Chapter 72

As soon as Qin Qingman stepped outside, she carefully examined the ground. She believed that everyone in the village had heard the wolf’s howl last night, so someone would surely go out today to check.

The roads in Kaoshan Village were cleaned daily.

In some places, a thick layer of ice had already formed. As the ice accumulated, it became hard to make any noticeable marks by stepping on it. The easiest place to leave traces was the untouched snow.

What Qin Qingman was checking was the snow.

Xiao Hei was very clever and hadn’t left any marks in the snow. He had walked along a clear path yesterday, where no trace of the wolf’s passage could be seen.

As for the Qin family’s yard, unless Qin Qingman or Chuchu mentioned it, no one would go into the yard to check.

Qin Qingman felt relieved when she didn’t see any footprints from Xiao Hei and directly walked to Aunt Yun’s house.

At this time, the sky had just begun to brighten, and many chimneys had only just started releasing thick smoke, which meant the people in those houses had only just gotten up.

When Qin Qingman reached Aunt Yun’s house, she noticed the smoke coming from the chimney was lighter and thinner, which reassured her. She knocked on the yard door.

This kind of smoke meant Master had been up for a while, not freshly risen from bed.

“Qingman, why are you here? Come in and warm yourself by the fire.”

Aunt Yun heard the sound of the door and looked out the window. When she saw it was Qin Qingman, she pulled back the curtain and called her inside. The house had been tidied up, and Aunt Yun was not neglecting her guest.

“Aunt.”

Qin Qingman wasn’t being polite, she pushed open the yard door and entered the house.

She had come to find someone for a reason, and wouldn’t visit empty-handed. Though she didn’t bring much, she had brought a handful of candy and a few frozen pears. Frozen pears were common in the northeast, but the Dabai Rabbit milk candy was not.

However, it wasn’t anything too extravagant.

Because this was a forest area, the mountains were abundant with wild honey. If any family’s children really craved sweet food, many people would go up the mountain to collect honey during the summer and autumn seasons.

“Girl, you’re here, but why bring something? We don’t go in for that kind of thing here. Take it back and give Chuchu something sweet,” Aunt Yun quickly declined when she saw Qin Qingman take out the candy. The Dabai Rabbit milk candy had a milky taste, and many of the children in the village had never tasted it.

“Auntie this is for my sister-in-law at home to give the kids something sweet, don’t decline,” Qin Qingman pressed Aunt Yun’s hand down, not letting her return the candy. She even called over Aunt Yun’s younger son to take the candy and share it with the other children in the house.

Seeing this, Aunt Yun stopped being polite. She went to the storage room and brought out various dried fruits to serve Qin Qingman.

With the mountains right behind them, as long as one worked hard during the summer and autumn seasons, wild delicacies and snacks were never in short supply.

However, the current policies didn’t allow for these things to be exchanged for money.

Qin Qingman cracked a walnut and slowly savored it. To her surprise, it was delicious, with a very rich walnut flavor.

“Qingman, girl, are you here for something?” Aunt Yun asked while inviting Qin Qingman to warm herself by the fire.

“Auntie I did come to ask you something,” Qin Qingman didn’t hide it, directly saying, “Auntie do you know if there’s anywhere nearby where cows or sheep have just given birth and have milk?”

“You want milk?” Aunt Yun was surprised.

“Yes,” Qin Qingman nodded. Needing milk was a delicate matter and required a good reason to avoid misunderstandings, so she explained, “Auntie you’ve seen my Chuchu. He’ll be six soon, but he’s a bit short. I think he must have lacked milk when my mother gave birth to him. I heard that children who lack milk can drink cow or goat milk and make up for it later.”

Cow and goat milk were known to help with calcium absorption, which was indeed beneficial for children’s growth and development. Qin Qingman wasn’t lying.

She was genuinely trying to find out which family had milk. Both Chuchu and the wolf cubs needed to drink it.

Aunt Yun thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, “As far as I know, recently, no one’s cows or sheep have given birth. If it were after spring, then cows and sheep milk wouldn’t be a problem, but at this time of year, it’s difficult to find milk.”

