Ah Jiu stared blankly.
After a long struggle, neither of the two sheep showed any improvement.
The three of them sat wearily around the dead sheep, sighing.
The other two lambs could already suckle milk, one on each side.
"Mom, can sheep only give birth to two?" Ah Jiu saw that there were only two teats.
"Generally, yes. The smallest of triplets doesn't survive, let alone four at once," Meng Shaode murmured.
"What a pity."
"How about we eat them?" Cai Lihua's eyes suddenly lit up.
"If we eat them, we eat them. We can't let them go to waste. They die sooner or later anyway," Meng Shaode said through gritted teeth.
Saying so, the couple got up and first plucked the feathers from the bird they had caught. "Daughter, bring water."
"Okay." Ah Jiu no longer had the heart to pity the newborn lambs. She took out water from her embrace and handed it to Cai Lihua, suddenly recalling what pots, bowls, and other daily necessities were in her spatial dimension.
She had a total of two hundred and three merit points. Those pots and bowls were not valuable. For a hundred points, she could exchange for a rather large iron pot and two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
"Clang!"
When Ah Jiu conjured the large iron pot, Meng Shaode immediately stopped plucking feathers, staring blankly at the iron pot and then at Ah Jiu.
"Jiu'er, you have everything in that space. Why didn't you take it out sooner?"
This... was awkward. She hadn't had enough points before, and later she just hadn't thought of it.
Cai Lihua was overjoyed. She hopped over and picked up the iron pot, tapping it a few times symbolically and listening to the sound.
"This iron pot is quite thick. Tonight, we'll stew a lamb and the bird."
"Alright, I can finally taste Mom's cooking again." Ah Jiu happily prepared to help. She turned around and was stunned.
"Mom, where are the lambs in the haystack?"
Meng Shaode and Cai Lihua spun around abruptly and were dumbfounded. Both were gone.
"Baa, baa..."
The six eyes of the family of three were drawn to the sound.
When they looked, the two older lambs were kneeling and suckling, while the other two, being weaker, couldn't squeeze in.
"Heavens, they're suffocating," Meng Shaode exclaimed.
"But how can we raise them?" Cai Lihua sighed and rolled up her sleeves. She forcibly pulled away the two lambs that had been suckling for a while, thus making room for the other two.
However, these two lambs were naturally weak. After a few attempts to suckle, they were so tired their chests heaved. Ah Jiu didn't know if they had managed to get any milk.
It was truly frustrating.
The family of three reluctantly ate the bird soup. Anyway, having something with meat was better than nothing.
The next morning, Cai Lihua led the ewe with the two lively lambs following behind. The other two couldn't keep up.
Their legs were clearly weak, and they collapsed after only a few steps.
Ah Jiu felt pity and cradled them, one under each arm.
"Well, where did you get these sheep?" Refugees were streaming south in groups.
Originally, they all harbored paradise-like fantasies about Lingnan. But as they traveled, their belongings and food gradually ran out, and they realized how arduous the journey was.
"Indeed."
Ah Jiu held the little lambs tighter as she listened to their discussions.
Cai Lihua also shortened the grass rope in her hand, as if afraid they would be snatched.
"Brother, are these your sheep? Can you sell me one?"
An old man, dressed thinly, stepped forward from the crowd to ask.
Several people of obviously higher status behind him gathered to watch the commotion.
"The ewe is not for sale." Cai Lihua looked back at the two weaklings in her daughter's arms, seeing them as a burden.
"You can make an offer for those two little lambs, and I'll consider selling them to you."
The old man looked at Ah Jiu, then at the tiny lambs held under her arms, so frail.
"Those lambs look like they won't survive. How about you sell me these two?"
The back-and-forth attracted all the refugees passing by, and they gathered around.
Seeing this, Ah Jiu took two steps back behind her parents, holding the lambs in her arms even tighter.
"Old man, you have a good eye. These two little lambs are truly not for sale. Jiu'er, let's go." Cai Lihua responded domineeringly.
In these times, food was more precious than money.
"Wait." The old man straightened up and blocked their path with his hands behind his back.
Wang Shi, who had been lowering her gaze, suddenly looked up at the old man, a hint of ferocity appearing imperceptibly in her eyes.
It was the first time Ah Jiu had seen such a sharp, hidden sword in her grandmother's eyes.