Hearing movement from the kang, Feng Shi stopped directing her sons with their chores and went inside to check on her daughter.
"Did my sweet baby sleep well?" Feng Shi picked up Little Nuobao and instinctively reached out to feel.
Upon finding the bedding completely dry, she patted her daughter's little bottom and couldn't resist planting a kiss on her cheek.
"You're truly Mama's little snuggle bug—didn't fuss or wet the bed all night, much better than your fourth and fifth brothers when they were little."
"Hehe, Mama~" Little Nuobao stuck out her tongue, responding warmly.
After a night's sleep in her new home, the fear from being abandoned the day before had subsided, and Nuobao's naturally lively disposition was gradually emerging.
Feng Shi proudly held up the dry little blanket to show the whole family.
After receiving unanimous praise from her brothers, Little Nuobao also became "proud," lifting her rosy little face high, waiting to be kissed a couple more times.
But her body was too soft, and with a slight miscalculation of force, she nearly tumbled headfirst off the kang.
Startled, she tucked in her little neck and quickly snuggled into Feng Shi's arms, not daring to move.
Feng Shi chuckled and comforted her daughter: "Don't be scared, Mama's holding you tight, how could I ever let my precious little one fall? Are you hungry, sweetie? Mama will take you to find your second sister-in-law."
With that, Feng Shi first carried her to the door to let her relieve herself, then handed Little Nuobao to her daughter-in-law's arms so she could have her "breakfast."
Li Qiqiao had been waiting all morning, having shooed away her own son several times when he came to nurse. Now she could finally feed her little sister-in-law.
"Come, Nuobao, all this is saved for you." Li Qiqiao opened her collar and began rocking the little one in her arms.
Little Nuobao had gone to bed early last night.
After four or five hours, she was indeed a bit hungry.
She skillfully pursed her little mouth and began drinking eagerly.
Mmm, sweet.
So sweet.
Just a bit too rich…
Chun Ge'er, only half a year old, watched his little aunt eating so contentedly. Hungry, he leaned over, unable to hold back his tears.
Li Qiqiao walked over with Little Nuobao in her arms. Not indulging her son, she directly spooned a large mouthful of cornmeal paste into Chun Ge'er's mouth.
"Waaah… mmm…"
Chun Ge'er couldn't speak yet and could only clumsily swallow the food.
Little Nuobao clung tightly to her second sister-in-law's arm, watching Chun Ge'er, who could only lie nearby licking the paste, and guiltily swallowed a few mouthfuls of milk.
After all, this was her little nephew's sustenance. It felt a bit awkward to keep hogging it all.
If only the family's circumstances were better, with more varied food, the adults wouldn't have to rely on breastfeeding her for nutrition.
Thinking this, Little Nuobao blinked and, for the first time, took a good look at her new home.
The Jiang Family's single-story house had only three small rooms—not only extremely cramped but also with low beams, broken tiles, looking truly shabby.
Inside, apart from some pots, pans, bowls, and ladles, there were only two large rice vats, with no other decorations.
Worse still, the rice vats were already empty, more barren than a clean face.
Only half a bag of cornmeal hung from the beam, seemingly the family's sole staple food.
The little one turned her head and fixed her gaze on the stove.
The food from the morning still sat there.
Aside from rock-hard cornbread that could crack a skull, there was only some reheated, nearly spoiled pickled vegetables, likely saved for lunch.
The more Little Nuobao looked, the more her eyes stung.
The family was truly so poor.
Even so, her second sister-in-law still insisted on saving the little milk she had for her…
Little Nuobao was deeply moved and wished she could help her family somehow.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, she suddenly heard a "clang," and two silver ingots appeared in her hands.
Overjoyed, Little Nuobao drooled all over her second sister-in-law.
Her devotees had sent her more tribute offerings!
As the Fortune Star Fairy, receiving tribute offerings was nothing new to her.
Back in the Shen residence, she had never dared to use them, fearing that others might discover her secret and exploit her ability to generate wealth.
So even when she was starving, Little Nuobao could only hide under the covers, drooling over the offerings in secret.
But now things were different.
Little Nuobao had a new family who loved and protected her, with no intention of harming her.
She could finally put her abilities to good use.
The silver ingots were so heavy that they hurt her tiny hands. Clinging to Li Qiqiao's shoulder, she grimaced, struggling to hold onto them.
Seizing the moment when Li Qiqiao wasn't paying attention, Little Nuobao raised her arm, reached back, and tossed the two large silver ingots into the firewood basket by the stove.
A while later, Sun Chunxue came in to fetch firewood to boil water.
As she reached into the basket, her hand brushed against something cold and hard, which puzzled her.
When she pushed aside the firewood, she discovered two gleaming silver ingots hidden inside. Sun Chunxue was so startled that she stumbled backward and fell to the ground, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
"What is this… Mother, Eldest Brother… How did silver ingots end up in our firewood basket?" Sun Chunxue pointed at the basket, her voice trembling.
Feng Shi was equally shocked!
She snatched the silver ingots and bit one to test its authenticity, exclaiming, "They're real silver! Who gathered this firewood?"
"Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother collected it from the mountain yesterday," Li Qiqiao said, wide-eyed.
Feng Jing and Fengmiao had no idea what was going on. The two children stood frozen by the door, stunned and unable to react for a long time.
"Maybe the silver ingots were already hidden in the firewood, and the kids didn't notice when they picked it up," Jiang Fenghu said as he rushed in from outside.
Feng Shi clutched the silver ingots tightly, her heart pounding.
Their family was truly blessed—first the wild boar, now silver ingots. It seemed fortune was smiling upon them.
One silver ingot was worth twenty taels of silver, so two meant forty taels. With this money, their family would no longer have to worry about poverty!
Jiang Fenghu counted on his fingers, overwhelmed with excitement. "Our family only earned three taels of silver from selling grain this year. These two silver ingots are worth more than what we could earn from farming for seven or eight years!"
Jiang Fengnian laughed and gave him a playful kick.
"I think those six months you spent in school were wasted. Even if you used your toes to count, it wouldn't help. This isn't just seven or eight years' worth—it's more than ten years!"
Everyone burst into laughter at his words.
Feng Shi laughed until tears welled in her eyes. She quickly hid the silver ingots safely at the bottom of a chest.
Now that they had some extra money, Feng Shi's first thought was her daughter.
Little Nuobao looked about a year and a half old but didn't even have proper clothes to wear. She was always wrapped in a small blanket, which made it difficult for her to move around.
Wiping her eyes, Feng Shi stepped outside and said with a smile, "Once the pig is butchered and we've eaten, I'll go into town. I'll sell the leftover pork first, then buy some fabric. Making proper clothes for our little sister is the most important thing right now."