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

Chapter 198: Teach?

Some things have long germinated, but one person, aware of the chaotic state of the world and still young, is unwilling to let them grow; the other remembers the promises made and sees Sang Luo as perfect in every way, unwilling to risk breaking promises, finding contentment just in being close to her day and night, as if lying in a cloud of honey, feeling immeasurably satisfied.

Despite sharing meals, travel, and living together, even sleeping side by side at night, the person who truly controls the boundaries between them has always been Sang Luo.

Sang Luo has always been clear-headed. In this chaotic world and given her current age, she does not overthink things. Deep down, she is not truly sixteen. Occasionally, she may be tempted by male attractiveness, but it’s just a matter of admiring from a distance. She quickly regains her composure, often noticing Shen Lie’s ears turning red and feeling like a shy fawn.

However, this unexpected touch tonight made her heartbeat momentarily disordered. But soon, she felt at ease, realizing that liking Shen Lie was actually a natural thing. She did not reject the vague feelings she had; in fact, she welcomed them.

So… apart from not provoking the fire, it was best to follow her true feelings.

…

At night, Shen An and Shen Jin went to Chen Youtian’s cave, while Shen Ning slept with Sang Luo.

Sang Luo and Shen Lie had long been accustomed to certain distances. Now, with Shen Ning there, she had no lingering defenses against Shen Lie. Shen Ning slept on the inner side, so Sang Luo naturally took the outer side of the bed.

To her, it seemed perfectly natural. When Shen Ning wasn’t there, even if she slept in the middle of the bed, she would often wake up on the outer side, with Shen Lie on the nearby bed visible as soon as she opened her eyes.

For Sang Luo, this was a safe distance she had accepted. Little did she know, to Shen Lie, the meaning was quite different; if he had a flower in his heart, it would be blooming with joy.

That night was naturally filled with pleasant dreams, but as the dream continued, it became almost too good to be true. In the dream, that rich and soft pair of lips was no longer fleetingly touching the back of his hand or his wrist.

His fingertips made contact.

Shen Lie couldn’t quite describe the sensation; he only realized it was just a dream upon waking. However, the tension, palpitations, longing, and joy from the dream felt vividly real.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he turned to look at Sang Luo. On many mornings before, he would wake early and greedily admire her sleeping face before she woke. Back then, his gaze was entirely filled with her. Today was different, though; his eyes unconsciously fixed on her rosy lips.

After a few breaths, or perhaps several tens of breaths, the sensation under his fingertips still seemed real. Shen Lie swallowed hard and quickly closed his eyes in embarrassment.

…

Training had become a daily routine outside the village. It took three days to transition from gasping for breath while running with a heavy load at the forest’s edge to running while reciting verses.

A few mountain folks who had escaped into the inner areas lived a bit further from the village. Since autumn began, no fewer than six households had settled there.

The inner areas had settlements: one was the village outside the valley where Shen Lie and his group lived, and the other was the area built with the Zhou family at its center, which Shen Lie had helped establish. The later arrivals, fearful of venturing out, chose to settle quietly in the nearby area after observing it for a while.

With enough people, there were relatively fewer wild animals. Some seemingly upright neighbors began farming, raising chickens and rabbits. This was quite different from the outside world, where survival relied on killing and robbing. Being closer to them provided a sense of security.

It was a contradictory and difficult choice: wanting to rely on others but afraid to lower one’s guard. So, they settled at a self-imposed safe distance, avoiding interference with each other’s territories. When encountering one another, they silently bypassed each other, forming a strange tacit understanding.

As this understanding persisted, the neighbors noticed that the group frequently hunting in the area had new developments, at least the two households closest to them could tell.

They couldn’t see the practice of sticks, rods, knives, and arrows, but in the mornings, before Shi Dalang and his young men left the village, Shen Lie and his large group of disciples would make a considerable noise running with heavy loads on the nearby bare mountain peaks.

Some curious onlookers would listen from a distance and occasionally catch a glimpse when the group moved from one peak to another. They didn’t dare to get close, probably unwilling to be observed. The sides of the nearby mountains had been stripped of trees, making it difficult to hide, and any approach would likely be noticed.

…

On the fifth day of training, guests arrived at the village outside the valley. They were none other than Zhou Laizi and his son, Feng Dalang, Feng Erlang, and Gan Erlang.

It turned out that the people from Shili Village hadn’t been seen for over ten days. Although it was known that Shen Lie and his group avoided competing for resources by going in another direction for gathering and hunting, it had been far too long without a sighting.

Gan Erlang and the Feng brothers had relatives here, so they naturally worried. Even Zhou Laizi and his group were concerned, fearing that Shili Village might have encountered some trouble. Shen Lie and his group had originally informed Zhou Laizi, the Gan family, and Feng Liuniang’s brothers of their approximate location, so they came out of concern.

The mountains were deep and the forest dense, but knowing the general direction and distance, places with frequent activity were still fairly easy to find. As they neared the location, they still couldn’t see any sign of people or caves. From a distance, they heard loud voices.

