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

Chapter 197: Softness

—

Lu Dalang went mute.

At the break of dawn, Chen Dashan came knocking on the door with a large group of people to the entrance. Without Shen Lie’s help, it wouldn’t have worked out. Shen Lie returned with this news for Sang Luo.

Yesterday, it was only Wang Chunniang who had gone mute. Now, after just half a night, another person had joined her? And it was none other than the relatively inconspicuous Lu Dalang.

If Mrs. Lu was truly planning to take action, she could have handled it along with Wang Chunniang. The timing of these events is rather intriguing.

“In times of difficulty and danger, it is truly a good moment to observe people’s hearts.”

Sang Luo thought of the five children from the Lu family’s main branch and remarked to herself that it was quite fitting that they had become mute.

—

Wang Chunniang was unaware of her narrow escape from death, while far away in the imperial capital, another individual, the supreme and most honored person in the world, met a grim fate that night. This person, the emperor of the decaying Daqian dynasty, was suffocated by two palace eunuchs using soft pillows and silk quilts. His head was hung on top of the city wall, built with the lives of countless commoners.

In the ironclad aristocracy and the flowing dynasties, the long-decayed Daqian dynasty fell exactly as everyone had anticipated. At this point, aside from the now deceased Daqian Emperor, who in the noble families and officials didn’t have their own schemes? Those with military power carved out their own territories, while high-ranking officials without military power in this chaotic era also employed various methods to seek refuge. Even the palace concubines, who either died or were captured, were those without backing, while powerful families who were in a favorable position already had their escape routes planned.

—

That night, the imperial city and capital were far from peaceful. With numerous rebel kings emerging, the truly ambitious ones finally found a legitimate opportunity, and the struggle among the heroes of the world grew even more intense.

Of course, countless mountain dwellers like Shen Lie and Sang Luo, who were hiding in the deep mountains to avoid trouble, could not know this. Even if they did, the suffering common people would only rejoice at the deaths, feeling it was a deserved end, and hope for a strong leader to restore order to the chaotic world.

The outside world was changing, but in the deep mountains of the south, awareness of these changes came much slower. The people hiding in the mountains remained focused on their food supply and safety.

The Lu family’s main branch left quietly. Since their branch had never left the valley, their departure had only a minimal impact, except for making things a bit more passive for Chen Dashan and Lu Erlang.

On the night the Lu family’s main branch left, Shen Yin had a fever. Shen An happened to be sleeping with him. As dawn approached, Shen An felt that Shen Yin was unusually hot, checked his forehead, and was startled enough to jump out of bed and call his elder brother and sister-in-law.

The child, having rarely taken medicine before, responded well to the fever-reducing medicine. After taking a dose, the fever showed some improvement that night, and after another dose the next day, it subsided.

Feng Liuniang returned to the valley when the Lu brothers were escorting the Lu family’s main branch out. Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu continued with their farming until the rice harvest was complete. Only then did they both fall ill. Feng Liuniang, along with Ah Xu, took care of them. Each family in the valley came to visit, and after a few days of rest, Mrs. Lu, holding her daughter-in-law and the only remaining grandchild, Ah Xu, had a good cry. After a few days, she began to recover.

Once Shen Yin recovered, Shen Lie told Sang Luo about his plans to take Shen An, Shen Jin, and Chen Ershan out of the valley for training. In fact, Shen Lie was considering training not only Shen An but also Shi Daniu and Shi Erniu, Xu Wenhong and Xu Wenqing, and Zhou Sanlang. However, he planned to consult with each family about their willingness.

Sang Luo, after learning about the situation with the Lu family’s main branch, agreed with Shen Lie’s plan but didn’t respond directly. Instead, she turned to Shen Ning and asked, “A Ning, do you want to learn?”

Shen Lie was momentarily taken aback, instinctively thinking that it was different from archery and quite tough. Then he realized that Sang Luo was not someone afraid of hardship. In these turbulent times, she had always believed that girls should also learn to protect themselves. So he asked Shen Ning, “A Ning, do you want to learn?”

