Cry on cue, and louder each time.
“Su Liumeng!”
I angrily grabbed my messy hair and sat up with a jolt. “Can’t you let me have some peace?!”
The little one kept crying.
Hearing my voice only made her cry harder, as if she was complaining.
I got out of bed, picked up Zhizhi, and rocked her gently. “Zhizhi, there, there—don’t cry, mommy’s here.”
“Did someone bully you?”
“Mommy will protect you. Let’s beat up the bad guys, okay?”
Su Liumeng hung her hands by her sides, standing there like a kid who’d made a mistake.
After soothing the baby back to sleep, I finally looked at Su Liumeng and sighed, “It’s fine, babies cry. You’ll get the hang of it after comforting her a few times.”
Su Liumeng looked a bit guilty, just regretting her itchy fingers.
“She’s actually quite well-behaved. I just touched her cheek.”
I paused. How could it be? She wouldn’t even let Su Liumeng touch her cheek?
After a moment’s silence, Su Liumeng said, “Zhizhi seems to really dislike me. I just touched her face, and she cried immediately.”
“It’s okay, she probably just doesn’t know you yet. She’ll get used to you.” I felt a bit speechless but soon understood.
She’s just shy around strangers, not familiar with Su Liumeng yet.
I could tell the difference between real and fake crying.
Not a single tear at the corners of her eyes, just a loud voice, worried her mom wouldn’t notice.
A crafty little girl.
I put Zhizhi back in the crib, turned to Su Liumeng, and said, “Hand me the bottle, I want to see how much she drank.”
Su Liumeng handed it over. I stared at the measurement marks. “Not bad, 120ml at one go, she should develop quickly.”
“Remember to sterilize the bottle after each use. Get some sleep yourself, I think I’ve slept enough. I’ll nap a bit more later, then I’ll be fine.”
Su Liumeng smiled. “I’ve made another breakthrough lately, my cultivation level is higher than yours. I feel fine. You’re still in your postpartum confinement, so just rest easy.”
At that, I couldn’t help but be surprised. “You’ve broken through again?”
That means Su Liumeng is already at the seventh realm.
Seventh realm at eighteen is pretty astonishing. One more step and she’d be on par with many sect elders, with her primordial spirit and body unified, making her nearly unassailable.
Thinking of my own weak cultivation, I suddenly didn’t feel like talking.
“Alright, I’ll nap a bit more. When I wake up, I’ll switch with you.”
Yawning, I curled back up in bed.
Three hours later.
I was completely rested. After talking with Su Liumeng, I learned the baby had fed again and played in her crib before falling asleep.
“Go rest, I’ll take care of the baby.”
Su Liumeng didn’t insist.
Cultivators in this world still needed sleep and food.
Su Liumeng ordered some light postpartum meals, and we ate together. Then she opened the secret door in the ward, revealing a big bed and lay down.
“I’ll sleep here. Call me if you need anything.”
The postpartum meals were rather bland, but at least there was a hint of spice.
I ate quite happily. Since I was breastfeeding, I avoided overly heating foods, focused on nutrition, and made sure to eat things that promote milk production.
I still couldn’t get wind in my current state, so I just paced around the room, and when tired, stood by the window to enjoy the distant scenery.
Alone, I would sometimes check my clothes. The glaring stretch marks were my biggest worry.
A huge area, really unsightly.
Though Su Liumeng kept reassuring me that it would recover over time, I’d heard that for some, they last a lifetime.
Since the baby was still sleeping, I pumped out two more bottles and placed them on the top shelf of the fridge.
Just because infants can’t talk, doesn’t mean they can’t understand some of what people say.
Usually, as the months go by, they’ll gradually understand more.
And then, they’ll start learning to speak.
February 22.
After a few days of recovery, since I had a natural birth, I was almost ready to be discharged.
On the day of discharge, Su Liumeng’s carefulness left me half amused, half helpless.
I told her I wasn’t that fragile, but she insisted on wrapping me up tightly, afraid I’d catch a chill.
She even exaggerated by creating an energy barrier to isolate me from the outside environment.
