If it were the Liu Shi of the past, hearing Xu Dazhu say such things, she would have thought her husband was just idly teasing her.
The child had only started teething a few days ago! How could all her teeth have grown in so quickly?
But the current Liu Shi was no longer the Liu Shi of before.
She was the Liu Shi who had experienced the Mountain Goat Delivering Milk, the Tiger Delivering Meat, and the Snow Wolf Taking Revenge.
Now, no matter how bizarre the things that happened to her little niece, she considered them normal.
Old Mrs. Xu, peering into her darling granddaughter’s little mouth and seeing a full set of snow-white teeth, still felt somewhat uneasy.
After the meal, she had Xu Dazhu invite Doctor Ji over again.
This time, when they saw Doctor Ji, the old man had grown noticeably thinner, but he remained as spirited as ever.
He was especially delighted at the sight of the plump, pink-cheeked Xiao Tianbao.
In times like these, who wouldn’t adore a chubby, rosy-cheeked little baby!
His usually stern expression instantly vanished, and Doctor Ji revealed a rare, gentle smile.
Setting down his medicine chest, Doctor Ji sat in front of Xiao Tianbao, who was seated on the kang. He glanced at the little tiger lying beside her, then turned his gaze back to Xiao Tianbao, his smile growing even warmer.
The little tiger, sensitive to Doctor Ji’s gaze, lifted its head, shifted its posture, and gave a slight twitch of its ear tips.
Seeing the little tiger move, the Xu family grew tense.
It wasn’t that they were afraid the little tiger would harm them—they were mainly worried it might bite Doctor Ji.
Although the little tiger had been gentle with the Xu family, even with Xu Hu, who had once abandoned Xu Tianbao in the mountains, it only occasionally startled him, the little tiger had always been fiercely protective toward outsiders.
Its senses were sharp; sometimes, when villagers came to discuss matters, the little tiger would grow alert even before they stepped through the gate.
Fearing something might actually happen, the Xu family had no choice but to greet visitors outside, stopping them in the courtyard, never allowing anyone to enter the house.
As a result, in the half-year since Xiao Tianbao’s birth, aside from Doctor Ji, she had never met anyone outside the Xu family.
Doctor Ji’s reputation in the surrounding villages was even higher than the Village Chief’s. If anything were to happen to him in their home, they would never be able to bear the responsibility.
Surprisingly, from the moment Doctor Ji entered the courtyard until now, the little tiger had remained remarkably calm, showing none of its usual vigilance.
Yet, they still couldn’t completely relax.
No one knew why the little tiger was making an exception for Doctor Ji. Only Xiao Tianbao, sitting to the side and playing with the tip of the little tiger’s tail, knew that beneath its calm exterior, the little tiger was actually afraid.
This made Xiao Tianbao even more curious about the old man.
What was it about this old man, whom she found so likable, that made Tiger so afraid?
Unable to figure it out, she fixed her large, dark eyes on Doctor Ji, melting the heart of the old physician, who had never had children of his own.
With his heart softened, his movements grew even more tender.
After examining Xiao Tianbao with unprecedented gentleness—observing, listening, questioning, and checking her pulse—Doctor Ji held her plump little hand and delivered his conclusion.
“This little girl is exceptionally healthy! If I hadn’t personally delivered this little one, I’d suspect she wasn’t just six months old! Her bone structure resembles that of a one-year-old. As for her teeth, they’re just growing a bit faster than usual, which isn’t a problem. However…”
The Xu family understood the first part clearly—their precious baby was simply developing faster than other children, with no underlying issues.
But when Doctor Ji uttered that single word “however,” the entire family tensed up again, staring nervously at the physician. Even Xiao Laohu pricked up his ears.
Only Xiao Tianbao, bracing her hands against Doctor Ji’s palms, used his support to exert strength and let out a determined “Ya!” as she stood up from the kang, only to plop back down onto her bottom moments later.
The Xu family was stunned once more.
“Mother of heavens! Our half-year-old baby hasn’t just grown a full set of teeth—she’s skipped rolling over and crawling entirely and stood up directly!” Xu Dazhu murmured dazedly, voicing everyone’s astonishment.
