She Only Cares About Cultivation

The more they interacted with her, the more they felt she was a treasure trove, seemingly with endless knowledge waiting for them to tap into. Their admiration was something that simple sincere words couldn’t describe.

However, they already profoundly realized that this was a gift from the Heavens pitying them, and they absolutely could not waste it— they must cherish An Yi well.

Since fate had led them to this point, instead of being looked down upon as peasants in the countryside, it would truly be better to pick up the pen and strive forward. Just as An Yi said, even if they couldn’t get into high school, finishing junior high and then learning a trade would already set them above others, allowing them to live off the state. Even if it came to being an accountant in the commune, wouldn’t that be better than working laboriously?

Once the two made up their minds, they became increasingly diligent, arriving early in the day and leaving only after dark, practically setting up camp at An Yi’s place.

As for An Yi’s willingness to help them, one reason was sympathy, the other...

She glanced at the child in her arms, not wanting to run to the city in this lifetime, but the child’s future needed planning. Qiuxia and Caihua were undoubtedly the most suitable, as only they could sincerely treat her well. With An Ran’s age landing right in the turbulent times, having An Yi around, she wouldn’t go hungry, but she needed a relatively reliable education and job.

An Ran, born at the end of 1953, would be 12 in 1965 and 24 in 1977. Alas, it was a generation destined to be delayed.

University was definitely out of the question; not just anyone could apply to the Worker, Peasant, Soldier University. That left only junior high and high school. In those years, it was easy to be influenced by the environment. If it really didn’t work out, the last resort was to start working early, and then take the college entrance exam after a few years of work— something she couldn’t assist with. If the sisters went to college, as long as one of them had a good outcome, An Ran would also have something to aim for.

Thus, the three women fought their own battles, with An Ran being naturally endowed with Spiritual Energy, hardly ever fussing except when hungry or when her stomach was uncomfortable. At other times, she was either carried to class by An Yi or playing with toys in her sitting basket. The so-called toys were all arranged by An Yi, who had experience in woodworking, as well as little trinkets collected from various places, all of which were sterilized at high temperatures and very safe.

When it was time to sleep, she was laid flat in the corner of the warm ground, and An Yi would lift the cotton curtain to glance inside from time to time, ensuring her safety.

"Sis, you are really good at taking care of children."

That was only natural. The number of children raised by her hands was countless, even she couldn’t remember how many.

Her current responses were probably instinctual, "The responsibility is significant, and carelessness isn’t an option. Since the child is raised by us, we must take good care of her."

"You work too hard," attempting to console her exertions, they ensured that apart from attending lectures and taking care of the child, all cooking and washing tasks were taken care of by Qiuxia and Caihua.

When they couldn’t see her, An Ran would drink milk; when they could see her, she drank formula. After four months, she would consume a boiled egg a day, with only two drops of sesame oil. Occasionally, finely ground fish flesh was added to it, carefully selected by An Yi to be free of fish bones.

The seafood of this era was excellent, unpolluted, and the amount stored in her space was enough to last her a lifetime. She had spent half a year by the sea to gather these stores, either diving herself or bartering with fruits or vegetables for whatever she couldn’t get on her own.

Thus, feeding the kid sea shrimp and sea fish was quite convenient but had to be limited to the amount equivalent to half a fingertip each time.

The boiled egg wasn’t consumed all at once but divided into three portions, as eating too much might upset her digestion.

No salt was allowed for children under one year old, something Qiuxia and Caihua heard for the first time, but to An Yi, it was absolute authority, not to be overstepped.

Even for feeding, the child had special chopsticks and spoons, and she forbade using their own to feed her. Her strictness initially left the sisters unaccustomed, but as they understood more, being medically trained, they realized the trouble was worth it for the child’s well-being.

Since having An Yi as an elder sister, whenever they got a minor ailment, they no longer sought out the old Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor in the village. Instead, An Yi would prepare herbal remedies for them, clearly instructing on how to take the concoctions, and they typically recovered astonishingly well within two days.