During my hospital stay, I’d complained more than once that I didn’t need to be put in a sterile ward. If others found out, wouldn’t they find it ridiculous?
Su Liumeng had simply replied, “I don’t care what others say.”
I looked at her, exasperated and doting at the same time, letting her indulge her slightly willful pampering.
Back at our large apartment, the two maids had cleaned the place spotless—not a speck of dust on the carpet. The warm lighting made my gaze linger in a daze for a moment.
When Zhizhi was three weeks old, I looked at her in the crib and couldn’t help but grasp her little hand. “Good girl, can you try crawling for mommy?”
Su Liumeng, busy with Su family affairs, heard me and chuckled without turning. “She’s only three weeks. Babies can’t crawl until at least three months.”
I shot Su Liumeng a look. “That’s other people’s babies. Mine is the smartest in the world—she’ll crawl in just a few weeks, so what?”
Su Liumeng laughed again, not wanting to burst this new mother’s fantasy.
“When will she be able to crawl…” I worried, thinking at least she should be able to crawl, and then stand up, before having a chance to speak.
At three weeks, the baby’s random sounds had gained a few more notes.
“We have to hold a birthday banquet.” Dropping the earlier subject, I bit my finger, then realized as a mother I shouldn’t do such childish things and reluctantly put my hand down. The habit was hard to break; when I forced myself to stop, there was a strange craving, like withdrawal. I felt a bit uncomfortable. “In another week, I’ll be able to go out. The birthday banquet is also my chance to make a public appearance again, and to introduce my daughter to the world.”
Suddenly, my thoughts stalled.
If someone asks about the baby’s name—
How will I answer?
If the world finds out that the future little Phoenix of the Su family bears her mother’s surname, wouldn’t everyone know Su Liumeng is completely henpecked?
Before I could worry more, Su Liumeng’s voice cut in, “Of course we have to hold a birthday banquet, and it has to be big. Zhizhi’s one-year-old grabbing ceremony should be lively too. We can’t skip that, and it’s a great chance to collect some gifts—later, it’ll all become the baby’s little treasury.”
I opened my mouth, wanting to voice my concern, but caught Su Liumeng’s unconcerned gaze and felt a deep sense of guilt.
I quietly left the bedroom and went to the living room, opening the fridge.
Because of frequent engorgement, I pumped a bit whenever I felt uncomfortable.
Now, the fridge was crammed full of bottles, barely enough space left.
Lowering my head, I silently took one bottle and brought it to Su Liumeng, not daring to look up as I handed it over. “You wanted to try, right? Honestly, it doesn’t taste good, there’s barely any flavor, just a little sweetness.”
Su Liumeng eyed the embarrassed girl, then the bottle in front of her, her throat involuntarily swallowing. “Baby, what’s with you? Why the sudden change of heart?”
“And how do you know what it tastes like?”
“Did you drink some yourself when you had nothing to do?”
“Who drank it?!” I shot up like a bristling kitten, head snapping up in indignation. I even stepped on her foot in my embarrassment. “I’m an adult, I wouldn’t compete with my own daughter for food. Besides, this is my own… Who would drink their own, seriously?”
I nearly blurted out, “I’m not like you, I don’t have your weird tastes.”
“I just wanted to collect the complete Pokédex. There might only be this one chance in my whole life. If I miss it, I might never get to taste my own wife’s flavor again.”
Listening to Su Liumeng’s blatant words, my face burned red. “Why are you saying so much? If you don’t want it, I’ll throw it in the trash.”
Seeing I was at my limit of embarrassment and about to lose it, Su Liumeng knew not to tease me further.
“I want it.”
She decisively grabbed the bottle.
The cold bottle had no warmth at all, making her fingers curl. Without thinking, she blurted out, “Is… is there any that’s warm? Can I have the first sip while it’s hot?”
Thud!
“……”
Even a girl’s soft little fist could leave a visible bump.
I jumped up in a huff, smacked Su Liumeng on the head, and left the room red-faced without waiting to hear her explanation.