Chapter 64: The Birth of a Daughter
The three people by the kang shook their heads helplessly, but there was nothing they could do about him. Grandma Li finally said, "Alright, just stay there and don’t make a fuss. That way your wife can suffer a little less!"
Seeing Li Xiu nodding vigorously, the three elders by the kang all laughed. ’Oh, well. If we can’t chase him out, we might as well let him stay put. At least he won’t cause any more trouble.’
Second Aunt Li got onto the kang, checked Zhou Lian’s condition, and said, "It’s about time. She’s fully dilated. Let’s begin!"
Amidst Zhou Lian’s pained groans, a piercing cry suddenly rang out. Second Aunt Li deftly cut the umbilical cord and washed the baby with Sister in law Sun, while Grandma Li quickly cleaned up the soiled bedding on the kang.
By the time they finished, Grandma Li was holding her great-granddaughter—washed, dressed, and wrapped in a small blanket. When she turned to look for Li Xiu, she saw Zhou Lian, already changed into clean clothes and lying in the freshly made bed, her eyes fixed solely on the baby. Li Xiu, however, was busy wiping his wife’s face and hands with a hot towel. He hadn’t even glanced at the child, let alone asked about her.
"Grandma, I want to see the baby," Zhou Lian said, her voice weak and hoarse.
"Bao’er, don’t rush. Just close your eyes and rest for a bit. You can see her later!" Li Xiu quickly said, trying to stop her. ’His wife was in so much pain and so tired. The baby isn’t going anywhere, so what’s the harm in waiting a little longer!’
Zhou Lian looked at him with a helpless expression. "I just want one look. Just a peek." She couldn’t bring herself to argue with him. Earlier, when the pain had become unbearable, he’d been so afraid she’d bite her lip that he’d offered her his hand to bite instead. She’d bitten down so hard that his hand was a bloody mess, but he hadn’t made a single sound. And the moment the baby was born, when she had been utterly spent, he had held her and just sobbed on her shoulder.
"Alright, then. You can have a look, but then you have to rest properly." Unable to bear her disappointment, Li Xiu wiped his hands dry, took his daughter from his grandmother’s arms, and leaned forward, holding the baby for Zhou Lian to see.
Looking at her daughter, Zhou Lian smiled through her tears. The baby looked like a little red monkey, just like in her previous life, with a bright crimson mole right on her left eyebrow.
Li Xiu leaned down and kissed her gently. "I’ll watch over you and the baby. Go to sleep for a while," he said softly. He watched as his wife, fighting her exhaustion, gave him a small smile before closing her eyes and drifting off.
Only then did he turn his attention to the daughter in his arms. Seeing that Li Xiu was finally looking at the baby, Second Aunt Li suddenly remembered she hadn’t yet told the young couple whether it was a boy or a girl. "Li Xiu, it’s a little girl."
Li Xiu carefully examined his daughter, whose eyes were closed, and said without looking up, "I know, Second Aunt." Both Second Aunt Li and Sister in law Sun froze. ’He knew? But how could he have known?’
Grandma Li laughed. "Oh, they went to the hospital for a check-up. Don’t they have those newfangled machines nowadays that can tell after just three or four months?"
"Really? A device that useful exists? That would certainly make things convenient for people who are desperate for a son," Sister in law Sun said in surprise. ’That would lead to so many terrible things. Countless families would stop at nothing to have a son.’
Grandma Li understood her meaning and chuckled. "Oh, that’s not possible. The doctors would never actually tell you whether it’s a boy or a girl. It’s just that Li Xiu was going on and on about ’my daughter’ this and ’my daughter’ that, which amused the doctor. He finally just said something that meant ’your wish has been granted,’ and those two guessed the rest."
Second Aunt Li clapped her hands. "That makes more sense! Of course they can’t tell people. Imagine all the terrible things that would happen!"
Li Xiu reluctantly handed his daughter to his grandmother. "Grandma, can you hold her for a minute? I’m going to go get something to eat."
His reluctance was so obvious it made them all chuckle. Grandma Li smiled and said, "I already have an old hen simmering in a pot, and there’s millet porridge and eggs warming on the stove!"
"I know. I’m going to make something different. Just hold her for a little while!" Li Xiu said, carefully placing his daughter in his grandmother’s arms. ’In his past life, both his daughter and daughter-in-law had hired professional postnatal caregivers for their confinement period, and he had learned a great deal by watching them.’
’The chicken soup was too greasy to eat on the same day as giving birth, and whole boiled eggs were hard to digest. He had prepared a special menu for the first three days long in advance.’
