After that, the five adults and one kid (Liu Ran) surrounded the bathtub that Li Wazi had brought to their house that afternoon.
“We should give him a wash quickly. If he gets a cold we’ll be in trouble,” Ye Ling said.
But they had never given a baby a bath before. No one knew how to begin.
Ye Mo, who was carrying Little Huzi, was unsure if he should take off the shorts or the shirt first. He delayed making a decision.
Ye Liu pressed him on the matter. “Mo, you ought to hurry up and take his clothes off before the water cools.”
It was hot during the day, so Little Huzi had only worn a dudou. But after dinner Little Lian had him fitted into a thin garment and a pair of split shorts.
“Oh.” Ye Mo looked at the baby but took no action.
Little Huzi seemed quite firm for a half-year-old, but the man worried he might exert excessive force and end up hurting the baby.
Ye Yang saw through his dilemma. He stretched his arms out and took over the baby. “I’ll do it.”
Little Huzi neither cried nor made a fuss. He even smiled at him. Ye Yang kept a straight face as he undressed the baby.
After that was done, Little Huzi seemed to realize it was time to bathe. That was when he began crying and screaming. Even his little hands and legs tossed and turned about in the chaos.
This happened to be the first time the gang realized a baby’s tantrum was quite difficult to deal with!
Ye Yang steadily held Little Huzi in his arms and placed the baby’s body in the tub, with only the head above the water.
“Mo, wipe him.”
Despite his straight face, he still worried he might be unable to hold Litte Huzi properly if he wiped the baby using just one hand. Little Huzi was struggling the whole time.
“Oh, right.” Ye Mo hurriedly got the hankie and lightly wiped the baby’s body.
“Sis, Little Huzi’s so small even at six months old. Does that mean my nephew or niece will be even smaller?” Liu Ran looked sideways at Liu Duo and asked out of curiosity.
Liu Duo nodded. “Naturally, we all grow that way.”
She observed Ye Yang’s calmness and coolness and felt that he looked more handsome than before. Ye Mo as well.
They collaborated perfectly, just like brothers.
A short while later, Ye Yang and Ye Mo managed to finish the task despite Little Huzi’s constant screaming and struggling.
All of them heaved a sigh of relief. What seemed so easy on the surface was actually so much harder than they thought.
Giving this baby a bath was one such example!
Ye Ling quickly passed a dry hankie to his eldest brother, while Ye Liu waited with a set of clean clothes.
Seeing how they worked together, Liu Duo could imagine the busy, orderly scene that would resurface again after their children were born.
“Ran Er, it’s your turn to bathe. I’ll fetch the hot water for you while you get ready,” Ye Liu said to Liu Ran after he passed the clean clothes to Ye Yang.
“Alright.” Liu Ran quickly went to get a change of clothes.
Later, when he finished his bath, he could help keep an eye on Little Huzi, since the others had not taken theirs.
Little Huzi stopped making noise after he was put in a new set of clothes.
“Looks like Little Huzi doesn’t like bath time,” Ye Ling chuckled.
The adults gathered around the baby once more and began teasing him.
“Little kid, you better not wet the bed when you sleep with me later, or I’ll spank you!” Ye Mo lowered his voice and whispered.
This was something he had to learn too.
Liu Duo laughed ungraciously. It just sounded odd.
