"It's okay. Baths aren't scary. They feel really good, you know?"
"No! Getting wet is bad! I don't like it! Nooo!"
"It's alright. The water's warm. If you take the bath with me, it won't be scary at all."
"If you're with Brother Finnick, it's going to be fine, right? Bao Bei, you can do it."
"You'll be clean after. If you're dirty, no one's going to want to play with you."
"Even little Judy loves taking baths. He'll laugh at you if you don't go in."
The other kids started coaxing him gently, speaking kindly all at once. Bao Bei turned his tear-soaked face toward them.
"Judy's going in?"
"Judy's going too. So you'll be okay. Give it a try."
Bao Bei finally stopped struggling. So, Finnick slowly stepped into the bath while still holding him.
But as soon as Bao Bei saw the bathwater again, he cried out, "B-b-byaaaah!" and started sobbing again.
"It's not scary."
"You're okay, you're okay."
"Bao Bei, you're being so brave. Such a good boy."
The others kept speaking softly, trying to calm him down. No matter how much he kicked or twisted, Finnick's strong arms held him firmly in place so he couldn't hurt himself.
Still sniffling and whining, Bao Bei finally gave in and sank into the warm water together with Finnick with a soft splash.
"Waaah! Waa—gh—huh? Huhhh?"
Bao Bei had started off crying loudly, but his voice slowly faded. The warmth of the bath had begun to seep into his little body. His muscles relaxed. Soon, he looked up and gave a peaceful, happy smile.
Seeing that, the older kids let out a sigh of relief and quietly left the bathroom to go finish their chores.
"Brother Finnick, the bath is all warm and soft, right? It's... it's like... all floaty and warm, yeah?"
Bao Bei laughed while patting the surface of the water again and again, clearly enjoying himself. Finnick chuckled softly, secretly feeling overwhelmed by how adorable the moment was.
When they got out of the bath, Finnick rubbed Bao Bei down with a towel until the fur on his body turned light and fluffy.
Happy with the new feeling, Bao Bei darted off, running out of the bathroom in bare feet. Finnick, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, grabbed a clean pair of underpants and chased after him.
This soon became a regular scene in the church—just another part of everyday life.
Bao Bei's mornings started early. As soon as the little birds began chirping and tweeting outside, he couldn't stay in bed any longer. Bao Bei slept in the same room as the younger children like Judy, but he was always the very first one to wake up.
"It's morning! Morning!"
He patted Judy with his small hands, trying to wake him up.
"Mmm… I'm still sleepy," Judy mumbled as he rolled over and drifted right back to sleep.
Since no one else was getting up, Bao Bei quietly got on all fours and wiggled out of his nightshirt from the bottom up, pulling it off over his rear end. Then he grabbed his smock and pushed his head through the neck hole to put it on. He didn't bother buttoning it—he couldn't do it himself anyway—so he left it hanging open and ran out of the room.