Chapter 306: Postpartum
When the situation suddenly took a favorable turn, the two midwives dared not relax. Covered in sweat, they guided Jinchao through the final pushes until the child finally emerged. A maid immediately wrapped the baby in cotton cloth and gave its bottom two light pats, prompting a loud, vigorous cry.
Hearing the infant's wails, Third Master Chen finally relaxed his grip on her hand.
He leaned down to kiss her forehead and whispered reassuringly, "It's over, Jinchao. It's a boy."
Jinchao was overwhelmed with the joy of having survived the ordeal.
She reached up to touch his face—his arched, thick eyebrows, the contours of his eye sockets, his tall, straight nose. Third Master Chen allowed her fingers to trace his features. Gu Jinzhao felt all tension leave her body, but tears she had been holding back now spilled freely, soaking her temples.
She realized she had shed more tears today than ever before.
Third Master Chen smiled and gently stroked her hair. It took Jinzhao a while to compose herself before she softly requested to see the child.
Only then did Third Master Chen instruct the maids to bring the baby over.
The maids had just finished wiping the newborn with a warm towel, and now it was swaddled in bright red embroidered cloth. The baby had cried briefly after birth but had since quieted down. Its skin was still flushed, its cheeks plump, and its tiny lips a delicate pink. Nestled in the swaddle, its dark newborn hair peeked out as it rested with closed eyes.
When the baby was placed beside her, Gu Jinzhao leaned down to kiss its soft cheek.
The infant wrinkled its tiny nose and let out a few whimpers.
Jinzhao froze, afraid to disturb it further, but the baby didn’t break into full crying.
Third Master Chen gently lifted the child, studying the little creature. Unbothered by its mother’s earlier touch, it tilted its head and dozed off again in the swaddle, its eyes and mouth both tiny. It was impossible to tell whom it resembled, yet he chuckled and said, "The shape of its brows and eyes is like yours. It’ll grow up handsome."
Jinzhao couldn’t help but laugh. What good was it for a boy to look like her? Besides, it was still so small...
The midwife beamed and praised, "The young master is strong and healthy! In all my years of delivering babies, I’ve rarely seen one so plump and fair! He’ll surely grow up robust and free from illness."
Third Master Chen rewarded both midwives with generous red envelopes. The women weighed them in their hands, immediately recognizing the substantial sum, and bowed repeatedly in gratitude before taking their leave.
Soon, Madam Chen arrived with her entourage, eager to see her grandson.
After holding the baby for a while, Madam Chen was utterly smitten. The child was chubby and soft to the touch. Its tiny hand, barely larger than a walnut, stretched out from the swaddle, and she gently clasped its little fist. "He’s much better-looking than Third Master was at birth—that one was so scrawny!"
She then turned to Granny Sun and asked, "Has the wet nurse been arranged? Bring her over at once. The child will be hungry soon."
Granny Sun nodded with a smile. "She’s already been selected and is waiting in the side chamber, ready to come whenever needed."
Jinzhao, however, felt a quiet desire to nurse the child herself. In her past life, she had never been close to her children... The difficulty of this birth made her cherish this little one all the more. But in the Chen Family, it was customary for noblewomen to rely on wet nurses—sometimes even two alternating. It would be inappropriate for her to make a special request.
So she remained silent, smiling as the crowd gathered around Madam Chen.
Madam Chen handed the baby to Granny Sun, who carried it off to the side chamber.She came over and sat by Gu Jinzhao's bedside, speaking softly, "It's already dawn outside. Would you like to eat something before resting?"
This child had exhausted her for an entire day... Although Gu Jinzhao still felt uncomfortable, her mood had relaxed considerably. She wanted to say she couldn't eat anything, but considering she'd only had soup since the labor began, she nodded and said, "Then I'll have something light."
The maid quickly brought carp soup and sweet egg soup for Jinzhao to eat. Truly exhausted, she leaned against the pillow and fell asleep.
Everyone had stayed up all night. Now that the child was safely delivered, they all took their leave to rest.
However, Madam Chen called Third Master Chen aside to speak.
"You entered the delivery room?" Madam Chen's expression was stern.
Third Master Chen nodded slightly.
Madam Chen sighed, "That was too reckless... The delivery room is inauspicious. No matter how much you care for her, you shouldn't have taken such a risk..." Thinking about how her son had always been good to Gu Jinzhao, she couldn't continue.
Chen Yanyun said, "At that time, her condition was critical, and I had to be with her. Let's not talk about inauspiciousness—I know what I'm doing."
After a moment of silence, Madam Chen said, "Since it's over, let's not dwell on it. Now both mother and child are safe, everything is fine..." She also showed signs of fatigue, having stayed up all night.
"You should go rest first," Chen Yanyun urged her.
Madam Chen forced herself to perk up, "I still need to go to the ancestral hall to burn incense. The child has just been born, so I should also burn some Buddhist scriptures for him..." She looked at her son with concern, "You haven't slept all night either—take care of yourself."
Chen Yanyun merely smiled. Despite not sleeping all night, he wasn't sleepy. Now that he had relaxed, he felt a splitting headache.
Going to sleep would be impossible.
He escorted Madam Chen out of Osmanthus Hall.
