"Come on, Xiao Xue, eat while it's hot!" Bai Daliang brought in a bowl of cornmeal porridge and placed a spoon inside.
Bai Xue took it and thought, isn't this more like cornmeal-infused water? It's not thick at all—just enough to feel full with water.
She glanced at her still-sleeping mother and the siblings who were either asleep or too weak to cry, and the four younger siblings watching her eagerly.
"Come on, one bite each!" Bai Xue handed the cornmeal porridge to Little Chuan.
"Eldest sister, we ate last night. You should eat quickly and regain your strength!" Little Chuan said thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving the bowl but showing no intention to take the spoon.
"Yes, eldest sister, you should eat so you'll have energy!" Xiao Xia chimed in.
The others nodded without making any move to eat.
Bai Xue felt comforted; although she had returned to this place devoid of hope, her family was good, which was a silver lining in their misfortune.
In the end, she shared the porridge by spoonfuls with her siblings, giving them most of it, only taking a small sip herself, and it tasted terribly bad.
She recalled the supermarket she had just been conscious of; fortunately, it had come along, or she might have just considered ending it all in this era of scarcity.
In the 1960s, resources were scarce, food and clothing were limited, and grain was more precious than gold; it was truly hard to get enough to eat.
To change their situation, the first step was to deal with Grandma Bai, who was the original owner's grandmother, or else any resources from the supermarket would be unsafe at home.
Just as she was thinking this, the two babies on the southern kang cried out in unison, their cries weak and feeble.
Bai Xue had to get off the kang because Bai Daliang left after delivering the cornmeal porridge, not knowing where he went. She had to soothe the children.
Bai Xue picked up one, not sure if it was her brother or sister; though the swaddle was a bit torn, the child wasn't cold, hands and feet were quite warm.
The earth bed was also heated, unlike last night's chill.
"Xiao Yun, come and hold the child. Rock them like I do, maybe they'll sleep!" Bai Xue couldn't hold both children, so she called her sister.
"Eldest sister, it's useless. Brother and sister are hungry. Mom's weak and hasn't produced milk; what do we do?" Bai Ruyun walked over obediently and picked up a child, speaking while she did.
"Xiao Xia, come hold this one; I'll go out and see if there is anything to feed the children!"
They tried to keep their voices down but still woke Wang Cuihua. She quickly got up when she heard the babies crying, "Xiao Yun, Xiao Xia, give the children to mom!"
The two looked at Bai Xue, who hadn't left yet. Bai Xue had no choice but to go over, "Mom, you're still weak. I'll go find something for the siblings to eat. You rest for now!"
"Xiao Xue, you're awake? Thank goodness, sob…" Wang Cuihua, seeing her eldest daughter awake, disregarded the infants and got up to hug her, tears making her eyes red.
"Alright mom, you just gave birth; don't get emotional! Quickly lie down and rest!" Bai Xue helped her lay back down.
"Mom can't lie down; mom has to feed your younger siblings. They're so hungry they can't even cry!"
"But mom, have you produced milk?" Bai Xue asked.
"This..."
"Alright mom, you rest well. Leave the rest to me; I'll figure it out!" Bai Xue said and walked out.
Usually, her eldest daughter had many ideas, and she was willing to follow her advice. So this time was no different; if Xiao Xue said she had a way, she'd wait. Feeding them would be in vain as she hadn't produced milk yet.
Bai Xue left the room, glanced back to ensure her siblings weren't following, then quickly entered the supermarket in her mind, looked around, and picked up a bag of white sugar from the shelf.
Actually, her supermarket had milk powder, although not infant formula. However, high-calcium milk could be given to babies—and was better than letting them cry out in hunger.
If not, regular milk might also work; her supermarket had it too. There was yogurt, pure milk, skim milk; she just hadn't figured out how to explain the source and dared not take it out yet.
She quickly ate a small bread, drank a bottle of yogurt, disposed of the trash in the supermarket, then used the white sugar to make a bowl of sugar water, keeping only a small portion outside while storing the rest in a bowl in the cupboard, and brought in the sugar water.
After birth, the siblings hadn't eaten anything, surely they had low blood sugar. They hadn't absorbed much nutrition in the womb, and coming out for so long without eating could only lead to low blood sugar.
Newborns with low blood sugar are at risk, it can affect the brain, leading to cerebral palsy.
Not risking any delay, Bai Xue quickly brought the sugar water inside, "Xiao Yun, Xiao Xia, quickly put the siblings down and feed them the sugar water!"
"Xiao Xue, where did this sugar water come from?" Wang Cuihua was crying with swollen eyes, hearing her children's heart-wrenching cries.
"I hid some beforehand! Mom, don't ask now; let's feed the siblings first."
Although it's just water, sugar water at least replenishes sugar, avoiding low blood sugar. She had added a lot of white sugar to the water.
"Okay, okay! Mom won't ask…" Wang Cuihua watched the babies calm down after drinking the water, feeling both joy and sorrow.
"Mom, when will you produce milk? Feeding sugar water like this isn't a permanent solution!" Xiao Yun worriedly asked, noticing the siblings drift off after drinking the sugar water.
Bai Xue gestured to Bai Ruyun, who then noticed Wang Cuihua's red and swollen eyes. Grandma had taken all the food at home, leaving mom hungry and unable to produce milk. She realized she shouldn't have said anything rash.
Suddenly, Bai Ruyun felt like a child who had done something wrong, crouching on the kang, helpless.
"Mom, don't worry anymore. While the siblings are asleep, get some rest! I'll make something good for you. After eating, you'll produce milk!" Bai Xue sat at the kang edge, helping the crying Wang Cuihua lie down and covering her with a quilt.
"Xiao Xue, where's there food in the house? Your grandma's really heartless... sob, you are her own grandchildren!" Wang Cuihua lay down but still cried.
The two brothers standing on the ground listened to Wang Cuihua and gritted their teeth with hatred.
Bai Ruyun and Bai Ruxia were similarly affected; the two exchanged glances filled with loathing for their grandmother.
"Mom, don't worry, okay? You've just given birth, don't cry anymore! Or you'll produce even less milk! You just take care of the siblings—and leave the others to dad and me, okay?" Bai Xue called the two sisters off the kang.
"Xiao Xue..." Wang Cuihua called, still teary.
"Alright, just take a nap. When you wake up, there'll be something good to eat!" Bai Xue soothed her a bit more until Wang Cuihua fell asleep.