Shen Yu first told her younger brother to go nearby and gather some grass and twigs that could be burned.
She grabbed a jar and headed to the small river just outside the courtyard.
The river flowed down from the eastern mountains, fed by spring water so clear you could see the bottom.
She cleaned the clay jar, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and pulled a few handfuls of millet from her space. She didn’t plan to reveal the space yet. Since the village chief had given her millet, she just added a little more — her family would never notice.
Back in the house, Shen Yu pretended to add more millet to the clay jar. By then, Lin Shuyuan had set up a few stones in the courtyard to act as a stove. Not wanting to tire her daughter, she said to Shen Yu:“Your injury isn’t fully healed. Just rest there. Mother will cook.”
Shen Yu placed the clay jar on the stones:“Mother, I’m feeling much better now. Don’t worry. It’s still early, so I’ll go out and look around for wild vegetables.”
“Don’t go too far, and don’t tire yourself,” Lin Shuyuan reminded her.
Little Shen Xiaohao wanted to follow, but Shen Yu coaxed him into staying home to help their mother, shaking off her little shadow — she couldn’t let him interfere with her “cheating.”
Shen Yu left the courtyard, circled around, and found a hidden corner. From her space, she took out a small bundle of shepherd’s purse. Modern people focus on health, and clean mountain vegetables like dandelion, shepherd’s purse, wild celery, and others fetched high prices — perfect for Shen Yu.
She ran to the river, washed the vegetables, and sprinkled a bit of fine salt on them. Then she returned to the courtyard and called out happily:“Mother, I found some fresh wild vegetables! Let’s add them to the porridge.”
Lin Shuyuan smiled with delight:“These vegetables look so fresh! Most of the wild vegetables near the forest have already been picked by the villagers. Yu’er, you’re lucky to have found such good ones.”
She carefully added the vegetables to the clay jar, delighted. They hadn’t eaten porridge this good in a long time.
At that moment, Shen Yong’an returned carrying a few bamboo stalks and a large bundle of dry grass. Lin Shuyuan hurried to take the grass:“That’s quite a lot! It’ll be enough for repairing the house and for bedding tonight.”
Shen Yong’an put down the bamboo:“I borrowed a cleaver from the village chief and cut some bamboo. Tomorrow we’ll get a few people to fix the roof a little — otherwise, we’ll have nowhere to hide when it rains.” Then he set to work.
“Mother, the porridge is ready!” Shen Yu called out.
“All right, just wait, I’ll serve it,” Lin Shuyuan said, carefully taking the jar off the fire so Shen Yu wouldn’t get burned. She carried the dry grass inside and spread it in two corners of the house — a place to sleep at night.
Shen Yong’an used the cleaver to make simple bamboo bowls and chopsticks. Little Shen Xiaohao ran to the river to wash them and quickly returned, his stomach growling impatiently.
Night had fully fallen. By the moonlight, the family held their bamboo bowls, savoring each small mouthful of porridge.
The millet porridge was thick. Lin Shuyuan thought Shen Yu had just added a bit too much millet, felt a little reluctant, but didn’t dwell on it.
Shen Yu only ate half a bowl. With her space, she didn’t need to worry about hunger and let the family have more. The other three each ate a full bowl. Though only half-satiated, they were already deeply satisfied — life suddenly felt hopeful.
Little Shen Xiaohao licked his lips, savoring the best porridge he had ever eaten.
After the meal, Shen Yu discussed with her parents:“Mother, tomorrow I’ll go to town with Second Uncle Shen Yong. We’ll go to the county office, then buy some grain and salt. Is there anything else we need?”
Lin Shuyuan glanced at Shen Yong’an:“You’ll be fixing the house tomorrow. Mother will help a bit at home. Just buy enough grain for a few days — don’t carry too much.”
Shen Yong’an added:“We can’t be short of cleavers, hoes, or other tools, or we won’t be able to work. Yu’er, go to town and buy what you can. If regulations are strict, we’ll wait until the roof is fixed and go with the village chief.”
Iron tools were strictly regulated in this era. Buying more than a few required the village chief’s permit.
Shen Yu agreed. She watched her mother set a pile of mugwort outside to ward off mosquitoes. Exhausted from the day, the family went to sleep early. Shen Yu and her mother slept on the dry grass in the east corner; her father and Xiaohao in the west corner. Thankfully, it was still warm, so no bedding was needed.
Shen Yu lay on the dry grass. It pricked a bit, but she fell asleep immediately.
..
She slept soundly, waking at dawn. Her parents were already busy in the courtyard, while little Shen Xiaohao still slept soundly. Shen Yu hurried up, washed quickly at the river, and greeted her mother:“Mother, I’m going to town.”
“Be careful, Yu’er. Stay where there are more people.”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll be careful.”
She left the courtyard, secretly stuffing half a bread roll into her mouth.
From afar, she saw a bullock cart waiting at the village entrance. It went to town daily: one person, two wen each way, round trip three wen. Soon it would be time to depart.
The cart was driven by Shen Yong, the village chief’s second son. Seeing Shen Yu, he called out:“Yu’er is here! Did you bring the family division documents?”
“Yes, Second Uncle. When do we leave?” Shen Yu asked as she climbed aboard the cart.
“Right now, right now,” Shen Yong said, cracking his whip.
Several women were chatting on the cart. Seeing Shen Yu, one warmly called out:“Yu’er, come sit here with me!”
It was Aunt Zhang, a former neighbor who lived next to Shen Liu Shi. She had often secretly fed the siblings when they were hungry.
Shen Yu cheerfully climbed up and sat next to her. Aunt Zhang held her hand in pity:“You’ve suffered so much. Your grandma is really despicable. She’ll get her comeuppance.”
“Yes, that woman is heartless. Not a bite for you kids while your parents worked nonstop. Ten taels of silver for all that suffering — that’s inhumane,” chimed in a plump aunt beside her.
“That’s all in the past. Don’t worry. Once we leave them, our life will get better and better,” Shen Yu smiled.
“Exactly. You’ve all worked so hard. Escaping that wolf’s den, your life will finally have hope,” Aunt Zhang said, beaming.
They chatted and laughed. About half an hour later, they reached town. They got off the cart, Shen Yong found a place to leave it, and then he and Shen Yu headed to the county office.
Shen Yong, familiar with county matters, knew a clerk named Zhang Qi, who quickly led them to the records office. Everything went smoothly. Shen Yong went to handle other errands, while Shen Yu went to explore the market.