February 26th was the sixteenth day since Cheng Ruyi transmigrated, and it was also the one-month anniversary of her grandson Cheng Mande. If everything went smoothly, the Cheng family would definitely hold a banquet at a nearby restaurant to entertain relatives, friends and neighbors.
Unfortunately, with the city under lockdown and war going on, not only are restaurants closed, but the Cheng family itself has to cut back on spending. The baby's full moon celebration can only be a private family meal behind closed doors.
The meal consisted of five dishes and a soup: bean sprout and egg soup, ginger and scallion stewed cured fish, stir-fried cured sausage and cabbage, steamed egg custard, radish stewed with cured pork, and bean sprout and chive stir-fry. In addition, Cheng Yan brought out some precious wine from his collection. This was the best food the Cheng family could offer at the moment. Even before the lockdown, it would have been considered a sumptuous home-cooked feast.
Lin Xiaoman finally finished her postpartum confinement and officially stepped out of the bedroom.
She was sitting in the main room, holding her son, radiating maternal love, surrounded by people, enjoying the long-lost lively atmosphere.
The baby in my arms is starting to develop his features and now looks more like his mother. He's chubby and fair-skinned, with big, bewildered eyes looking at the world.
Seeing that the mother and son were both doing well, Cheng Ruyi finally felt a little relieved.
Although they have been eating less than usual for the past two weeks, thanks to the nourishment from the Bigu Pill and Runmai Pill, the Cheng family members are actually in better physical condition, especially their blood, qi, and bones.
In ancient times, with such a calcium-deficient environment, it was common for older people like Cheng Yan and Xu Cui to suffer from osteoporosis, back pain, leg cramps, and the like. Although they haven't suddenly recovered from all their ailments, at least they can still run a few laps with Cheng Ruyi every morning after practicing a set of Five Animal Frolics.
Lin Xiaoman's condition was even more obvious. She should have been in a state of blood and qi deficiency after giving birth, but now she not only had a rosy complexion, but also looked radiant.
In fact, Cheng Ruyi had considered having her daughter-in-law start exercising earlier, or taking a bath or washing her hair every few days. Aside from hygiene issues, the main reason was that, as a modern person, she felt that it would be very uncomfortable.
However, firstly, she herself had no experience with childbirth or postpartum care in modern times. Although she had the original owner's memories, she felt that they were all very perfunctory at the time. It was only because the original owner had good physical health that she did not suffer from any chronic illnesses, so she felt that they were not of much reference value. Secondly, there was no heating or hair dryer in ancient times. If she accidentally caught a cold and got sick, it would be terrible. Therefore, she could only try her best to provide enough brazier and hot water and let Lin Xiaoman take care of herself.
As it turned out, Cheng Ruyi was right not to interfere, because people didn't think there was anything wrong with not bathing or washing your hair during postpartum confinement, since every mother who gave birth in ancient society went through this.
Moreover, Lin Xiaoman is clearly more experienced than Cheng Ruyi, not in the sense of giving birth herself, but in the sense of taking care of her stepmother during childbirth.
Lin Xiaoman actually had a happy childhood. Her parents loved each other and cherished her as the only daughter in the family, which is why she was able to develop her optimistic, kind, and helpful character.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Lin's mother passed away when Xiaoman was eight years old. Less than a year later, before Xiaoman had even recovered from her grief, Lin's father married his second wife, Zhao, ostensibly to find someone to take care of his daughter.
At first, Zhao did take very good care of Xiaoman, showing her concern and care in every way. Soon she won the praise of her husband and neighbors. The young Xiaoman gradually lowered her guard and accepted her stepmother.
But a few years later, Zhao gave birth to two sons in succession, and felt that her status and position were different. Her attitude immediately made a 180-degree turn, and she began to torment this daughter who was not her biological daughter. Xiaoman was gradually reduced to a maid who took care of her stepmother and two younger brothers.
Lin's father saw everything but tacitly approved and indulged it, which made Xiaoman even more disappointed in this family.
Last year, Lin Baojin, the eldest son of the Lin family, turned five years old. Zhao wanted to send him to a prestigious academy, but good academies are not easy to get into. It takes a lot of money to pull strings and pay the monthly tuition. The Lin family is just an ordinary family, and they could not come up with such a large sum of money. So Zhao started to think about Xiaoman's marriage.
Soon after, she took a fancy to a widower who was older than Lin's father. Because the other party offered the highest dowry, Xiaoman's pent-up emotions exploded in an instant. In a moment of excitement, she tried to drown herself, but fortunately she was rescued in time.
The stepmother's mistreatment of the legitimate daughter of the first wife, leading to her drowning, was a major incident in ancient times, a matter of great importance. The news spread quickly throughout the surrounding alleys and naturally reached the ears of the Cheng family.
