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

Chapter 47

The stone mill, which Sang Lou had long set her eyes on, cost two hundred and sixty-five wen, including the wooden base used to place it. Inside the shop, Sang Lou bargained with the owner of the stone tool shop for nearly half an hour, eventually persuading him to throw in a stone mortar for free.

The stone mortar was quite large, more than three times the size of the modern ones used for pounding garlic. With just a few people in Sang Lou’s family, if they ever forgot to grind rice one day, they could use it temporarily, which would suffice.

After rearranging the wooden barrels and baskets on the cart to make space, the shopkeeper and his assistant helped place the stone mill on it.

It was indeed quite heavy, but because it could be disassembled and reassembled, ordinary women doing farm work should be able to carry it with some effort. However, carrying it uphill would be truly difficult. Qin Fangniang finally understood why Sang Lou had specifically greeted her and asked her husband to help with the lifting.

With the purchase of the stone mill, both the money Qin Fangniang handed over and the money she had originally tucked away in her sleeve pocket were all spent. She even counted out a few dozen coins from her own purse, but saving some money did feel comfortable.

As they walked away, Qin Fangniang said, “Let’s buy some grains again. Now that we’re moving into the new house, we’ll live better in the future. This first rice bin needs to be filled. Let’s also get a bathtub. From today onwards, I won’t have to worry about bathing in the stream anymore.”

Sang Lou chuckled at Qin Fangniang’s words and didn’t ask her to pull the cart. “You’re not as steady with the cart as I am. The county roads are all paved with stone slabs, it’s easy to pull. Once we’re out of the county, you can help me push it.”

Taking the lead in pulling the cart, Sang Lou continued, “Bathing in the stream is uncomfortable and worrying.”

“Did Auntie also bathe in the stream?”

“I did, the year we fled the famine. Back then, we didn’t have much of anything. Those days weren’t any better than yours. We had to slowly work our way up.”

As they discussed their past experiences of fleeing famine, they visited the grain shop and the woodenware store. They bought a bag of grain, fulfilling Sang Lou’s desire for a bathtub as well.

With so much stuff, it took some time to load the cart. The assistant from the woodenware store even found a roll of straw rope to help tie everything securely, ensuring that nothing would fall off even if the cart was parked on a slope.

Qin Fangniang looked at the full cart, realizing that except for two barrels, a pair of baskets, and a backpack, everything else was purchased by Sang Lou: the stone mill, wooden barrels, grain, bathtub, and a few fluffy yellow ducklings chirping happily. She sighed, “You’ve truly started living a better life.”

From the bottom of her heart, Sang Lou also felt content. Having a house, food, a spring by the side of the house, some chickens and ducks in front, a few plots of vegetables and melons behind, and earning a few ounces of silver, living such a life, what more could one ask for?

Returning to the village, Sang Lou first carried the wooden barrels and the purchased ducklings home. Chen Youtian was busy in the yard, and when he saw her return, he knew it was time to help with the lifting. After confirming, he put down his work and headed down the path.

Sang Lou placed the barrels down, and before Shen An and Shen Ning could even approach, they heard a series of crisp chirps. Their eyes lit up, “Sister-in-law, did you buy ducks?”

Sang Lou lifted the basket containing three ducklings out of the barrel, “Yes, happy?”

No one could resist the charm of fluffy ducklings.

The two siblings were indeed delighted, squatting by the edge of the basket to look inside. Shen Ning reached out to touch them, gently tapping one on the head, overjoyed. He turned to Sang Lou, “Sister-in-law, I can raise ducks. I used to feed the chickens and ducks at home. I’ll take care of them.”

“Alright, then these three ducklings will be entrusted to you in the future. Go find some fine grass to line the duck nest. Later, we’ll build a duck coop. I still need to make two trips down the mountain to move some things.”

Saying this, Sang An asked what needed moving. Sang Lou thought for a moment, “The bathtub will do. Xiao An, come with me and help me carry it.”

Sang An agreed and stopped looking at the ducklings. He got up and followed Sang Lou out.

The wooden bathtub wasn’t particularly deep, so it wasn’t too heavy to carry alone, but it wasn’t exactly light either. Carrying it with two people was much easier.

…

When Chen Youtian saw the stone mill Sang Lou mentioned wanting his help to move, he was also surprised. At that time, Sang Lou hadn’t arrived yet, so he asked his wife, “Why did she want to buy a stone mill?”

This thing wasn’t cheap.

Qin Fangniang shook her head, saying, “She said it would be useful. We’ll find out in a couple of days.”

Chen Youtian didn’t ask any more questions after hearing her response. The stone mill was divided into upper and lower millstones. He tested the upper millstone, it was fine. He told Qin Fangniang, then picked it up and left. After a few steps, he met Sang Lou and Shen An coming from behind. Seeing that Chen Youtian had already carried the stone mill, Sang Lou asked, “Uncle Youtian, can you handle it alone?”

Chen Youtian nodded, “I can handle it.”

Sang Lou didn’t say much more, she and Shen An went to carry the bathtub. On their return trip, they ran into Chen Youtian again and asked him to wait a moment. She would help carry the lower millstone together with him.

