Gu Mingyue was awakened by a very soft murmur beside her. She didn't open her eyes immediately, but felt that the bedroom was warm and cozy.
In a daze, she heard Lu Lin's light footsteps on the floor. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw him half-squatting beside the crib, his back to her, his shoulders slightly hunched, as if afraid of blocking the light from the little one.
The baby woke up at some point, turned his little head on the pillow, his little face was exposed, and his little mouth was pursing, making soft humming sounds.
Lu Lin gently placed his palm on the baby's back, his movements so slow they seemed to be counting the seconds, patting down the baby's clothes one pat at a time.
He patted the baby twice, then bent down and gently touched the baby's forehead with his own, saying softly, "Sweetie, Daddy's here, Mommy's still asleep."
Whether it was because the patting was comfortable or because she could hear his voice clearly, the baby's whimpering gradually subsided. The baby nuzzled her head against his hand, closed her eyes, and pursed her lips back into a nursing position.
Lu Lin didn't get up immediately. He remained in a half-squatting position and patted the baby for a while until he was sure the baby was completely asleep. Only then did he carefully straighten up and turn around, just in time to meet Gu Mingyue's eyes.
He was taken aback at first, then smiled and made a "shh" gesture at her, his eyes softening with tenderness.
"You're awake. Are you hungry? Mom just made dinner," Lu Lin said in a low voice.
Gu Mingyue shook her head; at that moment, there was something more important than eating.
She had just woken up, her hair was still a little messy, and she sat up against the headboard for a moment before whispering, "Lu Lin, I'm going to the bathroom."
As soon as she finished speaking, she was about to move her foot when she realized that her maternity shoes were covered by the baby's blanket. When she bent down to reach them, her movements were a little slow.
Upon hearing the sound, Lu Lin immediately looked up and walked quickly to Gu Mingyue's side. "I'll help you."
He reached out and took her arm, his palm firmly supporting her waist. "Don't rush after giving birth, I'll carry you."
Gu Mingyue leaned against him and couldn't help but laugh: "It's just going to the toilet, why are you being so delicate?"
Despite saying that, she still slowly got up with his help, taking very slow steps.
Lu Lin helped her to the bathroom door and told her, "Call me if you need anything, I'll be waiting outside."
He didn't go back to the bedroom, but stood against the wall opposite the bathroom, his ears perked up, and he even breathed softly.
A moment later, he heard a slight rustling sound coming from the bathroom. He immediately straightened up, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the seam of his pants. As soon as the door opened a crack, he reached out and said, "Help me, take it easy."
As soon as Gu Mingyue stepped out, he firmly supported her and couldn't help but tease her, "The way you're acting is like I'm a baby who's just learned to walk."
Lu Lin smiled and led her into the bedroom: "You and the baby are both my treasures, and you must take good care of them."
As they were talking, the two entered the bedroom and saw that the child, who had only been asleep for a short while, was crying again.
Lu Lin checked and said, "She probably urinated."
He first spread the clean diaper flat on his lap, then carefully lifted the baby's bottom, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a fragile porcelain doll.
The little guy had just woken up, and his little feet were kicking excitedly, with his toes occasionally kicking the back of his hand, which made him keep smiling.
"Slow down your kicking, Daddy will change your diaper and take you to find Mommy."
As Lu Lin spoke, she gently wiped the baby's body with a cloth. After wiping, she didn't forget to rub the soft skin with her fingertips, her eyes filled with an irrepressible smile.
Just as Gu Mingyue was about to reach out to tease the baby on the crawling mat, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by Zhong Yuxiu's voice: "Mingyue, Lu Lin, I'm coming in."
Zhong Yuxiu held a bowl in her hand. "For the first three days after giving birth, you need to eat soft and easily digestible foods. In addition to egg drop soup, I also cooked millet and yam porridge."
The egg in the bowl was beaten very finely, with a few tender spinach leaves floating on top, and even the salt was added very lightly.
She carried the soup into the bedroom. Gu Mingyue was about to get up when she was stopped by her: "Sit down and don't move. You need to rest well during your postpartum period."
He handed her the soup, saying, "I've been simmering this egg drop soup for almost an hour. The egg drops are cooked until they're very tender. Try it; it's not hot."
Gu Mingyue held the warm soup bowl, took a sip, and the freshness of the egg and the tenderness of the spinach spread in her mouth, making her feel warm and comfortable in her stomach.
Lu Lin covered the baby with a small blanket and said with a smile, "Mom is so thoughtful, much more meticulous than I am."
Zhong Yuxiu glared at him: "It's good enough that you can change diapers properly. I have to keep an eye on Mingyue's meals every day."
Zhong Yuxiu sat on the chair by the bed and reached out to tidy up the stray hairs on her forehead: "There are no other seasonings in this soup, just some chopped green onions to enhance the flavor. Your stomach is weak right now, so you have to eat something light and refreshing."
“I know you’re thoughtful, it’s very comforting to drink.” Gu Mingyue took another small sip and said with a smile, “It’s just that I always feel weak, even holding the baby is difficult.”
Zhong Yuxiu immediately waved her hand: "Silly girl, how can you exert yourself in the first three days after giving birth? You should take care of yourself first. Don't always think about holding the baby. If you get tired of sitting while breastfeeding, lie down and feed. Lu Lin is right next to you, so ask him to help out."
Lu Lin covered the baby with a small blanket and nodded quickly: "Mom is right. You can rest assured and rest. I'll take care of changing diapers and putting the baby to sleep."
Zhong Yuxiu then turned to Gu Mingyue, her tone softening: "After these three days, I'll make you some fish soup to nourish you, but you have to be patient for the first few days and take care of your spleen and stomach so that you can absorb the nutrients later."
Gu Mingyue obediently agreed.
As they were talking, the baby suddenly cried out "Eee-yah," turned his little head toward the soup bowl, and twitched his little nose, which made all three of them laugh.
Zhong Yuxiu put down the spoon that was serving porridge and reached out to tease the baby: "Little glutton, this soup isn't for you. When you grow up a bit, Grandma will make you steamed egg custard."
-
Early in the morning, Lu Lin carried a bag of candy to the military camp, his steps light as if he were walking in the spring breeze.
He was wearing a shirt today, which made his complexion look exceptionally rosy and refreshed, a stark contrast to his usual post-training appearance.
After walking a few steps, he bumped into Zhao Gang, who was in the same team. Lu Lin immediately reached into his pocket, took out two fruit candies wrapped in hemp paper, and handed them over: "Here, have a taste."
Zhao Gang was stunned for a moment, then took the candy and held it in his hand. Seeing that Lu Lin's mouth was almost stretched to his ears, he couldn't help but tease, "Did you find some silver? You're smiling like that."
Lu Lin didn't hide anything, patting the candy wrappers in his arms, his voice full of pride: "I'm happier than finding silver. My family has a new baby boy, a chubby little boy. He was just born yesterday, and I rushed back to share the wedding candy with the brothers."
He then stuffed two more into Zhao Gang's hand, saying, "Take some more, share them with the rest of the team."
As they were talking, several soldiers who had just finished their morning exercise gathered around. Lu Lin simply opened his arms wide, took out all the candies he had put in his inner pocket, and stuffed handfuls of them into everyone's hands.
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