Chapter 17: If Her Milk Gets Blocked, Just Help Her Suck It Out!

The young nurse grinned, looking inexplicably amused.

Xie Zhao paused.

Unblocking milk?

What did that mean?

In his past life, he had been a bachelor through and through. He had absolutely zero experience when it came to raising children or taking care of a wife.

Hearing about unblocking milk all of a sudden left him a bit lost.

He was a bit bewildered.

What did that even mean?

What was he supposed to do?

The young nurse said, “During the first month, the milk comes in quickly, but the baby’s appetite is small. It’s easy for the milk to get blocked and form hard lumps. If it’s not handled well, your wife might even run a fever and end up in the hospital!”

“Then what should we do?”

Xie Zhao frowned, asking with a serious expression.

“That’s why you have to unblock it!”

The young nurse grinned. “If the baby can’t get it through, you do it! If it gets blocked, just help her suck it out! It’s very simple!”

Xie Zhao: “?”

Lin Muyu: “!”

Wait!

Hold on!

What did they just hear?!

He should drink it? Suck it out?

Who?

Who was going to do it?

Xie Zhao’s temples throbbed. Lin Muyu’s face had already flushed a deep crimson; she kept her head lowered, cradling the baby, and did not say a single word.

Looking down, her earlobes were completely red. She was utterly restless, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet.

“Alright!”

Seeing their reactions, the young nurse clapped her hands in satisfaction. She looked at Xie Zhao again and smiled. “Those are basically the two main things to watch out for. As for the other aspects of baby care, I’ve already explained them to your wife. Comrade, you must remember this! Don’t let her get blocked up and run a fever!”

Xie Zhao could no longer remember how he had nodded or how he had sent the nurse off.

His scalp tingled. He lowered his head sheepishly and gave Lin Muyu a strained smile.

“Cough, don’t worry. There must be other ways. Worst case, we can call a doctor or a midwife! It definitely won’t come down to me!”

He comforted her, quickly forcing out a couple of dry laughs.

After saying that, to ease the awkwardness, he quickly took the baby from Lin Muyu’s arms and sat down next to Tian Xiufen.

He sat there as straight as a board, eyes focused forward, not daring to look back at her even once!

Lin Muyu kept her head lowered.

But in her mind, she kept replaying what Xie Zhao had just said to her.

Other ways… would it really never come down to him?

He was clearly doing it for her own good. After all, the atmosphere between them was somewhat delicate and ambiguous, even though Xie Zhao seemed like a completely different person now.

But in the end, it had only been two or three days.

Compared to the entire year before this, it was just a drop in the bucket. She did not dare to trust him wholeheartedly.

And yet…

Why did her heart ache with an indescribable discomfort?

Perhaps they were the only married couple who felt this much like strangers to each other.

It made sense.

Lin Muyu suddenly recalled the first time she had ever seen Xie Zhao.

He had just returned from the county seat, carrying a suitcase with a black bag slung across his shoulder, standing under the large banyan tree at the entrance of the village.

The youth had a distant look in his eyes. Faint light and shadows fell across his brow. He wore a white shirt, black trousers, and a pair of red-and-white Double Star sneakers^[1].

He seemed to carry a small, private space around him; with just a single glance, anyone could tell he was different from the others.

He was like a bright sun, illuminating her world. Lin Muyu’s heart had suddenly leaped with a secret, fluttering joy.

Xie Zhao held a small dictionary in one hand and carried his jacket in the other. He swept his cool, indifferent gaze toward her.

However, it was just a brief glance that did not linger.

Lin Muyu had felt a pang of disappointment.

From childhood to adulthood, she had always been praised for being pretty and bright. She was educated and could work in the fields.

But why?

Why was it that he wouldn’t even spare her a single glance?

“Him? He used to be a young master in the city! He’s well-educated and even had a girlfriend in the county seat. How can any of us compare to him?”

“Exactly! We’re just mud-legged farmers. Look at him! So fair and clean, without a single callus on his hands. He’s not from the same world as us!”

“Sigh! We can only look. How could he ever fancy us? I heard his girlfriend in the county seat is a real beauty, top-tier!”

…

Not from the same world.

Lin Muyu felt a bit dazed as she glanced at Xie Zhao.

The youth was still the same youth.

She had harbored a foolish hope back then and strived with all her might to reach him. She had thought that once the rice was cooked^[2] and they were married, he would eventually see her worth over time.

Her heart had once beat passionately for him in secret.

Only… perhaps from beginning to end, Xie Zhao had never once thought of looking back at her.

She wasn’t worthy.

It had always been that way.

Lin Muyu’s nose tingled. She silently lowered her head and stared at her hands.

These hands were covered in calluses, rough and unsightly.

Ha.

She couldn’t even bear to look at them herself, let alone Xie Zhao.

She shouldn’t have. She shouldn’t have let herself hope over the past few days.

Lin Muyu, wake up.

…

Their discharge from the hospital was scheduled for tomorrow morning.

By three in the afternoon, Tian Xiufen was already packing their things.

She moved very quietly, occasionally looking up to glance at the two sleeping babies. The smile on her face was impossible to suppress.

“Tomorrow when we get back, I’ll take out your younger sister’s old childhood clothes and alter them. Any clothes at home that are truly unwearable can be torn up to use as diapers.”

She had it all planned out.

After thinking for a moment, she turned to Xie Zhao and Lin Muyu. “With two babies, it’s bound to be hard for just the two of you to manage. Why don’t you move back in with us? Your younger sister isn’t in school and has nothing to do at home anyway. She can help watch the babies, wash clothes, and help with feeding. She can lend a hand with all kinds of chores.”

Tian Xiufen paused, then quickly added, “If you two don’t want to, that’s fine too. I can just bring your sister to live with you instead!”

She was afraid Xie Zhao would refuse.

However, to her surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, Xie Zhao smiled and nodded.

“Mom, of course I’m willing. It’s just that it’ll be hard on you and Dad.”

Only then did Tian Xiufen breathe a sigh of relief.

And Xie Zhao, of course, knew why she was worried.

When he first returned at the beginning of the year, he had stayed at home for a while.

Back then, he had been prickly all over.

He couldn’t stand the sight of anyone.

Not only that.

The family was poor. His eldest brother had gone to make a living in the harshest, most exhausting mines, while his younger sister, Xie Tian, had to help with farmwork every day after school. The heavy burden of life rested entirely on their shoulders.

He was the sole exception.

After he returned, he ate an egg every single day, and every few days, Tian Xiufen would slip him a few pieces of rock candy.

Everything he ate and used was of the absolute best quality.

How could Xie Tian possibly feel it was fair?

She made a few biting remarks, which led to a direct argument with Xie Zhao, and they had been at odds ever since.

And that wasn’t all.

What Xie Zhao didn’t know was that his return had caused the family’s expenses to skyrocket, leaving them with no spare money to pay for Xie Tian’s schooling.

Once they agreed on the plan, Xie Zhao stood up and said to Tian Xiufen, “Since we’re being discharged tomorrow, I’ll head back tonight to move our things home. The babies also need formula, so I’ll go buy some now to have it ready. I should also let Dad know.”