Chapter 2897

Only after absorbing Wang Suyao’s innate energy would Yan Xiwan proceed to absorb the innate energy sealed in her dantian by Zhu Yanyi.

Yan Xiwan was in no hurry. After all, she was currently an infant and could do nothing but sleep. So, she entered a deep sleep state.

No one knew that her sleep was actually a form of cultivation.

She had nothing to worry about, but Yan Tieniu was facing some difficulties.

"The baby has arrived. Now, the most important thing is for Suyao to produce milk. You need to find a way to get some crucian carp or pig trotters," Zhou Daniang said.

After his initial joy, Yan Tieniu paused for a moment and said, "I’ll go to the river later and try to catch some fish."

"That’s good. We have to try. It doesn’t matter if the adults eat less, but the child cannot be deprived of food. Especially our little darling, she must not lack nourishment," Zhou Daniang said.

For this granddaughter, born only once in four generations, Zhou Daniang loved her deeply. She had even brought out her hidden stash of brown sugar.

"Mother, don’t worry. I’ll figure something out later," Yan Tieniu said. He knew that times were hard for everyone. He was the fifth and youngest son in the family. If he took too much from his parents, his older brothers might not complain, but their wives certainly would. So, he had to solve these problems himself.

Zhou Daniang nodded. "Then I’ll go. I’ll come back tomorrow to see Suyao and Guai Guai. Make sure you take good care of them tonight."

These days, Zhou Daniang’s main task was visiting Yan Xiwan.

Taking advantage of a moment when no one was watching, Yan Tieniu grabbed a fishing basket and went to a secluded part of the river to catch fish.

She had originally thought catching fish would be difficult, as many people relied on secret fishing to survive. Unexpectedly, as soon as she placed the basket in the water, countless fish swam into it on their own.

In less than half an hour, Yan Tieniu had filled the entire basket with fish.

She gathered some calamus and water plants and placed them on top of the basket to make it look like she had just collected grass. Who would have thought the basket was full of fish?

Yan Tieniu took the fish home and kept them in an empty water vat. He covered the vat with a wooden board and placed some drying duckweed on top. This way, no one would know there were fish inside.

In this area, almost every family would occasionally pick duckweed, dandelions, calamus, and other herbs to dry and brew as tea. Duckweed helped prevent colds, while the others had anti-inflammatory effects.

Farmers usually treated minor illnesses themselves, so they prepared these common herbs in advance to avoid going to the hospital. Since almost every household in Yanjia Village did this, Yan Tieniu’s act of drying herbs seemed perfectly natural.

After finishing everything, Yan Tieniu sighed in relief. He picked up a crucian carp he had set aside earlier and went to make soup for Wang Suyao.

When Wang Suyao saw the crucian carp soup, she looked at Yan Tieniu with concern. "You work hard during the day and sneak out to catch fish at night. Why don’t you drink some too?"

"Wife, I’m full. I had corn and grasshead porridge today. One bowl gave me plenty of strength. Besides, just drink the fish soup. I caught a whole basket."

Seeing that his wife might not believe him, Yan Tieniu continued, "Suyao, don’t doubt me. I really caught a full basket. I barely used any bait. I just put the basket in the water, and the fish jumped in on their own. I’ve never seen anything so strange."

Hearing this, Wang Suyao remembered the circumstances of their daughter’s birth. She thought for a moment and said, "A Niu, there’s something I haven’t told you."

"What is it?" Yan Tieniu asked immediately, seeing her serious expression.

Wang Suyao told Yan Tieniu about the scene when Yan Xiwan was born. "Only Mother and I know about this. Fortunately, Zhang Huaniang arrived a bit late and didn’t see it. I originally planned not to say anything, but since you mentioned the fish jumping into the basket, do you think it’s related to our daughter?"

Yan Tieniu pondered for a moment. "Suyao, let’s not tell anyone about this. Hearing you say that, I feel our daughter might have an extraordinary origin. But as you know, in these times, being 'extraordinary' is not something we can speak of openly."

"I know. That’s why neither Mother nor I said anything. If you hadn’t mentioned the fish jumping into the basket, I wouldn’t have told you," Wang Suyao said.

Yan Tieniu replied, "Whatever the reason, I suspect it’s connected to our daughter. But to protect her, we absolutely cannot let others know."

"Understood," Wang Suyao nodded seriously.

Yan Tieniu looked at her sleeping daughter and smiled. "But our daughter is truly blessed. It seems she brought her own food supply with her."

Older people often believed that blessed children came with their own provisions.

Wang Suyao glanced at Yan Tieniu. "Tomorrow, my brother and sister-in-law should return with the children. Now that Guai Guai is born, the children should come back to meet their younger sister."

Yan Tieniu and Wang Suyao had three sons: the eldest, Yan Zhicheng; the second, Yan Zhixin; and the youngest, Yan Zhishan. Their names were derived from integrity, trust, and kindness. They had originally planned to name the fourth child Yan Zhiliang if it were a boy, but it turned out to be a little cotton-padded jacket—a daughter.

Actually, everyone in the family had hoped for a daughter. However, the Yan family’s male lineage was too strong. For four generations, they had only had sons. So, while they hoped, they didn’t expect much. Thus, the dream coming true was a huge joy for the Yan family.

The next day was the third day since Yan Xiwan’s birth. Although there was no longer a tradition of bathing the baby on the third day, relatives still visited.

Wang Suyao’s parents had passed away early, and she had grown up with her older brother and sister-in-law. Since her brother, Wang Hechuan, was ten years older than her, she cherished her deeply.

When the Yan family came to propose marriage, Wang Hechuan had carefully investigated them. Fortunately, he found the Yan family to be good. Indeed, they were. In the ten years since Wang Suyao married into the family, the couple had never argued, and they had three sons.

The three sons were nine, seven, and five years old. The eldest and second sons were already attending primary school. Since the local school was close to the Wang family home, Wang Hechuan had left the two older boys with the Yan family after learning of Wang Suyao’s pregnancy. Later, as Wang Suyao’s due date approached, he had also brought the youngest son over.

Now, hearing that Wang Suyao had given birth to a daughter—the long-awaited granddaughter of the Yan family—Wang Hechuan, along with his wife and the three Yan boys, naturally returned.

Seeing a basket of eggs and a pig trotter, Wang Suyao said to her sister-in-law, Zhou Caijuan, "Sister-in-law, why did you bring so much? Chengcai and Yucai need money for school. Our household is already tight."