58: Chapter 36 Shen Yinian 58: Chapter 36 Shen Yinian Shen Xiu arrived at the maternity ward, sweating profusely.
She was just about to sit down and rest when she saw the door to the delivery room open and a female doctor walk out.
She got a start; she hadn’t heard the baby’s cry.
Could it have been a difficult birth?
“Doctor, how is my sister-in-law?” Shen Xiu’s voice was on the verge of crying.
The female doctor was startled, removed her mask, and said, “Mother and child are safe, the nurse is taking care of the baby now.”
Shen Xiu breathed a sigh of relief, her legs went weak, and she had to lean against the wall to not fall to the floor.
It wasn’t long after the doctor left that Luo Yufang ca out cradling a swaddled baby, beaming, “Old man, co and see, a big boy weighing six jin and eight liang!”
She looked up to only see Shen Xiu and was montarily taken aback, “Xiuwa, where’s your grandpa?”
“His leg was so sore he was sweating.
I took him to get it checked out; the doctor said it was a fracture.
He’s resting in the ward now,” Shen Xiu said while peering at the infant in her arms.
“Is he okay?” Luo Yufang asked with concern.
“He’s fine, the doctor said he just needs to rest for a few days.
And my sister-in-law?” Shen Xiu reached out and cautiously touched her little nephew’s forehead.
“Wanwan will be out soon.”
Before Luo Yufang could finish speaking, a sleeping Lin Xiaoguai was wheeled out by a nurse.
“My sister-in-law passed out?” Shen Xiu asked worriedly.
“She’s asleep,” the nurse replied.
“This is normal.
You should prepare so nourishing soups; the mother will be very hungry when she wakes up.”
Luo Yufang and Shen Xiu hurriedly took note.
When Shen Xiu woke up, it was already evening.
The first thing she saw was the little fellow beside her pillow, and she watched him without blinking.
“All right, eat sothing first.
The child won’t run away,” teased Luo Yufang’s voice.
It was then that Lin Xiaoguai noticed Luo Yufang and Shen Xiu’s presence in the room.
Heeding their words, she smiled and said, “I am actually quite hungry.”
Her features were graceful and tender, but in her eyes shone an extraordinary light, like the light of dawn, full of vitality and hope.
Just as Shen Xiu was about to get the fish soup and plain porridge from under the quilt, the door to the ward was pushed open, and Jiang Xiaoi ca in gasping for breath, carrying a large basket.
“Xiao Guai, you’re awake!” She exclaid joyfully, lifting the basket in her hands, “That’s just perfect, my mom has made you pig’s feet soup and egg drop porridge.
It’s been simring on the stove from morning until now, still piping hot.
I’ve skimd off the oil for you, guarantee it won’t be greasy.”
They had moved to the county town, hence the pig’s feet soup and egg drop porridge she brought out were indeed as hot as she had claid, just like they’d co straight off the stove.
“That’s wonderful, I was worried this fish soup wasn’t hot enough to suit Wanwan’s taste,” Luo Yufang knew her granddaughter-in-law was picky about food and wasn’t dissatisfied with this alternative.
Anyway, she and her granddaughter hadn’t had dinner yet; they could eat the fish soup.
With good cooking skills from Mrs.
Jiang, Lin Xiaoguai drank a big bowl of egg drop porridge and another big bowl of soup, and under Jiang Xiaoi’s insistence, even nibbled through half a pig’s foot.
“Have you fed him milk yet?” Lin Xiaoguai asked, caressing her son’s head tenderly.
“He’s had so water,” Luo Yufang whispered.
“It’s best for the baby’s first milk to co from his own mother.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoguai felt a bit distressed, to which Luo Yufang, unable to contain her laughter, replied, “If you’re worried, you can feed him so milk now.”
“Do I have milk already?” Lin Xiaoguai hesitated.
“You’ve eaten well, of course you do,” Luo Yufang spoke from experience.
Indeed, as old ginger is spicier, with grandma’s help, Lin Xiaoguai fed her baby his first milk.
Rembering many novels ntioning the need to pat the baby to burp or else he might spit up the milk, she ntioned it and got a laugh from her grandma.
“Where did you hear that?
That advice is correct, but it’s not suitable for newborn babies.
Look, he’s sleeping through feeding; how can you burp him?
He has to be a bit older for that.”
Lin Xiaoguai felt slightly embarrassed, “I thought he just hadn’t opened his eyes yet.”
“Whether they open their eyes right away or after a few days depends on the baby.
So are born with their eyes open, so take a while,” Luo Yufang said with a smile, finding it rare to see her normally composed granddaughter-in-law acting like this.
Lin Xiaoguai sheepishly touched her nose; after all, those novels always sounded so authoritative.
Her attention quickly returned to her son, who, unlike the red, wrinkled newborns she’d seen in online images, had a more relaxed set of features.
Perhaps it was due to the spiritual spring water and the Hundred Refinent Fruit, but even though her son was red, his features were refined.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed his eyebrows resembled Shen Chi, faint but already showing the shape of strong brows.
His eyes were still closed, yet from the length of his eyelashes, they were likely like Shen Chi’s too.
His nose was hard to distinguish, but his mouth…
also resembled Shen Chi.
Lin Xiaoguai felt a flicker of indignation inside.
Why didn’t he look like her at all!
Unlike her fury, Luo Yufang and Shen Xiu were quite delighted as they gazed upon Xiao Bao, who looked just like Shen Chi.
However, Jiang Xiaoi comnted, “How great it would be if she had given birth to a daughter resembling Xiao Guai.”
Luo Yufang, upon hearing this, chuckled, “No worries, there’s always a chance to have another child, right?” Imagining the prospect of having a great-granddaughter as beautiful and clever as her granddaughter-in-law filled her heart with joy.
