The third day of the first lunar month is the third-day bathing ceremony for little Gu Jinrui.
County Magistrate Gu had already suggested a number of names for him, and after Mrs. Gu's health improved, she finally settled on Jinrui. As with Gu Jinyan, in Mrs. Gu's words, "You can tell right away they're siblings."
The Gu family did not deliberately invite anyone, but all the gentry in the county who had some reputation came after hearing the news.
County Magistrate Gu was honest and never accepted valuables from anyone, so the gifts given by guests were usually ordinary cloth, longevity locks, small silver bracelets, etc.
Some people, unwilling to believe in evil, secretly hid banknotes and valuables in it in an attempt to bribe County Magistrate Gu. However, they were discovered by the steward and immediately thrown into the county jail, to be interrogated when County Magistrate Gu was free.
Although Mrs. Gu and Gu Jinyan explicitly forbade Tian An to give them gifts, Tian An still prepared one of his own.
A set of special skin care products was given to Mrs. Gu, as well as some that Gu Jinrui could use, including a two-in-one shower gel for shampooing and bathing, a toner that can prevent newborn baby's diaper rash, and ointment for eczema.
The gift was thoughtful and showed Tian An's love, so Mrs. Gu had no choice but to accept it.
Knowing that Tian An was at Gu's house, Qin Yalan came early in the morning. She gave him a pair of small silver bracelets and two sets of children's clothes. It was said that she made the clothes herself.
Tian An looked at the lifelike embroidered little tiger and couldn't help but sigh, "How come even Sister Yalan's needlework is so good! I can't even sew a purse!"
Hearing this, Qin Yalan pinched Tian An's cheeks fiercely and said, "Who are you looking down on? Although I like to play, I still have to learn what I should learn!"
"I was wrong." Tian An finally saved his two cheeks. Then he heard Gu Jinyan say:
"An An has to work hard and practice needlework. You don't want your brother Yi Ming to be without even a purse made by you in the future, do you? If a girl gives him a purse, you will be so depressed!"
Tian An was shocked. "Does he still have to carry the purse I gave him?"
Qin Yalan nodded. "Of course. A woman gives a hand-sewn purse or sachet to the man she likes to express her love. It's considered a token of love. Since you're engaged, the purse should have been hung long ago."
Tian An thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go back and tinker with my needlework!"
Gu Jinyan said with an expression that showed she was worried about her: "You have to hurry!"
Tian An nodded solemnly, "I'll start learning when I get back."
The three of them talked for a while, and then a maid came to inform them that the third-day bathing ceremony was about to begin.
The first step in the third-day bathing ritual is to offer sacrifices to the deities. A red rooster and hen are placed before the bed. Incense is then burned to offer sacrifices to the bed rooster and bed hen, followed by the deities Accelerating Birth, Sending Child, Cloud Goddess, and Qiongxiao Goddess. Finally, a statue of Guanyin is placed and offered again.
After worshipping the gods, the second step of bathing for three days begins, which is to add water to the basin.
The midwife placed a basin filled with traditional Chinese medicine bath water, including mugwort leaves and locust branches, on the bed and picked up Gu Jinrui. Then, according to the order of seniority, the family members began to add a spoonful of water, or some coins, longans, red dates, and other items to the basin.
The midwife would say the corresponding blessing for whatever people added. For example, if you added water, the midwife would say, "May the water flow long and the baby be smart and clever." If you added red dates or longans, the midwife would say, "May the baby have a son soon and may many sons be born." If you added money, the midwife would be the happiest, because after the third-day bathing ceremony, the coins in the basin would belong to the midwife.
The Gu family's main family was in the capital, and they had no relatives in Jinning County. Guests were not eligible to add to the basin, but Tian An and Qin Yalan each grabbed a handful of copper coins, red dates, and longans and threw them into the basin.
After the basin was filled, the midwife would stir the water in the basin, accompanied by a blessing: "One stir, two stirs, three stirs, the elder brother leads the younger brother to run..." Only after the stirring was completed did she begin to give Gu Jinrui a formal bath.
While washing, the midwife kept muttering: "Wash the hair first, and you will become a prince. Wash the shoulders next, and you will become a high official. Wash the waist, and each generation will be higher than the previous one. Wash the eggs, and you will become a county magistrate. Wash the gutters, and you will become a prefecture governor..."
When taking a bath, babies usually cry. The crying sound is considered auspicious, so this step is also called "ringing the basin".
After the bath, Gu Jinrui had to be dressed. The midwife first lit a moxa ball, placed a piece of ginger on his forehead, and then placed the moxa ball on the ginger, symbolically giving him a massage.
Then she began to comb his hair: "Comb it, put two buns on it, you'll wear a red hat when you grow up; draw your eyebrows on the left, do your temples on the right, you'll find a wife who is as good as the village. Brush your teeth, rinse your mouth, and don't embarrass yourself when you talk to people."
Finally, use a hard-boiled egg to roll it on his face, while chanting: "The egg rolls on his face, his face is like egg skin, red like willow white, he is truly a lover."
After dressing up, the midwife begins a series of blessing procedures.
She pretended to hit Gu Jinrui three times with a scallion, muttering, "One hit for cleverness, two hits for cleverness." After that, she threw the scallion onto the roof, implying that he was extremely smart.
He then picked up the weight and gestured, implying that Gu Jinrui would be as important as the weight in the future.
Picking up the lock and gesturing with it means that you will be more careful and prudent in the future.
Putting gold and silver on him means he will have good fortune in the future. Using a baking basket to sift paper flowers means he will not get smallpox and will grow up healthy.
Finally, a little of the rhubarb water was dipped on Gu Jinrui's lips to indicate that he had drunk it. The implication was: "Taste the bitterness of coptis root for three days, and you will be rich and prosperous for the rest of your life."
After the third-day bathing process is completed, the tablets of the bed master and bed mistress, as well as the incense roots, are placed in the yard and burned. The burnt ashes are wrapped in red paper and placed at the head of the bed, implying that the gods will always keep the family safe.
The midwife presides over the third-day bathing ceremony and is very busy before and after the ceremony. Therefore, the coins added to the basin and the sacrificial millet, eggs, ointments, etc. all belong to the midwife and are considered as a reward for her work.
Of course, the Gu family also gave her a substantial bonus. Thanks to this benefit, the midwife's face was beaming all day, never seeming to falter. She also poured out congratulatory words one after another, without repeating herself.
It's true that there are top talents in every field! Tian An said that he had learned a lot.
After the third day of bathing, Mrs. Gu's condition became better and better, and she could get out of bed and walk around longer and longer. By the sixth day, she could already eat soft dry rice, and she just needed to take care of herself normally during the confinement period.
Tian An finally gave her and Gu Jinrui a physical examination and explained the precautions. Then Zhao Yiming came to pick her up.
Tomorrow is the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the day when Xiaoqi's family will be buried in the mountains, so she has to go back.
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