Four Men and a Baby

Anything for you

Muren returns from work the next day, with more stuff for Meili, mostly to baby proof the house.

"Why do we need to baby proof the house? She is not a baby anymore." Xingsi objects.

"We still have too much stuff lying around that could be dangerous for her." Muren admonishes him.

"Do we need to do this, though? She's going to be here only for a little while." Xingsi argues when Muren stashes away all the potentially dangerous stuff lying around like pens, earpods, charging cables or anything that he thinks should not be within immediate reach of children.

"Even if it's a day, she needs to be safe. And I have a feeling it could be longer." Muren answers flatly.

"Oh!" Xingsi looks at him with concern. "How does that make you feel? How are you doing?" he asks, joining him in the kitchen as he tries to lock away the cutlery drawer.

"Fine." Muren turns away, avoiding his eyes.

"You have said little since Saturday."

"It's just new. I'll get used to it. We all have to."

"Are you really fine with all this?"

"Are you?" he counters.

"You know what I mean. It's not the same for you and me."

"It's the same. We both have to live with our roommate and his daughter for a few days."

"And after that?"

"After that, he will probably get back with his ex, whoever it is, at some point and they will live together like a happy little family."

"And what will happen to you?" Xingsi raises an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing. You will probably move in with Yongjie, and I will end up with new roommates soon."

"It's okay if you want to take a step back and let me and Yongjie help with the Meili. I'm sure Licheng won't mind."

"I promised him I will help. I want to. And don't worry so much. I'm fine." Muren lies through his teeth and gets back to the task at hand, not wanting to continue the conversation anymore.

Once he has taken care of Meili's safety inside the house, Muren attempts to connect with her. Even if she doesn't let him near or let him even pick her up, he tries to stay close along with Licheng, making his presence felt, hoping that eventually she will open up to him.

Actually, they all take turns‌, even if it isn't easy. They come up with a timetable where each of them gets to feed or bathe or play or babysit her through the day. They force themselves into Meili's life.

Licheng takes a few days off work so he can stay with Meili until she is comfortable in her new home. And Muren helps him out with the chores once he is back from work every day. Soon, they fall into a smooth routine with only one obstacle testing their patience - Meili does not nap during the day, sleeps very late at night and then wakes up in the middle of the night almost every night.

Yongjie explains she is showing signs of sleep regression and that is why she is not napping or sleeping like a normal 2-year-old. It could be the strangers around her or the new environment that might have triggered it. Once she adjusts to the new surroundings, she can be trained to have a more healthy sleep schedule. Till then, they need to face these restless nights. And it exhausts Licheng by the end of the week.

It happens slowly, but Meili steadily improves over the next month. She lets Licheng in, relying on him more, trusting him a little more. She eats and sleeps much better now, rarely waking up crying in the middle of the night. Although she gets cranky around new people when they go out, she is otherwise a peppy and happy kid now. All she needed was some love and affection for her to have faith in adults. She had only ever been around people who didn't want her and now, after finally being with people who loved her, she had learnt to love as well.