The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 283 - 272: Fate

Chapter 283: Chapter 272: Fate

Mother Chen poured out half a bowl of the freshly cooked milk. The aroma filled the entire kitchen, even reaching the noses of those in the courtyard.

Manbao and her siblings followed behind Mother Chen in a line into the legitimate wife’s room, watching her feed the milk to the baby.

The milk had a distinct taste, clearly different from the rice soup he had previously enjoyed, so the baby habitually spat it out.

After several unsuccessful attempts to feed him, Mother Chen couldn’t help but feel anxious. The milk was hard to come by; how could it be wasted like this?

Unable to help herself, Mother Chen pressed his lips together, forcing the milk down without removing the spoon.

Ms. Qian, sitting by the side, was startled by the action and quickly pulled her hand away. The baby started coughing, his face first turning red and then a shade of blue. He struggled weakly with his limbs, which then gradually slowed down to almost no movement.

Manbao, unhappy with the situation, pushed Mother Chen aside, picked up the baby, and turned to hand him to her mother, "Mom, you hold him."

Ms. Qian swiftly took the baby, cleaned the mess he spit up, and gently helped him to burp. As his movement slowed down, he let out a couple of low sobs, and then she carefully took the spoon from Mother Chen’s hand to feed him.

She softly said to Ms. Chen, who was concernedly getting up to watch, "Babies have their own temperaments, just like adults. If they feel uncomfortable, of course they feel upset. We are adults. When we feel bad, we can speak up, cry, or yell at people. He’s just a baby and isn’t well, but certainly, he’s bound to feel bad."

Ms.Qian added, "You also heard the doctor say, this child has been distressed quite severely and is not well. Add hunger to the mix, and naturally he’s going to be fussier than other children. Right now, you have to soothe him. Otherwise, why would you be stubborn with a newborn? Wouldn’t you still be the one suffering in the end?"

"Yes," Ms. Chen agreed with a nod, looking at her mother and said, "Auntie, hand him to me, I’ll feed him."

"No need," Ms. Qian smiled, "You’re still not in good shape to move around, and I’m not doing anything here. What’s wrong with helping you a little?"

Ms.Qian placed a towel on his chest and carefully continued to feed him. If he spat out the milk, she let him.

Breastfeeding babies often spit out milk, let alone when it’s goat’s milk.

In Ms. Qian’s view, since the Bai Family had sent an entire goat, there was no worry about the baby lacking milk.

She patiently played the feed-and-spit game with the child. When it comes to patience, most children can’t compete with adults.

Sure enough, either out of fatigue, not wanting to spit anymore, or simply too hungry to resist, he took a sip and then didn’t spit it out again.

By then, the half bowl of milk had almost been finished.

Watching the half wet towel, Mother Chen felt pained, but when Ms.Qian looked over at her, she still went to the kitchen and poured another half bowl of milk.

Ms.Qian then fed him until he finished it.

The child smacked his lips, but Ms.Qian didn’t feed him more. "Such a small baby has a tiny stomach, but you need to feed frequently. After an hour, feed him again."

Zhou Hu came in from outside, asking with concern, "Did he drink it?"

Ms.Qian, carefully wiping the milk stains off the baby, smiled and replied, "He drank it."

Zhou Hu sighed in relief. He looked down at his young son and then at his wife, saying, "Let’s call the child Sanshou from now on, he’ll be ranked among his brothers."

This was a name they had thought of in advance, decided upon when Dafu was born and suitable for a son or daughter alike.

But since the child’s birth, he had not confirmed the name because, like the doctor, he felt the likelihood of the child’s survival was slim.

If the child did not survive, of course, there would be no need for a name.

Now that the child had drunk the milk, the hope of his survival grew stronger.

Ms.Qian had raised many children and was adept at child care, much more so than Ms. Chen, even though she was already the mother of two.

Therefore, the couple took Ms.Qian’s advice seriously. When she was ready to leave, Zhou Hu served her a large pot of sweet wine for her to take home.

He grinned and said, "Aunt, this sweet wine is good for replenishing blood and warming the body. Take it home for Dalang to try."

Dalang had internal bleeding from a fight a while ago and had been recuperating at home.

Ms.Qian did not decline and accepted the pot.

Manbao volunteered to carry it.

Of course, she couldn’t lift it well on her own, so Bai Shanbao helped her.

Ms.Qian was not completely frail and took the pot from their hands directly, giving them a glance and said, "Hurry on home."

Zhou Hu also wanted to send some sweet wine to the Bai Family but felt that it was too inexpensive and couldn’t decide whether to send it.

Ms.Qian, not sensitive to other families’ affairs and oblivious, led the two children back to Old Zhou’s house.

She couldn’t help but praise the two children, focusing especially on Bai Shanbao, and said while patting his little head, "Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-storied stupa. Regardless of whether Sanshou survives in the end, you have earned good karma and will be rewarded someday."

Bai Shanbao’s eyes shone brightly as he looked at Ms.Qian.

The Zhou Family’s hustle and bustle persisted for a day. Relatives and friends concentrated their visits to see Ms.Chen and the baby, brought rice, flour, and eggs, and after fulfilling their social duties, dispersed to their own matters. There was still plenty of work to be done in the fields.

Mother Chen stayed to take care of Ms. Chen; they had no other choice, as Zhou Hu’s parents had passed away two years ago, and there was no one else to take care of Ms. Chen.

Feeling a connection with Sanshou, Manbao and Bai Shanbao often visited after school to check on him. Ms. Chen was still bedridden, but Sanshou was visibly growing faster.

First, his complexion became less pale and bluish. It was said he had to eat eight times a day, each time a small bowl. Then the red wrinkles on his face smoothed out a bit, and his features became clearer. Finally, his cries grew louder and not as consistent. Once, when he urinated and felt uncomfortable, he cried out loud, alarming Manbao, although his voice had grown significantly louder.

Because of this, although Ms. Chen still couldn’t get out of bed, the smile on her face grew wider.

Attracted by the little child, Manbao had pushed China root to the back of her mind until one day, when Zhou SiLang, limping, returned with a basket full of wild mushrooms. It was then she found out that they had not been able to find any more China root, although the wild mushroom business was doing well.

But evidently, even this business was now facing trouble.

Zhou SiLang, outraged, set his basket down and said, "Even though the mountain has been divided, except for valuable trees or crops one plants, no one’s ever claimed exclusive rights to the wild game that grows there. But those two families dared to chase us off with hoes. It’s a good thing we ran quickly; otherwise, they would have taken everything in our basket."

Zhou Wulang was also very angry, "Silang fell behind because he was carrying the goods and took a nasty fall. Luckily, he didn’t break any bones, or they would have had to answer for