The next morning, the Lin family courtyard was especially lively.
Ever since remembering that she had never stockpiled a single piece of gold or silver jewelry, Lin Mei had fallen into a state of silent depression.
For more than ten days now, she had barely shown any expression at all.
Even her appetite for goat’s milk had shrunk dramatically. Before, she could finish most of a large bowl in one feeding; now she could barely drink half a small bowl.
She neither cried, fussed, nor smiled.
Whenever she was hungry, wet, or dirty, she would simply make two soft “ah” sounds to alert her mother.
Usually when her two little brothers came to play with her, she would at least humor them a little—giggling a few times or reaching out tiny hands to touch them.
But now, whenever the brothers came over, she mostly pretended to be dead asleep.
Her parents tried to tease and entertain her too, but she ignored them most of the time.
This finally frightened Lin Sanyong and Tian Guihua badly.
The couple discussed it and decided to call a doctor.
After hearing Lin Sanyong describe Lin Mei’s recent behavior, Old Man Lin and Old Madam Lin agreed immediately and urged him to quickly fetch Doctor Qi from the village.
Doctor Qi arrived and first lifted Lin Mei’s eyelids to examine her eyes. Then he took her pulse.
“The child doesn’t seem to have any major physical illness,” he said slowly. “But strangely enough… her pulse shows signs of excessive worry and melancholy.”
He frowned.
“She’s only a tiny baby. What could she possibly be worrying about? If this continues, it may lead to weakness of the heart and spleen. In serious cases, there’s even a risk of early death.”
The room instantly fell silent.
Not only were Lin Sanyong and Tian Guihua horrified—
Lin Mei herself was terrified too.
What do you mean early death?!
I’ve only been depressed for a few days! I’m not dying yet! I think I can still be saved, Doctor!
Inside her heart, Lin Mei screamed hysterically.
“Doctor Qi! What should we do? Can she be cured? Can our daughter recover?” the couple asked anxiously together.
Doctor Qi nodded calmly.
“It’s not difficult. I’ll prescribe several doses of Xiaoyao Powder together with Ganmai Dazao Soup. I’ll also give her a few acupuncture needles now. After she finishes the medicine, I’ll return to check her pulse again.”
As he spoke, he laid out a row of silver needles.
“We discovered it early, so it shouldn’t become serious. Usually, you should spend more time entertaining the child and talking to her.”
Tian Guihua looked completely confused.
“But Doctor Qi… she’s still so little. How could such a small baby get this kind of illness?”
“It can happen,” Doctor Qi explained patiently. “It’s just rare. Sometimes babies feel insecure or emotionally unsatisfied, and this develops into excessive worry.”
After hearing this explanation, Lin Mei finally began reflecting seriously.
Ever since gaining her storage space in her previous life, she had constantly lived in anxiety and panic while hoarding supplies.
Then after reincarnating into this world as a helpless infant, she had continued fearing the unknown future.
Deep down, she had never truly relaxed.
It always felt as though a blade hung above her head, ready to fall at any moment.
Now that she had nearly reached one month old, she realized she had spent all this time trapped in fear and unease.
If her parents had not called Doctor Qi today, perhaps she really might have wasted away.
In her previous life, Lin Mei had possessed almost nothing besides her grandmother.
Even after eventually ending up alone, she had still faced life positively and stubbornly held onto hope.
But in this life?
She had a harmonious family.
Loving parents.
Protective brothers.
Yet somehow she had become timid instead.
Even if disasters really arrived in the future like in those apocalyptic novels, couldn’t the whole family work together to survive?
Besides, her space was packed with supplies.
At the very least, survival itself would never be a problem.
So what exactly was she so afraid of?
After giving herself a long internal pep talk, Lin Mei finally managed to calm herself down.
From now on, she decided—
she would truly become a child.
She would integrate into this family and into this society.
How many people ever got the chance to live a second life?
Since Heaven had granted her such an opportunity, she ought to live fully enough to make it worthwhile.
After seeing Doctor Qi out, Lin Sanyong returned to the room and found Tian Guihua silently crying.
