Wen Shuqiao brought the prepared dinner to the table. The young male lead, already seated in his chair, couldn't help but gulp.
It smelled so good! The delicious aroma was making his little head spin!
Seeing his eyes fixed on the food, Wen Shuqiao couldn't help but smile. she picked up a rib and placed it in his bowl. "Can Can Bao, can you eat ribs by yourself?"
She had simmered the ribs for a long time until they were tender enough to fall off the bone, making them easy for a child to chew.
Can Can nodded vigorously. "Can Bao can!"
The young male lead seemed much more relaxed. He clumsily gripped his chopsticks to poke at the rib. In truth, he wasn't very skilled with chopsticks yet; back at the orphanage, everyone used spoons.
Wen Shuqiao went back to the kitchen to wash a spoon. She said, "Can Bao, use a spoon for now. Tomorrow, Auntie will buy you some training chopsticks for children, okay?"
Can Can nodded. Auntie was truly wonderful!
She was even going to buy him baby chopsticks! His mommy had bought him a pair before!
But he had lost them shortly after arriving at the orphanage, and he had cried for a very long time because of it.
With the spoon in hand, Can Can't eating speed increased significantly. A piece of meat puffed out his cheek, giving him the innocent and lively look unique to children.
Wen Shuqiao wondered if she could help him put on some weight before he was taken back.
She placed some shredded potatoes in his bowl as well. "Can Bao, you can't just eat meat. You need to eat vegetables too, along with your rice."
Can Can agreed with a series of muffled "mhm"s, murmuring, "Tho good! Delithiouth!"
Wen Shuqiao thought to herself that he actually had a fairly large vocabulary.
The young male lead was an easy eater, so Wen Shuqiao didn't have to exert much effort. After clearing the table and estimating the time was right, she took him to have a bath.
Wearing his newly bought panda pajamas, he looked incredibly adorable!
However, when Wen Shuqiao finished her own shower and stepped out, he was nowhere to be seen in the bedroom.
Puzzled, she walked into the living room and immediately spotted a small lump on the sofa. She walked over to find the young male lead curled up, covered only by a thin T-shirt, fast asleep.
Wen Shuqiao looked at him and sighed softly. She reached out and picked him up.
The young male lead opened his eyes dizzily, caught a glimpse of her, and asked or mumbled, "Auntie, are you sending me away?"
Wen Shuqiao said softly, "Auntie is taking you to the bedroom to sleep."
Wrapped in warmth and with a full belly, Can Can had long since been visited by the sleep bugs. Knowing that his auntie wasn't sending him away, he fell back into a deep sleep in her arms.
He hadn't had such a warm sleep in a very, very long time. Perhaps because he was so happy today, his head felt all fuzzy…
Wen Shuqiao originally wanted to lie in bed and gather more information about this world, but she felt exceptionally exhausted both mentally and physically today. After tucking the young male lead in, she also drifted off to sleep.
Wen Shuqiao was woken up by the heat. She hadn't fully closed the curtains before sleeping. When she opened her eyes and used the light from outside to see the room, she was dazed for a moment before remembering where she was.
There was a heat source next to her. The young male lead had been sleeping far away when he first fell asleep, but at some point, he had rolled over to her side. One hand was tightly clutching her collar while the other gripped her finger firmly. His breathing was heavy and uneven.
He looked completely devoid of any sense of security.
Wen Shuqiao carefully rolled him over, placing his hands down and turning him face-up to prevent him from having trouble breathing.
Once finished, she exhaled and prepared to return to her dreams. But just as she closed her eyes, she sensed something strange.
She turned on the light and looked at the young male lead lying beside her. His face was flushed with an unnatural redness, and his small features were scrunched up as if he were in great distress.
She reached out to touch his forehead. It was burning!
She scrambled out of bed to find the thermometer gun. One click showed 38.5 degrees.
The young male lead had a fever!
Wen Shuqiao hurriedly pulled on her clothes and then clumsily dressed the young male lead. He must have been delirious from the fever, as he didn't wake up during the process.
It wasn't until she carried him out the door, his head tucked into the crook of her shoulder, that he forced himself awake. He asked groggily, "Auntie, where are we going?"
