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

Chapter 279: Departure

At Daxing Village, after Sang Luo and Shen Lie returned home, most of the villagers were present, except for those who had work in the workshops or shops, or those who had rushed back to the state academy to resume their studies. Even Shopkeeper Xu had returned upon hearing the news. The families gathered in the Shen family courtyard to wait for the couple.

It had been over an hour since the edict was read, and most people had come to terms with the reality, though there was still a lingering sense of uncertainty. Even if everyone regarded it as a joyous occasion and tried not to show their feelings, Sang Luo could see through their pretense.

Especially Mrs. Chen.

Sang Luo was closest to her. Over the years, whether it was the silks awarded by the emperor or the delicious food from home, she had never forgotten her. The reluctance and sadness were palpable.

Sang Luo smiled and gently squeezed the old lady’s hand, trying to offer comfort, but Mrs. Chen spoke first: “It’s nothing. It’s a great thing. Going to the capital is wonderful. Look at you, coming from such a distance, now you’ve gone from a county lady to a county princess. I asked Jiu Niang, and the county princess is very prestigious, just one rank below the county princess consort, which is only reserved for the emperor’s relatives. Dashan and Ershan can still run their business in the capital and see you.”

Though she said this, her tears began to well up when she looked at Sang Luo. Her eyes reddened.

Despite her words about the family continuing their business and being able to visit the capital, the old lady knew she was getting older each year and couldn’t travel with her grandsons. It was likely that future meetings would become even rarer. This thought made the tears flow uncontrollably, no matter how hard she tried to wipe them away.

Old Man Chen, feeling awkward, coughed twice and said quietly, “Why are you crying? It’s a joyful event.”

Seeing the old lady’s tears, Sang Luo also started to cry. She remembered vividly the month after she had crossed over, when Old Man Chen and Mrs. Chen had climbed the mountain to bring her some malt sugar and rice for nourishment with a bamboo stick used for killing snakes.

Mrs. Chen had spoken harshly then, but her heart had been soft.

Sang Luo’s eyes were also red as she hugged Mrs. Chen: “Grandmother, you and Grandpa can come to the capital with me. I’ll take care of you and Grandpa.”

Her words amused Mrs. Chen: “You’ve always been so sweet since I’ve known you.”

Sang Luo smiled: “I’m serious. My life was saved by Grandpa and Grandma. Taking care of you both is only right. I’m afraid you both might not care much for your grandchildren now, but only for Ah Rui.”

Chen Dashan and Zhou Ge’s son was named Chen Rui. Chen Dashan had asked Shen Lie to help choose a name from several options and settled on the word Rui.

Mrs. Chen laughed: “You’re right. Now, I’m indeed fond of my great-grandchild.”

The lighthearted conversation dispersed the tears. Sang Luo became serious and said: “I’m serious. My home is where Grandma and Grandpa’s home is. You can live comfortably in the county princess’s residence. If you want to raise chickens, ducks, or grow vegetables, you can do so. The emperor has granted me a 500-acre estate. I’ll build a few more small courtyards there. It’ll still be like Daxing Village. If you’re fond of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren, we can all live together there. It will be perfect, and Ah Rui can study in the capital when he gets older.”

Sang Luo turned to Zhou Cunzheng, Shopkeeper Xu, and others and said, “Uncle Zhou, Uncle Xu, Uncle Shi, and Grandpa Lu, the same goes for all of you.”

Everyone laughed. Chen Dashan said, “My Ah Rui is still young; I’ll definitely go to the capital before him.”

This informal exchange elicited more laughter and lightened the mood significantly.

Shopkeeper Xu said, “If my Wenhong and Wenbo manage to pass the state exam and come to the capital for the imperial exam, we might trouble you.”

Lu Erlang said, “Our family is counting on Ah Xu.”

Shi Dalang looked at his son and nephew, clicking his tongue. Running a business is fine, but it seems they’re not cut out for the imperial exams.

The conversation and laughter meant that no one took these remarks too seriously. Nonetheless, it was reassuring to know that if they needed to go to the capital in the future, they wouldn’t have to worry about finding a place to stay.

With such a joyous occasion at the Shen family, Sang Luo decided to invite everyone for dinner that evening, setting up a few tables to celebrate.

