A ragged cub at the beginning

After checking the doors and windows, when Tang Xu walked into the room, July was already asleep.

The little face that rarely sees the sun is sickly pale, dry and rough with tiny cracks. Without the support of flesh and blood, the cheekbones are prominent, and the lips are peeling and white. At first glance, it is not a healthy child, but not ugly. Judging from the bone structure alone, the child has a full forehead, straight eyebrows, a high and delicate nose, and a smooth jawline. With those smiling eyes, he will definitely be more handsome when he grows up than Ye Shaoqing in the original owner's memory.

Tang Xu gently pinched the pair of small hands, which were small and fragile. She gently straightened his fingers, and the little finger was higher than the top line of the ring finger. These were hands that were very suitable for learning musical instruments. But they were too thin and lost their beauty.

She remembered an interesting statement she had read before: children are cute for survival and are the result of evolution. Because they cannot find food or take care of themselves, their cute appearance can attract the attention and love of others.

The round head, chubby face, round eyes, soft skin, and four-head body shape are all cute. And cuteness can make people secrete dopamine, a substance that makes people feel happy, which makes people like and protect children.

Therefore, the original owner's behavior of abusing her child to relax and vent is puzzling. Maybe she is not a human being, but a defective product.

Tang Xu looked at the sleeping little Qiyue and thought of her little nephew. He was a child that was just as cute as she liked. He had a round head, a round face, round eyes, a round nose, and a round mouth. His fists looked like a small steamed bun. His voice was very soft. Unfortunately, he became too naughty when he grew up. Maybe he had grown up and lost the cuteness of an infant.

From this point of view, Xiao Qiyue is not that bad, she is too thin. If she grows some meat and becomes fatter, she will definitely be a beautiful baby. She must raise this baby to be plump and white!

But raising cubs is expensive!

The most urgent thing now is to make money. The original owner doesn't have much money left. He needs to save for the rent later, the medical expenses in July, and a lot of things to buy for the house. What can he do to make money?

Tang Xu was a freshly graduated art student. She suddenly thought of Zhou's Cloth Shop. Maybe she could draw some clothing designs and cooperate with the cloth shop to sell them. After all, it was an era of information explosion. She had seen a lot of clothes. Although she was not a fashion designer, it should be no problem to make some money first. At that time, she could draw a picture and ask Zhou's Cloth Shop to customize it. If they liked the design, it would be the best. If not, with the original owner's figure from years of martial arts training, she would be a walking advertisement picture if she wore it.

Or, if you were sketching for someone on the street, you only needed a pencil. If you didn't have a pencil, a charcoal pencil would work. Add an easel and paper, and twenty cents for a drawing wouldn't be too much, right?

"Haha..." July's laughter interrupted her thoughts. She turned her head and saw that the little guy hadn't woken up yet. She wondered what he dreamed about that made him so happy.

I must have taken good care of him today! That’s why I smiled in my dream at night!

Tang Xu thought about it, blew off the oil lamp, untied her tightly tied high ponytail, and her relaxed scalp and dim environment made her sleepy slowly come over her. After a while, she fell into a state of half asleep and half awake.

As she was about to fall asleep, she thought to herself, "Has July covered herself with the quilt?" She reached out her hand in a daze, but felt something wet. Her sleepy brain was still a little slow to react. Where did the water come from? After struggling for a while, she finally came to her senses.

When she lit the oil lamp, she saw Qiyue's face wrinkled hard, big tears falling from the corners of her tightly closed eyes, her mouth open but no sound came out. Tang Xu's heart ached. She stroked Qiyue's forehead to the back of her neck with her hand, and said softly: "Little Qiyue, it's okay, it's okay, don't be afraid..."

Perhaps the gentle voice and actions soothed him, July's little face slowly relaxed and he fell asleep again.

Tang Xu yawned and pulled the little guy into his arms, half-wrapping him. It is said that this will make people feel more secure. He gently patted the quilt with his arms, and finally didn't know how he fell asleep.

As soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, I was met with a pair of clear and bright eyes. It is said that children's eyes are darker and brighter because they have one less layer of protective film in their eyes than adults.

However, as soon as their eyes met, July closed her eyes tightly, with such force that her eyelids were wrinkled and almost sunk into her eye sockets.

There's no need to be so scared?

"Good morning, Xiao Qiyue!" Tang Xu greeted her cheerfully, then quickly got up and stood beside the bed with his hands on his hips, "Get up, the sun is about to burn your butt!"

Ye Qiyue slowly opened her eyes, turned over and lay on the bed, sticking out her butt and bending her legs, supporting her upper body with her thin arms, then turned over again and sat up.

Tsk, this clumsy and complicated sitting-up movement is the same for kids all over the world?

"Let's take off!~" Tang Xu picked up Ye Qiyue horizontally, supported her chest with one hand and her legs with the other, and quickly rushed to the kitchen.

Looking down at the child's expression, it was not the excitement and joy she had imagined. Instead, it was a kind of fear, with slightly wide eyes and constricted pupils, obviously frightened.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to throw you away." Tang Xu quickly hugged him and patted his back to comfort him. It was all the fault of the original owner! I can't play with my children happily anymore!

