After eating their fill and resting until they were no longer tired, the married couple prepared to head into the forest with their baskets and a wooden cart in tow. The sweet potato field they had discovered wasn't located on a hill, so they could take the cart into the forest, which would save them from having to carry the harvest back on multiple trips.

    Tianchen was told to rest because he had woken up before dawn to collect the fish nets and had gone to sell fish early in the morning. However, accustomed to waking up early, he didn't go to rest but instead lay idly on the porch.

    "Uncle," Xiaolin approached and nudged her young uncle, who was lying down. He looked up at his little niece before getting up.

    "What is it, little Xiaolin? Is there something you need?" the young man scooped his niece up under her arms and set her on his lap.

    "The little calf doesn't have a home yet. Can we go cut some bamboo to build a shed for it?"

    "Of course, we can. You play with the little calf and wait for me here at home. I'll be back shortly with some bamboo. Don't go wandering outside, understand?" His rough hand gently patted his niece's head.

    "Yes, Uncle," she nodded vigorously, her adorable response making Tianchen unable to resist giving her chubby cheek a big kiss.

    "Giggle."

    "Alright! Then, I'll go cut the bamboo and be right back." The young man set his niece back on the ground, stretched lazily a couple of times, then went to grab a knife from the kitchen before heading out.

    "Little calf, what should your name be?"

    Moo~

    "Looking at you, you resemble those long-haired cows from Europe," her small hand stroked the calf's long fur.

    "Hmm, you have brown fur. Let's call you Xiao Zhong."

    After naming the calf, she let it rest beside its milk bucket while she decided to explore around the house for the first time seriously. Before inhabiting Xiaolin's body, the original Xiaolin had been so ill that she nearly didn't survive. After getting better, her mother never let her stray too far.

    Not far from the house was a small stream, likely the same one where she found Xiao Zhong. Beside the stream, there was a patch of grass, but it seemed whiter than usual. Curious, she went closer to take a look.

    "Lemongrass! There's so much of it, fantastic! If only I could find some hot peppers and limes, it would be perfect for seafood!" Imagining grilled seafood with spicy dipping sauce made her mouth water with hunger. However, given her current condition, she probably couldn't handle too much spice, but it didn't matter; just satisfying the craving was enough for now. She also wanted to ferment some fish sauce, which would take months before it was ready to eat.

    Oh, delicious food, wait for me!

    After picking a little lemongrass, the petite figure looked for other plants she needed but couldn't find any, so she headed back to the small house. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something red on the other side of the fence and quickly ran to check.

    "Peppers! There are only two of the trees. Let’s save the seeds to plant," she carefully collected the few red and orange pepper seeds before placing them in a container to dry in the sun.

    They were Karen peppers, which she rarely ate, but they were significantly spicier than the peppers her mother used for cooking. Therefore, she planned to save them to eat for now and, if she found other spicy pepper varieties in the future, to grow them for making ground pepper.

    Tianchen, too, had brought several bamboo poles and piled them beside the house. He started cutting the bamboo and building a frame to make a small pen for the little calf, planning to strengthen and enlarge it when he had more time. He also made a roof frame but would need to find grass to cover it later, as the grass needed to be dried first before it could be used for roofing.

    Xiaolin came back to play on the porch of the house. Initially, she thought about helping her young uncle build the pen for Xiao Zhong, but she was sure to be sent out to nap since it was already afternoon.

    So, she grabbed a small pillow and a mat from the corner of the porch, laid them out, and rolled around until she fell asleep.

    Waking up again, it was almost evening. She heard voices talking from the side of the house, rubbed her eyes, yawned until tears came out, before her hand was gently pulled away, a damp cloth was used to wipe her face, making her eyes bright and clear.

    "Mother, you’re back?" She raised her hand to be picked up by her mother. Hui Ning scooped up the little girl to her side and walked to the side of the house.