Zhou Laizi and the others paused, listened carefully, and realized it wasn’t the sound of a fight but rather organized and orderly. They quickened their pace, following the sound and the already-trodden path, and were momentarily stunned when they saw the scene in the clearing ahead.

From short to tall, the scene was orderly and the way they handled the sticks was impressive!!!!

Goodness, they were at a loss for words, their faces filled with shock and admiration.

No wonder they hadn’t seen Shen Lie and Sang Luo. One was acting as a coach, and the other was learning. How could they have had time to visit them?

Zhou Laizi had brought his second son today, and both father and son swallowed hard as they took in the sight.

They had known that Shen Lie led his familiar group of boys in early morning practice back in Shili Village, running and teaching hunting. Now they saw that he also taught this kind of stick technique, and that both young and old were practicing martial arts?

Not just Zhou Laizi and his son, but the Feng brothers and Gan Erlang were also stunned.

These were people who had experienced hardships before coming here. They couldn’t help but think—powerful, enviable, and rightfully so!

Shen Lie had seen them earlier and had been training for over half an hour. He let Xu Wenqing finish the last few forms and went to greet them.

“Uncle Zhou, what brings you here?”

Zhou Laizi was still staring in disbelief. Most of the children were familiar to him, but seeing them wielding sticks so impressively, with such spirit, was a stark contrast to how they appeared in the village.

When Shen Lie approached and asked, Zhou Laizi finally pulled his gaze away and said, “We hadn’t seen you for over ten days and were really worried, so we came to check on you.”

Shen Lie smiled and said, “We took a group out for hunting and gathering in the mountains, and I’ve been training everyone, so I didn’t have time to visit.”

“I see.”

With this explanation, Zhou Laizi and the others understood. While they were out gathering, it was necessary to leave capable people behind in the village.

While Zhou Laizi was talking to Shen Lie, Feng Dalang, Feng Erlang, and Gan Erlang were captivated by the stick-fighting group. Especially watching Xu Wenqing at the front, whose stick techniques made the long stick almost vibrate into a blur, they were amazed by the power. If such techniques were used against ill-intentioned people, it would be quite effective.

Their admiration was almost overflowing.

Before they could say much, Xu Wenqing had completed the final form and called out, “Master, after finishing this set of stick techniques, should we continue practicing?”

Shen Lie turned around and said, “Let’s take a break.”

The group of children cheered.

Sang Luo found it amusing and walked over with her long stick, greeting Zhou Laizi.

Zhou Laizi looked at her with approval. Despite the coolness of the mountains, Sang Luo’s cheeks were rosy and her nose still had a fine sweat. He praised, “Ah Lie’s wife is really skilled. She can handle both the bow and arrow and the long stick so well.”

Sang Luo laughed upon hearing this. Talent is important, but her impressive skills were the result of over half an hour of additional training from Shen Lie in front of the cave at night. She replied, “I’m flattered, but I’m still just showing off. I need more practice to truly be able to protect myself.”

She then addressed Feng Dalang and the others, “The people who stayed in the village should also make the most of their time to practice. The inner area won’t remain peaceful forever. As more people come in from outside, some may also bring trouble.”

Feng Dalang said, “Everyone is practicing archery, but mostly the young and strong men and boys aged fourteen or fifteen.”

The women and children hadn’t really practiced these skills. They still subconsciously viewed women and children as those needing protection. Now, seeing Shen Lie’s group, Zhou Laizi noticed the youngest in practice was about ten years old.

Zhou Laizi knew Shen Jin was nine.

Looking at Sang Luo and the others, Zhou Laizi remembered the first time he went hunting with Shen Lie’s group. Sang Luo was extremely adept at climbing trees, and she had shot a wolf herself. Now, she was practicing not just archery but also stick techniques. Zhou Laizi thought about it and decided that while he wasn’t sure where to find a teacher for stick techniques, he should at least have his two daughters learn archery.

Sang Luo heard Feng Dalang’s words and said, “Archery is effective at a distance, but if someone gets close, it’s hard to use.”

She glanced at Shen Lie. Shen Lie understood her concerns. The village and their surrounding area had deep connections, so he was naturally thinking of their well-being. He asked Feng Dalang and the others, “Would you like to learn stick techniques?”

Weapons are necessary, but long sticks can be easily found in the mountains.

Feng Dalang and the others’ eyes lit up. “Will you teach us?”

Shen Lie smiled and said, “I’ll teach you, but…”

With the valley’s existence, it wasn’t ideal to have too many people coming and going. He thought for a moment, then looked at Gan Erlang and the others. “I’ve already taught the three of you, so it will be just the three of you learning from me for now. Once you’ve learned, you can go back and teach others.”

There was no reason to refuse. The three were overjoyed and agreed immediately.

Daniu and Erniu had seen their uncle earlier and came over to listen. Shi Daniu, smiling, teased, “Uncle, you’ll need to formally become our disciple. We all took the matter seriously and made formal pledges to our teacher.”

Shi Erniu, being mischievous, moved closer to Gan Erlang and joked, “Uncle, does that mean you need to call me ‘senior brother’?”

