Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 636 - 592: A Good Helper (1)
Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu, along with Song Chunniang and her three daughters, arrived at the Li Family. It was almost time to prepare dinner.
Song Chunniang was very anxious, "It’s getting dark soon."
Li Yuzhu comforted her, "No rush, it’s okay to eat a little later. Let’s go meet my mother first."
Meeting the matron of the house first is customary.
Song Chunniang quietly instructed her three daughters to adhere to the rules upon entering the Li Family.
Visiting a stranger’s home for the first time, the three young girls felt very reserved as they followed Li Yuzhu into the mansion, not daring to say more than necessary, only casting innocent glances timidly around.
Mu Yuanxiu went to park the mule cart while Li Yuzhu led Song Chunniang and her daughters to the North Courtyard Main House.
Princess Consort Luling and Prince Luling were playing with Guoguo, Jingjing, and Baili Rui.
"Father, Mother, this is Aunt Bao Shun, Song Chunniang, and her three daughters. I’ve brought them all here, please make arrangements, Mother." Li Yuzhu introduced them to Song Chunniang. "These are my parents, and niece and nephew, and this is Baili Rui, a child staying at our place."
Song Chunniang quietly nudged her daughters, and the four stepped forward to greet, "Mr. Li, Mrs. Li, hello."
Prince Luling wouldn’t handle these household matters and took the three children for a walk in the courtyard.
Princess Consort Luling examined the four of them and nodded, "I initially planned to hire just one cook. Since you’ve all come, you can all stay. My daughter has discussed the wages with you, right?"
Song Chunniang replied, "Li San Niang talked with us, and we have no objections, Mrs. Li."
Princess Consort Luling glanced at Song Chunniang’s three daughters and said, "Your daughters are very well-born, looking clever. I will arrange for the eldest to help my daughter-in-law, the third will cook with you in the kitchen, and the second will work for me."
The four thanked her together, "Thank you, Mrs. Li."
Princess Consort Luling stood up, "I’ll take you to familiarize yourselves with the environment and people in our home, come with me."
Song Chunniang threw a glance at her daughters, and they followed Princess Consort Luling out of the main house.
Li Yuzhu also followed them.
Princess Consort Luling took Song Chunniang and her daughters around the courtyard, telling them which room was which and who lived where.
Finally, she led them to the South Courtyard Main House.
In the bedroom, the little one was getting impatient, crying loudly.
Chai Eying was softly comforting, "Be good, it’ll be alright soon."
The child continued to cry loudly.
Song Chunniang said, "This child seems uncomfortable, his crying sounds unusual."
The children of the Royal Mansion of Luling were all raised by wet nurses and nannies, Princess Consort Luling had no experience with infants.
Besides Li Yuzhu, who knows some medicine and often reminds Chai Eying of what to pay attention to, there’s Nanny Jiang who advises Chai Eying.
But Nanny Jiang never had a child of her own, and her experience with newborns was based on what she learned from older women.
The whole family is exploring how to care for this newborn.
Now that Song Chunniang, who had raised many children personally, arrived, Princess Consort Luling started valuing her.
"Ah? What’s wrong?" Princess Consort Luling asked worriedly.
"He might be feeling unwell." Song Chunniang said.
Li Yuzhu first walked into the bedroom.
Chai Eying saw her coming and quickly said, "Third sister, you came just in time, please help me fetch some more warm water."
It turned out the child had pooped, and Chai Eying was cleaning the baby’s bottom.
Princess Consort Luling said, "I’ll fetch warm water, Chunniang, you and Yuzhu check what’s bothering the child."
She called over Zhou Pandi to get hot and cool water.
In the outer room of Chai Eying’s chambers, there was a small stove constantly heating water, and there was a large bucket with cool water for washing the baby’s face and body.
Princess Consort Luling instructed Zhou Pandi which basin was for the baby.
Zhou Pandi skillfully fetched hot water and mixed it with cool water, bringing it to Chai Eying, clearing the dirty diapers thrown into another basin, and taking them out of the room.
Just a while ago, Princess Consort Luling had shown her around the estate, so Zhou Pandi knew where the laundry and diaper washing area was.
She carried the basin to the faucet on the side of the Li Mansion’s back door to wash the diapers.
The faucet sourced from the spring water directed from Niu Tou Mountain by Li Yuzhu and her brothers.
They constructed the bamboo into a pipe-like shape, segment by segment, leading it from the mountain top to the bottom.
There’s a water outlet in the kitchen, and here at the back door too.
The back door faucets are used for laundry or irrigating farmland.
In Chai Eying’s bedroom, Song Chunniang, with her experience of raising several children, discerned the child had diarrhea.
She asked Chai Eying, "This child had pooped several times today, didn’t he?"
