Chapter 163: Fate's End
Although the arrival of their newborn left Fu Tingyun and Zhao Ling in a flurry, it brought them even more joy.
Fu Tingyun sat on the heated brick bed, her head wrapped in a scarf, cradling her sleeping daughter as she chatted cheerfully with Madam Mo, the wife of Mo Yi. "We had agreed with Ninth Master long ago to visit your home to celebrate when you arrived in the capital, but then I went into labor..." She offered an apologetic smile.
"This is simply fate!" Madam Mo, a woman in her thirties with a slightly plump figure and fair complexion, stood tall, giving her an imposing presence despite her average looks. She gently stroked the baby's head and smiled. "Your little girl is truly beautiful!" Her gaze at Youyou was tender, though tinged with envy.
Madam Mo had given birth to four sons, and her greatest wish now was to have a daughter.
Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but smile.
Youyou was not only lovely but also had a sweet temperament. She slept peacefully unless hungry or needing a diaper change, and when she occasionally woke, she would open her crystal-clear eyes and gaze around, utterly adorable.
Zheng Sanniang claimed that babies at this age couldn’t see anything, but Fu Tingyun refused to believe it. She was convinced her daughter’s bright eyes must perceive something—she just couldn’t speak yet.
At such moments, Fu Tingyun would chatter away to Youyou.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when Youyou suddenly opened her eyes.
The wet nurse nearby quickly took the baby to check her diaper before returning her to Fu Tingyun.
Madam Mo marveled, "Look at those eyes—so bright! She doesn’t look like a newborn at all!"
"Everyone says that," Fu Tingyun replied with a laugh. "They also say she’s quite large, though I have no experience to judge."
Madam Mo studied Youyou carefully for a moment. "Compared to most babies, she is indeed bigger."
"My mother told me I was also quite large as a child," Fu Tingyun shared. "By ten, I was taller than most twelve- or thirteen-year-olds. My mother worried I’d grow taller than men, but after thirteen, I stopped growing altogether."
"I was the opposite," Madam Mo chuckled, clapping her hands. "At twelve or thirteen, I only reached my mother’s shoulders. But in just two years, I shot up taller than my father! My mother feared no one would marry me, but luckily, Huanzhi was even taller than me."
Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but laugh. "Then your sons must be quite tall as well?"
Madam Mo nodded. "Taller than most children their age—the tallest among their cousins, too."
Just then, Zhenzhu entered and announced, "Madam, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family has arrived."
This was Chen Shi, the wife of the eldest son of Chen Yunsheng, the former commander of the Golden Crow Guard’s forward division, who had served as Fu Tingyun’s "complete blessings" matron during her wedding.
Fu Tingyun promptly invited her in and introduced her to Madam Mo.
As a woman bearing an Imperial Mandate Title, Madam Mo outranked Chen Shi, but she still exchanged polite greetings. Once Madam Mo had retaken her seat, Chen Shi leaned in to admire the baby."Why was the full month ceremony held so early?" After praising the child, she sat down on the brocade stool by the bed and chided gently, "The children at home are currently making offerings to the Smallpox Goddess. I calculated you still had some time left, planning to visit you in a couple of days. Who knew I'd receive an invitation for your daughter's full month celebration..."
According to custom, a full month ceremony can be held once the child is born and enters the next month. But for a child like Youyou, barely ten days old, and not from a poor family desperate for the gift money to support the new mother's confinement—it seemed rather rushed!
Fu Tingyun also felt the date was set too hastily.
When Yu Wei went to announce the happy news to Madam Fu, not only did Madam Fu gift Youyou a red silver longevity lock, she also fixed the date for the full month ceremony. She claimed this date had been carefully chosen by a revered monk based on the birth charts of both mother and child, ensuring prosperity for them both. Fu Tingyun had intended to send Yu Wei back to request another date, but Zhao Ling said, "It's just the date for the full month ceremony. Since it's the elder's wish, we should comply. Why disregard your mother's kind intentions?"
With Zhao Ling saying so, Fu Tingyun had no further objections.
The date was set for the tenth day of the fifth month.
Today was Youyou's full month celebration.
To avoid startling the child, no opera troupe was invited, but between Zhao Ling's friends and colleagues, they still managed to host fifteen tables.
These details weren't something she could explain to Chen Shi, so Fu Tingyun vaguely replied, "The date was set by elders, so it couldn't be refused."
Chen Shi and the others couldn't press further. Moreover, since this was Chen Shi's first meeting with Madam Mo, she was cautious around her due to Madam Mo's status. The conversation remained lighthearted and pleasant.
Soon, the wife of Li Yunxiang, Assistant Commander of the Left Standard Guard, arrived. Neighbor Madam Wu, Madam Ji from Bensi Alley, and others gradually gathered. It was soon time for the banquet—female guests in the main hall, male guests in the central courtyard, all enjoying the feast.
Zhao Ling carried the child around briefly, receiving many gifts of longevity locks, gold sycee, and silver sycee.
After the banquet, some of Zhao Ling's colleagues had to return to their offices, while others had only come for the festivities and left first. Mo Yi and a few others stayed behind, moving to the southern hall for tea and conversation. Jin Yuanbao and Yang Yucheng arrived to help host in the southern hall. Madam Wu, Madam Ji, and others took their leave first. Madam Mo, concerned about her own child at home, chatted briefly with Fu Tingyun before departing. Chen Shi remained, sharing tips and advice on child-rearing with Fu Tingyun until after dinner.
