Then forget it. We’ll find another way. Let’s see if the Feng family can take us with them.”

This really worked on Mrs. Wang. She quickly grabbed Mrs. Lu’s hand. “Don’t! No need to go that far. How many years have you been related to the Feng family compared to our Wang family? Our families are deeply connected, with five grandchildren linking us. Isn’t that more reliable than the Feng family? For the sake of my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, let’s figure this out together. You wait for your family to come back and ask them. I’ll go back and have Chunniang father discuss with the clan to come up with a plan. What do you think?”

Hearing this, Mrs. Lu finally smiled. “Alright, then we’ll trouble you to speak well of us. Our Lu family has no other relatives here. We actually rely on your Wang family a lot. We have nothing to worry about.”

Mrs. Wang agreed, feeling a great sense of achievement as Mrs. Lu agreed to move some grain to their storage. When her eldest daughter-in-law came in, Mrs. Wang discreetly signaled her, confirming that Lu family’s grain was still there. Her last bit of unease was settled.

Thinking about the Lu family’s grain, Mrs. Wang felt it was as if it were her own. Considering the taxes and grain dues for the Lu family, her heart ached for them.

She held Mrs. Lu’s hand, sincerely advising, “In-law, there’s no rush to pay the taxes. The village head said we have until the tenth. Let’s wait and see, and decide on the last day whether to pay or not.”

Mrs. Lu agreed. “Indeed, we’ve already paid last year’s taxes this year. It makes no sense to pay early again when the crops aren’t ready. This year is different from last year. Many people won’t make it without eating wild vegetables and tree leaves after paying spring taxes. I foresee unrest. We should wait and see.”

The two in-laws made an alliance, and Mrs. Lu warmly sent Mrs. Wang to the village entrance, repeatedly asking her to speak well of them to her clan.

After they parted, Mrs. Wang quietly asked her daughter-in-law, “Did you see the grain in the room?”

Wang’s eldest daughter-in-law smiled. “Yes, it’s still all there, not a bit missing! Mom, are we really going to let the Lu family know where our grain is hidden?”

Mrs. Wang snorted. “Of course not! Even if we agreed, the clan wouldn’t. We’ll lead them to a temporary spot, pretend to store some grain there, and ask your uncles to help. Later, we’ll move it all.”

Wang’s eldest daughter-in-law laughed. “That’s a good plan.”

Once moved, they could control how to use the grain. Thinking about all that grain, Mrs. Wang and her daughter-in-law felt quite pleased.

Sending off the two nuisances, Mrs. Lu returned home feeling equally pleased. This was the last time she had to deal with them. After tomorrow, she wouldn’t need to pretend anymore. Next time, she could directly confront that old hag.

Locking the courtyard gate, Mrs. Lu took out a key from around her neck, unlocked the always-locked door to the west room, and went inside. The bamboo shelf at the back was already emptied. Only the front row remained, with ‘grain’ bags neatly stacked, not one more or less than before.

Mrs. Lu weighed the bags. Some contained clothes and bedding made to look like grain sacks. The smaller members of the family could each carry one tonight, and the heavier items could be carried by her and the two younger sons. The real grain sacks that Wang’s eldest daughter-in-law saw? They could stay as a parting gift to the Wang family.

She chuckled at the thought of the Wang couple’s reaction.

…

Unbeknownst to the other families, the Lu family finished dinner at their hillside courtyard. All utensils were put away, and they began a major cleanup.

By the time it was completely dark, everything except the bedding was packed. They would sleep a bit and leave at dawn, taking everything they could carry.

The items too heavy to carry, like large furniture and kitchen equipment, had to be left behind.

It was close to midnight, and the mountain village quieted down. The Lu brothers settled in the kitchen to sleep, while Sang Luo and Shen Lie were preparing to rest with their children. Just then, Shen Lie heard faint footsteps.

He signaled for silence, and moments later, there was a soft knock at the gate.

In this sensitive time, all six members of the family tensed up. The Lu brothers quickly got up, and Shen Lie and Sang Luo quietly exited the main house.

“Who’s there?” Shen Lie asked cautiously.