Chapter 72

Chapter 72

On a winter day, exhaling forms a puff of white mist.

At the gate of the courtyard, one of the two trees sheds its leaves as the seasons change, now bare.

The other tree remains a deep green hue that looks chilly.

Jiang Mianmian, bundled in a thick padded jacket, adds more burden to her already awkward body.

Making her appear adorably plump and round like a ball.

At six months old, she mastered crawling, outright winning at the starting line 〈( ̄) ̄)〈.

She used her time saved to... crawl.

Crawling helps develop an infant's vestibular-cerebellar coordination, a milestone in growth that lays a solid foundation for standing and walking later on.

One stride fast, every stride fast! (Roll on, champion Mianmian!)

Qin Luoxia noticed her daughter loved crawling but was obsessed with cleanliness. This child wouldn't touch a speck of dirt, refusing to grab anything unless she saw it cleaned.

She insisted on crawling on a mat, never on the bare ground.

Qin Luoxia wove a straw mat for her to crawl on.

While crawling, a black ant would often lead the way~~

The family had long noticed the ant's presence but assumed it was a guardian spirit since the hunchback was said to have been bitten to death by an ant.

Other households had snake or fox spirits, but for Mianmian, it was an ant~~

Jiang Mianmian would race the ant, always winning because the little black ant would wait for her to catch up.

The little white horse was also very fond of Mianmian. In her home, this horse didn't serve as transport - Father didn't ride it to work, and Jiang Feng didn't take it into town for fear it might be too showy and get stolen, with nowhere to park it.

So most of the time, the white horse just guarded the courtyard like a watchdog, standing by Mianmian.

It was easy to feed, enjoying wild chives and even tree leaves. It didn't eat much grain, which they couldn't afford anyway.

The world had grown more chaotic, with no word from those two young noblemen from the Capital City.

The milk goat was sold because Mother felt it was an insult that she lacked milk - she had plenty and it would be a waste. The household also couldn't support two large livestock, so it was sold for money.

Jiang Mianmian worked hard at crawling with encouragement from the white horse.

With such a magnificent white steed before her, she dreamed of riding it too.

She imagined growing up to ride a sleek white Ferrari, making a stylish entrance.

Though just an infant, Jiang Mianmian's days were busy.

Eating, drinking, relieving herself, and sleeping took up much of her time.

While awake, she crawled to exercise and entertained her family with antics...keeping everyone amused.

From news Father and Brother brought from outside, it seemed famine, banditry, and war plagued the land.

After the summer drought came the winter freeze, an exceptionally cold one this year.Điscover new chapters at novelhall.com

Jiang Mianmian had no personal experience of this.

Her family was better off.

At least they could eat their fill, though their clothes were still patched. But everyone had a padded jacket, and they'd replaced their straw sandals with cloth shoes that had soles.

Though their clothes didn't look like much, the family's complexions were healthy.

The village gossipers with jealous eyes accused them of sucking the horse's blood, that one family couldn't be supported by a single horse - they must all be "horse leeches."

Unable to resist, she set aside her work to plant a kiss on those sweet lips, then asked, "Does my little treasure want me to sew pockets on her clothes?"

Jiang Mianmian nodded her round little head seriously.

Qin Luoxia laughed again.

The more she looked, the more delighted she felt.

"I'll sew them right away," she said.

Seeing the sun was quite bright and the brazier nearby kept them warm, she removed Mianmian's outer garment.

Jiang Mianmian cooperatively extended her arms.

Qin Luoxia laughed once more.

Her round face now had dimples on both cheeks.

Perhaps it was from recovering after childbirth - her features weren't as swollen or chubby as when Jiang Mianmian first saw her, making her look lovelier.

Jiang Mianmian felt her mother exuded an innate maternal beauty; just being near her made her feel at ease.

Qin Luoxia found two scraps of fabric and sewed them on where Mianmian had pointed, like patching holes. But she left the tops open instead of sealing them shut, creating makeshift pockets that could indeed hold small items quite conveniently.

As Jiang Mianmian sat waiting for Mother to finish, her elder sister Jiang Yu returned and joined them by the brazier.

Out of habit, she scooped up her little sister and cradled her.

Jiang Mianmian leaned against her sister's chest, sensing that her tiny "bread buns" seemed to have developed a bit~~

Soft to the touch.

"Mother, Achui is really getting married. You told me to take her a cloth, so I did, but it felt so underwhelming giving it. Why would a girl want to get married? She'd be freer staying at home," Jiang Yu said wistfully.

She was a year younger than Qin Luoxia. Qin Luoxia was already of marriageable age, so she was probably not far behind.

But the thought of that terrified her. Life at home was so good; at home, she would always remain a maiden.

Qin Luoxia tapped Jiang Mianmian's head lightly. "What nonsense are you thinking about? When you eventually meet your destined gentleman, not even he could stop you from getting married."

Jiang Yu said with certainty, "That won't happen. Living with others can never be as comfortable as living at home, eating whatever you want, whenever you want, and however you want."

"Mom, what are you doing?" Jiang Yu asked curiously as she watched her mother sewing something.

Jiang Mianmian thought to herself, "Hmph, my sister will soon know about my innovative reform. Perhaps it will start a trend, and everyone's clothes will have pockets in the front."

"Your sister's arms are short, so I'm sewing a couple of pockets on the front of her clothes for her to put things in," Qin Luoxia said tenderly.

Jiang Mianmian: ...o(╥_╥)o

When Jiang Yu saw the pockets, her eyes lit up. "How convenient for carrying snacks!"

"Mom, Mom, sew a couple for me too, no, six of them," said Jiang Yu, thinking she could use them to separate different snacks.

Jiang Mianmian: ...o(╯□╰)o

"Are you silly? Your sister is just a child, so a couple of pockets are fine. But you're a grown maiden. What would it look like with all those pockets? So foolish! Who puts things in outside pockets? What if someone saw it and asked for it? Would you give it to them?" Qin Luoxia scolded her.

Jiang Mianmian: ...

Ah, let me just play cute. The great invention of the time-traveler has failed for the first time.

The whole afternoon was spent idling by her sister and mother.

The weather was cold.

But their company was warm.