Chai Eying nodded, "Usually twice a day, sometimes once, but today this is the fourth time."
"Sister-in-law, the child has diarrhea." Li Yuzhu frowned slightly, she walked over and touched the child’s stomach, "It’s nothing major, just mild diarrhea."
Song Chunniang said, "Is that so? I could tell from the child’s crying. He wasn’t crying normally, he was uncomfortable, and with diarrhea, his stomach was upset, so he kept crying nonstop."
Princess Consort Luling looked approvingly at Song Chunniang and then asked Chai Eying if the child was underdressed or if the blanket wasn’t properly covered during nap time.
Chai Eying looked ashamed, "The sun was nice this morning, I thought it was so warm, so I bathed the child and changed his clothes. He might have caught a chill then."
Princess Consort Luling said, "The morning is cold and only gets warmer in the afternoon. It’s better to bathe him in the afternoon."
Chai Eying held the crying child, feeling guilty to the point of tears, "I didn’t think of that at the time."
Princess Consort Luling said, "Eying, don’t be too upset. The child will get better."
Li Yuzhu also comforted her, "Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Which child doesn’t get sick growing up? It’s just diarrhea, not a serious illness. I’ll prescribe some medicine for the baby."
Chai Eying felt even more guilty, "He’s so small, how will he take such bitter herbal medicine?"
"I have medicine powder for infants, it’s not bitter." Li Yuzhu took out a small bottle from her backpack space.
It held powder for treating infant diarrhea.
She poured some into a teacup and mixed it with some hot water until it was fully dissolved.
Chai Eying looked into the teacup; it was a white powder with a milky fragrance, but it had already dissolved into a medicinal liquid.
Li Yuzhu took a spoon from a soup bowl on the table and poured the medicine into the spoon.
With just a small spoon of the medicine, Li Yuzhu pinched the infant’s chin, feeding him little by little as he opened his mouth crying.
Fearing he might choke, Li Yuzhu dared not feed too much at once, dividing the small spoonful of medicine into three parts.
Song Chunniang took the child, holding him upright and gently patting his back.
Truly a woman experienced in child-rearing, her actions in holding the child were very skillful.
Chai Eying watched, feeling she couldn’t compare.
Whether due to the medicine, the child being tired from crying, or Song Chunniang’s skillful holding, the child’s cries gradually softened, turning into occasional whimpers.
Princess Consort Luling admired, "Chunniang, when you have time, teach Eying more about taking care of the child."
Song Chunniang nodded shyly, "Mrs. Li, it’s my duty."
As they spoke, Zhou Pandi returned from washing nappies.
She carried an empty basin in one hand and a stack of dry nappies in the other.
"Mrs. Li, Miss Li, I hung the nappies outside the South Courtyard House to dry, and these were the ones dried on the rack. I brought them back."
Princess Consort Luling nodded, "Not bad."
She noticed that the nappies were neatly folded, indicating the young woman was diligent.
Chai Eying took the nappies and placed them on the infant’s small bed.
With the child no longer crying, Princess Consort Luling began arranging other matters, "All right, the child isn’t crying anymore. Chunniang, let’s go to the kitchen; Pandi, stay here and follow the young mistress’s instructions."
"Understood, Mrs. Li." Zhou Pandi nodded in response.
Song Chunniang handed the child back to Chai Eying, taking her two daughters to the kitchen with Princess Consort Luling.
Li Yuzhu and Zhou Pandi stayed in the South Courtyard House to accompany Chai Eying.
The eldest daughter of a poor family is usually very sensible.
Zhou Pandi was likewise.
Without waiting for Chai Eying to instruct her, she busied herself with tasks.
She straightened the tilted chair, washed the cup used for the medicine, and then cleaned the floor.
Earlier, when Chai Eying washed the baby’s bottom, quite a bit of water spilled on the floor, and the ground was dirt-packed as hard as stone. Water on it was as slippery as ice.
If anyone wasn’t careful and stepped there, they were sure to slip.
Zhou Pandi noticed this hazard and walked to the small stove, using scissors to scoop out some stove ash, which she evenly spread on the wet floor.
Chai Eying didn’t know its purpose, as she was raised by Nanny Jiang before marriage and never paid attention to such details.
But Li Yuzhu understood, having spent her childhood in the countryside in a previous life.
Before paved roads reached the village, many country homes used burnt coal slag and stove ash to prevent slipping after rain.
"What’s that for?" Chai Eying pointed at the floor sprinkled with stove ash and asked Zhou Pandi.
Zhou Pandi smiled shyly, "To prevent slipping. The floor is slippery with water, but it won’t be once ash is spread on it."
Chai Eying suddenly realized.
She lifted her foot and tried stepping on it, and indeed, it wasn’t slippery.
