Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Cheng Yuan expressed his thanks.

By the time dinner was finished, it was around eight at night.

The baby had just dozed off at that point.

They said goodbye to Pei's parents, then got into the car, being extra careful not to wake the baby.

The two of them had been fussing over the baby all day long.

The baby was cradled in Cheng Yuan's arms, resting against his chest, breathing calmly.

His eyelashes were thick and long, like a little fan that fluttered gently.

He got that from Cheng Yuan.

Sometimes in his sleep, the baby would scrunch up his brows and whimper.

Cheng Yuan quickly reached out and gently patted the baby's back a few times to soothe him.

Only then did the baby drift back off, even settling into a comfy position and sleeping soundly.

Since it was a bit chilly that night, the baby had a hat on and was all bundled up snugly.

Before long, they were back at the villa. When it was time for bed, Pei Qingji unwrapped the blanket from around the baby.

Then he applied baby oil to protect the baby's skin.

Pei Qingji was about to change the diaper when he noticed the baby's bottom was a bit red, with some tiny red spots.

Even his thighs and butt were covered in red spots, all clustered together.

The two immediately panicked and rushed the baby to the hospital.

Even though a phone call would've been easier, they figured if something was wrong with the baby, going to the hospital was best since they had better equipment.

Sister Chen saw them in a rush and hurried over to ask.

"What's the matter?"

Pei Qingji was just changing into his slippers.

Cheng Yuan quickly grabbed his jacket too.

Hearing her question, he showed her the baby's bottom.

"He's got red spots on his butt. Is it an allergy?"

"It's nothing. You just need to change his diaper more often."

Sister Chen took a look and said.

Hearing that, the two finally let out a sigh of relief.

Since every time they sniffed, there was no smell, they hadn't changed him that often.

"Get some diaper rash cream and put it on the baby. Just remember to keep his bottom dry."

It's not too bad right now. If it gets worse, his bottom might hurt and he'll start crying.

Pei Qingji quickly had someone go buy some diaper rash cream.

Then he pulled off the baby's diaper, revealing the red bottom, and gently applied the ointment to it.

It seemed to sting a little.

The baby started crying and fussing again, whimpering and wailing, and it was heartbreaking to hear.

Cheng Yuan's heart clenched, and he quickly tried to calm him down.

He was a bit flustered and panicking, so he quickly grabbed a rattle.

"Baby, look what this is?"

It was a rattle!

The crisp rattle sound went off, and the baby's attention was totally hooked.

He seemed to pause for a second, then caught on and started giggling.

Seeing the baby finally stop crying, the two let out a sigh of relief.

They changed the baby's diaper again and then fed him some formula.

After feeding, they put the baby on the bed, laid him on his side, and read him a bedtime story.

Cheng Yuan grabbed a bedtime book from the nightstand, one made for babies 0-1 years old.

Even though he knew the baby couldn't understand a word of it.

"Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit with two good friends—a snake and a little tiger."

"Other people didn't get why he'd hang out with his natural enemies."

Pei Qingji gently patted the baby's back to help him drift off.

Cheng Yuan's voice was so gentle it made you want to melt into it.

His voice filled the whole room.

"In the end, the little snake and the little tiger weren't left out anymore, and everyone became good friends."

"The baby's asleep." Cheng Yuan finished the book and saw that the baby on the bed had dozed off.

He was sleeping so soundly that drool was dripping out, his little fists pressed against his mouth.

Cheng Yuan couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face.

Pei Qingji watched the scene, and his heart softened too.

It felt like they were just a normal couple, putting their baby to sleep together.

The baby was supposed to sleep in the crib.

But sometimes he'd fall asleep while playing on the bed, and since they didn't want to wake him, they just let him sleep with them.

Since the baby was super clingy to Cheng Yuan, he'd often curl up in his arms, and the moment they tried to move him, he'd start whimpering.

But because the baby was sleeping there, the distance between the two of them grew even wider.

They had even less time to talk, with almost all their time devoted to the baby.

He'd only chat a bit when the topic was the baby.

Cheng Yuan held the baby in his arms, feeling the baby's soft warmth against his chest, and his heart melted.

Pei Qingji suddenly spoke up.

"Let's put the baby in the crib, or he'll wake up crying and disturb your sleep."

Cheng Yuan shook his head. "It's fine."

Pei Qingji added,

"The baby might wake up looking for you at night. You just got out of the hospital—what if your wound opens up again?"

Cheng Yuan paused, then turned his head to look at him.

"You..."

"Yes, I'm jealous." Pei Qingji admitted it outright, his eyes locked on him.

Cheng Yuan was always hovering over the baby and never even gave him a look.

The baby had only been born a few days, and already he was stealing the spotlight.

Cheng Yuan didn't know what to say; he always felt things were a little awkward between them.

