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

Chapter 140: The Peddler

The following morning, deep within a mountain behind Shili Village, Shen Yin looked at the untriggered traps for catching wild chickens and asked a profound question.

“Brother, did you really learn from big brother?”

Shen Jin replied, “…”

“I did. Big brother checked them and said they were fine. He also mentioned that it took him about ten tries before he successfully caught a wild chicken. We just need more practice.”

“But haven’t you already tried sixteen or seventeen times?”

Initially, they were too busy with their mother’s illness and then occupied with digging tunnels. It was only recently that they began thinking about catching wild chickens, and they had been trying for sixteen or seventeen days.

Shen Yin looked sadly at the spot where they had scattered soybean residue. They hadn’t caught any chickens, but the residue was completely eaten. It was food that he and his third brother had secretly saved from their rations. At first, they were reluctant and used other bait, which didn’t work. After ten days without success, they started using their own food, spending a small handful over the past few days.

Shen Jin was also frustrated, pondering what was wrong. Initially, they could blame the bait for not attracting wild chickens, but now the soybean residue was clearly being eaten.

Was it that the leaves they used to cover the trap weren’t well-hidden enough, or did they not set up the barriers correctly, allowing the wild chickens to eat without triggering the trap?

He scrutinized every step his big brother had taught him. They had set traps together a few times, with his big brother demonstrating adjustments, and they had caught wild chickens. So why wasn’t it working when he did it alone?

“Let’s move on and check the other trap.”

Shen Yin got up despondently and followed Shen Jin.

Seeing him so downcast, Shen Jin patted his nose and said, “Don’t be discouraged. I’ve been practicing with the slingshot too. If nothing else works, we can go deeper into the mountains. There are more wild chickens there, and we can use the slingshot instead of traps.”

Shen Yin glanced at him. “Didn’t big brother say not to go deeper into the mountains unless we’re starving?”

Shen Jin lowered his head and mumbled, “He did say that, but I’m a bit worried. Ever since mother was kicked by the officials, she’s been coughing, and it’s getting worse.”

Shen Yin’s face turned pale. He went in and out with Shen Jin every day, so he was fully aware of their mother’s condition.

At first, their mother only coughed and wheezed, but now she couldn’t sleep at all, coughing continuously day and night. Often, it seemed like she couldn’t catch her breath.

Their father, irritated by the noise and unable to sleep, had moved to the room where big brother, second brother, and their sister used to live.

Thinking about his mother’s condition, Shen Yin’s eyes reddened with tears. However, he knew crying wouldn’t help, so he quickly wiped his eyes, smearing the tears around. The mountain wind cooled his face, leaving only a chill around his eyes.

“If only mother had agreed to leave earlier. She didn’t have to follow big brother. Uncle Laizi’s family left on their own, and several families from nearby villages also fled to the mountains.”

If they hadn’t stayed, they wouldn’t have encountered the abusive officials. They wouldn’t be short on food now, and their mother wouldn’t have developed this severe cough.

Recalling his mother’s relentless coughing, unable to rest day or night, Shen Yin felt a surge of hatred towards the officials. However, being small and weak, he couldn’t do anything about it.

But life doesn’t work with “ifs.”

Don’t say people lack foresight even after being beaten by the officers, Shen Jin had tried to persuade his parents to leave, but Shen San and Mrs. Li were adamant about staying.

So, Shen Jin didn’t respond further and quietly walked towards another trap.

Before getting close, Shen Jin paused. Was there some movement?

He grabbed Shen Yin and quickened their pace. Turning past some bushes, they found the source of the noise: a wild chicken with one leg caught, struggling desperately to free itself from the rope.

Both Shen Jin and Shen Yin’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, they rushed towards the trap.

The wild chicken flapped more fiercely upon seeing them. Shen Jin pounced and grabbed the rope, pulling it back, while Shen Yin lunged and pinned down the chicken.

“A wild chicken! Brother, we caught a wild chicken!”

Shen Jin was equally ecstatic. “I told you I didn’t forget what big brother taught us.”

Shen Yin tightly gripped the chicken’s wings, careful to avoid its pecks. Shen Jin quickly untied the rope from the chicken’s leg and reset the trap, tidying up the disturbed area and covering it with leaves. He scattered a bit of soybean residue around the trap.

“Let’s go home!”

Shen Yin, holding the chicken, happily followed. “Brother, are we cooking this chicken today?”

“Of course not. We need to save food, and we also need money for mother’s treatment.”

Lately, their family had very little to eat. The two underground storage pits contained only dried wild vegetables, with no grains left.

Shen Jin, who cooked daily, knew best about their food situation. They had so little soybeans left, let alone any grain to store.

Shen Jin said, “We’ll use it for mother’s treatment first.”

“Alright!” Shen Yin agreed quickly, then hesitated. “Do doctors accept wild chickens as payment?”

This stumped Shen Jin. He paused, scratched his head, then remembered something. “Let’s go the other way. The village peddler has been coming around lately. We’ll take the path by big brother’s house to the mountain road and wait for him. We can ask if he takes wild chickens.”

Recently, a peddler had been visiting Shili Village frequently, collecting grains and beans. Although no one had any to sell, he still came daily.

His load mainly consisted of combs and hair ties, but he secretly sold salt blocks. A few months ago, only a few families in the village used salt blocks, but now, with salt prices soaring, even those who could afford it held back to save money.

So, when the peddler brought a few salt blocks, the villagers kept quiet, as they all needed them. Reporting the peddler would cut off their own supply.

