Chapter 109 Name
Xiao Hua, Jiao Jiao, Jin Feng, and a string of other names flashed through Wei Li's mind.
...
...
...
The ink on the brush had dried again, and Sihu subconsciously licked it with the tip of his tongue. "My lord, name..."
As he spoke, a faint black ink mark could be seen on his tongue.
Wei Li glared at him impatiently. Didn't he know his own name?
Name, name...
We haven't decided on a name yet.
Si Hu leaned back in his chair and shrank back a little.
Wei Li's gaze shifted from the household registration to the congratulatory gifts piled on the table, then from the gifts to the registrar, finally settling on the calligraphy brush. "Do you usually use saliva as water to dissolve ink?"
"In times of emergency, one must act expediently," the registrar said apologetically, his expression slightly embarrassed. "This is rarely the case..."
"You disgusted me today. Come back in a few days." Wei Li dusted off the corner of his clothes, his slightly raised eyes showing a hint of arrogance and indifference.
Sihu's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat. He hurriedly knelt down and apologized, "My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me!"
He slapped his forehead hard. His brain wasn't working well as he got older. Could Wei Li's daughter be the same as other people's?
That name had to be written with ink made from gold and silver powder mixed with spring water. How could that clueless old man just casually lick the ink and raise his wrist to write?
This is terrible! This is terrible!
Wei Li raised his index finger. "Go out." He couldn't very well say that he hadn't come up with a name yet, so he could only blame it on the head of the household and tell him to come back another day.
However, he also found it quite distasteful that Sihu would wet the brush with saliva.
The registrar was filled with gratitude and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, my lord. I will come again another day."
He was lucky to escape with his life today thanks to Wei Li's mercy. After the registrar left, his legs felt weak, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
Wei Li rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. Where was he supposed to find a name?
Zhao Xiheng is still unconscious.
He sat in the chair for a while and fell asleep without realizing it.
When I woke up again, it was already dark, and my back ached from sleeping.
The maid knocked on the door and said that the lady wanted him to come to dinner.
The dining table was set up on the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), and it was piled high with food, mostly nutritious dishes.
Because Zhao Xiheng said she wanted to breastfeed herself, the food was low in oil and salt, which was good for both her and the baby.
Since Wei Li was eating with Zhao Xiheng, the food was a bit bland for him, so the nanny prepared a dipping sauce for him.
It's made with sesame paste, fermented bean curd, chive blossom sauce, chopped scallions and cilantro, and a rich broth made from seafood. It's great for dipping the chicken in braised chicken or the braised pig's trotters in yellow broth, adding a delicious flavor.
Although the stew was tender and fragrant, it lacked salt and oil, so it didn't taste very good. Zhao Xiheng didn't like it much. She drank a small bowl of soup and ate a small piece of pig's trotter before putting down her chopsticks.
The nanny urged her, "Eat more. Since you're going to breastfeed the baby yourself, it won't be good for your milk production if you don't eat enough."
These days, there's no such thing as wealthy families having a tradition of not breastfeeding their children. The infant mortality rate is already high, so children can only grow strong by drinking their mother's milk.
Zhao Xiheng stared longingly at the dipping sauce in Wei Li's bowl. "Can I add some more dipping sauce?"
The old woman's face turned cold, and she refused to budge no matter what.
She was an experienced old nanny who knew exactly how to feed a woman during her postpartum period, down to the smallest detail; anything less was unacceptable.
Wei Li picked up a large piece of pig's trotter, dipped it into the dipping sauce bowl, and the stewed pig's trotter, tender and juicy, trembled between his chopsticks. With the brown dipping sauce and topped with chopped scallions, one could imagine how soft, chewy, and delicious it would be.
"Go get a dish of millet peppers," Wei Li instructed the nanny. "The flavor is too bland."
The old woman hesitated, afraid that Zhao Xiheng would steal food after she left.
Wei Li raised an eyebrow, his expression turning icy and fierce. "My own daughter, would I not care for her well? Would I not care for her more than you do?"