"The baby clings to you all day, and I don't even have time to..." Pei Qingji's voice sounded a bit hurt.

"I..."

Cheng Yuan dropped his gaze and went quiet.

Pei Qingji kept staring at him without a hint of shame.

Cheng Yuan didn't reply, just said, "Let's go to sleep."

Pei Qingji watched Cheng Yuan holding the baby, staying so far away from him, and almost laughed in disbelief.

The baby slept through the night but woke up at six in the morning.

As soon as he woke, he started crying, and Cheng Yuan was jolted awake too.

The next second, Pei Qingji scooped up the baby.

Then he quickly got out of bed, grabbed a bottle, and fed him.

Only after the baby started drinking did he stop crying, quietly closing his eyes as he fed.

Cheng Yuan let out a sigh of relief.

Since the baby got sick often, his heart would clench every time he cried.

After the baby finished drinking, Pei Qingji changed his diaper and checked if the rash on his diaper area had improved.

It looked better than yesterday, but he still needed to apply the cream.

Pei Qingji had also gotten good at applying diaper rash cream.

This time, the baby didn't fuss as much, and Cheng Yuan, worried he might cry, shook a rattle next to him.

After playing with the baby for a while, they finally got up, washed up, and went downstairs to have breakfast.

Downstairs, Sister Chen already had breakfast ready.

The breakfast was very hearty and also good for Cheng Yuan, who had just been discharged from the hospital.

During meals, Sister Chen usually looked after the baby.

Otherwise, there was no time to eat and take care of the baby at the same time.

The baby had never been shy around strangers; it was their first time meeting Sister Chen, and he wasn't fussy at all—instead, he grinned and giggled.

Anybody would have their heart melted by such an adorable baby.

Sister Chen was no exception.

She held the baby, rocked him back and forth, patted him, and cooed.

The baby seemed to enjoy this feeling and let out a big, happy laugh.

In the morning, she took the baby out to soak up some sun, then bought a jaundice meter to bring home, occasionally checking his levels after sunbathing.

The readings were normal.

The news online was still spreading, though not as popular as before.

Some fans were starting to come around.

Pei Qingji hadn't logged onto Weibo in a while, completely disappearing from the public eye.

Time flew by, and soon it was almost time for the full-month banquet.

Their baby seemed to be growing faster than other babies.

Other babies just curled into a ball when born, but he could already coo and kick his legs.

Sometimes, if you gave him a toy, his hand would automatically grip it.

"This baby is really bright," Sister Chen said in surprise.

"Right? Our Xiao Yan is such a smart baby, isn't he?"

The baby seemed to know he was being praised and started giggling again.

Getting ready for the full-month banquet took a lot of work.

Pei's father and mother were running around for the upcoming banquet, busy sending out invitations to guests.

Meanwhile, Pei Qingji was out buying a longevity lock and silver bracelets for the baby.

Pei Qingji was pushing the stroller.

Cheng Yuan was picking out a longevity lock for the baby.

"How about this one?"

He was a bit indecisive, so he asked Pei Qingji.

He asked the shop assistant to bring out another one to try on.

This bracelet was silver, with little bells that jingled softly when shaken.

It symbolized safety and a long life.

The baby was named Cheng Yan, with the nickname A Yan.

Pei Qingji posted an invitation on his Moments, inviting all his friends.

The date was set for next Saturday, which happened to be the baby's one-month mark.

Cheng Yuan also told Brother Zhou, Xiao Ling, and Grandma, and they would all come too.

Everyone congratulated them one after another.

Tomorrow, they also needed to make a trip back to Grandma's house.

It was a custom on their side called "leaving the nest," which symbolized that the baby would be easy to raise.

Besides, since the baby was born, Grandma had only seen him through video calls, never in person.

Since they weren't busy during this time, it was a good chance to visit Grandma.

The next morning, Pei Qingji packed the baby's things into a bag.

Then he and Cheng Yuan drove to Grandma's house.

Fortunately, the baby didn't get carsick—he fell asleep as soon as they got in the car.

Just then, Brother Zhou called him.

"Where are you guys now?"

Cheng Yuan replied, "About half an hour, I think."

Brother Zhou nodded.

He had just come back from the market with groceries, and Xiao Ling was helping Grandma with the preparations.

Pei Qingji told Grandma not to go to so much trouble, but she wouldn't listen and had been bustling around since early morning.

Cheng Yuan had no choice but to let Grandma have her way.

After a while, they finally arrived at Grandma's house.

As soon as they got out of the car, Brother Zhou was waiting for them.

The baby happened to wake up just then, and Pei Qingji carried him out of the car.

Brother Zhou saw the baby and enthusiastically played with him.

"How much does he weigh now?"

"When he was born, he was over a few pounds—a real chubby boy. Now he's almost ten pounds."

"Come on in, Grandma's cooking at home."

Author's note:

N/A.