As for the bag of grains, Qin Fangniang directly pulled it back herself. Sang Lou would go later to pound the rice herself and bring it back.

After Chen Youtian brought the stone mill back, he helped assemble the wooden base structure. After asking Sang Lou where to place it, Sang Lou pointed to the innermost corner of the kitchen. Together, they carried the items over and set up the stone mill.

Once the work was done, he said, “I’ve also finished making Xiao An’s bed. You’ve come back just in time. Let’s see where to place it in your room. Once it’s cleaned up, I’ll help you install it.”

They were all structures with mortise and tenon joints. Looking at them now, they were just some scattered components. If he didn’t help with the assembly, letting Sang Lou do it herself, she’d probably have to figure it out for half a day.

“The bed is ready so quickly?” Sang Lou was somewhat surprised, “The room was cleaned up early in the morning, so it’s ready to install now.”

With that, she went to help Chen Youtian move the bed boards and bedposts.

Yes, it really should be bedposts. The four feet of the bed were intact cylindrical shapes sawn from a single piece of wood, with grooves made on top. It should be the legendary mortise and tenon structure that was more sturdy than nails.

After all the items were moved into the house, Chen Youtian finished installing them, and Sang Lou watched from the side, truly impressed!

Four round wooden posts and boards of varying thicknesses, in Chen Youtian’s hands, were knocked and assembled with a few taps, quickly forming a bed.

As the bed boards were laid out, Sang Lou went over to test them with her hands, feeling how sturdy they were.

She gave Chen Youtian a thumbs up: “Youtian, your craftsmanship is impeccable.”

Wasn’t this much better than the three benches and a few bed boards that Shen San had originally given them?

Speaking of Shen San, he was just a blood uncle, and Sang Lou couldn’t be bothered to comment on him.

Chen Youtian was praised and just smiled, putting away his tools. He said, “We have clean straw at home. Later, you can bring some over. After laying straw on the bed boards, add a mat on top. It’ll be softer to sleep on. You don’t need to buy mats from the market. My wife is making them at home. They should be ready soon. It’s also a congratulatory gift for your new home. They’ll probably be sent up to you by evening.”

Mrs. Chen had been inside the grass hut. She knew what kind of bed was in there. It was narrow, squeezing three people in. When it got hot, they probably wished they could sleep sideways.

So there was no need to worry about the timing of the gift. Once the bed was made and the mats were ready, they would be sent over naturally.

Sang Lou heard that Mrs. Chen had almost finished making the mats and was stunned. To say she wasn’t touched would be a lie. But it was precisely at such moments of extraordinary emotion that she couldn’t find the words to express her gratitude.

She smiled and said, “Our Xiao An is lucky. He’ll be able to sleep in a new bed tonight.”

Chen Youtian smiled and remembered another matter, “By the way, the chickens you want to raise, my wife inquired about it. The Lu family can spare two, and another family in the village can spare two as well. If you can manage four, you can buy from both families. If not, you can choose one from each family. They’re all good ones to raise.”

Sang Lou chuckled, “Today is really good. The chickens and ducks have all arrived at our home. Youtian, let me go down with you. It’s a good opportunity to bring the chickens back. Also, leave your tools here for me to use. I plan to build a chicken coop and a duck coop using bamboo.”

Chen Youtian naturally didn’t refuse, “Sure, then I won’t tidy up. I’ll head back first. Use those things as you need. Once you’re done with them, just send them back down to me. You can tidy up the remaining wood later. You’ll need it for whatever you plan to do in the future.”

Sang Lou agreed and asked Chen Youtian to wait for her. She went into the house and retrieved the old cloth bag from before. As she stepped out, she coincidentally met Shen An and Shen Ning coming back with some fine dry grass. Sang Lou said, “Perfect timing, An Ning, you stay home. Xiao An, come with me to Mrs. Chen’s house to get some straw.”

Shen An didn’t even know that his new bed had already been assembled. He just heard his sister-in-law asking for help and handed the dry grass in his hands to his sister, then turned around and followed his sister-in-law down the mountain.

Chen’s house, where they descended first, was a stroke of luck. Just as the old lady finished weaving the mat, she saw Sang Lou and Shen An following the Chen family. She smiled and said, “You’ve arrived just in time. This mat is for you. Take it with you when you leave.”

Then she asked Chen Youtian, “Is the bed ready?”

Chen Youtian nodded, “It’s ready. We just need to lay some straw and put the mat on top.”

Shen An’s eyes lit up, “Uncle Youtian, my bed is ready?”

But when they left, all they saw were piles of wood.

Chen Youtian chuckled, “It’s all set. You can carry the straw and everything yourself. Your sister-in-law still needs to buy some chickens, so she can’t carry straw now.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Chen smiled at Sang Lou and said, “Wait here, Xiao An, come with me. Granny will help you carry the straw.”

“Hey!” Shen An responded, then said something to Sang Lou, happily following Mrs. Chen out.

They had a new bed at home! And soon there would be chickens too. They couldn’t be happier!