Hot water poured into the glass teapot. The tea leaves slowly swirled upward, then quietly sank back to the bottom as their rich aroma filled the air.
As she breathed in the tea's fragrance, the jumbled thoughts in Yukino Yukinoshita's mind gradually cleared.
Why... did she care so much about Dong Yunxi?
They had only met today.
Dong Yunxi's unreserved attachment to her and her adorable appearance were certainly part of the reason.
But that wasn't the whole story.
Lots of people loved babies, but even those who adored them rarely went as far as Yukino Yukinoshita did.
More than anything... it was because of Dong Yunshan.
Looking after a baby required professional knowledge more than experience with social interactions.
So Dong Yunshan couldn't put on his usual adult airs in front of Yukino Yukinoshita.
Instead, Yukino Yukinoshita could easily correct him.
That was right.
It was correction.
Yukino Yukinoshita finally found the key factor.
Unlike their previous clashes, where they had traded victories, Yukino Yukinoshita had successfully corrected Dong Yunshan several times while caring for the baby, winning repeatedly.
And Dong Yunshan listened humbly, tried hard to improve, and couldn't have been more cooperative.
As Dong Yunshan grew by leaps and bounds, Yukino Yukinoshita gained a corresponding sense of accomplishment.
Taking care of Dong Yunxi was also a way to correct Dong Yunshan.
Having reached that conclusion, Yukino Yukinoshita sipped her pleasantly warm tea and prepared to take a short break.
She opened a webpage and, as usual, searched for cute cat videos, watching them expressionlessly.
The tabby cats fought quite fiercely;
The tuxedo cat was as neurotic as ever;
Though it was still young, she could already imagine how big this orange cat would get;
Ragdoll cats were docile, relaxing when picked up and making good companions for children as they grew;
Siamese cats were highly intelligent and could easily bond with their little owners;
Tiffany cats were a great choice for children, playing without bothering them, pulling no pranks out of loneliness, and never tiring them out...
Volume Three: Final Exams and Spring Break — Chapter 77: Perfectionism
She was wrong.
[Ling Long]
Yukino Yukinoshita realized it belatedly.
She had overlooked something important when she bought books for Dong Yunshan.
Dong Yunshan wasn't going to raise Dong Yunxi. He was only helping look after her for a while during spring break.
Spring break lasted two weeks, from the end of March to the beginning of April.
Subtract the few days that had already passed and the few days before school started, and Dong Yunshan would only be caring for Dong Yunxi for seven days.
So Dong Yunshan didn't need to know everything about raising a baby. He needed a childcare plan for about seven to ten days.
With that in mind, Yukino Yukinoshita opened a new document and reorganized the information she had already found.
Health plan, meal plan, sleep plan, care plan, education plan, developmental milestones, basic skills, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, language skills, social skills... Was it already this late?
Only when Yukino Yukinoshita picked up her cup for a sip of tea did she notice how hungry she was.
Had she forgotten dinner?
She got up and went into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she glanced inside.
There were still plenty of ingredients she had prepared for everyday meals.
Yukino Yukinoshita took out a few things, but just as she was about to close the fridge, she felt that it wasn't quite enough and grabbed a few more.
Only after closing the fridge did she remember she couldn't eat so much by herself.
She opened it again and put the ingredients back.
One, two, three...
Watching the small pile of ingredients dwindle, Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly lost her appetite and put the rest back in the fridge too.
She boiled another kettle of water and brewed some black tea.
Yukino Yukinoshita put bread and pastries on the table, then skimmed her notes and ate a little while sipping tea.
That should be about enough... There were still a few things to keep in mind.
Dong Yunshan drank formula... No, Xixi drank formula. At six months, she should be ready to transition, so he probably had Stage 2 formula at home.
Should she call and ask?
Yukino Yukinoshita picked up her phone, then remembered she only had Dong Yunshan's email address.
She checked the time and set her phone aside.
She could ask tomorrow.
For tonight, she'd finish the overall framework first and fill in the other details later.
After saving the document, Yukino Yukinoshita stretched, did a few simple exercises, and went into the bathroom to shower.
She came out in her bathrobe and dried her hair. When she saw her laptop, she murmured, "Oh, right. Solid foods and a child safety seat, too."
She opened the computer and revised the document, only to find another oversight.
After more revisions and adjustments, it was already later than her usual bedtime.
She let out a long breath, saved the file, and shut down the computer.
Yukino Yukinoshita returned to her bedroom, changed into her pajamas, and lay down on the cold bed. She couldn't help remembering the warm, soft feeling of holding Baby Xixi.
"What am I even doing..." Yukino Yukinoshita pulled the blanket tighter around herself. Just before the question vanished into the chilly room, she answered it herself. "I just... want to do the best I can."
