Zhu Zhu almost quarreled with the old woman.
It was her daughter-in-law who played the peacemaker, speaking up for Zhu Zhu, saying that diapers didn't cost much. She also mentioned that she had heard her husband say that it was easy to sprain a baby's legs if they were potty trained too early, and that the child from so-and-so's family now walked with a limp because of it.
Liu Cui was terrified.
Firstly, she believed her son's words implicitly. Secondly, there were indeed some children in the village whose gait was not quite normal, though it wasn't very noticeable, it still looked unpleasant.
She sighed, "Only you two know how to talk. Do as you please."
After all, her family should not be lacking that little bit of money. What was wrong with her Ran family's grandson using good things?
"Do you have milk today?"
The woman shyly shook her head, "No."
She was too thin. When her clothes were a bit loose, her ribs were clearly visible. With this body's nutrition, let alone feeding a child, it would be good if she could sustain herself.
Liu Cui seemed a bit displeased, but there was nothing she could do.
When her son died in the well collapse in June, the child in her daughter-in-law's womb was already more than six months old. From that moment on, she hadn't eaten or slept well, and had even had spotting several times.
Now that she had finally given birth, she couldn't make too many demands.
She filled a bowl with chicken soup for her and said, "Drink this quickly. Rest well after you finish and recover your health. My grandson is so thin, I'm counting on you."
That was likely a lost cause.
Zhu Zhu silently picked up the milk bottle and fed the child. The light had been dim last night, so she hadn't seen clearly. Now, in the natural light, the child wasn't that ugly. Sudanggu.com
He was just too dark, too thin, too small, like a mouse, truly unsightly.
Zhu Zhu reached out to touch his head. When she went to support his chin, the child grabbed her finger. She gently pulled, but unexpectedly, the child was quite strong.
Zhu Zhu suddenly burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at? Bring the baby over for me to see."
Zhu Zhu carried the child over. Liu Cui took him and doted on him, finding him adorable. He was so well-behaved, his slitted eyes looked around vaguely, actually just wanting to move. The little actions made Liu Cui grin and laugh.
"Oh my, my grandson is so handsome, just a little thin. Not like his father. When your father was born, he was over five catties, fat as a ball. You hurry and get well, and fatten up my grandson."
Zhu Zhu: "..." This old lady was truly idle.
Seeing the child, Liu Cui thought of her son, and couldn't help but be happy. Her daughter-in-law, however, looked dejected. She lost her appetite for the soup and couldn't drink more than half a bowl.
Liu Cui was angry at her for not making more effort and forced her to drink the entire bowl of soup, nearly making her vomit.
Who knew what bad karma had led to this.
Zhu Zhu hugged the child herself and sat on the doorstep.
Everything was good, except he was too small and couldn't interact with her yet.
—
Zhu Zhu had caused quite a few bugs upon arrival. To prevent exposure, with the help of 007, a peddler really did come to their small village.
Originally, there was a small shop in the village, but the goods they sold were too old-fashioned. They had no diapers for babies, let alone for pregnant women. The best tonics were malted milk and brown sugar, and there was no milk powder.
But now, with a peddler carrying goods, other families didn't go anywhere else. As soon as he entered the village, he headed straight to the Ran family, delivering the daily necessities they needed.
This "peddler" didn't speak their local dialect, so the communication fell to Zhu Zhu. Thus, even the woman thought those things were very cheap and didn't feel much regret using them.
With disposable products, Zhu Zhu found it much more convenient to care for people. Most of the time, she took care of Rong Jin. She was still young and couldn't do heavy labor. The Ran family was already very satisfied that she could take good care of the child.
August and September were busy farming months. Every household was busy harvesting grain. Those without grain were also tilling the soil. In mid to late October, the weather, which had been hot, suddenly turned cold. In just a few days, Zhu Zhu felt the temperature drop to single digits.
They had a fire at home, but they were still burning firewood. No family had enough firewood to keep it burning day and night, and the nights were still terribly cold.
Zhu Zhu worried about the little cub catching a cold and held him almost constantly. Her attribute was fire, which could easily melt all things in the world, so raising the temperature was a simple matter.
Babies two or three months old could already open their eyes and look at people, and could have simple interactions. His favorite thing was to be held by Zhu Zhu all day. He would laugh heartily only in her arms, making Liu Cui extremely jealous.
But she was busy every day and didn't have much time to spend with her most beloved grandson.
As for the woman, her body had recovered, but Chong Yan absolutely refused to drink her milk. In desperation, she could only feed him milk powder.
She missed her deceased husband dearly and day by day, if she wasn't working, she would just space out, staring out the window for hours. Liu Cui often sighed at her.
"She doesn't look after the child, nor does she do any chores. Is he your man or my son? He's dead, but life must go on."
Even so, she sometimes woke up crying at night, let alone a young woman whose experience and mindset were far inferior to hers.
In this era, many women could only rely on their husbands throughout their lives. If their husbands died, their world collapsed. What could be expected of her?
Liu Cui looked again at Zhu Zhu, who was holding the child and playing with him, and said, "Fortunately, we spent some grain to get you a wife. Otherwise, there would be no one to take care of things now. You, as a mother, are not as good as a child."
The woman glanced back and then continued to look out the window.