228 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Chapter 228 (Final Chapter) Back in the hospital room, Jiang Yan Xin was already asleep, exhausted. Ye Lan gently placed her granddaughter beside Jiang Yan Xin, letting the little baby sleep next to its mother. "What are we going to name our little baby?" Ye Lan asked with a light smile as she looked at the tiny figure. "Chen Wan, have you decided?" Chen Wan nodded and replied with a smile, "We've decided to name her Jiang Lai, with the hope that one day in the future, humanity can conquer the post-apocalyptic world and live as comfortably as they did before." "That's a beautiful meaning. Her nickname will be Lai Lai, isn't that right, our little Lai Lai?" Ye Lan said softly, lightly touching the little one's small hand. The little baby was so sleepy that its eyes could barely stay open and was soon dozing off. That night, Chen Wan stayed in the hospital to keep watch, tending to Jiang Yan Xin and rocking the little one gently in her arms. The baby, lulled by Chen Wan's rocking, quickly fell asleep. Gently, Chen Wan placed the little one beside Jiang Yan Xin. "He's asleep. Honey, does it still hurt?" "It's okay, not as painful now," Jiang Yan Xin whispered. Chen Wan leaned over and kissed the corner of Jiang Yan Xin's lips, soothing her gently, "When Lai Lai grows up, you must tell her how tough it was carrying her. She's just a little thing now, as light as a kitten. I wonder when she'll grow as big as Yang Yang." "Children grow quickly. Let's hope our Lai Lai adjusts well to this world," Jiang Yan Xin said, gazing at the sleeping infant beside her. Time flew by, and it had been over a month since Jiang Yan Xin was discharged. Perhaps due to her abilities, she recovered quickly and was moving around freely. Meanwhile, the little one entered a phase of eat, sleep, cry, and repeat—a carefree cycle cherished by the whole family, who were all careful to ensure the baby's comfort. The little one had a completely different temperament from its older sibling, appearing to have a bit of a temper. At the slightest displeasure, it would immediately start crying, eyes wide open as if to say, "I'm upset, and I'm going to cry." Chen Wan and the others had no choice but to cater to the baby's every whim. One night, while Jiang Yan Xin was nursing the little baby, Chen Wan and Yang Yang were watching attentively. Embarrassed by their stares, Jiang Yan Xin cleared her throat and addressed them, "What are you two looking at? Chen Wan, why don't you take Yang Yang out to play? I'll feed Lai Lai and get her to sleep." "Oh, okay," Chen Wan said, glancing at Jiang Yan Xin before shifting her gaze to Yang Yang. Despite being six and a half years old, Yang Yang watched enviously as his mother fed his little sister, curious whether it tasted good. "Come on, darling, let's go watch some cartoons and I'll make you a watermelon juice. How does that sound?" Chen Wan suggested, guiding the reluctant Yang Yang to the living room to watch cartoons on the tablet. She then proceeded to the kitchen to prepare the watermelon juice. After taking a couple of sips, Yang Yang turned to Chen Wan and asked, "Mom, does what mommy is giving my sister taste good?" "That, huh, it doesn’t taste good. Only newborns drink that. It isn't as tasty as the milk you drink," Chen Wan said, quickly nipping Yang Yang's curiosity in the bud. "Oh, then I’ll stick to milk," Yang Yang said, nodding earnestly. Chen Wan breathed a sigh of relief and settled down with Yang Yang on the couch to watch cartoons. Around nine o'clock, Chen Wan took Yang Yang to bed. With three rooms in their suite, initially, Yang Yang was too young to sleep alone, but he had started doing so recently, being quite independent for six and a half. After tucking Yang Yang in, giving him a gentle kiss on his cheek, Chen Wan turned off the light and quietly exited his room. Upon returning to their room, she found the little baby fed and asleep, while Jiang Yan Xin was rubbing her chest. Chen Wan quickly went over and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" "I'm a bit engorged, there’s too much milk, and Lai Lai can't finish it, so it's a bit painful," Jiang Yan Xin explained with a furrowed brow. Meeting Chen Wan's gaze, her ears blushing red, Jiang Yan Xin muttered, "There aren't even any breast pumps in the post-apocalypse. It hurts so much. Could you help me?" Chen Wan's eyes lit up at this and quickly embraced Jiang Yan Xin softly, "Of course, I’ll be your automatic breast pump from now on, okay?" Jiang Yan Xin's face flushed at her words, and she playfully pushed Chen Wan. "Were you looking forward to this? You were staring while I was feeding Lai Lai." "I wasn't! Honey, you're wronging me! I'm just being serious here, thinking of your health," Chen Wan replied, leaning in to peck Jiang Yan Xin on the lips. Jiang Yan Xin gave Chen Wan's side a gentle pinch, warning her, "Be gentle and don’t do anything else, okay? You know I can't right now.” "Don't worry, mission guaranteed," Chen Wan promised, leaning down to take a taste. "Still quite sweet," Chen Wan murmured. Jiang Yan Xin felt her entire body heat up; if not for the lack of a breast pump, she wouldn't need Chen Wan's help! The next morning, after feeding the baby again and feeling engorged, Jiang Yan Xin called Chen Wan over for assistance. By lunchtime, Chen Wan wasn't feeling hungry at all. Ye Lan, noticing something off, asked, "Chen