That was right. That was all.
If she was going to do something, she would do the best she could.
But that couldn't be enough. She also had to push herself and improve along the way.
Otherwise... she would only be repeating meaningless failures over and over.
In a daze, the cool blanket seemed to turn into a warm swaddle. Yukino Yukinoshita tried to speak, but all she could manage was a garbled sound.
What was happening to her?
In her distress, Yukino Yukinoshita's voice turned into a cry.
A young face appeared before her and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Sweet little sister, big sister's here~ I'll stay with you. Don't cry, don't cry..."
Her anxiety gradually eased, and Yukino Yukinoshita stopped crying. She watched that young face grow beautiful, listened to the other person's gentle words gradually turn into something false, and saw the hand stroking her cheek become a shadow looming over her.
"You could have done better. Why were you so careless about this?"
"Was I asking too much of you?"
"That's all you can do?"
"For an ordinary person, that's pretty good."
"You can... be a little happier."
"I won again this time."
"Again."
"And next time..."
Yukino Yukinoshita furrowed her brow and slowly opened her eyes.
She shouldn't have drunk black tea before bed.
It had seriously affected the quality of her sleep.
After sitting up in bed and taking a moment to recover, Yukino Yukinoshita got up and changed out of her sweat-soaked pajamas.
She went into the kitchen, warmed some milk, and ate two slices of bread. Only then did she realize she had gotten up much later than usual.
After a quick wash, her thoughts gradually cleared.
Yukino Yukinoshita opened her laptop and continued the plan she hadn't finished the night before.
This still wasn't enough... She had to do better.
She could do better. She was absolutely capable of more than this.
At least this time...
Yukino Yukinoshita raised a hand to her forehead and took several deep breaths.
Was this another reason?
Because of the age gap, the other person had already done many of the things she was trying to do.
But the other person had never taken care of a baby.
Now they were starting from the same place. This time, she could surely...
An email popped up on the computer, interrupting Yukino Yukinoshita's thoughts.
It was from Dong Yunshan. She opened it and saw a cute picture of Dong Yunxi sitting on the bed.
Her big eyes were watery, and the skin around them was faintly red.
Hmm?!
Why were her eyes red?
Yukino Yukinoshita immediately replied to the email, typing out a long message before deleting it.
That idiot... Yukino Yukinoshita packed her laptop into her bag, changed, and went downstairs to take a taxi. Then—
"Huh?" Dong Yunshan looked bewildered as he opened the door. "Uh... why are you... I mean, welcome."
"Move." Yukino Yukinoshita pushed past Dong Yunshan, changed into slippers, set her computer bag aside, and hurried over to Dong Yunxi, who was sitting on the sofa.
"Mm..." Dong Yunxi sat on the sofa with both hands braced against her body, staring fixedly at Yukino Yukinoshita. Her mouth puckered slightly, as if she were about to cry.
Yukino Yukinoshita realized her expression was too stern and adjusted her mood, giving Xixi a smile. "Xixi~"
"Ah!" Baby Xixi beamed and stretched out her arms toward Yukino Yukinoshita.
But as soon as she lifted her hands, she lost her support and tipped forward.
Yukino Yukinoshita leaned down and caught her in her arms.
Warm and soft.
Volume Three: Final Exams and Spring Break — Chapter 78: Waiting at Home
Yukino Yukinoshita picked up Dong Yunxi and examined her eyes closely. Seeing that they weren't as red as before, she turned to question Dong Yunshan. "Why were her eyes red?"
Dong Yunshan was confused. "Don't they look fine now?"
"Then what was that photo you sent me?"
"I wanted you to see that she can sit up by herself and how cute she looks." Dong Yunshan found the picture and examined it closely. "They do look a little red. It was probably because she cried last night."
"Why did she cry? What made her cry?" Yukino Yukinoshita furrowed her delicate brows. "Was the room too hot or cold? Or did your snoring wake her?"
"She was probably just hungry." Dong Yunshan was nearly stumped by the questions. "I gave her some milk, and she was fine."
"Was it Stage 1 or Stage 2 formula?"
"I gave her... what?"
"Stage 1 formula has a lower protein ratio and more DHA and ARA. It's suitable for babies aged zero to six months. Stage 2 formula has more protein, micronutrients, fat, and minerals, but less DHA and calcium than Stage 1. It's suitable for babies aged six to twelve months." Yukino Yukinoshita nodded toward the coffee table, signaling Dong Yunshan to open Baby Xixi Manual. "At six months, babies are right at the transition stage. You need to switch formulas gradually. For the feeding in the early hours of the morning, you should use Stage 1 formula—the old formula."
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