Chapter 171 Naming the Child + Full Moon Celebration
Fu Ci racked his brains and carefully selected three names from the dozen or so names he had thought of for his wife to choose from.
Fu Jinyu, Fu Xinyuan, Fu Huiying.
He looked on expectantly as his wife picked one out, but then he saw her frown slightly after looking at them.
Is this because you're being rejected?
Tang Mingli did indeed find it distasteful.
These names were clearly chosen with care and conveyed beautiful meanings. However, they are too difficult to pronounce and have too many strokes, so the children will definitely not like writing their names when they go to school.
Men born in the 1950s, even those who have received higher education, still tend to hold some traditional views.
Tang Mingli finally spoke slowly, saying, "Could we choose a simpler name for our daughter?"
"Simple?"
Fu Ci looked at the three names written on the paper, his confusion plain to his eyes.
Aren't these names simple enough?
“What I mean by simple is…” Tang Mingli tried hard to express her meaning to her husband, but after thinking for a while, she couldn’t think of anything. Finally, she gave an example, “For example, Wuhan, Song Tang, Zhu Yan, Qian Duoduo, Zhao Yiyi…”
Tang Mingli rattled off a list of names that were easy to pronounce, but slowly shut her mouth after seeing her husband's stunned expression.
She quickly explained, "I was just giving an example; I didn't really intend to name my daughter that. But you could rethink it in that direction?"
The last sentence is in an interrogative tone.
Fu Ci took a deep breath, trying to process his wife's thought process regarding naming his child.
Luckily, my wife is lazy and left the decision of naming the child to me. Otherwise, following her logic, our daughter might end up being named "Pay Money."
Pay...
Fu Ci shuddered and assured his wife, "I will think about it again and make sure I come up with a good name."
Tang Mingli smiled with satisfaction, "I believe you."
-
When Fu Ci came downstairs, Grandpa Fu and Grandma Fu were sitting on the sofa, eagerly waiting for him.
Seeing her grandson come down, Madam Fu couldn't wait to ask, "So? Which name does Mingli like?"
Fu Ci smiled wryly: "She felt that these names were a bit too complicated and would be difficult for the child to write when he went to school. She hoped to choose a simple but meaningful name."
He added the meaning himself.
After hearing this, Madam Fu felt that her granddaughter-in-law's concerns were very reasonable.
"Indeed, when children first learn to write, the first thing they will definitely learn is to write their own name."
Then she asked, "Does Mingli have a favorite style?"
After thinking for a moment, Fu Ci told his grandparents his guess: "I think she might prefer something as catchy and easy to remember as 'pay money'."
"Pay?"
"Pay!"
Both elderly people gasped in shock.
After a long silence, Madam Fu patted her grandson on the shoulder and said earnestly, "You'll have to work hard on this."
I understand.
-
When I went back upstairs, I found that my wife was still awake.
Fu Ci asked with a smile, "Shouldn't you be taking a nap at this hour?"
Tang Mingli pouted and said, "I'm thinking about something."
"What's up?"
Tang Mingli looked at her husband, somewhat embarrassed to speak.
The names she just gave as examples may be easy to pronounce, but they aren't exactly elegant.
"But I believe you can definitely blend the two well."
Fu Ci breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
So that's what his wife was thinking; he had misunderstood.
Fu Ci solemnly promised, "I will definitely integrate well."
However, neither of the couple expected that the seemingly simple matter of choosing a name would still not be decided even half a month after the child's birth.
Tang Mingli was feeling a bit helpless. Afraid that continuing to deny things would damage her husband's confidence, she simply suggested, "Why don't we get Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Mom to think about it too?"
The main focus is actually on my grandmother and mother-in-law. One is a retired teacher, and the other works in the neighborhood office. They have a strong cultural background and have met many people.
Fu Ci smiled wryly: "They said the child is ours, and we have full control over the naming."
Tang Mingli sighed upon hearing this.
It's not good for elders to be too respectful to younger generations.
All she could do was continue to encourage her husband: "Keep going, I believe you can definitely come up with a good name."
Fu Ci nodded, fully aware of the great responsibility he bore.
However, he has to go back to Shenzhen tomorrow and may not be back for several days.
Tang Mingli laughed and said, "It's alright, it's not like going to Shenzhen will make you lose your brain."
Fu Ci was amused by his wife's words.