Shen Ning, deeply influenced by Sang Luo in this regard, readily agreed and asked, “Will you really take me out of the valley?”

Sang Luo nodded. “Yes, of course. Previously, your brother and I misunderstood. We shouldn’t hide here just because there’s a valley. Not only might there be times when your brother and the others can’t look after you, but I also worry about raising you to be weak.”

“If you end up being a weakling like Lu Dalang, where will you go to cry?”

“Becoming strong is the right path. You live with me, so I’ll learn alongside you.”

This was very much like Sang Luo.

Shen Lie couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, it’ll be good for you to practice together with your sister-in-law. It’s convenient for mutual training.”

Shen An, who had been outside before, knew the cave was small. He asked, “Sister-in-law, where will Xiao Jin and I stay? Let’s build a wooden house, just big enough for a bed and space for two people to stand.”

Shen Lie nodded. “Sure, for now, you can squeeze in with Uncle Youtian. There’s also an empty cave you can use. You can build your own place later.”

Cutting trees and carrying wood to build houses is also a form of exercise. In the past, heavy work was handled by the young and strong. Now, it’s a good opportunity for these youngsters to get some hands-on experience.

Having settled this with his family, Shen Lie went to ask the Shen Jin brothers what they thought.

—

Are Shen Jin and Shen Yin willing?

Yes, they are. For the two brothers, the greatest sense of security now is to become stronger themselves. Shen Yin is still young and has Shen Tie with him, so only Shen Jin will go out. Shen Lie also informed the Chen family, and although Shen Jin is leaving, Shen Yin and Shen Tie can manage on their own, it’s still somewhat reassuring to have Mrs. Chen help look after them.

Mrs. Chen was more than willing. With Ershan leaving the valley, the family had only one young maid left. The rice was already harvested, and there was only a bit of vegetable planting and chicken raising to do, so there wasn’t much work to be done.

As for the other families, the three adults from the Shi family were all outside. Shen Lie first asked the Zhou family in Zhoucun Zheng. The Zhou family had five sons, from oldest to youngest: Ming, Li, Jian, Gong, and He. The older three brothers, Zhou Changming, Zhou Changli, and Zhou Changjian, were all currently in the village, while the youngest, Zhou Changhe, was too small to go out at only five years old. The fourth son, who was thirteen, had never been outside because of his older brothers.

Upon hearing that Shen Lie would personally instruct them, Zhou Cunzheng’s eyes nearly lit up. Before he could even respond, one of the boys rushed out: “Teach, teach, teach! Brother Lie, no, Master, I’m going to bow to you now. Don’t go back on your word.”

It wasn’t Zhou Changgong who was afraid his father wouldn’t let him go.

Zhou Cunzheng laughed heartily, “Ah Lie, there’s no backing out now. I’ll prepare the formal apprenticeship rites immediately, and this boy can go with you tonight.”

Looking at the Lu family, could Lu Dalang’s situation have been predicted before? No. People only reveal their true selves in critical moments of life and death. After this incident, who would dare to protect their children too well? It’s better to throw them out and let them face the storms.

If not for the fifth son being too young, just six years old, throwing him out would only cause trouble. Even the youngest was almost thrown out.

In the small valley, even the slightest movement couldn’t be hidden, especially since the children had a good relationship with each other. By the time Shen Lie left the Zhou family and hadn’t yet asked the other families, the news had already spread. The Shi family’s Daniu and Erniu had no parents at home, so their aunt brought them. From the Xu family, Xu Wenhong, Xu Wenbo, and Wang Yunzheng came, along with Wei Qinghe and his group, who seemed out of place among the children.

Mrs. Xu and her daughter-in-law also arrived. Wei Lingzhen was carrying Xu Wenyin, and upon hearing that Shen Ning and Sang Luo would also learn, the little girl pestered her mother for a long time. Wei Lingzhen, considering the situation of women outside, and though traditionally women were expected to be gentle and quiet, hesitated for a moment. After checking with her mother-in-law and receiving no objections, she ultimately agreed.

