Chapter 818: The Difficulty of Childcare
Zhang Yi's sincere expression left Zhu Yunque completely flustered.
"I... I..."
She stamred, unsure how to respond.
"I've never taken care of a child before either."
Zhang Yi said, "There's a first ti for everything. Didn't you say before that children are easy to take care of? They eat little and sleep a lot. How much trouble could they be?"
He patted Zhu Yunque's shoulder. "I have faith in you. Just focus on taking care of the child during this ti. I'll arrange for others to handle everything else."
After speaking, Zhang Yi gave her an encouraging look before walking away.
Zhu Yunque stood there helplessly, unable to co up with any solution after much thought.
At that mont, Zhou Ke'er ca out of her room and crossed paths with Zhang Yi.
Zhang Yi gave her a peculiar look that made Zhou Ke'er chuckle involuntarily.
Zhou Ke'er approached Zhu Yunque and said gently, "That child has been crying nonstop. You should go check on him quickly!"
Zhu Yunque stamped her feet anxiously. "But I don't know what to do!"
Zhou Ke'er sighed. "First, get so rice porridge from the kitchen to feed him. Also, I noticed his swaddling clothes are soaked. You'll need to change his diaper imdiately."
"But where would I find diapers for him?"
Zhou Ke'er replied, "He's been using makeshift diapers made from cloth scraps. It's not like we can find store-bought diapers here!"
As they were talking, Zhang Yi's voice ca from behind.
"Ke'er, co here for a mont. With so many people on board, we need to discuss disease prevention asures to avoid outbreaks."
Zhou Ke'er said to Zhu Yunque, "You'd better get to it. I need to attend to this matter first."
Zhu Yunque wanted to ask Zhou Ke'er for help, but the latter had already left with quick, small steps.
Gritting her teeth, Zhu Yunque went to the kitchen first to have the cook prepare rice porridge for the child.
Then she had to go prepare diapers.
Before she even reached the room, the child's deafening cries could already be heard clearly through the ship's decent soundproofing.
Zhu Yunque took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
The child on the bed was crying his eyes out, wailing loudly. The sheets beneath him were soaked with yellow liquid.
Zhu Yunque turned pale and shrieked, "Ah! My bedsheet!"
In this weather, drying bedsheets would be extrely difficult, not to ntion the mattress was probably soaked through.
How was she supposed to sleep now?
Zhu Yunque lanted her misfortune bitterly. For the first ti, she felt intense regret.
She shouldn't have impulsively taken on this responsibility.
Originally, when she suggested to Zhang Yi that they bring the child along out of maternal compassion, she never imagined she would be the one responsible for childcare.
There's an old saying that fits perfectly:
Those with their hands in their pockets are always overconfident.
When you're not the one doing the work, it's easy to talk big.
Only when the task actually falls on your shoulders do you realize how difficult it truly is.
Zhu Yunque was at her wits' end when she suddenly caught a whiff of sothing sour and foul.
The child hadn't just wet himself - he had soiled himself too. Anyone who's cared for children knows how pungent their waste can be.
To make matters worse, the room was small and heated, making the sll even more intense.
The pampered Miss Zhu gagged and rushed outside, taking several deep breaths to recover.
Yet the crying continued unabated in the room.
The room wasn't far from Zhang Yi's, so the noise was clearly audible.
The thought of being mocked by others if she failed at childcare made Zhu Yunque stubbornly determined.
"I refuse to believe I can't take care of one child!"
Steeling herself, she abruptly pulled open the door and charged back in.
Changing diapers is an extrely challenging task, especially for beginners.
The cloth diapers the child used were called "jiezhi" in Huaxu Kingdom dialect.
They had no waterproof function whatsoever - just several layers of coarse fabric folded and stuffed under the child's bottom.
The mont Zhu Yunque touched them, she felt both her hands beco wet.
She let out another loud shriek.
This ti, she cried. She and the child were crying together.
Just changing a diaper made her feel utterly humiliated.
anwhile, Zhang Yi, listening to the commotion next door, was thoroughly amused.
Sitting elegantly on the sofa sipping milk tea, he said to Zhou Ke'er, "How long do you think it'll take her to finish changing that diaper?"
Zhou Ke'er tilted her head in thought before shaking it vigorously.
"I think she's in real trouble!"
She had seen friends care for children before, and it had once made her fear the idea of motherhood.
Those were no little angels - they were practically little demons capable of driving sane adults mad!
The mont you open a soiled diaper and see its contents can make you wish you were ascending to heaven.
Even Zhou Ke'er admitted she would need ti to adjust to such tasks, and that was coming from soone with hospital experience and strong ntal fortitude.
Zhang Yi shrugged. "Well then, let's wait and see! After all, she chose this herself. Idol!"
Old Zhu had said this trip was ant to broaden Zhu Yunque's horizons and show her the hardships of life outside.
Zhang Yi had been wondering how to make her understand clearly.
As it turned out, Zhu Yunque had volunteered for the perfect lesson.
When Zhang Yi saw Zhu Yunque holding the child earlier, he had nearly died laughing.
Zhang Yi had no intention of helping Zhu Yunque with her predicant. He had also instructed Zhou Ke'er and others on board not to assist her - the principle being that one should handle the responsibilities one takes on.
Instead, he left the cabin and went down to where the Rockflow Group mbers lived.
When he arrived, several people who had been whispering among themselves imdiately fell silent upon seeing him, then greeted him with ingratiating smiles.
"Hello, Mr. Zhang!"
Zhang Yi asked, "Where's Li Zongyu? Have him co see ."
Soone imdiately went to fetch Li Zongyu.
Soon, Li Zongyu ca jogging to Zhang Yi.
"Mr. Zhang, you wanted to see !"
Zhang Yi said, "Co with . There's sothing I want to discuss with you."
"Of course."
Li Zongyu agreed without hesitation, smiling as he did so.
He had been prepared for this mont.
After all, the secret he guarded was precisely why the Jiangnan Region had sent people thousands of kiloters to rescue them.
Zhang Yi led Li Zongyu to the deck where they were completely alone.
Li Zongyu wore thick down jackets that could withstand temperatures below -20°C.
Leaning against the railing, Zhang Yi asked calmly, "Tell about that stone."
Li Zongyu reached into his pocket and slowly produced a stone, presenting it to Zhang Yi.
It was a yellow stone resembling Tianhuang stone, appearing utterly ordinary at first glance.
But the mont Zhang Yi saw it, he felt his DNA stir.
Author's Note
User Comments
0 comments from readers