Chapter 16: Tactile Balls + Swimming

The decoration and furniture purchasing for the children’s room were quickly completed. Zhu Jia carefully selected the most eco-friendly materials and furniture available, but she still wasn’t fully reassured, so she hired professionals to remove the formaldehyde. Only after receiving the test report did she feel comfortable using the room.

The other functions were fine, but Zhu Jia was eager to try swimming with Xiaowen. She had already bought an infant swimming ring and a sand timer from online stores. In the past few days, she had seriously watched the system’s “Baby Swimming” instructional videos several times.

Since Xiaowen’s diaper rash, Zhu Jia had become particularly attentive to every detail in daily life. She had studied the “baby swimming” lesson thoroughly, wanting to absorb every piece of information, almost frame by frame.

One evening, Zhu Jia was playing with Xiaowen in the living room after his feed. She planned to take him swimming after she finished dinner, as baby swimming was best done between two feedings to prevent vomiting.

Zhu Jia pressed a button on the remote control and selected a children’s song to play on the TV. The large speakers in the living room emitted rich, smooth sound, and the cheerful, crisp notes of the song filled the space, making it impossible not to be swept up in the music.

Xiaowen seemed to be in a good mood. He turned his head from side to side, taking in his surroundings.

The living room was spacious, with a lot of open space. The dominant color was a soft gray-brown, and the design was simple but elegant, with a few interesting details. The overall atmosphere was luxurious yet understated, reflecting the homeowner’s taste.

As the last rays of the sunset filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, half of Zhu Jia’s face was bathed in a warm, gentle light.

She sat on the large, dark brown piano-key sofa, a square cushion behind her, holding a few colorful tactile balls in her hand.

Each tactile ball had a different texture, providing varied sensations when touched. Zhu Jia picked up a bright red ball, covered with small raised dots, and gently rolled it in Xiaowen’s palm.

“Xiaowen, what does this ball feel like in your hand? Does it feel a bit itchy?” Xiaowen’s delicate skin was left with tiny, shallow pink marks after the ball was rolled over it.

Xiaowen quickly became interested in the ball. He widened his eyes, drawn to the bright red color.

Zhu Jia continued rolling the textured ball over Xiaowen’s little arms, belly, and chubby legs, talking to him as she did.

“Do you like this kind of massage? This is our baby’s special massage ball,” she said with a smile, unable to resist gently touching his little earlobe.

Although Xiaowen didn’t understand the words, he gazed intently at the woman before him, the one he was most familiar with in this world, the one who spent almost all her time with him.

Her voice, her warmth, her scent, and her touch were his greatest sources of comfort.

Xiaowen wanted to memorize Zhu Jia’s appearance deeply in his heart. He began to recognize her clearly: This must be my mother. I can depend on her unconditionally, and she will never leave me.

Zhu Jia picked up another tactile ball, this one bright yellow with recessed dots. She repeated the same actions with this new ball, rolling it in Xiaowen’s hand and giving him a “ball massage” all over his body

A car engine sound came from outside, and when Zhu Jia looked out the floor-to-ceiling window, she saw that Mo Yichen had returned. It was quite rare, as Mo Yichen seldom came home for dinner, but recently, he had been doing so more often for some unknown reason.

After getting out of the car, Mo Yichen walked into the house, changed into slippers at the entrance, and then made his way to the living room sofa. He was dressed in a sharp, dark blue suit paired with a matching tie, looking impeccably groomed from head to toe, as if he had just returned from an official event.

He walked up to Zhu Jia, glanced at the baby in her arms, and saw that Xiao Wen had turned his head to look at him.

“What are you playing with?” Mo Yichen asked as he looked at Zhu Jia, who was gently rolling a yellow ball on Xiao Wen’s back.

“This is a tactile ball, it helps improve the baby’s sense of touch,” Zhu Jia explained, then gently placed Xiao Wen’s little foot on the tactile ball.

Mo Yichen nodded. He stood a meter away, not moving closer. “I’ll go change clothes first.”

Mo Yichen had become very cautious lately, worried that the smell of smoke and alcohol on him from outside might affect Xiao Wen, so he always changed into clean clothes before getting close to the baby.

He wasn’t heavily addicted to smoking, only having a couple of cigarettes when at work, but now the house had a no-smoking rule in place.

“Sir, ma’am, dinner is ready,” Aunt Liu entered the living room with a smile. “Let me play with little sir for a while.”