Qin Qingman didn’t quite understand. “Auntie why is it that cows and sheep have milk after spring?”

Aunt Yun laughed, “It’s cold in the winter, and the calves and lambs born at this time of year don’t survive easily. So cows and sheep generally don’t get pregnant and give birth in this season. In the spring, when the weather warms up, the cows and sheep, having rested all winter, will give birth.”

Qin Qingman felt a deep sense of disappointment, but there was nothing she could do about it. She chatted with Aunt Yun for a little longer before leaving.

Before she left, Aunt Yun was very kind and filled each of Qin Qingman’s coat pockets with walnuts and pine nuts. If Qin Qingman had refused, Aunt Yun would have called over a few children to stuff them into her pockets.

Faced with such warm hospitality, Qin Qingman could only smile and accept.

After leaving Aunt Yun’s house, Qin Qingman felt troubled.

The little one had arrived so unexpectedly, and there had been no preparation at all at home. If she couldn’t find fresh cow or goat milk, the only option left was to go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy milk powder for the wolf cubs.

Fortunately, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative still sold milk powder that year; otherwise, raising the wolf cubs would have been difficult.

“Qingman, girl.”

As Qin Qingman furrowed her brows, a voice unexpectedly reached her ears.

“Aunt Zhang?” Qin Qingman looked at Zhang Hongmei, who was carrying a willow basket. Suddenly, she realized that Zhang Hongmei’s family must have made tofu today, and the willow basket was probably to deliver it to her own home. After all, Qin Qingman had helped her before.

“What are you thinking so hard about? I’ve called you several times.”

Zhang Hongmei laughed and handed the willow basket to Qin Qingman, explaining, “I’m so glad to run into you. I won’t go to your house today. My family made some tofu; I saved a piece for you. You and Chuchu can try it.”

Qin Qingman looked into the willow basket and immediately tried to refuse. “Auntie this is too much.”

The basket not only contained a large block of fresh tofu but also about a pound of frozen tofu. There was so much that she felt embarrassed to accept.

“Tofu isn’t worth much. You can make a lot of tofu from one pound of beans. I’m just putting in a little effort. Don’t argue with me, girl. Take it home and try it with Chuchu. Today’s tofu is very fine and tender,” Zhang Hongmei said, not accepting Qin Qingman’s refusal to return the basket.

“Auntie this is really too much. I can’t accept it,” Qin Qingman insisted.

“Don’t argue with me. I don’t like back-and-forth. If it weren’t for your family helping, my daughter-in-law wouldn’t have been able to produce milk so smoothly. I haven’t properly thanked you for your help, and now you’re refusing a few pieces of tofu? If you refuse again, I’ll get angry,” Zhang Hongmei said, her face genuinely falling.

This was a feigned display of anger.

“Alright, Auntie then I won’t argue with you. I’ll take it, I’ll take it,” Qin Qingman knew that the villagers were straightforward people and didn’t focus on the little things.

“I’ve given you the things, so I won’t go to your house. Just toss the willow basket into my yard when you have time. We have plenty of willow baskets at home, no rush,” Zhang Hongmei said as she prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Qin Qingman had a flash of insight. She took a step forward and asked, “Auntie I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?” Zhang Hongmei turned around.

“Auntie when Sister-in-law had trouble breastfeeding, how did you arrange for the little one to eat and drink?” Qin Qingman asked, completely out of desperation. She had no idea what to do and was grasping at straws.

When Zhang Hongmei heard this, she actually became a bit nervous.

“What’s going on? Auntie is there something you can’t talk about?” Qin Qingman, being quick-witted, immediately noticed Zhang Hongmei’s hesitation. She recalled that, at this time, there were no private industries, and she suddenly had a realization.

She quickly explained, “Auntie my Chuchu will be six soon, but he’s a bit short. I’ve heard that drinking cow or goat milk can help, so I’m thinking of giving him some. That way, when he starts school, he won’t get bullied.”

Qin Qingman repeated the excuse she had just used with Aunt Yun.

