There was a strange warmth in her voice, and her features were as gentle as the moonlight in the mountains in March.
Jin Bao stared blankly at her exposed eyebrows and the itchy urge in his heart came back again - he really wanted to see what she looked like.
The ewe bleated, her voice no longer strained, and a moment later a lamb was born. Everyone inside and outside the pen exclaimed in delight, especially Jin Qiu, who looked at Ye Nuan with admiration and delight.
"Sister Nuan, how did you do that? Can you talk to the ewe?"
Village Chief Jin and Mrs. Tao also looked at Ye Nuan, waiting for her to speak.
Ye Nuan was about to respond when the ewe in the pen began bleating again, the sound not of relief but pain. She paused for a moment, carefully examining the ewe's belly, her face darkening as she said, "There must be another lamb in her belly."
Everyone's attention was focused on the ewe's belly again. Sure enough, there was a slight bulge on its abdomen, and it was moving slowly and barely noticeable.
Tao exclaimed, "Oh my! There really is another one! What should we do? It hasn't come out yet!"
Ye Nuan said, "I'm afraid the lamb inside is about to be exhausted after being held in for so long. We need to get it out quickly." She looked at Jin Qiu and said, "Go get some soapnut water."
Jin Qiu uttered an "oh" and immediately ran back to the house to fetch the soapberry soaked water. Ye Nuan took the soapberry water and handed it to Jin Bao, saying anxiously, "Dip some of this on your hands, reach in and pull the lamb out."
Jin Bao looked confused and incredulous, "Me?"
Ye Nuan nodded, "Well, you! It takes strength to pull the lamb, and you are just right." She also wanted to do it, but her small arms and legs were not able to pull it out. Xiaohu was strong, but his arms were short and he was small.
Village Chief Jin kicked his son again and shouted angrily, "Just do it if I tell you to. Hurry up!"
Jin Bao staggered after being kicked and fell directly on the haystack. Seeing that everyone was waiting for him to take action, he made up his mind, closed his eyes, and reached into the ewe's belly.
"Don't pull the legs. Try to feel it, touch the lamb's head, and pull it out with force." Ye Nuan squatted beside and gave instructions.
Jinbao complained as he touched the sheep: How could he touch the sheep's head by touching blindly? How could he be so good?
He seemed to have grabbed a tail, and when he felt forward, he found a leg of lamb.
He was sweating profusely, and the excess flesh on his face trembled slightly with the movement of his hands: "No, I can't touch the sheep's head."
"Go a little deeper, you can do it, come on." Ye Nuan encouraged.
Jinbao felt that she was encouraging him like a ewe, but since her hand had already been stretched out, he had no choice but to do it anyway, with his face almost touching the sheep's butt.
Ye Nuan added, "If you really can't reach the sheep's head, grab both of its hind hooves and pull hard."
Jinbao fumbled for a while and finally grabbed the lamb's two hind legs at the same time and pulled it hard.
Plop!
The lamb was suddenly pulled out, and the fishy, thick amniotic fluid mixed with blood splashed all over his face. He didn't care at all, and a sense of joy at new life filled his body. Jin Bao, who had never done anything serious in his life, was now full of energy, feeling that he was still useful and needed.
No matter how much his father scolded him, it was useless. He could just retort loudly: I even delivered a ewe!
He looked at Ye Nuan excitedly: "It's out, it's out!" Then he turned to Jin Qiu: "Sister, look, I pooped it out, mother!" Finally, he looked at his father with a look that wanted praise.
Village Chief Jin sneered: "Well, it's still somewhat useful!"
Jin Bao chuckled foolishly, but the lamb he had pulled out fell to the ground on the haystack, barely breathing, its eyes barely open, its belly barely rising or falling. He froze, worry in his eyes, "Miss Ye, it looks like this lamb isn't going to make it."
Ye Nuan went forward to check. The lamb was completely wet and looked like it was only breathing its last breath.
Although Tao felt a little regretful, she was also somewhat relieved: "It's dead, but at least the ewe and the other one were saved."
Ye Nuan's heart skipped a beat. She said to Mrs. Tao, "Why don't you let me raise this little lamb? Maybe I can keep it alive. But please send some food for the lamb every day. I'll send it back to you once it's alive."
A lamb needs its mother's milk after birth; it can't live on grain. But it wouldn't be nice to have someone raise it for nothing without providing it with rice. Looking at the lamb, which was barely breathing, Mrs. Tao doubted she could raise it. She simply said, "Today, I'm asking for your help to save the ewe and the other lamb. If you want to raise this lamb, take it home. If you raise it, it's yours." That way, she wouldn't have to provide grain.