Of course, the women took care of the cooking, and with everything in the village, they had no trouble preparing several tables of food.

After ensuring that everything at home was settled, Shen Lie and Shen An hurried back to the state academy.

—

At the Shezhou post house, Cen Xi opened the door and called a young attendant to bring some hot water to wash away the dust from his face. When he turned back and closed the door, he noticed someone new in the room.

He was startled but quickly calmed himself, recalling the signal he had left outside Daxing Village.

Indeed, the young man who had appeared without a sound held up a golden token with the word “Qi” on it.

It was An Qi.

“Eunuch Cen, what can I do for you?”

This was Cen Xi’s first time seeing An Qi’s real face. Of course, he wasn’t sure if that face was truly his… An Guards had their own special methods.

Cen Xi didn’t dwell on it. He recognized the identity token as legitimate. After confirming the token, Cen Xi took out a letter from his sleeve and said, “The emperor has a task for you.”

An Qi took the letter, read it, and then, understanding, clasped his hands in a bow and was about to leave. However, he seemed to remember something and took out a small pouch from his sleeve, handing it to Cen Xi. “Eunuch Cen, if you visit Daxing Village again around Youzheng time today, it would be advisable.”

The person left quickly, and Cen Xi examined the pouch. At first, he couldn’t figure out what it contained, but upon opening it, he found five small white pieces, each about the size of a fingernail.

Taking one piece out to inspect, he saw nothing unusual, but when he put it back in the pouch, he noticed his fingertips were tinged with a bit of white powder.

He rubbed his fingertips and put the items back in the pouch, wondering, “Youzheng?”

—

Youzheng time.

In Daxing Village, after everyone had finished their meal, they were enjoying some hot tea and chatting. Mainly, Chen Youtian and Zhou Cunzheng were sharing stories about the capital, including the palace, the emperor, the court, the officials, and the imperial estates. The villagers listened with rapt attention.

Even honest Chen Youtian was animatedly discussing the emperor’s virtues and rewards with Zhou Cunzheng, though neither had dared to look directly at the emperor throughout.

Meanwhile, Cen Xi, dressed in plain clothes, had followed An Qi’s instructions and, with a few attendants, discreetly arrived at Daxing Village.

An Qi hadn’t specified what to look for, but once in Daxing Village, it was easy to find the answer.

The presence of a school in the small village was commendable, but it seemed unnecessary for him to be sent specifically to check it out.

After observing for a while from behind a group of people at a window, Cen Xi raised his eyebrows and touched the pouch given by An Qi.

After spending nearly a quarter of an hour inspecting various angles of the classroom, Cen Xi understood why An Qi had asked him to visit.

He led his attendants directly to the Shen family home.

The Shen family courtyard door was open, and the attending young servant knocked on the second gate to signal those inside.

“Eunuch Cen?”

Shen Lie and Sang Luo hurried out to greet him.

—

Cen Xi and the officials from the Department of Agriculture stayed for another two days. During his visit to Shezhou, Cen Xi not only inspected the local farmers and the use of compost and crop rotation but also brought back a substance called chalk and the molds for making it to the capital.

Before leaving, he also visited several newly established rural schools in Shezhou.

Sang Luo and Shen Lie personally sent them off, inquiring about their estate in the suburbs of the capital and preparing many local specialties from Daxing Village for them to take back.

Cen Xi, who had never tasted bread, cakes, and egg tarts before, was taken aback: “…”

He thought the Shen family should have arrived in the capital sooner; he wanted to bring these treats to the emperor but couldn’t.

He could only enjoy them himself.

The officials from the Department of Agriculture returned home fully loaded.

—

With the visitors from the capital sent off, Sang Luo could finally focus on arranging the fields and industries in Shezhou.

She entrusted the production of noodles and tofu to the Chen family. She also began teaching them how to make yam noodles, a project she had wanted to start but had been unable to due to a lack of materials after the yam was bought by the government for distribution.

Of course, since there was no yam at the moment, they could start by teaching how to make regular noodles, which could be easily adapted to yam noodles with slight adjustments to the recipe later.

In Da Qi, there were no noodles in strips, and the noodles that were available were mostly flat and irregular, known as soup cakes.

