From their clothing and appearance, these three people were likely refugees fleeing famine.
Perhaps they had been eyeing the Yun family's dairy cows since early morning and dared to make their move only when the night was deep and quiet.
Little Sweetie was frantic. She nudged her mother beside her, and seeing that she was sleeping soundly, burst into tears.
"Wuwuwu, wa-wu, wa-wu!~"
"Cough, cough!" She cried so hard that a mouthful of milk came back up.
Large tears streamed down her cheeks, waking everyone in the Yun family.
In fact, Old Man Yun had heard Xue Ling barking earlier.
He had assumed it was chasing a snake or a rabbit, going after wild game.
Now, with his precious daughter wailing, he had no intention of sleeping.
"Old woman, what's wrong with Sweetie?" Old Man Yun sat up, rubbing his eyes.
Madam Gu also woke up. She bounced her daughter in her arms and was about to say something when she heard rustling footsteps from the side of the tent.
"Who's there?" Old Man Yun shouted.
The two young thieves flinched, turned the dairy cow, and ran.
"Stop, you scoundrels!"
Yun Daman and Yun Erman got up, not even bothering to put on their shoes, and chased after them.
The large dairy cow was also cooperative, staying by the cart and refusing to move.
"Oh no, run! This cow isn't moving!" Man A was anxious.
Man B released the reins. "Go!"
"Where do you think you're going?" Yun Daman rushed over and punched Man B in the face.
Yun Erman was not to be outdone, kicking Man A to the ground with two swift movements.
The two men looked as if they hadn't eaten in days.
Their faces were sallow, their cheekbones sunken, and they lay on the ground like dried corpses, utterly unable to resist.
Yun Daman was furious. "You unlucky wretches! How dare you steal our cow! I'll beat you to death!"
"Forget it, forget it!" Old Man Yun stopped his son and looked at the man holding the bamboo pole. "Aren't you going to let go of my dog?"
The man hesitated for a moment, threw down the bamboo pole, and ran off reluctantly.
"You two can scram too. If you dare to covet our dairy cow again, we won't be so lenient."
Old Man Yun stared coldly at the two men.
They helped each other up and limped away.
"Dad, we're benefiting from Sister's luck again this time!" Yun Erman picked up Little Xi Tian and looked at her as if she were a treasure.
"Little Auntie is the best!" Jin Shan and Jin He cheered from the side.
Old Man Yun's face was full of pride and smugness.
He secretly rejoiced, wondering how many good deeds he had done in his past life to deserve such a little lucky charm in this one.
Yun Daman and his wife were also beaming with joy and pride.
Liu Cuirong curled her lips, snorted, and rubbed her belly. "What's there to be proud of? I'm carrying a girl in my belly too."
As soon as she said this, it immediately dampened everyone's spirits.
Yun Jin Shan tugged at her sleeve and said speechlessly, "Mom, you should say less of that in the future!"
"What? Why can't I say it? Don't you always clamor for a sister? Mom will give you one!"
Liu Cuirong raised her voice and shouted in a shrill tone.
Yun Jin Shan sighed, resting his forehead. "What if it's not a girl?"
"Shut up, you crow's mouth! You can't say anything good!" Liu Cuirong nudged Yun Jin Shan and stomped back into the tent.
The minor incident passed quickly, and Xue Ling returned with its head drooping.
In its entire dog life, it had never suffered such humiliation.
If only it had bitten that little thief earlier, giving him rabies and letting him run wild in the streets.
The next morning, Zhao Guihua looked at the dwindling sweet potatoes with a worried expression.
After this meal, there would be nothing for lunch.
"Mom, I want to eat roasted sweet potatoes," Yun Jin He pleaded with his mother, his saliva almost dripping onto his chin.
Zhao Guihua glared at her son. "These are the last few sweet potatoes. If they're gone, our whole family will have to drink the northwest wind!"
"No, aren't there still half a bag of japonica rice over there?"
Jin He pointed at the ox cart and blinked.
Zhao Guihua turned to look and saw an old burlap sack placed by the cartwheel.
Upon opening it, she saw more than half a bag of white japonica rice.
Each grain was plump and crystal clear.
"Where did this rice come from?" Zhao Guihua asked her son, her gaze involuntarily drifting to Little Sweetie.
Little Xi Tian had just woken up and let out a soft, little yawn.
Seeing her sister-in-law staring at her, Little Xi Tian parted her small lips and gave a bright smile.
She had placed this japonica rice there while her family was asleep.
Otherwise, given the Yun family's poverty, let alone fragrant japonica rice, they wouldn't even have cornmeal buns to eat.
"Mom, look how pretty Little Auntie is smiling!" Yun Jin He said with a smile.
Zhao Guihua clutched her heart, tears welling up in her eyes.
If her family could have such a daughter, she wouldn't trade her for mountains of gold and silver.
At breakfast, everyone tacitly slurped their rice porridge, no one saying a word.
Only Liu Cuirong, with her usual sharp tongue, muttered, "Why didn't you take out the stored japonica rice earlier? I've lost weight from hunger during this time!"
"Clamp your mouth shut! If you can't speak properly, I'll sew it shut for you!" Yun Erman glared at her.
Liu Cuirong pouted, got up, and refilled her bowl with porridge, slurping it down in a few gulps.
After breakfast, Yun Daman hitched up the ox cart, and the family continued their journey.
As evening approached, they arrived at an intersection.
Many people were gathered there.
Seven or eight carriages were parked along the roadside, with dozens of guards in soft armor standing around them.
The leading carriage was luxurious and noble, with a purple canopy, indicating it was for the owner.
"Whose noble is traveling here?" Old Man Yun inquired.
An old man with white hair shook his head. "Don't know. I heard it's a noble lady, buying milk for her child!"
"Buying milk?" Old Man Yun was bewildered and stared ahead blankly.
He saw a plump old woman calling out to young women and young wives passing by, holding a string of copper coins.
"Listen up, two hundred copper coins for a bowl of milk, first come, first served!" the old woman shouted.
The young wives exchanged glances, and none stepped forward to try.
Some women, holding their children, simply detoured.
It wasn't that they didn't love money, but their own children's stomachs weren't even full, so how could they spare any milk for others?
The old woman shouted again, "Five hundred coins!"
No one responded.
"Six hundred coins!"
This was clearly an exorbitant price.
Yet, still, no one stepped forward.
The old woman stomped her feet in frustration. "One tael of silver!"
One tael of silver was equal to one string of coins.
One string of coins was equivalent to a thousand copper coins.
For farmers who toiled in the earth, it was unimaginable that a bowl of human milk could fetch one tael of silver.
Two women were tempted to sell their milk, but their husbands pulled them back.
"Old man, it's getting dark," Madam Gu urged Old Man Yun.
"We're going!"
Old Man Yun led the ox cart and slowly passed by the old woman.
At that moment, from inside the carriage, a fair jade hand lifted the curtain.
A faint fragrance wafted from the carriage.