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

Chapter 213: Pressure

With over fifty days remaining before the county academy entrance exam, Shen Lie had duties to attend to and was responsible for the family’s finances. He also had goods to transport outside the village, so he couldn’t dedicate himself entirely to exam preparation.

After settling the family affairs, repairing the main gate of the estate, and checking the surrounding walls, he instructed everyone in the estate to keep their weapons hidden carefully. The next morning, he took Sang Luo and the bamboo slips she had copied for him and set off with Chen Dashan and a group of six back to the mountains.

Wang Yunzheng spent a day back at the Wang family home, then the next day went with his uncle and aunt to pay respects to his grandparents before returning to Daxing Village.

Shen Lie, responsible for the family’s finances, couldn’t dedicate himself entirely to studying. Similarly, those staying in the village faced the same challenge.

Focusing entirely on studies was impractical; in farming households, the needs of the land took precedence. Though studying for a better future was important, the newly acquired land, overgrown with weeds, needed immediate attention to ensure it could be planted come spring. Without clearing it, the whole family would face hunger, even if the government exempted them from taxes.

Everyone shared this understanding. Even Wang Yunzheng, who grew up in the Wang family, and Wei Qinghe, who had lived in the mountains for years, knew that when food was scarce, even weeds had to be mixed with rice and beans. Only those who had experienced hunger understood the value of food.

During the latter half of October, the forty-two people left behind in the village, except for Zhou Cunzheng’s five-year-old grandson and Feng Liuniang, who was heavily pregnant and could only do light work, were all busy in the fields. Occasionally, the younger ones would venture into the nearby mountains to clear paths and gather firewood from their assigned perpetual fields, hoping to catch some wild game. However, after several days, they found none, likely because city dwellers were also searching for food.

After spending half a month, Shen Lie and his group finally brought the first batch of people down from the mountains. This group consisted of those from the neighboring village and the village where the Zhou family used to live. Shen Lie, Sang Luo, and the entire village outside the mountains were trusted by these mountain people, so those living closest to them became the first to migrate with Shen Lie.

They also brought back the mountain chickens, rabbits, and sheep they had been taking care of. While the chickens and rabbits were easy to manage, the sheep were more challenging. However, with so many people moving out, the sheep, already familiar with their owners, were led out smoothly.

Every household had sheep, including the three Shen brothers who had two each. In total, there were over twenty sheep from the village, and with neighboring villagers having swapped a few sheep last year, nearly forty sheep were brought out by the seventy to eighty people. It was quite a sight.

Fortunately, not all had to go to the city gate. More than twenty sheep were sent to Daxing Village.

Zhou Cunzheng’s grandson, who had been playing in the mud outside, heard the sheep bleating and saw Shen Lie and the others returning with a large flock of sheep. He joyfully ran inside, shouting, “Grandpa, Grandpa, my third uncle is back, bringing our sheep!”

The workers in the fields heard the commotion and came out. Sang Luo and Shen Ning quickly emerged and, seeing the five sheep from their home, hurried to Shen Lie with joy.

Among the sheep, one particularly friendly four-month-old lamb nuzzled Sang Luo’s leg, bleating up at her.

Sang Luo patted its head, her eyes full of joy. “You managed to bring them all out?”

She had thought they’d only come back with dried meat.

Shen Lie, noticing the unspoken question in her eyes, smiled. “They were quite obedient, following us all the way. The larger ones were even more alert than people when there were wild animals around.”

Mrs. Chen and the others gradually emerged, delighted to see their own sheep. With the estate currently lacking in everything, this was a welcome addition.

A group of onlookers from the neighboring village, who had been peeking at Daxing Village, were astonished. A woman called out to Sang Luo, “Madam Sang.”

Sang Luo noticed people still standing outside and stepped out to greet them. “You all came out?”

The woman nodded repeatedly, looking enviously inside. “The government really gave you so much land? This land is yours now?”

Having heard this several times, seeing it in person was still a shock.

Sang Luo smiled and nodded. “Yes, the more men you have, the more land you get. And the earlier you come out, the more options you have. Don’t delay. Go with Shen Lie and the others to the city gate for registration.”

The crowd responded eagerly, and some women, who had become somewhat familiar with Sang Luo over the years, said, “I wish we could be closer to you. You’ve taken care of us these years, so we’re familiar with you. Once we’re settled, we’ll come to visit.”

After exchanging greetings with Mrs. Chen and the others, Shen Lie didn’t waste time. He told Sang Luo which rabbits and chickens were their own and said, “Let’s tie the sheep to a tree on the edge of the mountain for now. I’ll come back soon to help set up a simple pen.”

Sang Luo looked at him and, seeing his good spirits, nodded. “Got it. Hurry back, and also help Master Xing find a good place for them.”

“Understood.”

…

The city gate of Shezhou was bustling again, with sixty to seventy people carrying baskets and bundles, and most notably, a dozen or so sheep.

Sheep!

Such a sight was rare in Shezhou now.

The wealthy households’ estates were all outside the city and had been ravaged. Only those with sufficiently large properties might have managed to keep some live sheep and chickens, and even then, only if they had enough food to sustain them. The streets were empty of such sights.