Doctor Ji, however, held Xiao Tianbao’s chubby little hands and burst into hearty laughter.
He had figured it out—this little one hadn’t actually skipped developmental stages. Given her current physical condition, she’d likely been capable of rolling over and crawling long ago.
The reason the Xu family never noticed was simply because someone was always holding her, and the little creature couldn’t be bothered to move.
Old Xu Nian’er was the first to regain composure, turning to Doctor Ji.
“Doctor Ji, is our Tianbao…” He couldn’t bring himself to voice concerns about his precious granddaughter’s health, trailing off mid-sentence.
Doctor Ji, who never released Tianbao’s supporting hands, shook his head with an unchanged smile and completed his earlier thought.
“However, since this child grows rapidly, she requires more nutrition. She can’t rely solely on milk anymore—she needs supplementary foods too.”
In ordinary households where mothers lacked breastmilk, six-month-old infants would already be consuming rice porridge. But the Xu family had ample milk supply, and Old Mrs. Xu doted on her granddaughter, insisting on exclusive breastfeeding.
Relieved to confirm their baby was perfectly healthy, the Xu family saw Doctor Ji off not with monetary payment, but with a generous cut of pork and two plump rabbits.
These rabbits were offspring of the black and white bunnies Xiao Laohu had previously gifted Xu Tianbao for amusement—now grown to perfect plumpness.
These practical gifts far surpassed standard consultation fees, delighting Doctor Ji.
Xu Dazhu carried the pork and rabbits while escorting the physician out, only to discover the Zhao brothers kneeling at their doorstep, kowtowing toward the courtyard.
The sudden sight made Dazhu instinctively jump aside.
Thus, Doctor Ji alone received the Zhao brothers’ profound bow.
Dazhu exhaled sharply—had his hands been free, he’d have patted his chest in relief.
What a fright!
Doctor Ji, renowned for saving lives, deserved such reverence, but he himself certainly couldn’t accept such honors.
“Brother Zhao, what are you doing? Why are you performing such ceremonies at my doorstep?”
The kneeling Zhao brothers, equally surprised by the coincidence, appeared momentarily embarrassed before quickly rising to their feet.
“Heh, heh… nothing! Just slipped, just slipped!”
Before Xu Dazhu could say another word, the Zhao Brothers scurried up the mountain like a wisp of smoke.
They left behind Xu Dazhu and Doctor Ji, staring at each other with puzzled expressions.
On one side, Xu Dazhu quickly put the matter aside and continued escorting Doctor Ji home. On the other, the Zhao Brothers ran without stopping until the roof of the Xu family house was completely out of sight.
“This time we’ve made fools of ourselves right at our own doorstep!”
Zhao Er Gou sat on the ground, panting heavily, his face flushed crimson with shame and anger.
Beside him, Zhao Da Gou—equally breathless—shot him a displeased look.
“What’s there to be ashamed of? Did you feel ashamed when you were eating meat?”
The remark left Zhao Er Gou speechless once again.
Zhao San Gou, faring slightly better than his two older brothers, caught his breath quickly and chimed in cheerfully.
“Exactly, Second Brother! Ever since we started paying respects to Lao Xu Jia before heading up the mountain, have we ever returned empty-handed? At the very least, we’d find a couple of bird eggs. If we could eat meat as often as the Xu family, I’d worship that Xiao Fu Bao like an ancestor—bowing to her eight hundred times a day!”
As soon as Zhao San Gou finished, Zhao Da Gou rolled his eyes at his younger brother, while Zhao Da Gou kicked him.
“Get lost, you brat! Wasting the family legacy—for a bite of food, you’d even abandon your ancestors!”
Rubbing his barely-hurt backside, Zhao San Gou retorted defiantly.
“Our ancestors never put meat on my plate!”
Zhao Da Gou faltered.
It was true—worshipping their own ancestors didn’t bring them meat, but paying respects to the Xu family’s Xiao Fu Bao did.
Thinking it over, treating Xiao Fu Bao as an ancestor didn’t seem so unreasonable after all.
While the three brothers were pondering whether Xu Tianbao could stand on equal footing with their own ancestors, they failed to notice a shadowy figure darting past through the woods beside them.