Tao's good plan was exactly what Ye Nuan wanted.
She seemed to be in some embarrassment when she thought about it. Tao was afraid that she would regret it, so she immediately said, "It's settled. You should take the sheep back quickly, otherwise you will really die."
"Well, I'll take this lamb back first."
She wrapped the lamb in dry grass, picked it up, and called to her brother, "Xiao Hu, let's go."
The two of them walked out slowly. Village Chief Jin looked at her from behind and muttered, "Do you think it's possible to raise those sheep?"
Jin Qiu raised her little face and said in an admiring tone, "Of course, Sister Nuan even managed to grow dying chives."
Jin Bao sneered, "You're just bragging. That lamb can't even open its mouth. It's starving to death. I think she said she wanted to raise it just because she wanted to eat mutton. If you don't believe me, go and see tomorrow. They'll definitely be cooking it."
After he said that, Mrs. Tao suddenly felt a little regretful. If the lamb died, the meat could still be eaten, so why did she give it to the Ye family?
The sun was high in the sky. Ye Nuan was walking back with her brother, holding the lamb in her arms. She thought to herself: The Jin couple didn't ask her to go there because they wanted her to learn how to grow vegetables and cook. They just wanted to teach her a lesson.
"Little lamb, baa..." Ye Xiaohu kept staring at the little lamb in her arms, feeling worried and sad, "Sister, lamb..."
Ye Nuan comforted him: "The lamb will be fine. Let's go back quickly and give the lamb water."
The two of them hurried back home. When they reached home, Ye Xiaohu immediately ran to the west room to fetch water. Seeing him grab the ladle, Su quickly took the broken bowl from the kitchen. Ye Nuan put the lamb down on the ground, took the broken bowl, and dripped a little spiritual spring water into it to feed the lamb.
The lamb smelled the spiritual spring water and tried to open its mouth but didn't have the strength. Ye Nuan found a piece of scrap bamboo and stuffed it into its mouth, then carefully poured the water in along the bamboo. Fortunately, the lamb still knew how to swallow. After a while, the lamb opened its eyes, stumbled and struggled several times before finally standing up.
Su was surprised and said, "I thought he would die, how come he got better so quickly? Where did you get this sheep?"
Ye Nuan explained the story of the Jin family's ewe having a difficult birth, and then added, "This sheep must have been holding its breath for too long and is temporarily weak. It will be fine after being given some water."
The lamb came to Ye Nuan's hand again and drank the rest of the water. After a while, it was already full of energy.
The more Su looked at it, the happier she became. "Is this lamb a male or a female?"
"It's a female. If we raise it for a while, we'll have goat milk to drink."
Sheep eat all kinds of grass, and their milk is nutritious.
You can also make milk tofu, mutton oil tea, goat milk buns...just thinking about it makes them delicious.
Ye Nuan locked the lambs and chicks together and noticed that the chicks in the utility room already weighed a pound each, but they looked listless, probably cooped up. She planned to wait until tomorrow to collect rocks and then go to the cypress forest in the north to cut some bamboo to enclose the vegetable patch so that she could raise the chickens and lambs freely.
After settling the lamb, Ye Nuan began to pickle the sour beans. She used to soak them in cold water, but that required a lot of salt. This time, she simply added salt and sugar, sealed the beans in a jar, and stored them in a corner of the kitchen.
"Is this okay?" Su asked doubtfully.
Ye Nuan replied, "Not yet. It needs to be marinated for three to five days. When it turns sour, you can stir-fry it. It will go well with rice."
Su said "oh" and then asked, "What did the Jin family ask you to do? Did you suffer any loss?"
She said jokingly, "No, I got a sheep, you see. I'm taking advantage." But then she thought about going to pick up stones tomorrow, and she couldn't hide this from her mother, so she had to tell her first. After thinking it over, she decided to tell her mother before bed, to save her mother a miserable afternoon, and maybe even keep trying to persuade her.
Ye Nuan and Ye Xiaohu spent the entire afternoon harvesting the cabbages in the field. Su Shi washed them with water, leaving some for the chickens and sheep, as well as for their own family. The rest began to dry in the sun, which would be made into pickles, ensuring they would have enough food for the winter.
After the sun set, Su started to boil water for a bath, and then washed Ye Xiaohu before lying down in bed. Ye Nuan came in.
"Mom, I have something to tell you." Her tone was very serious. Su half-supported her body and looked up at her.
"What's up?"
"Tomorrow I'm going to pick up stones."
