Read Novel Full Chapter 45.1
Chapter 45.1
Chapter 45 1/2
Each family was making preparations on their own, and Sang Luo was completely unaware of this.
In the newly built courtyard, the people who had come to help had all gone back to rest and prepare for the busy farming season, except for Chen Youtian, who was determined to finish making the new bed promised to Shen An before the liquor was brought into the house. He was using the saw and plane skillfully.
Sang Luo was cleaning and tidying up the main house with her two children. The pile of firewood that had been stacked before was now neatly arranged under the eaves of the kitchen. The buckets and the old earthen jars had been moved into the kitchen a long time ago. Only the makeshift stove and the stone slab that had been used as a table were still there. They were being cleaned now, dismantling what needed to be dismantled and moving what needed to be moved out.
Mrs. Chen and Qin Fangniang, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, came over together and brought back the rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar that Sang Luo had sent over when she cooked at their house before.
Qin Fangniang would come over every morning to pick up goods, but Mrs. Chen was coming over to this side for the first time. After asking Sang Luo, she looked around the newly built house and smiled, wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes. “Not bad. It looks like a real home now. It’ll be even livelier if you raise a few more chickens and ducks. They can lay eggs from time to time, for selling or for your own use. It’s all suitable.”
Sang Luo was also pleased and said, “That’s the plan. The bran that comes out extra every time we pound rice can also be put to good use. But mother hens usually hatch their eggs in March or April. There’s no place to buy chicks right now. I was thinking of asking around in the village to see if anyone has half-grown chickens to sell.”
Mrs. Chen raised her eyebrows. “I’ll ask around for you later.”
There were many people in the Lu family, so there was a lot of bran left over from pounding rice, and they also raised more chickens than families with fewer members like theirs.
Sang Luo was delighted to hear this. “That would be great. If you could help ask around, it would be even better if someone in the village has them. If not, we can only try our luck at the market in the county town.”
Sang Luo had recently seen ducklings for sale in the western market. They were a lovely golden color. However, they were currently using the spring water near their house, and she was afraid that if they bought ducks, the water source for their daily use would be contaminated. So, they had to put it off for now.
Mrs. Chen took charge of the matter and glanced around before Qin Fangniang smiled and said, “My mother and I came to ask if there’s anything we can help with since you’re preparing for the liquor ceremony.”
Sang Luo waved her hand, “You have enough to do at your own home. You’ve helped me enough. I can manage on my own. As for the 25th, I won’t be going to the western market. I’ll need to ask you, Aunt, how you plan to arrange things. Will you set up a stall or handle the autumn harvest at home?”
“Autumn harvest. Setting up a stall will probably have to wait until after the harvest,” Qin Fangniang replied without hesitation. The grain in the fields was the top priority, and any delay in the autumn harvest was unacceptable.
Sang Luo nodded, “Alright, then when the time comes, let me know if you’re still planning to set up a stall, Aunt. In the next couple of days, we’ll be going to the county town. I need to purchase some things, including something quite heavy. I might need Uncle Tian’s help to move it.”
A millstone was something she couldn’t handle alone.
Living in these mountains had its advantages, but the cart couldn’t be brought in, and it was truly difficult to carry heavier items in and out.
Qin Fangniang didn’t need to consult her husband and readily agreed, “No problem. Moving a few things is not a big deal. Just let him know when the time comes.”
During these days, Sang Luo had been adding to her household items, bringing back a little something every day, and Qin Fangniang didn’t inquire about what she bought. It was all everyday household items.
On the other side, while the two were talking, Mrs. Chen, except for not entering the main house, even peeked into the bathroom and saw a clean and covered chamber pot inside. She laughed, “You know, having one of these is quite convenient and clean. You don’t have to fumble around in the outhouse in the middle of the night.”
After looking around, Mrs. Chen got to the point, “On the 25th, Fangniang will be cutting the rice stalks, and I’ll be cooking at home. I’ll have nothing to do in the morning and should have some free time by the afternoon. I’ll come over to lend a hand. Since the Shi family has fewer members, they’ll probably all be in the fields. I reckon your grandmother Lu will also come over in the afternoon.”
She then informed Sang Luo that their three families would each send some vegetables from their fields, so she shouldn’t buy any more from the county town to avoid overbuying. With that, she bid farewell and left.
Sang Luo saw off the mother and daughter-in-law, cleaned up the main house, and left the two children at home while she herself carried a basket on her back and took a sickle as she went out.
Every day, she would go to pick sour jujubes, and today was no exception. After picking the sour jujubes and returning home, she put the things away in the main house and glanced at the tools Chen Youtian had placed on the ground.
Chen Youtian wasn’t a professional carpenter; he had developed his own craft, so his tools were not complete. There were only a few items, but there was a sickle among them. Yes, it was the sickle usually used to chop firewood when going up the mountain.
Sang Luo remembered something and asked, “Uncle Arita, are you using this sickle right now?”
Chen Youtian, who was sawing wood, glanced up at her and said, “You need it?”
Sang Luo nodded, “Yes, I want to cut a bamboo to make a broom handle.”
Back when there was just a small grass hut and they were poor, there wasn’t much rubbish, so a broom wasn’t really necessary. If something fell on the ground, she would just pick it up casually. She was too busy to bother with a broom. But now, with a front yard and a backyard, a broom is indispensable. If she made one now, she could also make use of Chen Youtian’s tools.
“You can make brooms too?”
Chen Youtian was somewhat surprised. In fact, everyone in the family guessed that Sang Luo came from a good family before; she was too particular, and she didn’t know how to farm, so he was quite surprised when she said she could make brooms.
“Yes.” Making a broom wasn’t really difficult. During those years in the mountains, for these everyday items, she would look up videos online to learn how to make them by hand and then figure it out herself.
Chen Youtian still looked skeptical, “Can you cut bamboo yourself? Or should I go and help you cut it, and when you bring it back, you can make it yourself?”
Sang Luo smiled, “No need, Uncle, you’re busy with your work. I’ll just borrow your sickle.”
Chen Youtian fell silent for a moment, then nodded, “Take it, I don’t need it right now.”
When Shen An heard that they were going to cut bamboo, he was eager to help, but when he thought about the things in the house, he gave up.
Sang Luo took the sickle and went out. About twenty to thirty minutes later, she returned dragging a not-so-small bamboo stem and a branch of cedar.