A short while later, Li Xiu brought in three bowls of eggs in brown sugar water. Grandma Li had boiled twelve eggs, and he had placed four peeled ones in each bowl. Setting them on the table, he took his daughter back and said, "Sister in law Sun, Second Aunt, thank you for all your help today. You’ll have to wait a bit longer before you can head home, so please have something to drink. Grandma, you have a bowl, too."
Grandma Li smiled in agreement and gestured for the other two women to take their bowls. As she looked at the eggs, she shot Li Xiu a sidelong glance. ’She’d boiled twelve eggs in total, and every single one was in these bowls. Let’s just see what he plans on feeding his granddaughter-in-law when she wakes up. Surely he can’t give her only chicken soup and millet porridge!’
Li Xiu kept his head down, looking at the daughter in his arms. ’Those eggs had been cooked long ago and left warming in the pot. By the time he peeled them, the whites had become tough. He would never let his wife eat eggs like that on a normal day, much less right after giving birth!’
Second Aunt Li and Sister in law Sun stared at the bowls of sweet egg soup, both slightly stunned. ’Li Xiu was being incredibly generous. Four eggs in a single bowl! That was twelve eggs all at once—enough to last his wife two or three days of her confinement period.’
It was getting dark by the time Zhou Lian groggily awoke. Li Xiu wiped her face, brought her some warm water to rinse her mouth, and once he saw she was a bit more alert, he had her drink a cup of brown sugar water. Leaving the women to chat, Li Xiu went to the kitchen to get to work.
He returned a moment later with a bowl, helped Zhou Lian lean into a sitting position, and set up the small table on the kang. "Do you have the strength to eat?" he asked. "If not, I can feed you."
Seeing Second Aunt Li and the others trying to stifle their smiles, Zhou Lian shot him a glare. ’Has this man lost his mind today? There are guests here, and he can’t even be a little more reserved.’
Seeing his wife glare at him, Li Xiu sheepishly rubbed his nose and handed her the chopsticks. ’He’d just forgotten they had company!’
Looking at the noodles served in a light egg-drop broth, Second Aunt Li smiled. "Did you ask a doctor about this, Li Xiu?"
"Oh, the doctor said that right after giving birth, she shouldn’t eat anything too greasy because it’s not good for her recovery. She should eat soft, nutritious foods, and wait until after three days to start slowly reintroducing richer, more restorative meals," Li Xiu explained slowly.
"Not even chicken soup?" Grandma Li asked in surprise. ’Doesn’t everyone say you’re incredibly weak after childbirth and need to eat as much rich food as possible to recover?’
"When a woman has just given birth, her body is very weak," Second Aunt Li said with a smile. "Eating greasy food makes it difficult to use the restroom. Plus, if her milk hasn’t come in yet, eating too much fat can cause clogged ducts. I used to mention this, but no one believed me, so I stopped. Besides, most families were struggling back then, so it’s not like there was a lot of rich food to go around anyway." Her midwifery skills were a family inheritance, passed down from her mother. Her maternal grandmother’s ancestors had served in the imperial court, but the family fell on hard times.
Hearing her explanation, Li Xiu smiled without saying a word. ’Second Aunt Li really did have a family legacy in this. He only knew because, in the future, her younger sister would go to university to study obstetrics and find this out.’
Once Zhou Lian finished eating, Li Xiu deftly cleared everything away. Noticing the room was warm and filled with the sweet scent of fruit, Second Aunt Li had Grandma Li place the baby on the kang. She unwrapped the small blanket, inspected the infant carefully one more time, and announced, "The baby is very healthy. She was well-nourished in the womb. Fifty-two centimeters long, weighing six jin and six liang. Her hair is dark and thick, and her skin is clean all over. Take good care of her. This child will definitely be even better-looking than her parents."
Hearing this, Li Xiu grinned smugly. "Thank you for the kind words, Second Aunt! My daughter will definitely grow up to be gorgeous."
Seeing his smug expression, Zhou Lian covered her eyes, unable to look. ’Did this man leave his brain at home today? Why is he doing one brainless thing after another? And Sister in law Sun has the biggest mouth. Just you wait. By tomorrow, the entire village will be laughing at us.’
Second Aunt Li just smiled without saying anything. She got back onto the kang to give Zhou Lian another careful examination. When she looked up, she saw Li Xiu staring at her with wide, expectant eyes. PFFT. She couldn’t help but laugh. "Don’t worry, everything is fine. She’s perfectly normal. Just make sure she rests well and gets enough nutrition. She’ll be fully recovered by the time her confinement month is over."
"Yes, I’ll take very good care of her," Li Xiu said, nodding eagerly. ’His wife definitely needed to be properly cared for.’