Su paused for a moment, her face darkening, and she became a little agitated. "Don't we have food at home? We also have all the furniture we need. Life will get better slowly. Ah Nuan doesn't have to risk picking up those damn stones anymore!"
"Mom! We don't have salt at home. I want to go by myself. I want to take the stones to the Creation Pavilion to exchange for something."
Su's voice unconsciously sharpened. "But Red Rock Canyon is dangerous. You don't know. The last time you and Xiaohu went out, I was worried the whole day, afraid something might happen to you. Later, everyone in the village said something happened to you. I didn't want to live anymore. If it happens again, I'll be scared to death. Please don't go. We can grow more vegetables and raise more poultry, and use them to trade with others for salt. We give more, and there will always be people willing to trade."
Su's idea is very simple. As long as the family can live in peace and security, staying alive is the most important thing.
Ye Nuan sat down beside her and explained soothingly, "Mom, nothing will happen to us. Haven't you heard what the villagers say? Wild animals usually don't bite me. Xiaohu is so strong. We were in such a dangerous situation last time and we were unscathed and brought back a lot of stones. This time, nothing will happen either. It's not a good idea for us to hide at home all day. Do you want Xiaohu to be trapped in this yard for the rest of his life?"
The wilderness was vast, and she didn't want to be confined to a small world. She wanted to own a farm, with thousands of acres of fertile land, vast expanses of wheat, seas of flowers, and many small animals. She wanted the spiritual spring to be constantly upgraded. Their lives should be comfortable and enjoyable, not filled with constant fear of being killed by bandits.
She is born with a tenacity that never gives up.
Ye Nuan looked at her mother, her eyes full of determination. Su Shi calmed down and compromised with helplessness and heartache: "If you want to go, go ahead. Just make sure you come back safely. If...if...I will definitely not live anymore."
"No ifs..." Ye Nuan smiled, her eyebrows curved into a crescent moon.
Despite the dark sky, Su was surprised to find her daughter looking much fairer and more tender. The scar on her right cheek seemed much smaller, and the edges were gradually fading. She asked uncertainly, "Ah Nuan, is the scar on your face smaller?"
Ye Nuan was slightly stunned and reached out to touch it. Compared to the scar on the left side of her face, the scar on the right side was truly terrifying. Since she didn't have a mirror at home, she usually only felt the itch on her face but couldn't see it.
"I don't know. Maybe the water and vegetables at home are nourishing." Her heart moved slightly, and she said jokingly, "Maybe one day this scar will disappear."
Su was amused by her, "Then you have to eat more."
Ye Nuan also laughed, but Ye Xiaohu suddenly burst into tears under the quilt. Su quickly turned him over and asked anxiously, "What's wrong, Xiaohu?"
Ye Xiaohu cried and said, "Mom, eggs..."
Su thought of something and threw back the quilt. The pheasant eggs Ye Xiaohu had been holding shattered all over the bed, and a thick, fishy smell filled her nostrils. She screamed in anger and was about to hit someone, but Ye Nuan was quick to pull her brother into her arms.
"Mom, it's all broken. Let's clean the quilt first."
Su got up and dressed while angrily saying, "You only know how to protect him. You said there would be no chicks hatching, but you put him on the bed every day. In the middle of the night, the quilt is messed up like this... You want to piss me off to death..."
Seeing the lively Su, Ye Nuan suddenly smiled. Ye Xiaohu in her arms, who had been crying, also started laughing, hiccuping. Su looked at her two children, who had been furious, and she couldn't help but laugh.
She said with both anger and amusement, "God damn it, you guys are happy just seeing me get mad. Let's see how you sleep tonight. I'll kill you with the stink."
Of course, she was the only one who stank that night. Ye Xiaohu curled up in Ye Nuan's quilt and happily called her "sister".
The sound of shallow breathing was heard, and the night passed quickly.
Su had gotten up early to make her own porridge and stir-fry vegetables. Ye was surprised when the food warmed up, and even more surprised when she tasted it. The food was actually quite good.
This time, everyone didn't go to the village chief's house to collect stones. Instead, they followed Sun Erniu directly to the back of the mountain. The thirty or so people were particularly enthusiastic towards Ye Nuan. Even Li Gan, who had always disliked her, came up to her and spoke kindly. Ye Nuan didn't turn her head away, but greeted them warmly and calmly, falling to the end of the group.
It took them half a day to reach Red Rock Canyon, a long canyon that stretched almost the entire length of the wilderness, clearly dividing the north and south. The earthquake had struck the area they had been to the last time, so this time they headed to the other side of the canyon.
