Chapter 119: Taking Care of the Child Isn’t Easy
Little Bean had a red and wrinkled face, with lots of white vernix still on it, which wasn’t very attractive.
However, when Qingyan looked at Little Bean with his big eyelids still closed, he knew this child couldn’t be ugly.
Little Bean was crying loudly in his arms, and Qiu Henian, as a new father, was flustered and awkwardly rocked him gently, sweating profusely on his forehead.
Li Shen took the child from Qiu Henian’s arms and smiled, saying, “Don’t rush around blindly. Go to the backyard, fetch the milk goat, squeeze out a small bowl of milk, steam it thoroughly in a pot, and bring it over.”
Qiu Henian glanced at the bed. The midwife was massaging Qingyan’s belly. Qingyan’s face was pale, his teeth clenched tightly, sweat beads dripping down. He hesitated on whether to leave him alone.
Li Shen pushed him, saying, “Go quickly. This is the discharge. It’s normal. Qingyan is afraid to worry you; he doesn’t even dare to call for help.”
Only then did Qiu Henian step out and went to fetch the goat from the backyard.
Outside, things were bustling as well. Liu Fa and Qiuniang were cooking. Qiuniang stewed chicken soup, and the old physician had said not to eat too much oil, so she patiently skimmed off the top layer of oil with a small spoon.
Then she shredded the chicken, added freshly rolled noodles, and when it was almost cooked, added some chopped green onions to bring out the fragrance. She cooked it and then left it to cool by the window.
Inside the house, Li Shen called for her. Qiuniang tested the noodles and found them just warm enough, then brought them into the room.
By this time, Qingyan had already been cleaned up, dressed in clothes, and the midwife had wrapped a headscarf around her. Qingyan leaned against the head of the bed, looking much better.
Qiuniang placed the noodles on the kang table. Qingyan had a good appetite and finished half a bowl in no time.
The midwife smiled and said, “Eat as much as you can. You’ve exerted a lot of effort tonight.”
Qingyan put down his bowl and said, “Mother-in-law, you’ve worked hard tonight too. The meal in the outer room will be ready soon. Please stay and have a meal.”
The midwife smiled and agreed.
At this moment, Qiu Henian returned with the goat’s milk. Li Shen asked Qingyan to hold Little Bean while she slowly fed him the milk. The tiny infant hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, but he instinctively moved towards the spoon and eagerly drank mouthfuls.
In the outer room, Liu Fa called for dinner, and the old physician was resting in the adjacent room. As the host, Qiu Henian had to manage everything. But he kept glancing at Qingyan and occasionally at Little Bean in his arms.
His steps seemed unusually heavy, until Qingyan lowered his head and smiled at him, waving him away. Only then did he snap out of it, smile, and leave.
Li Shen glanced back and sighed, “No matter how shrewd a person is in ordinary times, at moments like this, they become a fool.”
Qingyan chuckled, covering his mouth.
The breakfast had vegetables, meat, and wine to relieve fatigue. After eating their fill, Qiu Henian didn’t forget to give the two of them red envelopes. The old physician didn’t need money, so he casually stuffed it into his sleeve, while the midwife secretly weighed it in her hand, her smile even brighter.
Qiu Henian drove the carriage to send the two of them back separately. When he returned, the tableware had all been cleaned up. Besides Qingyan and the child, only Li Shen remained in the house.
Seeing Qiu Henian return, she brushed off her clothes, stood up, and said, “Alright, this old lady should go rest.”
The young couple naturally thanked Li Shen profusely. Li Shen waved her hand and said, “We’re all family. Don’t be so polite. I’ll come over again later.”
Qiu Henian said, “Auntie, you should rest well today.”
Li Shen said, “No way. I’m worried that as a new father, you won’t understand anything and might let my little treasure go hungry.”
Qingyan looked at Qiu Henian and smiled. Qiu Henian touched his nose and escorted him out the door.
After returning, Little Bean had eaten his fill and was sound asleep in Qingyan’s arms, and the house suddenly became quiet.
Qiu Henian washed his hands quietly, took off his outer robe, and also got into bed.
The two of them stared at the wrinkled face of the infant for a long time, then glanced at each other.
After a while, Qingyan said, “I’ve noticed that since Little Bean arrived, your position in Li Shen’s eyes has plummeted.”
Qiu Henian smiled, leaned forward, and kissed his forehead.
