Chapter 300: Mother Gu Returns to the Capital
If the baby sucked her fingers, she would ingest all the dust and grime brought in from the outside world. If she fell ill because of that, it would be a nightmare to handle.
“Mom, it’s alright. We just need to keep an eye on her,” Sheng Wanyan said quickly, trying to soothe her mother-in-law so she wouldn’t overthink it.
“That won’t do,” Mother Gu insisted. “The child is so small. If she really gets sick, she’s the one who will suffer.”
Mother Gu quickly grabbed a clean towel to wipe Yi Yi’s hands before heading out to thoroughly wash her own.
Sheng Wanyan smiled and shook her head at her mother-in-law’s anxious bustling. Her mother-in-law could be quite stubborn when she wanted to be, but she truly doted on Yi Yi beyond measure, wishing she could hold the baby in her arms all day long. In fact, she was even more attached to the baby than Sheng Wanyan was, which was a heartwarming sight.
Knowing that her mother-in-law harbored no traditional preference for boys over girls gave Sheng Wanyan peace of mind. Yi Yi would surely have a happy childhood and grow up without any sense of insecurity.
“Grandma loves you so much, doesn’t she?”
Yi Yi didn’t understand her mother’s soft murmurs, but she was perfectly content just having her mother close by. After playing for a little while longer, the baby’s eyelids grew heavy, and she began to doze off.
Sheng Wanyan gently transitioned her into the crib, softly singing nursery rhymes to soothe her to sleep.
“Little baby, go to sleep quickly…”
Lulled by her mother’s gentle, melodic voice, Yi Yi soon drifted off. She slept soundly, her tiny hands tucked up by her ears—the absolute picture of a well-behaved child. Once the baby was wrapped in a peaceful slumber, Sheng Wanyan pulled a small quilt over her and quietly stepped out of the room.
“Is Yi Yi asleep?” Mother Gu asked the moment she saw her daughter-in-law emerge, knowing the baby usually took a nap around this time.
“Yes, she just fell asleep.”
Mother Gu nodded in satisfaction. Soon after, Gu Tingxiao brought lunch out of the kitchen, and the family ate together before settling in for their own afternoon rest.
The next day, Gu Tingxiao rode into the city to mail the care packages to their families and used the trip to buy a large haul of household supplies.
As the days blended into one another, the little girl gradually grew, her cheeks becoming beautifully plump and round. Before they knew it, the day arrived for Mother Gu to return to the Capital.
Mother Gu was incredibly reluctant to part with Yi Yi, but with her administrative responsibilities waiting for her in the capital, she had no choice but to start her journey.
Yi Yi, now a month and a half old, had no concept of farewell. She simply giggled, thinking her grandmother was holding her close to play another game.
“Yi Yi, Grandma has to go now,” Mother Gu whispered, holding her tight. “You must listen to your mother and grow up big and healthy.”
Mother Gu held the baby close for a long time, letting out a heavy sigh before finally handing her back to Sheng Wanyan.
“Mom, once Yi Yi is a bit older, we’ll take a trip down to the Capital to visit you,” Sheng Wanyan comforted her warmly. “When that time comes, you can take her out to see the city.”
Hearing her daughter-in-law’s reassuring words, Mother Gu smiled through her sadness. “Alright, I’ll hold you to that. Make sure to bring her down when she’s bigger.”
She turned to look at Sheng Wanyan, her eyes softening. “Wanyan, you must take excellent care of yourself too. If my third son ever gives you a hard time, you call me immediately.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded with a smile. She had grown incredibly comfortable living with Mother Gu over the past few months, and she felt a genuine pang of sadness watching her leave.
“Alright, take the baby back inside,” Mother Gu urged. “Don’t let her catch a chill out here.”
It was now the end of October, and the air in Bing City had turned piercingly cold. The first winter blizzard would likely hit within the next two weeks.
Sheng Wanyan agreed and stepped back into the warmth of the house. Mother Gu picked up her luggage, which was packed with travel food Sheng Wanyan had carefully prepared, along with high-end supplements and a collection of new clothes she had handmade for the family elders in the Capital. The garments were designed in Sheng Wanyan’s signature style—simple, elegant, and timeless—and Mother Gu absolutely adored them.
“Mom, please have a safe journey,” Sheng Wanyan called out.
“I will, I will. Look after Yi Yi, and take care of yourself!”
With those final words, Mother Gu walked out of the courtyard and climbed into the waiting vehicle. Gu Tingxiao escorted his mother to the transport station, officially starting her journey back to the capital.
The moment Sheng Wanyan carried Yi Yi back into the bedroom, the baby seemed to instinctively sense her grandmother’s absence and burst into a fit of tears. No matter how softly Sheng Wanyan rocked her or tried to distract her, the infant wouldn’t be comforted, crying relentlessly.