As Fu Tingyun was still in her confinement period and couldn't move around freely, Zheng San oversaw the dismantling of the wedding shop's canopy and the removal of tables and chairs by the caterers, while Yu Wei settled accounts in the southern side room of the eastern wing. By lamplight, the household had returned to its usual tranquility.
Zhao Ling, slightly tipsy, reclined against the pillow by the window kang, watching Fu Tingyun soothe their child to sleep under the dim lamplight. He murmured idly, "Why has summer come so early this year? Thankfully, your mother chose this date. If it were any later, the heat would have made the banquet unbearable—guests would be sweating buckets!"Fu Tingyun noticed her daughter's breathing becoming more steady and turned to smile at Zhao Ling.
Zhao Ling sat up and said, "A-Jun, once your month of confinement is over, let's go to Tanzhe Temple to fulfill our vow."
"What vow?" Fu Tingyun was puzzled.
She had prayed for a son, but now that she had a daughter, there was no need to fulfill any vow.
Zhao Ling moved closer, taking her hand. "I made a vow to the Bodhisattva—if we could have a daughter like you, I would donate a hundred taels of silver for incense oil."
Fu Tingyun's eyes widened. "You..."
She truly didn't know what to say.
Zhao Ling became serious. "I know you wanted a son, but I think having a daughter first is better—a daughter is like a mother's little cotton-padded jacket, warm and close to the heart."
Fu Tingyun felt a stir in her heart and hesitated. "Are you... are you going to Guizhou?"
Zhao Ling was silent for a long moment before speaking softly. "Today, Mr. Zhao brought it up again... Recently, large amounts of provisions have been transferred from Huguang to Guizhou... It will likely happen within the next month or so."
Fu Tingyun instinctively tightened her grip on his sleeve.
"Don't worry!" Zhao Ling gently pulled her into his arms. "Jin Yuanbao was there too. He asked Mr. Zhao to transfer him to the Five Cities Patrol Brigade so he could look after you more easily. From Mr. Zhao's reaction, it seemed he agreed. If I really do go to Guizhou, you can turn to Jin Yuanbao for anything at home." He paused, then added, "As for Zuo Junjie, I've questioned some of the freelance gangs carefully. It seems Zuo Junjie begged his way all the way to the capital. At each place he stopped, he would seek out the local leader of the beggars and stay for two or three months before moving on. I suspect that since he fled the capital, he won't return anytime soon. He once stayed in Tongzhou for two months—people tend to prefer familiar places. Could he have gone back to Tongzhou or somewhere else he knows well...?"
Fu Tingyun's eyes brightened, and she sat up straight. "That makes sense!"
"I've told Jin Yuanbao about this too," Zhao Ling said. "He'll look into it in Tongzhou these days. Don't worry too much—focus on recovering from childbirth properly so you don't leave any lingering health issues."
Fu Tingyun nodded repeatedly, feeling more confident about finding Zuo Junjie.
Early the next morning, while the couple—who had stayed up playing with Youyou until dawn—were still deep in sleep, Yu Wei's urgent voice suddenly sounded outside the window: "Madam, Madam, wake up! There's news from Four Happiness Alley!"
Still groggy, Fu Tingyun rubbed her eyes, but Zhao Ling had already bolted upright. "Who brought the message? Bring them in at once," he said, stepping out of bed and slipping on his shoes.
"It's Xiu Zhu's family," Yu Wei replied hesitantly, her voice low. "I'll bring her in right away."
A sudden chill ran down Fu Tingyun's spine, and an inexplicable sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
"What's happened?" She grabbed Zhao Ling's arm.
Though still wrapped in the warm quilt, her fingers were icy cold.
Zhao Ling avoided her gaze. "I don't know... We'll find out soon."
Fu Tingyun's heart raced inexplicably, and she felt a pang of panic.
Just as she was about to let go of Zhao Ling's hand, Xiu Zhu's family's choked voice came from outside: "Young Master, Young Mistress... Last night, at the beginning of the Hour of the Dog, the Madam passed away.""What did you say?" Fu Tingyun stumbled off the kang, staggering as she rushed outside.
Xiuzhu's family was kneeling before the curtain, weeping bitterly.
"Madam..." She covered her mouth, "The mistress... the old mistress... she's gone..."
Fu Tingyun's tears fell like rain. "How could this be? How could this happen?"
Zhao Ling, who had hurried after her, quickly supported Fu Tingyun. "Don't cry, you're still in confinement!"
Fu Tingyun turned and clung to Zhao Ling's arm, her gaze pleading through the tears blurring her vision. "Did you already know?"
Otherwise, Youyou's full-month celebration wouldn't have been arranged so hastily...
Zhao Ling's eyes glistened as he gave a slight nod.
※
Dear sisters and brothers, regarding the matter of children, some have asked why I didn't write about twins. Actually, in ancient times, twins weren't considered auspicious... So, to ensure our heroine remains a happy woman, it's best to have flowers bloom first, then bear fruit—and definitely no twins.
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Thanks to everyone's support, Zhizhi gets to attend Qidian Female Network's annual conference this year. It'll be in Sanya from the 26th to the 29th this month. Given my current writing speed, I'll need to save up two chapters in advance, so there'll only be one update this week. Apologies for any inconvenience...
※
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel