Chapter 450 : Xisan

🦊 : Here’s another chapter for the first week of March. 😅

After talking to Da Nainai1 Fu for a while, Yuxi noticed that her breasts were swollen, which was particularly uncomfortable. Embarrassed, she turned to Da Nainai1 Fu and said, “Sorry, I have to feed the baby.” Let alone an outsider like Da Nainai1 Fu; she did not even want to breastfeed her baby in front of her close attendants.

Da Nainai1 Fu also knew what Yuxi was going to do, so she took her leave and returned home.

Yuxi felt so uncomfortably swollen that she didn’t even care that Zaozao was still asleep. She immediately patted Zaozao awake and pushed her lapels aside so her child could suckle at her breast.

Zaozao was woken up by someone disturbing her and was just about to wail when something was stuffed in her mouth. When she was given something to eat, she didn’t cry. Yuxi watched as the child ate appetisingly and returned to sleep when she was satisfied.

Yuxi kissed the child’s little face; her face was full of tenderness. “She really is a little piggy. She goes right back to sleep after eating.” Such a happy little pig.

Mama Xi smiled. “Madam, all newborn children are like this.”

Yuxi put the child down and said, “Give Lin Nainiang2 some money and have someone take her home.” Since she had her own milk, she didn’t need any nainiang2.

Mama Xi nodded. “Madam, tomorrow is the Eldest Young Miss’s xisan3, and the guest list for the banquet is not yet available!”

Yuxi replied, “The General has the list. He has said that only a few people we are familiar with will be invited to the ceremony and that it will be a simple event. But the child’s full moon ceremony will be held in a big way.” The main reason was that neither of them had any relatives besides friends and colleagues in Yu City. If they were in the capital, there would be many more people. There were many relatives on her side of the family.

Hearing this, Mama Xi smiled and said, “Madam, the General loves Young Miss so much that he even asked me to teach him how to hold the baby properly!” Seeing how much Yun Qing cherished the child, she was sure he didn’t mind Madam giving birth to a daughter.

When Yuxi heard this, she smiled. “You can also teach him how to change nappies.” She wanted Yun Qing to have more contact with the child, which would not only help his condition but also cultivate the relationship between father and daughter.T

/C

Mama Xi’s face cracked5 when she heard this. She didn’t dare to tell that to the General. Besides, how could a great man like the General do such feminine things?

Yuxi looked at Mama Xi’s expression before realising she was being a bit forceful. Although Yun Qing seemed easier to get along with now than before, it was only an appearance. Inside, he was still a murderous and determined person. Changing the subject, Yuxi asked, “What’s the situation with Mama Lan and Azhu?”

Mama Xi answered, “Mama Lan is a senior servant who is an expert in caring for mothers during confinement. She was the one who took care of the First Lady and Second Lady after they gave birth.” Since the Old Lady had sent Mama Lan over, it was clear that she really valued Yuxi.

What Mama Xi didn’t know was that Mama Lan was not chosen by Qiu Shi but by Han Jianming. It was not that Qiu Shi was reluctant to let her go, but she felt that Mama Lan was too old to travel long distances. As far as anyone knew, Mama Lan was over forty now, considered very old for a woman, and her body couldn’t stand travelling long distances at that age. But Yuxi was more important to Han Jianming than Mama Lan, so he decided to send her over.T

/C

Yuxi nodded. “Then you can invite her in later. I want to meet her.” Although she had studied pharmacology, she was still unclear about many things. She was relieved to have such an experienced mama by her side.

When Mama Xi had finished talking about Mama Lan*, she spoke about Miss Azhu, “Madam, I have seen that Miss Azhu. She is good-looking, but her mind is a bit messed up. After her fiancé died, she vowed to the Bodhisattva that she would never marry for the rest of her life.”

Yuxi exclaimed in surprise as she asked, “Is she very affectionate with her fiancé?” Azhu would not have made such a vow if their affection were not deep. Usually, three years of mourning for the other party would have already been considered magnanimous.

Mama Qu said, “I heard from Mother Lan that she and her fiancé grew up together. They were basically like green plums and hobby-horse8. Obviously, their feelings were quite deep. Their wedding date had already been set at that time, but unfortunately, two months before the wedding, her fiancé had an accident.”

Yuxi found it strange. “An accident? What kind of accident?”

Mama Xi told Yuxi what she had found out. “He was trampled to death by the horse ridden by Chiang Jin, the Fifth Lord of the Marquis Pingqing’s residence.” The story was simple: Chiang Jin, the Fifth Lord of the Marquis Pingqing’s residence, had to rush back to the mansion, so he rode his horse very fast. Azhu’s fiancé happened to be standing at the corner, which Chiang Jin failed to see, and as a result, his horse kicked Azhu’s fiancé to the ground. As it happened, Azhu’s fiancé was kicked in the chest, killing him instantly.

Yuxi frowned but said nothing. What could be said? The two people were not on equal footing, and it was impossible to ask for justice.

Mama Xi added, “The Chiang family took the initiative to pay a sum of money to the deceased family.” It was impossible for the Duke of the State’s residence to be at odds with the Marquis Pingqing’s residence for the sake of a servant, and it was already considered good for the Chiang family to take the initiative to pay such a sum of money.

Yuxi didn’t comment on this, as there was no point in her doing so. “What did Azhu do in the official residence before?” For Qiu Shi to choose Azhu, aside from trusting her, Azhu must have had something else to offer.

Mama Xi replied, “Her mother was the Old Lady’s former dowry maid. She used to work in the needlework room and was very good at it. Mama Lan said that this maid was also calm, steady, and thorough in her work.” Yuxi lacked such a maid around her.

