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

Back home, Chen's mother and her two sons had already thoroughly cleaned the pigsty in the backyard and lined it with fresh, dry straw. Next to the pigsty was the stove that had been built earlier for cooking pig feed. Chen's mother had specially lit a fire on the other side of the wall, and the heat wafted through the fire, making the pigsty cozy. Sheep are most afraid of the cold, so this way they wouldn't get cold.

The ewe and lamb were placed in their clean and warm "new home." At first, they were a little uneasy and bleated. Father Chen brought over hay and water. The ewe sniffed the hay, gradually calmed down, and lowered her head to eat the grass. The lamb burrowed under its mother's belly and skillfully began to nurse.

Seeing that the lambs had eaten enough, Father Chen called Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe over. Milking a goat is a skill, and it was the first time for all three of them. Following the method taught by Geng the cowherd, Father Chen first washed the ewe's udder with warm water, then gently massaged it. Chen Dashan steadied the goat, while Chen Xiaohe held a clean wooden bucket to catch the milk. At first, they didn't know how, and the ewe moved restlessly, resulting in intermittent milking. After a few tries, they finally got the hang of it, and the white goat milk spurted into the bucket with a "sizzle," carrying a unique, not unpleasant, pungent smell.

After squeezing out more than half a bucket, Mr. Chen stopped: "That's enough. Leave some for the lamb, don't let it go hungry."

Mother Chen was already waiting nearby. She took the wooden bucket, filtered the milk through a fine gauze, and then poured it into a small earthenware jar, placing it on the stove to heat it slowly over a low flame. Goat milk should not be boiled, as boiling will destroy its nutrients; it should be kept warm.

Once the goat milk was warmed up, Chen's mother told Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe to quickly deliver it to their respective rooms. "Try it and see if the children will drink it. Feed them a little at first, and see if their stomachs can handle it."

In the east wing, Su Xiaoyin had just finished feeding one child and was gently patting her second child's back to help him burp. She was somewhat surprised to see Chen Dashan bring in a bowl of warm, milky-white liquid. "This is…"

"Goat milk. It's from the ewe Dad just bought." Chen Dashan placed the bowl on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). "Mom said to let the child try it."

Su Xiaoyin was stunned. She stared at the bowl of goat milk, then looked up at her husband: "You bought a ewe? Just to... give the baby milk?" She had thought that at most they would supplement with rice water and porridge, and never dared to imagine that her in-laws would spend several taels of silver to buy a milk-producing ewe. That was no small sum.

Chen Dashan sat down beside her, his tone calm yet firm: "The family's circumstances are alright now. Since we can afford it, we'll naturally give the children better drinks. If we really can't afford it, there's nothing we can do. But since we can, your parents won't let the children suffer, and we certainly won't watch you two struggle." He picked up the bowl, scooped up a little with a spoon, carefully dripped it onto the back of his hand to test the temperature, and then brought it to his eldest son's lips.

The little one smelled the unfamiliar scent and turned its head away, but after being patiently coaxed by its father, or perhaps because it was hungry, it slowly opened its little mouth and tentatively licked the odor. After a while, it started gulping it down.

In the west wing, Su Xiaoqing reacted even more strongly. Looking at the goat's milk Chen Xiaohe brought in, and hearing the reason, her eyes instantly reddened. "Xiaohe… this, this is too much of a waste. I've already spent a lot of public funds on medicine this time, and now…"

Chen Xiaohe quickly put down his bowl, sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and held her hand, comforting her, "What nonsense are you talking about? Your safety and the baby's well-being is more important than anything else! Look at our youngest son," he pointed to the little guy sleeping soundly on the kang, whose face had become noticeably rounder, "he's grown so fast after drinking milk! He's much more energetic than when he was first born, isn't he? His cries are louder and stronger! As long as this goat milk can make you and the baby healthier, it's worth it! That's what your parents think too."

Su Xiaoqing followed his gaze to the child. Yes, that little one who used to be so thin that no one dared to hold him tightly now had chubby cheeks, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned when he slept. The huge weight that had been hanging over her heart finally lifted completely, turning into a warm current of gratitude.

Chen Xiaohe leaned closer and whispered, "There's something else your mother asked me to tell you. Although you're feeling better and have completed your postpartum period, you still need to rest well, essentially completing a double postpartum period. But it's not good for you to just lie in the room all the time. Your mother has cleaned up the middle main room, the one reserved for your parents, and set up a fireplace to keep it warm. During the day, you and your sister-in-law can take the children to that room, and your mother will be there too. You can chat together and watch the children. At night, your parents can sleep there and help watch the fire. This way, the firewood we both burn will be prioritized for our new house, which will definitely be enough. The house will be warm, and neither you nor the children will get cold."

Hearing this, Su Xiaoqing felt even warmer inside. This arrangement was incredibly thoughtful. She could get out of bed and move around without catching a cold, and she could stay with her sister and mother-in-law, avoiding the boredom and hardship of caring for the child alone. "This...this is a really good idea. Being able to talk to my sister and mother-in-law during the day will make things easier."

Chen Xiaohe smiled smugly: "That's right! Don't you know who came up with this idea? Luckily, when we were building the house, I told my brother that we needed to open doors on both sides of the middle room, directly connecting to our room and my brother and sister-in-law's room. This way, it would be convenient to take care of our parents in the future, and we wouldn't have to go outside and freeze in the winter. See, it's coming in handy now, isn't it? When you go over during the day, it's just a few steps; you can walk through the hallway inside the house, and the wind won't blow on you."

He paused, then added, "Oh, right, Mom and Dad also discussed that we shouldn't rush to hold the full-month celebration. We'll wait until you and your sister-in-law are both healthier, and the children are a bit older, when the weather is warmer. Then we'll have a proper celebration!"

Su Xiaoqing leaned on his shoulder and softly hummed in agreement.