WBSGVS Chapter 134 V1

After the full moon celebration, the New Year arrived.

Qing Li still hadn’t returned home, but the Xia family was in high spirits regardless. After all, they had a grandson now! Of course, taking care of a baby was exhausting.

Xia Yong, in his early fifties, had two older sisters. This meant that the Xia family’s grandparents were already around seventy years old.

For wealthy elderly folks in big cities, good nutrition and medical care might keep them in good health. But under the Xia family’s circumstances, both elders had their share of ailments.

They had pushed for marriage relentlessly, scolding their son when he didn’t have kids. But now that they had a grandson to take care of, the exhaustion caught up with them.

After just one New Year’s celebration, they both ended up in the hospital—one with lumbar muscle strain, the other throwing out their back from holding the baby too much.

Yang Qing hadn’t even fully recovered from childbirth, yet she was already forced to take care of the baby. And once her in-laws were stuck getting injections for their injuries, she had no choice but to take on the responsibility entirely.

Her husband could no longer help either.

To save up for their son’s future bride price and a down payment on a house, he had taken on a physically demanding but well-paying job—working as a laborer at a construction site. On good days, he earned 500–600 yuan, and on slow days, at least 200–300 yuan. If he worked hard and picked up some skills, he could eventually get promoted and earn even more.

But only large construction projects paid well, and there weren’t any in their area. That meant he had to leave home, making it impossible for him to help with childcare.

At first, Yang Qing had hoped her daughter would lend a hand. College students had a long break, after all—surely she could help for a while.

But to her surprise, her daughter had meant it when she said she wouldn’t help with the baby.

When asked to watch her little brother, she would sit there staring at him indifferently, letting him cry until his face turned red. If Yang Qing questioned her, she would simply hold up her phone and say she was too busy making money by tutoring online.

Her in-laws wanted to help, but their bodies wouldn’t allow it. After just a short while, they would start groaning in pain from their backs or other health issues.

Though they asked their daughters to chip in for medical expenses and accompany them to the hospital—meaning Yang Qing didn’t have to go herself—the ones suffering the most were still the elderly couple.

Yang Qing wasn’t heartless. More importantly, she was afraid they might accidentally drop her son. That would be a disaster.

So she gritted her teeth and did everything herself.

Her biggest struggle, however, was her age. Her milk supply was insufficient. When her son fell sick earlier, her anxiety made it even worse, and even after seeing a doctor, she still wasn’t producing enough.

That meant she had to bottle-feed him with formula.

Money wasn’t the issue. The real problem was that newborns needed to be fed two or three times a night, according to the doctor.

If she had enough milk, she could have just nursed him in bed. But without it, she had to get up every time.

In just two days, she was running on almost no sleep—caring for the baby day and night, barely getting two or three hours of rest.

At first, she had been as angry as her husband that their daughter refused to soothe her crying brother. But now…

Now, she was starting to think like her daughter.

Just let him cry.

Eventually, he’d get used to it. He’d realize that no one was going to pick him up.

Of course, letting a baby cry wasn’t easy. First, she had to steel herself against the heartache. Then, she had to endure the endless wailing drilling into her brain. By the end of the day, her head was throbbing.

When Qing Li came by with some soup, she no longer saw a woman—she saw a wreck.

Yang Qing’s hair was a mess, dark circles ringed her tired eyes, and her skin was pale and sallow. Yet, her body was still plump from childbirth.

She looked utterly unhealthy.

“Mom, you should hire a nanny,” Qing Li said.

In her memories, Yang Qing had never been a fashionable woman, but she always took care of herself. She wore neat, well-fitted clothes, styled her hair into soft curls, and put on makeup—even if just a little lipstick.

Even at home, she dressed properly.

But now, for the sake of her son, she had stopped wearing makeup, stopped dressing up. She just threw on whatever was convenient.

The difference was too stark.

“Do nannies work for free?” Yang Qing snapped, glaring at her daughter.

She looked at Qing Li—a young woman in her twenties, with smooth, fair skin, neatly combed hair, bright eyes, and rosy lips. She looked carefree, untouched by stress.

It stung.

Frustrated, she huffed, “You’re just sitting around! You should be helping me! I’ve never seen a lazier daughter!”

Qing Li simply smiled. “Sure, but a nanny is cheaper than a funeral, don’t you think? As for me—Mom, I’m busy. Since you’re not giving me an allowance anymore, and it looks like you won’t be covering my tuition either, I have to make my own money. But if you want, I can babysit for you—300 yuan a day. How about it?”

Yang Qing fell silent.

Before having her son, she had felt guilty about not giving her daughter money. But now that she had a son, she had to prioritize him.

Her daughter’s tuition and living expenses totaled at least 15,000 yuan per semester. She couldn’t afford that. If Qing Li could handle it herself, then all the better.

She would just take care of her son on her own.

Seeing her mother stay quiet, Qing Li’s smile widened.

Already struggling now? It’ll only get worse.

Thankfully, she had gotten into a university in a major city. If she had stayed here, her studies would have been constantly disrupted.

—

In the crib, the Xia family’s second son—nicknamed Goudan in this life, Xiaobao in his past—lay on his back, clearly displeased. His tiny brows furrowed, and he let out a soft whimper, “Mm… mm…”

Yang Qing ignored him.

Two days ago, he would have been screaming his lungs out. But after some “training,” he had learned to stay quiet.