Chapter 61

Chapter 61

During the first month of the lunar year, Lu Baoer had a stomachache after eating red and green silk sweet cakes.

The old nanny calculated the days and found it was already nine months old. Everyone in the family was on edge this month, fearing that Lu Bao’er was about to give birth and that any negligence on the part of the servants would incur Xie Junling’s disapproval. Consequently, the servants had been living a restless life year after year, rising at night at the slightest sign of trouble to await them in the inner courtyard.

Lu Baoer had a stomachache. Fortunately, Xie Junling was on holiday and could watch over her. Xie Junling’s eyes followed Lu Baoer all the time. When he saw her frown, he knew something was wrong and hurriedly called out to the old lady, “Mammy, come and see Baoer.”

The nanny saw that something was amiss and quickly called a few midwives to come and help Lu Baoer to the delivery room. Xie Junling wanted to follow him in, but the midwife hurriedly stopped him outside and advised, “Master, you can’t stand the dirty blood of a woman. It will affect your luck.”

Xie Junling didn’t care whether the dirty blood would affect his official career. Lu Baoer was the most important thing at the moment. He said with a stern face, “Get out of the way.”

Seeing that Xie Junling was a man who could not be persuaded, the other midwife came up with another plan: “Even if the master goes to the delivery room, you can’t help much. You will just make things more complicated. When the time comes, seeing your expression, the midwives will not dare to use any force. Wouldn’t that be more of a hindrance than a help?”

This made some sense. Things in the industry should naturally be handled by experts. Xie Junling was also anxious and confused. He pursed his lips and said, “In that case, you should go in and see the lady quickly.”

“Well, don’t worry. Every official’s wife in the capital has a midwife like us. I can’t say anything else, but we know much more than those from the countryside.” The midwife said this to Xie Junling, then greeted the other two sisters into the delivery room. The reason they had the leisure to exchange a few words with Xie Junling outside the delivery room was simply because they saw that Lu Baoer was almost due to give birth.

The old nanny went to the stove to stew ginseng soup. Old Madam Su also asked someone to send over the best century-old ginseng, saying that when Lu Baoer felt weak, she could cut a piece of it and hold it in her mouth to help her breathe.

Giving birth is like stepping halfway into the gates of hell; every step must be taken with care. Xie Junling stood outside the delivery room, occasionally hearing Lu Baoer’s wails. He thought of how she could burst into tears even when a bamboo thorn pricked her finger. How much suffering must childbirth have these days?
Thinking of this, Xie Junling felt very reluctant. He even regretted having a child. Perhaps Lu Baoer and Xie Junling were both miserable people. They had no elders since childhood. Like him, they were cold and indifferent. They had never thought about the benefits of having children. His family was dispensable. Only Lu Baoer was the one he liked, and he just wanted to stay with her for the rest of his life. Lu Baoer was different. She liked the whole family to be happy. She always felt that her home was deserted enough. She wanted to have another child with Xie Junling, so that the whole family could be lively together. This was also the reason why Lu Baoer cherished the baby in her belly. It was her and Xie Junling’s child. It would have the advantages of both of them. No matter it was a boy or a girl, it would be extremely beautiful.

Xie Junling remembered that Lu Baoer asked him a few days ago whether he liked a boy or a girl. Xie Junling said that both boys and girls were good. If he really wanted to say it, he would have a legitimate son. In this way, there would be a son to carry on the family line, and Lu Baoer would have fewer children. However, Xie Junling did not like the fact that his son was always around Lu Baoer. He was extremely selfish and even wanted to be jealous of his son. Thinking of this, he felt that it would be nice to have a daughter. A daughter would be a sweet and caring little girl who looked like Lu Baoer and would call him “Daddy” all day long, which would make him feel warmer.

While Xie Junling was lost in thought, Lu Baoer was suffering in the delivery room. She knew that childbirth was painful, but she hadn’t expected it to be this painful. She lay on the couch, her body wet. Her consciousness was a little hazy at this moment, and she gritted her teeth to prevent herself from falling asleep. Seeing this, the old nanny hurriedly fed her a piece of ginseng. The old nanny had been with Lu Baoer for so many years, and she also regarded her as a junior. At this moment, she felt so distressed that she stroked Lu Baoer’s sweaty forehead again and again, saying, “Madam, bear with it, you will be fine after this.”

Lu Baoer couldn’t bear it any longer. She cried out in pain, her whole body aching. She wished she didn’t have to give birth to this child. But she had to endure it and not faint. Many people fainted and never woke up again.