He hurried over and wrapped his arms around her.
The husband and wife said nothing.
They simply held each other quietly.
Lin Mei, who had been pretending to sleep, finally could not bear it anymore.
The atmosphere was far too heavy.
She absolutely could not let her mother fall into postpartum depression because of her.
By now Lin Mei’s eyesight had improved enough to clearly see nearby objects.
She had seen her parents hugging.
So she quickly pretended to wake up, twisted her body slightly, and let out several loud cries.
“Waaah! Waaah!”
The sound immediately shattered the gloomy atmosphere.
Both parents snapped back to attention.
Tian Guihua quickly picked Lin Mei up to comfort her.
Lin Sanyong said hurriedly,
“Our little girl slept quite a while. She’s probably hungry. I’ll go get the milk.”
This time Lin Mei cooperated enthusiastically.
She gulped down over half a bowl of milk in no time.
After finishing, she even smiled brightly at Tian Guihua.
Tian Guihua was overjoyed and immediately called Lin Sanyong over to look.
After seeing it, Lin Sanyong repeatedly sighed in amazement.
“Doctor Qi’s medical skills are incredible! He only inserted a few needles and our daughter already looks so much more spirited. I’ll hurry and boil the medicine now. Once she drinks it, she’ll definitely recover completely!”
With that, he rushed off to prepare the medicine.
Tian Guihua could not help laughing at her husband’s impatience.
Time passed quickly.
Three days disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Lin Mei had endured three straight days of bitter medicine until her face practically turned yellow.
Although it tasted awful, she still forced herself to swallow it for the sake of survival.
Her two younger brothers and several cousins all knew she was sick now.
One after another, they came to visit her, solemnly promising:
“In the future, when we pick fruit from the mountains, we’ll give little sister extra portions if she behaves well!”
Lin Mei rolled her eyes repeatedly at their words.
Sure enough—
from ancient times to the present, people loved making empty promises regardless of age.
Fortunately, after another pulse examination, Doctor Qi confirmed that Lin Mei no longer needed medicine.
Her tiny life was finally safe.
The very next morning, the courtyard became extraordinarily lively.
Today was Comrade Lin Mei’s one-month celebration.
Early in the morning, her mother dressed her in a bright red bellyband embroidered with vivid “Five Poisons” designs.
Then Tian Guihua wrapped her in an exceptionally soft cotton swaddling blanket edged with colorful embroidered patterns.
Both beautifully embroidered gifts had been sent yesterday by Fourth Aunt Chen Shuyun through Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle, who were working temporary jobs in the county town.
Because the county town was quite far away, and Lin Xiyong’s studies had recently become especially intense, his teacher had advised him not to take leave unless absolutely necessary.
So this time, Lin Xiyong and his wife could not return personally.
Everyone finished breakfast early.
Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle went to inspect the fields that had been plowed half a month earlier. If the soil had dried properly, they planned to begin planting winter wheat right after Lin Mei’s full-month celebration.
Meanwhile, Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt busied themselves slaughtering two chickens and preparing four fish.
Old Madam Lin led eldest cousin Chunxia and second cousin Yuxiang in boiling pig feed and feeding the ox, goat, and chickens.
Dashan took the younger children to gather wild vegetables and pig fodder near the mountain foothills.
From dawn onward, the entire household bustled with activity.
Around the end of the Hour of Si, voices suddenly sounded outside the courtyard.
Lin Mei’s maternal grandfather and uncles had arrived.
After parking the mule cart, her youngest uncle Tian Xiuwu jumped down first, followed by her grandfather Tian Dali.
When Tian Dali climbed down, the movement stirred a gust of wind that caused his empty left sleeve to sway through the air.
“Honored relatives! Welcome, welcome! Quickly come inside!”
Old Man Lin stepped forward smiling warmly to greet them.
Tian Xiuwu unloaded the cart, tied up the mule, gathered the gifts, and followed everyone into the courtyard.
After entering the main hall and setting down the presents, Tian Guihua—who had heard the commotion—walked over carrying the freshly dressed Lin Mei in her arms.