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Morning light filtered through the old locust tree in the Shen family courtyard, casting dappled golden hues that fell on the newly sprouted mint on the windowsill. The dewdrops on the leaves, still glistening in the sunlight, resembled scattered diamonds. Inside, the kerosene lamp had long since gone out, replaced by soft daylight that illuminated the peaceful sleeping face of Shen Nianxi in the cradle beside the kang (heated brick bed). Her swaddling clothes had been changed; they were made of light-colored cotton fabric that Lin Wanqiu had found in her storage space, as soft as a cloud, with tiny light blue daisies embroidered along the edges—almost invisible unless you looked closely. It reflected both the simplicity of the 1960s and a touch of modern sophistication.
Lin Wanqiu had just woken up and hadn't even gotten up when her fingertips touched the jade pendant on her chest. The pendant was still warm, as if it had become one with her body temperature. The "Infant Care Skills" module she had unlocked last night was still clearly imprinted in her mind, and even the reminder in the "Growth Monitoring" section about Nianxi's calcium and iron deficiency seemed to still be shimmering before her eyes. She turned to the side, her gaze falling on Nianxi. The little one was still asleep, her little mouth slightly open, occasionally letting out a soft "ee-ya," as if she were talking to something in her dream.
"Awake?" Shen Tingzhou's voice came from behind, hoarse from just waking up. He reached out to tuck the blanket around Lin Wanqiu, his fingertips accidentally brushing against her shoulder with a touch of caution. "You didn't sleep well last night, do you want to rest a bit more? I've warmed up some millet porridge in the kitchen, I'll heat it up when you get up."
Lin Wanqiu shook her head, propped herself up to sit up, the thin blanket slipped off her shoulders, revealing faint stretch marks on her collarbone. She didn't care, instead reaching out to touch Nianxi's little hand. The skill panel in her mind immediately displayed data: "Chen Nianxi, 2 days old, weight 3.25kg, body temperature 36.7℃, calcium and iron content are still below the standard value, it is recommended to increase the nutritional density of breast milk or supplement with formula milk."
When the data came out, Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat. She had drunk chicken soup last night, thinking that breast milk would be more nutritious, but she didn't expect that Nianxi's trace elements were still not keeping up. She turned to look at Shen Tingzhou, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Tingzhou, I want to talk to you about something."
"Go on," Shen Tingzhou said, sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). He picked up the cotton cloth that had fallen to the ground, folded it, and placed it on the headboard, his eyes full of patience.
“I feel like my milk supply isn’t enough these past few days, and…” Lin Wanqiu paused, carefully choosing her words, “I’m worried that my milk isn’t nutritious enough. Nianxi is so small, what if she can’t keep up?” As she spoke, she pointed to Nianxi’s little face, “Look at her, she’s still so small. I’m always worried that she’s not getting enough to eat.”
Shen Tingzhou followed her hand and looked at Nianxi, his brows furrowing slightly. He had noticed that Nianxi was lighter than other newborns in the village, and her cries weren't as loud, but he had assumed it was because she was premature and hadn't paid much attention. Now, hearing Lin Wanqiu's words, he realized he really needed to take it seriously: "What should we do? Should we ask Mom to go to town and ask the barefoot doctor if there's any remedy to increase milk production?"
"No need, I have a way." Lin Wanqiu quickly stopped him, afraid that he would really ask the doctor and expose the secret of the space. "Have you forgotten that my family sent me some 'nutritional supplements' before? There was a jar of powder in it that was specially made for children to supplement their nutrition. It was said to be made from soybeans and millet, and also had some rare ingredients added, which could make children grow strong. I hadn't been willing to take it out before, but now it seems that I have to make some for Nianxi to drink."
The "nutritional supplements" she mentioned were actually modern formula milk powder from the space. To convince Shen Tingzhou, she specifically mentioned "soybeans and millet," which were in line with the understanding of the 1960s, and then used "rare things" to gloss over the matter, so as not to arouse suspicion and to explain the special nature of the milk powder.
Shen Tingzhou was stunned for a moment, then realized: "Is it the one you mentioned before, the one hidden at the very bottom of the box?" He remembered that when Lin Wanqiu was reborn, she did mention to him that her family had sent some things, saying that she was afraid of being discovered by Old Madam Shen, so she had been hiding them.
“Yes, that’s it.” Lin Wanqiu nodded, a hint of hesitation on her face. “It’s just that this thing is too rare. I’m afraid that if others find out, they’ll get envious and cause trouble.”
"Don't worry, with me here, no one will dare to steal it." Shen Tingzhou immediately grasped her hand, his tone firm. "As long as Nianxi is well, I'm willing to give up everything we have, let alone just a jar of powder. Whenever you want to get it, I'll watch the door for you and make sure no one sees us."
Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart, knowing that Shen Tingzhou truly loved the child. She smiled and nodded, "Then I'll try it today. When Nianxi wakes up, I'll feed her milk first, and then make her some formula."
Just then, they heard light footsteps at the door, followed by Nian'an's voice: "Mom, Dad, can I come in? I brought a little gift for my little sister!"
"Come in," Shen Tingzhou called out, his voice tinged with amusement.
The door was pushed open, and Nian'an ran in with his little schoolbag on his back, holding a freshly picked locust leaf in his hand, still glistening with dew. He ran to the cradle, carefully placed the leaf beside it, and whispered, "Little sister, this is a leaf I picked for you. It has little water droplets on it, it's so pretty."
Lin Wanqiu couldn't help but smile as she looked at her son: "Nian'an is such a good boy, he even knows to bring a gift for his little sister. Go wash your hands, Mom will make some powder for your sister in a bit, do you want to help?"
"Yes!" Nian'an cheered immediately, putting down the leaf and running towards the kitchen, shouting as she ran, "I'm going to wash my hands, I want to help my sister make the powder!"
Shen Tingzhou watched his retreating figure and smiled helplessly: "This kid is more enthusiastic than anyone else."
Lin Wanqiu didn't speak, but reached out and touched the jade pendant on her chest, silently saying in her heart, "Take out a can of milk powder." The next second, a silver can of milk powder appeared in her hand, which was under the blanket. She quickly hid the can under her pillow and covered it with a pillowcase to make sure no one would find it.
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