Curious, Shen Mochen glanced towards the room where the sound was coming from. After pondering about his next course of action, he scurried over unsteadily to the room on his stubby legs.
Having just woken up, Peach's fair, chubby face was slightly flushed. She was wailing and her newly-grown lashes were damp with tears.
Eyebrows furrowed, Shen Mochen stood by Peach's cot and scrutinised the wrinkly crying infant. "She's so ugly when she cries. What a bore!" he thought.
However, the moment Shen Mochen stood next to her crib, Peach surprisingly stopped wailing. Opening her tiny eyes that were still unable to open fully, Peach took one look at Shen Mochen and started giggling.
"Her smile makes her look even uglier,"
Shen Mochen thought to himself. Then, he stretched out his hand to pinch Peach's flushed, delicate cheeks in order to make her cry. However, the more he pinched her cheeks, the happier Peach was and she kept on giggling.
He Yue and Peach's parents who entered the room after Shen Mochen, watched the scene unfolding before them in surprise.
Peach's mother walked over to the crib and picked Peach up, intending to say something.
But before she could say anything, Peach began bawling heartbreakingly as her mother had obstructed her view of Shen Mochen.
Peach's mother quickly signalled Peach's father to prepare Peach's milk. Unfortunately, even when her father came back with the milk, Peach continued bawling with no sign of stopping.
He Yue pulled Shen Mochen to the side. Baffled, she wondered aloud, "Peach was fine just a while ago, why would she start crying all of a sudden?"
Taking a look at her son, she then offered, "Would you like Mochen to try playing with her?"
Shen Mochen turned his head away to express his refusal to play with the hideous baby.
Peach's mother was at a loss. With no other choice, she squatted down next to Shen Mochen, whilst carrying Peach in one hand and the milk bottle in the other. She then coaxed Peach, "My dear Peach, Mochen is here to see you today. If you don't behave yourself, he will laugh at you."
Peach narrowed her eyes and finally saw Shen Mochen. Immediately, she stopped crying, and started giggling at Shen Mochen, a large bubble even formed at her nose.
This was just…
The adults in the room looked at each other.
Reacting quickly, He Yue chuckled and said, "You see, I was right to give you the betrothal gifts. Peach seems quite pleased with her little husband."
Shen Mochen frowned as he looked towards He Yue and asked bewilderedly, "Mom, what is a little husband?"
"Hmm… It's like a little brother," she replied.
"Oh I see."
In the end, even though Peach's mother kept declining, He Yue insisted on Peach's family accepting the New Year's goodies. Before leaving, He Yue said to Peach while smiling, "Peach, Godmother will bring your husband home now. We'll visit you again tomorrow."
Hearing that, Peach, who was in her mother's arms, seemed to understand that Shen Mochen was now leaving and burst into tears.
He Yue was delighted. She patted Peach's mother's hand and said, "This must be fate. Both of them are so compatible!"
Lifting his head up to look at the wailing infant, the only word that flashed across Shen Mochen's mind was, "Noisy…"
The next day, true to her word, He Yue brought Shen Mochen to visit Peach again. In her own words, her aim was to let the two children cultivate their feelings for each other.
Strangely enough, whenever Shen Mochen was around, Peach would never cry. She would only ever giggle or remain quiet.