Chapter 18: A Worthless Mother (Please Support and Vote)
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The two of them arrived home.
“You go play with the baby first; I’ll sort out these things.”
“Thanks for the trouble.”
“No need to be polite.”
Jiang Wanyi took the baby to the playpen while Chen Yuan carried the bags into the kitchen. He separated the mother and baby supplies from the rest, which were mostly food items.
“Um…”
Chen Yuan looked at Jiang Wanyi, who returned his gaze.
“What's up?”
“Do you mind if I open the fridge?”
“There’s no problem at all. Just treat this as your own home.”
Chen Yuan’s respect for boundaries earned him quite a bit of goodwill from Jiang Wanyi. After placing the baby in the playpen, she joined him in the kitchen.
“I’ll take care of this. You must be tired; rest for a bit.”
Jiang Wanyi stood between Chen Yuan and the shopping bags, her back to him. She took out her nursing bra from inside one of the bags and quickly went back to the bedroom.
So, that was her real reason for coming.
After returning to the bedroom, she soon came out again.
“I’ll handle this; you rest first.”
Jiang Wanyi wasn’t worried about Chen Yuan seeing inside her fridge—it wasn’t complicated work—she simply wanted him to rest a while longer.
“How’s your wrist?”
Chen Yuan’s question made Jiang Wanyi pause, a sudden pang of sadness washing over her.
After giving birth, due to a poor postpartum recovery, she developed various minor ailments.
Her wrist couldn’t touch anything cold for more than five minutes without causing severe pain.
Afraid of worrying her parents, she never mentioned these issues to them, always saying her recovery was excellent and all old ailments were gone. In truth, not only did they persist, but they had worsened.
“How did you know...?”
“You put breast milk in the fridge at noon and tidied up the inside. I saw you wearing gloves and guessed.”
That initial surge of boundless potential hadn’t granted skills but had infused much parenting wisdom.
Most women, after childbirth, experience less-than-ideal bone closure. Exposure to cold objects causes intense wrist pain.
“I really didn’t take care of it well. Even medicine from the hospital didn’t help much.”
“Medication doesn’t do much in these cases; it all depends on proper care.”
“With your experience, isn’t there any other effective method?”
“There is—have a second child and take good care of yourself.”
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Jiang Wanyi chuckled softly.
“Alright then, when I decide to have a second child, I’ll come to you.”
“Huh? You want me to help with the second child? I’m just starting college.”
“Kid, what are you talking about?”
Jiang Wanyi laughed heartily, her chest rising and falling with her amusement.
“I mean, if I do have a second child, no matter how much it costs, I’ll have you take care of me. You’ll definitely nurse me back to health.”
“You scared me there—I thought a windfall had dropped from the sky.”
Though the earlier joke was harmless, this bit about a windfall made Jiang Wanyi a bit embarrassed.
“Kid, hurry up and help your sister.”
Chen Yuan opened the freezer and glanced inside. Half of it was empty, and the items were somewhat disorganized.
One by one, he took everything out and rearranged it, subtly saving a lot of space.
Jiang Wanyi hadn’t planned to stay, but seeing Chen Yuan so engrossed, she felt a bit addicted.
His work was clean, efficient, and meticulous. Nowadays, whether boys or girls, children his age were usually spoiled by their parents and lacked self-care skills. For him to handle this so well was truly rare.
After placing the meats in the freezer, Chen Yuan opened the fridge compartment. Inside were eggs, dairy, fruits, and some vegetables, which looked even messier.
But besides these, he also spotted two pairs of stockings—both nude-colored.
Could these be stored in the fridge too?
“They last longer if kept refrigerated,” Jiang Wanyi explained.
Boys his age seemed quite interested in women’s stockings, especially black ones.
“Another useful piece of knowledge added.”
“You handle it; I’ll check on the baby.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Wanyi left, and Chen Yuan finished putting everything into the fridge.
[System Task: As a responsible father, helping the human offspring clean up after themselves is your duty. Complete one diaper change to earn 800 yuan in cash and acquire professional cooking skills.]
This skill was excellent and could be combined with the earlier cooking recipes.
He reviewed the task again—no extra requirements, only the challenge of overcoming psychological barriers.
But with children, it wasn’t much of a problem.
Still, when he would get the chance to complete it was uncertain; it required the right moment.
Instinctively, Chen Yuan glanced at Xiaomi, who lay motionless on the play mat, watching him.
His knowledge told him Xiaomi was probably straining.
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Chen Yuan was already about ninety percent sure what she was doing.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wanyi sat nearby, content and unaware.
When Chen Yuan approached, Jiang Wanyi scooted over a bit.
“Come sit and rest. Feel free to help yourself to the drinks and fruit in the fridge; don’t be shy.”
“I’m not tired—just came to check on the baby.”
“I noticed Xiaomi seems to like you a lot. She didn’t move a bit while you were working.”
“Can you guess why she kept staring at me?”
“Are you going to say it’s because you’re handsome and my daughter has a crush on you?” Jiang Wanyi teased with a smile.
“You’re a terrible mother,” Chen Yuan joked back. “Go check her diaper.”
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Wanyi, puzzled, complied.
Before even touching, she noticed something was off—she could smell it.
“How did you know while you were in the kitchen?”
“Seeing her so still told me she was straining.”
Jiang Wanyi was once again amazed by Chen Yuan’s experience.
She felt like a hopeless mother.
Chen Yuan lifted Xiaomi out of the playpen.
Jiang Wanyi appeared flustered as she followed him to the bathroom.
The place was a bit cluttered, which was understandable.
“Grab a diaper, a plastic bag, and some wet wipes.”
“Okay, I’m on it.”
Jiang Wanyi quickly brought what Chen Yuan needed.
Peeling off the soiled diaper, Jiang Wanyi was perceptive enough to open the plastic bag. Chen Yuan tossed the dirty diaper inside.
He then cleaned Xiaomi’s bottom with wet wipes, held her with one hand, gently parted her legs, and washed her with warm water and baby wash. After drying, he put on a fresh diaper. The whole process took less than five minutes—neat and efficient.
Throughout, Jiang Wanyi stood by, watching intently.
Chen Yuan’s skill impressed her as much as a university student publishing a top-tier paper.
[Task Complete: Reward 800 yuan in cash, professional cooking skills acquired.]