Though her main goal was to find milk for the wolf cubs, she really did plan to let Chuchu drink it as well. Besides, in these times, many families still had trouble putting food on the table. She couldn’t just openly tell people that she wanted cow or goat milk to feed a dog (wolf).

If she did, someone would surely report her to the Revolutionary Committee.

“Girl, you’re not an outsider, so I’ll tell you the truth.”

Zhang Hongmei first looked around, seeing no one passing by. However, to be safe, she pulled Qin Qingman into a corner and whispered, “I have a sheep that’s pregnant. My daughter-in-law gave birth to a lamb a few days ago, and it has milk.”

Qin Qingman was stunned.

“The sheep belongs to the commune, but I took it home to raise,” Zhang Hongmei explained, seeing the look in Qin Qingman’s eyes and offering more details.

Qin Qingman instantly understood.

According to Aunt Yun, cows and sheep typically didn’t get pregnant during this season and therefore didn’t give birth in winter. Zhang Hongmei had probably anticipated that her daughter-in-law might have difficulty producing milk, so she had arranged for the sheep to be bred in advance.

How should this be explained? If no one reported it, it would definitely be overlooked, but if someone did report it, there would be an explanation, depending on how the higher-ups handled it.

“Qingman girl, the situation at my house is known by the officials, so my family had already informed the team in advance. As for the life of a person, everyone just turns a blind eye and tacitly allows the sheep we are fostering to get pregnant.”

Qin Qingman understood the full story, and her eyes lit up.

“Auntie so what about the sheep now?”

“We’re keeping it at home. Every month, we go to the team to pick up fodder and take good care of it,” Zhang Hongmei replied. Not only did her family foster a sheep from the team, but they also took in a horse. The horse had more uses; it could pull a sled to transport things when they went out, or it could help with making tofu at home.

Qin Qingman, eyeing Zhang Hongmei’s sheep milk, began discussing with her, “Auntie do you still need the sheep milk?”

“The sheep milk doesn’t taste good, it’s very gamey. Even when I boiled it for my eldest grandson, no one would drink it.” Zhang Hongmei knew what Qin Qingman was thinking and spoke clearly, “Girl, if you really want the milk, you can take the sheep to your place. Fresh milk every day would be best, the most nutritious.”

“Can I raise it?”

Qin Qingman felt a bit dizzy. If the sheep were raised at her home, then they could have all the milk they wanted.

Not only could the wolf cubs drink it, but Chuchu and she could have some too.

Seeing that Qin Qingman really wanted the sheep milk, Zhang Hongmei explained, “This sheep has already passed the inspection, there’s no hidden risk. If you have a warm place at your house, you can raise it there. Every month, when my family goes to the team for fodder, we’ll bring it to you. In the spring next year, we’ll return the mother sheep and lamb to the team.”

“Auntie I can raise it. My family has land, and we have enough firewood to keep it warm, so there won’t be any problem.”

Qin Qingman made her decision immediately.

She remembered that a single sheep could produce quite a lot of milk.

“Do you know how to milk a sheep?” Zhang Hongmei asked, looking at Qin Qingman.

“I don’t,” Qin Qingman honestly shook her head. Although she knew a lot about things from her previous life, milking a sheep was not one of them.

“Come, let’s go to my house. I’ll teach you how to milk a sheep.”

Zhang Hongmei enthusiastically pulled Qin Qingman toward her home, eager to send the two sheep away as soon as possible. The main reason was that no one drank the milk she squeezed every day, and she didn’t dare to throw it away. Most of it was consumed by her, and now, just thinking about sheep milk made her gag from the strong, gamey taste.

Qin Qingman was more than happy to learn how to milk a sheep, so she immediately followed Zhang Hongmei to the Zhang family’s house.

When they arrived at the backyard, Qin Qingman indeed saw the two sheep: one large and one small.

The larger sheep was in good condition, lively and full of energy, while the little one was quite playful, hopping around behind the larger sheep.

What pleased Qin Qingman most was the large sheep’s belly.

Above its udder, the area was round and swollen, indicating that the milk production was very high.

