Feng Jin stepped forward and held her two precious treasures in her arms, playing with them.
Da Bao, as always, squeezed into Feng Jin’s arms, nuzzling affectionately.
Er Bao, however, maintained his aloof demeanor, merely watching Feng Jin with a subtle squint, his face impassive.
At times, Feng Jin suspected Er Bao didn't know how to smile, though she had seen him crack a smile before, a mere upward twitch of his lips, and that was a rare sight, occurring perhaps once every ten days or half a month.
She had a premonition that Da Bao would be incredibly popular when he grew up, with a swarm of young girls trailing behind him. As for Er Bao, as long as he could find a wife, she would be content.
“Mom… Mom, kiss… kiss…”
Da Bao, with a beaming smile, stretched out his arms, about to leap into Feng Jin’s embrace.
“My darling, Mommy loves you so much.”
Feng Jin swept Da Bao into her arms and planted two kisses on him. The affectionate scene between mother and son was truly touching.
Er Bao watched Feng Jin with a cold expression, utterly unmoved by the mother and son’s intimacy.
“Do you want Mommy to hold you?” Feng Jin reached out to Er Bao.
Er Bao’s face was serene, showing no particular expression, as if he hadn’t noticed.
Feng Jin sighed helplessly and took the initiative to pick up Er Bao. If she wanted to foster a mother-son bond, it seemed to be a one-sided effort, as Er Bao was so unyielding.
After coaxing the two children to sleep, Feng Jin, weary, simply cuddled them and drifted off into a deep sleep.
Ling Mohan searched downstairs but couldn't find Feng Jin. After a long search, he finally located her. Bending down, he carefully scooped up the sleeping woman in his arms and carried her out.
“Young General.” Cai Qing stood respectfully outside the door and saluted.
“You guard the young master.”
“Yes, Young General.” Cai Qing nodded in agreement and walked directly into the room.
Ling Mohan placed Feng Jin on the bed, then lay down beside her, wrapping an arm around her and falling asleep with her.
…
The next day, as dawn was just breaking, a group of people set off in haste.
“Madam, please have a little something to eat.”
Cai Qing offered Feng Jin a few rice cakes. In the desolate mountains, there was little to eat, and for the sake of convenient travel, only these rice cakes had been brought.
She herself didn't mind making do with anything, but she worried that Madam would find them unpalatable.
“When traveling through wilderness and marching, it’s good enough to have something to fill your stomach. There’s no need to be picky.”
If it were in the past, she would indeed have found the rice cakes bland, dry, and difficult to swallow. But now, she felt that these rice cakes were like a blessing.
“Madam, these rice cakes are too dry.” Cai Qing chewed for a long time, still finding the rice cakes dry and the taste wanting.
“Here, have this to moisten your throat.”
Feng Jin took out a water flask from her bundle and handed it to Cai Qing.
Upon opening it, Cai Qing was hit by a strong, gamey odor that nearly made her gag. She quickly covered her nose. “Madam, what is this? It smells so fishy.”
In her entire life, she had never smelled anything so rank. Not even freshly slaughtered lamb had such a strong odor.
“This is goat milk. I specifically milked it and heated it. It doesn’t smell fishy to me.”
She had specifically heated it and added a lot of sugar. If it were raw and unadulterated, Cai Qing would surely have vomited after just a sniff.
“Goat milk? Madam, how can you drink goat milk?”
Cai Qing looked utterly shocked, finding it hard to believe this was goat milk. She had never seen anyone drink goat milk before.
Moreover, it smelled so pungent and unpleasant, how could anyone drink it?
“You don’t understand. Goat milk is full of good things, very nourishing. Try it; it only smells a little fishy, but it doesn’t taste fishy at all.”
Cai Qing received it with trembling hands. Under Feng Jin’s guidance, she carefully took a small sip. The taste was smooth and slightly sweet, with absolutely no fishy aftertaste. In fact, it was quite delicious and palatable. Cai Qing couldn't help but drink a few more sips.
“Doesn’t it taste good?”
“It’s delicious, Madam. This is my first time drinking goat milk, and I never imagined it would be so good.”
Cai Qing, still wanting more, drank a few more sips. Madam truly hadn't lied; goat milk was indeed delicious.
Seeing Cai Qing’s eager drinking, Feng Jin couldn't help but chuckle. “Drink it all, and I’ll go take a look.”
She had only milked two flasks of goat milk, with one flask saved specifically for Ling Mohan.
Taking advantage of a brief stop, Feng Jin slipped the goat milk into Ling Mohan’s hand. “This is for you.”
“I have water here,” Ling Mohan replied without much thought.
“You’re such a fool. Why would I give you a flask of water for no reason? This is goat milk, which I specially brewed for you. Drink it quickly.”
Ling Mohan opened it and saw the milky white liquid. It was indeed goat milk. However, he had only heard of people drinking cow's milk, never seen anyone drink goat milk. Feng Jin was truly unique, always coming up with novel ideas.
“Drink it. Just staring at it won’t get it into your stomach.”
Feng Jin said impatiently, urging Ling Mohan to drink the goat milk.
Unable to refuse, Ling Mohan took a sip. Perhaps because he was thirsty, Ling Mohan drank the entire flask of goat milk. He even remembered to return the empty flask to Feng Jin.
“It tastes good. Make some more tomorrow.”
Feng Jin’s lips twitched uncontrollably. She rolled her eyes. Wasn’t he looking quite disgusted just moments ago? Now he seemed addicted.
This was a wilderness, not a market town. Where was she supposed to find goat milk? It was good enough to have this to drink; he was still not satisfied.
“Go find me a lactating ewe, and I’ll properly brew it for you to drink.”
After saying this, Feng Jin turned and left, not even sparing a backward glance at Ling Mohan.
After a brief respite, the group continued their journey. Midway, the normally moving carriage suddenly stopped, and a commotion erupted outside.
Feng Jin lifted the curtain and peered out. She saw a vast contingent of people approaching the carriage, surrounding it completely.
“Cai Qing, go and bring the two children here.” Feng Jin immediately sensed that something was wrong and quickly asked Cai Qing to fetch the children.
“Yes, Madam, your servant will go right away.”
Cai Qing acknowledged the order and hurried out to bring the two children, followed closely by Mama Zhang and Mama Lin.
“Madam, what’s going on? Why are there so many people outside?”
Mama Zhang became flustered, her voice trembling slightly, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry. Everyone outside is my person. Nothing will go wrong, rest assured.”
Feng Jin spoke to comfort them and stabilize their morale. She trusted that Ling Mohan would handle the situation properly.