Although having an additional child at this ti would incur a penalty, she wasn’t worried in the least about not having a great-granddaughter, given how adept her grandson was at earning money.
Lin Xiaoguai looked down at her son and smiled, “This child shall be nad Yinian, Shen Yinian.”
Yinian, a year of abundant harvest, didn’t require imnse wealth or power, her son, as long as he could “harvest” every year of his life, that would be enough.
Luo Yufang and Shen Xiu were taken aback, having not expected her to settle on a na so swiftly without even consulting Shen Chi.
The two exchanged looks but said nothing; this was a matter for Shen Chi to worry about.
As they were feeling sorry for Shen Chi, who seed to have lost the right to na his son, Lin Xiaoguai spoke up, “His nickna shall be Little Niangao.”
Thinking of the Concubine Nian Guifei, referred to as Little Niangao in transmigration drama series set in a later era, she couldn’t help but smile slyly.
As if sensing his mother’s malevolent intent, the sleeping Little Niangao appeared sowhat unsettled, smacking his lips in his sleep.
Luo Yufang and Shen Xiu were speechless; now the nickna too, was out of their hands to decide.
Nonetheless, they had to admit that the na chosen by their granddaughter-in-law (sister-in-law), whether Shen Yinian or Little Niangao, sounded quite good, embodying both common appeal and a touch of refinent.
Lin Xiaoguai was discharged from the hospital after a week, but this ti there was no police car escorting her with special treatnt.
The tractor rattled all the way ho, only to find quite a crowd gathered at their doorstep.
“What’s going on?” Luo Yufang frowned and shouted at the crowd, “Old man, co over and help!”
As the crowd dispersed, Lin Xiaoguai saw an older, tall and thin woman grabbing hold of grandpa, who was trying to pull free with Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang attempting to aid him but being blocked by a man.
Luo Yufang saw it too and was furious but held back, addressing the surrounding neighbors, “Please lend a hand; my granddaughter-in-law has just co ho from giving birth.”
Having a good reputation in the neighborhood, a couple of robust daughters-in-law imdiately ca over to lift Lin Xiaoguai, swaddled snugly in a blanket, off the tractor, intending to carry her into the house, but the old woman and man blocked the doorway.
“Nobody enters; you must give an explanation today!” The old woman glared fiercely, exuding hostility.
Luo Yufang couldn’t hold back her anger and retorted, “Well done, Jiang Dii.
Your son sneaks into my house in the dead of night to steal, causing my granddaughter-in-law to give birth prematurely, and now you think you have the right to argue?”
“Well, my son didn’t steal anything, and your granddaughter-in-law isn’t hard, is she?” Jiang Dii defiantly defended herself, hands on her hips and speaking shrilly.
“So you’re saying my granddaughter-in-law owes you because she didn’t lose her life or her child?
What kind of twisted logic is that?” Luo Yufang raged.
“Your granddaughter-in-law has nothing to do with , but my Zigao got doused with cold water in the dead of winter, fell seriously ill with a high fever that nearly ruined his brain, and got pneumonia.
What about those dical expenses?
Shouldn’t you pay for them?” Jiang Dii was completely unreasonable.
Lin Xiaoguai was dumbfounded; this…
she almost thought she was seeing Wang Zhaodi, their unreasonable behavior was exactly alike.
Luo Yufang held her chest, feeling a buzzing in her head.
Seeing things were getting bad, Shen Xiu, whose grandma had once been so angered by Wang Zhaodi that she suffered a stroke, no longer cared about her fear and yelled angrily, “Utter nonsense!
It was your son who pushed my grandpa; your son tried to steal from our house, and I wasn’t supposed to drench him with water?
Should I have let him get away?”
Shen Xiu clenched her teeth, fiercely retorting, “I think it would be a good thing if your son’s brain was burned out; better to be a fool than a thief, at least then people could sleep soundly at night.”
“You!” Jiang Dii glared and pointed at her, “You wretched wench, I’ll tear your mouth apart.
Wicked and rotten to the core, how dare you curse my son!
Tie Zhu, help your aunt grab that vile girl,” she called out to the man standing by her side.
“You dare!” Jiang Xiaoi confidently stepped in front of Shen Xiu.
In fact, Jiang Xiaoi’s stature was sowhat intimidating to the duo.
Just as the two hesitated to move forward, Lin Xiaoguai was consud with worry; she knew all too well that while Xiaoi might look physically strong, she was all bark and no bite, with fat instead of muscle.
Thankfully, Mr.
Jiang and Mrs.
Jiang were just as aware and quickly stepped in front of their daughter, with Mr.
Jiang glaring fiercely, “Try laying a hand on my daughter, you thieving witch!”
Lin Xiaoguai felt uneasy, knowing that Mr.
Jiang wasn’t overly strong himself; a chef who hadn’t fard in years and whose strength in cooking she could believe in, but anything beyond that…
probably even Mrs.
Jiang would best him.
The surrounding neighbors were now feeling uncomfortable with the sight, recognizing that while the Zhang family, with Zhang Quan and eldest son Zhang Zhigao, were good people, Jiang Dii was truly the rotten apple that spoiled the barrel.
So wanted to step forward to help, but then they saw Tie Zhu pull out a tal pipe from his cloak, threatening them, “Don’t ddle or else!
If you end up with a broken arm or leg, don’t bla !”
People gasped at the sight of the weapon, so showing fear while several clever ones slipped away unnoticed.
Seeing that she had intimidated the crowd, Jiang Dii wore a smug expression and raised her head, “Folks, I don’t want to see bloodshed among neighbors, so it’s best if so people just pay up and get it over with.”
The allegation was clearly directed at Luo Yufang.
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