“Why is my dear baby crying? Tears are flowing down!”
“Grandpa will hold you, don’t be sad anymore.”

Bai Zhu continued to speak in a teasing tone, but as he bent down to pick up Little Bai Guo, he couldn’t help but find it a bit amusing.

This child had hardly cried since birth, let alone shed tears. It was rare for her to cry so heartbrokenly.

The mischievous Grandpa softly comforted her.

Unfortunately, his raised lips betrayed his true feelings.

“Your hands are dirty, Grandpa will wash them for you.”

“Once they’re clean, they won’t be dirty anymore, don’t cry…”

Xiao Zi Su, tiptoeing, looked worried.

“Grandpa, did my sister cry because her hands were dirty?”

“My dear baby is a clean child who loves to take baths.” Bai Zhu nodded, then carried Little Bai Gou to the door.

He pointed at the enamel basin on the small table, “Zi Su, bring me the enamel basin.”

Xiao Zi Su hurriedly ran over to grab the enamel basin, which still contained a little tea.

She quickly brought it over to Bai Zhu.

“Grandpa, here, hurry and wash my sister’s hands.”

“Let’s wash your hands.”

Bai Zhu poured the remaining tea water little by little.

Little Bai Gou stopped crying almost instantly, though she was still sniffling.

Her wide eyes watched as Bai Zhu scrubbed her tiny hands, washing off the greenish and brownish liquid that had been on her palms.

Bai Zhu handed the enamel basin to Xiao Zi Su, then wiped Little Bai Guo’s hands dry with a handkerchief. “All clean now, no more crying?”

“In the future, if your hands get dirty, it’s fine. Just wash them clean and it’ll be okay.”

Back inside the room, Little Bai Guo could still smell that lingering foul odor.

Even after washing with tea water, the smell clung to her hands.

She was so angry!

This stinky smell wouldn’t wash away, and she would stink like a bug from now on!

Xiao Bai Guo cried again.

“Waaah!”

She cried loudly, wetting Bai Zhu’s clothes and also soaking her little floral dress.

Bai Zhu patted her back, “You peed on Grandpa’s clothes, and Grandpa isn’t mad at you. Why are you crying now? Stop crying.”

…

Lin Yongcheng rode his bike back from the county town with Bai Ji, heading straight to the health clinic to pick up the child.

As soon as they opened the door, they heard the sound of the child crying.

“It’s our dear baby crying!”

Bai Ji became anxious and quickly jumped off the back seat.

Poor little girl, she must be crying because she missed her mommy!

Before she even entered the door, her voice arrived first: “Baby, mommy is back!”

Xiao Bai Guo was crying hard, and no matter how Bai Zhu and Xiao Zi Su tried to comfort her, she was still lost in her own thoughts.

She had become a stinky fish, she was dirty!!

Lin Zhijun and his sister finally understood—she didn’t like stinky bugs!

Then the question arose: why did Dr. Bai use stinky bugs to tease her?

Upon hearing Bai Ji’s voice, Xiao Zi Su cried anxiously.

As soon as Bai Ji entered, she ran over and hugged her leg, “Mom, sister is crying, we couldn’t stop her…”

“It’s okay, mommy is here to comfort her.” Bai Ji patted her head, then took the little girl from Bai Zhu’s arms.

As soon as she held her, she felt the wetness in her palm. “Baby, mommy is back, did you pee? I’ll change your clothes and diapers. Don’t cry.”

Bai Ji comforted Xiao Bai Guo in a gentle voice.

But still, the crying wouldn’t stop, even after she changed her into clean clothes.

“Why does it smell so bad?” Lin Yongcheng sniffed the air.

As soon as the words were spoken, there was a brief silence in the health clinic.

Then, Xiao Bai Guo’s crying grew louder.

It was heartbreaking!

The little fish had been bullied, and now bad daddy was complaining about how she stank!

She hated him even more now!

