The two stopped and looked over.
"How could such a heartless thing happen?" The mother's heart was in her throat, and she leaned closer to listen.
It's only because the harvest is good now. If there were two years of severe drought, a child wouldn't be worth a penny; you could exchange it for half a bag of flour.
The middle-aged woman patted her chest: "Of course! Families with boys are worried, saying they're thinking of secretly taking one to continue their family line. Just the other day, Juan'er was with her son, thankfully they weren't snatched away!"
"They just came up and robbed us. That's terrifying..."
"Yes, yes, we must be careful of those fierce-looking people. If we see them, we should take the children and leave as soon as possible."
Ah Mian felt relieved and secretly rejoiced that she had given birth to her youngest daughter.
Many families wouldn't even raise their own daughters, let alone steal another family's girl, right?
The couple breathed a sigh of relief, but both quickened their pace without thinking. Only when they got home and saw little A-Yue fast asleep in the wooden bed did they feel completely at ease.
When the baby is awake, adults always find it annoying. Little A-Yue is always crying, crawling around, and getting her face all dirty. But when she falls asleep, everything is reversed. Her parents, one on each side of the wooden bed, are completely absorbed in admiring A-Yue's long eyelashes and rosy little face.
Her sleeping face, so soft and pure, is like that of a Bodhisattva reincarnated; I could never get enough of looking at it.
"Is that enough? You can't sleep anymore, or you'll be restless tonight."
Amian woke the baby up. Ayue was disturbed from her dream, and she was both angry and aggrieved. She bit Amian's arm.
"Ouch!" This tiny little thing can actually bite so hard it hurts.
Meng Chijian grabbed the baby and scolded him, "How could you bite your mother?"
Amian grabbed Ayue's little hand, wanting to gently bite back, but then she thought, "We adults wake her up so we can get a good night's sleep, no wonder she wants to throw a tantrum. But that's how it is with kids, they have to be told what to do by adults."
"That's true. Don't bite your mother next time. Her skin is delicate, and a mark like that takes a long time to fade."
Ah Mian secretly kicked Meng Chijian, saying, "Don't talk nonsense."
Meng Chijian believed he was telling the truth, so he took Xiao Ayue out to play on the swings and finally managed to calm the baby down.
The winter that year wasn't too cold, and with the arrival of little A-Yue, the family was even more lively than in previous years.
Song Dongjia's side was vigorously promoting fermented bean curd sauce in Zhoucheng. Ah Mian would steal a few moments from her busy schedule and bring Ah Yue to the blacksmith shop from time to time. It was a very pleasant place in winter, just like a greenhouse. When the two of them came, Meng Chijian would not do any too noisy work. Anyway, the family was not short of money at the moment, so he could just take his time with the work.
"It's likely to snow on the second day of the Lunar New Year. I'm thinking of taking the baby to see his mother after spring."
Ah Mian's eyes immediately crinkled into crescent moons as she nodded vigorously.
After getting married, the first time she visited her mother, only Amian and Adou were there. The second time, she had her husband, and now she has her baby. Amian's mother in heaven will be happy to see this.
On the day of departure, Meng Chijian, as usual, changed into his most presentable clothes, wearing his half-worn cotton coat open. A-Mian was bundled up like a snowball, with her cashmere cloak draped over her shoulders. Little A-Yue was also dressed warmly, with a hat and scarf, but her cotton coat was much too big—A-Mian's family wasn't so extravagant as to dress their young child in well-fitting clothes.
This cotton coat was made to be the size that A-Yue could wear until she was four or five years old.
Right now, Xiao Ayue's clothes are so long that the hem is almost dragging on the ground.
Being able to afford this outfit at this time of year means that the parents in the farming family really love their child.
This time, I didn't plan to let A-Yue crawl around, so I put several layers inside her clothes and then wrapped her in a cotton coat. Holding her in A-Mian's arms, she wouldn't get cold no matter what.
After breakfast, A-Mian dressed herself up, applying some clam oil to her face and also to the baby's face to prevent the wind from wrinkling her face later.
"Don't move, don't move, I'll put a little red dot on you." A-Mian put a red circle on A-Yue's forehead, then licked the red paper with her lips, making her look even more radiant.
"Put on your cotton shoes properly, Lu Amian, hurry up and put them on, cold starts from the feet." Meng Chijian went back into the house to get a hot water bottle, filled it with hot water, and finally put the outer cloth cover back on and placed it on the donkey cart.
She went back to help Ah Yue put on her socks, asking, "There are rolled pancakes and scallions in the basket. Would you like some eggs boiled too?"
Amian said, "I'll cook three and put them in my pocket so we can eat them on the way."
Finally, everything was in place. The donkey cart was loaded with things. A-Mian held little A-Yue and kept telling her about her grandmother. Meng Chijian sat next to her and drove the donkey cart all the way to Lujia Village.
As they walked, Ah Mian said, "Mmm, mmm mmm mmm mmm, mmm mmm mmm."
Her voice was barely audible on Weibo.
"Um?"
“Look by the roadside, there’s a woman who looks lost.” A-Mian pulled her scarf down a little.
It was an elderly woman who looked to be about sixty years old, with a kind face and a bewildered expression, looking around in the cold wind.
"Grandma, what's wrong?" Amian asked.
"Sigh, I was planning to visit relatives, but after my husband passed away... I can't find my way around. Do you know where Wang Village is?"
Amian shook her head, "I don't know, let's go to Lujia Village."
"Oh... Oh dear, I remember now, Wang Village is right behind your Lu Village! It's just a little over half an hour's walk away."
Amian had never heard of Wang Village, but since there are many people with the surname Wang, she thought it might be the village in the surrounding area where there are many people with the surname Wang.
“That’s on our way, we’ll give you a ride,” A-Mian said generously. Firstly, it was really cold when the snow was melting, and secondly, it was common for country folk to give a ride to stranded or distressed travelers.
Anyway, there wasn't anything valuable loaded on the back of the donkey cart, just some tributes and fruits.
The old woman thanked them profusely, saying, "Kind-hearted ladies, if it weren't for meeting you today, I, this old woman, would be left here! Heaven will protect you... Thank you so much..."
Amian said, "It's okay, just sit tight, the donkey cart is a bit bumpy."
She vaguely felt that the old woman looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen her before.
Not long after the old woman sat down, she poked her head out of the donkey cart and started chatting casually with Ah Mian: "Hey—is that a little baby in your arms? She looks so pretty and delicate."
Because she didn't want the baby to be exposed to the wind, A-Mian kept her wrapped in a cloak. When little A-Yue woke up, she didn't know why she was swaying and bouncing around, so she poked her little head out and blinked as she looked around.
Amian smiled, used to such words. Many people in Qingshan Village had praised Xiao Ayue, and some even wanted to arrange a marriage between the children.
Meng Chijian refused them all with a dark expression.
He looked down on a bunch of poor people who couldn't even afford to eat at home.
"What a blessed child! So adorable!" The old woman looked at him with increasing affection, reaching out to touch Ah Yue's round little face. "You've raised him so well, he must be a boy?"
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