In the beginning, Xue Sheng still had to wake up two or three times every night, often startled by inexplicable fears and unease about his surroundings.
But after Aunt Qian arrived, she slept with Xue Sheng every night. Xue Sheng felt so secure that he gradually began to sleep through till dawn.
Aunt Qian also quickly learned to use diapers and feed him nutritious and convenient infant formula.
A little baby who had just finished his confinement was already growing rapidly. It was normal to gain a pound a day. Within a few days, Aunt Qian had raised Xue Sheng to be fair and chubby, visibly gaining over four catties of weight.
Aunt Qian also transitioned from initial shock to gradually accepting the current living situation of the Gu family.
She learned that Mi Guo was also a child adopted by the Gu family. Mi Guo mysteriously told Aunt Qian that the Gu family were reclusive immortals, which was why their food, clothing, and daily expenses were different from ordinary people. Mi Guo asked Aunt Qian to eat and use them with peace of mind but to keep the secret from the outside world.
Aunt Qian had limited education. After witnessing the many wonders of the Gu family's life with her own eyes, she, like Mi Guo, believed that the Gu family were celestial beings descended to the mortal realm for a trial. She naturally kept Mi Guo's words firmly in mind and dared not be careless.
Good news during this period was that the temperature had stopped falling and slowly risen to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
After the heated floors were lit, the indoor temperature could reach around one to two degrees Celsius above zero. If an electric heater was added, the room temperature could reach five to six degrees.
Because there was an adult more in the household, Hu Lanfang rearranged the living quarters.
Her and her husband's and daughter's residences remained unchanged. Aunt Qian, Xue Sheng, and Mi Guo would temporarily share a room.
The main reason was that renovating other rooms required labor, which was unavailable at the moment, so they had to make do.
Mi Guo was still young and not yet at an age where gender separation was necessary. Little baby Xue Sheng was also very well-behaved and could sleep through the night. So, Mi Guo was quite happy to share a room.
Actually, Mi Guo had a secret. That was, he was quite scared to sleep alone in the big house at night.
Of course, he always kept this secret to himself and never told anyone, mainly for fear of being laughed at for being timid.
Now that he had Aunt Qian and Xue Sheng as companions, he could finally sleep soundly.
Gu Qingcheng bought a large bed for Aunt Qian at the Snow Cat Supermarket and placed Xue Sheng's crib beside the large bed.
However, Aunt Qian refused to put Xue Sheng in the crib, saying she was afraid he wouldn't be warm enough and needed to be held tightly at night to stay warm. Gu Qingcheng indulged her.
The Gu family was very satisfied to see Aunt Qian bonding with Xue Sheng.
Half a month later, all the frostbite patients in Jinsha City had recovered from life-threatening danger and entered normal recovery. More than half of them were discharged early, and the remaining ones only needed careful recuperation.
Thus, Gu Zhaobei ended his part-time duty as a doctor, bid farewell to King Xia's entreaties, and returned to Ya Mountain to recuperate.
King Xia, having witnessed Gu Zhaobei's miraculous medical skills again, was eager to recruit him to stay in the army.
But Gu Zhaobei said he prioritized his family. Since his home was on Ya Mountain, he could be consulted anytime for urgent injuries or illnesses.
King Xia, a seasoned warlord, knew that he could not force a capable person like Gu Zhaobei. Therefore, he did not make things difficult and politely sent Gu Zhaobei home with his retinue.
The entire Gu family was overjoyed upon Gu Zhaobei's return. They savored their time together.
During their leisure, the family ate and drank, recuperated, and did not neglect to diligently practice survival skills to prepare for potential hardships ahead.
Aunt Qian only needed to take care of the baby. No one expected anything more from her. Given Aunt Qian's aptitude, it was impossible for her to be like Mi Guo.
Mi Guo's archery skills had improved by leaps and bounds, comparable to Gu Qingcheng's, though he lacked practical combat experience.
If Gu Qingcheng had not been decisive last time the bandits from Black Wind Village attacked, the Ya family would have been overrun by bandits.
Spurred by the incident, Mi Guo recognized the gap between himself and his sister and dedicated himself even more diligently to honing his archery and his state of mind.
Mi Guo's diligence yielded results. Later, Gu Qingcheng hung more than a dozen copper coins from branches, letting them hang naturally. Mi Guo could now shoot with perfect accuracy, knocking down each coin.
Mi Guo's archery had reached a small accomplishment.
Although the weather was cold, they slowly adapted to the frigid temperatures and even found ways to add joy to their simple lives.
Mi Guo knew that the Gu family loved seafood. One day, he announced that he would prepare a seafood feast to treat everyone.
Hu Lanfang and Gu Qingcheng, having witnessed Mi Guo's cooking skills, gladly entrusted him with the task.
Gu Qingcheng, acting as a hands-off manager, only needed to provide Mi Guo with the top-tier seafood ingredients he required.
Aunt Qian offered to help Mi Guo while Xue Sheng was sleeping.
But Mi Guo told her to rest well, saying he could handle it alone.
Aunt Qian had seen Mi Guo cook before, but it was usually only five or six dishes, at most seven or eight. Hearing that he was preparing a feast, she worried he might be overwhelmed.
However, Aunt Qian was surprised by how confident Mi Guo was despite his young age. Seeing his firm refusal of help, she went to wash Xue Sheng's soiled clothes instead.
Mi Guo wanted to surprise everyone and refused to reveal the dishes, saying they would know when the food was served.
Gu Qingcheng, knowing the seafood ingredients she provided, knew what Mi Guo would use, but she kept her lips sealed and revealed nothing to anyone.
Seeing their secretive demeanor, the family's anticipation was indeed heightened.
After nearly an hour of preparation, Mi Guo's top-tier seafood banquet finally made its grand appearance.
"The first dish is grilled Australian lobster. Each Australian lobster weighs 1.4 kilograms, with the most delicious meat, and is extremely nourishing for those who are weak.
The second dish is French blue lobster. French blue lobsters grow slowly, taking an average of seven years and thirty to thirty-five molts to reach this two-pound size. French blue lobsters are served raw and thinly sliced, dipped in sauce. The shrimp meat is tender and sweet.
The third dish is Bluefin tuna sashimi. The meat is rich in nutrients. The most expensive part of a Bluefin tuna is its cheek meat. Mi Guo used the most expensive cheek meat to slice this plate of sashimi, which would be worth over twenty thousand yuan at market price.
The fourth dish is double-head abalone stewed with pork ribs. Each abalone weighs over half a pound. Six abalones were used to stew with pork ribs, so one can imagine how exquisitely flavorful the soup is.
The fifth dish is the staple: chicken and geoduck porridge."
The family was enthralled by the top-tier seafood feast brought by Mi Guo.
A few days passed uneventfully.
Early one morning, Gu Qingcheng took Mi Guo to a nearby forest to hunt.
Mi Guo's archery had improved significantly, but he lacked practical experience. Gu Qingcheng discussed with the family and decided to take him for field training.
On their previous trip to Black Wind Village, they had passed through several wooded areas where Gu Qingcheng had spotted animal tracks. This time, they followed those trails, hoping for some success.
The two of them, on skis, arrived at the foot of a nameless mountain ten miles from home.
Gu Qingcheng found the system's navigation map to be quite lazy. Any mountain without a name locally was simply labeled "Nameless Mountain," which amused her.
But fortunately, apart from the lazy naming, the navigation routes were extremely accurate.