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

Chapter 143: Asking Your Big Brother

Shen Lie had heard a few mentions from the shopkeeper Xu about Mrs. Li’s illness, but he wasn’t clear on the specifics. Due to past events and not wanting to delve into details, he just looked at Shen Jin and sighed inwardly, “If you can avoid going deep into the mountains, you should. I’ve told you before, it’s not just snakes out there. If you’re unlucky, you might encounter something that a child like you can’t handle.”

Shen Jin hung his head, afraid to speak.

This implied that he would still venture out.

Shen Lie understood. For his own birth mother, if there was even a glimmer of hope to save her, how could he stop just because of the risks?

This was also where Shen Jin and Shen San were completely different.

Shen Lie didn’t continue to insist that Shen Jin shouldn’t go into the mountains. Even if he did, it might not be effective. He changed the subject, “Moreover, regarding your mother’s treatment, you don’t have to bear it all by yourself.”

Shen Jin immediately looked up at Shen Lie, but soon looked disappointed again, “My father has spent all the money at home.”

So he couldn’t count on his father at all.

Shen Lie heard this with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes. His good third uncle was indeed heartless; his blood might as well be cold.

Shen Lie patted Shen Jin’s head gently, “Are you silly? Even if the money’s gone, don’t you still have assets and fields? Even a bankrupt household has things that can be sold. Small farms might not dare to buy now, but the big ones will still buy at a low price. Are these things worth less than your and your mother’s lives? Do you really need to run into the mountains at your age?”

Shen Jin was a bit stunned.

Could it really be done this way???

His eyes lit up, “Brother, how do I do it? Where do I go? Will they buy anything?”

Shen Lie smiled, “Ask your mother about it. She should know what’s worthwhile. Just remember one thing from your big brother: things are chaotic everywhere now. Even here will be chaotic sooner or later. Apart from tools like hoes, knives, and axes that can be used for self-defense when things get rough, everything else can be sold or traded. Nothing is more valuable than life. Sometimes, you have to learn to let go of things when necessary.”

Shen Jin nodded repeatedly, remembering how his father had sold their family’s gold bracelet for money to avoid conscription.

“So even mother can be used to exchange for money to see a doctor!”

His face brightened, “Brother, I understand now. I’ll ask mother about it when I go back.”

Shen Lie nodded, “Good, there’s no rush right now. Tie up that mountain chicken, and I’ll teach you a few more things.”

Shen Jin dashed back happily to tie up the chicken. Meanwhile, Shen Lie and Chen Dashan were surveying the surroundings, finding a suitable spot.

Chen Dashan suggested, “How about here? We dug a pit on the edge of the village earlier. If times get tough later, it might be hard to find food there, but this place could be just right.”

They needed to avoid prying eyes and also cut down trees without attracting attention from the villagers. Once settled, Shen Jin joined them.

Shen Lie briefly explained their plan to build a shelter and then proceeded to work together. Shen Lie and Chen Dashan worked quickly, not making the shelter too large initially. Once the framework for the entrance was done, they could expand it later. The focus was on teaching Shen Jin how to build the shelter.

Shen Jin paid earnest attention, marveling at how well they concealed the exterior of the shelter.

“You can’t tell at all from the outside!”

“Brother, do you live in such caves in the mountains too?”

Shen Lie chuckled, “Living in caves, but those caves are hard for others to find. If you can’t find such a hidden cave, hiding in a dug shelter is safer than living in a cave.”

Shen Jin nodded repeatedly. However, when he saw the finished shelter and noticed Shen Lie and Chen Dashan bundling up the remaining firewood, ready to leave without leaving any traces, his expression dimmed.

“Brother, are you and Brother Dashan leaving?”

Shen Lie nodded, picking up a cloth bag he had set aside and handing it to Shen Jin. “Inside are some dried meats smoked with a bit of salt. It’s not much salt, just enough for flavor. If you store them in the shelter, don’t leave them on the ground. Use the small rack I made from wood to keep them. Remember to air them out periodically.”

Shen Lie effortlessly lifted the bag, but it nearly dragged Shen Jin down when he took it. He wanted to see what was inside but lacked the strength to lift it properly, so he just placed it on the ground and peeked inside.

The first thing that greeted him was the unique aroma of smoked meat. The bag was full, nearly half his height, packed with meat.

Shen Jin’s nose tingled, and his mouth watered quickly. It had been so long since he had eaten a proper meal.

Forget about meat; he couldn’t even add a bit of rice to a pot of wild vegetables like before.

“Thank you, Brother.”

His voice sounded a bit muffled, and he looked up at Shen Lie after a while, smiling at him.