Even the officials handling registration at the city gate, including the constables, swallowed in amazement.

As the group got closer, Master Xing, who had been to Daxing Village before, recognized Shen Lie’s group and saw not only sheep but also mountain chickens and wild rabbits.

“Brother Shen!” he called out, hurrying over.

“Master Xing,” Shen Lie greeted, cupping his hands. “This is the first batch of people we’ve brought out. I hope you can arrange a good place for them.”

“Of course. How many people are there?”

“Seventy-three.”

Master Xing’s eyes lit up, and he patted Shen Lie’s shoulder. “Well done. Master Chu will be pleased to hear this.”

He then called for someone to take the mountain people for registration.

Shen Lie went to see the situation, where the mountain people were already lining up. The person at the front was asking questions about the land—whether it was truly available and where it would be located.

Master Xing approached, picked a page from a stack of maps on the clerk’s desk, and placed it over the one the clerk had been using. “Brother Shen brought these people from the mountains. Choose from this area; it’s closer to the state capital.”

Although Shen Lie had claimed not to know where people were in the mountains, given the trust the mountain people had in him, he spoke up to ensure they were recognized.

“Alright,” the clerk said indifferently, as all the land was to be distributed anyway.

The mountain people in line were thrilled, repeatedly thanking the officials. They also bowed to Shen Lie and Chen Dashan.

Shen Lie smiled and thanked Master Xing as well. Seeing everything in order, he bid farewell. “You’ve all worked hard here. We need to set out again tomorrow, so we’ll head back now. There are still many things to handle at home.”

“It’s nothing to mention. It’s expected. You get on with your business,” Master Xing said, pleased that Shen Lie and his group would continue their efforts. The better Shezhou became, the better their own conditions would be. He smiled as he saw them off.

As Shen Lie and the others departed, the young men in the crowd called out, “Safe travels, Master Shen! Safe travels, Master Chen!”

Master Xing was more certain now; they were indeed familiar faces.

Though more familiarity would be even better.

—

When Shen Lie returned home, Shen An and Shen Jin were not weeding; instead, they had gone to the mountains to chop wood. Sang Luo and Shen Ning had just settled the chickens, rabbits, and sheep temporarily, providing them with some food and clean water.

Shen Lie looked at the seven or eight acres of land that had been plowed. The garden behind the house had already been worked on, and winter vegetables were sown, now sprouting.

The afternoon was spent building a simple sheep pen, which was finally completed as night fell. The two sheep from Shen Jin’s family were also temporarily housed here.

“The rabbit house won’t be ready in time. Xiao An and Xiao Jin will gather some bamboo tomorrow to build it,” Shen Lie said.

Since rabbits dig holes, a simple enclosure wouldn’t suffice; the ground needed to be covered with bamboo boards.

Shen An and Shen Jin agreed.

The brothers went home for dinner. Seeing Shen Lie’s hard work, Sang Luo, aware he had likely been eating roasted meat daily in the mountains, prepared a meal: steamed cured meat and braised winter bamboo shoots.

However, they could only have bean rice for now, as the stored grains brought to the mountains years ago had been used up. Although some food could be grown in the valley, and their conditions were better than other mountain people, the rice yield was limited. Beans remained their staple food.

As they sat down, Sang Luo asked, “Are you resting for the night, then heading back to the mountains tomorrow?”

Shen Lie nodded. “The mountain people need time to move out. I figure we’ll need to make at least two more trips. By the end of November, we’ll need to stop for a while, or we might miss the state academy’s entrance exam. As for the Lu family, they’re still in the mountains. Even if Uncle Lu doesn’t say it, he’s likely thinking about it. If Wen Qing and I can’t go, they’ll probably hurry to get people as well.”

Sang Luo nodded. “That’s good. This trip brought enough people to allocate ten acres of mountain land to our family. With two more trips, we should be able to get more. We’ll have eight or nine days to prepare before the state academy’s exam.”

When Shen Lie heard Sang Luo mention preparing for the state academy exam, he tightened his grip on his chopsticks. Though Shen An and Shen Ning were present, he said nothing, merely nodding.

At night, after washing up and settling down, just the couple remained. After a moment of tenderness, Shen Lie asked Sang Luo, “Do you really think I have a chance at the state academy?”

Though he had only studied formally for three years—his first year being very busy, barely finishing the “Thousand Word Classic”—his time became more manageable in the next two years. With Sang Luo’s constant support and teaching, he felt stronger compared to others who had to focus on martial arts. However, compared to those like Wang Yunzheng and Wei Qinghe, who had a solid foundation from a young age, Shen Lie doubted his own abilities.

How many wealthy young scholars like Wang Yunzheng were there in Shezhou?

Sang Luo nestled close to him. “Feeling pressured?”

Shen Lie looked at her. “I’m afraid of disappointing you.”

“It’s just a trial. Don’t be too anxious. If it doesn’t work out, we can be content with a modest life. If it does…” She placed Shen Lie’s hand on her abdomen. “Maybe the future will be more satisfying and secure.”

Feeling her warmth, Shen Lie’s heart softened. Since they decided to leave, they no longer had to be overly cautious. He swallowed, half-lifted himself to touch her lips, and then rolled over to embrace her again.