Madam Qin was both surprised and delighted. “Yunhu, how did you find the blood ginseng?”
“I tripped and fell, and when I was lying on the ground, I happened to see it.”
Mu Yunhu’s little face flushed red as he shyly scratched his head.
Unnoticed, a plump, pink-skinned baby no bigger than a palm, with hair tied in a topknot and wearing a red bellyband, sat invisibly on his shoulder, covering its mouth and giggling.
Madam Qin found the story amusing and instructed her daughter-in-law, “Blood ginseng is a top-grade medicinal herb. Slice it and add it to the chicken soup for your elder sister-in-law.”
“Alright.”
Madam Liu agreed with a smile. She cleaned the blood ginseng, sliced off a small piece, and stewed it with black-bone chicken to make soup.
～～～
With the pheasant in hand, Li Ao’s mood finally improved a bit. He sat alone by the fire at the cave entrance, roasting the bird.
Mu Yulin rushed back through the heavy snow from a nearby village and glared at him in annoyance.
Li Ao ignored her, focused solely on eating the chicken.
Mu Yulin then hurried into the cave and complained bitterly, “Those officials have no sense of compassion or morality. I asked them to help fetch a doctor, but they made all sorts of excuses. They even said we have to leave first thing tomorrow morning and can’t delay the journey.”
“Leaving tomorrow morning?”
Madam Liu was furious, her willow-like eyebrows shooting up. “Elder sister-in-law just gave birth and is still weak. How heartless must they be to say such a thing?”
“If they want to drive us away, they’ll have to see if this old woman agrees or not!”
Old Madam struck the ground with her Dragon-head Cane, and a whirlwind emerged from beneath her feet, spreading and swirling through the cave.
“Great-grandma is mighty!”
“Great-grandma is awesome!”
Mu Yunlong and Mu Yunhu were thrilled, waving their arms and cheering loudly.
“Great-grandma is mighty, awesome…”
Mu Yunlei also chimed in with his adorable baby voice, echoing his brothers.
“Hahaha.”
Old Madam looked at her three lively and adorable great-grandsons, and her mood instantly brightened.
“As long as Old Madam is here, no one dares to bully us.”
Madam Liu wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye, expressing heartfelt gratitude.
The journey of exile was incredibly arduous for a family of elderly, weak, women, and children.
They had witnessed the harshness of the world and endured endless mockery and disdain.
If not for Old Madam’s intimidating Level Eight martial prowess and lingering authority, they would have suffered even more humiliation and hardship.
“As long as these old bones of mine are still here.”
Old Madam reached out and pulled the youngest, Mu Yunlei, into her arms, her eyes filled with affection. “I’ll risk my life to ensure no one bullies my children.”
“Hehe, Great-grandma is the best, she loves Yunlei the most.”
Mu Yunlei was a clever little one, skilled at currying favor. With his adorable baby voice, he affectionately rubbed his cheek against Old Madam’s hand.
“Yunlei is a good boy.”
Old Madam smiled even more affectionately, but when her gaze fell on her young grandson’s yellowish hair and thin face, a hint of sorrow welled up in her heart.
～
“It smells so good!”
The chicken was stewed to perfection, filling the cave with an intoxicating aroma.
Mu Yunhu sniffed the air and swallowed his saliva, his little stomach rumbling loudly.
Mu Yunlei stared eagerly at the iron pot, drooling uncontrollably.
Mu Yunlong, being slightly older at six years old, was already sensible.
Instead of hovering around the pot, he slipped behind the cloth curtain alone to stay with his mother and watch over his little sister.
“Little sister is so good, so pretty.”
He crouched beside his mother, holding a little grasshopper woven from dried grass to play with his sister.
“Hehehe.”
The little baby girl rolled her dark, lively eyes, seemingly looking at the small grasshopper, but actually sneaking glances at him.
Mu Yunlong closely resembled his mother, with fair skin and delicate features.
The siblings’ mother, Yan Yiqing, was also a renowned talented beauty in Jingdu City, possessing peerless grace and extraordinary intellect.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have captured the heart of their father, Mu Bai, the number one young master of Beichen, and married him.
“Mother, can I hold my little sister?”
The more Mu Yunlong looked at his sister, the more he liked her. Unable to resist, he put down the grasshopper and wanted to hold the baby.
“No.”
Yan Yiqing gently swatted away her son’s eager little hands, stopping him with a smile. “Your sister was just born; her bones are still soft and she’s too delicate. You can’t hold her yet.”
“I can do it…”
Mu Yunlong was unwilling to give up and wanted to try again, but just then, Madam Liu happened to lift the curtain and enter, carrying two bowls of chicken soup.
“Sister-in-law, the chicken soup is ready. Drink it while it’s hot.”
“Thank you, sister.”
A flicker of gratitude passed through Yan Yiqing’s eyes as she struggled to sit up from the ground.
“We’re family, no need for thanks.”
Madam Liu handed her the soup bowl and placed another beside Mu Yunlong.
“There are only two chicken legs, why did you give them both to me?”
Yan Yiqing glanced at her own large bowl containing the chicken legs, then at her son’s small bowl with only a few pieces of chicken, feeling an indescribable ache in her heart.
“Old Madam said that you just gave birth and your body is weak, so you need nourishment the most.”
Madam Liu was eloquent, her words particularly thoughtful. “From now on, I’ll stew a chicken for you every day. Just rest peacefully—raising your daughter well is more important than anything else.”
“Mmm.”
Yan Yiqing’s eyes reddened, tears blurring her vision.
“Drink up first, sister-in-law. I’ll come back to clean up the bowls when you’re done.”
Madam Liu lifted the curtain and walked out with a smile.
“Yunlong.”
After watching her leave, Yan Yiqing softly instructed her son, “Go call Yunhu and Yunlei over.”
“Alright!”
Without overthinking it, Mu Yunlong obediently ran out.
Before long, Mu Yunhu and Mu Yunlei, each holding their own small bowls, followed their brother and trotted back excitedly.
Yan Yiqing glanced at the two children’s bowls and, seeing that they indeed contained very little chicken, sighed sadly.
~
The chicken soup was fragrant, a taste she hadn’t enjoyed in a long time.
The children all drank happily.
Yan Yiqing couldn’t bear to eat the chicken legs herself. She tore the meat off and divided it among the three children.
Mu Yunlei was young; when his mother gave him some, he opened his mouth and chewed happily, smacking his lips.
Mu Yunhu was a bit older and initially felt too shy to eat. However, he had always been strong and had a big appetite, and his little stomach was growling with hunger.
Unable to resist the hunger, he also blushed and ate half a chicken leg.
Mu Yunlong was sensible and refused to eat no matter how much he was urged.
After finishing the chicken soup, he ran out of the cave to help Mu Yufu and her sister gather firewood.
The cave was bitterly cold. The family, exiled and struggling to stay fed and warm, had only four tattered quilts, all of which had been used for Yan Yiqing’s childbirth.
One was placed beneath her, soiled, and then replaced with another.
One covered her body, and another had been repurposed into a small blanket to wrap around the baby sister.
He understood clearly that without quilts for the night, the family could only rely on the fire for warmth, so they had to gather enough firewood.
~
Li Ao was solely focused on eating the roasted chicken and didn’t cause trouble or stop them from going out.
Mu Yufu, her sister, and Mu Yunlong—two older and one younger—went in and out of the cave several times, gathering a good amount of branches. They piled them beside the fire to dry for later use.
Yan Yiqing drank the chicken soup and began producing breast milk, feeding her daughter.
The little baby girl drank the milk contentedly, then let out a sweet, milky burp.