The two of them looked at each other again. Qingyan yawned, and Qiu Henian asked softly, “Do you still want to eat something?”
Qingyan shook his head.
Qiu Henian asked again, “Do you want some water?”
Qingyan shook his head again.
Qiu Henian hugged his shoulders, let him lie back in bed, pulled up the blanket to cover him, patted him gently on the waist and hips like soothing a child, and whispered, “Little Bean, I’ll watch over you. Have a good sleep.”
Qingyan was exhausted to the limit and quickly fell asleep.
Qiu Henian sat at the edge of the bed, looking at the two lying there. Although he hadn’t slept all night, he felt no drowsiness now. His heart was full.
After looking for a while, he began to feel a bit sleepy. He lay down next to Qingyan and the child, but before he could fall asleep properly, he heard Little Bean whimpering a few times, as if about to cry.
Qiu Henian quickly got up, picked up the child, and walked a few circles around the room. At first, it worked, but after a while, the little mouth curled up, and he was about to cry again.
It hadn’t been long since he had finished eating, so it shouldn’t be hunger. Qiu Henian was at a loss when he suddenly felt his robe getting warm. From the outside to the inside, it was soaked. He froze for a moment before realizing that the baby in his arms had wet himself.
Qiu Henian placed the swaddled baby on the table and recalled what Li Shen had taught him. He cleaned him up, changed him into a clean diaper and wrapped him back up. Fortunately, the discomfort only caused Little Bean to whimper a few times without waking Qingyan up.
After changing him and making him comfortable again, Little Bean fell asleep once more.
Qiu Henian placed him next to Qingyan, watched for a while, changed his clothes, and then went outside to feed the milk goat. He squeezed some goat’s milk and brought it back, putting it in a pot to prepare.
After preparing the milk, he boiled water to scald the changed diapers and swaddling clothes, washed them clean, and hung them up to dry. He also washed the robe he had changed out of.
Once these tasks were done, Qiu Henian quietly entered the house, sat down on the bed, and was just about to rest for a while when Little Bean moved his hands and feet, his face turning red, starting to grunt and whimper as if he was about to cry.
Qiu Henian chuckled helplessly, opened the swaddling clothes to check, but there was no wetness or soiling. He picked him up and walked a few circles, but Little Bean still seemed on the verge of crying. Then he realized the baby was hungry.
Worried that keeping the baby inside would disturb Qingyan’s sleep, Qiu Henian carried Little Bean out of the room, holding him with one arm and lifting the pot lid with the other.
Accustomed to rough work year-round, his hands were calloused, and he didn’t feel the heat when holding the hot milk bowl directly. He placed the bowl by the window. Seeing Little Bean’s mouth twitching down in a sign of extreme hunger, he knew it was too late to let it cool.
He quickly poured a basin of water and placed the bowl in to cool it down, stirring it constantly with a spoon. But in no time, he was sweating profusely.
Little Bean couldn’t wait any longer and began to cry loudly, his wrinkled face turning even redder, tears streaming down his cheeks.
When Li Shen came in and saw this scene, her heart ached at Little Bean’s pitiful appearance.
She gently coaxed him with soft words and then glanced at Qiu Henian, saying with a sigh, “Clumsy!”
Qiu Henian smiled helplessly, placed the bowl on the table, and Li Shen took the child and sat down at the table. She tested the temperature with her lips and then slowly fed him spoonful by spoonful.
Qiu Henian watched beside them. Li Shen nodded towards the inner room and whispered, “You’ve been busy all night and half the day taking care of him. Let me handle the child. You go inside and get some rest.”
Li Shen still felt compassion for the child’s father.
Qiu Henian hesitated about letting Li Shen take care of the child while he slept, but Li Shen insisted, “You’ll have to stay up tonight. Take the chance to sleep now.”
Only then did Qiu Henian enter the room.
After taking off his outer robe, he lay down next to Qingyan on the bed. He could hear his steady breathing.
After lying down for a while, he couldn’t resist getting up again. He kissed Qingyan’s forehead lightly, trying to be as gentle as possible, before lying back down on the pillow.
As soon as he relaxed his whole body, fatigue washed over him like a tide.
Not long after, Qiu Henian fell into a deep sleep.
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
At a glance, Qingyan’s cheeks flushed to the roots of his ears. The jade objects had been inserted long ago, leaving only the silk threads at the bottom exposed.