    The two brothers were assembling a small pen for Xiao Zhong. After digging up the sweet potatoes and bringing them back, Tianrong had packed some in a sack and pushed them on the cart to deliver to Old Lady Zhang. After discussing Xiao Zhong for a while, he was sent to fetch an old but good-condition grass roofing strip to make a roof for Xiao Zhong, ensuring the little calf wouldn’t have to sleep exposed to the dew overnight.

    "Xiao Zhong's house is almost finished," Xiaolin observed the small pen, not very large but just enough for Xiao Zhong to wander around, was nearly complete, only lacking a bit of roofing.

    "Xiao Zhong, huh? Did you name him that?" Hui Ning looked at her little daughter and asked.

    "Yes. I named him after the color of his fur," she replied with a beaming smile to her beautiful mother. Tianrong glanced at the little calf following his wife and daughter and chimed in.

    "It doesn't look like an ordinary wild cow."

    Hearing that, everyone turned to look at Xiao Zhong, who shyly hid behind the young woman in embarrassment.

    "Yes, I think its fur is longer than that of a newborn calf," Tianchen added, though not taking the observation too seriously.

    "Well, they live in the forest, so we don’t really know what kinds of wild cows there might be."

    The brothers hurried to finish the small pen as the sun began to set lower in the sky. Hui Ning took Xiaolin to bathe and change before she started cooking. Today, she prepared a seafood soup with the fish her husband had set aside for cooking.

    Xiaolin clung to the kitchen door, watching her graceful mother skillfully handle the kitchen tasks. Seeing her mother put fish into a boiling pot, Xiaolin remembered the lemongrass she had brought back, so she ran out to grab it from the porch and returned to the kitchen.

    "Mother, add this too," the little girl walked into the kitchen, holding up the lemongrass. Hui Ning turned to look and furrowed her brows.

    "Isn’t that grass by the stream? How can we put it in the soup?"

    "It’s not grass, Mother. It's called lemongrass, and it's a herb used to get rid of fishy smells."

    "And how did you know that?" Hui Ning narrowed her eyes skeptically at her daughter, who looked guiltily innocent.

    "Um, Xiao Zhong told me!"

    "Xiao Zhong did?"

    "Yes, Mother. Xiao Zhong can talk to me, and he's very smart," she sent an innocent smile to her mother, knowing well that if she admitted to knowing from countless previous meals, she might be accused of being a grass-eater since people here thought of it as just grass.

    "If you don't believe me, Mother, try chopping it and smell its scent. Its fragrance is not like regular grass because it's a herb," Hui Ning looked skeptically at her daughter. How could a cow talk?, she thought. But not wanting to upset her daughter, she decided to take the lemongrass from her tiny hands, chop it, and sniff it as her daughter suggested.

    The cool, refreshing scent surprised Hui Ning, making her eyes widen slightly. She looked at her daughter, who stood beaming proudly, before smelling it again to be sure.

    "How is it?" Xiaolin asked eagerly. The food her mother cooked was delicious, but the taste of the fish soup without the herb was somewhat hard to swallow. Seeing the lemongrass, she immediately brought it to her mother.

    "It really is edible, Mother," she peeled the outer layer of the remaining lemongrass in her hand and bit into the head of the lemongrass to show her mother.

    "Xiaolin!"

    "It really is edible," she chewed noisily. Hui Ning sighed in relief, seeing no adverse reaction in her daughter.

    "Alright, I'll try adding it in,"

    "Just use the white part, Mother. The green part doesn’t smell that good," she smiled excitedly, finally getting closer to having her tom yum fish.

    The little girl ran out again after placing the remaining lemongrass on a small kitchen table. Hui Ning washed the lemongrass, chopped it, lightly smashed it to release its aroma, and added it to the soup pot. Xiaolin came back in with several yellowish-white and a few red chilies.

    "Mother, add these too. Crunch them up first, though," the tiny hands presented the unusual fruits to her mother. Hui Ning sighed slightly.

