Chapter 63 Searching for Milk Everywhere

Chapter 63: Fumbling for Milk in His Arms

He returned excitedly with the urinal, but Shu Yangkuo pressed down firmly on the quilt with both hands:

"Be good, just put it down."

"...Brother, you don’t want my help?"

"Mm, turn around, dear."

"...But I want to take care of you, Brother."

Seeing the big pup’s voice drop noticeably, Shu Yangkuo sighed softly. He should have just asked for a wet wipe or something instead.

Suddenly, Wang Wang stirred at his side. Shu Yangkuo gently patted him with two fingers and continued coaxing Shi Zai:

"I’ll let you help later, okay?"

"...I’m not playing around!"

His voice rose sharply, then quickly fell. Shi Zai saw Wang Wang smack his lips and repeat almost in a whisper:

"I’m not playing around."

"...Brother knows. Be good, listen to me."

Shi Zai pouted and handed the urinal to the man. Fine, this really wasn’t the right time for him to help with urination—what if it strained the incision?

Then, he’d help later.

Splash, splash, splash... Shu Yangkuo must have been holding it for a long time. As soon as the sound stopped, Shi Zai immediately took the urinal, shook it—almost full—and turned to the man with a smile. "Brother, it’s still warm." Shu Yangkuo helplessly turned his head away; he was becoming more thick-skinned too.

Just as he returned, he saw Shu Yangkuo propping himself up, searching for something. Shi Zai hurried over:

"Brother, what’s wrong? Let me do it—"

"Wang Wang peed."

"Wow, you two really are like father, like son!"

"..."

"Brother, lie down properly. I’ll change his diaper—I just changed him earlier!"

Hearing the pride in his voice, Shu Yangkuo lay back down, watching Shi Zai clumsily change the baby’s diaper, his heart melting.

Wang Wang, half-asleep, was very well-behaved. After Shi Zai changed him into a dry diaper, he shook the old one—tsk, he peed a lot too. He praised, "Wang Wang is so amazing, such a good baby," and had just laid him back down when he saw Wang Wang curl one side of his lip into a faint smile. Shi Zai was stunned; it had the feel of "three parts mockery, four parts indifference, five parts nonchalance" from novels. Tsk.

If Wang Wang’s laugh had a sound, it would definitely be a "tsk."

Shi Zai lifted his face, scratching his chin:

"Hehe, Brother, is Wang Wang laughing at me?"

"No, dear, you’re so capable and amazing. Wang Wang isn’t laughing at you—he’s praising you."

"...You’re so annoying!"

These two, father and son, were equally annoying. Shi Zai cheered up again, looking down for a long time. Wang Wang really loved to smile. He smiled along for a while, muttering, "I’m not the kind of dad who praises his kid for just peeing," successfully earning another soft chuckle.

When he first held Wang Wang, he hadn’t noticed, but now, looking closely, the baby resembled both of them—his eyes and brows took after Shi Zai, while his nose and lips resembled Shu Yangkuo's. When not smiling, he looked expressionless, almost aloof. But when he smiled, he became adorable, soft, and sweet.

Moreover, compared to the two of them, Wang Wang seemed to have a very steady temperament. When Shi Zai took him for a bath, it was like "a chorus of cries," but Wang Wang just smiled occasionally, completely unafraid of the unfamiliar environment. Shi Zai couldn’t help asking:

"Brother, Wang Wang only cried once right after birth. Is it normal that he doesn't cry more?"

Hearing this, Shu Yangkuo’s eyelid twitched—he’d only just warned Yang Yun... He moved Shi Zai’s hand away as he tried to play with Wang Wang’s little fist:

"Isn’t it good that he loves to smile? Just like you, dear—very cute."

"Hehe. By the way, Brother, I noticed when he’s not talking... ah, no, when he’s not smiling, he always looks thoughtful. It’s like he’s seen through the world, staring at something. But when I look, his eyes are empty..."

"...What nonsense."