He knew she was deliberately trying to relax herself.
She was still in her postpartum period and suffering from physical discomfort, yet she took care of his feelings in every way.
When did his wife truly begin to care about him?
I have no recollection of what I gave.
He was content and grateful; she was willing to keep him in her heart.
-
Five days after Fu resigned from her job in Shenzhen, and about twenty days after her child was born, Tang Mingmei came to visit Fu at her home.
Seeing her cousin looking plump and well-cared for, Tang Mingmei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
I had actually wanted to visit for a while, but I knew that even if I came, I wouldn't be able to help much and might even cause trouble.
Mothers who have just given birth are exhausted, and newborns are also vulnerable. It would be bad if they caught some kind of disease.
So she endured it until now, and even called Tang Mingli beforehand to ask for her opinion, only coming over after receiving a positive reply.
Moreover, she came alone, without her mother or daughter accompanying her.
Well, she's someone who's gone through postpartum confinement herself, and she knows that right after giving birth, you really don't want to see anyone.
Looking at Tang Ming, who had recovered remarkably well, and his beautiful little niece, Tang Mingmei exclaimed, "The Fu family has been so good to you."
This is true, and Tang Mingli couldn't keep a low profile even if she wanted to; she could only chuckle.
Fearing her cousin might misunderstand, Tang Mingmei explained, "I didn't mean to be jealous of you, I'm just happy for you."
"I know."
Tang Mingli didn't misunderstand; she could tell whether Tang Mingmei's tone was jealous.
Have you named the baby yet?
When asked about her child's name, Tang Mingli was both amused and exasperated.
"No."
This answer was quite surprising. Tang Mingmei thought that, given how much the Fu family doted on this precious daughter, they must have already chosen a name for her.
However, after hearing her cousin's explanation, she understood and laughed so hard she bent over.
No wonder, it really proves the saying, "Concern leads to confusion."
"It's okay, let Fu Ci think about it slowly. He'll definitely come up with a name that everyone will be satisfied with."
"Mmm." Tang Mingli couldn't help but smile as well.
Since it was a rare opportunity to see Tang Mingmei, I naturally inquired about Li Xin's situation.
When talking about her daughter, Tang Mingmei's smile deepened.
"It's great. I've adapted very well to school life and get along very well with my classmates."
She had also worried that her child, coming from a single-parent family, might be discriminated against by classmates at school, and might not be able to accept that her classmates all had fathers and mothers while she only had a mother.
God knows, she was thinking too much, and the first few nights before her child started school were so difficult that she almost never slept.
Fortunately, it turns out that she was overthinking things. There are still more good people in the world, and her daughter is much more cheerful and optimistic than she thought.
"Let me tell you something unrelated. Li Dazhu got married."
When Li Dazhu's marriage was mentioned, Tang Mingmei's eyes changed completely, and she made no attempt to hide her desire to watch the show.
Tang Mingli asked, "What kind of man did you marry?"
"A divorced woman with a child, and a rural household registration."
Tang Mingli was aware of the significant differences between rural and urban household registration at that time.
She was stunned for a moment, then said incredulously, "I really didn't expect that."
"That's right, not to mention you, I didn't expect it either."
Tang Mingmei had thought that Li Dazhu might not be able to find a partner, but she never expected that he would actually find a divorced woman from the countryside with a child.
To be honest, she was secretly gloating when she learned that Li Dazhu had remarried to someone with such conditions.
To make the Li family proud, they really think someone like Li Dazhu is some kind of treasure.
Bah, it's just an extra two ounces of meat.
However, it was precisely because he had gained a couple of ounces of weight that things became even more difficult for him; otherwise, given his physique and appearance, it would have been even more challenging for him if he were a woman.
This world is still harsher on women than on men.
Tang Mingli thought of a very practical problem: "If I find someone who can take care of the child, I probably can't have a second child."
She was unaware of the specific details of the family planning policy.
Tang Mingmei gave her a definite answer: "Given Li Dazhu's personality, he definitely wants to have the child, and he will do it by any means necessary."
This woman might be willing to listen to him and secretly give birth to his son.
"Okay, let's not talk about this person anymore. Anyway, it has nothing to do with me anymore."
Tang Mingli agreed.
Although it's unfair that Li Dazhu didn't pay alimony, there's no need to delay the divorce process over such a small amount of alimony, and there's no need to get entangled with him over it.
