The tiny infant basically did nothing but eat and sleep. No sooner had she filled her belly than she quickly closed her eyes and drifted off to dreamland.
Lady Liu gently tucked the child in, then led the family to quickly finish breakfast before assigning tasks.
Fen'er took her younger sisters to wash clothes by the river.
Wen'er followed his mother to borrow some tables, chairs, and tableware from close relatives.
The eldest daughter-in-law was pregnant now, and Lady Liu wasn't the harsh type, so she didn't expect her to do much. She was left to watch the house and keep an eye on the second branch of the family.
"Sister-in-law, the little girl has just eaten and fallen asleep, and her diaper was just changed. As long as you don't poke her, she shouldn't wake up for a while."
Lady Liu had originally wanted to take her strong sister-in-law out with her, but Chu Chi was crouched beside the baby and refused to budge.
"So?"
"So, could you please not poke her?"
"I'm not poking her, I'm playing with the child."
Lady Liu couldn't agree with this statement at all, but she nodded half-heartedly.
"Hmm, well, could you stop playing with the child and let her sleep peacefully? Little ones need lots of sleep. If they don't sleep well, it's not good. It'll be a big problem if she grows up weak!"
The serious expression on Lady Liu's face made Chu Chi fully understand just how fragile human offspring were.
So she nodded vigorously.
"I understand, Sister-in-law. I won't play with the child anymore."
Chu Chi had always been good at taking advice. In the past, when she went hunting, if she heard there were mutants fighting zombies ahead, she would immediately turn and run in the opposite direction, regardless of how reliable the information was.
Her main strategy was to survive by lying low, and that's how she made it to this world.
In other words, she knew her brain wasn't the sharpest, so she was good at listening to others' opinions.
Looking at all the young ones in the family, it was clear that her sister-in-law was the most professional when it came to raising children!
She listened and didn't cause trouble.
She moved a small stool to sit by the door, resting her chin on her hands as she gazed at the sky.
She had promised An'an she would stay home and watch over Wan Wan, so she couldn't go anywhere. Otherwise, if An'an came back and couldn't find her, he would surely cry as ugly as he did last night.
Chu Chi didn't understand why he cried like that, but for some inexplicable reason, it made her feel very uncomfortable. Sigh, raising young ones was quite troublesome indeed.
She sat there quietly, her face in her hands. The snow-white, delicate girl, even in her rural village attire, was still as beautiful as a painting, drawing sidelong glances.
Lin Youwen, who had just walked out of the house, only dared a quick glance before hurriedly averting his eyes. Although she was still very beautiful, the young scholar couldn't help but flash back to the image of her dragging a bear with one hand and a wild boar with the other.
A delicate beauty, hmm, and dangerous.
Lady Liu also blinked at her sister-in-law. Who wouldn't want to take a few extra looks at something so pretty and pleasing to the eye? If she didn't know the truth, who could resist fulfilling the wishes of someone who looked so fragile and obedient?
But this girl's obedience was only skin deep. Once she started moving, she gave everyone a headache.
"Well, sister-in-law, just sit here quietly. I'll be back soon."
"Mm-hmm."
Lady Liu gave instructions to her daughter-in-law once more before heading out with her son to borrow things.
They were inviting clan members over for lunch, and her husband had reminded her several times last night, so she had picked a lot of vegetables early in the morning.
She needed to hurry back; washing vegetables and cooking would keep her busy for quite a while. As she stepped out of the house, she was mentally planning the lunch menu.
And so, Zhang Xuanniang was left alone in the large, imposing farmhouse, miserably facing Chu Chi.
"Hehe, Second Aunt."
Feeling a bit uneasy under her direct gaze, Zhang Xuanniang gave a dry laugh.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
Chu Chi tilted her head slightly, staring at the other's round belly, then looking down at her own flat stomach. There was so much she didn't understand.
"Daughter-in-law, how did you manage to feed yourself so fat?"
It was just an ordinary question, but she didn't know how much damage it could cause to the other person.
"...Am I... am I that fat?!"
Zhang Xuanniang trembled as she touched her round face with her plump fingers, unable to believe it.
Ever since she became pregnant, her appetite had been excellent. She hadn't experienced morning sickness like other women, and she ate four meals a day plus snacks and nuts.
She did feel like she had gained quite a bit of weight, but her husband always praised her beauty. Just last night, he had complimented her on how fair and tender she looked.
"Mm! Very fat!"
The other nodded twice with certainty and repeated the fact in a very confident tone.
"So how did you manage to eat so much that your belly got this fat?"
She was truly curious.
"My, my belly? Second Aunt, you mean my belly is fat?"
"Mm-hmm."
Phew~~
Zhang Xuanniang heaved a huge sigh of relief. Thank goodness, it was just that the other's expression wasn't accurate enough. Her flower-like beauty hadn't been lost.
But she made a mental note: to avoid becoming a big fat woman in the future, maybe she should eat a little less? Change from four meals a day to three?
While her mind wandered, her mouth didn't stop answering.
"I'm seven months pregnant. It would be abnormal if my belly wasn't this big."
Knowing that this second aunt's mind worked differently from others, she added a few more sentences.
"After some more time passes and the baby comes out, my belly won't be this big anymore."
As she spoke, her right hand gently caressed her belly. The little one seemed to have developed a telepathic connection with its mother, giving a light kick right where her palm rested.
It hurt a little. What a mischievous little one.
Zhang Xuanniang's beautiful face was filled with the loving smile of a mother.
Unfortunately, such a tender moment between mother and child was completely lost on Chu Chi's simple mind. She couldn't empathize at all.
She frowned even more in confusion. She couldn't figure it out herself, but she wanted to know. After pursing her lips twice, she couldn't help but ask.
"Then why did you eat the child into your belly?"
"..."
"...I didn't eat the child."
"But he's in your belly."
"Yes, but, but I didn't eat him to get him there."
"Then how did the child get in?"
Chu Chi examined her very seriously, her beautiful eyes clear with pure innocence and a strong desire for knowledge. Zhang Xuanniang's entire face turned bright red, and she stammered, not knowing how to answer.
"Well, it's... you know..."
"Hmm??"
"..."
Mother! Come back quickly!
She looked miserably at the door, never having wished so fervently for her mother-in-law's appearance. But Lady Liu had only just left, how could she possibly hear her daughter-in-law's sincere call?
But it didn't matter if her mother-in-law couldn't return, because someone else came to her rescue.
