Li Erma overheard Lu Qiqi's words and said in a sarcastic tone, "Da Shun, this is a good deal! Half a month's worth of breast milk can be exchanged for five catties of millet. If I had a wife, I would definitely do it!"
Li Erma shouted loudly, and the villagers who were curious about the five jin of millet all gathered around.
One of the women said, "Five catties of millet, can the Lu family girl produce that much?"
The slightly plump aunt said, "Let's not worry about whether we can produce it or not. I don't think Xibao is old enough to drink milk. Why would the eldest sister of the Lu family need to change her breast milk?"
The older woman, speaking with an air of worldly experience, said, "Hey, I saw Xibao this morning, holding a puppy. It looked like it had just been born. She must be feeding it water, otherwise how could it survive!"
Li Erma was already envious when she heard that half a month's breast milk could be exchanged for five catties of grain, and then she heard her sisters-in-law say that it was for the puppies to drink.
Then he glanced at Lu Qiqi and Li Changlong. It's true what they say, comparisons are odious. These days, people are less valuable than dogs.
Li Erma, already consumed by jealousy, could no longer contain himself. He deliberately mocked Li Dashun, "Oh, Dashun, are you going to have a dog son? Are you going to teach him to speak?"
As soon as Li Erma said this, the surrounding villagers burst into laughter.
Lu Qiqi frowned, sensing something was wrong.
Before Lu Qiqi could explain, Li Dashun's face grew increasingly grim. "You two little brats, how dare you spout nonsense here? If you say another word, I'll beat you to death."
Lu Qiqi was asking for a favor, and as the saying goes, one shouldn't hit a smiling face. She smiled and explained the truth: "Uncle Dashun, we really are here for Xibao. That girl was born prematurely and has some health issues. We heard from the barefoot doctor that breast milk is nourishing, so we thought of coming here."
Lu Qiqi spoke sincerely, and Li Dashun did not intend to pursue the matter. He dismissed Lu Qiqi and Li Changlong by saying that his own child did not have enough breast milk.
As soon as Lu Qiqi and Li Changlong left, the villagers who had been watching the commotion also dispersed.
As the two walked back, Li Changlong asked, "Qiqi, how did you know Xibao had a deficiency? Does drinking milk really help?"
Breast milk is rich in protein, which can indeed boost immunity, and besides, she intended to use it as a medicinal ingredient, "that's for sure."
A few days ago, Lu Qiqi noticed that apart from sneezing a few times every now and then, Xi Bao didn't seem to have anything wrong with her.
Lu Qiqi assumed it was because the child was young and had a low immune system.
She never considered the possibility of Xi Bao's deficiency. Yesterday, when she held Xi Bao, she casually took her pulse and asked Li Shi about it, only then did she learn about Xi Bao's deficiency.
It seems we should give Xibao more spiritual spring water to drink in the future to help her strengthen her body.
After a long day of travel, I took a short rest.
Lu Qiqi was taken by Li Changlong to the place where her aunt, who had given birth four months prior, stayed.
Li Changlong left after taking him to the location; he had to keep watch that night and needed to go back and get some rest.
This time, Lu Qiqi was careful and made sure there were no eavesdroppers around to cause any misunderstandings before she brought up the idea of exchanging grain for milk.
Aunt Zhao was a little puzzled. "Girl, who are you changing the milk for?"
Lu Qiqi explained, "Xi Bao's deficiency requires the breast milk of a woman who has just given birth as a medicinal guide. For half a month, just one bowl of it every day is enough."
“Normally, we could have used other methods, but now that everyone is fleeing famine and we are really short of supplies, we thought of this method.”
Aunt Zhao thought that a bowlful wasn't much, and food was precious these days. She needed to eat her fill to have enough breast milk to feed her child, so she agreed, "Okay."
The two reached an agreement, and Lu Qiqi was about to get the food when she was attracted by a voice.
"Meow—".
Lu Qiqi looked in the direction of the sound.
There was a ewe standing by a large rock, feeding two lambs.
Her eyes lit up. "Aunt Zhao, is that ewe yours?"
Aunt Zhao glanced at it and nodded, "Yes, it gave birth a few nights ago. The husband feeds the ewe every day and spends a lot of time going to the woods to find fodder."
Lu Qiqi laughed more and more happily. She didn't expect such a pleasant surprise. If she could get goat milk, wouldn't that solve the problem of feeding Wangcai as well?
She thought, 'On the road of fleeing famine, silver is not as useful as food. Trying to exchange a large amount of food for sheep would attract too much attention. But there is a patch of fresh grass in my space, watered by a spiritual spring. Feeding a little ewe would be a piece of cake.'
Lu Qiqi said, "Auntie, I'll exchange ten catties of millet for a month's worth of goat milk. I'll also provide the ewe's daily feed. Is that alright?" If the ewe produces enough milk, the goat milk can be used as a medicinal ingredient. Although it's not as good as a new mother's breast milk, it's better than nothing.
Aunt Zhao was somewhat tempted, thinking that this way her husband wouldn't have to find wild vegetables and then forage for fodder.
But she was still a little hesitant, worried that if Lu Qiqi asked for too much, there wouldn't be enough to feed the lambs, which would be a bad deal.
Lu Qiqi saw through Aunt Zhao's thoughts, "Auntie, to be honest with you."
I found a puppy in the woods last night. The mother dog died in childbirth, and the puppy was just a tiny little thing, whimpering.
I couldn't bear to see it suffer, so I brought it back. I only come to squeeze it three times a day; just think of it as raising an extra little lamb.
Aunt Zhao shook the child in her arms, a surge of maternal love welling up in her heart. "Girl, you're kind-hearted. Go ahead and squeeze in. I'll talk to the husband later. You don't need the millet; just bring the fodder. These days, life isn't easy for anyone."
Ten catties of millet is no small amount. I had previously promised to exchange five catties of millet for breast milk every half month, which would make a total of fifteen catties.
If the adults find out, Lu Qiqi and her sister will probably be kicked out of the Li family village.
The two reached an agreement again. Lu Qiqi took a bundle off her back and handed the millet she had prepared earlier to Aunt Zhao, saying, "There are five catties of millet in here."
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