Shen Yunfang was rendered speechless, wondering how everything could be escalated to such a degree.
State-owned cow dung and ownerless cow dung only differed based on where the cows couldn't help relieving themselves, after all. Here, it was just more concentrated. Did it mean that in the future she would have to follow behind an old cow's backside to get her cow dung?
"No, sir, it's not that I want to use it as fertilizer. I was thinking that we're running out of firewood at home. I went up the mountain today to gather some, but there was hardly anything left. I..." Ah, she was becoming incoherent in her speech.
Although Shen Yunfang knew that dried cow dung could be used as fuel, she had never actually burnt cow dung in either of her two lives, so after she spoke, she wasn't sure if what she said was right and looked at Shen Yeqing with trepidation.
Even though her words were not clear, they made Shen Yeqing understand. His stern face went from black to red and then turned sad before he finally let out a heavy sigh.
"Oh, you child, why didn't you tell your uncle about your difficulties?"
He felt he had failed in his duty as an uncle for not taking better care of his younger brother's orphan. In a place like theirs, letting children run out of firewood and have to pick up cow dung was shameful for him.
"It's not really a hardship..."
"Enough, let's not talk about that. Wait until tomorrow. I'll ask your second brother to go up the mountain and fetch some branches for you. I'll also have him take you to the Pine Forest on the south side to gather some pine branches. That ought to be enough to last the winter." Firewood really wasn't an issue in the mountains, if not for the policies forbidding it, felling a few trees would suffice.
To Shen Yunfang's surprise, she didn't even know there was a Pine Forest on the back mountain. If she could find it and use her space to bring back plenty of pine branches, that would be perfect.
"Stop what you're doing and come out; your uncle needs you for something," Shen Yeqing interrupted Shen Yunfang's reverie.
She looked at the cow dung at her feet, truly reluctant to leave it.
The little expression on her face made Shen Yeqing, usually so serious, unable to help but smile and cry at the same time. How could this child still be so fond of this cow dung?
"Oh, you child, this cow dung belongs to the state; we can't take advantage of the state, not even a little," Shen Yeqing said earnestly.
Shen Yunfang's response was to secretly roll her eyes.
Seeing his niece pouting, Shen Yeqing's mouth twitched slightly, "Just this once though, there won't be next time. If you want cow dung, you'll have to pick it up from the road yourself."
Shen Yunfang nodded her head enthusiastically, as long as she could have the cow dung.
This time, she swiftly walked out of the cowshed; between the cow dung and her uncle, her uncle was obviously more important.
"Uncle, you said you needed me for something, what is it?"
At this point, Shen Yeqing put on a somber face, looked at his niece for a moment, and then let out a sigh, "I had your aunt set aside a hundred pounds of corn for you. Come with me later to carry it back. But remember, this is the last time. From now on, you need to work hard on your own. Your father was a martyr, and as his descendant, you must not dishonor him."
Shen Yunfang nodded repeatedly behind him. Sure, as long as there was a grace period, she was confident that she could make her life prosperous even in this era when one wasn't allowed to do much. Honestly, being regarded as a martyr's descendant didn't seem honorable to her at all; instead, each mention felt like she was being reminded that she was a poor child without a father.
Shen Yeqing led his niece towards his home.
"Wife, where's the corn I asked you to set aside for Yunfang?" Shen Yeqing called into the house as soon as he entered the yard.
But the house was silent.
Shen Yunfang peeked inside and then withdrew her head, guessing that nobody would be happy to lend out their grain, likely feeling like throwing a meat bun to a dog.
Shen Yeqing searched the house and couldn't find anyone, immediately realizing that his wife was probably displeased and had deliberately avoided them.
Yunxiu, where did your mother go?" Shen Yeqing pushed the door open to his daughter's room and saw her sitting on the kàng sewing shoe soles and asked.
