“An’an doesn’t show symptoms of catching a cold, and neither does she feel hot to the touch. Could the redness on her chin be the cause?” suggested Harvey.
Bai Qingqing felt even more panicked now. She didn’t even glance at him as she spoke, her eyes riveted upon An’an throughout. “No, she drooled a lot when she cried. It only turned red from our rubbing.”
Bai Qingqing edged closer to An’an, and the latter suddenly broke into hysterical cries, sounding so choked it was like she was about to breathe her last.
Bai Qingqing quickly stepped away and squatted down, burying her face as she started sobbing.
“She was still fine yesterday… Could it have been from our shifting to a new home? Why don’t we move back?” Bai Qingqing looked up at Parker with a teary face, then towards Winston. “Let’s move back, shall we? Perhaps An’an simply isn’t accustomed to a new place. Maybe she’ll be fine once we move back to the tree hole.”
“If that’s the case, she would have started crying long ago. An’an only suddenly jolted awake after she fell asleep,” said Parker.
Winston clenched his fists in pain. He picked up a large piece of animal skin and wrapped An’an with it, then said, “Let’s go back and see if it works.”
Bai Qingqing also immediately got to her feet. Parker held her down and took An’an from Winston’s arms. He said to Winston, “I’ll go back and coax An’an. You stay here and take care of Qingqing. It’s very windy and cold out there right now. Qingqing might fall sick if she goes out. If it proves to be effective, you can bring her back later.”
Harvey also voiced his agreement. “I’ll go with Parker. I can come back and bring news to you guys later.”
“No way! How can I sit still here? I want to be with An’an. What’s going to happen if she wants to drink milk later?” Bai Qingqing wiped away her tears and wrapped the clothes around her firmly. She was about to get to her feet when Winston pushed her down again.
“Let’s stay here,” Winston said in his deep voice as he squatted down to hold her in a tight embrace.
Although the female baby was important, in the hearts of the males, their mates were the most important person. With An’an crying so hard, in the world of beastman where medical science fell far behind, the beastmen were mentally prepared for the worst.
From how Parker, Winston, and Harvey understood it, bringing the baby back to the tree hole would help to alleviate Bai Qingqing’s pain and suffering.
The person who loved the child the most was ultimately the mother. Nobody dared to tell Bai Qingqing this, for they didn’t have the heart to.
Bai Qingqing leaned her head sideways on Winston’s shoulder and let out two muffled whimpers.
“Go then… be sure to bring back news as soon as possible.”
“Okay.” Parker lowered his head and checked An’an’s swaddling clothes, before jogging out swiftly. Though Harvey followed closely behind, he lost sight of him shortly after exiting the entrance of the stone castle.
As An’an’s cries grew farther and farther away, Bai Qingqing’s heart felt increasingly painful. She grabbed Winston’s large hand and looked up at him with a teary face. “An’an will be okay, right?”
Winston’s Adam’s Apple vibrated, and he held her even more tightly. “I don’t know.”
Bai Qingqing slapped away his arm angrily and got up to reprimand him. “How can you think this way?
“An’an will surely be fine… it’s perfectly normal for babies to cry. My mom used to tell me that when I was a baby, I would cry throughout the night, making my parents endure many sleepless nights.” Bai Qingqing whimpered as she gazed at Winston with eyes so red they resembled that of rabbits’.
Winston, however, didn’t comfort her immediately like he usually did. He hugged his head painfully and only spoke after a good while.
“When I was poisoned with the scorpion’s venom, the poison would act up most severely on a full moon’s night. It took me three months before I fully recovered.”
Bai Qingqing staggered before her knees gave way. Hearing this, Winston caught hold of her with an arm and prevented her from collapsing to the ground.
“How could it be…” Bai Qingqing’s face was completely drained of blood.