Going to the county for salt was risky now. The county was paranoid about refugees, conducting strict checks and raising entry fees to three coins per person. It was unaffordable. Three coins could buy a small salt block from the peddler.

Thus, the peddler’s visits were welcomed, and no one wanted to jeopardize their access to salt by reporting him.

With the village head and many others having fled, and officials busy dealing with bandits, no one cared about the salt trade. The Daqian dynasty never strictly controlled salt.

Shen Jin and Shen Yin wanted to meet the peddler outside the village to avoid attracting attention. If villagers saw their success in catching wild chickens, they might steal from their traps, or worse, discover their hidden storage pits.

Big brother had warned them early on to keep their successes secret.

…

On the mountain road to Shili Village, the peddler, an old servant of the Xu family, dressed in patched clothes, walked with his load towards the village. He only visited Shili Village, occasionally making trips into the mountains for his master.

Today was like any other. He was heading to the village when someone called out, “Peddler, hey, peddler.”

The old servant turned and saw a familiar face. It was one of the young masters he kept an eye on in Shili Village. Recognizing the path as one leading from the Shen family’s house, he smiled and stopped. “Young master, did you call for me?”

“Yes, yes.” Shen Jin nodded quickly, checked for others nearby, and led Shen Yin onto the main path. “Peddler, do you buy wild chickens? Live ones?”

Seeing the struggling chicken in Shen Yin’s hands, the old servant was surprised.

The young master was known for his hunting skills, having taken down bears and wolves. His master wouldn’t have sent the family into the mountains otherwise. These children had indeed learned well.

He nodded. “I do. Do you want to exchange it for money, food, or something else?”

Hearing that the peddler would accept it, Shen Jin and Shen Yin’s eyes lit up. In unison, they said, “Money. We want to exchange it for money. How much is this wild chicken worth?”

The peddler was momentarily stunned.

Knowing the dire situation of the Shen family, where they survived on a meager diet of wild vegetables and soybeans, he wondered why they weren’t asking for food.

Remembering the small stash of grain hidden in his load, meant for emergencies, he said, “Wouldn’t you prefer some grain? Food might be more valuable than money right now.”

Shen Jin knew from this one sentence that the peddler was a good person. Swallowing hard, he shook his head, “My mother is sick. We want to use the money for her treatment, so we still need to exchange it for money.”

The peddler, in his forties with no children, was touched by the filial piety of these two children who resisted the temptation of chicken and food to exchange it for money for their mother’s treatment, even though he knew Mrs. Li wasn’t a good person.

Well, even though his master had said not to care about Shen Jin’s parents, these children caught the wild chicken themselves. It was only right for them to want to use it for their mother. When Shen Jin’s eldest brother taught him these skills, he must have known that their third brother’s family would also benefit, but he still taught him. The bond between parents and children is not easily broken.

The peddler decided to help these children. As for how they chose to use the chicken, that was up to them.

The peddler, understanding their situation, confirmed again with Shen Jin and Shen Yin that they wanted money, not food. He nodded, took the chicken, and weighed it. “Wild chickens can’t be sold in the countryside, but the restaurants and wealthy families in the county will buy them. Times are tough. Since you want to use the money for your mother’s treatment, I won’t charge you extra. To be honest, food prices have skyrocketed in the county, and wild chickens are now more valuable. This chicken is worth about 110 coins. I’ll take a few coins as a fee for going to the county, and give you 110 coins. Consider it a good deed for the day.”

A wild chicken of this size indeed sold for about 110 coins in the county nowadays, given the inflation of all food prices.

The peddler, cautious by nature, wanted to help the Shen family’s children without drawing too much attention to himself. Besides, the children weren’t in a desperate situation yet.

“110 coins?!” Shen Jin and Shen Yin’s eyes widened, their mouths agape.

“Yes, but keep it to yourselves. I don’t usually do this for free.”

Finally understanding, Shen Jin and Shen Yin bowed repeatedly to the peddler. “Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!”

The peddler smiled, took out two strings of coins, gave one string to Shen Jin, and counted ten coins from the other string for him.

Shen Jin, having learned counting from his siblings Shen An and Shen Ning, knew a string of coins was usually accurate, and he saw the peddler count out the ten coins, so he didn’t recount. He accepted the money with both hands, stuffing it into his pockets, his heart pounding with excitement.

110 coins!

He was so happy his mouth almost split to his ears, his hands shaking slightly. He bowed again with Shen Yin, “You’re really a good person, sir. My brother and I will always remember this. Thank you, sir.”

They couldn’t say anything more flowery, just repeatedly thanking the peddler.

The peddler thought to himself that the good deed wasn’t entirely his, but he didn’t say it out loud. Holding the wild chicken with one hand, he helped the children up with the other. “Alright, keep your wealth hidden and go back home.”

“Yes, yes, we’re going.”

As they were about to leave, Shen Jin turned back and said, “Sir, can you keep it a secret that we sold the wild chicken?”

The old servant thought the child was quite clever and smiled. “Sure, young master. If you catch another wild chicken, wait for me by this path. But let me advise you, it’s better to exchange it for food. Although you can harvest food in autumn, there are still several months to go, and anything could happen. Remember, life is unpredictable.”

Shen Jin hadn’t learned those words before but understood them well. Just a few months ago, he couldn’t have imagined their lives turning out like this or that several families in the village would be forced to flee into the mountains.

He nodded, thanked the peddler, and took Shen Yin back along the path, running towards the village.

Watching the brothers leave, the peddler pulled out some strong grass from the roadside, tied the wild chicken’s wings and legs, opened his other load, and put the chicken inside. He didn’t enter the village but headed straight back to the county to report.