"Who said I know?" Shen Yunxiu rolled her eyes at Shen Yunfang, utterly shameless – eating and drinking for free in her own home and now wanting to take things for free too.
Her last words were quiet, but everyone present probably heard them.
"I can't believe this nonsense. I can't take food because no one's home? If you won't pack it, I'll do it myself." Shen Yeqing stopped looking for someone else, strode into the central room of his house, and prepared to open the cellar himself to get the grain.
Old Lady Shen, who was hiding at the entrance and peeking inside the house, saw the old man going to get the grain himself and couldn't care less about anything else. She rushed into the doorway to pull Shen Yeqing back, "Ah, you old ghost, are you trying to end it all? Don't you know you have sons and daughters? Do you want to starve us women to death? Oh heavens, what sins have I committed to work hard every day only to see the grain possibly not end up who knows where? Who will stand up for me?" Old Lady Shen sobbed and lamented while gripping Shen Yeqing tightly.
"Shut your mouth. I'm not dead yet," Shen Yeqing turned and tried to pull his clothes back from her.
"Granny, Grandpa, please stop fighting," Shen Yunfang intervened, exasperated.
"Humph, you're pleased now, aren't you? You've turned my house upside down; now it's all chaos," Shen Yunxiu stood at the doorway, glaring at her hatefully.
Shen Yunfang ignored Shen Yunxiu. She knew what the problem was, so she said directly to Old Lady Shen, "Granny, I'm not taking your grain for nothing. How about this, I will pay the price for it, okay?"
Old Lady Shen's wailing suddenly ceased.
"You want to buy? Do you even have money? You aren't planning to sign an IOU, are you?" Old Lady Shen was somewhat disbelieving.
"Don't worry, granny. My mother saved some money for me. As long as the price isn't too high, I should be able to buy some," she said somewhat reservedly. Shen Yunfang knew from her novel readings that although there was no free market in this era, there was a black market in the city where grain prices were two to three times those in the grain shops. Normally, a jin of rice would cost fourteen-fen-two, but on the black market, it could go for over thirty-fen per jin.
"We're honest relatives here; why would we charge you a high price?" Old Lady Shen's tone changed instantly.
"No way, what's money for? Just borrow the grain and return it next year," Shen Yeqing firmly disagreed.
"Ah, leave me alone; I'm talking to Yunfang," Old Lady Shen said, hurrying to send him away, afraid he'd mess things up.
"You old woman, are you trying to get me in trouble? Charging money, that's speculation and profiteering," Shen Yeqing stamped his feet anxiously.
Old Lady Shen jumped at his words. Was it that serious?
"Ah, Grandpa, there's none of what you're saying here. Granny feels sorry for me not having enough to eat, so she gives me some grain. Seeing Granny worrying about the lack of money for cousin's wedding, I thought I'd just give some money in advance. The two matters don't relate; it's just normal interaction between relatives. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill," Shen Yunfang, fearing the deal might fall through and she wouldn't get the grain, desperately interjected.
"Right, that's the logic," Old Lady Shen slapped her thigh in agreement.
"I'm done with you all." Old Master Shen dusted off his pants and left.
Shen Yunfang and Old Lady Shen exchanged a look, confirming the agreement.
So, the two discussed the price of the grain.
In the grain shop, rice was fourteen-fen-two per jin, flour was sixteen-fen per jin, and cornmeal was seven-fen per jin.
The final agreed price was twenty-fen per jin for rice and ten-fen per jin for cornmeal. She didn't sell the flour because her family had little of it.
Shen Yunfang thought it over and decided to buy fifty jin of rice and one hundred jin of cornmeal for a total of twenty yuan.
She could have bought more rice, but Shen Yunfang didn't want to attract too much attention. It was better to play it safe. Of course, she and Old Lady Shen agreed that this matter should only be known within the family, and it was best not to tell others.
In the end, Brother Zhijie and Brother Zhiwen each carried a bag and helped her bring it home.