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Chapter 5: Baby Bottle

Little Bai Luochuan was wearing a new outfit today, with a knitted woolen hat on his head topped with a fluffy pom-pom. When he turned his head, the pom-pom swayed along with him. He was sitting there by himself, holding a large red tangerine and giggling, his eyes curving into little crescents, making him look exceptionally endearing.

Mi Yang, who was lying there, moved his little hands and was immediately picked up by Cheng Qing and placed next to Bai Luochuan. She smiled and said, “Yangyang is awake too. Come, play with your big brother. Big brother came to see you again. Aren’t you happy?”

Mi Yang blinked and reached his hands out to the adults, asking to be held. But his wish was not granted. Instead, a large tangerine was placed into his outstretched hands.

Mrs. Bai chuckled. “Let’s give one to our Yangyang too, the same as his big brother’s, alright?”

Mi Yang looked down at the tangerine. The fruity fragrance filled his nostrils. He twitched his little nose and thought, Well, I guess this is fine.

Mi Yang couldn’t eat the tangerine, but holding it and sniffing it was quite satisfying. The tangerine had a fresh scent, and it felt cool to the touch. Mi Yang recalled the sweet and sour taste of the pulp and smacked his lips.

Mrs. Bai looked at the two children, her gaze lingering more on Mi Yang. She praised, “Yangyang’s eyes are like black grapes, and his eyelashes are so long. At first, I thought he was a little girl. No wonder they say sons resemble their mothers; he’s as beautiful as you are.”

Cheng Qing felt a little embarrassed and quickly returned the compliment, “Not at all. Luochuan is the handsome one. His skin is so fair, just like Sister Luo.”

Mi Yang also turned to look at the little young master Bai. It was true; this person had been fair-skinned since he was a baby. No matter how much sun he got, his skin would at most turn a little red but always remained pale. He remembered one time when they went camping, Bai Luochuan couldn’t stand the sweltering heat in the mountains and insisted on dragging him to the river for a swim. When he took off his T-shirt, his skin was so white it practically glowed. A thin, firm layer of muscle covered his body, which Mi Yang had been quite envious of.

Perhaps sensing Mi Yang’s gaze, little Bai Luochuan also turned his head to look at him. But he lost his balance, and with a twist of his body, he tilted and nearly fell on top of Mi Yang. Mi Yang only knew one life-saving maneuver: tilt his head back and desperately dodge—based on yesterday’s experience, the little young master Bai was about to suck on his face again!

Mi Yang’s guess was correct, but being aware of it didn’t mean his actions could keep up. He was soon caught by the giggling little young master Bai, who latched onto one of his little cheeks, leaving a slobbery mark.

Mi Yang was pinned down, his little hands and feet flailing, letting out a couple of “yaa yaa” cries to call for the adults!

But the two mothers just stood by the bed, watching them with smiles. Cheng Qing’s eyes curved with laughter, and Mrs. Bai even wanted to send the orderly back to get a camera to capture the moment.

Mi Yang stopped struggling and lay there with a look of utter despair, letting the little young master Bai suck on his face.

The little young master Bai played with him for a long time. A toddler’s ways of showing affection were probably limited to these two things: a forceful hug and a loving face-sucking. After showing his affection, he started rolling the tangerine around for fun and even let out a “ya” at Mi Yang.

Mi Yang: “…”

Mi Yang turned his head to look at Cheng Qing, stubbornly reaching out his hands. He wanted to wash his face first! It was covered in Bai Luochuan’s drool, okay!

Fortunately, Cheng Qing had been taking care of him for a few months and knew some of his little habits. She took a handkerchief and wiped his little face clean. Once he was a fragrant baby again, she placed the two children together once more. This time, Mi Yang was much more cooperative. As soon as he was put down, he eagerly joined in the game of rolling tangerines with little young master Bai, even pushing his own tangerine over for him to play with, trying his best to maintain his own safety.

Seeing the two of them playing happily, Cheng Qing smiled and said, “I was worried before that Yangyang had never met other children and wondered how long it would take for them to play together. It’s only been a few minutes, and they’re already such good friends!”

Mrs. Bai was also very pleased. She was accompanying her husband and would be staying for a few months. It was one thing for the adults to endure hardships here, but she was raising her child alone, and it was rare to find a little playmate for her son. This was much better than she had expected. When she looked at Mi Yang, her eyes held a shared affection.

Mrs. Bai had something to attend to in the afternoon and had originally planned to take her child back with her. Cheng Qing, being a sincere person, persuaded her, “Sister Luo, we’re the only two military wives in the camp. If you take him back, Little Zhao will just be watching him for you. If you trust me, you can leave Luochuan here. Let Little Zhao stay and help out too. I’m already taking care of Yangyang, so one more won’t be any trouble!”

Little Zhao was Bai Jingrong’s orderly. Although he usually helped out, it was always a bit worrying to have a grown man look after a child. Mrs. Bai was delighted to hear Cheng Qing’s offer and asked, “Won’t it interfere with your work?”

Cheng Qing chuckled. “What work do I have? I just need to cook for Yangyang’s dad. It’s no trouble at all!”

Mrs. Bai smiled, her lips pursed. “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Mrs. Bai left the orderly behind to help Cheng Qing look after the children and left, promising to be back in the afternoon.