Shen Lie felt uncomfortable inside, patting Shen Jin’s head and asking, “Are you afraid to stay in the village?”

Afraid?

Shen Jin’s fingertips trembled at the mouth of the cloth bag, but he quickly grabbed it and held onto it, smiling broadly, “Not afraid. As long as my mother gets better, I’m not afraid at all.”

He recalled the recent stroke of good fortune and grinned widely, “Brother, I met a good person, a peddler who knew I needed money. He agreed to buy my mountain chickens and even exchanged grains with me. Now I’m earning money to cure my mother’s illness. If I can use household items for this, I’ll keep catching chickens on the outskirts and quietly save up grains.”

Chen Dashan looked at Shen Lie when he heard this.

Shen Lie remained composed, smiling, “Is that so? You’ve met a good person. When you have the ability and opportunity in the future, you can repay him.”

Shen Jin nodded eagerly, “Yes, I will!”

Shen Lie didn’t say anything more, just advising Shen Jin to persuade Mrs. Li to exchange household items for medical expenses. If he wanted to catch more chickens for grains, he should stick to the outskirts. If he really needed to venture deeper, he could wait until Mrs. Li recovered and could accompany him into the mountains.

This time, Shen Jin didn’t stay silent. He agreed to everything.

“It’s time to go,” Shen Lie said, checking the sky and patting Shen Jin’s shoulder. “You should head out now. Big Brother and Brother Dashan need to leave too.”

Shen Jin’s feet hesitated a bit. After some hesitation, he finally asked, “Brother, will you come to see me in the future?”

Shen Lie thought for a moment, “If I can, I will.”

Hearing this, Shen Jin felt relieved and waved goodbye to Shen Lie and Chen Dashan. “Take care on your way, big brother and brother Dashan.”

As they prepared to leave, Shen Jin remembered something. He carefully hid the bag of dried meats in the newly built shelter to avoid leaving traces. Then, carrying his small bow and the mountain chicken, he waved one last time to Shen Lie and Chen Dashan before leaving the place, looking back three times.

Chen Dashan and Shen Lie followed quietly for a while, waiting until Shen Jin was gone before Chen Dashan spoke, “Let’s go too. It’s getting late, and it’ll be hard to walk in the mountains after dark.”

Shen Lie nodded. They tidied up the scene a bit and then carried the bundle of extra firewood used as a shelter into the mountains.

…

Shen Jin hid the dried meat in the shelter, and the mountain grouse in a nearby cave closer to their eldest brother’s home. Upon entering the cave, they met Shen Yin who had been waiting there. When asked why they took so long to return, they mumbled a few vague responses. The brothers emerged from the cave, sealed its entrance with items, and only then managed to gather some wild vegetables to take home.

As they returned to the village and approached their courtyard, Shen Tie rushed over.

“Brother, why did you stay outside for so long? You didn’t come back for dinner. Mother asked several times.”

By this time, it was already past feeding time, nearing evening.

Shen Jin didn’t answer directly, instead asking, “Where’s father?”

“Father went to the fields.”

Mrs. Li couldn’t work in the fields, and Shen San had been busy lately. After eating, he still had to go back to work in the fields.

Hearing that his father wasn’t at home, Shen Jin breathed a sigh of relief. Upon returning home and before reaching the courtyard, he heard a continuous coughing from the main house.

Shen Jin instructed Shen Yin and Shen Tie to stay in the courtyard while he went to the main house.

After Mrs. Li had a coughing fit, she heard footsteps, leaned on the bed to catch her breath, and then asked slowly, “What happened? Why did you come home so late? Did you go deep into the mountains?”

Shen Jin didn’t answer directly, but said, “Mother, think about what valuable things we have at home that we can sell or pawn to pay for your medical treatment.”

Mrs. Li was confused, “What are you saying?”

“I mean, Mother, you need to see a doctor.”

Mrs. Li didn’t understand at all how her son’s trip to the mountains connected to this. How much money would it take to cure her illness?

Sometimes when Mrs. Li coughed severely, she felt she might not live much longer. Was her illness so easy to cure? Zhou’s wife was cured, but it ruined their whole family. Isn’t she still seriously ill now?

“What nonsense are you talking about? What valuable things are left in our house?”

“How can there be nothing? Now that the weather’s warmer, we can sell our coats, thick quilts, and bedding. We can keep one hoe and sell or pawn the other…” Shen Jin paused here, unsure of what else they could sell or pawn. “And if necessary, we can even sell the fields.”

At the mention of selling the fields, Mrs. Li gasped for breath, then began coughing again.

Shen Jin hurried over to pat her back. After a while, Mrs. Li recovered a bit, about to sit up when she smelled something fragrant.

