After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Days passed like icicles melting under the eaves, flowing peacefully, drop by drop. In the blink of an eye, four little lives born in winter celebrated their one-month birthday.

Su Xiaoyin was already in better health, and during her postpartum period, she was carefully cared for by Chen's mother, receiving a constant supply of nourishing soups and medicinal meals. Now she can get up and move around nimbly, and do some light housework. Her face has regained its rosy glow, but her brows now show a touch of the gentleness and serenity of a new mother.

Su Xiaoqing's condition worried her family even more. The harrowing childbirth had exhausted her, and she spent most of her postpartum period lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), pale and weak. Fortunately, her mother, being experienced, strictly followed traditional methods to care for her, forbidding her from touching any cold water or being exposed to any cold wind, and bringing her soup and food to the kang. On the day of her full-month celebration, she was finally able to sit up and talk to people for a while. Although her face still showed some signs of post-illness thinness, her eyes had regained their brightness, and her thin complexion had regained a slight rosy glow.

The four children were exceptionally well-fed. Su Xiaoyin had an abundant milk supply, more than enough to feed her two chubby babies, and she also nursed her younger sister's frail second child. The second child, who was born as thin as a kitten with a weak cry, was now nourished by Su Xiaoyin's milk, growing bigger and bigger every day. His little arms and legs had fleshed out, and his cries were much louder; he was no longer the heartbreaking baby he once was. Whenever Chen's mother held him, she couldn't help but say, "Look, his features have developed; he looks just like his father. It's all thanks to his aunt's abundant milk!"

However, as the children grew, their appetites also increased. Even with Su Xiaoyin's abundant milk supply, feeding three increasingly hungry little mouths gradually became difficult. At night, the two children cried from hunger, and she took turns feeding them, but she couldn't sleep soundly, and dark circles began to appear under her eyes. As for Su Xiaoqing, her milk supply was already thin, barely enough to feed one child. Seeing her sister and mother-in-law working so hard for her children, she felt both grateful and guilty.

Seeing this situation, Mr. and Mrs. Chen were very anxious.

That evening after dinner, Mr. Chen sat in the yard smoking his pipe, staring blankly in the direction of the pigsty. Mrs. Chen came out after clearing away the dishes, sat down next to him, and sighed, "Honey, this can't go on. Xiao Yin is feeding three babies by herself, it's too much for her body, and Xiao Qing's milk... sigh. The children are growing, and relying solely on rice water to supplement their nutrition isn't proper food."

Father Chen exhaled a puff of smoke and slowly said, "I've been thinking about this for several days. Today I went to Xiahegou Village to help someone repair a plowshare. I heard there's a cowherd there who's very skilled at raising livestock, and he has a ewe that just gave birth. Goat milk is warming and nourishing, the best for people."

Chen's mother's eyes lit up: "Buy a ewe? That's a great idea! The milk can be given to the children, and if there's any left over, the two daughters-in-law can drink some to help them get better. It's just... I'm afraid it won't be cheap."

"It's a bit expensive," Mr. Chen tapped his pipe, "but the children are the priority. It's not like we can't afford this. We saved up from selling mountain produce and doing handicrafts in the winter, plus the money we made selling winter bamboo shoots before. We still have some savings. I'll go ask about the price."

Mother Chen nodded vigorously: "We should spend the money! As long as the children are healthy and the daughters-in-law are well-nourished, it's worth any amount of money!"

The next morning, Chen's father took the silver and went to Xiahegou Village. The cowherd there, surnamed Geng, was an honest man who kept seven or eight cows and a dozen sheep in his pen, which he managed very well. After hearing his purpose, Cowherd Geng led Chen's father to see the sheep. A well-proportioned, white-coated ewe was in the pen with a lively lamb. The ewe's udder was full, clearly indicating that she had plenty of milk.

"Brother, to be honest, this ewe just gave birth less than a month ago, and her milk is plentiful. But if you're buying a ewe, it's best to buy the lamb along with the ewe, otherwise the ewe will be preoccupied with the lamb and may not produce enough milk, or even stop producing milk altogether," Geng Niuguan said truthfully. "The ewe is three taels of silver, and the lamb is one tael. It's a good sheep; look at its frame and coat."

Mr. Chen examined the sheep carefully and found it to be quite healthy. He hesitated for a moment before starting to haggle. Both were farmers, and both knew money was hard-earned; one was genuinely interested in buying, and the other wanted to close the deal. Ultimately, relying on his years of experience dealing with people, Mr. Chen's honesty and perseverance paid three and a half taels of silver for the ewe and lamb. The cowherd, Geng, even gave him a large bundle of high-quality hay and kindly helped him transport the sheep back to Nanshan Village in his cart.

"Brother, you're a very honest man. If you ever want to get some big livestock, like cattle, just come to me. My cattle are all carefully selected, strong and hardworking!" Geng the cowherd said warmly as he left.

"Of course, of course! Thank you so much, Brother Geng!" Father Chen thanked him repeatedly, remembering his words. With more land at home, clearing new land would be much easier with an ox.