Wen Shuqiao said, "Can Bao has a fever. Auntie is taking you to see a doctor."
Illness in children was nothing to be trifled with; if not handled properly, it could leave lasting health issues. Wen Shuqiao walked with great urgency.
Can Can was well-behaved, his small arms tightly circling Wen Shuqiao's neck to keep himself from falling.
Fortunately, the hospital was nearby. It took Wen Shuqiao only twenty minutes from leaving the house to arriving at the hospital. After an emergency check-up, it was determined to be a simple cold and fever. He just needed an IV drip and some medicine to take home.
"The child is also malnourished. As a guardian, you can't just give him snacks; he needs to eat more real food. You also need to pay more attention to changes in the weather. A child's constitution can't compare to an adult's."
Wen Shuqiao took the doctor's words to heart. The doctor then wrote a prescription and sent her to pay and get the IV started.
The weather in City A was very fickle. When Wen Shuqiao carried the child into the infusion room, it was quite crowded, with half of the patients being children.
Wen Shuqiao found a small corner. The young male lead was wide awake after all the commotion. Except for when they had to be apart during the examination, he clung tightly to Wen Shuqiao's arm, looking at his surroundings with timid, fearful eyes.
"Can Bao, the doctor is going to give you a shot. Can you sit properly?" Wen Shuqiao gently patted his back.
Though reluctant, Can Can followed Wen Shuqiao's instructions and let go. Wen Shuqiao adjusted his position, holding him in her lap. She held one of his hands down with her hand and covered his eyes with the other. "It'll be over soon. Don't be afraid, Can Bao."
The nurse was quick and precise, and the needle was soon inserted. The young male lead truly didn't make a single sound.
The nurse smiled. "Your child is so well-behaved."
Saying this, she fished a milk candy out of her pocket and said to Can Can, "Baby is so good. How about Auntie rewards you with a milk candy?"
Can Can felt his head spinning, but upon hearing the word "candy," he forced himself to look. He gulped, but did not reach out.
Mommy had said before that he couldn't accept candy from strangers! Or else they would take Can Bao away!
Can Bao had already been taken away from his mommy once; he didn't want to be taken away from Auntie this time!
But he really wanted to eat candy! This candy looked so delicious!
Can Can endured for a moment before burying his face in Wen Shuqiao's chest, simply refusing to look anymore.
The two adults saw the child's expression clearly. The nurse said with a smile, "The kid is quite alert, knowing not to take things from strangers. Not bad."
Wen Shuqiao took the candy for him. She said, "Thank you, I appreciate it."
Once the nurse left, Wen Shuqiao looked down. "Can Bao?"
Can Can poked his head out from her arms, his face still flushed. He whispered, "Auntie… I want to go home."
One of his hands tightly gripped the fabric of Wen Shuqiao's coat as his anxiety continued to spread.
Wen Shuqiao shifted his position to make him more comfortable in her lap. She said softly, "We'll go home in a little while. If Can Bao wants to sleep, just sleep in Auntie's arms, okay?"
Can Bao gave a pitiful "mhm." He looked at his hand, which was taped down. "Auntie, Can Bao's head is dizzy. I'm going to see little stars soon."
Wen Shuqiao couldn't help but chuckle at that. She tucked the milk candy into Can Bao's pocket. "The dizziness will go away soon. Go to sleep."
Can Bao continued to look at her. Wen Shuqiao sighed softly and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Don't worry, Auntie won't send Can Bao away."
The young male lead must have been holding on with all his might. Upon hearing Wen Shuqiao's promise, he finally closed his eyes, though his small hand never let go of her clothes.
Wen Shuqiao held him a bit tighter, staring blankly at the IV bottle while leaning against the back of the chair.
She could tell that the young male lead had very little sense of security. Just because Xu Feng had said one thing, he had been preoccupied with it all night.
But it was understandable. After all, he had suffered so much. Even adults had moments of insecurity, let alone a child who didn't understand anything.
Wen Shuqiao subconsciously pulled him closer.
Feeling the movement, Can Can opened one eye dizzily to look at Wen Shuqiao, then closed it again and fell into a peaceful sleep.
[System connecting…]
[System connection successful! Host Shen Shiyue bound!]