Cheng Qing laid out a small blanket for the two little ones and then surrounded it with pillows to prevent them from falling out. She then sat to one side and began to knit. She looked relaxed, occasionally teasing the children. In contrast, the orderly, Little Zhao, who was carrying a satchel, seemed a bit nervous. He checked the time and asked, “Sister-in-law, isn’t it time for them to have some fruit purée?”

Mi Yang was also getting a little hungry and looked up at his mom with expectant eyes.

Cheng Qing nodded. “Alright, I’ll go prepare it for them.”

The orderly said, “I brought some. We always carry some snacks when we go out. Today, it’s apples.”

Cheng Qing said, “That’s good. You watch them for a bit, I’ll go make Yangyang’s formula.”

The orderly agreed, then took out a pale yellow bib from his satchel and tied it around little Bai Luochuan. The little young master probably knew that wearing it meant food was coming, so he sat there obediently, placing his chubby-dimpled hands on his little belly. His large, bright eyes turned to the orderly, and when he saw the orderly take out his little cartoon lunchbox, his eyes lit up even more. He reached out his hands and patted his belly. “Yi ya!”

Inside the small lunchbox was an apple and a small spoon. After cutting it in half, the orderly wanted to give some to Mi Yang, but Cheng Qing smiled and declined, shaking the baby bottle in her hand. “No need, Yangyang can’t eat too much. He’ll have this.”

The orderly began to feed the little young master Bai the fruit purée. As soon as a spoonful was offered, the little young master, who was waiting with his mouth open, gobbled it down with a smack of his lips. The little guy ate with such relish that his eyes narrowed. After eating some purée, he took a slice of apple and held it in front of his bib, gnawing on it contentedly.

On the other side, Mi Yang was also waiting for his snack.

He usually drank formula. He waited as Cheng Qing prepared it, tested the temperature on the back of her hand, and then began to drink slowly. After a few sips, Mi Yang wasn’t as hungry anymore and drank absentmindedly while looking out the window. The snow had stopped last night, but the world outside was a blanket of silver. The only green to be seen were a few pine trees, their branches heavy with snow. Just looking at it made one feel cold.

Babies get sleepy easily, and it was common for them to fall asleep while eating.

Mi Yang sucked on his bottle, and after closing his eyes for a short while, he fell asleep. At one point, his mom picked him up and fed him the bottle again. Even in his sleep, Mi Yang wrapped a small arm around the bottle and drank heartily with his eyes closed until he let out a burp.

Bai Luochuan saw this and reached out to touch his bottle. “Ya?”

Mi Yang was furious. What kind of rotten habit is this! In the past, he would snatch anything I liked. It’s been like this since we were in school. He’d snatch things I looked at for too long, he even snatched the campus belle who wrote me a love letter, and now he’s even snatching my baby bottle!

Mi Yang spat out the nipple, his little eyebrows shooting up, and spat a mouthful of milk at little Bai Luochuan—That’s for trying to snatch it!

The little young master Bai was persistent, his robber-like spirit quite stubborn. He grabbed Mi Yang’s bottle and forcefully put it in his own mouth, taking two big gulps with a smack of his lips.

By the time Mi Yang got his bottle back, a good amount was gone. He looked down at it. Good grief, he had even bitten a small hole in the nipple. No wonder he drank so fast!

Cheng Qing said in surprise, “Oh my, Luochuan is teething!”

Mi Yang, who had been hiding in his mom’s arms with his bottle, turned his head to look upon hearing this. Little Bai Luochuan was grinning, revealing two tiny, rice-grain-sized baby teeth. A wave of envy washed over him again. Although their birthdays were only two months apart, it felt like there was a huge difference in their development.

Mi Yang remembered that Bai Luochuan would grow to be over 1.8 meters tall. Back then, he had been a good half-head shorter than Bai Luochuan, at 1.76 meters, which was considered on the shorter side in the north. But it wasn’t too late now. If he ate more, drank more milk, bone broth, and so on, he should be able to add another two centimeters, right? He wasn’t asking for much, 1.78 meters would be enough.

Little Bai Luochuan reached for the bottle again, but this time Mi Yang didn’t let him have it at all. He put it in his own mouth and started gulping it down.

Cheng Qing poked his forehead and teased him, “You little miser, what’s wrong with letting your big brother have a little?”

Little Bai Luochuan sat to the side, waiting expectantly, probably thinking he would get a share after Mi Yang finished. He gnawed on the apple in his hand, his big eyes blinking as he stared at Mi Yang’s bottle.

Mi Yang turned his head away to drink, letting out a little huff.

Cheng Qing was thoroughly amused by them. She found another bottle and made some formula for little Bai Luochuan. The two little ones each held a bottle and drank, gulping down the milk as if in a competition, making even a simple meal seem delicious.

The orderly sighed from the side. “It’s still easier to raise two of them together.”

Children get sleepy after eating their fill. Bai Luochuan was a bit stronger than Mi Yang, but he was still a baby. After drinking most of the bottle, he soon started rubbing his eyes. Cheng Qing brought over a small blanket, which was especially light and soft, made from new cotton. She carried the two little ones over for their afternoon nap. Mi Yang yawned, rubbed his little hand against his cheek, and quickly closed his eyes and fell asleep. The little young master Bai next to him didn’t sleep in such a proper position. He rolled over and slept on his stomach, rubbing his fair, tender cheek against the soft little blanket as if to confirm its scent. His eyes opened and closed a few times before he slowly drifted off to sleep.