641. Chen Jing
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Lying at the head of the bed, Lin Nan gazed at the baby crib beside her, still a bit clueless.
Even though she had watched tons of baby-care videos and crammed on baby knowledge, when it finally came time for her to practice, she felt more bewildered than ever.
Out of nowhere, the child in the crib opened their mouth and unleashed a cry that could rival the loudest of rock concerts.
After checking the diaper, she turned her head to Chen Yao, who was lounging behind her, and blinked: “Turn around.”
Chen Yao had taken paternity leave, so for the next half month, he didn’t have to worry about work matters. That 996 job really was a headache, but at least it was legit—adequate overtime pay and holidays galore.
“Why should I turn around?” Chen Yao teased, “Haven’t I seen it all? We’re like old married folks!”
“Turn around!” Lin Nan insisted.
Reluctantly, he turned his head, but a moment later, he sneakily peeked at Lin Nan, only to find her awkwardly nursing the baby, back turned to him.
Occasionally, Lin Nan let out little pained groans but didn’t put the baby down. Instead, she softly conversed with the little one.
Though newborns don’t have teeth, they sure know how to chow down like champions.
Chen Yao noticed that Lin Nan now radiated a motherly glow; she might look a little worn down, but she was definitely more dazzling than usual.
After a moment, Lin Nan helplessly laid the baby down. The little one continued to wail, and she turned to Chen Yao, revealing slightly red-rimmed eyes.
“Does it hurt?” Chen Yao scooted closer, concern etched on his face.
“Yeah, it hurts like crazy…” she sighed again, glancing at the crying baby. “He still hasn’t had enough.”
“I’ll go make some formula.” Chen Yao sprang up, bolting over to the desk in their room to get the premade formula he had bought earlier.
Downstairs, their mom, grandparents, and Chen Yao’s grandpa—most of their closest relatives—had arrived. They had all come to visit her in the hospital, and now that they were home, they were in full support mode, hustling to help tidy the house and buy all sorts of nutritious goodies.
Lin Nan realized that ever since she had given birth to a son, her status in her in-laws’ eyes had skyrocketed.
The current hierarchy seemed to be: baby, Lin Nan, uncles and aunties, three parrots, and finally, Chen Yao.
The incessant crying of the baby caught the attention of the elders downstairs. After knocking on the door twice, an aunt peeked in: “Nan Nan, what’s wrong with Jing Jing?”
The baby’s name, Chen Jing, was one Lin Nan liked—chosen by the uncles.
However, when it came to why the baby was crying, Lin Nan felt a little guilty and mumbled, “I don’t have enough milk; he eats too much.”
“It’s fine, we’ve made you some crucian carp soup downstairs. Just drink that a few times and you’ll be good.”
“If that’s not enough, we bought a ton of formula too.” The aunt walked into the room, looked at Chen Yao who was mixing the formula, leaned closer to inspect, and was surprised to find his technique was actually decent—even the water temperature was spot on.
After all, he had practiced when raising a little parrot. Both parrot and baby formula needed water around fifty degrees; otherwise, the nutrients would be ruined.
Feeding was similar; it had to be at 37-38 degrees. Too cool would cause diarrhea, and too hot could scorch the esophagus.
At least when it came to mixing formula, Chen Yao was competent.
As he mixed the formula skillfully, checking the temperature with a video thermometer, he twisted on the n*pple and handed it to Lin Nan at the head of the bed.
“I’ll do it.” The aunt took the bottle carefully, picking up the baby while feeding him. Occasionally, she’d turn the little one to face Lin Nan or Chen Yao, sweetly saying, “This is mommy, this is daddy, and I’m your grandma.”
Talking to a baby who only knew how to sleep and eat may seem silly, but it’s actually part of early childhood education.
With someone else helping, Lin Nan, utterly exhausted, flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering how long this torturous life would last.
“Nan Nan, I think I should stay here and help you with the baby for a bit, okay?” The aunt suggested, seeing the baby happily drinking. “At least you’ll be able to get a decent night’s sleep.”
She had mentioned this ever since Lin Nan got pregnant, but Lin Nan had been very firm in her refusal.
“But I want to raise him myself…” Lin Nan smiled gently at the aunt. “If we do it ourselves, the baby will bond with us more, and I worry you might spoil him.”
Mainly, Lin Nan feared that having another person would lead to disagreements about parenting styles.
The most visible example? Those grandparent-types who swaddle babies in thick clothing no matter the season. They seem determined to keep the little ones in a perpetual sterile climate, and their spoiling of grandchildren can be incomprehensible.
Lin Nan wasn’t sure if the aunt would be that extreme, but she wasn’t about to budge. If she did, it would be hard to refuse later on.
So even if it’s more tiring alone, it was better than having an elder hovering around, spoiling the kid.
