Chapter 167 Ordinary and Happy Days
Sui Yu was full and sleepy, so she said hello to Zhao Xiping and lay down with the hot water bag in her arms to continue sleeping.
"Is my third sister-in-law asleep?" Zhao Xiaomi gently opened the door and whispered, "Do you want me to teach you how to hold a baby?"
When she was staying in her hometown, her five nephews and nieces grew up with her. She did everything from holding babies, washing diapers, and bathing them.
Zhao Xiping waved his hand, picked up the dirty diapers thrown in the basket, and went out, saying, "I'll be watching over the house, so I don't need you to stay. Go back if you have nothing to do. It will be even colder if you stay any later."
"It's winter, I don't have anything to do. How about this, I'll come back tomorrow."
"OK."
"The two chickens are still tucked away in the coop in the backyard. Remember to feed them tonight. There's still some fish soup left in the pot, so you can eat it later." Zhao Xiaomi explained as she walked out, continuing to instruct, "Don't keep scrubbing my third sister-in-law. It's very cold in winter, so don't let her get cold."
Zhao Xiping just nodded, saw Zhao Xiaomi off, bolted the door, and turned back to the kitchen.
Zhao Xiping hadn't had a drop of water from last night until now. Now that he had some free time, he sat in front of the stove which was still warm, drinking a bowl of hot water, staring at the flickering sparks in the stove hole. He was stunned for a moment and suddenly laughed.
After putting the empty bowl on the stove, Zhao Xiping tiptoed back to the house, looked at the mother and son sleeping side by side, and then went out again to fill his stomach.
Grandma Yin and Grandma Meng washed the bloodstained clothes and mattress that had been changed last night and this morning and hung them under the eaves. They went into the kitchen to warm themselves by the fire. When they entered, they saw the master squatting in front of the stove washing diapers. Grandma Yin hurriedly said, "Sir, leave the diapers here. We'll wash them."
"Just make sure you two prepare three meals a day. Don't come into our room unless we call you otherwise," Zhao Xiping instructed. He wrung out the diapers, took the basin out to pour water, and then instructed, "Keep the water boiling. Keep the stove on."
"Okay." Grandma Yin added some firewood to the stove and said, "Then I'll go kill a chicken right away? I'll make chicken soup for you tonight."
"Wait a minute, I'll ask her when she wakes up." Zhao Xiping rinsed the diaper again and hung it under the eaves. He quickly returned to the house.
The room was quiet. Zhao Xiping moved a chair and sat beside the bed, watching quietly. Sui Yu's breathing was not steady, and even when she was asleep her brows were slightly wrinkled, and she looked not very comfortable.
After looking again and again, Zhao Xiping moved his chair to sit at the end of the bed. He put his hands on his stomach to warm them, then reached into the quilt to hold Sui Yu's feet and rub them.
The sky outside was getting darker and darker, the wind was getting stronger, and the weather was about to change again.
The sound of a baby groaning suddenly rang out in the room where you could hear a pin drop. Before he started to cry, Zhao Xiping picked up the baby in the cradle and subconsciously reached into his crotch. Sure enough, his diaper was wet again, and his woolen trousers were also soaked.
Sui Yu woke up when she heard the baby crying. When she opened her eyes, she saw a dim light. The crying came from the end of the bed. She looked at the dark ceiling and it took her a long time to come to her senses. She had given birth to a child.
"Why are you crying? I'm changing it for you," Zhao Xiping muttered softly. "Everyone thinks you're ugly and smelly, but I don't. Why are you crying in front of me?"
"He asked you to feed him." Sui Yu spoke, his throat dry and hoarse.
"Wait a moment. Once you've dealt with him, I'll go get you some water." Zhao Xiping peeked over and asked, "How do you feel?"
"I need to pee."
"Okay, I'll take care of you first and then I'll take care of you."
Sui Yu waited.
The child was tucked into bed, and Zhao Xiping took away the dirty diaper and wet pants. After a while, he brought in a urine bucket.
"I hug you?"