Anyway, isn't it possible to pay child support in a lump sum before the child reaches adulthood?
There's still plenty of time.
Tang Mingmei didn't dare stay too long, for fear of disturbing Tang Mingli's rest.
However, we should be able to see each other again soon; the Fu family will definitely hold a full-month celebration for the child.
Tang Mingmei reminded Tang Mingli that although they could take their time to think of a name for the child, it was best to decide on one before the baby's one-month celebration.
Tang Mingli naturally understood this as well, and she believed that Fu Ci would definitely have made up his mind before the full moon.
Who knows, when I come back from Shenzhen this time, a flash of inspiration will come to me and I'll come up with a good name.
As it turned out, she was right.
A few days later, Fu Ci returned and excitedly told her that he had come up with a good name.
"How about calling her Fu Yu?"
The character 妤 is often used to describe a woman as beautiful, intelligent, and gentle; it is a character full of auspicious meaning.
Moreover, it is endowed with homophones.
This child is a precious gift from heaven.
However, Tang Mingli associated the name with wealth, clapped her hands, and quickly said that the name was good.
"Honey, you're amazing! You came up with such a great name. It's true that when you can't figure something out, you should go out for a walk instead of staying indoors and getting stuck in a rut."
Fu Ci was thrilled to hear his wife call him that in such a long time.
He especially liked it when his wife called him that, particularly during intimate moments... No, he couldn't think about it.
Since his wife became pregnant, he has been restraining himself. The two have not been intimate for a long time, and they do not plan to have any more children at the moment. They want to wait until his wife has fully recovered.
"Fu Yu means abundance or wealth. Regardless of which one it is, it implies that our daughter will be very rich in the future."
After hearing his wife's words, Fu Ci paused for a moment, then laughed even harder.
As expected of her, she's still the same person.
Okay, the meaning of abundance and prosperity is quite nice.
His daughter will surely live a life of luxury and ease, free from worries about food and clothing.
Once the name is decided, it's natural to tell the elders.
The elders all agreed that the name was good, and Madam Fu immediately went back to her study to write down her beloved great-granddaughter's name.
Now she is a calligrapher with some reputation, and her calligraphy is appreciated by many calligraphy enthusiasts, so she has the confidence to nominate her granddaughter.
Grandpa Fu was very accommodating, praising, "On the day of Fu Yu's full moon celebration, hang up this calligraphy so that everyone knows the name of our great-granddaughter."
The full moon celebration is coming soon.
Fortunately, they were prepared. They booked a restaurant just two days after the baby was born. Mrs. Fu and her mother even went to the restaurant several times to try the food before finally deciding on the dishes.
However, they didn't plan to make a big fuss; they just wanted to invite some close relatives and friends to have a meal together and share their joy.
This is also what Tang Mingli hoped for.
Giving birth is very taxing on one's energy, and the baby is too young to be overly stressed or exposed to too many people.
On the day of the full moon celebration, they only planned to let the baby appear briefly, and then had the nanny hold the baby and let him rest in another private room.
Grandpa Fu said, "Now that it's confirmed, let's start informing our relatives and friends tomorrow."
Everyone nodded.
There aren't many relatives on the Tang family's side; maybe only Uncle Tang's family came.
On the Fu family's side, Old Master Fu had considered inviting only a few close uncles and aunts, as well as his sister's husband's family. At most, it would probably only be three tables.
However, just in case, they ordered four tables of food.
-
the next day.
Grandpa Fu woke up an hour earlier than usual. When Grandma Fu was woken up, she asked him, "You're up so early. You want to play chess, but there's no one to play with you?"
Grandpa Fu said in a serious tone, "Who was thinking about playing chess? We have important business to attend to today."
"What's so important?"
"Call your relatives and friends to come and celebrate the baby's one-month birthday."
Madam Fu was amused and exasperated. "You don't mean to call someone at this hour, do you? If you call someone at this hour, even if they congratulate you verbally, they'll be cursing you in their heart."
Being woken up at this hour would make even a wife grumpy, let alone others.
Grandpa Fu was speechless after being rebuked. He glared at him and finally had no choice but to say, "Can I get up first and think about what I want to say?"
"It's just a phone call to let you know, why do you need to think about what to say?"
"Mind your own business, I just like to think about it."
