But Xiaomi's worries are completely unnecessary; she can't do anything right now, at most she can secretly feed her family some milk powder to stave off hunger while they sleep.
With previous experience, Xiaomi also knows not to feed too much at once; anyway, small meals more often is the way to go. Get through this period first, and when she gets a bit older, she can find a way to get things from the space out.
Jiang Hu filled his stomach last night, and today he was full of energy even while working, he even turned over an extra half an acre of land compared to usual. Others saw this and thought Jiang Hu was working harder to support his children.
So for three consecutive days, the family got used to it. In the evening, Xiaomi had the habit of sleeping next to someone in turn; as Er Ni said, "Third sister is the best, she likes everyone in the family."
The only thing troubling Xiaomi, aside from the first few days, was that Er Niang would take naps when she was tired during the day, and Xiaomi could secretly feed her some milk powder. But once Er Niang was feeling better, she would nap less during the day.
Luckily, there were still opportunities at night.
After a few days, everyone in the family started looking a little bit better, and Xiaomi felt a great sense of accomplishment.
On the afternoon of the fourth day, Jiang Hu came back with a hoe on his shoulder, and mysteriously leaned close to his wife.
"Er Niang, I've noticed that in the past two days, there have been many sparrows searching for food in our yard." Jiang Hu's eyes were glowing.
Er Niang put down the straw mat she was holding: "I've also heard rustling sounds, I thought I was mistaken. Are there really sparrows?"
The hole on the roof was fixed a couple of days ago, but Er Niang still needed to do more, like replacing old straw mats.
Jiang Hu nodded repeatedly: "Just as our grains have been planted, I found an old winnowing basket. Tomorrow, I'll stay home to see if I can catch a few."
If he's able to catch a few sparrows, Er Niang could replenish herself. From childbirth until now, she hasn't tasted a bit of meat, and Jiang Hu felt really bad for her.
Er Niang licked her lips: "Replenish yourself and the children too. If we catch more, we should also repay the people in the village."
Sparrows may be small, but they're still meat. They haven't tasted meat for over a year now.
Jiang Hu: "I know, we received a lot of help on the way, I remember it all."
"By the way, Er Niang, for the past few days, the water I've used to wash San Ni and Si Wa's diapers, I've been pouring it in the vegetable garden. The seedlings are growing faster than elsewhere. Do you think that's why there are so many sparrows?"
Just awake, Xiaomi perked up her ears listening to her parents speak.
"Really? But this village has been deserted for several years; good fields have turned barren. With the water and the children's waste, it definitely nourishes better than elsewhere."
Jiang Hu agreed with this and stopped thinking about it, instead focusing again on catching sparrows.
"Er Niang, stop with the straw matting for now. I'll make dinner, and you help me twist a long piece of straw rope. We will catch sparrows tomorrow!"
Xiaomi's eyes lit up at once. Her dad had finally found something edible, sparrows, meat! Catching a few to eat would be better than drinking wild vegetable soup every day!
Er Niang nodded in agreement, just in time to see Xiaomi, eyes wide open, looking around. A lovely smile appeared on her face.
"San Ni is awake? Such a good girl. You lie down a bit more. Mom will twist a straw rope, and Dad will catch little birds to eat tomorrow," she said while kissing Xiaomi's cheek.
These two children were indeed worry-free; they hardly cried or fussed. Though they ate little, fortunately, they were not too weak. Even Si Wa, whom they were most worried about, was doing well now.
This was why Er Niang was most at ease. Previously worried they might not be able to keep the two children, she now got used to them eating and sleeping well.
However, after putting down San Ni, she couldn't resist checking Si Wa's breath. It was weak, but fortunately still there.
Xiaomi saw Er Niang's action and cooed at her not to worry; she was taking care of her little brother, don't be afraid!
Er Niang was amused by Xiaomi's sounds, and she stroked her small face: "San Ni, you're the best child Mother has ever met."
Though just a few days old, Si Wa had cried several times, but San Ni hadn't. Only when she pooped or her diapers were too wet would she cry a bit to remind them it was time to change the diapers.
Xiaomi blew a bubble; well of course, she had a big responsibility as the little darling!
"Mom, I found bird eggs!" shouted Er Ni with surprise from the yard. "Look, Mom, three bird eggs!"
Saying this, she had already rushed into the house, offering them with her hands in front of Er Niang as if presenting a treasure.
Er Niang was also delighted: "Really?"
Looking closely, there indeed were three grayish bird eggs, with black spots, two sizes smaller than a finger.
"These must be sparrow eggs. Your father just said there were many sparrows in the field, I didn't expect there to be so many sparrow eggs."
Er Niang was overjoyed; the sparrows had laid eggs in the field. How many sparrows must be searching for food there?
Xiaomi cooed, "Let me take a look! I've never seen what sparrow eggs look like."
Er Ni, who could probably understand baby talk, immediately brought the bird eggs to Xiaomi: "San Ni wants to see the bird eggs too, huh? When you grow up, big sis will pick bird eggs for you to eat every day."
Xiaomi saw them and was slightly disappointed. They weren't all that different, looking quite like quail eggs, just smaller.
Er Ni: "Does San Ni want to eat bird eggs too? Don't rush, you're still little, you can only drink milk for now. When you grow a bit more, we'll give you some to eat."
This time she clearly misheard.
"Er Ni, you found bird eggs?" Da Wa, who was cooking with Dad, ran over, with Jiang Hu following closely behind.
"Did I hear Er Ni's voice just now, you really found bird eggs?" Jiang Hu's happiness was no less than others'.
"Yes, Brother Hu, Er Ni is really great." Er Niang stroked Er Ni's head: "Brother Hu, cook these bird eggs."
Jiang Hu nodded: "Er Ni, give them to Papa, Papa will cook them, and you eat with your brother, mother, and sister."
Er Ni and Da Wa gulped in anticipation.
It had been a long time since they last found bird eggs. Although sparrow eggs were small, they were still meat.
Xiaomi felt a pinch of sadness, wishing she could just take the roast chicken and roast goose from the space and be done with it.
Luckily, reason prevailed over emotion; she didn't want to be thought of as a monster.
However, the existence of bird eggs, plus what her father said, sparked an idea in Xiaomi.
Her dad said watering the land with diaper water helped things grow and attracted many sparrows.
In her past life, she'd never heard of baby waste attracting sparrows. Could it be because of the Spiritual Spring water? After all, they've been drinking milk powder made with it in recent days.
But the others' waste was all kept in the latrine, saved for later use on the fields, so it's not clear for now.
Xiaomi decided that she and her little brother would drink more Spiritual Spring water in the future. No matter what, helping her father catch a few sparrows or collecting more sparrow eggs would be good.
But the appearance of sparrow eggs reminded Xiaomi of something. If memory served, she seemed to have all kinds of eggs in her space—quail eggs, pigeon eggs, peacock eggs, ostrich eggs, everything was there!