This was her and Xie Junling’s first child. She had bought him lots of clothes and fantasized about him calling her “mother.” But she couldn’t just faint like that. What if she fainted and didn’t make it through this, and the child was born? Would she let her child call another woman “mother”? That was wishful thinking. Lu Baoer wouldn’t give the child to anyone.

Her mind wandered, hammering here and there, moaning non-stop. Xie Junling had been waiting outside for a full hour, his palms slick with sweat, unable to even hold his tea, which soaked his shirt. He couldn’t bear it any longer and went straight into the delivery room. The midwives were startled to see him.

Xie Junling, however, glared at them and said coldly, “Do your job well!”

Despite Xie Junling’s youth, he held an imposing authority. The others shrank back, not daring to speak. Xie Junling took this opportunity to sit next to Lu Baoer, holding her hand and saying, “Be good, Baoer, just bear with it. It will be fine soon.”

Xie Junling’s heart and eyes were filled with heartache. He was usually an extremely arrogant person. When had he ever coaxed her with such gentle words? Seeing her humble herself, Lu Baoer looked so majestic and impressive, which was quite interesting.

Lu Baoer wanted to laugh at him, but she didn’t even have the strength to raise her lips. A few seconds later, her stomach cramped, and her face twisted into a knot, and she began to sweat again. Xie Junling hurriedly wiped her face with a hot towel, saying distressedly, “After giving birth to this one, I’ll never give birth again.”

His childish remarks made the old nanny’s eyes wet. In fact, the old nanny also knew that Xie Junling treated Lu Baoer well. She usually disliked him because she felt that “the cabbages in her garden were eaten by pigs”, and she was very reluctant to let him go. But now it seems that this pig is still gentle and considerate, at least he treats Lu Baoer well.

Lu Baoer wanted to respond to Xie Junling, but she was straining so hard that she couldn’t say anything. This time, Lu Baoer’s pregnancy was relatively smooth; the baby was born in just three or four hours. If it had been a difficult birth, she would have had to wait a whole day, which would have been fatal.

The baby’s cry was loud and clear. The midwife saw that it was a little boy and quickly asked for a reward: “Congratulations, sir, it’s a boy! Thanks to your presence, the child was born so quickly.”

Xie Junling was not in the mood. The midwife wanted to bring the baby to him to see, but he waved her off, saying, “It’s just born in the shape of a red monkey. What’s there to see?”

He was now only thinking about how to comfort Lu Baoer, who had suffered so much. Xie Junling helped wipe her hands and face, while the old nanny helped clean up the area. She also had to give Lu Baoer medicine to stop the bleeding after childbirth. Taking good care of oneself during the confinement period was crucial to avoid developing underlying health problems.

Upon hearing about Lu Baoer’s birth, Old Lady Su came early. She knew that it was her great-grandson and was so happy that she couldn’t stop smiling. Which family doesn’t like a legitimate son? It would be great if it was a boy, but it was hard for her granddaughter to suffer so much. Seeing Xie Junling sitting by the bed and taking care of Lu Baoer, Old Lady Su was very satisfied and left immediately so as not to disturb the young couple. She went to the palace specially to ask the emperor to give a name, because this was her great-grandson, so he was naturally the most honorable. The emperor was old and he also liked such happy events of having a baby, and it was his cousin who asked him for something, so he wrote the word “Jing” and presented it to the Xie family.

“Jing” means cautious. This means one hopes the child will be steady in his actions, avoid impetuousness, and be careful with words and actions, so that he won’t make mistakes throughout his life. It’s a good name, and a good one too. Regardless of how unremarkable it may be, Xie Junling considered it excellent. It’s better than giving him the character “Jin,” which would imply that his son is rich and noble, which would have a rather strange connotation. For a minister, official careers are bestowed by the emperor, so why seek wealth and nobility?

Thank you Junling for your grace. Now everyone in Kyoto knows that Lu Baoer is lucky. She gave birth to a boy and even had the emperor give him a name. What a great honor this is.

Old Madam Su loved this great-grandson the most, calling him “Jin’er, Jin’er” all the time, but Xie Junling simply disliked this son. The thought of how much suffering he had caused Lu Baoer made her furious. The old nanny was baffled. What male master wouldn’t love his legitimate son? But Xie Junling was an oddball.

Lu Baoer fell asleep, and when she opened her eyes again, she said weakly, “Bring the child here for me to see.”

Xie Junling waited all night for her to wake up, but when Lu Baoer opened her eyes, she didn’t speak to him, but asked for a child. At this moment, he couldn’t help but feel resentful: “Your husband guarded you all night, but not the child.”

The implication is that it was he who worked hard and made great contributions, not that little bastard.