"Fine, fine, I don't care, just don't call people so early."
"knew."
Madam Fu ignored him and went back to sleep.
Grandpa Fu listened to advice and didn't make a call early in the morning. Instead, he waited until after breakfast, around ten o'clock, before picking up the phone to make the call.
Madam Fu smiled but said nothing.
I was so excited that I couldn't sleep.
After a few beeps, the call was connected, and Grandpa Fu immediately spoke.
“Ziwang, your dad isn’t home?… Let him answer the phone… Hello, it’s me… Nothing much, just calling to tell you that I’ve become a great-grandfather… Hahaha, thank you so much… My great-granddaughter is so adorable… I’m not bragging, I’ve never seen a more beautiful baby… We’re having her one-month celebration at the Guangcheng Hotel on the 22nd of this month… Goodbye.”
Grandpa Fu made four phone calls in a row, and almost every one of them used the same script.
At first, Madam Fu managed to hold back her laughter, but later she couldn't help it anymore and laughed so hard she couldn't sit up straight.
Is this old man inviting people to a full-month celebration, or is he just showing off on purpose?
But whatever he wants, she wants to show off too, let alone him.
I'll wait until she calls, and it'll probably be around the same time.
...
This proved to be true; Madam Fu was not much more modest than Mr. Fu.
After a busy morning, having notified everyone who needed to be notified, the two elderly people still hadn't noticed that their smiles had become uncontrollable from being up all the time.
When Fu's mother came home from get off work, she quickly noticed that her mother-in-law kept touching her cheek and asked with concern, "Mom, what's wrong with your face?"
Madam Fu waved her hand: "It's nothing, I just laughed too much and my face is a little sore."
Upon hearing this answer, Fu's mother was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The arrival of the child has truly brought happiness to everyone.
After saying that, she seemed to realize that her face was a little sore, since she had smiled quite a bit at work.
Not afraid of her daughter-in-law laughing, Madam Fu asked cheerfully, "Have you notified all your relatives on your side?"
"The notification has been sent."
"That's good, but don't forget anything."
"Won't."
After chatting, Fu's mother went to the first-floor bathroom to wash her hands, and then went upstairs to see her daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
-
Before we knew it, it was time for the baby's one-month celebration.
After a month of proper postpartum care, Tang Mingli looked even better than before she gave birth.
So when Anxie's friends and relatives, whether they knew her or not, saw her, they all praised her, saying she didn't look like she had just given birth, and that her skin and complexion were even better than those of a girl in her early twenties.
Tang Mingli, who was initially a little bothered by the fact that she had gained ten pounds, was overjoyed to hear these compliments.
However, it's impossible to be happy all the time.
Especially in crowded places, there will be pleasant things as well as unpleasant things.
Sure enough, halfway through the banquet, someone started talking nonsense because they were drunk.
“Fu Ci, don’t blame your uncle for being nosy, but you’re so successful in your business in Shenzhen now, and you only have one daughter. Won’t that mean there’s no son to inherit the family business?”
Upon hearing this, Tang Mingli's expression remained unchanged, but the rest of the Fu family reacted first.
When Shi Ci resigned, his face, which had been beaming with genuine joy because of his daughter's one-month celebration, vanished instantly upon hearing these words.
His face turned cold as he retorted to his uncle, "Who says daughters can't inherit the family business?"
Uncle also noticed Fu Ci's displeasure, but relying on his seniority, he braced himself and said, "When a daughter grows up, she will get married and become someone else's wife. How can she inherit the Fu family's business?"
Fu Ci disliked hearing such words the most.
How come his daughter, whom he raised with the utmost care, became someone else's family after she grew up and got married?
If any man who marries her in the future dares to think that way, he has no doubt that he might do something extreme.
“Uncle, our daughters, whether they get married or not, belong to our family for life. In our family, there is no such thing as a married daughter being like water spilled from a cup.”
Fu Ci's tone was extremely cold, showing no respect for his uncle, which made everyone at the table feel awkward.
In fact, most of them felt the same way; Fu Ci's career was so successful, he still needed a son to inherit it.
However, seeing Fu Ci rebuke his elders so bluntly, they were both glad they hadn't spoken up and felt that he was making a mountain out of a molehill and didn't know what was good for him.
The elders meant well by saying that; they didn't mean to persuade him not to have a daughter.
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