Cheng Yunping and Lin Xiaoman grew up together. When they were young, Yunping was introverted and didn't like to talk. He was often bullied by other children, and Xiaoman would always step in to stop him. She would also play with Yunping when he was isolated. So when Yunping learned about this, he asked his mother if he could marry Xiaoman.
The original owner had just spent a lot of money to help her son avoid military service and was worried about what to do if he was conscripted again. Yunping's words enlightened her, telling her to let her son get married immediately and have offspring. Even if he couldn't escape conscription in the future, at least he would have descendants. Besides, the original owner genuinely pitied Lin Xiaoman.
Because the Lin family was afraid that if the rumors continued, it would damage their reputation and affect the future of their two beloved sons, the two families quickly reached an agreement and completed the entire wedding process in less than a month.
Perhaps because she was disheartened, Xiaoman had almost no contact with the Lin family after the marriage, except for necessary holiday greetings. The Lin family was also afraid of being gossiped about, so they would take a detour whenever they saw the Cheng family. Even when Xiaoman gave birth last month, the Lin family only sent an old woman to congratulate her.
In fact, Lin Xiaoman didn't care what her family thought. She had no attachment to that family anymore, and in her mind, since she was already married, she was already a member of the Cheng family, not to mention that the Cheng family had saved her when she was most helpless.
Over the past year, Xiaoman has not had to face the sullen faces of her stepmother and two younger brothers. The Cheng family members are all very warm, kind and easy to get along with. She doesn't even need to do much housework; she just needs to take care of her husband. To be honest, Xiaoman feels like she has been reborn after marrying into the family.
Especially during this period, Xiaoman was deeply moved to see that the Cheng family would rather eat less for themselves than not give her the best food. She had already secretly decided that after her postpartum period, she would do her best to help ease the burden on her family.
So at this moment, she sat at the table, holding her son in her arms, while her husband sat beside her serving her food. Looking at the table full of food and the harmonious family, she finally couldn't help but tear up.
"Oh dear! What's wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?" Xu Cui, sitting on Xiaoman's other side, noticed Xiaoman's condition immediately and took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, while teasing her, "You silly child, you only learn bad habits instead of good ones. Crying all the time is Yunping's habit. You're a mother now, aren't you afraid your son will laugh at you? Look, look! Mande is watching you~~"
Cheng Yunping was initially flustered when he saw Xiaoman crying, but after hearing Xu Cui's words, he immediately glared at her with displeasure and said, "Aunt Cui, can't you give me some face in front of my son...?"
"Big brother, your eyes are red too, are you about to cry?" Yun An added at the opportune moment.
"You're talking nonsense! I didn't do that!"
Cheng Ruyi has gradually gotten used to the rhythm of this family, and she can now completely ignore similar "arguments." At this moment, she is just a little worried about her daughter-in-law: "Xiaoman, why are you crying? Are you feeling unwell?"
Although Cheng Ruyi was single in her previous life, thanks to the information explosion era, she was no stranger to the term postpartum depression. This illness can be serious or minor and should never be taken lightly.
It is said that women's hormone secretion is disordered after childbirth, and their mental state is unstable. If family members do not notice this in time and provide timely adjustment, comfort, or other assistance, it can easily lead to depression.
"Mom, I'm fine, I... I'm just too touched, sob sob sob~~" Before she could finish speaking, Lin Xiaoman burst into tears.
Everyone was startled. Xu Cui immediately picked up the child and gestured for Yunping to comfort his wife.
Cheng Yunping was flustered, trying to wipe away Xiaoman's tears and pat her shoulder to comfort her. The Cheng family members were speechless. Fortunately, Xiaoman quickly stopped crying.
After Xiaoman calmed down, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She was never a crybaby. Even when she was bullied and suffered a lot, she could hold back her tears. Now that she was so happy, why was she crying so much?
Lin Xiaoman cautiously looked up at everyone and found that they were all looking at her with concern. No one showed any disgust or dissatisfaction. Lin Xiaoman instantly felt incredibly warm.
From this moment on, she was determined to repay the Cheng family. Xiaoman secretly made up her mind, "I'm really not feeling unwell, it's just that I can't control my tears... Everyone, please don't worry about me, the food is so delicious, everyone should eat it while it's hot!"
Seeing that Xiaoman's face had turned red, Cheng Ruyi knew that she probably didn't want everyone to pay attention anymore. She figured they could ask her any questions privately later. So she said, "It's good that everything is alright. Everyone, let's start eating. Aunt Cui has been busy all day, so we can't waste any food!"
Knowing that a lot of food would be prepared today, Ruyi did not add any fasting pills. She mainly hoped that everyone could temporarily forget the war, the lockdown, and all the anxieties, and enjoy the long-awaited daily life.
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