"Kids shouldn’t worry about these things."

Phoebe Huxley wasn’t concerned, either. A few years ago, when policies were strict, they hadn’t dared to raise them. But things were more relaxed now, so what was there to be afraid of? Besides, the Thorne family had been poor, upstanding peasants for eighteen generations. ’What the hell is there to be scared of!’

Byron Thorne and Felix Thorne didn’t seem to mind either, which put Tang Xiaonan at ease. If it were really serious, the Thornes wouldn’t be so calm. ’It must be a minor issue, right?’

"One more thing, don’t spread the word about Lana’s pregnancy just yet. Let’s wait until things are more stable before we say anything."

Frederick Thorne had ridden a few feet before turning back, nagging like a meddlesome old woman. Raina grew impatient and snapped, "I know, I know! Your wife is more precious than an empress. I won’t say a word even after the baby is born."

Country folk weren’t so fussy. You get pregnant, you give birth. You give birth, you raise the child. Nothing could be more normal. But when it came to this particular daughter-in-law, a perfectly normal thing became abnormal. She couldn’t conceive for over a decade, and now that she finally had, she might not even be able to carry it to term.

’It’s not that she was trying to jinx her second son, but judging by her daughter-in-law’s difficult pregnancy, the baby probably wouldn’t be very healthy. Raising it to be safe and sound would be a real hassle!’

But no matter what, it was a joyous occasion that her second son would finally have an heir. Raina was still very happy. She was just sour that Frederick doted on his wife more than his own mother. She was simply jealous.

Frederick Thorne smiled gently, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Faint white hairs were visible at his temples. Raina’s heart softened. Her second son had aged quickly over the years; he looked even older than the eldest.

"Go on, now. Tell your wife not to push herself so hard at work. Everything can wait until after the baby is born."

"Mm, Lana knows. I’m off!"

Frederick Thorne got on his bike and left, slowly receding into the distance. The beam of his flashlight bobbed up and down, as if waltzing in the night sky.

Raina let out a breath, a hint of joy touching the corners of her eyes. All that was left now was her third son’s marriage. Once she brought a third daughter-in-law into the family, she could finally relax and enjoy her later years in peace!

Tang Xiaonan was crouched by the rabbit hutch, teasing a rabbit with a leaf of wild lettuce. The rabbit nibbled away at it, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH. In no time, the entire leaf was gone. Tang Xiaonan grabbed another one to feed it. Wild lettuce was everywhere on the mountain now, and the rabbits loved it. It was also nutritious, so the rabbits grew quickly on it, their bellies becoming round and plump.

Wild lettuce looks a lot like dandelion, and Tang Xiaonan couldn’t tell them apart at first. It took Amanda Chapman a long time to teach her the difference. Rabbits loved dandelions too. Both wild greens had a milky white sap in their stems, supposedly because they were rich in starch.

People could also eat dandelions and wild lettuce. After being blanched in boiling water, they were delicious stir-fried with diced meat and dried tofu. However, the villagers of Millstone Peak rarely ate them, preferring to gather them as feed for their pigs and chickens. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"They’ll be ready to eat once they reach seven or eight pounds," Raina said with a smile.

Tang Xiaonan felt a pang of reluctance. ’They’re such cute bunnies, and I raised them myself.’ But not eating them was unrealistic. Raina would never agree to let her keep these rabbits until they died of old age.

In Raina’s mind, rabbits were raised for one purpose: to be eaten. Except for dogs, all other animals were just food to the old woman. Raina had absolutely no concept of a pet.

And even the exception for dogs only applied to their own. She had no problem eating dogs raised by other families.

"Xiaonan, hurry back to bed. And while you’re at it, dream about what your new baby cousin will look like. Will he look like your second uncle?" Raina pulled her granddaughter away from the rabbit hutch, a different plan brewing in her mind.

’What he looked like wasn’t important. She was only concerned about whether he would be healthy. If the baby was sickly, her second son would be in for a world of suffering.’