Chapter 6: Little Spritzer
At noon, Mi Zehai returned, this time with two books in hand. It seemed he was already planning to start preparing for the exam.
Cheng Qing was about to cook, and Mi Zehai habitually went to help, but Cheng Qing pushed him to the desk in the inner partitioned room and made him sit down. She stuffed the books back into his hands and said, “You, don’t worry about a thing. Just sit here and study. Keep an eye on the children for me when you have a moment, that’s all.”
The desk happened to face the small wooden bed where Mi Yang and the other baby were sleeping. Mi Zehai agreed, sighed, and picked up a book with a wry smile to start reading.
While Cheng Qing was making hand-pulled noodles, the orderly, Little Zhao, had already dashed out and brought back three dishes from the canteen. Not only did he get his own, but he also got some for Company Commander Mi and his wife.
Cheng Qing made a portion of hand-pulled noodles for the orderly as well. Little Zhao initially refused, but then Mi Zehai gave an order: “You must finish it. This is a mission!”
Only then did Little Zhao salute and say with a grin, “Yes, sir! Mission guaranteed to be completed!”
While the adults were eating outside, Mi Yang had already woken up from his nap. Next to him was a white, fluffy bundle that smelled of milk, just like himself. The two of them were close together. Even in his sleep, little Bai Luochuan hadn’t forgotten his big tangerines. He had rolled both of them between himself and Mi Yang. With one hand hugging a tangerine, he slept head to head and foot to foot with Mi Yang, curled up like a little shrimp, sleeping soundly.
Truly, he can eat and sleep well.
Mi Yang mentally commented. No wonder he’s growing faster than me.
Little Bai Luochuan was sleeping soundly, his diamond-shaped little mouth slightly open. His long, thick eyelashes drooped like little fans, casting small shadows. A tuft of his soft hair stuck up. He looked much more well-behaved than the little demon he was when awake. Mi Yang watched for a while, then reached out and poked his cheek. It was very soft. The poke even made him smack his lips. Mi Yang poked him again, but this time he didn’t control his strength and poked him in the mouth. Little Bai Luochuan frowned in his sleep and then subconsciously started sucking on the finger, his two little baby teeth even trying to bite.
Mi Yang had to use considerable effort to pull his finger out and didn’t dare to provoke him again.
Cheng Qing was worried about the children in the room. After eating half a bowl of noodles, she immediately came over. As she walked in, she saw one sleeping soundly, his face like a little angel’s, while the other had his eyes wide open, rolling them around to look at the ceiling and then playing with his own fingers. When he saw her come in, he immediately grinned, not making a sound but reaching out for her to hold him, like a little angel who had just opened his eyes.
Cheng Qing picked up her son, kissed him, and smiled.
Both little ones were relatively quiet, but this noon break didn’t allow Mi Zehai to take a nap. He still had to study.
He had led his men up the mountain for training at five in the morning, and now at noon, he had to read and take notes. Although he didn’t say a word, his eyes were already bloodshot. Cheng Qing’s heart ached for him. She poured him a cup of strong tea, but there was nothing else she could do for him except sit by his side and offer encouragement.
Mi Yang wasn’t worried at all. Not only had his father passed the exam back then, but he had also ranked quite high, well-known throughout the entire division. He was one of the few who were specially commended by the old Division Commander at a general meeting. His father had bragged about this for a lifetime, basking in the glory.
But even though he knew, Mi Yang didn’t make any noise to cause trouble, quietly playing with his fingers.
After a while, little Bai Luochuan next to him frowned and slowly woke up. But this little young master didn’t wake up as obediently as Mi Yang. He first cried for a bit with his eyes closed. Cheng Qing quickly held him and cooed softly, but it wasn’t very effective. It was as if he were throwing a tantrum, all thunder and no rain, determined to cry for a while.
The military bugle sounded outside. Mi Zehai closed his book, rubbed his face hard to shake off the fatigue, and grinned. “Hey, this kid is probably soldier material. He wakes up right on time, just when it’s time for afternoon drills.”
Cheng Qing also smiled. “You take it easy later. It’s cold in the afternoon, remember to put on an extra layer of clothes. Don’t come back after dark again.”
Mi Zehai agreed. Seeing that there were only the two little ones in the room and no one else, he leaned over and kissed his wife. “Don’t worry, I know,” he said with delight.
Even so, Cheng Qing’s cheeks turned red, and she urged him to leave quickly.
In the room, Cheng Qing was alone with two children. One was easy to care for, the other was anything but.
Mi Yang could lie there and play by himself all day without crying or making a fuss. Only when he needed to pee or something would his little face turn red, and he would whimper like a kitten to express his needs. He was very easy to take care of. But the little young master Bai had a much bigger temper. When Cheng Qing patted him and cooed softly, he would close his eyes and pretend to sleep for a while, but the moment she put him down, he would start crying—he was deliberately calling for attention, demanding that someone watch him, the kind of clingy little troublemaker you couldn’t leave for a second.