The aunt sighed and then asked, “How about we hire someone to help with the housework?”
“Mom, no need.” Chen Yao chimed in. “I’ll do the cleaning after work or before I head in.”
“Just you?” The aunt shot him a dubious glance. “Is it actually clean?”
Chen Yao could only chuckle. Over the years with Lin Nan, he had picked up some household skills. He might not be able to make the place spotless, but at least it looked decent enough.
“Mom, really, no need.” Lin Nan interjected, “It’s getting late; you guys should head back. Chen Jing looks like he’s about to sleep.”
She had long gotten used to calling her uncles and aunts “mom” and “dad.”
“Alright, alright, just remember to drink the soup downstairs.”
“Yeah.”
After taking the baby and watching the aunt leave the bedroom, Lin Nan placed the baby back in the crib.
Sitting at the head of the bed, she picked up some yarn from the nightstand and started knitting a sweater for the baby, intending to make a scarf for Chen Yao on the side.
Sitting there quietly, Lin Nan occasionally raised her head to glance at the baby, then turned to Chen Yao and said, “You should go get some sleep; I’ll take baby side-sleeping.”
“No need.”
“In the past, you’d wake up at the slightest cry, but now with paternity leave, it’s fine. Wait until you’re back at work, then you’ll see how necessary it is.”
Saying this, Lin Nan’s mood dipped a little.
As she accepted her identity as a woman, she hoped to be self-sufficient, to build a career with Chen Yao after graduation. But now, it seemed she’d likely become a full-time housewife.
The baby had come too soon, throwing all her plans into disarray.
This made her feel a tad uneasy, since not earning meant just spending money, and her conscience wouldn’t allow that. She could only try to make Chen Yao’s job easier somehow.
Just as Lin Nan was about to stand up, her arm was caught by Chen Yao.
“It’s fine, the company has a lunch break, and you can manage the baby during the day. If he gets fussy at night, I’ll handle it,” Chen Yao said with a warm smile, gently pulling Lin Nan into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her soft, fragrant form.
He looked at the baby, then nuzzled against Lin Nan’s face a couple of times, feeling like the luckiest person in the world.
Lin Nan settled into his embrace, her gaze becoming a bit dazed. She still found it hard to fully embrace this mothering role, and every time she put something down, she’d doubt whether this was just a dream.
Suddenly, she turned her head to look into Chen Yao’s eyes and said, “I want to cast a magic spell to make him strong and healthy! That way, he might never get sick in his life.”
“And how about a spell for early education too, so he can talk faster and have smarter brain development?”
“And there’s…”
But Chen Yao interrupted her, “Where are you getting all these magic spells from?”
The mention of magic made Lin Nan’s fox-like eyes narrow slightly as she shot a glare at Chen Yao: “Isn’t it because of you and your ideas?”
“Ah?”
Chen Yao had no idea how he had stumbled upon so many strange bits of knowledge. Over the years, various ideas kept popping up, leading to increasingly wild escapades during their intimate moments—which naturally opened up many new “magic spells.”
Lin Nan had tried to refuse, but this guy was just too persistent.
And then there was childbirth, which had unlocked even more magical possibilities.
But most of these spells had little practical use—at least in this peaceful modern society.
“Let’s skip the magic for now?” Chen Yao quickly changed the topic, “I think letting the kid be a normal person is good enough; he should live a normal life.”
Which was true.
Best save the magic for emergencies; who knows what weird side effects might occur if they overused it on the kid?
For instance, their three parrots, which thanks to the “magic” had become exceptionally clever, seemed to think Lin Nan was their main squeeze. As a result, the pair of females and one male had yet to lay a single fertilized egg, and instead, they loved to snuggle up on Lin Nan’s legs and arms daily.
If their own child turned into a mama’s boy, that would be downright terrifying.
With a shiver, Lin Nan peeked at the baby in the crib and said, “He does look a bit more like me, with that oval face and big eyes.”
“Of course, you’ve got the good genes!” Chen Yao said just as he heard the sound of a door slamming downstairs.
In a hurry, he jumped up, holding Lin Nan aside, and peeked down the stairs. Noticing that the elders had already left, he bustled back into the bedroom with an impish grin, excitement practically radiating from him as he looked at Lin Nan.
Lin Nan huffed, “The doctor said two months for recovery.”
She also covered her belly, unwilling to reveal that ugly stretch mark in front of Chen Yao. She had already bought some products that supposedly help fade stretch marks.
But thankfully, after the baby, her figure hadn’t really changed… or maybe it had, but the “new magic” unlocked during childbirth seemed to have readjusted it.
So, some fresh activities meant unlocking new magic—would those stretch marks disappear too?
“Well… How about the lips?” Chen Yao asked, eyes gleaming with hope.
That wasn’t new magic, so Lin Nan firmly refused.