Lu Baoer pursed her lips and smiled: “I know, it was my husband who was with me during the birth. I have always been thinking about my husband’s kindness in my heart, and I even dreamed about him just now.”

Xie Junling felt uncomfortable with her words, but he didn’t argue with her. A wet nurse had been found long ago, and she brought Jing’er over and placed him next to Lu Bao’er. The child had just been born, his face was red, and his features were a little wrinkled, which was really not good-looking.

Lu Baoer hadn’t expected that after ten months of pregnancy, she would give birth to such an ugly thing. She felt a little cold for a moment. Xie Junling frowned and said, “How does this child look like you or me?”

This was also what Lu Baoer wanted to ask. The young couple looked at each other and were silent for a while.

The old nanny loved the young master the most. Seeing that Lu Bao’er and Xie Junling were not sensible, she was furious. She came forward and picked up Jin’er, saying, “The child hasn’t grown up yet, so naturally he is not good-looking. In my opinion, this is the most beautiful baby among the newborns. After half a month, he will be handsome when he grows up.”

Lu Baoer was not as protective of her as an old nanny, so she smiled awkwardly: “What nanny said does make some sense.”

Lu Baoer was physically weak and refused to allow anyone to visit her during her confinement. Only her close friend Ye Qiying came to see her once, giving her some advice on what to prepare for the confinement period and praising Jing’er’s good looks.

Originally, they were going to hold a full moon celebration for Jing’er, but Xie Junling was afraid that Lu Baoer would have to go out to meet guests at that time, so he postponed the full moon celebration to two months later. He made Lu Baoer stay in confinement for two months before allowing her to go out for a walk.

When she learned about this, Old Lady Su was also helpless. She felt sorry for Lu Baoer on the one hand, and for her great-grandson Guaiguai on the other. She was torn between the two and could only reward Jing’er with many treasures as a gift on the full moon day.

By the time Jin’er’s full-month banquet was held, all the ladies who came and went knew about it. They envied Lu Bao’er for being so lucky, having a considerate husband who even postponed the full-month banquet for his eldest son so that his wife could recuperate well during the confinement period.

Two months is enough time for the child’s eyes to open and his facial features to develop. A child’s skin is smooth and delicate, no longer wrinkled like a monkey, but rather childish and cute. Judging from his eyes, he looks like Xie Junling.

The child was good-natured and didn’t like to cry. He would stay up all day if given a small toy, which made Old Lady Su very fond of him. She kept shouting “Jin’er is so good” and kept circling around him. Even Master Fu couldn’t help but come and see Jin’er, praising Lu Baoer for raising the child so well.

The three uncles from the Fu family were genuinely puzzled. Madam Su and Master Fu didn’t seem all that excited about their child’s birth, did they? They didn’t even care about their grandson, so it was strange to see them surrounding their great-grandson. So the three uncles came to see who Jing’er was. Seeing the boy’s rosy lips and white teeth, they couldn’t help but buy some small toys to tease him. Um, that smells really good.

Seeing people coming to the mansion all day long, Xie Junling’s face darkened considerably. He did dislike his eldest son, but he was still his son, wasn’t he? What was the point of having outsiders constantly surrounding his son?
But in this way, Lu Baoer was actually taken away by him. Thinking of this, Xie Junling’s expression eased a lot.

What’s the use of a son? A wife is all I need. Whoever wants to see her can see her.

Xie Junling was always clinging to Lu Baoer, leaving her no time to spend with Jing’er. Lu Baoer wondered, was this Dali Temple a sinecure? How come Xie Junling was always free?
Xie Junling was, in fact, incredibly efficient, always able to pinpoint problems. He handled cases that took his colleagues three days to complete in a single day. But Xie Junling’s speed didn’t guarantee the same for others. Where once, everyone could spare a moment to enjoy a cup of tea or a game of Go, now with Xie Junling watching over them, his subordinates had to immediately investigate, verify confessions, and conduct a retrial. This ripple effect sent shockwaves through the entire Dali Temple, leaving them with no time for rest. While the Emperor praised the Dali Temple, its officials suffered miserably. The Grand Secretary, however, was known for his integrity. When faced with an official like Xie Junling, he felt a sense of relief. He entrusted Xie Junling with full authority, making only minor decisions. His superiors indulged Xie Junling, leaving his colleagues in awe. Consequently, Xie Junling became the rat in the puddles, stirring up the entire pot. He may be diligent, but how can he be considered a hero if he drags his colleagues into the water?
No one knew that Xie Junling just wanted to finish his official business as soon as possible so that he could resign and go home to live with his wife and children.

(End of this chapter)