“Learn it; having some self-preservation skills isn’t a bad thing, especially with Sang Luo and Shen Ning learning together.”

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law also came with a formal apprenticeship gift.

…

The village outside the valley suddenly became lively overnight.

Except for the nine-year-old Shen Jin, all the older children above ten in the valley came out, even Wei Qinghe, who had little talent, joined in.

Even Xu Wenqing, who was so eager to dive into the mountains, was unwilling to leave and insisted on staying outside the village to pay his respects. Zhou Erlang and Zhou Sanlang, who were also keen on martial arts, were the same.

For months, each family had been gathering food outside the village, and with farming and raising livestock outside the valley, it was suitable for them to stay. Shopkeeper Xu, Uncle Xu, and Zhou Dalang could also follow Shi Dalang and Chen Youtian around the nearby area, so it was fine.

Thus, Shen Lie accepted a large number of disciples calling him Master in one day, including Wei Qinghe, who also smiled and performed the apprenticeship ceremony.

He never imagined things would develop like this.

Unlike the initial private training in Shili Village, which focused on physical strength, endurance, archery, hunting, and climbing, this time Shen Lie concentrated on teaching the fundamental sword and staff techniques he had practiced in the army over the years, as well as military formations.

Of course, for those with high talent and sufficient strength due to their age, like Xu Wenqing, Zhou Changli, and Zhou Changjian, Shen Lie took out several of the family’s collected swords and directly taught them basic sword techniques. Xu Wenqing’s high talent and strong comprehension allowed him to grasp advanced skills Shen Lie had developed through countless battles.

Sang Luo and Shen Ning could only keep up with Shen An and his group’s pace. The Xu siblings found it more challenging, but having stayed in the valley for so long and hearing about the outside world from their elders, they understood that what they were learning were survival and self-preservation skills, and none of it was easy. Even Xu Wenyin, who was just beginning, was in the same boat.

On the first day of training, there was one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon. Without regular exercise, even that was exhausting. After a short rest, there were tasks like chopping trees and transporting wood. By sunset, everyone returned to their mountain caves, too tired to even wash up, almost wanting to lie down and not get up.

Sang Luo, Shen Ning, and Xu Wenyin were fine, as they didn’t have to chop trees. They rested briefly and practiced archery in the area where Chen Youtian had set up several targets. The Gan family, who lived in the same outer village, had watched for a while and now came over to join the fun.

After dinner, everyone had a small task: to carve long sticks for practice over the next two days. Shen Lie explained the requirements for the sticks and let them choose materials from the trees they brought back. He helped pick out the materials for his and Sang Luo’s sticks, and the two of them went back to their cave to prepare.

Sang Luo, thinking about the group outside the village calling Shen Lie “Master,” teasingly asked Shen Lie, “You think I should also call you Master?”

Shen Lie almost cut himself with the knife, glanced at Sang Luo, and after a moment, asked back, “Why don’t you try calling me that?”

Sang Luo smiled and was about to tease him further when Shen Lie, startled, quickly used the back of his hand to cover her lips. “You’re really going to call me that?”

Even ordinary people know etiquette and propriety. If she really called him Master, he wondered if he should let go of his feelings.

When he actually touched the soft and warm skin of her wrist, Shen Lie realized what he was doing and froze.

Sang Luo was also stunned, the air seemed to thicken, and her heartbeat quickened.

Just then, they heard footsteps approaching from a distance, and Shen An and the others’ voices came, saying the wood for the sticks was ready.

Sang Luo suddenly came to her senses, moved back a little.

The warmth on Shen Lie’s wrist turned to a slight coolness, but the softness and heat still seemed to press on his heart, softening his bones and heart.

“Big Brother, do you think this one we picked is okay?”

The children ran over from a distance, and Shen Lie hurriedly pulled his hand back. The two of them acted in sync: one focused on carving the stick, and the other turned to look at Shen An and the others.

Seeing Shen Lie seriously and formally showing the children the wood, already turned away from her, Sang Luo finally smiled.