In this parallel universe of an unknown dynasty, there is no toothpaste, but there is tooth powder and a crude toothbrush, but it is a bit painful for the gums.

Tang Xu tilted her head while braiding her hair and thought, what to eat in the morning, just cook some porridge with some pickles. She glanced at the skinny July and fried an egg for the child.

It's not good to have hair that's too long, it makes my hands sore. Why not tie it into a ponytail? Because she couldn't tie it tight, and she couldn't tie it properly even after raising her hands.

Yesterday I saw the girls and ladies on the street with their hair in beautiful buns, not a single hair was loose. They all have the same hands, but the difference is so big.

After breakfast, she strolled to the clinic to change the medicine. The old doctor saw that she came on time and looked much better than yesterday, and it seemed that he believed her lies.

No, it's not a lie, it's the truth! It wasn't her who did it!

After changing the dressing, Qiyue was sweating again from the pain. Tang Xu couldn't bear it and asked, "Since it will stick, can't we just wrap it up?"

Bai Zhe shook his head, "No, it will become more serious if it gets contaminated with something else."

In fact, Tang Xu also understood that bandaging the wound was to keep it clean, but the process of repeated healing and tearing was too painful, and it hurt just looking at it.

"Children's wounds heal quickly. They will scab over in two or three days at most." Perhaps because her expression was too distressed, Bai Zhe explained again.

"Okay, thank you." Tang Xu picked up Qiyue, whose eyes were wet, and said, "Let's go buy some meat. Eating meat will make you feel better soon."

When Dr. Bai heard this from behind, he began to believe that she was not the one who beat the child.

But after leaving the clinic, Tang Xu did not go to buy meat, but walked towards a bookstore.

The bookstore was very quiet, with only a few scholars in long robes reading books.

Tang Xu looked around and walked to the counter, "Do you have a hard pen?"

"Yes." The shopkeeper nodded and took out a box from under the cabinet. Inside were various hard pens. "Knife pens, bamboo pens, reed pens, double-petal bamboo pens, lead pens..."

Tang Xu's eyes lit up, "Wait, can I try this lead trench?"

The shopkeeper nodded and handed her the pen, "Of course."

Tang Xu took the pen and drew twice on the paper given by the shopkeeper. Isn't this a pencil? I thought this didn't exist in ancient times. Other hard pens all need to be dipped in ink to write, but this can be written directly. "How much is this?"

"Thirty cents for one." Seeing that she was satisfied, the shopkeeper held up three fingers.

Tang Xu choked up. It was so expensive! But he had to buy it. "Give me two. Where's the paper?"

The shopkeeper put away his pen and held out a stack of paper rolls. "It depends on what kind you want. 50 wen a knife, 150 wen, 500 wen, and one liang. These are the ones that sell more on weekdays. If you need something better, we have them too."

Tang Xu touched it and unfolded it to look at it. It was about the size of A3. The edges of the fifty-cent note were uneven and a little rough, so it was only good for going to the toilet. The one with a hundred and fifty cents was better, with smooth edges but not smooth either. The one with five hundred cents was better, but it was too expensive.

Then he said, "Fifty and one hundred and fifty, one for each. Do you have any books for children's enlightenment?"

Looking at the clothes, I thought I wouldn't buy too much, but I didn't expect to make some money. Qian Duolai's attitude became more enthusiastic, "Yes."

I bought two rolls of paper, two pencils, a brush, an inkstone, and three hundred thousand yuan for the children's enlightenment. I spent nearly four taels of silver, among which the books were the most expensive, and the fifty-tael silver note had already been broken.

But no matter how poor you are, you cannot skimp on education. July’s enlightenment cannot be saved. It is a necessity. She also needs to see what the characters of this era look like.

In short, open source is still necessary.

I went to the carpenter's shop again and ordered an easel. Fortunately, this one was cheap.

It was originally planned to buy meat, so Tang Xu bought a few bones, half a pound of pork fat, and half a pound of lean meat. He also picked out the cheapest vegetables and bought two of them before going home.

Holding July in her arms the whole time, her hands started to shake. She thought her hands would be broken when she woke up tomorrow.

"Hey, wait, don't close the door." Wang Xiaofang watched the big and small come back, and followed closely behind. The store was not busy these days, and thinking of the child's bare feet, she and the boss rushed out a pair of slippers last night and sent them over quickly.

Tang Xu paused in closing the door, and when he saw the person coming, he asked in surprise, "Madam, the owner of the cloth shop? The clothes are ready so quickly?"

Wang Xiaofang handed over the shoes in her hand. "No, no, I saw the child was barefoot yesterday, so I hurriedly bought a pair of shoes. Take a look at them. If there's anything wrong, I can modify them."

This was a pair of soft cloth slippers with a thick sole, but because they were made of coarse cloth, they didn't feel that soft. She was about to let July try them out when she was stopped again.

"Here, and socks. The seams for the children's clothes have been cut out, and I sewed a few pairs of socks for the extra ones."