    Well, trying a little won't hurt, she thought.

    The soup, more fragrant than usual, lured the men of the house who had just returned from bathing in the stream to hurry inside. The delicious aroma made their stomachs rumble embarrassingly. The young men quickly changed out of their wet clothes and hung them to dry, then sat waiting on the porch.

    Hui Ning carried a tray of food outside, Tianchen rushed to help his brother-in-law as usual, while Hui Ning went back to bring out a pot of rice. Little Xiaolin followed with two small cups of drinking water. Once set on the porch, she dashed back in to grab the remaining two cups.

    Xiao Zhong was also standing and wagging his tail, waiting in the same spot. The wooden bucket, cleaned and filled with milk, was brought out by Tianchen and placed on the ground. The little calf hurried to bend down and joyfully drink the milk.

    "What did you make today? It smells amazing," Tianchen asked his beautiful wife, who was scooping rice into small bowls for everyone.

    "It's the same fish soup as always, except today little Xiaolin helped make it. You and Xiao Chen should try it and see how it tastes," Hui Ning said with a smile. She had tasted the soup earlier, and today's broth was fragrantly spiced with herbs, offering a more appetizing flavor than usual.

    "Hmm, my little daughter even made soup for her father to eat?" Tianchen teased his daughter sitting next to him, who giggled delightedly.

    "Try it," Hui Ning ladled some soup from the large bowl into smaller bowls and handed them to her husband, brother-in-law, and daughter.

    The men of the house found the soup particularly soothing to swallow, quickly finishing the small portions in their bowls.

    "The taste is exceptional, more delicious than ever, Ning’er," Tianchen ladled more soup into his bowl, sharing some with his brother as well. Hui Ning and Xiaolin laughed at that.

    "If it's delicious, then eat lots. It's this good because your daughter helped me make it."

    "Xiaolin is the best, come here, and I'll peel some fish for you," Tianchen slurped the soup loudly, scooping fish from the large bowl to peel and give only the flesh to his little niece, who eagerly ate until her cheeks were stuffed.

    "You're the best, Uncle."

    "And what about me, your father? Look, this piece has eggs too. I’ll give it to you," hearing his daughter praise his brother made Tianrong slightly jealous. He gave her fish eggs until her small bowl was nearly overflowing.

    "Father is the best too," Xiaolin smiled brightly before scooping up the fish eggs into her mouth. Today was one of the most delicious meals she had ever had.

    After a delightful dinner and sitting together until the sky darkened, everyone went off to their rooms to sleep. Being still very young, Xiaolin didn't have her own room yet. She sometimes slept with her parents and sometimes with her young uncle.

    But the one who refused to sleep in his own place was Xiao Zhong. He followed Xiaolin closely, and even though Tianchen had taken him back to the pen, he dug his way out just the same.

    "Why did Xiao Zhong dig his way out again?" Tianchen stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the fluffy cow standing in front of him, wagging its tail. It turned to look at the little girl standing not far away and rubbed its little head against Xiaolin.

    Xiao Zhong giggled. “Xiao Zhong must be afraid to sleep alone," Hui Ning covered her mouth, laughing amusedly.

    "He probably wants to sleep with you," Tianrong looked fondly at Xiao Zhong. The small household, barely managing on its own, had never raised an animal before. Having this little one around felt quite pleasant.

    "Xiao Zhong can't sleep with me. I sleep with mommy and daddy. The bed's already full," Xiaolin told the troublesome creature who was nuzzling its face against her little belly.

    "Let's let him sleep with Xiao Chen then," Tianrong suggested before leading his wife into their bedroom.

    Xiaolin decided to sleep in the room with her young uncle, with Xiao Zhong following. Tianchen laid down some dry grass on the floor for it. Seeing its little master being lifted onto the bed, the little calf then comfortably lay down and fell asleep peacefully until morning, no longer having to worry about being chased or abandoned by its mother again.