Chapter 16: Spiritual Spring Water Is a Good Thing

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As Xiaomi had guessed, when she woke up, her father and eldest brother had returned and were excitedly talking to her mother about their gains today.

Not only did they catch fish with the insects from the ground, but they also caught a lot of fish! There were several catties of big and small fish. The basin could not even hold them all. They had to fill buckets with water!

Xiaomi was instantly relieved. Now they did not have to worry about food at all.

The spring rain fell for days. Jiang Hu and Dawa were sometimes at home and sometimes not when Xiaomi woke up.

Occasionally she heard her father and mother talking about how other families used the same method to catch fish but their catch was far less than theirs. Jiang Hu even gave fish twice to the other families in the village who had children.

Once again, she woke up from her sleep. The sky had cleared. There were many children talking in the courtyard.

“Dawa, your younger siblings are so awesome. Do they really not cry or make a fuss?”

“Of course. Xiaomi and Bruiser are very obedient and rarely cry. Father said that they wanted to protect Mother and let her rest well.”

“Really? My little sister used to cry so much that her throat was hoarse. Her voice is so unpleasant now.”

“Don’t say things like that about your younger sister. A younger sister is to be protected. Don’t chide her.”

“Let’s not talk about it anymore. Hurry up and dig. There are so many insects here.”

A voice came from outside. Xiaomi blinked, unable to react. What’s going on?

“Is Xiaomi awake?” Erniang put down her half-weaved straw sandals and reached out to pick Xiaomi up and pat her on the back.

Seeing that Xiaomi’s eyes were constantly looking outside, she didn’t care if she was not a month old yet. “Your brother and his friends are digging for worms. If they dig up worms, they can catch fish. Then everyone can have fish soup.”

Daddy and Mommy are so generous, Xiaomi babbled in response.

Erniang gently pinched the tip of Xiaomi’s nose. “Does Xiaomi want to go out and play too? No, Xiaomi is still young. It’s easy for her to get sick if she goes out. I’ll take you out to play after one month.”

Xiaomi pouted. I don’t want to go out and play. I want to stay with my mother and younger brother to recuperate!

However, Erniang clearly misunderstood. She thought that Xiaomi was unhappy because she could not go out to play.

“Xiaomi, don’t be anxious. When you grow up, you can go out to play every day.”

Unfortunately, Xiaomi couldn’t explain. She could only smile foolishly at her mother.

Erniang laughed and shook her head. She was confused. How could she think that Xiaomi could understand her?

She patted Xiaomi and fed her. At this moment, Bruiser was awake and it was his turn.

The two children were no trouble at all. Xiaomi almost never cried. When she peed or pooped, she only cried in discomfort until she changed her diaper.

After changing Xiaomi’s diaper, she would change Bruiser’s. It would take 15 minutes at most. The siblings acted as if they had a prior agreement.

Fortunately, the siblings were no trouble, so they were not too tired. After all, everyone in the family was counting on the father now, and no one could help.

The less worrisome the children were, the more their father could rest.

“Erniang, I’m back. The children are not crying, are they?” As she was thinking, Jiang Hu pushed the door open and entered.

“No, they’re very obedient. It’s not like you don’t know.” Erniang carried Bruiser and fed him. Xiaomi was placed beside her. When she heard Jiang Hu’s voice, she stretched out her arms.

“Hu, you went out early in the morning. Xiaomi must have missed you. Look, she wants you to carry her.”

When Bruiser was full, Erniang picked him up and gently patted his back with one hand. After Bruiser burped, she let him lie down again.

A burp would prevent the child from vomiting milk.

He didn’t eat much to begin with. It would be a waste if he vomited.

Jiang Hu quickly dusted himself. “I went to cut bamboo.”

As he spoke, he picked up Xiaomi. “Xiaomi, be good. After Daddy makes a small bed for you and Little Brother, you can go out with Daddy and Mommy.”

Xiaomi’s eyes lit up and she clapped her hands. Daddy, you’re so awesome. You actually know how to make a bed!

“Hehe, Xiaomi also likes beds, right? Then play with Mommy. Daddy will go and get busy first.”

Yes, yes. Daddy, go ahead and do your work. Don’t worry about me. Xiaomi continued to babble, not caring if her father understood her at all.

Then Jiang Hu placed Xiaomi beside her mother.

The father and daughter could communicate without any barriers.

Jiang Hu left the door half open and sat at the door to deal with the bamboo. The bamboo was fresh. After making the bed, he would leave it behind the stove for a few days. When they cooked there, it would warm the place and dry the moisture in the bamboo.

There was not much work in the fields recently. There were many sparrows and fish at home, so he prepared to clean up the house first.

When the people in this village fled, they did not take anything except food and clothes. They had pots, pans, and everything else. It was considered a bargain for them.

However, the tables and chairs at home were old and rotten because they had not been used for many years. He took this opportunity to set up everything at home.

“By the way, Er Nioang, after I make the bed, I’ll bring a few fish to town to take a look. I’ll exchange them for some copper coins to buy salt. There’s almost no salt left in the house.”

The salt they were eating now was also distributed by the Imperial Court, just like food. However, there was very little, less than a tael of coarse salt.

“Alright, take more. The fish is cheap. It won’t sell for much.” Jiang Hu nodded in agreement.

He had caught a lot of fish, big and small, in the past few days. There was a stone vat under the roof, which was now specially used to raise fish.

It was also because he had these fish that he did not have to worry about food at home. That was why Jiang Hu was in the mood to make a bed.

Hearing her parents’ voices, Xiaomi blew a bubble regretfully. Unfortunately, she couldn’t move now. Otherwise, if she placed more spiritual spring water in her father’s fish tank, the fish raised by the spiritual spring water would definitely be worth more.

Sigh, everyday, Xiaomi wanted to grow up. Unfortunately, she could only lie in bed and blow bubbles. At the same time, she would think about when her parents would bathe her.

It had been half a month since they were born, and the siblings had yet to see the water. Fortunately, from the third day onwards, her mother would wipe their faces and hands, and even their armpits, with hot water every day.

The scabs on her face were slowly clearing up and she gradually became clean.

Xiaomi waved her hand and felt that her arms and legs were stronger. This spiritual spring was indeed good stuff. When she grew up, she would definitely let her family drink spiritual spring water every day!

Recently, there was food at home. Xiaomi still fed everyone milk powder every night. It was mainly because milk powder was nutritious and they could drink spiritual spring water at the same time.

Based on Xiaomi’s observation, in the past two weeks, everyone in the family looked much better, especially her eldest brother and second sister. Their faces did not look as jaundiced as before.

She exclaimed again that the spiritual spring water was really good stuff. Then she closed her eyes and entered the space.