The smell of meat?

Smoked meat!

She grabbed Shen Jin’s hand and brought it to her nose, confirming it was indeed smoked meat!

She held Shen Jin’s wrist tightly, breathing heavily, staring at him intently. “Xiao Jin, tell me, did you touch the meat?”

Her gaze was intense, as if it could ignite a fire.

“You tell me the truth. Did your elder brother come back?”

“You came back so late, talking about selling things and fields. How would you know about selling things and fields unless your elder brother came back to see you? Did he come to see you?”

She urgently needed one answer. Her grip on Shen Jin’s wrist was unexpectedly strong, and despite Shen Jin’s efforts, he couldn’t pull his hand away, only denying, “No!”

“Don’t lie to me. It’s because your elder brother came back, isn’t it? He hates me and your father, but he’s still good to you. Did he come back to see you?”

“No, I was so hungry I went to the mountains and ate wild chicken.”

Mrs. Li burst into tears. “Don’t lie to your mother. I wouldn’t make a fuss outside. If your elder brother came back, listen to me, go ask your elder brother. Take your siblings and plead with him to take you all away.”

Realizing the improbability, she added, “If he doesn’t want to take so many, take as many as he’s willing. Can you do that?”

Seeing Shen Jin struggling to free his hand, she bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. “If that’s not necessary, you tell me where your elder brother is. I’ll beg him myself. I wasn’t a good person before. I’ll kowtow to him, make amends, and serve him like a slave. I won’t live much longer, so in the next life, I’ll serve him like a slave.”

Already seriously ill, Mrs. Li became emotional, causing another fit of coughing. Tears, mucus, and saliva flowed uncontrollably.

Shen Jin’s tears fell as well. He wiped them away, comforting Mrs. Li while patting her back. “Mother, don’t get upset. Elder brother really hasn’t come back.”

However, Mrs. Li had already made up her mind. It must be Shen Lie who had returned.

Besides Shen Lie, who else cared whether these children lived or died? Who else could bring meat at such a time?

She held onto Shen Jin tightly, refusing to let go, staring at him while she continued to cough, hoping he would listen to her this time.

Shen Jin’s emotions, building up since he saw Shen Lie in the afternoon, burst out seeing Mrs. Li’s tear-streaked face in such a pitiful state, and hearing his mother, as if clutching at straws of salvation, was about to abandon her children.

Half kneeling down, Shen Jin took the handkerchief from the bedside to wipe the tears from Mrs. Li’s face. He wiped the tears away, saying, “Mother, none of us can rely on anyone else. We all have to rely on ourselves. Even last winter, my sister-in-law was earning money. How could she live better than us? Can she support so many people?”

If his father had been willing to use the money and gold bracelet from home to buy grain, the family wouldn’t have been short of food.

Shen Jin didn’t say much. “And I won’t leave. I’ll stay with you. I have Xiao Yin, Xiao Tie, and Tianyaer. We can only rely on you.”

“So, Mother, you have to see a doctor. If you’re well, my siblings and I can be well too. Elder brother taught me how to hunt and how to survive in the mountains. As long as you’re okay and take us with you, we’ll survive.”

Mrs. Li coughed again, then looked at Shen Jin. “Treating an illness, how could it be so easy? If we sell the fields, what will we eat in autumn? What will you and your siblings do? Besides, at this critical moment, what price can we get for the fields?”

“No matter the price, we’ll sell it all. As long as it brings in money, Mother, if you can’t bear to sell it all, we’ll sell some first. I’ve saved seven hundred wen from trapping mountain grouse. Let’s go see the doctor first. If it’s not enough, we’ll sell more.”

Upon hearing Shen Jin say he had saved seven hundred wen from trapping mountain grouse, Mrs. Li realized her son had been placating her earlier. He hadn’t exchanged it for grain and insisted she go see the doctor.

She didn’t know whether to be sad or relieved, tears streaming down incessantly.

Seeing her wavering, Shen Jin urged, “Mother, don’t think too far ahead. Two more families have left the village. Who knows what the future holds? Surviving now should be our top priority, shouldn’t it?”

Finally, he played his trump cards, “In the past few days, I’ve been trapping mountain grouse deep in the mountains. If you don’t sell anything to treat your illness, I’ll go deeper into the mountains to earn more. Also, the places where elder brother taught me to hide are all caves. They can hide us, but they can’t hide your cough. If you keep coughing like this, none of us can escape.”

These words shook Mrs. Li’s heart. Finally, she came to her senses. All her hopes and pessimism were shattered today.

“Alright, I’ll get treated.”

She couldn’t rely on anyone else. She had to stay alive for her four children to survive.