Yuxi said, “I’ll see her in a couple of days. Let her have a good rest these few days.” She understood why Qiu Shi had chosen this Azhu, probably because of her reluctance to marry anyone. If Qiu Shi had sent an unmarried maid over, it would have been a problem to marry her off after sending her over from so far away and when she was finally in good hands. In fact, Qiu Shi had gone through a lot of trouble for Yuxi.

Mama Xi asked, “Madam, what about Mama Lan?”

Yuxi responded, “Let Mama Lan in. I want to meet her.”

Old Woman Lan was waiting in the outer courtyard and came in as soon as she was told. She wore a raven-coloured dress today, with a round bun and only a gold-plated hairpin pinned to it. She had a long face, white skin and a gentle expression.

Yuxi looked at Mama Lan and smiled. She had met Mama Lan before. After all, she had often visited Ye Shi and Lu Shi while in their confinement and had encountered Mama Lan, who had served them closely a few times.

When Mama Lan walked in, she knelt on the floor and said, “Greetings to Fourth Miss.” After she finished speaking, she kowtowed to Yuxi three times.

Yuxi was lying on the bed when she received such great courtesy. She didn’t care about kowtowing or anything like that; she cared about Mama Lan’s attitude. She was pleased with Mama Lan’s mindset for not flaunting her seniority just because she was a senior servant of the official residence. “Mama Qu, please help Mama Lan up!”

After saying a few words, Yuxi asked Mama Lan to withdraw. “Since you’ve travelled far, please rest for the next few days.”

Mama Lan respectfully withdrew.

On the day of the xisan3, Da Nainai1 Fu came over early in the morning. She had been asked by Fu Tianlei to help welcome the guests today.

Yuxi smiled and thanked Da Nainai1 Fu. “I’m sorry for troubling you today.” Without in-laws and sisters-in-law around, her life had usually been peaceful, but there was no one to help her when things went wrong, which was the downside of not having them.

Da Nainai1 Fu patted Yuxi’s hand and smiled, “My husband and General Yun are as close as blood brothers. Dimei9 doesn’t have to be too polite.”

Suspicion flashed through Yuxi’s heart. She didn’t know what had happened that caused Da Nainai1 Fu to be too enthusiastic today. This thought was interrupted when a maid entered the room.

The maid reported, “Madam, Madam Zhao is here.” Since the Zhao family were Yun Qing’s allies, there was no way they could be left out of the invitation to the ceremony.

Yuxi smiled and instructed, “Quickly invite Madam Zhao in.”

Madam Zhao looked at Yuxi and said with a smile, “You’ve maintained yourself very well.” Ten months of pregnancy and after giving birth, this Han Shi not only didn’t become ugly, she became even more beautiful, something ordinary people couldn’t do.

Of course, it was not that Yuxi had really become prettier. It was just that after having a child, she unconsciously carried a softness in her body that made people feel very comfortable.

Madam Zhao placed a golden lock charm she had prepared in Zaozao’s swaddling clothes. She looked at the child carefully and commented with a smile, “This child looks like General Yun.” Even though the child was only three days old, her visual aspect had already opened up, and her skin was no longer wrinkled. Her actual appearance was showing through naturally.

Hearing this, Yuxi couldn’t help but say, “This child looks like his father except for his eyes, which look like mine.” Thinking about what her daughter would look like when she grew up, Yuxi began to fret.

Madam Zhao was also a shrewd person. Naturally, she could hear the meaning behind Yuxi’s words and smiled, “It’s good that she resembles her father. It’s a blessing for a daughter to look like her birth father.” The saying that it was a blessing for a daughter to look like her father had been passed down from the older generation, but no one had had the time to investigate the basis of it.

Everyone liked to hear good words, and Yuxi was no exception. She smiled and said, “Then I’ll have to borrow Auntie’s lucky words.” With her and Yun Qing around, even if their looks were not outstanding, they would not let their child suffer.

Soon after, Kang Donglin and Geng Jichen’s wife arrived. Yuxi was very surprised to hear this. Although she had sent invitations to the Kang and Geng families, she had not expected their wives actually come. What a gust of wind was blowing here today!

After Yuxi had exchanged polite words with Madam Kang and Madam Geng, Mama Lan walked in and said, “Madam, the ceremony is about to begin. We have to take the baby out.” The midwife that delivered the baby was currently waiting outside!

Madam Zhao volunteered. “Let me carry the baby out!”

Yuxi didn’t stop her. Although Madam Zhao was nearly fifty, she was still physically strong and wouldn’t be too tired to hold a baby. Besides, it wasn’t far.T

/C

Holding the child in her hands, Madam Zhao praised, “This child is quite heavy, not bad.” The baby didn’t look fat, but she weighed a lot.

When everyone had left, Yuxi asked Mama Xi, who had stayed in the room to look after her, “Did anyone from the Imperial Court come?” There was only one explanation for the enthusiasm of these people, and that was that what she had planned had worked. Qin Zhao was questioned and removed from his post, and Yun Qing was promoted.

Mama Xi shook her head, indicating that she wasn’t sure. She had been so busy tending to the inner courtyard these past few days that she had no time to pay attention to what was happening outside.

Yuxi was not disappointed either. Judging by the performance of the people who came today, the matter was not far off, even if the Imperial Decree had yet arrived.

Although Mama Xi didn’t know what was happening outside, she didn’t want Yuxi to be disturbed, so she immediately reminded her, “Madam, you must not strain your mind during the confinement period.” The meaning of these words was unmistakable. She reminded Yuxi to sit peacefully during this time and not to worry about extraneous matters. Yuxi had already been troubled enough during her pregnancy, and Mama Xi didn’t want to see the same thing happen during Yuxi’s confinement.

Yuxi didn’t retort and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll sit properly during my confinement.” As long as Yun Qing rose smoothly to become the head general of Yu City, there was nothing else for her to worry about for the time being.