Chapter 3: Establishing a Foothold in Life

After putting the bowl back in the kitchen,
Yu Nuan returned and reached out to take the baby from Yu Father.
“Dad, let’s give Little Brother a name!”

“How about calling him Gou Wang? (Dog Prosper). Lowly names keep kids alive.”

Yu Nuan: …

“…Alright then. I’ll take Gou Wang to my room to sleep. You should go get some rest.”

After all, Yu Mother didn’t have any milk, and with two elderly people in this tiny bed, they couldn’t even turn over safely in their sleep.

More importantly, this was a new and unfamiliar environment, and she still felt unsettled—having a companion would help.

Yu Father glanced at the baby in his arms, then at the wound on Yu Nuan’s forehead. “But you’re still injured.”

“I’m much better now, it’s nothing serious.”

Yu Father saw that her spirit had indeed improved, and the wound on her head had already scabbed over. He finally nodded.

“Alright. If he gets hungry in the middle of the night, just call me—I’ll get up to make him some sugar water.”

“Got it! There’s still porridge in the pot too, go have a bit.”

Yu Nuan took the baby and didn’t worry about whether Yu Father would actually go eat the porridge.

She carried the child back to her room.

She’d never taken care of a baby before—especially not one this tiny.

But she had loved raising little puppies since childhood and had raised several!

Should be a similar process… right?

Perhaps because of her affection for baby animals, she felt an inexplicable softness in her heart toward this newborn.

“Aiyo, little Gou Wang—woof woof woof~”

Yu Nuan couldn’t help laughing out loud.
She’d heard of names even worse than this one—like Fen Shituo (Dung Lump)!

The little guy in her arms curled his fingers like an orchid, made a few sniffly sounds, and burrowed into her chest for a comfortable spot.

Yu Nuan snickered softly, “Your sister hasn’t even grown up yet…”

She sat cross-legged on the straw mat and rummaged through a bamboo chest in the room.

Pulling out a couple of patched-up old garments, she wrapped the baby up in them and gently laid him on the bed.

She pulled the blanket over him—not worried about it being too heavy.

The quilt was just a layer of thin hemp cloth stuffed with shredded straw.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed again, she pulled out her lighter.

Click—a tiny flame flickered on.

Outside, the wind rustled the leaves, and night birds and insects chirped and called. Altogether it created an eerie and creepy atmosphere…

Yu Nuan felt a little afraid—especially with this door. Closing it was about as useful as not closing it at all!

A candle would’ve been nice right now.

Her stomach growled loudly.

She rubbed her belly and remembered the two meat buns in her space.

She quickly took one out.

Goodness—it was huge, the size of a fist!

And it was still warm—this space retains heat?

Without hesitation, she took a big bite.

Nice! It was a soy sauce braised meat bun.

Juicy and savory, one bite warmed her whole stomach.

Then she remembered that Yu Father probably hadn’t eaten anything yet… she scratched her head awkwardly.

She couldn’t very well give him this meat bun—he’d probably faint from shock.

So, feeling slightly guilty, she finished the whole bun.

She couldn’t help sniffing her fingers a few more times. “Mmm… so fragrant…”

…

The little guy seemed to smell it too and started whimpering softly.

Still lost in her meat bun bliss, Yu Nuan suddenly remembered she had a tiny human next to her.

She bent over and looked at him.

In the faint glow of the lighter, the baby looked tiny—his face wrinkled like a little old man.

He didn’t seem to be sleeping well, occasionally letting out little sobs.

She looked into her space—ten boxes of goat milk powder were neatly stacked inside.

Each box had four cans.

Yu Nuan was stunned. Forty cans? That’s enough to raise even me…

The last two boxes even came with two baby bottles.

She was overjoyed. This round looked tough on the surface, but with this support… it wasn’t so bad.

She flipped herself off the bed, tiptoed to the door, and listened.

After a while, no sound came—probably the two elders had gone to sleep.

She quietly opened the door and went straight to the kitchen.

The pot of porridge hadn’t been touched. There was still half a bowl left—Yu Father hadn’t eaten it.

She sighed and poured it into a bowl.

Then she lit the stove and boiled some water.

Following the instructions, she cooled the boiling water in a bucket, then prepared about 60ml of milk in the bottle.

By the time she returned to the room, the little one was already fussing again.

Yu Nuan quickly picked him up and gently placed the bottle in his mouth.

The baby’s nose was sharp—he smelled the milk immediately.

Without needing any encouragement, he latched on and began sucking eagerly.

The sound of gulu gulu echoed clearly in the quiet night.

Before long, the entire bottle was empty.

What an appetite.

Yu Nuan smiled with satisfaction and tossed the empty bottle back into the space.

The baby’s face was full of contentment, his lips pursed slightly as she gently patted him.

Maybe it was because he was full—within a few minutes, he fell into a sweet sleep.