"Really. Brother, did you give birth to a little monk?"

"..."

"Hehe, a smiling little monk, a blend of both of us, ours, Brother, he’s ours!"

The big pup’s emotions were far more volatile than Wang Wang’s. Somehow, he got excited again belatedly. Shu Yangkuo reached out and flicked his smiling big eyes. Mm, Wang Wang was born from the two of them, the product of their love.

Shu Yangkuo had noticed it too. When Wang Wang wasn’t smiling, he was always very calm—not empty-eyed (that would make him foolish), but exploring and pondering this new world. Most babies would fear unfamiliar things, but Wang Wang didn’t. He’d watch quietly for a while, figure it out, and then move on to something else. Ultimately, it was the abundance of love that made him feel safe everywhere, allowing him to explore boldly.

Before long, Yang Yun returned. He had already eaten. Shu Yangkuo couldn’t have anything but liquids until the afternoon. The others had to eat, otherwise, how could they care for the two in bed? Then, Shi Zai went to eat and also learned how to prepare formula.

When he returned, the little one stirred awake gently.

The little guy comfortably squinted his eyes, sucking eagerly. Shi Zai watched fondly, holding Wang Wang, showing him to Shu Yangkuo one moment and to Yang Yun the next, muttering, "Aiyo, our Wang Wang drinks so well! He’ll grow tall like his daddy," and "Hehe, little mouth, so cute..." But as he spoke, a loud "Wah!" came from his arms!

Shi Zai froze. Wang Wang wailed uncontrollably, and with each cry, he began vomiting milk in large spurts! He hadn’t drunk much to begin with, and in just a few mouthfuls, he’d thrown it all up—yet he kept crying and vomiting, his little face turning pale.

Shu Yangkuo quickly pressed the call button. Just as he did, Yan Wei came in, probably having guessed they were about to feed him. Seeing the situation, he immediately took the child, turning Wang Wang’s head to the side to let the residual fluid drain, then cleaned his mouth and nose with a soft cloth. Only then did Wang Wang slowly stop crying... Yan Wei looked up at the three pale-faced men, especially Shi Zai:

"Don’t talk or laugh while feeding. Think about it—if you were hungry and someone disturbed your meal, wouldn’t you be upset?"

Hearing this, Shi Zai nodded, eyes red, took Wang Wang back, soothed him for a while, and tried feeding him again. But Wang Wang spat out the nipple and started crying once more, his eyes swollen, little arms and legs thrashing so hard Shi Zai could barely hold him.

Yan Wei sighed, took the still-crying Wang Wang, and placed him in Shu Yangkuo’s outstretched arms, instructing him to hold the position to avoid straining the incision. He reassured Shi Zai, "It’s fine, let your Brother feed him. Once he eats and sleeps, he’ll forget." Shi Zai nodded, sitting aside to watch Shu Yangkuo feed Wang Wang.

After all, the little one had come from his daddy’s belly. Once held, he sniffled a few times and stopped crying. Shu Yangkuo gently patted Wang Wang with two fingers, keeping his gaze low so the baby could see him. After some coaxing, Wang Wang actually let out a soft sigh, calming down from his earlier cries, smacking his lips a couple of times... Shu Yangkuo smiled, picked up the bottle, and put it back in his little mouth. But Wang Wang’s lips quivered, as if about to cry again. Shu Yangkuo quickly pulled the bottle away, looking up in surprise.

Yan Wei almost laughed. Wang Wang took after Shi Zai in being optimistic and smiley, but in throwing little tantrums, he was just like Shu Yangkuo.

He was still upset about being disturbed during his meal and hadn’t been fully soothed. Yan Wei paused, then suggested to Shu Yangkuo:

"Try nursing him yourself for a bit first to comfort him. Once he starts wanting to eat, switch to the bottle."

"...Me??"

It was the first time Yan Wei had seen such a clear change in Shu Yangkuo’s expression. He couldn’t help chuckling twice before straightening his face:

"Yu An did this too—I found it quite effective."