Wan, what's the matter? Is the food not to your liking today?" Chen Wan quickly waved her hands, "No, not at all, I'm already rather full." No sooner had she said this than she felt a sharp pain in her waist, inhaled sharply, and saw Jiang Yan Xin glaring at her while pinching her side. Chen Wan let out a small "ouch" but kept quiet, obediently tucking into her meal. Ye Lan watched them, seemingly understanding something. With a soft cough, she decided to steer clear of the topic, focusing instead on feeding the others, reasoning it best to avoid asking too many questions about their private lives that might lead to any uncomfortably personal anecdotes. Later in the afternoon, Jiang Wan Ning and Yi Yi supervised Yang Yang as he studied pinyin and writing, challenging him with 20 math problems, which left him looking as sour as a bitter melon. Seeing Yang Yang's disheartened expression, Jiang Wan Ning quickly coaxed, "Finish these quickly, and we can go visit your sister Xuan Xuan, okay? You're so amazing, I bet you'll finish them in no time." Yang Yang nodded vigorously, determination fueling his attempts, knowing visiting Xuan Xuan was important. He had promised to spend time with her every day. With a new goal in mind, Yang Yang tackled the math problems, finishing them off swiftly. Jiang Wan Ning and Yi Yi found the perfect way to motivate Yang Yang; mentioning Xuan Xuan always seemed to get him going. The little boy had grown quite a bit, looking more like a big kid now. Jiang Yan Xin and Yi Yi took the little boy over to Qi Jing’s place, where Xuan Xuan had just woken up. At a little over a year old, she could already call her mom, and now she lay on the little bed, her tummy up, gazing wide-eyed at Qi Jing. "Mama~." "Mama’s right here, darling. Look who’s come to see you. It’s your brother Yang Yang. Look!” teased Qi Jing, lightly pinching her daughter’s chubby cheeks to direct her gaze towards Yang Yang. Xuan Xuan rolled over, pushing herself onto her tummy, and peeked over at Yang Yang. Seeing her brother had come, the little one beamed, flailing her little legs and crawling over eagerly, reaching out her tiny hands for Yang Yang to hold. Yang Yang happily obliged, petting Xuan Xuan’s little hand and leaning in to confide, "When are you going to grow up, little sister? You have no idea how hard I worked today—I had to finish 20 math problems just to come see you. You better grow up quickly so you can play with me, alright?" Xuan Xuan giggled, blowing a cascade of little bubbles at Yang Yang. Yang Yang took the small towel from Qi Jing’s hand, gently wiping away Xuan Xuan’s bubbles while chatting affectionately, "You’ve bubbled again, huh? Let me wipe them off for you. You’re so adorable!" Qi Jing scooped Yang Yang into a hug, planting a kiss on his cheek, and chuckled, "You two little ones are both adorable. Our Yang Yang is such a good big brother, isn't he?" "Uh-huh, Auntie, I'll help you take care of Xuan Xuan," Yang Yang replied earnestly, nodding his little head. "Great! Our Yang Yang is so wonderful. You’ll play with Xuan Xuan in the future,” Qi Jing said with a smile, teasing him further, “So, do you like Lai Lai or Xuan Xuan more?” Yang Yang scratched his little head, pondering for a moment before answering, "I like Xuan Xuan the most, then Lai Lai. I'll take care of both of them." The adults couldn't help but laugh at Yang Yang's candidness. Jiang Wan Ning gave him a playful poke and asked, "You little rascal, are you biased towards Xuan Xuan from the start?" Yang Yang nodded his small head honestly, "Yes." Meanwhile, the little baby in Chen Wan's arms was blissfully unaware that its older sibling preferred another little sister. Chen Wan gently bounced the little baby in her arms and leaned in to give it a kiss, cooing, "Mama's little Lai Lai, you're so adorable." The little baby, seeing its mommy smiling, tilted its head and started giggling along, "Ya ya ya~" "This little rascal only knows how to babble. How long do your mama and I have to bounce you before you start calling for us?" Chen Wan teased, pinching the little one's small and soft hand. The baby's hands were indeed very tiny and delicate, and Chen Wan was always careful, afraid of accidentally hurting the little one. Jiang Yan Xin also leaned over to touch the baby's cheek, chuckling, "Oh you, your temper is way bigger than your sister's. You're definitely going to be a little mischief-maker when you grow up." The little baby, oblivious to what mama and mommy were talking about, continued to giggle joyfully. "Hmm? Where's that smell coming from? Did our little rascal go potty again?" Chen Wan noticed something amiss in the air and looked at the baby, who was cheerfully laughing all the same. Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin checked the baby's diaper and, sure enough, found that the little rascal had indeed dirtied itself. While Jiang Yan Xin picked up the little one and laid it on the bed to clean its bottom and change into a fresh diaper, Chen Wan took the soiled diaper to the bathroom for washing. In the post-apocalyptic world, disposable diapers were scarce, so they typically used cloth diapers during the day and reserved disposables for nighttime. As Chen Wan washed the diaper, she shook her head with a soft chuckle, realizing that raising a little one was no simple task. Meanwhile, the little one in the room was in a great mood, giggling happily at Jiang Yan Xin.