After arriving at the Chen family, the baby, Cao Ger, was taken to sleep by Dad Chen. Chen Yuping thought that since he wanted to take care of Cao Ger, he slowly learned how to look after a baby, gradually taking on all the little tasks associated with him.

At first, it was a bit uncomfortable to sleep with him at night, but luckily, Cao Ger was well-behaved, making it relatively easy for this novice father.

When the little one woke up early, he neither cried nor fussed. He just opened his big eyes, and very quality chewed on his hands or hugged his little feet.

Sometimes Chen Yuping woke up early, and other times, when he was too tired, he would sleep soundly.

This morning, he woke up early due to an external disturbance, abruptly roused from a deep sleep.

Cao Ger could roll over!

He flipped over and landed on Chen Yuping’s face, his soft little body covering his dad’s face, making it hard for him to breathe.

In that moment of waking, Chen Yuping was startled and turned pale, quickly hugging Cao Ger to check if he was okay.

Cao Ger, not understanding anything, was happily held by his dad, grinning widely and flailing his little arms and legs, thinking they were playing.

“You silly boy.” After the scare, Chen Yuping affectionately tapped Cao Ger’s forehead. “Where did you learn to do that? How can such a small body cover your dad’s face? How did you do it? You’re just a few months old, so capable! You can’t do that in the future, it’s too dangerous, you know…” He babbled on.

How did Cao Ger manage that? It was puzzling.

At breakfast, Chen Yuping voiced his confusion.

“That’s quite normal,” Dad Chen replied calmly. “Don’t underestimate how capable babies can be, they can surprise you. As the saying goes, ‘three turns, six sits, seven rolls, eight crawls.’ You need to be cautious, as they grow and become more agile and strong, they’ll only get livelier. If you’re not careful, accidents can happen.”

Chen Yuping glanced at Cao Ger, who was obediently staying in his basket. “I need to be more vigilant at night.”

“Right. During the day, I can help watch him, but at night, it’s just you.”

“He’s rolling over now?” Father Chen said, looking at him with delight, squinting and smiling happily. “When he first came home, he was so thin and small, now he’s chubby and looking much better.”

Chen Yuanqiu also came over and watched for a while. “I think the birthmark on his forehead has a bit of color now?”

“Indeed.” Dad Chen examined carefully. “Now that you mention it, this kid’s fruit powder isn’t being wasted. If we see improvement, we’ll keep feeding him until he’s five.”

Ping Ger had eaten quite a lot of fruit powder until he was three, but unfortunately, it didn’t help much. Later, when some family issues arose, they had to stop because they could no longer afford it.

Chen Yuchun brought Dazhuang over and heard the chatter in the kitchen. “Dad, you’re still having breakfast.”

“We just finished.”

Dazhuang called out to everyone in a soft voice.

Concerned about his sick ger, Chen Yuchun quickly got to the point: “There have been many issues at home recently, and I want to leave Dazhuang here for a few days.”

“What’s the matter?” Father Chen asked.

Noticing that his eldest son looked haggard and his grandson appeared thinner than before, Dad Chen guessed: “How’s An Ger? Is he okay? The weather has been unpredictable lately, and young children are prone to catching colds. You need to be extra careful, he’s only a few months old, and being sick is tough.”

If it weren’t for a true lack of options, his eldest son wouldn’t easily send his child over, as he feared adding trouble to the family.

“He’s doing well.” Chen Yuchun suppressed his inner sorrow, slightly lowering his head. “But there have been disturbances at the old house, it’s noisy, so I want Dazhuang to stay here for a few days.”

Not wanting to press further, Dad Chen let it go: “You can leave the child here, Cao Ger and Qiaoniu both like Dazhuang. The three kids will get along well.”

“Alright, Dad. I’ll head home first, there are still many chores to finish up.”

Dad Chen accompanied him to the door.

“Is An Ger really okay?” After walking a few steps, Dad Chen couldn’t help but ask again.

This child has been sensible since he was young, it’s strange how they didn’t raise him well, resulting in such a stubborn temperament.

“He’s…”

“It’s just us two here, what’s there that can’t be said?”

Chen Yuchun’s eyes reddened instantly: “It’s just that he caught a cold at night, and it hasn’t improved. Dazhuang also has a bit of a cough, I’m worried both kids are getting sick.”

“How many days has it been?”

“Today is the fourth day.”

“Have you gone to Shen Village to see Doctor Shen?”

Doctor Shen is very capable, his medicine works wonders, although his consultation fees are a bit high. However, in rural areas, families endure until they can’t anymore, only then do they consider seeing a doctor. It’s often better to go directly to Doctor Shen, who is expensive but effective, rather than risk visiting the town clinic, where the treatment can be hit or miss.

Seeing his eldest son silent, Father Chen became very angry: “What are you thinking? With An Ger sick, why haven’t you taken him to the Shen family? How can you be a dad like this? If you don’t have enough money, why not just say so? What’s more important, the child or your pride? It’s one thing in daily life, but with something this serious, you can’t just bear it alone! I really don’t know what to say!”

“The town clinic’s doctors are also quite good with children’s illnesses, they say they are effective and, well, more affordable,” Chen Yuchun said, feeling a bit guilty under his father’s glare, his voice getting smaller as if he wanted to hide.

“I think you’re getting worse. Hurry and take An Ger to the Shen family. Wait, I’ll get the ox cart ready.”

Seeing his angry spouse, Father Chen didn’t find it surprising: “You go get the money, I’ll prepare the ox cart.”

“Ping Ger, watch over Cao Ger and Dazhuang while I go with your brother to the Shen family.”

“Okay.”

Father Chen had initially planned to work in the fields, but since his spouse wasn’t home, he needed to help with the house chores. With the children to watch, a stall to manage, and cooking to do, Ping Ger wouldn’t be able to manage everything alone.

Liu Guixiang was sitting under her own eaves, washing diapers for the children. Seeing the activity across the old house, she looked over, and once she finished her task, she took Qiaoniu and headed over.

“Father, I’ll watch the kids, you go manage the stall.”

In the busy kitchen, Chen Yuping found an opportunity to tell his sister-in-law: “Cao Ger rolled over this morning and pressed my face, waking me up abruptly!” His eyes were bright, showing a hint of pride.

“Cao Ger can roll over now?” Liu Guixiang glanced at the three children playing and laughing on the bamboo bed. “He must be almost four months old, he should be able to roll over by now. Cao Ger is well-fed, with chubby arms and legs, he’s strong Third brother, you need to be careful, he’ll only get more active from here on.”

His son and daughter-in-law discussed their children, and Father Chen listened from outside, puffing on his pipe, a warm smile on his face, feeling content and lighthearted.

Chen Yuanqiu returned carrying a small wooden bucket. He had left the fish trap in the river yesterday, after a few months in the mountains, it needed a break. It was safer to put it in the river, especially since the shrimp paste at home was quite sufficient.

“Dad, you didn’t go to the fields?”

“Your dad has matters to attend to. Now that you’re back, you can help out at the stall and lend a hand to your third brother. I’ll check the fields.”

“Okay.”

After about an hour, the kitchen was filled with delicious aromas, the braised pork and stewed pig’s trotters were almost ready. Then, Dad Chen finally returned with the ox cart.

“Dad.” Chen Yuanqiu, feeling bored, brightened up at his father’s return. “I’ll go help Father in the fields.” He truly couldn’t stay idle.

“Go ahead.”

Chen Yuping brought out the braised pork and pig’s trotters, placing them on the stall and covering them with a thin cloth.

“Dad, is An Ger okay, right?”

“The child is still small, Doctor Shen said it’s best for him to stay there for a day. Your eldest brother hasn’t returned yet. I’ll go check later in the afternoon, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Liu Guixiang commented, “He caught a cold, didn’t he? A lot of young kids are getting colds lately.”

“His forehead is quite warm. It started as a mild illness, they said he was given medicine at the clinic, but the fever keeps coming and going. Just when it seemed he was getting better, it’s back to square one. Your eldest brother is foolish, with An Ger’s condition fluctuating, he should have taken him to the Shen family sooner, but it ended up delaying for several days. An Ger was never robust, and looking at him now, he’s just a frail little thing. With this illness, I don’t know how long it’ll take to recover.”

The usually mild-mannered Dad Chen seemed truly angry and was talking a lot. Chen Yuping and Liu Guixiang quietly listened, afraid to interject, worried he might become even more upset.

Fortunately, customers started arriving at the stall.

Dad Chen busied himself with the customers, and after a while, his anger had subsided.

After lunch, he took a food box and headed towards the Shen family, planning to deliver lunch to his eldest son and check on his little grandson.

Chen Yuping had specially made soup and prepared two nutritious yet light dishes, thinking that his brother looked quite haggard. If he didn’t eat better, how would he manage?