"I think he had a nightmare. He's been crying since he woke up, saying something about water."
Xu Xiuhe was also a first-time father, and faced with this situation, he felt at a loss. If it had been Shen Yin having a nightmare, he could have comforted her. But when a child has a nightmare and is frightened, they often can't hear what adults are saying.
"It's okay, Zhengzheng. Don't be afraid. Mommy and Daddy are here," Shen Yin said, gently patting Zhengzheng's back.
The little one's cries gradually subsided, but he still felt no sense of security, curling up small in Shen Yin's arms.
"Let me hold him. He's quite heavy," Xu Xiuhe said, reaching out to take Zhengzheng.
"No, no! Want Mommy!" Zhengzheng clung even tighter.
"It's alright, I'm not tired," Shen Yin reassured her husband.
Shen Yin had been holding Zhengzheng for a long time. When she tried to put him down, his whole body protested.
With him like this, Shen Yin couldn't do anything else.
Even dinner was prepared by Xu Xiuhe.
"What do you want to eat?"
"I don't feel like eating. I'm a bit worried about him," Shen Yin replied.
"I'll make something light to fill our stomachs, then we can take him to see a doctor."
"Okay, which department should we go to?"
Xu Xiuhe was stumped. He really didn't know which department to visit when a baby has a nightmare and is too scared to stop crying.
Xu Xiuhe made some egg drop soup and stir-fried potato strips, but neither of them ate much.
"Zhengzheng, would you like some soup? You'll be hungry if you don't eat," Shen Yin coaxed.
Xu Yunzheng, still in Shen Yin's arms, didn't speak but shook his head in refusal.
Shen Yin and Xu Xiuhe were truly alarmed. Zhengzheng had never been like this before. Logically, he should have forgotten about the nightmare by now.
They had forgotten one thing: Zhengzheng had a good memory.
"Let's take him to the hospital. Wait downstairs for a moment, I'll go up and pack some things for him," Xu Xiuhe suggested.
He went upstairs, grabbed Zhengzheng's daily-use bag, and brought down Shen Yin's phone as well.
The man drove, and the family of three arrived at Rong City's largest pediatric hospital.
After consulting with several doctors, they were told that in such cases, parental companionship and comfort were needed to reduce the child's anxiety. They advised not to leave the baby alone in a room and said it would get better in a few days.
With no other options, the family returned home.
Back at the house, Shen Yin carried Zhengzheng towards the second floor, but as soon as they started up the stairs, Zhengzheng began to cry again.
"Stairs... water..." he whimpered.
"Try again," Xu Xiuhe suggested.
Shen Yin took a couple more steps up, but Zhengzheng cried even louder.
She quickly retreated to the first floor.
"What should we do?" Shen Yin asked.
"Let's all sleep downstairs tonight. We won't go upstairs for now," Xu Xiuhe proposed. "I'll go up and bring down our pajamas and Zhengzheng's, and the toiletries too."
"Alright."
Shen Yin carried Zhengzheng to the guest bedroom downstairs.
"Zhengzheng, shall we take a bath?" she asked gently.
"No, no!" he protested.
"But you won't feel comfortable sleeping without a bath. Let's go to the bathroom, okay? You'll smell nice after a bath."
As Shen Yin carried Zhengzheng towards the bathroom, he started crying fiercely again.
"No water, no water! Scared!"
Xu Yunzheng was trembling in Shen Yin's arms, which terrified her.
"What's wrong? Is he still scared?" Xu Xiuhe asked, concerned.
"He's afraid of water. He doesn't want to go upstairs or to the bathroom. What should we do?" Shen Yin had never experienced anything like this before.
Seeing Zhengzheng like this broke her heart, and she couldn't help but shed tears herself.
"Let's just put him to bed for now. Once he's sound asleep, we can wipe him down with a towel," Xu Xiuhe suggested.
Shen Yin paced back and forth in the room, holding Zhengzheng.
"You go take a shower first. He'll probably be asleep by the time you're done, then I'll go in."
Xu Xiuhe took his pajamas and a towel into the bathroom while Shen Yin continued to gently pat Zhengzheng's back.
After a while, Zhengzheng finally fell asleep.
When Xu Xiuhe came out of the bathroom, he carefully took Xu Yunzheng from Shen Yin's arms.
Shen Yin showered distractedly, worried that Zhengzheng might have another nightmare or start crying again. She finished much quicker than usual.
"Did he wake up?" she asked as she came out.
"No, he's still asleep."
"That's good. I suspect he might have dreamed about water, and it was on the second floor, which is why he doesn't want to go upstairs or take a bath."
"There's not much a doctor can do about this. Tomorrow is the last day of the National Day holiday. Why don't we leave tomorrow night?"
"Is everything settled at the company?"
"Yes, I've signed all the necessary documents. Liu Bo can handle the rest of the work, and we can have meetings online."
"Hmm? How long are we planning to go for? It sounds like you're preparing for a long trip."
"About a month. I've never really been on a vacation before. I was always too busy with work. Now the timing is perfect, we can travel for a while and spend time with Zhengzheng."
The next day, early in the morning, Xu Xiuhe drove to the supermarket to buy supplies.
Zhengzheng still refused to go upstairs and stuck to Shen Yin like glue, almost like her little shadow.
"Mommy, where's Daddy?" he asked.
"Daddy went to buy some things. We're going on a trip this afternoon. Are you excited, Zhengzheng?"
"Yes!"
Shen Yin crouched down and felt Zhengzheng's forehead. She had read that when babies sleep curled up, it's a sign of feeling insecure.
That was exactly how Zhengzheng had been. The entire night, the little one's body hadn't relaxed, his brow furrowed the whole time. What kind of dream could make a baby remember it for so long?
Since the baby wouldn't go upstairs and wouldn't let Shen Yin go up either, she couldn't pack their luggage. Fortunately, Xu Xiuhe had a good memory and was reliable. He made several trips up and down the stairs, packing luggage for all three of them and loading it into the RV.
It was also Shen Yin's first time in Xu Xiuhe's newly purchased RV. The space inside was indeed quite large, almost like a small home.
"Mommy, Huahua!" Zhengzheng suddenly said.
Shen Yin glanced at Xu Xiuhe. They hadn't initially planned to bring Huahua along. There were three dogs (Tibetan Mastiffs) at Ziyue Manor, and they had staff specifically to feed and bathe them, so Xu Xiuhe wasn't worried about Huahua and the others going hungry at home.
"Do you mean Huahua or Pi Pi?" Shen Yin asked.
"Huahua!"
Xu Xiuhe made a last-minute decision to bring Huahua along. Huahua had grown up with Zhengzheng, so even though there were other Tibetan Mastiffs, Zhengzheng still favored Huahua and always wanted to share his food with her.
The family of three and their dog moved into the RV. Xu Xiuhe's driver's license was just right for operating this vehicle. Initially, Xu Xiuhe had considered hiring a professional RV driver, but then he thought that since it was a family trip for the three of them, it would be better if they did everything themselves.
"Are you all settled in?" Xu Xiuhe asked.
Xu Xiuhe was at the wheel, while Shen Yin and Zhengzheng sat at the booth in the back. Taking an RV trip was a first-time experience for both Shen Yin and Xu Xiuhe. They weren't sure what kind of challenges they might encounter on the road.
However, they firmly believed that as long as the family of three stuck together, they could overcome any difficult situation they might face.