“We picked this sheep because it’s young, healthy, and produces a lot of milk. After giving birth to the lamb, its milk production increased even more, though it’s almost too much. The lamb can’t drink it all, so I have to help by milking it every day. If I don’t, the mother gets uncomfortable and keeps bleating,” Zhang Hongmei explained as she entered the sheep pen with a small bucket.

Though it was called a sheep pen, it was actually a converted storage room at Zhang Hongmei’s house. The floor was covered with thick straw, including wheat straw and corn stalks. The straw piled on the ground, combined with a small woodpile, made it much warmer than being outside, though not as warm as inside the house.

Zhang Hongmei kept the sheep pen clean since it was for milk production, so there was no bad smell—just a neat, fresh environment.

Qin Qingman followed Zhang Hongmei into the sheep pen.

The ewe, upon seeing Zhang Hongmei, didn’t react angrily but instead moved closer, likely because it was full of milk.

“Girl, you watch how I milk the sheep first,” Zhang Hongmei said.

She placed a stool down, set the bucket aside, and sat beside the ewe. Rolling up her sleeves, she extended her hands.

Her hands had just been washed and warmed by the fire, so they weren’t cold. As she grasped the ewe’s udder, it stimulated the mother sheep.

Although Qin Qingman had never milked a sheep before, she had seen it done on TV in her past life. Zhang Hongmei’s technique was not much different from what she had seen. With Zhang Hongmei’s explanations on the techniques for milking, it didn’t take long before Qin Qingman had learned most of the process.

“Come on, girl, give it a try,” Zhang Hongmei encouraged.

Zhang Hongmei had brought Qin Qingman here to learn, but she couldn’t do everything herself.

Qin Qingman obediently sat down in the spot where Zhang Hongmei had been sitting.

The ewe, seeing a new person, looked at Qin Qingman several times before finally lowering its head to nibble at the hay, not kicking at her. This made Qin Qingman breathe a sigh of relief.

Being able to approach the ewe was already a big step toward successfully milking it.

At first, Qin Qingman wasn’t using enough force, so she didn’t manage to extract much milk.

“Qingman girl, it’s fine, you need to use a bit more force. The ewe won’t be hurt,” Zhang Hongmei guided her on the milking technique.

“Okay.” Qin Qingman had indeed been afraid of hurting the ewe earlier, which is why she had used such a light touch.

After adjusting the strength, it became much easier.

Qin Qingman found the right force and speed for milking. Not only did she avoid hurting the ewe, but in a short time, she filled the bottom of the bucket with milk.

“Milking for half an hour at a time will get you almost half a bucket. You milk twice a day, in the morning and evening, and it won’t interfere with the lamb nursing.”

Seeing that Qin Qingman had mastered the technique, Zhang Hongmei quickly stopped her and took the freshly milked milk to the kitchen, covering it with a lid.

“Girl, you go back and tidy up the place for the sheep. Later, I’ll bring the sheep and fodder to you.” Zhang Hongmei still had many things to do at home and couldn’t spend all her time milking in the backyard.

“Okay, Aunt. I’ll go back and tidy up, and once I’m done, I’ll have Chuchu come tell you,” Qin Qingman replied.

She wasn’t in a rush at that moment. After agreeing with Zhang Hongmei, she picked up the tofu and went back home.

The wolf cub should be fine without milk for one meal. If it wasn’t, she could make some rice soup to feed it first.

When Qin Qingman returned home and hadn’t even set down the willow basket in her hand, she saw the wolf cub with its head buried in a bowl.

“What is it eating?” Qin Qingman was shocked.

“Dudu was crying loudly, running around the whole house, and then it stopped in the east room, crying nonstop. I found the Da Bai rabbit milk candy, but Dudu doesn’t have teeth, so I dissolved the candy in hot water. After the water cooled down, I gave it to Dudu,” Chuchu said, looking confused and a little unsure as he looked at Qin Qingman.

He wasn’t sure if what he had done was right or wrong.

“You did the right thing,” Qin Qingman said, thinking about the formula for the Da Bai rabbit milk candy. It could definitely be used as a substitute for milk.