Mi Yang was furious. How could this person be so malicious from such a young age! This is my own mother, how dare you order her around like that!
Today, I’m going to teach this little rascal a lesson.
The next time Cheng Qing put little Bai Luochuan down, Mi Yang lifted his little hands, moved, and with great effort, performed the first roll-over of his life, getting closer to little Bai Luochuan. Before Cheng Qing could exclaim in surprise, Mi Yang launched an attack on the little young master, spitting: “Pfft!”
Little Bai Luochuan blinked, not reacting. “Yiya!”
Mi Yang took the opportunity to spit at him again: “Pfft, pfft pfft—”
Cheng Qing picked Mi Yang up. “What are you doing? Do you want to talk to your big brother? Why did you spit all over his face?”
In Cheng Qing’s arms, Mi Yang relentlessly continued to spit at him, like a little spritzer going “pfft pfft.” Finally, Cheng Qing couldn’t take it anymore and, torn between laughter and tears, used a small handkerchief to wipe his mouth and little face. “Where did you learn this from?”
Little Bai Luochuan sat there, tilting his head to look at Mi Yang, his pretty little face serious. After a moment, he started to imitate Mi Yang: “Ba-pfft!”
Mi Yang immediately counterattacked: “Pfft!”
It was little Bai Luochuan’s first time learning this. He watched and tried to imitate: “Ba-pfft… pfft…” His success rate wasn’t very high, but with practice, he gradually got the hang of it. Before long, he was sitting there proudly, letting out a very standard and proper “pfft.”
Cheng Qing: “…”
There was no doubt that the little young master Bai had learned this spitting skill from her son.
In the afternoon, when Bai Jingrong and his wife came to pick up their child, little Bai Luochuan had already mastered the skill of spitting. When Bai Jingrong was dressing him, he was reluctant to leave. As soon as he was dressed and picked up, he unhappily spat at his own father: “Ba-pfft!!”
Mrs. Bai, standing to the side, burst out laughing. “Oh, learned a new trick today?”
Cheng Qing said embarrassedly, “The two of them were napping together. When they woke up, they somehow started playing like this.”
Mrs. Bai waved her hand and smiled. “It’s fine, kids will be kids. They’re practicing talking too.”
Bai Jingrong was a serious and old-fashioned person. His response to his son’s attack was simple and crude: he put a mask on him. He paid no mind to his son’s angry glare, nodded his thanks to Cheng Qing, and left with his wife and child.
After they left, Cheng Qing started to lecture her son. Mi Yang hummed and hawed, feigning innocence, or simply closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, completely unteachable.
Cheng Qing only nagged for a bit. Let alone a baby this small, even a three or four-year-old couldn’t be reasoned with.
There were no other military dependents in the camp, so Cheng Qing and Mrs. Bai were the only two military wives. Sometimes Mrs. Bai would bring her child over, and gradually, Cheng Qing would also take her son to the Bai’s for a visit.
Bai Jingrong hadn’t asked for special treatment, and his living quarters were quite simple. But Mrs. Bai had tidied and organized it very well. Even the tea set placed casually on the side was polished to a shine, not to mention the many little gadgets she had brought, all the most fashionable items and small appliances from the city. If nothing else, that small travel thermos caught Cheng Qing’s eye.
It had a slender, red, hard-shell body. The screw-on lid doubled as a small drinking cup, and there was a foldable handle on the side, making it very convenient to carry. Cheng Qing estimated its capacity was just enough for three bottles of formula, perfect for a child for one night!
She was here visiting family and would be heading back after the New Year. The journey on the green-skinned train alone would take three days and two nights. It was so cold, and the hot water on the train was always snatched up immediately. She could endure it herself, but how could a child?
Cheng Qing secretly memorized the look of the travel thermos, thinking she must buy one before she left.
Mi Yang blinked his eyes, also looking at the thermos. Coincidentally, his family had an identical one. His mother often mentioned that this thermos was as old as he was, and they were still using it until he was in the seventh grade.
But he didn’t look for long before Mrs. Bai picked him up with a smile and took him inside to “play with his big brother.” Perhaps because there were more familiar objects here, little Bai Luochuan was much more relaxed than when he was outside and not as much of a handful. He sat among a pile of stuffed toys like a little emperor, showing no rejection when Mi Yang came over.
The little young master played with his toy panda, then played with Mi Yang. He was very satisfied!
Mi Yang: “…”
Mi Yang felt that the reason the little young master Bai didn’t reject him was because he was treating him as a toy too!
Author’s Note:
Today, the little young master Bai is here to ask for comments. To those who don’t leave a comment, he will “pfft pfft” spit at you~
Little Bai Luochuan: Ba-pfft!
…
T/N: 😂
