At this moment, Jiang Fengnian and his brothers were lying on the heated brick bed, savoring the lingering taste of meat in their mouths, feeling as if it were all a dream.
The youngest, Jiang Fengmiao, felt especially like he was in a fantasy.
Since he was born, his family had rarely eaten meat, let alone eaten until they were full.
"Fourth Brother, did we really just eat meat? And I had seven, eight, nine… over ten pieces?" Jiang Fengmiao licked his greasy little lips, feeling so blissful he was almost dizzy.
Jiang Fengjing let out a satisfied burp and squinted his eyes. "Yes, it's true. Now lie still and don't move around, or you'll digest everything you just ate, and all that good meat will go to waste."
Hearing this, Fengmiao immediately pressed his skinny body tightly against the quilt, not daring to move a muscle.
Seizing the opportunity while Fengmiao wasn't causing trouble, Fengjing crawled to the edge of the heated bed. Watching as Little Nuobao was still being fed meat porridge by their mother, he couldn't resist reaching for the spoon.
"Mom, you've been feeding Sister for a while now. Let me take a turn."
"Don't even think about it. Your sister's throat is tiny. If you accidentally choke her, I won't forgive you," Feng Shi said protectively, blocking Fengjing as if he weren't her own son.
Jiang Fengnian and the others couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
After all, their mother had always dreamed of having a daughter.
Now that her dream had come true, of course she would protect her like the apple of her eye.
Fengjing had no choice but to sit sulkily to the side, watching intently and taking the chance to study his little sister carefully.
Though Little Nuobao was bald due to mistreatment in her previous home, it couldn't hide her innate delicacy and cuteness.
Her large, obsidian-like eyes blinked repeatedly, almost blinking their way into Fengjing's heart.
Fengjing's gaze then drifted downward to her tiny feet, which looked like a pair of golden ingots, making him want to take a big bite out of them.
Seeing her fourth brother staring so intently, Little Nuobao thought he also wanted some meat porridge and quickly spat out the spoon.
"Fourth Gege~ you eat too, Nuobao saved half for you…" Though she wasn't full yet, she couldn't bear to see her brother craving it.
Fengjing was so touched by her words that he shivered.
Overwhelmed with affection, he took his sister's hand. "Nuobao, you eat it. Brother doesn't want any. When Fourth Brother grows up and earns money, I'll make sure Nuobao eats meat with every meal!"
Hearing this, Little Nuobao giggled so hard she blew a big bubble of drool.
"Gege don't need to hurry to earn silver. Nuobao has her own. Later… I'll make sure Niang, Gege, and all the brothers eat meat every day~"
Hearing this, the whole family burst into laughter.
How could a one-year-old toddler be so mindful of the family?
Only Little Nuobao knew she was telling the truth.
She sat obediently with her legs crossed, her little cheeks puffing up seriously.
Feng Shi, meanwhile, had other things on her mind. After feeding her daughter, she estimated that the Village Chief's oxcart delivering water to the city would soon depart, so she prepared to leave and hitch a ride.
Seeing they were heading to the city, Little Nuobao vaguely sensed another opportunity to make money.
She quickly stretched out her little hands, hooking them tightly around Feng Shi's neck like a fishhook.
Feng Shi couldn't bear to pry her daughter away, so she wrapped Nuobao tightly in her little quilt and took the prepared pork with her as they headed out.
"My daughter doesn't want to leave her mother, huh? Your eldest brother and the others still need to gather straw at home, so I'll take you to the city with me, okay?"
Before Little Nuobao could obediently agree, Feng Shi opened the front door and stepped outside.
"Ah!!"
Hearing the piercing scream from the third household's doorway, Jiang Dahai and his wife, who had already fallen asleep in the haystack, were instantly jolted awake.
Jiang Dahai was so excited that he scrambled to his feet, eager to witness the fruits of his victory.
But the next moment, he was utterly dumbfounded!
There was Feng Shi, holding a fair and delicate child who was not only alive and kicking but had also pulled a wild rabbit straight out of the animal trap, examining it with satisfaction.
"I stepped on its tail just now and thought it was a rat—gave me quite a fright," Feng Shi said, panting with a laugh.
After speaking, she weighed the rabbit in her hand, her smile deepening even more.
"Whoever left this trap at our doorstep must have been blind, but they ended up catching us a rabbit to start the day. Tell me, isn't this good luck, my girl?"
Jiang Dahai stared at the rabbit, his eyes practically gleaming.
What? How? How could the third household be so lucky?!
Not only did they avoid his trap, but they also got to eat rabbit meat…
Was there no justice in the world?
If he hadn’t placed the trap at the third household’s doorstep but at his own instead, wouldn’t his family be the ones catching the rabbit now!
Jiang Dahai was filled with regret, his insides twisting with envy.
His wrinkled old face twitched uncontrollably.
His heart felt as though it were bleeding.
At this moment, seeing how suspiciously the trap had been placed, Feng Shi likely guessed who was behind it.
With a spirited click of her tongue, she showed no fear and instead gathered up all the remaining traps in one go.
Then she deliberately raised her voice: "Let’s go, my girl! Getting all this stuff for free—we’ll take it to town to sell later. It’ll fetch at least twenty coppers, and I’ll buy you a big meat pie!"
"She’s even going to sell our things for food. I want that meat pie too," Jiang Dahai muttered anxiously, itching to rush out.
Zhao Shi desperately held him back.
"Stay down, stay down! Don’t let her see us. I’m counting on her to teach me how to harvest the ears of grain come spring. Don’t ruin my chances of talking to her."
Jiang Dahai couldn’t show himself to reclaim the traps.
Zhao Shi could only scold him angrily: "Look at the mess you’ve made! All the benefits went to her family. I told you not to listen to your second brother’s nonsense. We got nothing out of this and even lost our things!"
Feng Shi tossed the wild rabbit into her back basket and quickly headed toward the village entrance.
From a distance, she spotted the Village Chief’s ox cart parked beside the village mill.
The villagers of Daliu Village had always been close-knit.
The Village Chief was especially warmhearted.
So whenever he made trips to deliver vegetables to the town’s taverns, he would park his ox cart at the mill half an hour early, allowing anyone who needed a ride to hitch a lift into town.
Of course, most villagers wouldn’t take the ride without offering something in return.
By the end of the year, those who had received the Village Chief’s help would at least send over a small basket of eggs or a jar of freshly pickled vegetables.
Seeing Feng Shi carrying a chubby little child in her arms, a basket on her back, and a heavy large basket in her hand, the Village Chief guided his ox cart closer to her.
"Jiang Laosan’s wife, is this your newly adopted daughter?" the Village Chief asked, rubbing his eyes for a better look. He couldn’t help but marvel: "How is she so fair and clean? Her eyes are bigger than most children in our village too. So pretty—she doesn’t look like a farmer’s child at all, more like a young lady from a wealthy family in town."