The dried and preserved noodles and yam noodles could become new products from Daxing Village after this year’s wheat and yam harvest.

Additionally, there was a particularly delicious option: yam vermicelli.

However, since there were no sweet potatoes here and even cassava, which is a poor substitute, was absent, Sang Luo was unsure if they could make yam vermicelli with the available ingredients. The method was similar to making mung bean vermicelli, so it would be up to the Chen family to explore and experiment with it in the future.

Sang Luo had taught the Chen family how to make noodles and vermicelli, and now they were focusing on fermented bean curd, cold rabbit, dried meat, pork floss, bread, cakes, and egg tarts.

Shen Ning was somewhat reluctant, as these things were indeed quite profitable, and she didn’t want to simply give away the recipes.

Sang Luo, however, was more open-minded. She said, “In the capital, we’ll need people to make these things anyway. Do you really plan to make them ourselves for a lifetime? How much can we produce ourselves? Besides, doesn’t that mean we’re bound to work for money our whole lives? It’s pointless. Money is only important up to a point; once we have enough, it’s just a number, and that’s enough.”

She explained that even the Chen family would be guided towards gradually operating their own factory. They couldn’t be tied down by a recipe for a lifetime. In modern times, there are no more secrets left; anyone who wants to learn can, and business will continue.

As for the high profits, many of Sang Luo’s current prices were marked up primarily because of the cost of raw materials, with skill and secret recipes coming second.

With the government’s focus on agriculture, the methods for pig slaughter and crop cultivation she proposed would likely lead to lower grain and meat prices in the near future. Many products would start decreasing in price as the overall environment improved in a year or two.

—

When Chen Dashan and the others returned from delivering goods to various counties, Sang Luo planned to invite the Chen family to discuss matters.

Shen Jin, after considering for a moment, stopped Shen Tie before he left to find someone.

“Sister-in-law, if you trust me, teach me the recipes. If Ah Ning can do it, so can Xiao Yin and Xiao Tie. I promise the recipes won’t be leaked.”

Sang Luo was taken aback. “You’re not going to the capital with us?”

Her question surprised Shen Jin’s three brothers as well. Shen Tie, the youngest, who wasn’t burdened by the previous generations’ grudges and was usually the closest to Sang Luo and Shen Ning, brightened up at the question. “Will we be going with you?”

He was aware that the first and third branches of the family had separated and lived as two households.

However, they often stayed at their elder brother and sister-in-law’s house, especially since their own house had been given up for the school, so they were now living here.

“Of course you’re coming. You’re so young, and you want to stay here by yourselves?”

Shen Tie’s eyes lit up, and he smiled widely with joy.

Shen Yin, fidgeting with his fingers, asked, “What about the land?”

He was evidently tempted.

Shen Ning said, “We can hire people to farm it. If we find two workers, it should be manageable. We can ask Uncle Zhao and Uncle Zhou to help oversee it. The harvest each year can be transported or sold to the local workshops or shops.”

The Zhao family was reliable, and Uncle Zhao was smart. He would likely manage the hired workers in the future. Uncle Zhou referred to Zhou Cunzheng.

Shen Jin, however, was deeply conflicted. Seeing his younger brothers’ reactions only made him more unsure. He eventually shook his head. “Sister-in-law, with so many businesses and fields here, we can’t leave the family without anyone. I’ll focus on the business. I’ll stay here.”

This statement left Shen Tie and Shen Yin, who were initially excited, in shock. Both turned to look at their elder brother.

Shen Yin said, “Then, I’ll stay here too.”

Shen Tie looked from his elder brother to Sang Luo and Shen Ning, deeply conflicted. If this were when they were younger, he would have been sulking.

Ultimately, having grown up and changed, he hesitated before saying, “I’ll stay here too.”

Sang Luo: “…”

Shen Ning: “…”

One was thirteen, one eleven, and one ten.

Sang Luo pointed at Shen Yin and Shen Tie and looked at Shen Jin. “Are you sure? You’re going to be running the business, and they’re just eleven and ten years old.”

“For the sake of the family’s land and businesses, it’s unnecessary. The villagers here have deep bonds with us, and the workers are honest. There’s no need to specially leave anyone behind. Think it over again.”