The old woman thought about it and agreed, and repeatedly warned, "My lord, you must keep a close eye on the lady. She must not touch even a drop of salt."
This nanny is in charge of Zhao Xiheng's meals; she's not the same nanny who looked after the child last time.
If she had known that Wei Li had said her child was ugly, she wouldn't have been able to leave so easily.
The crisp sound of the pearl curtain being lifted rang in my ears.
Wei Li quickly picked up the braised pig's trotter from his bowl and held it out to Zhao Xiheng, saying, "Eat quickly." He held the bowl of dipping sauce in his other hand to prevent it from falling.
The pig's trotters are tender and juicy, coated with a glistening sauce that drips slowly into the bowl.
Zhao Xiheng swallowed hard and glanced at the doorway.
Nobody's here.
"This isn't a good idea, she said I can't eat salty food, it's bad for milk." She was still hesitant.
"But there are still wet nurses, so they won't go hungry."
Wei Li tried to persuade him, but the sound of footsteps grew louder and then fainter.
Zhao Xiheng didn't have time to think much before taking a big bite of the meat on his chopsticks, realizing for the first time how important saltiness was.
"It's not like I'm telling you to eat pickled vegetables with a salt shaker. The doctor said it's okay to eat a little salt if you're not breastfeeding," Wei Li whispered.
Considering that these old women were meticulous in their work and had good intentions, Wei Li didn't intend to argue with them or send them away; he simply dismissed them temporarily.
These old women are so rigid; they do everything by the book.
The nanny brought in some chopped millet peppers. Zhao Xiheng hadn't even swallowed the pig's trotter yet, so she quickly drank some soup, pretending to be very obedient.
"The clerk came today to register our daughter's household registration. We should think of a name for her," Wei Li said during their conversation after dinner.
Zhao Xiheng suddenly realized, yes, they haven't named their child yet.
"So what do you want to be called?" she asked.
...
“…Xiao Hua?” Wei Li carefully came up with a name.
Zhao Xiheng angrily said, "What kind of proper name is 'Little Flower'? It sounds so petty! It should be called 'Big Flower'! That sounds much more imposing!" What kind of name is Wei Xiaohua? It sounds like a maidservant.
"You're right," Wei Li agreed. He realized his vision was too narrow; if he was going to take something, he should aim for something bigger.
“But isn’t calling her Big Flower a bit old-fashioned?” Zhao Xiheng frowned.
Wei Li quickly counted the names in his head to provide inspiration for Zhao Xiheng, "Jin Feng? Jiao Jiao? Mu Dan?"
"My daughter will grow up to be elegant and graceful, the most beautiful, happiest, and richest woman in the world. Most importantly, she will live a peaceful and smooth life."
Wei Li nodded in agreement with Zhao Xiheng's vision, then took out a brush and ink, saying, "Then you tell me, I'll write down a few, and we'll choose them slowly."
"Including elegance, grace, wealth, health, and your peony beauty, etc."
There were six names in total, laid out in front of the two people for them to choose from.
Xiao Tao listened to the couple's enthusiastic discussion with a blank expression.
No one knew that Zhao Xiheng personally named her Xiaotao.
Other princesses' maids are called things like "Langhuan," "Jinxiu," or "Yaoguang," but her name is Xiaotao.
Her former colleague, Xiao Bao, left the palace a few years ago to get married. Yes, it was all her Highness's doing.
The prince's cat is named Gou Dan'er. With this level of naming skills, she's just as bad as Wei Li. Does anyone really expect her to give the young lady a proper name?
Zhao Xiheng and Wei Li were faced with these six names and were unable to choose.
"Go find some bamboo sticks, carve these six names on them, and then invite my father and mother's memorial tablets over so they can help you make the choice," Zhao Xiheng nudged Wei Li.
Wei Li thought this was a great idea, so he quickly and respectfully brought over the memorial tablets of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, and then put the six names into the divination tube.
