The next morning, Lu Wanwan was woken up by Xiaobao’s cries. Seeing the twins still asleep, she got up quietly and stepped out.
Chen Shu hadn’t slept well the night before. After talking to her husband on the phone, she suddenly felt depressed and couldn’t fall asleep until almost dawn. Now, with Xiaobao crying again, her emotions collapsed all at once.
“Stop crying, Xiaobao… Mommy’s so tired and exhausted. If you keep crying… Mommy will cry too.”
When Lu Wanwan arrived, she saw Chen Shu standing by the crib, hands clutching her hair, crying alongside Xiaobao.
“Shu-jie, I’ll feed Xiaobao.”
Chen Shu stared at Lu Wanwan for a moment before remembering that she had hired her to feed Xiaobao. She mechanically nodded.
“Oh… okay.”
Lu Wanwan picked Xiaobao up, gently soothing him: “Good boy, Xiaobao. Don’t cry. Let’s eat and be comfortable.”
But this time, Xiaobao refused to drink properly, squirming and crying again after only a few sips.
Irritated, Chen Shu got up and glared at Lu Wanwan, demanding: “Why is he still crying? Are you feeding him properly?”
Lu Wanwan was puzzled. Yesterday he hadn’t done this. She placed him back in the crib and began checking him gently. Soon, she noticed his bottom was red with small bumps.
When Lu Wanwan first arrived, Yuanyuan had a similar problem. She quickly poured warm water to clean Xiaobao and applied leftover baby powder from Yuanyuan to soothe his skin.
Xiaobao’s cries subsided, leaving only occasional sniffles of discomfort.
Chen Shu came out of the bathroom, and noticing the silence, she felt relieved—until she saw the white powder on Xiaobao’s bottom. Memories of Fang Anqian’s words flashed in her mind. Agitated, she rushed over, pushing Lu Wanwan away and yelling:
“What are you doing? Are you trying to harm Xiaobao?”
“Chen-jie, I’m not trying to harm Xiaobao, I—”
“You’re still defending yourself? What did you put on Xiaobao? Stay away from him!”
Chen Shu screamed sharply, grabbing a nearby cup and throwing it at Lu Wanwan. Completely different from yesterday.
The cup shattered on the floor with a loud crash. Xiaobao, startled, cried out.
Worried he might get hurt, Lu Wanwan quickly turned to shield him. Her hand was cut by the shards, immediately bleeding.
Tuantuan and Yuanyuan, awakened by the commotion, ran over. Seeing her injured, one cried out in explanation while the other tried to bandage her hand.
“Auntie, Mommy won’t hurt Xiaobao.”
“Mommy is bleeding, it hurts.”
Hearing the noise, Aunt Zhang rushed from the kitchen and saw the chaotic scene. She quickly stepped in to help.
Once the situation was clarified, Aunt Zhang explained to Chen Shu while looking at the powder on Xiaobao’s bottom: “This is baby powder. I’ve seen other families use it. It doesn’t harm the child and can relieve itching and disinfect. Many city children use it.”
“You really weren’t trying to harm Xiaobao?”
Only then did Chen Shu realize her mistake. She collapsed in tears and apologized to Lu Wanwan: “I’m sorry, Wanwan. I was just too worried about Xiaobao and ended up hurting you. It’s all my fault.”
“It’s okay, Chen-jie. It’s just a small injury. Xiaobao’s bottom was red with little bumps, so I used the powder I had for Yuanyuan to soothe him. I forgot to ask you first.”
Lu Wanwan also realized that Chen Shu didn’t know what baby powder was and mistakenly thought she was trying to harm Xiaobao. She sensed that Chen Shu’s emotional state wasn’t normal—it was a little like postpartum depression.
Aunt Zhang cleaned up the broken shards, bandaged Lu Wanwan’s hand, and took Tuantuan and Yuanyuan out for breakfast.
Back in the room, Lu Wanwan fed Xiaobao while comforting Chen Shu.
“Chen-jie, even though you’re a mom, don’t let yourself get too emotionally strained. Xiaobao is just growing up a little at a time. He’ll be easier to take care of as he grows. Right now, he can’t speak well. If he cries, it’s probably because he’s hungry or needs a diaper change. Just spend some time talking to him—it’s really not that hard.”
Is it really that easy? Chen Shu, red-eyed and haggard, watched as Xiaobao drank quietly without fuss. Her frustrated, overwhelmed emotions began to ease, and she nodded.
“Good thing I hired you to feed Xiaobao. If I had to do this alone, I’d really go crazy.”
The phone rang in the living room, and Aunt Zhang answered. It was Zhou Yushen. He had come to the base early in the morning and, after training, remembered to call home.
“Aunt Zhang, how’s everything at home?”
“Captain Zhou, Chen-jie was upset earlier and broke a cup. Wanwan’s hand got a small cut, but Chen-jie is feeling better now. She’s talking with Wanwan upstairs.”
Fang Anqian had followed Zhou Yushen to the office and overheard the conversation. She immediately asked worriedly:
“Why did Shu-jie cry? I’ll go keep her company. I noticed her mood was off a few days ago—last time she was peeling an apple, she almost cut her hand.”
Zhou Yushen hung up, a little concerned for his sister-in-law, and didn’t refuse when Fang Anqian asked to ride in his car back home.
Excited, she quickly got in. On the way, using Chen Shu as an excuse, Fang Anqian tried to chat with Zhou Yushen, subtly mocking Lu Wanwan:
“Shen-ge, the nanny Shu-jie found for Xiaobao doesn’t seem very reliable. She has her own two children. Can she really give Xiaobao her full attention? Besides, she’s just a rough village woman, knows nothing. City and countryside are completely different. I hope she doesn’t mess up taking care of Xiaobao.”
“She won’t. Lu Wanwan has taken great care of Tuantuan and Yuanyuan. Shu-jie can make her own judgment,” Zhou Yushen replied firmly, not wanting to hear Fang Anqian slander Lu Wanwan.
“Comrade Fang, don’t gossip behind people’s backs. Everyone is the same—city or countryside doesn’t matter. The Zhou family used to be farmers too.”
How could they be the same? Fang Anqian thought, but she obediently said: “You’re right, Shen-ge. I’m just worried about Shu-jie and Xiaobao.”
When the car returned to the Zhou family courtyard, Chen Shu was sleeping soundly in bed, having not slept this well in a long time.
After feeding Xiaobao, Lu Wanwan carried him to the living room so as not to disturb Chen Shu.
Tuantuan and Yuanyuan crowded around her and Xiaobao, constantly making him laugh.
Fang Anqian entered the living room first. Seeing the happy scene, jealousy overtook her. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed Xiaobao, and whispered a mocking remark at Lu Wanwan:
“You filthy village woman… with dirty hands, and you think you deserve to hold a city child?”