After clearing out the kitchen, the two proceeded to the storerooms.
The Shen residence had multiple storerooms – a main one for common household items, one in the inner courtyard, and smaller ones for each branch of the family.
Shen Wenhe first took Bai Nianqing to the main storeroom, which contained mainly bulky furniture and porcelain pieces.
The truly valuable items had been taken away, though what remained were still quality pieces made from good materials. These would command high prices outside, though they were relatively less valuable compared to other possessions of the Shen family.
“Husband, there are two chests behind this screen! And here’s a scroll too,” Bai Nianqing called out from the innermost corner where she had been collecting items. After putting away the screen, she discovered the chests in the corner.
“They probably went unnoticed because of the screen. Let’s open them and see what’s inside,” Shen Wenhe suggested as he approached.
“Is this… the Shu Mountains Painting of Wu Daozi?” Shen Wenhe glanced at it briefly before stepping forward to take the painting from Bai Nianqing’s hands, examining it with great care.
Bai Nianqing, who knew little about paintings, left him to it and opened the chests herself.
“Well now, these chests do contain treasures!” she exclaimed. “The top layer has two large boxes filled with Gold Beans, Gold Peanuts, and Gold Melon Seeds.”
“The lower layer contains two boxes of small silver ingots, each weighing about one qian. These were likely intended for giving out as rewards. Their size makes them perfect for carrying when going out.”
Bai Nianqing happily stored them away.
There was another chest beneath, which Bai Nianqing also opened. This one was filled to the brim with copper coins.
These were probably meant for distributing as rewards or for scattering at the entrance during family celebrations. This large chest must have contained several thousand wen.
Not bothering to count them, Bai Nianqing directly stored them in her Dimension.
Meanwhile, Shen Wenhe remained engrossed in admiring the painting, unable to tear himself away from it.
“Alright, stop staring at it. Put it away for now – you’ll have plenty of time to look at it later,” Bai Nianqing said.
“Alright, Nianqing, please keep this safe for me. This is an authentic piece! I’d long heard that Father acquired a landscape painting by Wu Daozi, but he guarded it like a treasure and refused to show it to me no matter how much I pleaded.”
“This must have been overlooked by careless servants during packing. If Father realizes this painting is missing, he’ll be heartbroken,” Shen Wenhe said reluctantly as he handed the painting to Bai Nianqing for safekeeping.
“By the way, what was in those two chests?” he asked, having been too preoccupied with the painting to notice earlier.
“One chest had Gold Peanuts and Gold Melon Seeds, and the other was filled with copper coins. They were probably originally prepared for giving out as rewards,” Bai Nianqing explained.
“Most likely. Our family used to mint plenty of Gold Mules, Gold Peanuts, and Gold Melon Seeds every year. We also exchanged about two hundred taels of silver for copper coins annually.”
“Having these saves us trouble – I was planning to exchange for some smaller silver pieces to make spending more convenient when going out,” Shen Wenhe said, though he was clearly less interested in these items than in the painting.
The two then proceeded to clear out the remaining smaller storerooms one by one.
They swept through like locusts, leaving nothing behind.
Their thoroughness indeed yielded more valuable discoveries.
With so many rooms in the residence, items had inevitably fallen into crevices between beds or underneath furniture. This time, since they were storing all the furniture, those hidden items were revealed.
“Finally finished! Let’s heat some water for baths, then we’ll go out shopping,” Bai Nianqing declared.
“Boil water? There’s no pot left in the kitchen, we can’t boil water,” Shen Wenhe said.
“That’s right, I forgot. I’ll take out a stove, and we can heat some water with it,” Bai Nianqing slapped her forehead, she had genuinely forgotten.
“That works too. Let’s do it in the yard, not inside the house. There’s not a breath of wind, and it’s even stuffier indoors,” Shen Wenhe fanned himself with his hand.
“Sigh, who knows when it will rain? This heat is truly unbearable,” Bai Nianqing glanced at the blazing sun in the sky and sighed.
“If it doesn’t rain soon, we’ll really have to flee the famine,” Shen Wenhe said worriedly.
Although they had found shelter in the mountains and made preparations—if it truly came to the point where they had no choice but to flee the famine, they would go live in the mountains—Shen Wenhe still didn’t want to take that step unless absolutely necessary.
“There’s nothing to be done. We can only take things one step at a time. At least we’re better off, we don’t lack food or drink. It’s just pitiful for the common people, displaced and suffering from hunger and cold on the road, with less than one in ten surviving,” Bai Nianqing lamented.
“Alas…” Such were the times, what could anyone do?
Both of their moods were heavy, and they didn’t feel like talking anymore. They heated water and took turns bathing separately.
After bathing, the two locked the door and went out to the main street to buy supplies.
“Uncle Wang, how’s business today?” they asked upon arriving at the general store.
“Sigh, what business is there? I’m thinking of closing up in a couple of days and returning to my hometown,” the shopkeeper, Uncle Wang, said with a sorrowful expression.
“Sigh, it seems there are even fewer people on the streets now. There are many refugees outside the city walls. If it doesn’t rain soon, chaos is inevitable,” Shen Wenhe said quietly.
“Wen He, you see things clearly. Many people have already left to seek refuge with relatives or friends elsewhere. I heard your father’s family went to the capital—why didn’t you go with them?” Uncle Wang was fairly familiar with the Shen family and knew quite a bit about their affairs. Even if he weren’t, the Shen family’s move was too big to go unnoticed.
“We’ve separated the family. You know our situation, Uncle Wang. Staying here suits me just fine,” Shen Wenhe didn’t want to discuss family matters with outsiders. Some things are best kept to oneself; there’s no need for everyone to know.
“That’s true too. Staying home has its advantages—at least you can make your own decisions from now on,” Uncle Wang glanced at Shen Wenhe and said.
“Mm, Uncle Wang, we’d like to buy some salt this time. How much can you sell us? Also, two rolls of oilcloth, three each of mats, winnowing baskets, and dustpans… How much lamp oil do you have left? I’ll take all of it, and ten bundles of candles…”
Shen Wenhe listed all the items they needed.
“Wen He, why are you buying so much?” Uncle Wang exclaimed in surprise.
“Well, I don’t think this drought will end anytime soon. These items don’t spoil easily, so it doesn’t hurt to stock up,” Shen Wenhe explained.
“You’re right. It seems I should prepare some too. I don’t have much salt left—I can only spare you five catties. The other items are still in stock,” Uncle Wang deeply agreed with Shen Wenhe’s reasoning.
After leaving the general store, the two went to the cloth shop, which was on the same street and not far away.
The cloth shop was similarly deserted. The assistants had long been dismissed, and only the shopkeeper’s wife remained, staring blankly into space.
“Madam, do you have fabric remnants? I’d like to buy some, and also several bolts of coarse cloth,” said Bai Nianqing.
“Fabric remnants, you say? Yes, yes, I’ll get them for you right away. Please wait, Madam.” The sleepiness vanished instantly now that business had finally come.