"Didn't your mother tell you before that we are a family?" Jiang Ling asked, looking at the three little ones in front of her.

The three little ones nodded in unison, and Jiang Ling continued, "Don't you think it's pitiful for children without mothers?"

Before Jiang Ling could finish speaking, Jiang Wenxi burst into tears. She grabbed Jiang Ling's arm and sobbed, "Mother...Mother, don't you want us anymore?"

Jiang Ling was speechless. She patted Jiang Wenxi's head and said, "How could your mother abandon you?"

"But...but..." Jiang Wenxi wanted to say something, but she choked up with her tears.

"Wenxi, don't cry. Mother won't abandon you. It's this little boy named Nianci whose mother has temporarily left him. Mother hopes that the three of you can accept him and let him stay with us for a while!"

As soon as Jiang Ling finished speaking, Jiang Wenxi stopped crying. With her eyes still wet with tears, she tentatively asked, "Mother...Mother, are you telling the truth? You really won't abandon us?"

“Yes, but you have to take good care of this new little friend! He’s your little brother! But this is a secret. You can’t answer anyone who asks, understand?” Jiang Ling gently pulled Nianci to her side and said softly.

The three children nodded in unison. Jiang Wenxi, always the boldest, walked up to Nianci and tentatively said, blinking her large, watery eyes, "Nianci, hello! My name is Jiang Wenxi..."

Although Nianci was a little scared, she still mustered up her courage and answered, "You... hello, my name is Nianci."

Children always get along quickly, and in no time the four of them were already playing together.

Jiang Ling yawned widely. She was feeling a bit tired after barely sleeping all night, but she still forced herself to stay awake and made some potato pancakes for the four children as their breakfast.

After dinner, Jiang Yaojie and Jiang Suihe sensibly asked Jiang Ling what she was going to do that day.

Jiang Ling just wanted to get some sleep, so she said to the two children, "Let's take a break today and do nothing!"

Before the two children could ask any more questions, Jiang Ling walked into the house, yawning repeatedly.

Jiang Ling slept soundly, and when she opened her eyes again, the sun was already setting.

Jiang Ling sat on the bed, stretched comfortably, and got out of bed with a satisfied look on her face as she put on her shoes.

Although Jiang Ling hadn't arranged for the children to do anything today, she still noticed something unusual when she opened the door.

A few more bunches of lush green wild vegetables appeared in the corner, the three buckets were full of water, the woodpile seemed to have grown taller, and several clean clothes were hanging on the clothesline.

"You made all of these?" Jiang Ling asked the children in front of her with some surprise.

Seeing the four children nod, Jiang Ling felt a sense of relief.

When making dinner, Jiang Ling deliberately added a few extra handfuls of white rice. Then, when the four of them weren't looking, she bought some minced meat from the mall and put it into the chopped wild vegetables to make steamed wild vegetable balls.

After dinner, Jiang Ling still hadn't come up with a good way to divert water. Although she had considered digging ditches to divert water before, Lujia Village was too dry, and the water in the ditches would definitely be absorbed by the parched land before it could flow down.

Thinking about this, Jiang Ling felt a little annoyed. She decided to go out for a walk to see if she could find any inspiration.

As if possessed, I found myself back at the White-Haired Goddess Cave, where the bamboo the village chief had cut during the day was still scattered on the ground.

Jiang Ling picked up a piece of bamboo from the ground and looked at it for a long time. Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.

"That's it! We can dig ditches and then put bamboo underneath to waterproof the area. Although some water will seep out through the gaps, the loss will be negligible. Besides, bamboo is extremely resistant to decay; it will rot even if it's soaked in water for two or three years!" Thinking of this, Jiang Ling looked towards the mountains, where countless bamboo stalks as thick as bowls were growing not far away.

"Hmm, there should be enough bamboo. I can't tell them this method, or they'll definitely be suspicious..." Thinking of this, Jiang Yaojie's slightly immature face appeared in Jiang Ling's mind.

“Yes! Let Jiang Yaojie handle this!” On the way back, Jiang Ling had already thought out all the possible solutions.

At midnight, Jiang Suihe and Jiang Wenxi were already fast asleep. Jiang Ling glanced at the two of them, tiptoed out of bed, and headed towards Jiang Yaojie's bedroom.

"Yaojie, may I come in?" Jiang Ling asked in a low voice.

Soon, Jiang Yaojie's voice of approval came from inside. Jiang Ling gently pushed open the door, and Nianci was already asleep, nestled against Jiang Yaojie.

Just as Jiang Yaojie was about to speak, Jiang Ling made a shushing gesture and pointed out the window, indicating that Jiang Yaojie should go outside to talk.

Jiang Yaojie nodded and walked out one after the other with Jiang Ling.

The daytime heat hadn't dissipated, and even at night, it was still sweltering outside.

"Mother, what do you want to see me about?" Jiang Yaojie looked at Jiang Ling with some confusion.

"Yaojie, I'm so happy that you've accepted me as your mother. I know you're a sensible and obedient child!"

Jiang Ling had intended to praise Jiang Yaojie before getting to the main topic, but unexpectedly, the usually sensitive Jiang Yaojie's eyes welled up with tears.

He sniffed, avoiding eye contact with Jiang Ling, and said tentatively, "Mother, you...you...don't you want me anymore? I...I know there's another little brother now, and I'm the eldest in the family, Mother, don't worry..."

"Yaojie, what nonsense are you talking about! When did I say I didn't want you anymore?" Jiang Yaojie's unprovoked words left Jiang Ling somewhat bewildered. She frowned and looked at Jiang Yaojie.

"I...then...then why did you say those things just now?" Jiang Yaojie froze for a few seconds before stammering out these words.

Jiang Ling rubbed her temples again in exasperation. "It seems that little Jiang Yaojie is even more sensitive than I thought!" Although Jiang Ling thought this to herself, she didn't say it aloud.

She revealed a gentle expression and spoke calmly, "Because Yaojie is indeed very outstanding and deserves praise. Don't worry, you, Suihe, Wenxi, and Nianci, all four of you are the apple of my eye. I will never abandon you!"

Upon hearing Jiang Ling's reply, Jiang Yaojie subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he was living separately, he was still uneasy. Although he was a boy, he was not Jiang's biological son, and Jiang Yaojie was always worried that one day he would become an orphan.

Jiang Ling saw through all his little schemes, but changing this state wouldn't happen overnight. However, Jiang Ling was confident that she could definitely get rid of Jiang Yaojie's sensitive nature.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling continued, "Yaojie, you are the eldest son in our family, and many times the responsibility you bear is much greater than that of Suihe and Wenxi..."

"Mother! Mother! You...you don't have a terminal illness, do you?" Jiang Yaojie blurted out.

Upon hearing Jiang Yaojie's words, Jiang Ling's face darkened even more. She looked at Jiang Yaojie in confusion and asked, "Yaojie, why do you think I have a terminal illness?"