Bai Zhu said, “I just teased her with a few stinky bugs. She squashed them. Her hands still smell a bit, and she doesn’t like it.”

The couple had very different reactions.

Lin Yongcheng tried to hold back a laugh, “Did our baby cry because she dislikes herself?”

“If you can’t speak properly, don’t say anything!” Bai Ji glared at him and then turned back to comfort Xiao Bai Guo, “Don’t cry, baby, mommy is taking you home. We’ll wash you with soap and you’ll smell so good.”

Finally, Xiao Bai Guo seemed a little comforted, and her crying softened.

Let’s go home now!

She wanted to be a sweet-smelling fish!

One sentence was all it took to calm her down.

Everyone there didn’t think much of it, just assuming it was the safety of her mother’s embrace that made her feel better.

Xiao Zi Su, still concerned about her sister, followed them home.

Lin Zhijun felt guilty and lowered his head.

He had caused their baby to cry so much.

Even though no one in the Bai family blamed him, he still felt uneasy, thinking he had done something wrong.

After they left, he quietly apologized.

“Dr. Bai, it’s my fault, I made the baby cry…”

Xiao Bai Guo was really well-behaved, not noisy or fussy.

Bai Zhu could always hold her, and if he didn’t, she would obediently lie on the mat.

But he was the one who made her cry.

Bai Zhu said, “This isn’t your fault. I didn’t stop it either.”

“Dr. Bai,” Lin Qingni asked, tilting her head, “If she doesn’t like stinky bugs, why tease her with them?”

“She usually doesn’t move much, but when she encounters something she dislikes, she will avoid it.” Bai Zhu explained.

When they all nodded in realization, he continued, “I won’t use stinky bugs anymore. I’ll find another way to train her.”

The siblings both nodded, vowing not to grab any more stinky bugs in the future!

…

When they got home, Bai Ji gave Little Bai Guo a bath.

The soap smelled lovely, but the scent was too strong. If you smelled it too much, it became overwhelming, and Xiao Bai Guo didn’t like it.

After changing Xiao Bai Guo’s clothes, Bai Ji placed her on the cool bed.

“Baby, let’s put on some nice-smelling cream.” Bai Ji took a little snow flower cream and applied it to her hands, spreading it evenly on both her palms and the back of her hands, then held her small hand and kissed it.

“Our little baby has turned into a little fragrance treasure, smelling so good with the scent of the snow flower cream!”

Xiao Bai Guo lifted her little hand and sniffed it.

The fragrance was a delicate floral scent, much better than the soap’s smell. It was very pleasant, and she started to like it.

She happily babbled in baby talk.

“Ah-mmm—”

She smelled so good, like a fragrant fish.

She also took a glance at Bai Ji’s snow flower cream.

No rush—she was still too little to open the lid herself, but when she grew up, she could use it every day and always smell like a fragrant fish!

“Baby has made progress again, now she can talk to mommy.” Bai Ji felt an overwhelming sense of happiness, her eyes starting to well up.

Her little girl had rarely shown any attachment to her before—she didn’t really pay attention to her, let alone smile or talk to her.

“Today you’re so fond of mommy!” Bai Ji kissed her little face.

Lin Yongcheng, seeing this scene, felt a pang of sourness in his heart.

His little girl had never been this kind to him. He quickly grabbed her hand and shook it.

“Baby, say something to daddy.”

“Come on, give daddy a smile!”

But Xiao Bai Guo immediately stopped smiling, remained silent, and stared at him with a blank expression.

“Hey… why is this little one so unfriendly to daddy?” Lin Yongcheng was puzzled, smiling brightly at Bai Ji, but when it came to him, she gave no expression.

He bent down and picked her up, shaking her again, “Come on, say something to daddy. Daddy wants to chat with you.”

Xiao Bai Guo was a fish that held grudges.

Chatting was out of the question.

Sending him some pee was more likely.

Just as Lin Yongcheng was speaking, he suddenly felt warmth on his body—he had been peed on.

