Read Novel Full Chapter 41.2
Chapter 41 2/2
The next day, after selling fairy tofu in the West Market, Sang Luo bought a few pounds of maltose. In fact, she could make maltose herself, having learned it online. After mastering it, she even made a video once. But it was inconvenient at home right now, so it was better to buy the finished product and melt it for use.
Then she met up with Qin Fangniang in the East Market and bought two large round bamboo sieves for drying things. She also picked up a relatively small rice winnowing basket. When the kitchen was set up and all the utensils were ready, she could use them to scoop rice when steaming.
Of course, this filter was also quite convenient for cooking or washing things.
As she was about to leave, passing by the pancake stall, Sang Luo smelled the fragrance of the pancakes and remembered that yesterday Shen Jin was eagerly discussing with Shen An that if she bought pancakes again, she would share a bite with him.
Thinking back to the last time she bought a pancake, Shen An and Shen Ning didn’t get to eat much. She smiled and took out three cents, then thought for a moment and took out another three cents. She asked the old man selling pancakes for two pancakes, which he wrapped in oil paper and handed over.
Qin Fangniang looked on with curiosity. Their stock had increased a bit lately, and they often didn’t return until after noon. Usually, they would eat some fairy tofu for lunch to fill their stomachs, so there was no need to buy food at this gathering.
Seeing Sang Luo buying pancakes now, she chuckled and said, “Bringing food for Xiao An and Xiao Ning again?”
Sang Luo nodded and added, “Auntie forgot? There are seven kids playing in the field behind my house now. I’ll bring some back for them to taste.”
Hearing this, Qin Fangniang remembered her own two kids. She laughed. “My little girl just likes to join in the fun. Where could she manage a piece of land? She wouldn’t even buy food.”
Moreover, Sang Luo bought two pancakes for six cents. She would only earn seven cents from selling wild vegetables all day today. This was too generous. Thinking about how her whole family had been eating together with Sang Luo’s helpers recently, with plenty of rice and meat, and now she was buying lamb pancakes for them, she couldn’t bring herself to do the same for her own children.
Sang Luo, however, had a stable income from selling fairy tofu recently, and life was gradually getting better. Unlike at the beginning, when she barely had enough to eat, spending a few cents to make a few children who helped her for several days happy didn’t bother her at all.
She smiled and said, “It’s still helping out. I don’t buy every day; just let them enjoy themselves.”
Qin Fangniang, as a mother, couldn’t help but feel inferior. “You spoil those kids too much. No wonder they all like to hang out at your place.”
“As long as you’re not bothered.”
“What do I have to be bothered about? I’m bothered that they have pancakes to eat?”
The two of them joked as they pulled the cart out of the East Market and went to the grain store to buy some food before leaving the county.
…
Returning to the village, they had to stop outside the village first to let Sang Luo take a detour along the small path and bring back some unnecessary items like water buckets and pottery bowls that she couldn’t use for selling vegetables. The maltose and pancakes, which were originally hidden in the buckets, were also taken back.
When she arrived at the door with her load, Sang Luo was glad she had spent an extra three cents to buy two pancakes for the children. Because when she got home, she realized that the clearing team today had not seven but eight people.
Chen Ershan, who was originally on the clearing team, went to help the adults pick yellow clay. With two extra children, Sang Luo didn’t recognize them. It was only after Shen An explained that she learned one was called Hu Zi and the other Er Niu.
Hu Zi was Lu Dalang’s son, and Er Niu, who had heard Shen An mention it a few times, was Shi Erlang’s nephew.
Lu Dalang felt a bit embarrassed and chuckled. “Yesterday, when I got home and talked about Xiao An and the others clearing the land behind the house, Hu Zi and Er Niu heard it. They get along well with Xiao An, so they ran over today.”
Lu’s and Shi’s families were neighbors. Yesterday, the smell of the plum-braised pork from the Shen family’s house wafted everywhere. When they returned after dinner, they inevitably had to talk to the villagers. After the villagers left, only the two families were left. Lu Dalang mentioned what Xiao An and the others were doing behind the house, and that’s when the children got interested.
Children who weren’t familiar with Shen An naturally wouldn’t run over, but those who used to play with him, like the Chen siblings and Shen Jin, who were helping out, were eager to join. They didn’t tell their families and came over with their little hoes in the morning.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Lu Dalang, who was busy with the clay, Sang Luo called a group of children over, thanked them, and then took out the pancakes for Shen An to distribute to the children.
Shi Erlang’s children hadn’t come back from carrying clay, but Lu Dalang was dumbfounded.
They occasionally went to the county to find odd jobs during slack farming periods, so they knew the price of pancakes. Buying two pancakes for a group of children to eat?
Lu Dalang’s mouth hung open, unable to close it.
Sang Luo, with the arrangements for sour jujube cakes and tofu sorted out, had some other calculations in mind. She wasn’t as cautious with the Shi and Lu families, who came to help. She put the pancake in Shen An’s hands and, not seeing Chen Ershan around, reminded him not to forget Chen Ershan’s portion. Then she placed the bucket inside the house, greeted Lu Dalang, and left. Qin Fangniang was still waiting for her at the edge of the mountain outside the village.
Lu Dalang thought about last night’s and today’s lunch dishes. Although they weren’t as extravagant as the plum-braised pork at noon, they were all good. They had meat last night, and today they stewed a pig’s heart. What wasn’t satisfying? It was completely different from other households in the village that just added some meat slices to vegetarian dishes and called it a meat dish.
He wasn’t very meticulous, but now he realizes that this A’lie’s wife probably had some ability to earn money besides selling vegetables. Thinking about Qin Fangniang, who had been going to the county with them every day for the past few days, and recalling the things the Chen family had been helping with, he felt that his speculation was probably not wrong.
Of course, he only vaguely guessed it. Lu Dalang saw Sang Luo carrying the bucket along the small path back and forth, and he also guessed that Sang Luo didn’t want to make a big deal in the village, so naturally, she wouldn’t talk nonsense outside.
As for those kids, they didn’t think much about it at all. All they could see were the pancakes in Shen An’s hands!!!
Shen Jin was so happy that he could almost jump up. He followed Shen An around like a little tail.
…
When Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang entered the village again, what the villagers saw was just a bit of grain, a few inexpensive bamboo utensils, and a few old backpacks.
Little did they know, the eight kids digging on the mountain were having a blast, well, nine kids now, including Chen Ershan, who came back with clay.
The nine kids had cleaned their hands and gathered together to share the pancakes. It was like a celebration, even more beautiful than the New Year.
You wonder if Shen Jin washed his hands today.
Yes, because when Sang Luo brought back the bucket and took out the cakes to share with Shen An, she said they should all wash their hands before eating. Shen An couldn’t make Shen Jin wash his hands, but Sang Luo’s words surprisingly worked.
Of course, it worked. In Shen Jin’s eyes, his sister-in-law was too generous!
I actually bought pancakes!
He had been thinking about tasting what kind of pancakes they were. Even though Shen Jin had no idea what (háo) meant, it didn’t stop his thoughts from flowing!
When his sister-in-law spoke up, not only asking him to wash his hands but also to wash his face and mouth and then dip his head in the mountain spring water before eating, that’s just authoritative!
Shen An: …