Sui Yu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Bring me some clothes. I'll put them on and get out of bed for a walk."
"Can you walk?"
Sui Yu wasn't sure if she could walk, but she vaguely remembered that women had to get out of bed and walk after giving birth. She put on her menstrual belt, the woolen pants she and her child wore, a woolen jacket, and a sheepskin coat, covering herself completely before putting on her shoes and getting out of bed.
Zhao Xiping cautiously reached out to help the person.
Sui Yu walked around the bed twice. She leaned over to look at the little cub lying at the end of the bed. Seeing him sucking his lips, she knew he was hungry.
"He's quite well-behaved and doesn't make a fuss." Sui Yu was satisfied. She stood up and looked at the man, then walked to the urine bucket and sat down helplessly.
Zhao Xiping reacted, smiled and strode out, saying, "If you need me, just give me a shout."
Sui Yu ignored him.
After a long while, the people in the room shouted, and Zhao Xiping went in again. He took away the urine bucket and the bloody cloth.
After feeding the baby, Sui Yu took off her clothes and shoes and lay down on the bed again. After sleeping for a day, she felt much better and her body didn't feel so uncomfortable anymore. She lay on her side and carefully studied the baby's appearance.
"Can I stew chicken tonight?" Zhao Xiping asked through the door.
"If you want something light, just buy a bowl of tofu and stew it with some preserved vegetables." Sui Yu smacked his lips and reminded, "Water, I'm thirsty."
"Wait." Zhao Xiping was standing outside the door, letting out some boiling water. He said, "Grandma Yin, go buy some tofu and cook two bowls of soup with some preserved vegetables. Beat two eggs in the soup."
Grandma Yin agreed and immediately went out with the basket and bowl.
The water was no longer scalding. Zhao Xiping pushed the door open and came in, asking, "Is it dark in the room? Should I go light another oil lamp?"
"Okay." Sui Yu took the water and drank it in one gulp. After drinking a bowl of water, he felt a little more relaxed.
"Are you happy?" she asked.
Zhao Xiping nodded: "Happy."
"My son looks like you."
"Not like me." Zhao Xiping smiled and shook his head. He went out and brought back a bowl of hot water, and brought an oil lamp with him. With two oil lamps, the room became much brighter.
The cub opened his eyes, the firelight reflected in his eyes, and his eyeballs looked especially black.
"Look, the eyes look like yours."
Sui Yu compared him carefully and found that he really didn't look like Zhao Xiping, so he could only look like her.
"This pointy head was squeezed when I was born. The midwife said it will grow rounder."
Sui Yu glanced at him and said doubtfully, "Why didn't I hear that?"
"You fell asleep." Zhao Xiping smiled helplessly, "How could I lie to you?"
Sui Yu changed her posture, and the kid followed her movements and looked over. She covered her eyes with her hands, her face showing disgust, but the corners of her mouth were raised high. She pretended to cover her eyes and kissed the kid, saying, "I accept my ugly son."
"I'm not ugly." Zhao Xiping corrected him against his conscience.
Sui Yu ignored him.
When it was completely dark, the meal was ready. Zhao Xiping first served Sui Yu food and drinks. He collected the leftovers from her meal, helped her downstairs and took a walk around, and then went to the kitchen to eat heartily.
At night, the three of them shared a bed. The baby went to sleep early, but the couple, new parents, were so excited they couldn't sleep. The baby in the cradle was actually a person! And alive!
The child woke up in the middle of the night. When Sui Yu was feeding her, Zhao Xiping held her in his arms, let her lean on him, and covered her shoulders with the mattress with both hands.
The gurgling sound of the baby swallowing milk came through the mattress, and the couple listened quietly.
"Did you see me giving birth to him with your own eyes?" Sui Yu asked in a low voice.
Zhao Xiping remained silent. He was also somewhat skeptical. "Can a human give birth to another human?"
Sui Yu stepped on him.
"I saw it with my own eyes. I was the one who cut the umbilical cord." Zhao Xiping raised his hand to press it down. Sui Yu leaned her head against his neck. He rubbed the top of her head and said, "Wife, you've suffered so much."