Because this candy contained a high amount of milk.

The only problem was the sweetness; it wasn’t ideal to give the wolf cub too much.

“Sister, will Dudu be okay after drinking it?” Chuchu asked, still worried.

“It’ll be fine, it’s okay to give it occasionally,” Qin Qingman reassured him, and then shared the good news, “Aunt Zhang has a mother sheep that just gave birth. She agreed to let us take care of it until spring, so we’ll have sheep milk to drink.”

“Really?”

Chuchu jumped up excitedly, disturbing Dudu, who was drinking the candy water. Dudu raised its hind paw and kicked Chuchu’s foot hard.

Chuchu helplessly withdrew his foot.

Qin Qingman smiled, feeling satisfied as she watched the interaction between Chuchu and the wolf cub. “Let’s go clean up the storage room. Aunt Zhang will bring the sheep over this afternoon.”

“Sister, didn’t we pile coal in the storage room?” Chuchu reminded Qin Qingman.

“I know, but there’s still some empty space in the room, just half of it is filled with coal. We’ll use firewood to partition the space, then cover the floor with straw. That will work for raising the sheep,” Qin Qingman explained. She had already thought of a solution before agreeing to Zhang Hongmei’s offer.

“But we can’t have a fire inside, since it’s all fuel,” Chuchu said, his little face tense with concern.

“I know,” Qin Qingman reassured him. It had already crossed her mind.

“Then how are we going to keep the sheep warm?” Chuchu asked, still concerned since he knew the team had specific conditions for fostering cows and sheep.

“Do you remember how Ah Ling brought back a lot of iron pipes?” Qin Qingman asked.

She planned to use those pipes to create a simple heating system for the sheep pen.

“What’s the use of the iron pipes?” Chuchu didn’t understand at all.

“Hot water in the iron pipes can raise the temperature inside,” Qin Qingman explained. She knew that before the liberation, some buildings in Beijing and Shanghai had used radiator heating systems, and in 1968, Shenyang became the second city in China after liberation to implement district-wide heating. So, Wei Ling, who was from the capital, had people buy coal and radiators when they were purchasing coal for the provincial capital.

The radiators had originally been intended for their new home once it was built, but now, for the sake of the wolf cub and for Chuchu to have sheep milk, Qin Qingman decided to go all out.

The stove in the west room was already equipped with a small boiler. As long as the pipes were installed properly, it would be no problem to heat the storage room.

After all, the stove in the west room had been running 24 hours a day without interruption.

However, installing the pipes wasn’t something she could do by herself, so after making dumplings for lunch, Qin Qingman planned to ask Zheng Ankang and his grandson, who worked on furniture, for help.

The mountain boy was strong enough to carry the pipes, and Uncle Ankang was meticulous and good at his work, so he would surely be able to install the pipes properly.

Since the pipes were already pre-made, it was just a matter of screwing them in.

By the time the dumplings were cooked, the wolf cub had finished the milk water in its bowl and was clinging to Qin Qingman’s ankle, whining.

Qin Qingman gently patted the wolf cub to soothe it, then quickly ate her meal. After finishing, she had Chuchu play with the wolf cub while she hurried out again.

This time, she went to ask Zheng Ankang and his grandson for help.

After some busy work, by midday, the heating radiator was finally installed in the Qin family’s storage room. The hot water had been connected, and as the water flowed through the pipes, the temperature in the storage room gradually began to rise.

“Qingman girl, your storage room is really warm,” Zhang Hongmei remarked when she brought the sheep over. She also noticed the wolf cub in Chuchu’s arms. “This little dog is really fat, it must be a milk-fed baby.”

The wolf cub bared its teeth at Zhang Hongmei, who had teased it.

Qin Qingman and Chuchu exchanged a knowing look, but they didn’t correct Zhang Hongmei’s assumption about the wolf cub.

After everyone left, the three of them—two people and one wolf—watched with eager eyes as the mother sheep, trembling from the cold, entered the house. The wolf cub drooled as they saw the sheep.

Now, they had sheep milk to drink!