Zhu Jia nodded and handed Xiao Wen to Aunt Liu. She slipped on the slippers left by the door and walked to the dining table, where a beautiful bouquet of champagne roses had been placed. These roses were bought by Zhu Jia earlier that day when she went out for a walk with Xiao Wen.

The cold, light-gray marble dining table held several beautiful, vibrant champagne-colored roses. Together, they created a naturally harmonious and beautiful aesthetic.

Mo Yichen came back in a set of black home clothes. The clothes had a high-quality texture that complemented his pale skin, and his delicate, aloof expression made him seem like a vampire emerging from the dark night.

He glanced at the warm-toned flowers on the table, showing no particular expression, and sat down elegantly as usual.

Zhu Jia didn’t wait long before starting to eat. The dishes on the table were all her favorites! In the past, whenever she encountered dishes she liked, she would finish them quickly. Over time, Aunt Liu had come to know her tastes, and now the table was often filled with dishes she enjoyed.

However, Zhu Jia had never seen Mo Yichen show any particular interest in any food. He ate everything but only in small amounts, as if the food on the table were simply small portions of nutrients, and he ate just to maintain a balanced diet.

Zhu Jia had never seen him take a particular interest in anything, except for his work.

Tsk, so boring! Zhu Jia glanced at the man across from her.

Mo Yichen noticed her gaze, lifted his eyelids to glance at her, and then continued eating, lowering his eyes.

“Next month, on the first, it’s my father’s birthday. You need to come with me to visit the family,” Mo Yichen suddenly spoke.

“His birthday?” Zhu Jia’s eyes widened. “Do I need to prepare a gift?”

“No need, I’ll prepare everything,” Mo Yichen replied, looking at her.

“Okay, that’s a relief,” Zhu Jia smiled at him. As his nominal wife, she didn’t need to do much—just take care of the formalities, which saved her a lot of trouble.

“By the way, Mo Yichen, can you help me with something later?” Zhu Jia picked up a piece of tender, flavorful braised pig’s trotters and looked at Mo Yichen. Her small, full lips glistened with oil.

Mo Yichen glanced at Zhu Jia, his eyes traveling from her lips up to her nose, noticing a small mole on the tip of her nose. He absentmindedly replied, “Sure.”

After dinner, Zhu Jia took Xiao Wen in her arms and led Mo Yichen upstairs to the children’s room.

She turned on the lights, which were designed without a main light fixture, creating a space with even lighting throughout.

The room was still quite empty, with only a few pieces of furniture, as Zhu Jia planned to add more items later.

She gestured for Mo Yichen to remove his shoes and enter barefoot, as slippers worn outside could carry bacteria. Moreover, the children’s room had wooden floors, which were comfortable to walk on barefoot. She indicated for Mo Yichen to sit on the sofa and handed Xiao Wen to him.

Zhu Jia walked to the bathroom and began filling the small bathtub she had customized earlier. She tested the water temperature with her hand—it was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. After waiting a few minutes, the small tub was filled with warm water.

“Mo Yichen, bring Xiao Wen in here,” Zhu Jia called out.

Mo Yichen entered the bathroom with Xiao Wen in his arms. As soon as they stepped inside, warm air blew toward them, a result of Zhu Jia turning on the bathroom’s warm air system.

“Mo Yichen, place Xiao Wen here,” Zhu Jia pointed to a flat platform with a soft mat on top, covered with a disposable changing pad.

Mo Yichen gently placed Xiao Wen on the pad, and Zhu Jia walked over to undress him. “Hold him like this,” she instructed, signaling for Mo Yichen to support Xiao Wen’s body.

She then took a small swimming ring, which had a clasp on one side, and carefully put it around Xiao Wen’s neck, securing the clasp.

Afterward, she lifted Xiao Wen and gently submerged his little bottom into the water. She swayed him slightly, allowing him to adjust to the water temperature before fully placing him in the tub.

When Xiao Wen first touched the water, he was startled, his limbs jumping in surprise, and his mouth quickly formed a frown. Zhu Jia immediately placed her thumbs into his small fists and gently held his hands, soothing him with, “Don’t be scared, Xiao Wen, this is swimming. Swimming is fun. You can kick your little legs and move.”

Turning to Mo Yichen, she said, “Mo Yichen, play two rhythmic children’s songs and start the timer with the sand hourglass.”

Since Xiao Wen was still small and this was his first time swimming, the session should be brief, so using the sand hourglass to time it was best. Once the time was up, they would take Xiao Wen out of the water.