Gan Fanren didn’t dare stop for a moment. He finally managed to reach the mountaintop before the second rain began, finding a suitable place to rest and gathering enough firewood to keep them warm.
Upon reaching the cave, Gan Fanren immediately spread out the quilt so Hui Niang could lie down and rest.
The altitude at the summit was high, and the temperature difference between day and night was extreme. While the mountainside had been relatively mild, the mountaintop was bone-chillingly cold.
With the rain falling outside, the temperature dropped even further.
There were five of them, but they only had one quilt.
Gan Huaizhong, feeling his responsibility as the eldest, took the initiative to speak. “I’m a man; I’m not afraid of the cold. Give the quilt to Mother and my younger siblings.”
Gan Huaibi’s teeth were chattering from the cold, but he stubbornly added, “I’m not cold either. Let Mother and Little Sister have it. If we don’t use it, Mother and Sister can have two layers.”
Hui Niang, however, insisted that everyone come inside.
“This quilt is large. Everyone, come inside and take shelter.”
Gan Fanren also felt for the children.
But the situation was plain to see.
If the quilt wasn’t folded over, it wouldn’t provide enough insulation, and everyone would be cold. If folded into two layers, at least Hui Niang and Tian’er could stay a bit warmer.
Gan Tian flailed her tiny hands in distress.
【If only I had one more tael of silver, I could activate the Bedding Shelf. Then we’d have as many quilts as we wanted, and we could finally achieve quilt freedom.】
【And not just quilts, but pillows too! With pillows, Mother could have something to lean against when she sits up.】
Hearing his daughter’s inner voice, Gan Fanren inconspicuously tucked all the silver he had into the baby’s swaddling clothes.
Hui Niang was just wondering how to give her daughter money when she saw her husband’s actions.
Could it be that her husband, like her, could hear their daughter’s thoughts?
Gan Fanren said, “It’s not safe for us to carry this money. Better to leave it with Tian’er. No one would ever suspect we’d hide the money on her.”
Hui Niang played along, providing Gan Tian with a reason to spend the money.
“Is that a good idea? Babies move around so much. What if the money gets lost?”
【Babies move around, so it’s normal to lose a bit of money, right?】
Gan Tian felt she had found a reasonable explanation and spent another tael of silver with a clear conscience, unlocking the Bedding Area.
This time, she placed the quilts far away, terrified of being crushed by them.
Watching their daughter’s cautious movements, the couple nodded to themselves with pride.
Our dear daughter really is clever.
The two brothers’ eyes widened at the quilts that had suddenly appeared.
The second oldest, Gan Huaibi, rubbed his eyes.
“Am I seeing things? Did quilts just fall from the sky?”
“You’re not seeing things. This is a reward from the Divine Lady because we did a good deed. You must never speak of this to anyone, do you understand?”
Gan Fanren warned them uneasily, “Remember, never speak of this, or our family will be punished by the Divine Lady, and none of us will meet a peaceful end.”
This scared the second brother so much he trembled, clinging tightly to his eldest brother’s neck.
Gan Huaizhong pulled him off with a look of disdain.
“I understand, Father. An innocent man is held guilty for the jade he carries.”
【It’s got to be you, Big Brother. You really have a good head on your shoulders.】
【Second Brother is a bit lacking in the brain department. No wonder he ended up getting tricked into losing his life in the end.】
Gan Tian pulled out more than a dozen quilts from the Xitong. They were fluffy, light, and warm.
The two brothers had never seen such high-quality quilts before; their eyes were nearly popping out of their heads.
Though Gan Huaizhong was excited, he forcibly suppressed his emotions. He maintained an air of calm on the surface, but his hands and eyes never left the quilts.
Gan Huaibi couldn’t stop marveling. “These quilts are so soft and comfortable. Could these be what the Emperor uses?”
Gan Huaizhong countered, “Impossible. The quilts His Majesty uses must be much better than this.”
“I think… even the Emperor hasn’t used a quilt like this. After all, this was bestowed by the Divine Lady. This is something from the heavens,” Gan Fanren said softly.
Hui Niang clutched a quilt, her mind set on figure out how it was made. If she could learn the craft, she could surely earn a lot of silver in the future.
“What are these?”
Hui Niang noticed several soft, square bundles. She looked at them for a long time but couldn’t figure out their purpose.
【Those are pillows, for sleeping on. They’re soft and very comfortable to lean against. There are also firmer buckwheat pillows in there; everyone can choose according to their preference.】
【I’ve considered everyone’s tastes. I’m so thoughtful.】
Gan Tian let out a yawn and drifted off into a groggy sleep.
“These things should be pillows. Everyone, see if there’s one you like and pick for yourselves.”
As soon as Gan Fanren finished speaking, the pillows were divided up.
Hui Niang took a soft and comfortable Cat-Belly Pillow.
The two brothers took Memory Foam Pillows with kitten patterns on them.
Gan Fanren chose a Medicinal Pillow that smelled of traditional herbs.
With soft quilts beneath and over them, resting on comfortable pillows, and a campfire radiating warmth nearby, the whole family slept soundly.
Because Gan Tian was small, she got hungry quickly. She woke up in the middle of the night, but seeing everyone sleeping so soundly and the weather being so cold, she felt bad about disturbing them.
【I’m so hungry, but it’s so cold outside. If Daddy and Mommy get up to make milk for me, they’ll catch a cold. I’ll just endure it. If I suck on my pacifier a few more times, I won’t be hungry.】
Gan Tian found a Soothing Pacifier from the Muying District and sucked on it loudly. Her little mouth moved constantly, and her long eyelashes fluttered gently like falling butterflies, looking incredibly adorable.
Hui Niang was a light sleeper.
When her daughter woke up, she woke up too, but her body was exhausted, and she couldn’t get up immediately.
Seeing how pitiful her daughter was, she hurried to rise and prepare the formula.
A pair of large hands took the bottle. Gan Fanren’s sharp features looked somewhat softer beside the dim campfire.
“I’ll do it.”
His voice was a bit raspy.
As a scholar, between climbing the mountain and carrying their belongings, he had been pushed to his limits.
Using a water ladle, he scooped some hot water from the large pot hanging over the fire. After carefully pouring it between different bowls a few times to ensure the temperature was just right, he added the formula and pressed the bottle into Gan Tian’s hands.
At the same time, he quietly tucked a hot water carafe, freshly filled, into Hui Niang’s quilt.
Hui Niang felt the warmth and let out a bashful smile.
【Wuwuwu, I’m so happy. I have the prettiest Mommy and the gentlest Daddy in the whole world. Tian’tian loves you guys.】
This girl, always talking about ‘love’ this and ‘love’ that.
Hui Niang was already feeling shy, and now her face flushed bright red.
To show her gratitude for her parents making her milk in such cold weather, Gan Tian unlocked the Meat Area.
She exchanged for a large piece of tenderloin.
Hehe, tenderloin isn’t fatty; it tastes the best.
“Aiy, this Divine Lady really is something. She sent meat, but why didn’t she send some fatty meat? This meat is so lean; it looks like it’ll have no flavor at all.” Gan Huaibi pouted at the meat.
【No taste! Lean meat is obviously the best.】
【Bad Second Brother, I’m ignoring you.】
Gan Tian flailed her arms and legs at Gan Huaibi, giving him a “big slap” through the air.