"Mother, look! It's a girl! We finally have a girl in our family!"
Li Laosan's wife was so surprised she almost cried out loud.
"Let me see, let me see!" Old Mrs. Li, with her gray hair, trembled, her lips almost bursting into tears.
"It's truly thanks to the blessings of our ancestors that our Li family, after having a bunch of rascals, finally has a daughter."
Outside the cave, the three Li brothers, along with several boys, were all standing on tiptoe, peering out. Upon hearing this, they all cheered.
We have a little sister now!
"Grandma, I want to see my little sister! I want to see my little sister!"
Li Laosi, the father, was even more excited, "Mother, how is Hongying? Is the little girl getting fat?"
Grandma Li shouted loudly, her voice full of energy, "Shut up, all of you! Don't scare my precious girl!"
Li Jiayin was still in a daze when she was startled by the shout and trembled.
I had a rare good night's sleep last night; it was long and sweet, and I felt warm all over—it was incredibly comfortable.
But before she could enjoy it for long, her head suddenly started to ache. The throbbing pain from the narrow opening made her angry.
The pain has subsided, but I feel chilly all over.
Someone slapped her hard on the bottom twice, and she cursed loudly in embarrassment, but what came out was a weak sob like a kitten.
She was so shocked that she quickly shut her mouth, almost choking on her breath.
Is that her voice?
When did she turn into a baby?
Could it be that they're following the trend of transvestites?
Seeing that her granddaughter was scared, Grandma Li quickly lowered her voice.
"Fourth brother, come in quickly and keep the baby warm by pressing the skin against his skin. This baby was born half a month early. This is the old way we've been using to keep the baby alive and keep his soul in check."
Soon, Li Jiayin was picked up and settled in a warm embrace, the sound of a strong, pounding heartbeat filling her ears.
A large hand gently patted her back, soothing her softly.
"My dear daughter, it's your father. Don't be afraid, Daddy's holding you, we'll be alright."
Li Jiayin's eyes suddenly stung, and tears streamed down her face.
Father? It seems like it's been so many years since I last mentioned him, and I'm no longer willing to use that title.
After her parents divorced and remarried, and her grandmother, who had raised her, passed away, she became like a ball being kicked back and forth between the two families.
Although I am not short of money and have no worries about food and clothing, I have never been cherished and loved like this before.
I don't know how I ended up falling asleep and being reincarnated as a baby, which is quite fashionable.
But shouldn't we be grateful to have such a great father right after birth?
Li Qiusheng, the fourth son of the Li family, looked down and saw that his little daughter's eyes were full of tears, as if someone had stabbed his heart.
He was in so much pain that he was pacing around on the ground, and I tried my best to comfort him.
"My dear daughter, don't cry, Daddy's here. Daddy's really amazing, strong, and I can shoot arrows! When you grow up, Daddy will go up the mountain and catch little rabbits for you..."
Old Mrs. Li and her third daughter-in-law Zhao Yuru helped the fourth son's wife Tao Hongying clean up, and they smiled when they saw Li Laosi doing so.
"The fourth son seems to love his daughter dearly. When Jia'an was born, he wouldn't even hold her once."
Tao Hongying smiled weakly, but when she touched her chest, which had no swelling at all, she began to worry again.
This child was born at the worst possible time!
Her family was fleeing famine, planning to seek refuge with distant relatives thousands of miles away. Just half a month after they left, the girl gave birth.
Grandma Li was also worried, but with her beloved granddaughter by her side, no difficulty seemed insurmountable.
She quickly assigned tasks, "Second and third sons, build another stove. Third son's wife, take out the rice from the house and cook porridge. Remember to add plenty of water and cook until the rice oil is released, so my precious granddaughter can have some later!"
After saying that, she hesitated for a moment, then added.
"Fourth brother, go into the mountains and see if you can catch a pheasant! Jiaren and Jiayi, take your brothers to look for wild vegetables nearby, and we'll have a wild vegetable porridge to celebrate!"
The Li family members immediately sprang into action, their faces beaming with joy.
