Hu Lanfang quickly took out baby wipes from the cabinet and cleaned his little bottom. She then put on a diaper and quickly dressed him in a warm cotton baby suit, wrapping him in a swaddle.
Gu Qingcheng mixed 30 milliliters of formula and, seeing her mother cleaning Xuesheng, took him to feed him.
The child was famished. With the sweet milk, he practically devoured it, and the gurgling sound of him drinking could be heard.
After he finished, Hu Lanfang expertly picked him up, placed him on her chest, and gently patted his back.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Gu Qingcheng asked, puzzled.
"Burping him. He swallowed a lot of air while drinking milk. His stomach is bloated, but he can't tell us. If you lay him in bed now, he'll spit up the milk when the air comes up. So, after feeding, you need to pat him to help him expel the air."
Indeed, after a while, Xuesheng let out a string of burps.
Although the child was only a little over a month old, his burps, farts, and cries all reached at least 80 decibels, louder than an adult's. Qingcheng discovered this interesting phenomenon for the first time and found it quite amusing.
Wangcai and Kele had been curiously following their owner around, observing Xuesheng since he entered the room, circling him to get used to the scent of the little milk baby.
After he burped, Hu Lanfang placed him on the bed. Kele "whooshed" up and lay beside him, staring at him intently.
Gu Qingcheng, being experienced with pets, knew that cats, these little elves, favored the old and the young and disliked those in the middle stage of life. They were especially good to the elderly and children, but unfriendly to humans her age. They would allow the elderly and children to touch and pinch them, but if someone her age tried to play with them, cats would become aloof.
At this moment, Kele was fully exhibiting these traits, showing great interest in the baby. Seeing Xuesheng sleeping soundly, Kele kept staring at him, appearing doting on the human infant.
Wangcai was the same, sitting by the bed, stretching its neck to look at Xuesheng with an expression of fondness.
Mi Guo made a pot of pickled fish, and the family had a relatively pleasant dinner, enjoying the steaming hot pickled fish.
After dinner, Gu Qingcheng went to check on Xuesheng again. He was still sleeping soundly. The funniest sight was Kele, who was also sleeping together with Xuesheng, belly up, as if they were brothers. Both were so cute and adorable.
Wangcai, being too large, couldn't get on the bed. It could only lie by the side with a wronged expression, not asleep but not disturbing them either.
Gu Qingcheng rewarded it for being so good by opening a new bag of K9 dog food and a can of meat. Wangcai was overjoyed.
After tending to the cat and dog matters, the family finally had time to sit down and chat.
Gu Chaobei lit a small red clay stove to make tea for everyone. This time, he brewed white tea.
Drinking a pot of old white tea in winter was good for warming and nourishing the stomach.
This white tea was a zero-yuan purchase from the tea house, over ten years old and fragrant.
Gu Qingcheng asked, "Dad, aren't there many injured people? Why do you have time to come home? I thought you'd be like Yu the Great, passing by your home thrice without entering!"
"Little girl, that's an exaggeration. The patients are stable, so I could come back. No matter what, you are all the most important." Gu Chaobei smiled.
Seeing her father's determined expression, Gu Qingcheng knew that Young Master Huo was likely out of danger. Still, she was worried and asked about him.
"He woke up today, and new skin is growing on his body. Thanks to the Great Strength Pill, otherwise, he would have died. Actually, he could have recovered even faster, but I dared not give him the full dose immediately, fearing his rapid recovery might arouse suspicion. He had a fever subsided the day you came home, and his frostbitten skin didn't worsen. I've been slowly diluting the Great Strength Pill in water for him to drink, not wanting him to recover too quickly, but by today, there are no problems. As for the other patients, I brewed a pot of anti-inflammatory medicine and diluted the Great Strength Pill in the water. Everyone who drank it showed significant improvement, and their injuries did not worsen. Some even recovered very quickly. Some wounds that were red and festering the day before had completely healed the next day. Everyone said my medicine was very effective. Now that their conditions are stable, I can come back to see you and rest for a night."
Gu Chaobei was also a homebody. He felt unaccustomed to not seeing his wife and daughter for a few days.
"Why don't you rest for a couple more days before going down the mountain?" Hu Lanfang also couldn't bear to see Gu Chaobei overworked.
"That won't do; I still need to go back for follow-ups. Oh, and what's this about Black Wind Stronghold? Why did you go there?" Gu Chaobei finally remembered to ask for details.
Gu Qingcheng recounted the near-robbery at home, which made Gu Chaobei's hair stand on end. If it weren't for his daughter's superb archery skills, he might have returned home to a scene of devastation and ruin. The thought made Gu Chaobei wish he could have inflicted a more severe punishment on them.
"Dad, it's alright. Those bandits are all dead, and Black Wind Stronghold no longer exists." Gu Qingcheng remained calm. "You should go down the mountain as planned. The patients down there need you. Our defenses are strong enough, so you can be completely at ease."
Gu Chaobei was greatly relieved, seeing how his daughter had matured. He also felt guilty for not being there to protect his wife and daughter on the mountain.
However, Hu Lanfang's words dispelled his guilt: "Our Qingcheng has grown up, and Mi Guo is also a good assistant. We can rest assured."
That night, however, their plan for an undisturbed sleep was broken by the little milk baby. Xuesheng woke up three times during the night, each time needing to be fed or have his diaper changed, disturbing everyone's rest.
The next morning, Gu Chaobei woke up and saw his wife and daughter with dark circles under their eyes. He said with a heavy heart, "Babies are fussy for a long time when they're young. How about I go down the mountain and see if I can find a suitable candidate to be a wet nurse for him?"
"Dad, are there any candidates?" Gu Qingcheng asked, finding the idea feasible.
"Yes, among the patients are some middle-aged women whose families were all frozen to death and are now homeless. If they have a place to go, they would surely be willing, but we'll need to consider their character."
Gu Qingcheng thought this was also a good solution. As for the concern of exposing their family's secret, it was definitely present. So, Gu Qingcheng proposed to her father, "Tomorrow, I'll go down the mountain with you to choose someone."
Gu Chaobei felt that if they were to hire someone, compatibility with his daughter was important, so he readily agreed.
The next day, Gu Qingcheng went down the mountain. Upon arriving at the clinic, she saw that the patients' conditions had indeed significantly improved compared to two days ago. The sounds of pain were virtually gone, and everyone was lying in bed quietly recuperating.
Seeing Gu Chaobei making his rounds, the patients' eyes lit up with admiration, and they showered him with praise. Gu Chaobei gestured for Gu Qingcheng to look at a woman in her early forties, Madam Qian.