Sui Yu's eyes were slightly hot, and before he could complain about his grievances, his hands suddenly felt hot.
"The little brat peed again." She was disgusted again.
Zhao Xiping got out of bed, opened the door and went out. He fetched hot water to wash the sleepy child's buttocks, changed him into a clean diaper, and then changed the basin and fetched water to wash Sui Yu.
After cleaning up, the family of three went to bed.
…
The next day, Song Xian came to visit with a hen. When she entered the room, she saw that Sui Yu was in good spirits. There was no smell of feces or urine in the room, only a faint smell of blood. At a glance, she knew that Sui Yu was well taken care of.
"Wow, this kid is getting quite big." Song Xian touched the child's arms and legs and said, "This kid will probably be taller than his father when he grows up."
"You can even tell that?" Sui Yu was skeptical. "Is it because his head is long that you think he's tall?"
"No, no, no, you don't understand. You'll see it when he's one month old." Song Xian looked at the child carefully and said, "He looks a bit like you, not much like his father."
In front of outsiders, Sui Yu couldn't look down on her own child for being ugly, so she could only force a smile.
"What's your name?" Song Xian asked.
"It's not ready yet, little cub."
"That's fine. A humble name is easier to maintain." Song Xian touched the child's head and said, "This child has good hair. It was black when he was born."
As soon as he finished speaking, the kid pouted and howled twice. Sui Yu knew at a glance that he was hungry.
"Sister-in-law, come home for lunch." Zhao Xiping asked through the door, "I'll kill the chicken, and you and my brother Huang will have lunch at my house."
"No, your family is already busy with having a new baby, and I don't want to add to the chaos." Song Xian opened the door and walked out, then walked out quickly, saying, "I'm going home. I'll come back when the baby is one month old."
Only then did Sui Yu pick up the child and feed him.
"Third brother, I'm here." Zhao Xiaomi walked in. "How is my third sister-in-law? I'll go see her."
"Wait, come here and help me wash the diaper. I'm going to kill the chicken." Zhao Xiping stopped her. "You've washed diapers for the ones back home, so you can wash mine too."
Zhao Xiaomi: ...
"Is your family still short of servants? You have to tire me out. If you continue like this, I won't come anymore."
"It's fine if you don't come, but if you do, come and work for me." Zhao Xiping took out a knife, went to the backyard to catch a chicken, slaughtered it, and brought it to the front yard to perm its feathers. He also asked Zhao Xiaomi to pluck the chicken's feathers.
Seeing that he was not polite at all, Zhao Xiaomi came for three days and saw that Sui Yu really didn't need her, so she stopped visiting him, so as to avoid being treated like a maid by her third brother while the real servants sat in the kitchen warming themselves by the fire.
In the bitter winter, the days spent at home passed quickly. The child seemed to have grown plump overnight, his wrinkled skin stretched out, his pointed head grew round, and the vernix caseosa on his body faded, revealing his fair and tender skin. Now no one thought he was ugly, and he was loved by his mother and uncle every day.
As the New Year was drawing to a close, the guesthouse slaughtered two more pigs. When the stew was ready, Sui Liang first brought a basin of the stew back and called out as soon as he entered the door, "Little boy, your uncle is back."
The big black dog shook its fur, wagged its tail and ran under the eaves. It first went around the kitchen, wagging its tail affectionately at Grandma Yin while paying attention to the movements outside.
As soon as the door of the main room opened, it rushed in at lightning speed.
"Ah! Dahei is back too." Sui Yu squatted down with the baby in her arms and said, "Your big brother Hei is back to see you again. Let him take a look and see if you've gained some weight."
"Sister, let me hug you." Sui Liang took off his sheepskin coat that smelled of meat, clapped his hands and said, "Mingguang, uncle will hug you."
Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping were perfunctory about the child's name, but Sui Liang was serious. He named the baby Mingguang. He was born at the junction of the sun and the moon, at the beginning of the morning, so he was named Zhao Mingguang, and his nickname was Xiaozai.
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