Huo Shu found the offer utterly laughable. The so-called compromise from the authorities, which they likely perceived as a significant concession, was in reality completely insincere and devoid of any genuine goodwill.
He ignored it, letting the authorities engage in their hypocritical posturing.
By the end of the fourth month, the weather had already warmed up.
The seeds sown in the village fields had sprouted, and the young seedlings were thriving exceptionally well in the sunny location and fertile soil.
Day after day, the villagers gazed out at this thriving scene every day, and a sense of peace, which had been absent for so long, gradually began to settle over them once more.
Early in the morning, Ji Taoyu was feeding the chubby little one at home his morning meal.
After the weather warmed up, Xiao Taohe was dressed much more lightly. Now five months old, he no longer needed to be swaddled for sleep.
He only wore two thin layers of clothing. Though he was wearing less, he had become even chubbier than before.
The little one had a good appetite. When he was a bit older and fed goat's milk, he would drink it in big gulps. After growing a few months older, he could eat some other foods.
When he was three months old, they tried feeding him vegetable juice and fruit juice. Last month, they slowly started trying to give him rice paste, noodles, and meat paste.
Although he would eat anything and wouldn't spit out what he didn't like, compared to fruits and vegetables, he still preferred meat more.
"Ah, open your mouth wide, eat lots to grow tall tall."
Ji Taoyu kissed the little one's face, which was shiny from eating. Seeing the little guy's mouth munching a few times as he swallowed the egg custard, he quickly fed him another spoonful.
Huo Shu held the little one with one arm and looked down at the little one eating with such relish.
"Dad... Dad..."
The little one saw Huo Shu, blinking his big, round eyes, seeming excited.
Huo Shu's gaze softened noticeably as he gently hoisted the little boy up a little more.
They taught him every day. Ever since this little guy started making sounds beyond "ah" and "oh," he would occasionally mumble Dad by following the adults' mouth shapes. It might seem unconscious, yet he only said it when he saw Huo Shu and Ji Taoyu. But if you said it was conscious, he didn't always say it.
But even so, it was enough.
Seeing the little one eat bite by bite, his body growing stronger day by day, the whole family was very happy.
Xiao Taohe's good appetite, growing flesh, and great strength showed that he had not inherited Ji Taoyu's frail constitution, he was a healthy child. This point alone was already very good.
If he had inherited Ji Taoyu's frail constitution, and was a ger, they could have raised him with extra care within the home. But as a boy, he couldn't be kept indoors constantly like a ger might be. Boys were naturally more active and needed to run around.
"Are you full? You finished a whole bowl of egg custard, you know."
After feeding the last spoonful, Ji Taoyu tried placing the empty bowl on the table beside them.
Xiao Taohe's eyes followed the egg custard bowl, staring wistfully as the porcelain bowl painted with a peach was placed on the table. This bowl was specially bought by Huo Shu at a high price when he went to the county town to gather supplies.
Although he kept watching as the bowl was moved away, he didn't kick his legs or cry "ah ah." Ji Taoyu guessed he could still eat more, but wasn't very hungry anymore, so he confidently wiped his mouth.
"That's about enough. He'll want to eat again later, no need to feed him too much for the morning meal."
Huo Shu held the little guy tighter, preventing him from wriggling around energetically after eating. He could now freely bend and stretch his arms and legs, and although the length of his legs allowed him to flail about, Huo Shu was still afraid the soft little one might fall to the ground.
"Let me hold him."
Ji Taoyu took the heavy little guy: "Wow, truly not a single mouthful of food is eaten for nothing."
He was already twenty jin now.
If Ji Taoyu had to carry him and walk around a few circles in this weather, it would definitely make his back break out in a sweat. But just sitting and holding him for a while was still easy.
Seeing the father and son happily together, Huo Shu didn't rush out. Instead, he picked up the piece of wood he hadn't finished working on yesterday.
"Is Xiao Taohe teething already? This bib I just changed is soaked through again."
Ji Taoyu pinched the round, red flower-shaped piece of cloth circled around Xiao Taohe's neck. It was still clean and unstained, just completely soaked.
He first gave the little one some water to drink, then took off the bib.
"Pass me a clean bib."
Ji Taoyu looked up at Huo Shu and saw him fiddling with wood again. The palm-sized piece of wood in his hand was already carved into the shape of a small wooden knife.
He reached out and slapped the back of Huo Shu's hand: "Making these little knives and swords again! The other day, Xiao Taohe was playing with the wooden sword, and when Father went to pick him up from the bed, this little guy poked Father's nose with the sword. It's still a bit swollen now."
"Hmm?"
Huo Shu raised an eyebrow, wanting to laugh.
Ji Taoyu narrowed his eyes slightly: "You're still laughing!"
"Alright, I'll stop."
Ji Taoyu said: "Put it away for now. He can play with it once he can walk. We must be careful he doesn't accidentally poke himself with it now."
Huo Shu replied: "Okay."
He set the wooden sword aside and fetched a clean bib for Xiao Taohe to wear.
"A-Shu!"
Suddenly, Huang Manjing's voice came urgently.
"The guards on duty said they spotted an unfamiliar group outside the tunnel entrance! About six or seven people, all on horseback, looking fierce, like bandits!"
Huo Shu's brow moved upon hearing this.
Ji Taoyu's expression also changed, slightly nervous, but he added: "But it's only six or seven people. However fierce they are, we have nothing to fear."
Huang Manjing nodded. She caught her breath and said: "The patrol team that first saw them immediately sent a runner back to raise the alarm. However, the bandits spotted them. They didn't try to hide, they stated directly that they demand to speak with A-Shu!"
"This... should we see them or not?"
Huo Shu stood up: "Since they are asking for me by name, there's no reason not to see them."
Thank you for the update!!!!
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