As Jiang Liuli and the others had just settled in the room, the children chattered and gathered around again, their little mouths sweet as honey, pouring out all the praises they hadn't had enough of earlier.
Jiang Liuli was amused by the scene and chuckled, patting the long bench beside her:
"Alright, alright, if you keep praising me like this, your aunt might just float away. Come sit at the table now. You need to eat first to have the strength to grow your Abilities."
The children obediently gathered around the table, where coarse ceramic bowls were set, each filled to the brim with cornmeal porridge, with a few unground corn kernels floating on the surface.
The children picked up their bowls and slurped down the porridge with relish, even licking clean the bits stuck to the edges of the bowls.
Jiang Liuli took a sip and found it not only tasteless but also slightly rough on the throat. Pretending to lower her head to drink the porridge, she secretly activated her dimension Abilities, causing the porridge in her bowl to gradually disappear. To others, it looked as though she had eaten it.
When the bowl was empty, she set it down and, taking advantage of everyone being focused on their meals, subtly flicked her wrist. The porridge she had stored in her dimension quietly returned to the wooden basin.
"Da Ni! I never imagined you had such great skills. With you here, Second Sister-in-Law feels our family is truly turning things around!"
Liu Shi first brought two bowls of corn porridge to Xu Shi and Jiang Xiaoni, then returned to eat while sighing with emotion.
"Yes! Don't worry, as long as I'm here, no one will go hungry again!"
Jiang Liuli set down her bowl and chopsticks, then added as if remembering something: "Second Sister-in-Law, has Sister-in-Law started producing milk? I think I heard the little nephew crying."
The joy on Liu Shi's face faded considerably. She tapped her chopsticks against the edge of her bowl and lowered her voice:
"It's not that easy. Sister-in-Law's body is as weak as cotton. Forget milk, she even feels dizzy when she stands up. The child is crying from hunger. When I brought the porridge over earlier, I saw Sister-in-Law wiping her tears in secret. I was just about to discuss this with all of you—after I finish this bowl of porridge, I'll go to the nearby villages to ask if there's any nursing mother, so I can beg for a bowl of milk!"
Zhao Shi's brows furrowed into a deep frown. Thinking of the hungry child, she quickened her pace of drinking the porridge.
"What about the two eggs I asked you to secretly save the other day? Did you give them to Sister-in-Law?"
"I did, but Sister-in-Law's body is too depleted—it didn't help at all!" Liu Shi sighed.
"I'll go check…"
Zhao Shi couldn't sit still any longer and went straight into Xu Shi's room.
Jiang Liuli had ready-made formula and fresh milk in her dimension, but taking them out abruptly would be too conspicuous.
She also stood up and went to Xu Shi's room.
Inside the room, Zhao Shi was holding the child, trying to soothe him, while Jiang Xiaoni stood by, unsure of what to do.
Xu Shi was sitting on the kang, drinking corn porridge while watching her little son, her anxiety bringing tears to her eyes.
She actually had no appetite for the porridge, but to try and produce milk as soon as possible, she had no choice but to force it down through her tears.
When Jiang Xiaoni saw Jiang Liuli arrive, she quickly spoke up: "Sister! Do you have any way to get milk or find some fine rice to make rice soup for the little nephew?"
"Don't worry." Jiang Liuli first glanced at the baby in Zhao Shi's arms.
The little one's face was scrunched up from crying, his lips dry and peeling. His cries were as faint as a kitten on the verge of death, tugging at one's heartstrings.
She reached out to check the child's temperature—fortunately, he wasn't feverish, just severely hungry.
When Xu Shi noticed Jiang Liuli staring at the child, she could no longer swallow the corn porridge in her mouth, and tears plopped into the coarse ceramic bowl:
"Da Ni, do you think this child was born into the wrong family? I don’t have a drop of milk… I’m so afraid he might…"
"What nonsense are you talking, sister-in-law? Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, nothing will happen to him!"