When Gu Jinzhao woke up, it was already afternoon, and she was in the main room. The maids had barely slept last night, and now Yuzhu was dozing by her bedside, her head bobbing like a pecking chicken.
Gu Jinzhao looked around but neither saw the child nor heard any sounds.
Having just given birth to the little one, she wished the child could be by her side every moment.
Gu Jinzhao called out to Yuzhu, startling the maid awake. Rubbing her eyes, Yuzhu said, "Madam, oh! How did I fall asleep? You're awake—would you like something to eat?" She looked at Gu Jinzhao eagerly, as if ready to dash off the moment she made a request.
This maid always seemed quite amusing.
Gu Jinzhao smiled, "I don't really feel like eating... Where's the child?"
"Zhu Momo and Granny Sun took him to the eastern side room for a bath. They'll bring him back soon."
Gu Jinzhao relaxed and asked, "Has he been fed?"
"Yes, he drank heartily, with big gulps!" Yuzhu chuckled, "He just cries a lot—he's already cried several times..."
Gu Jinzhao told her, "...All children are like that. They cry whenever they're unhappy."
Then she asked, "Has Third Master gone to rest? I don't see him."
"Third Master is copying Buddhist scriptures in the study," Yuzhu said. "Granny Sun had lunch sent over, and the maid who reported back said he was still copying."
Gu Jinzhao frowned. He hadn't slept at all? Had he been up for an entire day...
She told Yuzhu to call him over.
Third Master Chen arrived shortly."Why don't you rest?" He adjusted the bedding for her. "Do you want to see the baby? The baby was taken for a bath and will be brought back shortly."
Gu Jinzhao shook her head and asked him, "Do you have official duties tomorrow?"
Third Master Chen smiled faintly. "Don't worry, the Grand Secretariat can still make decisions without me. I want to stay with you a few more days since you've just given birth."
Gu Jinzhao took his hand. "That's not what I meant... I was saying you should get some rest too."
"I can't sleep anyway, so I might as well copy some Buddhist scriptures." His gaze at her was tender. "When you were in labor, I prayed to Buddha. If you and the child were safe, I vowed to hand-copy 999 volumes of the Diamond Sutra as an offering."
Nine hundred and ninety-nine volumes... How long would that take!
Gu Jinzhao didn't know he would ever turn to prayer—wasn't he always saying that relying on oneself was better than relying on others?
She knew that when he stayed up too late, he often suffered from headaches that kept him awake, especially if he'd been thinking hard the night before. She looked at him and asked, "...Are you having a headache?"
Before Third Master Chen could answer, Gu Jinzhao said, "Let me massage it for you. It might help."
Third Master Chen lay down beside her. Just as Gu Jinzhao reached out to massage his temples, he pressed her hand down and said, "Don't trouble yourself. I'll be fine after resting a while. You should rest too."
Gu Jinzhao watched as Chen Yanyun closed his eyes, his breathing steady and even. She noticed how thick his eyelashes were and thought of their newborn child... The baby's lashes were just like his—not particularly long, but very dense. Leaning against Third Master Chen's shoulder, she felt his strong arm wrap around her in return... The two lay there quietly together.
What should they name the child? They ought to choose a pleasant-sounding nickname first.
Since she couldn't sleep anyway, Gu Jinzhao began pondering names. In her past life, the child had a nickname given by Madam Chen, but she had never used it. Nicknames for boys could follow the uncle's name, the season, or the zodiac sign... As she mused, her thoughts grew hazy, and she soon fell asleep again in Third Master Chen's arms...
The news of Gu Jinzhao giving birth to a son reached the Gu family the next day.
Gu Dezhao was overjoyed when he heard and went to tell Xu Jingyi, "...The baby weighed eight pounds at birth—a chubby little boy! For the third-day celebration gift, prepare more items to visit her. I heard the delivery wasn't easy, so have a Longevity Gold Lock made for the child too!"
Xu Jingyi smiled and nodded. "I've already prepared everything—tonics for Jinzhao, clothes and toys for the baby. Not only a Longevity Gold Lock, but also a pair of fish and algae patterned gold anklets. I'd like to take Xi Jie'er along too; she says she misses her elder sister very much."
Gu Dezhao chuckled awkwardly. "You've thought of everything..."
Xu Jingyi was capable and articulate. She managed the affairs of the fourth household so well that he never had to worry about anything.
He casually wrung out a towel and handed it to her. Xu Jingyi took it from him and wiped her face.
"I'll go pay respects to Mother later—she'll surely want to discuss things. What I give shouldn't exceed what Mother gives, so I'll need to adjust accordingly..." Xu Jingyi pondered. "Fourth Master, you said all your account books are with Mother?"Gu Dezhao nodded, "After all, the fourth branch has joined the common family funds. Any income must now be accounted for as part of the shared assets."
Xu Jingyi sighed with a smile, "True enough. With the second master's official position now uncertain, he certainly won't propose dividing the family." They wouldn't separate now... but what about after Madam Feng's death? Given Madam Feng's ways, she would undoubtedly distribute the fourth branch's property equally to the second branch.
If the second branch had treated them well, it might have been acceptable. But as things stood now, Xu Jingyi was extremely reluctant.
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