Jiang Hu soon came over with a bowl of vegetable porridge. There were more wild vegetables than rice grains, but it was a big bowl of broth, which was already quite good; the remaining soup in the pot was even thinner.
"Er Niang, get up and eat something." Er Ni was still young, only barely able to keep the fire going, but not yet capable of cooking. Earlier, when she prepared sugar water for her mother, she didn't even manage to bring it to a boil.
Thanks to drinking milk powder and Spiritual Spring water, Er Niang felt much better and woke at once when called.
Er Ni explained to her mother why her brother and sister had swapped positions. Er Niang smiled, stroking Xiaomi's face, "So San Ni likes to be close to her mother, huh?"
Jiang Hu put the two younger ones at the other end of the bed, helping Er Niang sit up. "Er Niang, have some food. It's just that I'm so useless; you've gone through such a tough time giving birth, yet I can't even provide a decent meal."
Jiang Hu felt both pained and guilty. When Er Niang saw the vegetable porridge in the bowl, she knew Jiang Hu must have given her the dry parts, and she quickly shook her head.
"Don't focus everything on me. You and the children need to eat too. If you give it all to me, what about all of you?"
"Er Niang, you're eating for three now. If you don't eat, what will San Ni and Si Wa eat? Don't worry, Da Wa went to pick wild vegetables. Now that it's spring, there are many wild vegetables on the mountain. And soon, birds and beasts might return. By then, I can go hunting in the mountain and we'll definitely be able to support the whole family."
"Hu Ge, thank you for your hard work. Tomorrow I'll go with you to turn the soil, so we can plant crops early and harvest early."
Er Niang was moved, following Jiang Hu despite the hardships because he cared for her so much that it felt worth it.
"What are you talking about? You just had a baby, how can you work? Previously, the doctor said that carrying twins is much more difficult than one, and you must have a full month's postpartum recovery; otherwise, it could leave you with long-lasting health issues."
Jiang Hu's face turned serious; even if he couldn't bring back good food, he could make sure his wife takes more rest.
"But the fields..."
"Don't worry about the fields now, have your meal first. Soon San Ni and Si Wa will be hungry again."
Xiaomi, placed by their feet, rolled her eyes. She wouldn't be hungry, having just been fed enough to last for three or four hours.
However, from the conversation between her parents, Xiaomi gathered some information.
For instance, it's only early spring now, and the family doesn't have much grain. Hearing the sound, it was clear that the water in the meal outweighed the rice. It sounded like it was already the best they could do, and what was left in the pot might just be wild vegetables cooked in water.
Xiaomi felt anxious. How could she quietly bring out items from her space to feed the whole family? She didn't want to have just been reborn, only for her family to starve to death!
By this time, Er Niang had eaten a couple of bites of wild vegetable porridge and smacked her lips, "Hu Ge, I'm not hungry."
"Nonsense, you just had a baby, how could you not be hungry? Eat, if you don't eat, I'll throw it out, believe it or not!"
Jiang Hu thought Er Niang wanted to save food, and he immediately threatened her.
"No, no, it's true. I'm not lying. Feel my stomach, it's full. I'm really not hungry."
Er Niang hastily grabbed Jiang Hu's hand and placed it on her stomach, "Can you feel it? I'm really not hungry."
"Is that so," Jiang Hu was also surprised. After fleeing for these years, their stomachs had always been empty, never like now, where her stomach had a slight bulge.
"How could this be? Er Ni, did you give your mother something to eat?" Earlier, when sleeping, Er Ni was the only one in the room.
Er Ni shook her head, "No, I don't have anything to eat."
Xiaomi snorted twice; the second sister didn't have food, but she did! She had given her mother at least half a pound of milk, and had mixed plenty of milk powder, surely better than that wild vegetable porridge!
Er Niang touched her stomach, which felt comfortably full.
Then she quickly offered the vegetable porridge to Jiang Hu, "Hu Ge, you and the children eat this, don't waste it."
Suspiciously, Jiang Hu received the bowl, still finding it hard to believe, "How could you be full without eating anything? Will it not be an illness?"
Thinking about it, Jiang Hu was startled, "No, Er Niang, you lie down for a bit while I go find Doctor Xie. Er Ni, look after your mother and brother!"
Having said that, he ran out without looking back.
Xiaomi belatedly realized the trouble had come; she fed her mother too much, which could easily reveal the secret.
Looking at her parents' clothing, this was ancient times. If she was regarded as a monster or demon, she could be directly burned to death!
It seemed she must be very cautious from now on, especially when feeding her mother, paying close attention to the quantity.
Doctor Xie soon arrived and after checking the pulse, said Er Niang's health was fine; she was just very weak after giving birth and needed proper care.
As soon as they saw off Doctor Xie, Xiaomi felt something wrong—she needed to relieve herself!
Ah ah ah! Someone quickly come, hurry and take her to the toilet; she didn't want to go in her pants!
"What's wrong with San Ni? Hu Ge, Hu Ge, quickly see what's wrong with San Ni?" It was the first time Er Niang heard San Ni sounding so desperate, and she immediately felt anxious.
"Don't worry, Er Niang. I'll take a look." Just when Jiang Hu picked up San Ni, a stench hit him, the first poop from a baby, which was incredibly smelly.
Xiaomi looked desperate; she'd embarrassed herself in another world. Could she still live?
Yet, compared to Xiaomi's despair, Jiang Hu was cheerfully changing his daughter's diaper, cleaning her little bottom.
"San Ni is so cute, calling for her dad even when going poop."
Xiaomi didn't want to speak.
Luckily, soon another stench followed; little brother Si Wa also pooped, which made Xiaomi feel a little balanced inside.
Jiang Hu asked Er Ni to bring back that bowl of vegetable porridge and share it with Da Wa while he got water and washed the soiled diapers.
Diapers were already scarce; now that two kids were using them, they were even tighter in supply. He had to wash and hang dry the diapers promptly to keep up with usage.
Having just moved to Fuan Village, the fields were being cultivated, and there was no manure. The water used for washing diapers was carefully poured into the vegetable garden by Jiang Hu, hoping it might be considered fertilizer and make the vegetable seeds sprout sooner.
After experiencing such social death, Xiaomi promptly closed her eyes to pretend sleeping but actually entered her space, rummaging through the items inside, pondering what could be taken out without worrying about being regarded as a monster.
From her short observation, the family was not just slightly poor. Not only was there no food, but even the mattresses on the bed were hard and not very warm.
She did have quite a few warm winter clothes, cotton clothes, and down comforters in her space, but she couldn't take those out—let alone scaring her family, if the other villagers found out, it might also bring disaster.
Luckily, now that it's spring, the weather will get warmer and warmer; they've already survived the harsh winter, so there's no reason they can't make it through now.
The immediate urgency is still to find something that will fill the family's stomach.