“When you’re a big girl, Mom will take you to the Capital to see Grandma, okay?” Sheng Wanyan cooed, her heart aching as she watched her daughter’s tiny face turn crimson from crying.
Eventually, after a long bout of fussing, Yi Yi grew exhausted and finally cried herself to sleep.
Taking advantage of the quiet while the baby slept, Sheng Wanyan decided to strip the bedding in Mother Gu’s room. She wanted to wash, dry, and store the quilts properly before the heavy snow arrived, using the afternoon to tidy up the house.
By the time she finished, her watch showed it was already past noon. Skipping the hassle of lighting the stove, she simply retrieved a hot, pre-cooked meal from her spatial domain and dined in comfort.
She planned to head into the city tomorrow to bring back another haul of provisions. While their pantry had more than enough staple grains to survive the winter, they were entirely out of fresh fruit and specialized items. If she didn’t establish a realistic pretext by “buying” them in the city now, she wouldn’t be able to safely retrieve them from her space during the dead of winter without triggering Gu Tingxiao’s sharp instincts.
Once the domestic chores were settled, Sheng Wanyan sat down at her desk to focus on her translation work while Yi Yi continued her deep sleep.
As she organized her papers, Sheng Wanyan firmly reiterated a boundary in her mind: she would never attempt to bring Yi Yi into her spatial domain. Back in her previous life, she had discovered that the space strictly barred any other living person from entering. While she didn’t know if the laws of the domain had shifted in this era, she refused to use her precious daughter as a guinea pig. There were certain supernatural secrets that children simply shouldn’t be exposed to.
She intended to carry the secret of this spatial domain straight into her coffin, never allowing a single soul to discover its existence. If the world ever caught wind of such a miracle, her peaceful, beautiful life would instantly vanish, replaced by endless greed, calculation, and danger. The human heart was a cold, unpredictable thing, and mankind could be far more vicious than any beast when driven by envy.
Sheng Wanyan focused on her translation sheets, her ears constantly tuned to the crib. After a solid three-hour nap, Yi Yi woke up, having soiled her diaper.
Although Sheng Wanyan had previously left the cleanup duties entirely to her husband, she wasn’t completely clueless about the mechanics of childcare. Having watched Gu Tingxiao manage the routine with military precision every day, she had memorized the workflow perfectly.
She fetched the enamel basin, cut the cold water with a stream from the hot thermos, and grabbed the specialized cloth reserved for the baby’s bottom. She gently wiped Yi Yi clean, secured a fresh cotton diaper, and neatly swaddled her back up.
Staring down at the soiled cloth, Sheng Wanyan felt a distinct headache coming on. Why on earth couldn’t disposable diapers exist in this era? Even though her spatial domain was packed with packs of modern, ultra-absorbent diapers, she couldn’t dare bring them out into the open.
Even though Gu Tingxiao had strictly forbidden her from handling the laundry during her recovery, she refused to leave all the dirty work to him alone; the child belonged to both of them, after all. Sheng Wanyan retrieved her specialized disinfectant, meticulously laundered the diaper, and hung it up on the line to dry.
With everything immaculate once more, she returned to her desk to translate while keeping an eye on the baby. She checked the wall clock; it was already three in the afternoon, meaning Gu Tingxiao had likely just finished seeing his mother off at the train platform.
Sheng Wanyan retrieved a bowl of fresh, sweet cherries from her space to snack on, while Yi Yi lay contentedly on her back, her tiny hands waving through the air as she stared up at the ceiling. Seeing that her daughter was perfectly happy and quiet, Sheng Wanyan quickly made headway on her text.
As evening approached, she pulled a hot dinner out of her spatial domain for herself, preparing an identical, generous portion for Gu Tingxiao and leaving it to keep warm on the kitchen stove.
Her husband didn’t cross the threshold until well after seven that evening. Once he finished his dinner and scrubbed down in the washroom, he hurried into the bedroom to greet his wife and daughter.
Sheng Wanyan was currently sitting propped against the headboard, her knitting needles clicking away as she worked on a new wool sweater for him. Throughout the previous year, she hadn’t managed to knit any custom sweaters or heavy trousers for his wardrobe. Although Gu Tingxiao maintained his older garments impeccably, brand-new wool was always significantly more effective at blocking the northern frost. With the bitter winter just two weeks away, she wanted to finish the project as quickly as possible.
“Sweetheart, put the needles away,” Gu Tingxiao urged gently, sitting beside her. “You’re going to strain your eyes.” Unlike the capital, which had already transitioned to modern electrical grids, the residential quarters in Bing City still relied heavily on the dim, flickering glow of kerosene lamps and candles.
“Just a few more rows, and the cuff is finished,” Sheng Wanyan replied, focused on the stitches. She pushed through the final section, and the moment her watch neared eight o’clock, she finally binding off the yarn and set the project aside for the night.
