In fact, Lin Wanning thought what they had was still far from enough. Since Fang Qin was rather thin, she would surely not have enough breast milk after giving birth.
It wasn't that they couldn't keep buying milk powder for the baby, but Lin Wanning thought the milk - powder refining technology in this era was not good enough. So she was constantly thinking about buying a sheep.
She could build a sheepfold and keep the sheep, chickens and ducks in it. Just now at the market, Lin Wanning had taken a look. A sheep cost more than seventy yuan.
She didn't have enough money on her, so she could only wait.
In the evening, Lin Wanning cooked millet porridge with sea cucumbers and stewed the remaining half - chicken with the chestnuts left from last time. The aroma filled the whole yard and even the neighboring one.
Song Shuyao never cooked by herself. Moreover, she was rather picky. Eating the pork that Song Chunlan had botched, she got angrier and angrier.
"Auntie, isn't it a bit of a waste to put so many side dishes in the pork? Shouldn't braised pork be all meat?"
"Look at this. After picking for a long time, there's only vermicelli, Chinese cabbage and big radishes. This isn't how they cook the northeast iron - pot stew!"
Fuming inside, Song Shuyao smelled the aroma of chicken from next door and couldn't eat another bite. She slammed her chopsticks on the table and stormed back to her bedroom.
Song Chunlan gritted her teeth in anger, but thinking that the meat was bought with Song Shuyao's private money, she had to swallow her anger.
"Auntie was in a hurry and just cooked it casually today. I wasn't well - prepared. I'll make you braised pork tomorrow."
Actually, Song Chunlan wasn't unprepared at all. She just couldn't bear to use up all the three - jin of meat at once. She would cut off a little fat each time to stew with vegetables, as if they could always have meat to eat this way.
In this era, people weren't well - off. Not everyone could eat as generously as the Lin family.
At the dinner table, the Lin family were all beaming with satisfaction.
When Lin Wanning first came, needless to say about Fang Qin, who was as thin and dry as a twig. Lin Guoan's face was as pale as a sheet of paper. Lin Zhiyuan was so thin that he was out of shape. And Chen Shufen looked more than ten years older.
Since Lin Wanning came, Fang Qin had gradually gained weight and her pregnancy was becoming more and more obvious. Although Lin Guoan still coughed, his face was rosy and shiny, and he didn't cough so desperately as before.
Lin Zhiyuan had become strong and seemed to have endless energy. As for Chen Shufen, not only had her skin become fairer, but the worry on her face had also disappeared. She looked just like she did before being sent to the countryside.
Looking at the changes in the whole family, Lin Wanning couldn't help feeling a deep sense of satisfaction. But she was still a bit worried about her second brother, Lin Bingwen.
Then she thought that her second brother's misfortune would happen the next year. Let him and Liu Xiaohui live their life well for now. A grown man should surely be responsible for his own choices. The hard days were what he had fought for by starving himself for three days and three nights.
Even if his life was in a complete mess now, he could only swallow his pride and bear it.
When Lin Bingwen came back from work, he saw the cold stove and a pile of unwashed clothes. He was so angry that he trembled all over. Unable to bear it any longer, he rushed into the room and tore off Liu Xiaohui's quilt.
"I won't say anything about you not going to work today, but you should at least get up and cook something hot for me!"
"Why don't you cook something hot for me? I've been feeling unwell all day. Instead of caring about me when you come back, you're bossing me around. What do you mean?"
Liu Xiaohui's attitude had done a complete 180 - degree turn. She was vain and snobbish, with no real sense of love in her heart.
When she woke up last time and learned that the family had been split up and they had only got two hundred yuan, all she could think about was divorce. Since there was no money, she was not going to live such a hard life.
She just hadn't found her next target yet.
Lin Bingwen was so angry that his chest hurt. He couldn't understand how he had begged his grandparents and everyone else to marry such a woman.
After much thought, he realized that Liu Xiaohui was good at pretending.
But things had already happened. He couldn't change the past, so he could only bear the consequences of his own bad choice.
...
The Lin family was in a harmonious atmosphere. After dinner, Lin Wanning built a small stove and sat with the whole family chatting.
The little squirrel was quite spiritual and climbed onto Lin Wanning's shoulder. Having stayed in this family for a long time, it had got familiar with all the members.
As for the little snake, Lin Wanning still secretly hid it in her pocket. If this little guy suddenly stuck out its head, the whole family would surely be scared to death.
The little snake pouted and watched the little squirrel eating peanuts from Lin Guoan's hand and apples in Fang Qin's arms. It was so envious.
Lin Wanning stroked the little snake's head and whispered to it, "Let's go to bed early. As soon as it's dawn tomorrow, we'll go to the mountain to play. You can do whatever you want then."
Fortunately, the little snake was easy to coax. Being stroked on the head by Lin Wanning, it fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Lin Wanning carried a basket on her back and was ready to go up the mountain to find medicine for her father.
However, her elder brother Lin Zhiyuan and Chen Shufen were still worried about letting Lin Wanning go into the deep mountains alone.
"Last time you said you were just going to pick some wild vegetables near your brother, but then you turned around and lied to him and ran into the deep mountains. Although all that honey was a good thing and valuable, mom really just hopes you're in good health. As long as the whole family is together, I'll be satisfied."
Chen Shufen held onto Lin Wanning tightly and said, "Mom really doesn't need to eat big fish and meat every day. Mom just wants you to be healthy and happy every day."
Lin Wanning and Chen Shufen were mother and daughter. As the saying goes, mother and daughter are of one mind. How could Lin Wanning not understand Chen Shufen's worry?
"Mom, don't worry. I really won't go into the deep mountains this time. I'll just walk around the mountain stream. I definitely won't go for honey this time."
"Nor will I go for chestnuts."
Lin Wanning raised her hand and blinked her big, watery eyes sincerely.
"The chestnuts in the deep mountains are really delicious, but you're just too brave. The families in the village are all so poor, and none of them have thought about going into the deep mountains for chestnuts. Aren't you just too daring?"
Although Chen Shufen was scolding Lin Wanning, only she herself knew how much she loved her daughter.
"Mom, I promise I won't go there again." As Lin Wanning said, she grabbed Lin Zhiyuan's arm and slowly moved outside.
She still had to take the little snake out for some fresh air. She couldn't break her promise. As for Chen Shufen's worry, she could understand it well. After all, she had brought back so many chestnuts, but no villagers had come to inquire. That meant that place must be dangerous.
But she still had to go there. Otherwise, how could she get medicine to treat her father?