Er Nian was excited, Er Nian was thrilled, and it wasn't until after dinner that she finally calmed down.
Da Wa went to wash the dishes, while Er Ni was using a small wooden stick to find bugs in the vegetable patch. The bamboo tube beside her was almost full.
Jiang Hu fetched some water and was washing diapers at the doorway, taking a break as well. He had been walking for two hours in the morning and wanted to check out the mountain in the afternoon.
Since Er Nian wasn't allowed to go out, she took a small stool and sat in a sheltered spot behind the door, chatting with Jiang Hu.
"Hu Ge, are you deliberately keeping it from Da Wa and the others?"
Er Nian spoke softly, only loud enough for Jiang Hu at the door to hear.
Jiang Hu did not deny it: "People in the village will definitely ask later. If we say we have too much money, someone might get ill intentions."
So it wasn't primarily to guard against the children, but against outsiders.
Currently, the children only know that the family has five copper coins. Even if they mentioned this, it wouldn't provoke malicious intents.
Er Nian nodded: "You're right, it's better to be cautious about everything."
Then Er Nian added, "Why don't you not go up the mountain today? Take a rest and go in a few days."
Jiang Hu shook his head: "It's fine. While I have some time now, I'll go up the mountain and see. Our San Ni Tie Dan will soon be a month old, but they don't even have any clothes. If I can catch some wild chickens, I'll buy some fabric and sewing supplies tomorrow so you can make some clothes for the kids."
The money we have at home now should be kept for emergencies. This way, we have some peace of mind. Once we catch wild chickens or rabbits, we'll buy some things for the house, even if we spend it all, it won't matter.
Xiaomi, laying on the bed, perked up her ears and listened to her parents' conversation, secretly giving her dad a thumbs up!
Dad is really smart, it's crucial not to show your wealth. In her past life, she accidentally leaked it, otherwise, she wouldn't have been targeted.
Beside her, Tie Dan woke up from a nap and started fussing as if he was about to cry. Without even looking, Xiaomi reached out her hand.
She fed him milk formula and some Spiritual Spring water, and Tie Dan instantly calmed down.
Calculating the days, she's about to finish her confinement period soon. Then, she'll be able to go out and have a look. She's been here for so long but hasn't seen what the outside looks like.
After feeding Tie Dan, Xiaomi also ate some formula herself and then closed her eyes to sleep.
Now she realized that although absorbing Spiritual Energy in her space allowed her body to sleep on its own, it wasn't as good as directly sleeping.
The most direct effect was that even after absorbing enough Spiritual Energy, she still felt a bit mentally sluggish.
There were days in the past when she was immersed in her space, busy sorting materials every day, letting her body sleep on its own, waking up every two or three hours to play with her parents.
But during playtime, she still felt tired and couldn't get energetic. Xiaomi herself noticed it, and even her parents almost got scared.
Fortunately, after a good night's sleep, she felt much better.
Jiang Hu and Er Nian didn't know that the two little ones had already woken up once, eaten, and gone back to sleep. After chatting at the door for a while, Jiang Hu called Er Ni back.
The water used for washing the diapers was poured out over a piece of undeveloped land outside the yard.
Today, Da Wa and Er Ni caught a lot of bugs, mostly cabbage worms and ants.
Thanks to these two little ones, the vegetables in the garden weren't completely eaten by bugs.
As the hour-weary intervals passed, Jiang Hu prepared dinner ahead of time, and the family gathered by the bed to eat with Er Nian.
"Da Wa, Dad is going to the mountain in a while. I might come back very late, so take care of your siblings and mom at home, okay?"
Er Nian seemed worried: "You're going now?"
Jiang Hu: "You don't know, but it's best to go now. If we wait, the wild chickens and rabbits will be returning to their nests, making them easier to catch."
Jiang Hu quickly finished his meal. Seeing Xiaomi's big eyes watching him, he picked her up and kissed her on the forehead: "San Ni, Dad is going to the mountain. Be good at home, okay?"
Xiaomi cooed in response, as if reminding her dad to be careful.
He also hugged Tie Dan. Although Tie Dan didn't understand that Jiang Hu was going to the mountain, he knew this was his father and was delighted, smiling and babbling.
Compared to when he was first born, Tie Dan finally had some strength now. His voice was louder too, which reassured both Er Nian and Jiang Hu.
After briefing Tie Dan, regardless of whether the child understood, he patted Er Ni on the head, nudged Da Wa's shoulder, took a hatchet, a jar of bugs the kids caught, and some green wild grass from the field, and went up the mountain.
The weather was good during the day, so it didn't get dark quickly that night. Jiang Hu walked for nearly two hours before it was completely dark.
In the evening, Da Wa heated the fish soup his dad had made. The family ate, washed the dishes, heated some water for Er Nian to wash her face and feet, and cleaned her siblings' faces. After guiding Er Ni to wash up, they all went back to their room.
They only had one mattress, so even though there were two empty rooms, the family stayed together. Luckily, the children were still small.
"Mom, when will Dad come back?" Er Ni sat next to her mother, watching her make straw sandals.
There were already about ten pairs of straw sandals at home, enough to last them through the summer.
But Er Nian couldn't stay idle. Jiang Hu wouldn't let her leave the house and had entrusted the two kids to watch over her, so she busied herself making sandals.
Anyway, her and Jiang Hu's feet wouldn't grow any bigger, so what they didn't use this year could be used next year.
"I don't know either. But your dad said he might not come back tonight, so don't wait for him, Er Ni. If you get sleepy, go to bed first."
Er Nian paused her work to pat Er Ni's head. Maybe it was the fish and sparrow meat she had been eating recently, but Er Ni's hair felt smoother than before.
Er Ni shook her head: "I don't want to sleep. I'll wait for you, Mom."
She glanced at her brother, who was already snoring away on the bed, pouting unhappily: "Dad said to have Big Brother take care of you, but he fell asleep himself."
Er Nian couldn't help but chuckle: "Your brother took good care of me during the day. He must be tired now."
Er Ni sighed like a little adult: "Alright, I'll forgive my brother. I'll help him take care of you, Mom."
Er Nian smiled till her eyes curved: "Thank you, Er Ni."
She finished weaving the straw sandal in her hand and saw that Er Ni was yawning frequently but still insisted on keeping her eyes open to stay with her, feeling a bit heartbroken.
"Alright, Er Ni, go to sleep. Mom will rest too and won't wait for Dad." With those words, she put her things aside, and after Er Ni obediently nodded off, she blew out the oil lamp.
She glanced at the door; it was nearly midnight, and Hu Ge hadn't come back yet. She was a bit anxious.
There were quite a few villages nearby, and although there were no wild beasts in the mountains, the weather was cold at night and the winds were high. What if...
Er Nian didn't dare think further and pulled the two little ones closer, closing her eyes to force herself to sleep.
ps: Hour of the Monkey: 1-3 PM.