With that, Jiang Liuli turned and left the house.
Once outside, she immediately entered her dimension, cooked herself some noodles inside, and rested for a while after eating.
When she estimated the time was about right, she took out some infant formula, mixed it with warm water, poured it into a wooden basin she had brought from home, and carried it back.
Just as she reached the courtyard gate, she heard intermittent cries of the baby coming from the east wing, mingled with Zhao Shi’s soft attempts to soothe him.
Quickening her pace, she pushed open the slightly ajar gate and ran into Jiang Xiaoni tiptoeing toward the kitchen, clutching a chipped coarse ceramic bowl.
"Sister! You’re back!" Jiang Xiaoni’s eyes lit up at the sight of her. "The little nephew is crying even harder. Mother said he might not last and wants to feed him some corn porridge first…"
"You can’t feed him corn porridge! A baby’s stomach is delicate—corn porridge could hurt him!"
The corn porridge in the Jiang household was ground with the corncobs included. Even adults found it rough on the throat. Who knew what would happen if it were fed to an infant?
"I managed to get some breast milk. It should be enough for tonight!"
At the words "breast milk," Jiang Xiaoni’s eyes sparkled like stars. She grabbed Jiang Liuli’s arm and tugged her toward the room. "Sister, hurry! The little nephew is crying himself breathless!"
As they entered the room, the rich, milky scent drifted ahead. Zhao Shi, holding the child, paused abruptly and looked down at the wooden basin in Jiang Liuli’s hands—the creamy white liquid shimmered softly and steamed faintly.
Xu Shi’s face also lit up with joy. "Da Ni, you found milk?"
"Yes! There’s a woman in the neighboring village who just gave birth. I went and got some breast milk for the child. Let’s feed him now! Tomorrow morning, I’ll go buy a milk goat or a dairy cow so the child will never go hungry again!"
As she spoke, Jiang Liuli scooped half a bowl of milk from the wooden basin with a large ceramic bowl, found a clean wooden spoon, tested the temperature by the heated brick bed, and carefully brought it to the baby’s lips.
The little one seemed to sense the life-saving nourishment. His cries stopped abruptly, and his tiny mouth moved eagerly. The moment the spoon touched his lips, he clamped onto it and gulped down the milk, his little neck bobbing with each swallow—a sight both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
In no time, the half bowl of milk was finished.
The baby let out a milky burp, his eyelids drooped heavily, and he tilted his head into Zhao Shi’s embrace, falling into a deep sleep with a satisfied smile, his previously furrowed brow now smooth.
"He’s finally asleep…"
Zhao Shi patted the child’s back gently, her voice filled with the relief of having survived a crisis, her eyes red-rimmed.
"This poor child hasn’t had a single feeding since he was born. What a tragedy."
Xu Shi watched the baby’s peaceful sleeping face, tears falling once more—but this time, they were warm with relief. "Da Ni, thank goodness we have you in this family!"
Xu Shi felt immensely grateful that Jiang Dani had survived, and that… after brushing with death, Jiang Dani had changed her ways.
Otherwise, who knew if her little son would have made it…
"Sister-in-law, you've just given birth and need to rest. Get some sleep now! I'm going to check on Father! It's getting dark, and I think the old doctor should be returning soon!"
Xu Shi nodded, her eyes still red-rimmed yet carrying an unprecedented sense of reassurance: "Go ahead. With you here, I feel at ease about Father. Mother, you should return home too! You're getting on in years and shouldn't be staying up late…"
"Alright! I'll have Liu Shi come over later to look after you! Xiaoni, you go back and have something to eat before sleeping. In the latter half of the night, you'll take over caring for the child from your second sister-in-law. Let your eldest sister-in-law rest properly and recover her strength…"
After settling Xu Shi and giving Jiang Xiaoni some instructions, Zhao Shi followed Jiang Liuli toward Jiang Yinbao's room.
Just as they reached the doorway, they saw the old doctor approaching with his medical case…