The Li family is prosperous; the second son's family has produced Jiaren and Jiayi, and the third son's family has produced Jiahuan and Jiaxi.
The fourth child's firstborn was a boy, as if he had fallen into a nest of boys.
Tao Hongying is pregnant again, and everyone is hoping that she will have a baby girl.
Now my wish has finally come true, and I will have a soft and sweet little baby in my family from now on.
Li Laosi carefully carried his daughter out and placed her in his wife's arms, then went up the mountain in high spirits.
Unfortunately, this area beyond the Great Wall has experienced drought for two consecutive years.
It was hard to find any greenery in the mountains, let alone pheasants or rabbits, so he could only bring back a bag of wild vegetables.
Soon, the family's lunch was ready.
Li Jiayin also drank the rice oil, which was a bit thick and sweet.
It's not really enough to stave off hunger, but it's enough to keep a small baby entertained.
The men hesitated to step forward, but the boys had no such reservations.
The five Li brothers held their bowls of porridge, slurping as they watched their little sister drink the rice gruel, occasionally making noise.
"Oh dear, Grandma, the little girl can roll her tongue!"
"Grandma, why is the little girl's face as red as a monkey's bottom!"
"Grandma, when will the little sister start talking?"
Grandma Li found it both curious and amusing, and quickly waved her pipe to chase the person away.
"Go away, go away, go eat somewhere else, don't disturb your sister, she's going to choke!"
The boys were reluctant to leave, not wanting their little sister to suffer, so they all ran to the cave entrance.
After feeding her daughter, Tao Hongying drank two bowls of white porridge herself, and then, holding her daughter, she was carried onto the wheelbarrow by Li Laosi.
The Li family's journey of fleeing famine must continue, as it was already a rare occurrence that childbirth had delayed them for even a morning.
Behind us are bandits, mountain thieves, and barbarians who burn, kill, and plunder; ahead lies a long and arduous road. We must hurry.
Li Jiayin was dizzy from the jolting, and she could hear Old Lady Li and Li Laosi discussing how much grain they had at home.
She sighed inwardly, thinking that she would definitely try to trade for some eggs or something when she came to a town next time.
The new family seems nice, but they are really too poor.
Starting with fleeing famine, they're probably going to suffer.
She was extremely worried about her survival and missed her farmhouse in her previous life terribly.
Perhaps because she missed it so much, she actually fell asleep and dreamed of returning to the farmhouse courtyard.
The chickens and ducks in the front yard seemed a bit hungry, chirping and clucking incessantly in their nest, and the hen had accumulated seven or eight eggs in her nest.
The four little fat pigs in the pigpen were rooting around the trough, grunting incessantly.
The dairy goat, tied to a tree in the corner of the yard, was nursing its lamb. The lamb was kneeling on the ground, wagging its little tail, looking exceptionally cute.
Impatient with the arrangements, Li Jiayin went to the back vegetable garden and picked a few cabbages, giving one to each of the chickens, ducks, and sheep.
The courtyard finally fell silent, and Li Jiayin was stunned.
Isn't this dream too real?!
But the neighbors were gone, the path in front of the yard was gone, and the distant hills were gone, replaced by a white mist.
It was as if everything else in the world had disappeared, leaving only her small courtyard and the five acres of private land behind the house!
Could this be a cheat code given by a time-traveling god?
Or is it compensation for being born into a life of fleeing?
In her excitement, Li Jiayin's mind went blank for a moment before she snapped back to reality and couldn't help but grin.
Tao Hongying looked down and laughed too.
"Honey, look! Our daughter is smiling!"
Li Laosi was born with superhuman strength. He had two bags of grain, his wife, and children on his wheelbarrow.
He didn't find it strenuous at all. He peeked out and grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth.
"My daughter is so beautiful, she's definitely a lucky girl!"
Tao Hongying kissed her daughter, then started to worry again. Just then, she looked up and saw something white by the roadside.
She realized what was happening and was so shocked that she stammered and dragged Li Laosi to see it.
"Goat...milk...milk goat!"?
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