Zhao Xiheng muttered to herself in front of the memorial tablet, "Father and Mother, you have a granddaughter now. Today, your daughter and son-in-law will name her. We'll just draw whatever name comes up. Please bless her from heaven and give her a good name!"
She held the divination stick container, solemnly placed it on her forehead, then opened her eyes and shook it up and down.
Everyone in the room stared nervously at the divination tube. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and Wei Li even stopped breathing, his fingers gripping the hem of his clothes tightly.
The bamboo sticks, swinging up and down as if they were sentient, emerged one after another, but none of them fell out. Zhao Xiheng's hand was getting tired, and in the end, she could only put down the stick container with a complicated expression.
Wei Li's anger dissipated, his shoulders slumped, he took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "You're not strong enough, let me try."
He bowed devoutly to the memorial tablet, then picked up the divination stick container and shook it. With a crackling sound, all six sticks fell to the ground, like rain.
“You’re strong, you’ve eaten too much and you’re strong, you’re incredibly capable…” Zhao Xiheng mocked him.
But overall, nothing went smoothly for either of them, and Xiao Tao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hmm, maybe Father and Mother are asleep right now, that's why they didn't draw a name..." Zhao Xiheng shook the divination tube again, "Then let's think about it again tonight and ask them again tomorrow."
Xiao Tao pursed her lips, confirming that the Emperor and Empress were asleep, and not that they disliked the names because they were too rustic, so they didn't choose any of them.
The Emperor's name is Zhao Xinglie, which sounds so beautiful, with a grand and majestic feel to it; His Highness is called Xi Heng, Xihe Heng'e, meaning celestial goddesses and fairies, but when it comes to the young lady, she's called something like "Da Hua Yong Rong," which is just too rustic.
The memorial tablet was then respectfully returned.
Wei Li added a couch next to Zhao Xiheng's bed, and next to the couch was the young lady's cradle.
Even with nannies and maids around, the two women were still willing to learn how to take care of the child little by little.
Zhao Xiheng sighed, looking at her daughter who was still sleeping soundly in the dim candlelight, her mind filled with nothing but her name.
For several days in a row, no matter how many times she drew lots in front of the memorial tablets, she got no results. Zhao Xiheng began to doubt the names, and no matter how she looked at them, she felt they were not good.
The registrar made several trips back and forth, but Wei Li always managed to fob him off with various excuses. For a full half month, the little guy still hadn't been able to register his household.
The little one, who was originally rosy-cheeked, changed every day, gradually becoming fair and tender. Wei Li watched her transformation and found it amazing; it turns out that children really do grow up gradually.
But aren't her eyes a bit too dark?
Doesn't quite resemble Zhao Xiheng...
He had a vague sense of unease.
Xiao Tao came in beaming, carrying several pots of flowers: three pomegranate flowers and three gardenia flowers. They looked like they had been carefully cultivated, and they were all blooming in September.
"Thank you, my lord, for sending this congratulatory gift at breakneck speed after hearing that you have given birth to your daughter."
Zhao Xiheng liked gardenias, which Xie Qingyu knew, so she specially sent them as a gift. Pomegranate flowers symbolize many children and grandchildren, and also convey congratulations.
"Bring it over here so I can see it." It was a rare sight to see pomegranate and gardenia flowers still in bloom at this time, and Zhao Xiheng perked up.
As the flowers walked past her youngest daughter's bedside, she suddenly clenched her fist, turned her eyes at the row of flowers, and then let out a strange cry.
Everyone was overjoyed. "The young lady can speak now! Does she like flowers?"
Zhao Xiheng picked a gardenia and a pomegranate, and waved enthusiastically, "Bring her here to get to know her."
A baby who is only a little over ten days old cannot see things clearly, so he will naturally like whichever is brightest.
She stared at the bright red pomegranate blossoms for a long time, and the adults naturally assumed that she preferred the pomegranate blossoms.
Zhao Xiheng had a flash of inspiration.
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