She laid him back down, tucked him in, and then pulled a medicine bottle out of the space.

She sprayed the wound on her head without much care, tossed the bottle back into her space, and collapsed onto the bed.
She was utterly exhausted…

One dreamless night.

The next morning.

Just as the sky began to lighten, the little guy started crying.

Yu Nuan reached out groggily, half-asleep, and suddenly remembered:
She had transmigrated. Why was she still expecting an alarm clock?

With her hair like a bird’s nest, she picked up the baby to soothe him—but the more she rocked him, the louder he cried.

Soon, rustling sounds came from next door, followed by Yu Father knocking on her door.
“Yao Niu, bring Gou Wang out.”

Yu Nuan figured he was probably hungry again. She would think of a way to feed him later.
Since she wasn’t able to soothe him, she handed him off.

“Dad, I’ll go warm up the porridge,” she said as she passed the baby over.

“I’ve already warmed it. Go eat.”

Yu Father looked down at the baby, relieved to see his complexion was good. But when he checked underneath—soaked. He’d peed!

Meanwhile, Yu Nuan headed straight to the kitchen.

When she saw the pot, it was just thin soup. Not even a trace of red left.

She pursed her lips. Probably the leftovers from last night, just watered down and reheated.

She scooped out a bowl, checked that it wasn’t too hot, and poured in a packet of astragalus granules from her space.

According to the label, this was for boosting qi—perfect for postpartum recovery.

She’d try to make Yu Mother drink this as often as possible.

Her golden finger was quite considerate—caring for everyone from old to young!

She stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon, then carried the bowl into Yu Mother’s room.

Yu Mother sat on the bed, holding the baby, with a face full of indescribable sorrow.

Her wrinkled hands lightly patted the child.

“Mom, drink this porridge first…”

Setting the bowl on the bedside table, Yu Nuan gently took the baby from her.

She saw Yu Father walking out with a cloth rag soaked in greenish-brown discharge.

The air was thick with a sour milk-and-poop smell. She held her breath.
Yep—he had pooped.

She curiously checked Gou Wang’s little butt. There was another cloth strip inside—worn and tattered.

Probably passed through multiple hands already. But fortunately, it had been softened with age and wasn’t scratchy anymore.

Folk wisdom says: “Babies who wear hundred-family clothes grow up well.”

That belief persists even today—it refers to babies wearing secondhand clothes, diapers, and little outfits once worn by other children.
They’re said to carry blessings and make the child easier to raise.

“Feed Gou Wang first. I’m not hungry,” Yu Mother said, reaching for the bowl to feed the child.

“No way… I mean, Mom, you drink first. There’s more in the pot. I’ll feed him.”

Yu Nuan took a step back, still holding the baby.

Are you kidding? That bowl’s full of powerful tonics. If Gou Wang drinks it, what if he starts foaming at the mouth and bleeding from his ears?!

“Yao Niu, watch the house. I’m heading out to look around…”
Yu Father called from outside and then limped off down the yard.

Yu Nuan glanced out the door and saw him hobbling down the path.

She turned back to see Yu Mother still holding the untouched bowl.

Gently, she coaxed, “Mom, drink it. You need to get your strength back so you can take care of Gou Wang.”

Yu Mother’s murky eyes filled with tears. Her voice choked:
“Yao Niu… we’re dragging you down…”

But she still drank the porridge in big gulps.

She knew the family’s only able-bodied person now was Yao Niu.
And things had just gotten harder. The only thing she could do was take care of Gou Wang properly at home.

Once she finished, Yu Nuan handed her the baby again and turned to the kitchen to boil water and prepare formula.

While waiting for the water to boil, she stepped outside and washed her face.
Only then did she start to truly examine this home.

The yard was enclosed with a fence. Two mud-brick rooms were connected.
There was a separate little kitchen hut and a small storage room.
Next to the kitchen, a natural spring bubbled up, flowing from the foot of the mountain behind the house.

Not far behind the house lay continuous green hills.
In front of the house was a stretch of barren land, with tall weedy trees flanking both sides of the yard.
To the right of the fence gate was a crude latrine.

There wasn’t another household within 100 meters.
She walked forward a little more and found that the house sat atop a dirt slope.

Just 100 meters ahead, scattered village houses came into view.

At the base of the mountain, a river curved around the village.
Both sides of the river were lined with rice paddies.
On the far end of the village were dry fields.

The whole village was nestled in a basin of fields and slopes, squarish in shape—hence the name: Fangyuan Village (fangyuan meaning square and round).

Morning light stretched across the land—everything peaceful and still.

In her past life, she’d been battered by society and lived in constant stress.

Even with a strong mental fortitude, she had developed bipolar disorder.

She remembered just yesterday—after working late, she crossed a street, mind in a fog.

A sharp screech of car brakes had shattered her world…
and blurred the boundary between space and time.