Xiaoxiao and Yang Ming had just fallen asleep for a short while when the baby started crying loudly, prompting both to quickly get up to check.
"It’s okay, just a wet diaper, honey, you keep sleeping."
Xiaoxiao changed the baby’s diaper and, after everything was taken care of, she hummed a song and lulled the baby back to sleep.
Having put the baby down, Xiaoxiao crawled back into bed and immediately fell asleep, but it wasn’t long before the baby started crying loudly again.
Groggy, Xiaoxiao got up to check, and this time the baby hadn’t peed or pooped—probably hungry.
"Wife, I’ll go," Yang Ming quickly got out of bed to warm up the rice soup while Xiaoxiao gently rocked the baby, singing songs and soothing him.
The couple was busy for a while before they finally got the baby to sleep.
However, it wasn’t long before the baby woke up again, and this time, he refused to sleep, playing instead. The two of them had no choice but to stay up with him, and by the time they finally got the baby to sleep, daylight had come.
Xiaoxiao and Yang Ming could say they barely slept at all that night, looking at each other with an expression that parenting was not as easy as it seemed. A newborn in its first month is both small and difficult to take care of, but since they had decided to keep the baby, they had to devote all their effort and care.
"Honey, it’s not good for the baby to always drink rice soup, it doesn’t have the nutrition of milk. What do you think about buying a milk cow or a sheep?"
"Sure, I’ll go to town and check it out later, if they don’t have it there, I’ll go to the county."
"Yeah, and pick up some pots on your way, for the baby to use."
They had originally planned to return and check on the fish pond before heading to Lin County, but they hadn’t anticipated this change of plans. Now they had to take care of the baby’s needs first, get everything ready for him, and then they could go to Lin County.
Neither of them felt like sleeping any longer, so they got up and started their chores. The diapers needed to be boiled in hot water, and they had to wash the baby’s clothes and diapers, as well as keep the rice soup warm in case the baby woke up hungry. Suddenly having a baby, Xiaoxiao found that time was completely insufficient and there were an extraordinary number of things to do.
Early in the morning, the second sister-in-law came over and saw that Xiaoxiao and Yang Ming had already hung out quite a few diapers to dry in the courtyard. She said, "You two are doing quite a good job at parenting."
"Hehe, second sister-in-law, you’re here."
"The baby kept you busy last night, didn’t he? I heard the crying."
"It’s alright, maybe the baby is just not used to the new environment yet, he’ll be better in a few days," Xiaoxiao replied as she boiled the rice porridge.
The second daughter-in-law suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Third sister-in-law, your husband is pretty good, helping you wash the diapers and all."
Xiaoxiao smiled with pursed lips, acknowledging that Yang Ming was indeed doing very well in this respect.
"Third sister-in-law, I came to tell you not to worry about the baby’s little quilts and clothes. We will take care of it today, find a few helpers, and make sure to get everything ready by the end of the day."
"Mm, thank you, second sister-in-law, I really can’t get away at the moment." Xiaoxiao had indeed been planning to ask them to take care of this, and she truly appreciated her sister-in-law’s help.
"Thank me for what? You’ve got a child now; you’re going to be tired. Just make sure not to overdo it. Who knows, you might get pregnant on your own soon."
"..." This comment made Xiaoxiao a bit embarrassed, "Mm, I’ll be careful."
She was no longer worried about the dangers of having a child at a young age; as long as she could get pregnant, that would be enough. She had run out of medicine in Lin County, which was why she had stopped taking it, but now she needed to start again after getting back home.
After eating, Yang Ming went to town to buy a milk cow for the baby. Xiaoxiao specifically reminded him, "Husband, buy some more of my medicine too, please."
"Wife." Every day, watching his wife take the medicine made Yang Ming’s heart ache.
"I don’t want to give up."