"...Okay."

With three pairs of eyes on him, Shu Yangkuo felt deeply embarrassed. He told them all to turn around before unbuttoning his shirt with one hand. Shu Yangkuo closed his eyes—he’d already given birth; nursing him a little was nothing.

As soon as Shu Yangkuo gently cradled Wang Wang in his arms, the little one snuggled closer but couldn’t find the right spot, nuzzling and squirming around, searching restlessly… Shu Yangkuo instantly thought of the big puppy—no, he couldn’t go there. He made Shi Zai, who was sneakily turning to watch, shut his eyes. Only then did Shu Yangkuo guide the little head in his arms, helping him find the right position… Almost the moment his mouth touched it, Wang Wang latched on and began suckling eagerly.

There was, of course, no milk, but the little one sucked with gusto.

An inexplicable sensation, an inexplicable mood, and inexplicably, his ears turned red.

Shi Zai quietly opened his eyes. Wang Wang, nestled in Shu Yangkuo’s arms, was smaller than the width of the man’s chest, curled up tiny, eyes shut as he sucked vigorously… Rising and falling with the man’s breathing were his firm, well-developed pectoral muscles, and…

Before long, Wang Wang finally realized something was wrong and let go. He tried to focus his gaze, squinted curiously, paused for a moment, then pouted, about to cry again. Shu Yangkuo acted swiftly, swiftly offering the bottle from his chest. The little one latched onto the nipple again, gave a suck, and let out a small burp—this time, he was happy. Squinting his eyes, he drank cheerfully once more, his tiny arms and legs gently moving against his father’s chest.

Shu Yangkuo breathed a sigh of relief. After feeding him thirty milliliters, as Yan Wei had instructed, he held the little one upright and patted his back gently from bottom to top to help him burp and release the air in his stomach. About ten minutes later, full and satisfied, Wang Wang narrowed his eyes, let out a tiny yawn, and fell asleep again.

Shi Zai also relaxed. The little one sure had quite the fuss—Shu Yangkuo could calm him down now, but Wang Wang still wouldn’t settle for Shi Zai.

Keep trying!

Unexpectedly, that afternoon, Wang Wang cried again while in Shi Zai’s arms. Shi Zai didn’t even have the heart to feel sorry for himself—he wished he had let Yang Yun take Wang Wang for his first newborn vaccine shot instead.

At first, Shi Zai had been delighted. All the other babies getting shots were crying, even the ones waiting their turn were crying, but their Wang Wang wasn’t. His big eyes were wide open now, blinking as he looked around here and there—Yan Wei had said newborns could only see things within fifty centimeters, so Shi Zai held his finger in front of Wang Wang, letting him play with it to distract him ahead of time. The little one even giggled happily, and Shi Zai gently kissed his arm several times… At that moment, he was still Wang Wang’s playmate and safe haven.

As the needle went in, Shi Zai made silly faces to amuse Wang Wang. The little one had no idea what was happening and grinned with curved eyes. Everyone around praised him, saying they’d never seen such a cheerful, adorable baby who didn’t even cry during a shot. Shi Zai proudly said, “Of course!” and continued to play along. But just as the needle was pulled out and he pressed the tiny arm, Wang Wang let out a sudden, loud wail.

After trying unsuccessfully to calm him for a while, Shi Zai, once he’d secured the little arm, hurriedly carried Wang Wang back to the hospital room. Shu Yangkuo had just finished some thin rice soup and, seeing this, opened his arms to take the crying Wang Wang—it wasn’t just the shot hurting him; he was hungry too. While telling Shi Zai to prepare the milk, Shu Yangkuo steeled himself and let the little one latch on quickly, finally stopping the cries.

Babies shouldn’t cry too much—it’s easy for them to choke from crying too hard, Shu Yangkuo thought, his chest still exposed.

Two weeks later, back home, Wang Wang finally drank his milk obediently without needing such comfort. But then, unexpectedly, his wife and son began vying for his attention.