Gan Erlang, while playfully knocking Shi Erniu’s head, said, “You’re taking advantage of me with your cheeky mouth?”

Despite the playful teasing, Gan Erlang said earnestly to Shen Lie, “Daniu is right. It’s proper to formally become a disciple. I’ll prepare a formal pledge and bring it tomorrow.”

The Feng brothers also nodded in agreement. “We also intend to formally become disciples. We’ve already learned quite a bit from you, and we realize now that we should have shown proper respect.”

Shen Lie was used to the lively antics of the kids. Even Wei Qinghe now called him “Master” with a smile, and he had adapted well to it. He just smiled and said, “You can prepare your own long sticks. What I’m teaching is some military techniques. It’s not too difficult to pick up, but it’s crucial to practice. The key elements are agility, speed, strength, and some techniques. I’ll explain more about what you need to learn tomorrow. For the first few days, practicing for an hour here each day should be sufficient. The rest of the time, you can practice on your own.”

The Feng brothers and Gan Erlang readily agreed. Gan Erlang also inspected the long sticks his nephews were carrying, noting the type of wood used, before returning them.

What started as a visit to check if something was wrong here turned into an unexpected gain—a new teacher.

After discussing the main matters, Feng Dalang put down the basket he had been carrying on his back and took out two bags, handing them to Shen Lie and Sang Luo. He said, “We’ve picked some walnuts and red dates. Try some. The other portion is for my sister, to share with the children and in-laws.”

They didn’t see Feng Liuniang or Mrs. Lu, so they didn’t ask any questions.

It was clear that the walnuts and red dates weren’t just from the Feng family. Gan Erlang and Zhou Laizi had also brought some. Like Feng Dalang, Gan Erlang gave one portion to his nephews to take back and the other to Shen Lie, his master.

Zhou Laizi had two bags as well, and he cheerfully said that one bag was for Shen Lie and Sang Luo, while the other was for the Chen family.

Sang Luo touched the two bags woven from rushes and praised the fine craftsmanship. “Are these made by Aunt or Ah Ge?”

Zhou Laizi scratched his head and smiled, “Ah Ge made them.”

Sang Luo smiled and complimented the excellent craftsmanship. “Alright, Aunt Youtian and the others also went foraging. I’ll bring it back to her later.”

She accepted the items and then called Shen An to take them back to the cave.

Zhou Laizi didn’t leave but hesitated for a moment before saying, “Ah Lie’s wife, can you and Ah Lie come with me to talk somewhere else?”

Sang Luo was a bit surprised but nodded. Shen Lie naturally followed along. After they walked some distance, Shen Lie asked, “Uncle Zhou, what’s on your mind?”

Zhou Laizi seemed uncomfortable and said to Sang Luo, “About what you mentioned last time, the yams should be ready to dig up by now, right?”

Sang Luo was taken aback but nodded, “Yes, they should have been ready to dig up for over ten days now. Uncle Zhou, haven’t you dug any yet?”

The term “you” directly gave Zhou Laizi the answer he was looking for. He scratched his head and said, “We didn’t know if others could eat it. Since you taught us, I wanted to ask if we should avoid people. We haven’t seen you come over, so we haven’t dug any yet.”

He was uncertain about how to avoid others while digging, and without Sang Luo’s confirmation, he hadn’t dared to start.

How sincere.

Sang Luo thought that once she had taught them, the Zhou family would dig up the yams themselves when the time came. Naturally, if the Zhou family dug them up, the rest of the village would find out, and soon everyone would know. So, she didn’t bother to go back and teach them again. Before dealing with the Wang Chunniang incident, she and Shen Lie had already dug up nearly a hundred pounds themselves.

Then there were the matters with the Lu family’s main branch, Shen Yin’s illness, and the ongoing drills. She forgot about it entirely, as she didn’t see a need to keep track; it was something she had already taught.

“Uncle Zhou, you can dig them up now. You should also teach the others in the village—both digging and planting. This way, you won’t be short of them next year.”

A look of joy spread across Zhou Laizi’s weathered old face, crinkling into a smile. He eagerly replied, “Alright, I’ll go back and teach them.”

Sang Luo thought of something and told Zhou Laizi, “Actually, besides our two villages, there are quite a few people hiding in the mountains around here. You, or other people in your village, should teach them how to eat and grow the magic beans, devil’s tofu, and yams.

“Our area has many mountains and forests. How many people are there hiding in the mountains around Qiyang County? Sometimes, not having enough to eat can lead to more malice. On the other hand, having sufficient food can greatly improve safety, don’t you think?”

Most people are inherently good; if they can fill their bellies with food from the mountains and grow crops from the land, how many would choose to burn, kill, and rob?

Zhou Laizi listened thoughtfully and then nodded, “That makes sense. I’ll make sure to tell everyone when I get back.”

In conditions where survival is possible, most people would prefer to live peacefully rather than as malevolent beings. How many people are left in Qiyang County? Excluding those who were captured, and those who had hidden away in the mountains early on, there might be only about two thousand people who escaped from the county.

Even Shen Lie found it hard to believe there were still that many.