When things suddenly took a turn for the better, the two midwives dared not relax. With sweat dripping from their foreheads, they guided Jin Chao as she pushed. When the child finally came out, the maid immediately took a cotton cloth to wrap it, patted the baby’s bottom twice, and immediately cried out.
The cry was strong and vigorous.
Chen San Ye, hearing the child’s cry, finally felt relieved.
He held her hand tightly, bent down to kiss her, and whispered comfortingly, “It’s all right now, Jin Chao, it’s a boy!”
Jin Chao’s heart was filled with the joy of having survived this ordeal.
She raised her head and touched Chen San Ye’s face—his curved, thick eyebrows, the contours of his eye sockets, his high, straight nose… Chen San Ye let her explore his face. Gu Jin Chao felt everything relax, but couldn’t hold back the tears that flowed, soaking her temples.
She felt that she had shed more tears today than at any other time.
Chen San Ye smiled as he stroked her hair. After quite a while, Gu Jin Chao recovered and said softly that she wanted to see the child.
Only then did Chen San Ye let the midwife bring the baby over.
The midwife had just used a hot towel to wipe the baby’s body, and now held him wrapped in a bright red embroidered swaddling cloth. The baby had only cried for a moment right after birth but was now quiet. His skin was still reddish, his face chubby, and his little mouth pink and delicate. He lay against the swaddling cloth with his eyes closed, his newborn hair black.
When the baby was placed beside her, Gu Jin Chao bent down and kissed his tender cheek.
The baby wrinkled his little nose and made a few crying sounds.
Gu Jin Chao froze and didn’t dare to touch him again, but she didn’t hear him cry.
Chen San Ye gently picked up the child and examined the little one. The baby didn’t mind his mother’s disturbance and tilted his head against the swaddling cloth, falling asleep again. His eyes and mouth were small, and it was impossible to tell whom he resembled. Yet Chen San Ye smiled and said, “The child’s eyes and brows look like yours. He’ll be handsome when he grows up.”
Gu Jin Chao laughed. What good was it for a boy to look like her? Besides, he was still so small…
The midwife praised him, saying, “The young master has a fine build! In all my years of delivering babies, I’ve rarely seen such a fair and plump boy! He’ll certainly grow up strong and healthy, free from illness and misfortune.”
Chen San Ye rewarded the two midwives with red envelopes. The midwives could tell from the weight that the amount was considerable. They left with a thousand thanks.
Lady Chen arrived with her people, also eager to see her grandson.
After holding him for a while, Lady Chen was delighted. The baby was chubby and looked so soft. His hand reached out from the swaddling cloth, and she gently grasped it—his little fist only slightly larger than a walnut. “He looks better than San Er did. San Er was very thin when he was born!”
She then asked Madam Sun, “Have you found a wet nurse? Call her over to wait. The child will be hungry soon.”
Madam Sun nodded with a smile, “One has already been found. She’s waiting in the side room and can come at any time.”
Gu Jin Chao, however, somewhat wanted to nurse the baby herself. In her previous life, she hadn’t been close with her child… The difficult delivery made her cherish this little one even more. However, the ladies of the Chen family all used wet nurses for their children, sometimes even alternating between two. It wasn’t appropriate for her to bring this up separately.
She said nothing, just smiled as she watched everyone gathering around Lady Chen.
Lady Chen handed the baby to Madam Sun, who took him to the side room.
She came to sit at Gu Jin Chao’s bedside and said gently, “It’s already daylight outside. Would you like to eat something before resting?”
This child had been troubling her for a whole day… Although Gu Jin Chao still felt uncomfortable, her mood relaxed considerably. She wanted to say she couldn’t eat anything but then thought that since the onset of labor, she had only had soup. So, she nodded and said, “I’ll have something light then.”
The maid quickly brought crucian carp soup and sweet egg for Jin Chao to eat. She was truly exhausted and fell asleep against the pillow.
Everyone who had kept vigil throughout the night was now left to rest, as the child had been safely delivered.
Lady Chen, however, called Chen San Ye out to talk.
“You entered the delivery room?” Lady Chen’s face was serious.
Chen San Ye nodded slightly.
Lady Chen sighed, “Isn’t that too inauspicious… The delivery room is very unlucky. No matter how much you care for her, you shouldn’t have risked yourself…” Thinking of how this son of hers had always been good to Gu Jin Chao, she found it difficult to continue.
Chen Yan Yun said, “Her situation was critical at that time, and I had to be with her. Let’s not talk about whether it was inauspicious or not. I know what I’m doing.”
Lady Chen remained silent for a moment, then said, “It’s all in the past now, so let’s not speak of it. Now that both the mother and child are safe, everything is fine…” Her face also showed signs of fatigue, after all, she hadn’t slept the entire night.
“You should go back and rest first,” Chen Yan Yun urged her.
Lady Chen mustered her energy, “I still need to go to the ancestral hall to burn incense for the ancestors. The child has just been born, and I must also burn some Buddhist scriptures for him…” She looked at her son with concern, “You haven’t rested all night either. Take care of yourself.”
Chen Yan Yun just smiled. Although he hadn’t slept all night, he wasn’t sleepy. Now that he could relax, he felt a splitting headache.
If he went to sleep now, he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep anyway.
He escorted Lady Chen out of Mu Xin Hall.
…
When Gu Jin Chao woke up, it was afternoon, and she was now in the main room. Last night, the maids had barely slept; now Yu Zhu was dozing, leaning against her bed, her head bobbing like a pecking chicken.
Gu Jin Chao looked around but neither saw the baby nor heard any sound.
Having just given birth to the little one, she truly wished to have the child by her side at all times.
Gu Jin Chao called out to Yu Zhu, who woke up startled, rubbed her eyes, and said, “Madam, ah! How did I fall asleep? You’re awake, do you want something to eat?” She looked at Gu Jin Chao with a somewhat ingratiating expression, as if at her command, she would dart out to bring whatever she wanted.
This maid was always quite amusing.
Gu Jin Chao smiled, “I don’t want to eat anything… Where’s the baby?”
“Madam Zhu and Madam Sun took him to the east wing room for a bath. They’ll bring him back shortly.”
Gu Jin Chao sighed with relief and asked, “Has he been fed?”
“Yes, he drinks in big gulps, eating heartily! But he likes to cry, he’s cried several times already…”
Gu Jin Chao told her, “…Children are all like that. When they’re unhappy, they cry.”