Volume 1 Chapter 308: Third-Day Celebration
Both children adored their new baby brother. On the day of the third-day celebration gift, Chen Xi arrived early to pay respects to Gu Jinzhao and presented her little brother with a tiny golden anklet adorned with two small goldfish.
The baby had just been brought over by the wet nurse, squirming and crying incessantly in her arms, his tiny face flushed red.
Gu Jinzhao's heart ached at the sound. She asked the wet nurse to bring the child closer.
"Why does he keep crying... Has he been fed today?"
Changsuo lay in her arms, his small hands clutching her collar as his cries grew hoarse.
The wet nurse, Zou Shi, was still young with fair, clean skin. She replied, "This servant has just given birth to her first child and is responsible for nursing the Thirteenth Young Master. He was fed once at dawn when he first woke. It's strange that he keeps crying like this..."
Gu Jinzhao patted Changsuo's back until, exhausted from crying, he gradually fell asleep in her arms.
Chen Xi, frightened by her brother's loud wails, craned her neck curiously to look at the sleeping little one. He was only as long as her arm—how could he cry so loudly?
Gu Jinzhao, however, felt this wasn't right. A physician needed to examine the child—perhaps he was uncomfortable, which was why he kept fussing. But today was the third-day celebration, so it would have to wait until afterward.
Zhu Momo came in to take Changsuo to the greenhouse to change his swaddling clothes. Meanwhile, Caifu led Xiuqu inside to comb Gu Jinzhao's hair and help her change into a lilac-colored jacket with moon-white embroidered borders. Soon after, family members from various households began arriving one after another.
Madam Ge arrived earliest, accompanied by the Tenth Young Master, Chen Xuanyu, who was home on leave. Chen Xuanyu bore a strong resemblance to Sixth Master Chen—well-read, refined, and dignified in speech and manner, entirely different from his father. Gu Jinzhao recalled that he had passed the imperial examinations even earlier than the Chen Xuanan brothers and later became an Imperial Academy Bachelor. His political career in the Imperial Academy had been smooth sailing.
Unable to rise to greet guests, Gu Jinzhao relied on Granny Sun to manage the reception, inviting everyone to sit and chat in the central hall.
When Madam Chen arrived with Chang Laofuren, Osmanthus Hall grew even livelier, filled with laughter and chatter.
The two Madams Wu stayed in the inner chamber to speak with Gu Jinzhao, amusing the newly awakened Changsuo.
Still too young to react, the baby merely pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and nestled against Gu Jinzhao's arm, falling asleep again.
Madam Wu praised him, "He's such a quiet one, just like Third Master Chen!"
Gu Jinzhao patted the child's back and sighed helplessly, "You haven't heard him when he's fussy. Last night, he wouldn't settle at all. I was so worried I barely slept."
Madam Wu consoled her, "That's normal. Some babies are fussy when young—they say it's because they didn't feed properly and end up with stomachaches. By two or three months, it'll pass. When Qin Jie was first born, she..."
Gu Jinzhao listened attentively.
Changsuo lay peacefully in her arms, sleeping soundly.
A maid lifted the curtain and announced, "Third Madam, the Gu family has arrived."
Hearing that the Gu family—Gu Jinzhao's maternal relatives—had come, the two Madams Wu tactfully withdrew to the central hall. Soon after, Xiuqu led in Zhou Shi, Madam Xu, and Ye Shi, followed by Gu Lian, who walked sluggishly behind.
The moment Caifu saw Zhou Shi and her daughter, her expression stiffened.Gu Jinzhao managed a smile. "I'm not in the best condition, so I won't get up to greet you all!" She instructed the maids to bring stools for the four visitors.
Xu Jingyi smiled warmly. "Your health comes first! There's no need to stand on ceremony."
She took the lead in sitting by Gu Jinzhao's bedside, gazing at the little one sleeping in her arms.
"He's absolutely adorable! Such chubby cheeks and thick newborn hair..." Xu Jingyi couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy as she playfully tapped the baby's nose before carefully lifting him into her arms for a closer look.
Zhou Shi's expression remained stiff, while Gu Lian seemed lost in thought watching Xu Jingyi hold the child.
Fifth Madam Ye Shi chuckled. "This is actually my first time visiting you at the Chen Family residence. I've brought some gifts for you."
Her maid stepped forward with the presents—mostly common tonics that were nothing special. However, Ye Shi herself carried a stack of items wrapped in brown paper. "These are medicinal herbs for postpartum recovery," she explained. "Brew them into tea when your lochia discharges—they're very beneficial. I specially obtained them from Physician Guo. You must try them!"
Gu Jinzhao thanked her with a smile and had Caifu take the gifts.
Internally, she was skeptical. Her relationship with Fifth Madam had always been lukewarm—why would she go out of her way to procure medicine?
Gu Lian, nudged by Zhou Shi, fidgeted nervously. After twisting her handkerchief, she forced a smile. "Chaojie... I owe you an apology about last time. It was Gu Lan who tampered with those pastries—she's gone now. I never meant to..." She lightly slapped her own cheek. "It's all my fault—I nearly harmed my own nephew! Chaojie, do you still blame me?"
Her eyes held a hopeful gleam as she looked at Gu Jinzhao.
Gu Jinzhao studied Gu Lian in silence. The young woman wore a brand-new woven gold blue jacket with a high bun adorned with gold and jade hairpins—clearly dressed to impress. Yet in just over half a year, her cheeks had hollowed, the once-charming girl now barely recognizable.
With Gu Deyuan demoted to county magistrate, life in the Yao family must have been difficult for her. The proud Lianjie'er had likely had her spirit broken.
No longer able to rely on her father's status in the Yao household, her only recourse now was to curry favor with Gu Jinzhao, leveraging her identity as the younger sister of the Chen Family's Third Madam.