As the sun rose to its zenith, everyone stopped to rest and refill on food. It would have been fine if everyone had just been munching on dry, hard steamed bread, but the two Ye family members were feasting on fragrant chive and egg pancakes, which immediately left everyone with nothing to eat. As a grown man, it was difficult to ask for more, so he could only pretend to be enjoying the aroma of chive and egg pancakes himself.
The girl from the Ye family is so amazing. It would be great if she were from my own family.
Families with sons become more active, while families without sons can only sigh.
After eating and drinking, everyone stood up and dispersed to collect stones. Ye Nuan led Ye Xiaohu along the canyon, searching inch by inch until they found a secluded spot. Suddenly, she heard a sneer from above. She looked up and saw Qi Wuze sitting on a dark red boulder, raising his eyebrows at her.
"Hey, follow me."
Ye Nuan only glanced at him, lowered her head and continued picking up stones. However, Ye Xiaohu smiled brightly when she saw him, jumping up and down and shouting, "Big Thigh Brother!"
Qi Wuze choked and coughed, gnashing his teeth as he looked at the siblings at the bottom of the valley, "Little brat, you're being yelled at!"
Ye Xiaohu was not afraid of him at all, instead he shouted even more cheerfully: "Brother Thigh, are you here to look for my sister?"
Qi Wuze looked at Ye Nuan, who was bent over, only the top of her dark hair showing. She had indeed come to see his sister, but City Lord Qi didn't want to admit it. He just said in a pretentious manner, "Just passing by." Then he threw a piece of pure white mutton-fat jade in front of her.
Ye Nuan stopped, her wrist beginning to feel hot. With a sigh, she picked up the piece of mutton-fat jade with her left hand and looked up at the scoundrel Qi Wuze: "This is jade. It will break easily if you throw it around."
Seeing her distressed look, Qi Wuze thought to himself: She is really greedy for money. This time when they met, she didn't rush over to pull my clothes. She has learned to restrain herself.
"There are a lot of this kind of jade in Luomu City. Come with me and this bag of jade will be yours." He was holding a heavy cloth bag in his hand, which was full of cut jade stones. Even if Ye Nuan picked up the jade for a whole day, she could not pick up half of the jade in the bag.
Ye Nuan's eyes were hot, and she finally let go: "Where are you going, and what are you doing?"
Qi Wuze: Money can move people's hearts!
"Go prospect for me." The tungsten iron ore found previously was very little, not enough to shoot 200 arrows, so more ore must be found.
Ye Nuan thought: She was able to find the mine last time, but the iron mine happened to be behind the jade mine, and her spiritual spring did not react to the tungsten iron ore.
"You can go, but I can't guarantee that I'll find the mine."
Qi Wuze chuckled and stretched out his hand towards her. Ye Nuan was puzzled.
"Come up."
Are you trying to pull yourself up?
She reacted and held Ye Xiaohu to him first. After Ye Xiaohu pulled her up, she reached out and took his hand. His palm was dry and warm, with rough calluses. With a little force, Ye Nuan was pulled up.
As soon as she got on, she immediately took two steps to the side. Qi Wuze frowned and said, "Don't move around, or you might fall down."
Ye Nuan didn't want that either. He was covered in jade like a nouveau riche. If he accidentally swallowed a few pieces, she would be considered greedy and lustful.
He laughed twice and picked up Ye Xiaohu, "You go, I'll follow behind."
Qi Wuze looked back at her, feeling uncomfortable no matter how he looked at her, and suddenly asked, "Why do you always wear a headscarf?" Every time he saw a pair of clear and bright eyes, he felt very complicated.
Ye Nuan didn't understand why he asked that. "Haven't you seen what I look like? I'm scary without a headscarf." Her eyes were clear and there was no inferiority or evasion.
Qi Wuze frowned and said disapprovingly: "What's a little scar? It's scarier with it than without it." At least looking at that face can reduce his attention on the eyes.
"Huh?" What kind of logic is this? Does the Lord of Luomu City prefer ugly women? Or is it like he said, beauty lies in the bones, not the skin?
She had another reason for wearing the headscarf. She had long experienced the effects of the spiritual spring, and the scar on her face would eventually disappear. The original owner was one of the most beautiful women in the imperial capital. If the scar disappeared, it would only cause unnecessary trouble in the wilderness. She wore the headscarf constantly, so that when her face healed, no one would suspect her.
After Qi Wuze finished speaking, he felt that he was being nagging. He was just looking for a mine, so why should he pay attention to these things? He tied the cloth bag around his waist and reached out to Ye Nuan.
Ye Nuan was confused. Why was he reaching out to her for no reason? What was he trying to do?
Do you want to pull yourself?
She tentatively freed one hand to hold his.
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