Song An did not recommend breastfeeding Little Sprout. The reason for that was if Han Muzi breastfed the baby, she would constantly need to wake up during the night. Sometimes, she would even need to breastfeed during mealtimes. Therefore, it was more troublesome and would be harder on her body. Accordingly, Song An suggested feeding the baby powdered milk instead. That way, Han Muzi would have a chance to rest. At the same time, Ye Moxuan would become a qualified stay-at-home dad.
Han Muzi understood that Song An was saying that for her own good. However, she had breastfed Little Bean in the past and intended to continue doing so with her second child. Thus, she did not adopt this suggestion.
“It’s okay; it won’t last that long anyway. We’ll let her drink breast milk.”
Song An blinked. “Have you already thought about it?”
“Yes.”
“Alright then.” Song An turned toward Ye Moxuan, who was standing nearby. “Even though she is breastfeeding, as a father, you need to help out as much as you can. Take care of her emotions, do you understand? Women who just conceived are susceptible to postpartum depression! If the baby has any issues or needs in the middle of the night, you need to wake up to help out as well!”
In reality, Ye Moxuan had already done his part even without her nagging. Last night, Han Muzi had been extremely tired. Just as she was falling asleep, in her drowsy state, she vaguely heard her baby crying. When she forced her eyes open, she saw him make a shushing noise at her, then prepared to carry the baby outside.
Unfortunately, for some reason, whether it was because he had held the baby in the wrong posture, Little Sprout began screaming even louder. Her screaming cries left her daddy—a big, grown man—helpless and completely at a loss of what to do. As a result, all Han Muzi heard was a series of awkward coaxing. “Don’t cry, don’t cry…” Feeling slightly annoyed, she pushed aside the blanket and sat up, then reached her hand out toward him. “Maybe she’s hungry; bring her to me.”
He raised his eyebrows slightly. He was worried that the baby in front of him would disturb his wife, who had not had much rest.
“That’s your daughter. Stop overthinking it and just bring her here.”
Thus, he had no choice but to carefully carry the child over to her. Taking the baby from him, she began to breastfeed her, then glared at him irritably. “What are you thinking?”
Pursing his thin lips, he glanced at her but said nothing. He had done his homework diligently and accompanied her to various parenting courses. Throughout his studies, he constantly received criticism. Even so, he managed to complete them with flying colors in the end. However, when it came to the real deal, he found that it was not easy at all. After all, the doll in the courses could not move. On the other hand, when he picked up Little Sprout just now, his entire body froze in response.
After all, her body was smaller and softer than he imagined—she was so small that his large hands could barely hold her and so soft that he felt like he could crush his daughter to death just by exerting some strength. Thus, he held her carefully and clumsily.
Sure enough, she was hungry. After drinking some milk, she quietened down. Then, the room fell silent again; only the sound of a baby suckling could be heard. As time passed, the little baby had enough milk, and drowsily fell back asleep.
Han Muzi placed Little Sprout next to her. Ye Moxuan, who was about to walk over to pick the baby up, paused mid-movement at a warning glare from her. She did not want him to disturb the peace. Afterward, she gently coaxed the baby to sleep while he stayed on guard beside her. When dawn broke, she said to him, “You should go and sleep for a while on the bed next door. I will call for you if Little Sprout wakes up later.”
Even so, Ye Moxuan refused to go to sleep and stubbornly stayed beside her. He had not gotten a wink of sleep since last night. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke.
Han Muzi felt her heart ache for him. Later, she asked Song An to keep her company, then chased him away to rest. At first, he refused, but he was soundly berated by Song An. “Do you think your body is made out of steel? If you refuse to rest now, who will take care of Muzi and Little Sprout when you collapse from exhaustion? Besides, if you keep forcing yourself here, don’t you think Muzi will keep worrying over you? How will she rest well if she is worried about you?”
After being told off by Song An, he realized that what she said made sense. So, he left to go back and rest up. On the fifth day after Han Muzi gave birth, Little Sprout had familiarized herself with the people around her. When Old Master Yuchi came to play with her, she would giggle happily. No matter who came to play with her, she would giggle in response—she was very accepting and respectful of their feelings.
Hence, everybody loved to play with her. ‘Did you go to the hospital today to play with Little Sprout?’ ‘Yes!’ ‘Did Little Sprout smile today?’ ‘Of course!’
Yan took a lot of pictures of Little Sprout, then she uploaded them on Instagram. In response, a bunch of people liked her post and excitedly asked when she had given birth…
Embarrassed beyond belief, she almost chopped off her hand in regret. Why did I allow the post to be shown to the public? I should have set it to private after uploading it!
On this day, Old Master Yuchi and Little Bean were playing with Little Sprout by the side while Han Muzi watched from nearby. Listening to Little Sprout’s giggles, she felt comforted by it, but at the same time, she could not help but worry. Why do I feel… as if Little Sprout’s smile seems a little dumb? She couldn’t possibly be… Although the thought formed in her heart, she did not dare to voice it out.
After all, Little Bean was so smart. Even when he was a newborn, he was very different from Little Sprout, who giggled at anybody who played with her. Still, her expressions seemed especially dumb. I hope she is just very innocent!
However, Little Bean, the little rascal, actually had the same line of thought as Han Muzi. Unfortunately too, he actually said it out loud. Opening his eyes wide, he looked at her and asked, “Mommy, why do I feel like my little sister is a little dumb?” After saying that, he tilted his head to the side; his expression was adorable, innocent, and guileless. Even so, she nearly spat out a mouthful of blood at his words.
On the other hand, Old Master Yuchi, who was listening by the side, could not stomach it anymore and he rapped his knuckles against Little Bean’s head. “You little brat, what nonsense are you saying? That is your little sister! What do you mean she seems a little dumb?”
Clutching his head in pain, Little Bean snorted pitifully, “I was just saying; why do you have to be so fierce? Is it because you don’t want me anymore since you have Little Sprout now?”
“Your little sister is a girl. As her brother, you need to take good care of her. Next time, you shouldn’t say such things anymore!”
Little Bean said nothing more, but every time he saw her dumb and silly smiling expression, he still felt worried. If his little sister was not dumb, then she was probably way too innocent. Sigh. Don’t tell me all the intelligence was passed to me, so there’s none left for Little Sprout?
After Old Master Yuchi went home, he had been thinking long and hard before deciding on a name.
“I came up with a good name last night. Isn’t the little one called Little Sprout? After considering it, I’ve found a fitting name for her. Why don’t we name her Han Ya?”
Han Ya? Why does it sound like a boy’s name? Han Muzi hesitated, then looked over at Ye Moxuan.
Ye Moxuan pursed his lips; he was deep in thought. Then, he spoke up, “What do you think of repeating the words? A single character name sounds stiff and unsuitable for a girl. I think Han Yaya sounds much better.”
