ALL NOVEL Wen Qian was not someone who was constantly lost in reminiscence, but while caring for this little infant, she frequently recalled her own grandparents.
When she prepared and fed milk to the baby, she would imagine how she was nurtured as a child.
It seemed that adopting and raising this child at Wen Qian's place was a re-enactment of the past – previously she was the child, and now she was the one adopting the child.
This was something she had never imagined before.
Perhaps as she grew older, approaching the age of her grandparents, she missed them more and more.
The infant was also very well-behaved, eating and sleeping soundly every day, in a good state.
As autumn approached and everything was about to be harvested, An An was still too young for Wen Qian to take her outside or travel far.
So Wen Qian inquired with Big Jin's elderly grandmother if she could help look after the child, offering compensation.
The elderly grandmother was growing older, and her family no longer allowed her to do many tasks, but she was never idle and would find things to keep herself occupied.
Wen Qian promised her a certain remuneration to help take care of the child.
Big Jin's family and the grandmother all agreed, as the little one was relatively easy to care for – newborns sleep for extended periods, so having someone watching over them is better.
Wen Qian had no plans to go hunting, but instead gathered all her crops and stored them in her space.
Since Wen Qian worked diligently, within a month, she had collected everything, including the fruits from the trees.
The elderly grandmother marveled at how nimble Wen Qian was, moving in and out so many times, though in reality, she relied heavily on the power of her space to transport things.
At this stage, the little one could not be left unattended, so Wen Qian realized she likely wouldn't be able to visit the hunter's cabin over the winter.
After harvesting the crops, she went to repair a few huts, planning to spend this winter at home.
If possible, she would set traps nearby.
The sheep she had previously ordered from the village was brought back by her neighbors, just in time for winter. Wen Qian's space also had hay and fresh grass.
So this winter, apart from the rabbits wintering in her kitchen, there would also be sheep.
Suddenly, things became lively.
Wen Qian thought that by the following winter, when the child turned one year old, she should be able to accompany her outdoors.
With everything prepared, they just had to get through the winter, so Wen Qian set traps for weasels near her home.
Her own grandparents had also brought cradles to the fields while working, securing them with ropes. While weeding nearby, they would tug on the ropes, rocking the cradles.
As the children grew older, they would be placed in circular wooden baby seats, allowing them to see and play while the adults worked.
In those days, the elderly didn't have much time to devote to childcare as they still had to tend to their farm work.
Ni Sha brought over supplies and also carried her own child along.
Ni Sha praised Wen Qian for doing well, but Wen Qian felt it was because this child was well-behaved.
Additionally, her space was a great help – she didn't need to prepare milk powder in the middle of the night; whenever the child was hungry, she could simply retrieve food from the space.
When changing diapers, she could stock up in bulk, and they wouldn't dry out, making cleaning easier.
The waterproof pads she had previously bought could now be used, so she didn't have to change bedding every day.
This winter, Wen Qian felt she should prepare clothes for the child's growth, as infants grow rapidly.
When Ni Sha visited, she gave Wen Qian the small sweater she had knitted for her daughter, which could now fit An An.
With a younger child around, Ni Sha's child was very curious about An An, constantly watching her.
After Ni Sha left, Wen Qian continued preparing her daily meals, keeping the kitchen and stove fires going.
She had to prepare various foods in advance, and the storage capacity of her space was incredibly useful.
For now, the little one knew nothing, but as she grew older, Wen Qian would need to conceal her use of the space, unable to utilize it so openly.
Originally, Wen Qian's courtyard was very quiet in winter, but now there would occasionally be a child's cries. If she didn't cry or sleep, she would open her eyes and look around.
The infant seemed to be babbling, making incessant cooing sounds, though her baby talk could likely only be understood by infants her age.
Initially, Wen Qian would tiptoe around when the child slept, afraid of waking her up, but later realized she shouldn't do that.
Normal daily sounds were acceptable, and the child would grow accustomed to this white noise and not easily wake up.
If she cultivated an excessively quiet environment from the start, even slight noises could startle and wake the child, which wouldn't be good.
So when the child napped during the day, Wen Qian would cook in the kitchen, draw water from the well outside, or operate her sewing machine in the bedroom.
Sure enough, the infant wasn't alarmed by these everyday sounds but grew accustomed to them, even following the direction of the noises while awake.
Wen Qian discovered the child could now distinguish her voice – when she started cooing and was about to cry, Wen Qian's voice could calm her down.
Caring for an infant wasn't easy, and Wen Qian felt she was observing a specimen by living with the baby.
Sometimes, when bored, she would stare at the sleeping child and wonder if her grandparents had watched her sleep like this before. Every beloved child must have been watched over while sleeping by their family, out of affection and curiosity.
When snow fell, Wen Qian boiled a pot of water outside and brought it in to place on the heated table.
There had to be warm water at home, as she would need it to clean the child if she had a bowel movement.
An infant's feces smelled just as foul as an adult's, which is why some people would say children are raised on a series of messes.
Newborn infants have no abilities, unlike other animals – lambs can stand shortly after birth, and chicks can peck at grain soon after hatching.
Human babies cannot, requiring at least another year before they can stand.
In order to properly raise the child, she had specially prepared a thick notebook to record the child's daily activities.
The other's obedient appearance, weight, and height would be regularly recorded.
In the future, when the child grew up and could recognize words, she would show this observation diary related to the child.