Gu Jinzhao understood this perfectly. Watching Gu Lian's strained smile, she remained silent.
Seeing no response from Gu Jinzhao, Zhou Shi smoothly directed her maid to present their gifts, chatting casually as if nothing had happened. Gu Jinzhao played along politely until noon, when she had maids escort them to the banquet and rest area.
Xu Jingyi stayed behind.
Only then did the two share heartfelt words. Xu Jingyi mentioned Madam Feng's condition: "...Your grandmother's health continues to decline—she's aged terribly and shows signs of stroke... I wanted to bring Yi'er along, but she's currently occupied sewing her wedding dress at home."
This news delighted Gu Jinzhao. She'd suspected Gu Yi would marry soon, but not this quickly!
She inquired about Gu Lian's situation.
"I heard she promoted Lan Zhi to be Yao Wenxiu's bed warming maid. How has that turned out?"She remembered that in her past life, it was around this time when Lan Zhi was discovered to be pregnant. However, back then, the Gu family hadn't encountered any mishaps yet, and Gu Lian still had her father, a fourth-rank Censor-in-Chief, as her backing, giving her the confidence to make a scene in the Yao family.
Xu Jingyi smiled and said, "That girl is truly fortunate. After becoming pregnant, she was elevated to concubine by Madam Yao. Lian jie er was furious but didn't dare to utter a word in front of Madam Yao. She could only return to the Gu family and complain to your second aunt, which is why your second aunt brought her to you..."
Gu Jinzhao thought to herself that for Gu Lian, her father losing his official position might actually be a good thing.
As long as Gu Lian could endure and yield, Yao Wenxiu wouldn't divorce her.
Xu Jingyi then mentioned Gu Jin Xiao's upcoming wedding. Originally, he was betrothed to the legitimate daughter of the Assistant Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, but because Gu Deyuan was demoted, the other party wanted to back out. However, they couldn't directly propose breaking off the engagement, so they kept making excuses to delay, hoping the Gu family would take the initiative. Zhou Shi was far too shrewd to do that. Instead, she brought a matchmaker to their door to negotiate and shamelessly set the wedding date for early June.
At this moment, Zhu Momo arrived.
"Madam, the midwife is here! This servant has come to carry the young master to the central hall..."
This meant the third-day celebration gift ceremony was about to begin.
Gu Jinzhao asked Xu Jingyi to go and observe the ceremony. She herself had been entertaining guests all morning and was now feeling drowsy, so she could take a nap.
The setup for the third-day celebration gift ceremony in the central hall was all arranged. There were the umbilical cord-cutting hairpin, the basin-wrapping cloth, the vat of millet, and gold and silver ingots. When Changsuo was brought out, it was Madam Chen herself who carried him. The midwife took him with a smile, unwrapped his swaddling clothes, and began the ceremony.
At this time, maids entered one after another, carrying large vermilion lacquer trays with red silk cloths bearing many precious children's toys.
A gold necklace inlaid with a large South Sea pearl the size of a longan, a complete set of embroidered swaddling clothes with cloud patterns, a bracelet made of tourmaline stones...
Gu Lian's eyes widened in astonishment. She tugged at Zhou Shi's sleeve and whispered, "Who sent these? Such extravagance!"
Zhou Shi didn't know either, but then a stewardess in a maroon sleeveless jacket announced the gifts—some were from Zhang Ju Lian, the Grand Secretary, others from the Duke Zheng's residence, and still others from the Duke Ding's residence... a long list of intimidating titles.
It was just a third-day celebration gift ceremony, yet so many people had sent presents!
Gu Lian felt even more unsettled, gripping her mother's hand tightly without saying a word. She had never seen such a grand display before.
...
Third Master Chen was entertaining guests in the outer courtyard.
After Zhang Ju Lian descended from his sedan chair, Chen Yanyun waited for him by the screen wall and escorted him all the way to the banquet and rest area.
Though Zhang Ju Lian was in his fifties, he showed no signs of aging. His eyes were narrow and bright, his eyebrows thick and imposing, exuding authority even without anger. He wore a simple straight robe with a crane pattern, looking like an ordinary old scholar. He said to Chen Yanyun, "For your child's third-day celebration gift ceremony, it just so happens to coincide with my day off. I thought I might as well come here for a drink—no need to go to too much trouble. Keep it simple."
Chen Yanyun hadn't expected Zhang Ju Lian to come in person. Smiling, he cupped his hands and said, "Rest assured, Teacher, I won't neglect the hospitality."
Since Zhang Ju Lian had arrived, Chen Yanyun wouldn't go to greet other guests. He asked Fourth Master Chen to help receive the others while he brought out a tea set and personally brewed tea for his teacher, discussing some court affairs with him.In the banquet and rest area, the others noticed that Third Master Chen was personally receiving the guest, indicating the visitor's extraordinary status. When they saw that the plainly dressed man was none other than Zhang Ju Lian, they were all secretly astonished and came forward to greet him with cupped-hand salutes. Chang Hai approached with wine, smiling as he offered to toast Zhang Ju Lian.
For a moment, the atmosphere was lively and bustling.
Just then, Jiang Yan hurried in. Seeing everyone's eyes on him, he forced a smile. He walked up to Third Master Chen and whispered, "Third Master... a guest has arrived! You'd better go see for yourself."
P.S.: Thank you to Wenzi Nuli for the Heshibi jade gift!
A quick note—the tipping system on DianDian is quite odd. Sometimes tips get buried, and I miss them! If I didn’t acknowledge your Heshibi gift, please don’t take it to heart—it wasn’t intentional!
This story is entering its final stages, with roughly another hundred thousand words to go. I’ll get to writing the second update right away!
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