Shopkeeper Li saw how happily Shen Yu was eating and felt pleased as well.
He proceeded to tell Master Chen everything about Shen Yu selling the wild boars.
Chen Yuze, curious, asked, “A country girl really has that much strength? And she comes alone to sell wild animals and even keeps accounts? She’s quite capable. Next time, bring her to me so I can see for myself.”
Shopkeeper Li quickly agreed.
Meanwhile, Shen Yu, having finished the wontons, went to buy thirty jin of pork belly, twenty jin of lard, and two slabs of ribs. Domestic pork was far tastier than wild boar. She disliked the wild boar meat—it was tough and had a strong gamy smell—otherwise, she would have saved one for the family.
Thinking further, she went to the bun shop and bought 150 buns. Last time, they had bought 100 buns, of which they had already eaten over thirty. About sixty remained in the space, still steaming.
Shen Yu also went to the general store to buy mats, ropes, oilcloth, fishing nets, and twenty water bags.
For tableware, the space supermarket had everything. Shen Yu chose dozens of plain, unpatterned bowls and plates, along with bamboo chopsticks, spoons, and spatulas, saving them for the right time to give her family.
At the cloth store, Lady Qiao, a diligent owner, had already prepared Shen Yu’s cotton bedding. Shen Yu didn’t need to make another trip. She also bought several batches of differently colored fabrics. All the bedding and fabric were stored in the space in a quiet place.
Living on the border in a village where even daily meals were hard to come by, Shen Yu felt a strong sense of insecurity, which pushed her to stock up on supplies.
After finishing her shopping, she bought a few tasty-looking pastries from the snack shop and headed home.
She missed the return cattle cart to the village and had to walk under the sun. But Shen Yu didn’t mind the heat—she saw it as an opportunity to strengthen herself and increase her strength.
Taking a small path to the foot of the mountains, Shen Yu unpacked her basket, added a few bundles of wild vegetables, and scattered them in. By the time she arrived home, it was already afternoon.
Lin Shuyuan had been anxiously pacing at the gate. Seeing Shen Yu, she lightly slapped her on the shoulder in mock scolding: “You little brat! Weren’t you supposed to gather wild vegetables? Why are you only back now? Mother was worried sick.”
Shen Yu felt warmth in her chest and smiled without blinking, comforting her mother: “Mother, have you forgotten I have a Master? Today, he took some time to teach me medicine in the mountains, so I came back a little late.”
“You little thing, since your Master came, why didn’t you invite him over for a meal?” Lin Shuyuan asked anxiously.
“Master comes and goes without a trace. His time is precious. He didn’t have a chance to eat with us,” Shen Yu replied, brushing past her mother into the courtyard.
Shen Yong’an had gone up the mountain. The courtyard already had a good stock of firewood and bamboo. Little Shen Hao was still asleep inside, so it was quiet outside.
Shen Yu took out twenty jin of lard and, seeing Lin Shuyuan’s astonished face, said, “Mother, this is from my Master. Tonight we’ll render it into cooking oil. Tomorrow we can make wild vegetable and oil-residue buns—won’t that be great?”
Though she had buns in the space, those were reserved for future use.
Lin Shuyuan, carrying the lard, smiled broadly: “So much meat! We’ll have plenty of oil. Your Master really thought of everything.” She immediately turned to start working.
With a Master as a cover, Shen Yu saved herself a lot of trouble.
She helped her mother cut the lard into pieces, then went to borrow a small iron pot from Aunt Zhang in the village. They rendered the twenty jin of lard in several pots.
Shen Yu didn’t take out the pots from the space. After all, she had only told her mother she went to the mountains and town. She didn’t want to tell her mother about the space yet—otherwise, her mother would nag. Shen Yu planned to find an excuse to go to town the next day so she could bring everything out.
That evening, Lin Shuyuan cooked thick rice porridge, stir-fried wild vegetables with oil residue, prepared a cold wild vegetable salad, and baked a few black flour pancakes.
Little Shen Hao, awakened by the aroma of oil residue, circled around Lin Shuyuan. Worried he might burn himself, she served half a bowl in a bamboo bowl and had him sit on the doorstep to eat.
When Shen Yong’an returned with bamboo and a large bundle of firewood, the family finally ate together.
The stir-fried wild vegetables with oil residue smelled rich and delicious. Vegetables from the space were different from those from the mountains—the latter were tender and crisp. Rolling the black flour pancakes with the refreshing cold salad, paired with fragrant rice porridge, the family ate with satisfaction.
After dinner, night had fully fallen. Shen Yu and her family washed up and went to sleep simply, still on the straw piles.
The big kang would be ready to sleep on tomorrow night, Shen Yu thought, smiling as she drifted into dreams listening to Lin Shuyuan’s even breathing.
..
Meanwhile, at Shen Liushi’s house, the family had just finished eating. Shen Liushi called Shen Yongtian into her room.
Shen Yongtian reluctantly went, as in the past few days, with Shen Yu’s family gone, most of the chores fell on his wife and second daughter, Shen Cui. He often made excuses to slack off but was forced by Shen Liushi, through scolding and threats, to work. After all, without those few acres of land, there was nothing to eat.
Xie Jinhua shot Shen Liushi a glance, cursing her silently. She thought: That old hag didn’t even consult me about selling the granddaughter. If I had known we could’ve gotten ten taels of silver, I would’ve stopped her. Now I’m exhausted with all the chores, and that old witch acts like she’s above everything.
Seeing Shen Cui daydreaming at the table, Xie Jinhua slapped her: “Hurry up and clear the dishes! What are you dawdling for? Stop being a freeloader.”
Shen Cui, a year younger than Shen Yu, resembled Shen Liushi in both looks and personality—vain, selfish, and cruel—but very good at hiding it.
A flash of resentment crossed Shen Cui’s triangular eyes. She hated her parents for being peasants, poor and incapable, always making her do chores. She hated her grandmother for acting mighty, selling off the little girl and causing chaos without getting anything herself.
Most of all, she hated Shen Yu for surviving, becoming stronger, and daring to sever ties with them. A thought flashed in her mind but slipped away. Shen Cui scowled and got up to clear the dishes.
Shen Yongtian had just entered Shen Liushi’s room when she hurriedly closed and bolted the door. By the dim oil lamp on the kang table, her droopy triangular eyes glinted with a strange light.
She pulled Shen Yongtian close and whispered, “Those brats forced me to give away ten taels of silver—our savings from years! That money alone would’ve lasted your third brother half a year. Don’t let those brats get it. Just thinking about it makes my chest ache.” She clutched her chest, moaning dramatically.