“If you don’t want to talk to daddy, fine, but you peed on me,” he said, a little angry and a little hurt. “Am I really that unlikable?”

Sigh, no one else could be as unappealing to a child as he was.

Xiao Zi Su hummed, “Mom smells good, so my sister likes mommy.” She shot Lin Yongcheng a glance, “Daddy doesn’t smell good.”

It wasn’t her sister’s fault; it was daddy who didn’t smell good and couldn’t win her sister’s favor.

Lin Yongcheng, already hurt by the little coat, was now struck again by the big coat.

Wrapped in two coats with drafts, he felt like he was shivering in the winter night.

Ugh… too cold!!

…

The next day, Lin Yongcheng went out alone while Bai Ji stayed home to review.

The county hospital was expanding and hiring a group of doctors.

She had studied medicine and was assigned to the hospital after graduation, but she had resigned when she followed Lin Yongcheng back to their hometown.

Bai Ji needed a few days to prepare, brushing up on her professional knowledge and experience.

To outsiders, it seemed like they had sacrificed a lot—quitting their jobs and returning to the countryside with Lin Yongcheng.

Some people might even think they were foolish.

But only she and Lin Yongcheng knew that the real sacrifice was made by Lin Yongcheng, not the Bai family. But they wouldn’t tell anyone.

Xiao Bai Guo didn’t need to go to the health clinic with Bai Zhu anymore.

At home, she was like a lazy fish lying happily, with no need to do much unless Bai Ji occasionally teased her, which would make her even happier.

After reviewing for half a day, Bai Ji felt a little tired in her eyes and wanted to go out for some relaxation.

She turned around and saw Xiao Bai Guo lying peacefully nearby.

She first checked her clothes—still dry—then picked her up and kissed her little face.

“Baby, mommy will take you out for a walk.”

She carried Xiao Bai Guo out, and as she walked, they bumped into someone.

Old Lady Lin had been waiting for a long time.

Since the day Bai Ji started working in the city, she had been tormented by anxiety, wishing she could immediately take Bai Ji’s job and give it to her eldest son.

But Bai Ji came back so infrequently, and she never went out alone.

Today, when she heard that Lin Yongcheng was leaving alone, Old Lady Lin had been waiting.

Unfortunately, the Bai family lived so far out that there wasn’t even a neighbor to chat with, so she had to wait in a place she thought was suitable.

If you’re determined, it’s not hard to find someone to wait for!

With no one else around, Old Lady Lin didn’t even bother with pretense. She came over with a gloomy face, “Third daughter-in-law, I need to talk to you.”

Bai Ji glanced at her coldly, not even calling her “mother.”

Old Lady Lin felt the sting of her cold gaze and lost her composure. She immediately started criticizing Bai Ji. “Third daughter-in-law, I’m not saying this, but you, a married woman, should stay home and take care of your child, not running off to the county town! You’re not taking care of your home at all!”

Xiao Bai Guo couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Her son also worked in the city, why didn’t Old Lady Lin say anything about him not caring for his family?

She glanced at Old Lady Lin, and now that she could see her clearly for the first time, she realized what a nasty woman she was.

Ugh… you can tell from her face she’s a mean one!

Just as annoying as Old Man Lin, all stinky!

Before, Bai Ji had always been respectful to Old Lady Lin, giving her the impression that she had a very good temper.

But now that their relationship had soured, why should she continue to tolerate this old woman?

She decided to retort.

“Is your useless son eyeing my job, huh? If he can’t find his own way and is useless, he wants to steal someone else’s job? And then he hides behind a coward, sending the old lady to speak for him? What kind of man is he? Doesn’t even consider his own worth, just daydreaming all day!”

Bai Ji knew exactly what hurt Old Lady Lin the most. It didn’t matter if she insulted her, but insulting Lin Yongcheng was like stabbing her in the heart!

Right after she finished, Bai Ji suddenly thought of something and wondered if she should take this opportunity to mess with the Lin family.