Chapter 1003: Flu Shot
Little Xunxun reached out and grabbed the corner of her daddy’s clothes, insistent on following him.
Lu Yi turned around and lifted her into a chair. He hunkered down and stroked her tender cheeks.
“Sit still while Daddy gets you some water, alright?”
Little Xunxun blinked her large, sparkly eyes and nodded. She was an adorable and intelligent child; it was a pity that she didn’t talk much.
Lu Yi stood up, opened his briefcase, and laid an assortment of items—a baby bottle, milk powder, Xunxun’s clothes, cap, and toys—on the table.
Lu Yi rinsed the baby bottle with hot water before filling it with warm water. He sprinkled a few drops on his arm to test the temperature before passing it to Xunxun.
The three children, all below the age of two, had not yet been weaned. Xiao Qi and Xiao Guang were sturdy and fit, but Little Xunxun had a hard time gaining weight, just like her mother. Her tummy had been huge during pregnancy, but no other parts of her were remotely plump.
Xunxun wrapped her hands around the bottle and began drinking. Nowadays, she did that without anyone having to tell her. The three children, different as they were, shared something in common—they were all easy to take care of.
Lu Yi stroked his daughter’s head and carried her to the carpet. He then handed her her toys so that she could play on her own, while he opened his laptop and began to work.
When he was done, Xunxun was sitting at the same spot with a doll in her hand. Beside her, the toys were arranged neatly and orderly; she made it a point to put every toy back to where it belonged after playing with it.
Xunxun looked like her mother, but her disposition was just like him—meticulous and orderly.
Ye Shuyun had said as much. Xunxun did things in a methodical and punctilious fashion—exactly like Lu Yi when he was little.
“Let’s go, baby. We are heading out,” said Lu Yi, grabbing his coat and extending a hand to her.
Xunxun held onto the doll into her hand and stretched out her arms to let her Daddy carry her.
It was cold outside, so Lu Yi lifted her up and wrapped her in his coat. Xunxun had always been a sickly child. At birth, she weighed less than 2 catties. Even now, she was a head shorter than her brothers. Sometimes, he worried that she was suffering from development delay.
He Yibin had dismissed his worries, however, claiming that Xunxun was healthy despite being skinny. Her skinniness was either a result of not eating properly, or abnormally high metabolism. Apart from that, she was no different from a normal girl.
Lu Yi brought Xunxun to He Yibin’s hospital. He Yibin’s career for the past few years had been smooth sailing; he made it to Deputy Director before hitting thirty.
Lu Yi knocked on the door, and opened it when someone inside said “come in”. He had made an appointment, so He Yibin would be in the hospital no matter what.
When the door opened, the heat from the inside thawed his face and warmed his heart.
“Xunxun’s here!” said He Yibin, standing up eager and taking the little honey bun from Lu Yi’s arms.
She looked just as before, her dainty face tender and white. Sadly, she was all skin and bones, unlike most toddlers who were plump.
Her face was almost identical to her mother, and she was beautiful when she smiled and her dimples showed.
She rarely smiled, however, so not many people had the privilege of seeing her dimples.
He Yibin walked to them with a plate of needles.
Xunxun tugged at her father’s sleeve, looking up indignantly. She knew it was needle time.
Lu Yi lifted her into his arms with a helpless look on his face. When he brought them to get their flu shots the last time, Xiao Qi and Xiao Guang had both complacent and didn’t cry at all. But Xunxun was quick to cry, and whenever she did, the other two would wail as well, making it impossible to vaccinate any of them. They had to pin Xiao Qi and Xiao Guang down to give them their shots, but they couldn’t do the same to Xunxun. The twins held in their tears when they saw that Xunxun (who didn’t get the shot) didn’t cry.
He gently fished out his daughter’s little arm from her clothes.
Her arm was scrawny, like a chicken feet, and seemed as though it might snap at any time.
Xunxun sniffed. Even though she was sad and indignant, she didn’t struggle.
“Don’t worry, sweetie, it won’t hurt at all, and it will be over in a jiffy,” cooed He Yibin as he swiftly stabbed the needle into her. Xunxun’s eyes were glistening with tears when Lu Yi scooped her up, looking as pitiful as can be.
Lu Yi brushed her cheeks with his finger and patted her shoulders gently.
“Daddy will buy you cake later, alright? A big cake for my little Xunxun.”
Xunxun sniffed and nodded, burying her dainty face into her father’s chest. She didn’t want to see He Yibin anymore. From her point of view, He Yibin was a bad uncle—an executioner! Whenever they met, her arms always ended up hurting.
He Yibin was heartbroken when he saw Little Xunxun ignoring him.
He was a good uncle, not a bad one! He, who was unmarried and childless, and who had witnessed Xunxun’s birth and growth, had unknowingly seen Xunxun as his own daughter. Whenever Xunxun caught the flu or got a fever, he had been the one to take care of her. It wasn’t easy to raise a two-catty baby, and he had played an important role in making the impossible possible.
And to be subjected to such cold treatment now! Such injustice!
Lu Yi bundled Xunxun up, picked up her baby bottle and toys, and made to leave.
“Leaving already?”