This was really unexpected. Tang Xu had not thought about socks at all. Although she had taken care of her nephew, she was not his biological mother after all. She usually played with him and was not as attentive as a mother. But a stranger thought of all this. She could not help but feel touched and expressed her gratitude sincerely: "Thank you so much. This is my first time taking care of a child. I accidentally forgot this and that."

Wang Xiaofang blushed, thinking that she had done nothing wrong. She smiled and waved her hands, "It's okay. You are so young and it's good that you are so attentive to children."

Tang Xu smiled and said nothing more.

In ancient times, socks were straight and had a tie at the opening. But this loose style was just right for July's injured foot. After putting on the slippers, she helped July stand up and walked a few steps. "July, how are you? Did your toes get pressed? Does it hurt?"

Ye Qiyue pursed her lips and shook her head, with a little joy in her eyes. Although the new shoes were strange, they were very comfortable.

"There's nothing to change. Thank you for your help. What's your name? My name is Tang Xu." Tang Xu turned his head and said.

"Miss Tang, you are too polite. If you don't mind, you can call me Auntie Wang. We are all neighbors. If you have any questions, you can ask me." Wang Xiaofang felt that this girl was polite and didn't mind helping out. She was just a little curious about the origin of this child. It was a bit strange. She said it was her first time to take care of a child. This girl didn't look like she was married. Could it be a relative's child?

"Okay, just don't find me annoying." Tang Xu joked with a smile.

Wang Xiaofang smiled and said, "That's definitely not possible. I'll leave first. If you have anything, just come to the store and find me."

"Okay, take care. I wish you many guests." Tang Xu said auspicious words.

Who doesn't like to have many customers in business? This girl looks like a well-educated person, and her words are more pleasant than others. Wang Xiaofang came happily and left happily. When she returned home, she told the head of the family that this girl Tang was polite and grateful, and spoke nicely. She might be the eldest daughter of some family.

Not only Qiyue was happy to have the shoes, but Tang Xu was also happy. After all, she could walk with the shoes on without having to be carried around. She felt like her biceps were about to be trained.

It was still early, Tang Xu hummed a song while boiling lard and put it in a small jar. He also stewed the bone soup and added a white radish later. It was a delicious and nutritious radish and bone soup! He also fried some potatoes and shredded pork, perfect!

She sprinkled some salt on the lard residue, took it out and placed it on the bamboo mat, and said to Qiyue: "Eat the lard residue, it's fragrant and crispy."

Ye Qiyue put down the windmill and picked up one. It was something he had never eaten before, and it smelled really good. He turned his little hands and looked at it again and again before putting it in his mouth. He took a bite and his mouth was full of meaty aroma. It was so delicious! He looked at Tang Xu timidly, wondering if he could eat another one.

"Eat it, eat it, and see who has faster hands and eats more!" Tang Xu said, taking one in each hand and stuffing them all into his mouth.

Ye Qiyue suddenly became anxious, and also followed suit, stuffing one in each hand and filling his mouth full.

The more Tang Xu looked at him, the cuter he found him, and his expression softened.

Most of the half bowl of lard residue went into July's stomach, and Tang Xu only grabbed a few symbolically.

At noon, July drank two bowls of bone soup and ate half a bowl of rice and vegetables. I don’t know how his small body could hold so much food.

After dinner, Tang Xu coaxed July to take a nap. She took out the paper. These were a bit too big for painting, so she cut them in half to make them just right. While cutting, she was thinking about what kind of clothes to draw. There are many people wearing Hanfu nowadays. There are many girls in her school who wear modified Hanfu to class every day.

The dynasty she is in now tends to wear Ming-style clothes. The original owner mostly wore a round-necked, arrow-sleeved short top, paired with a horse-faced skirt or pleated skirt.

She held the pen to her chin and recalled the clothes worn by the women on the street. She slowly began to draw a short shirt with pipa sleeves and an embroidered pattern of a jade rabbit holding a laurel.

Sweet osmanthus blooms in autumn, which is perfect for this season. Osmanthus alone would be a bit monotonous, so adding a few cute and lively rabbits would make it just right.

After painting and revising, I finally finished drawing the clothes, and then I remembered that I should wake Xiao Qiyue up. I can't sleep too much during the day, otherwise I will have a headache if I can't sleep at night.

She put down her pen and rushed into the room. She saw the little guy lying on the bed, playing with his new shoes. His little finger was rubbing the upper and the sole, as if he was seeing the shoes for the first time.

Tang Xu carefully looked through her memories, but found that the original owner didn't remember how long it had been since she bought new shoes for her child. She didn't even remember whether July wore shoes. When running for her life, she would just hold him under her armpits or tie him up on her back. If his clothes were really worn out, she would just buy a new one and throw it to him to wear. She didn't care if the size was right, let alone give the child a bath, or even take a second look.

If she remembered, she would throw a steamed bun to leave some leftovers. If she didn't remember, Qiyue would be hungry. Anyway, she was hanging half dead, and she had thought about throwing Qiyue away, but every time she threw her away, she would think of Ye Shaoqing's desperate pleading eyes before his death. She would pick her up again, but once her emotions got the better of her, she would do it again.