Chapter 75 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 75 Praising Yourself, You...
After a busy night, the next day everyone in the family woke up much later than usual. Since there wasn't much urgent work to do outside, they just stayed up later.
After the family had finished their meal, Yu Qinglong wanted to go see his newborn nephew, but his sister-in-law was still asleep.
Giving birth is a physical job. She couldn't get enough rest at night because the baby cried. It takes time to recover from such an ordeal.
That morning, my eldest brother tiptoed out for breakfast. The child was still asleep, so Fang Wu helped cook a thick millet porridge. She made a small bowl of the rice oil on top for the child.
A mother will not produce milk immediately after giving birth, so the baby needs to eat millet oil for one or two meals.
Yu Qingjia took the bowl, went into the house, and fed the child with a very small spoon.
Yu Qinglong didn't see it anyway, he only saw the empty bowl being taken out.
He finally saw the baby in the afternoon.
Well, they say it's quite large, but it looks like you could just hold it with one arm, blanket and all. It's only a little over six pounds, though Yu Qinglong remembers his grandmother saying he weighed eight pounds and a half when he was born.
I can only say that in this era people generally don’t eat too much in the later stages of pregnancy, for fear that the baby will be too big and difficult to deliver, so they will control their intake later.
So being skinny, red, and wrinkled is understandable. It's not even close to being plump and white anyway. It's said that babies only really grow strong after a full month.
"Let his uncle give the child a name?" the eldest sister-in-law said at this time, "his uncle knows a lot of words."
"Yes," the eldest brother also said to Fang Shu, "Shoucheng, you are a scholar, please give the child a name."
"Does that make it so?"
"Why not? Others want to ask for it but can't get it."
"Then I have to think about it carefully." Fang Shu said after a moment's silence, "Yesterday was the beginning of winter, and he was born at the time when Bai Zang and Xuan Ying were changing. Why not call him 'Xuanying'? What do you think? Yu Xuanying. Xuanying remains green throughout the years, and it has an end and a beginning through the four seasons. [1] His nickname can be Song'er."
"It sounds nice," Yu Qinglong said. "The pines and cypresses are verdant and upright, and they stand tall and strong. Xuanying, Xuanying, represents the essence of the earth, and the meaning is quite good."
"Exactly."
"Okay, then let's call him Yu Xuanying, with the nickname Song'er." Yu Qingjia also liked this name. After asking his parents and wife, they also thought it was suitable.
Anyway, what your son-in-law/brother-in-law says is definitely the best, so just use it!
Yu Qinglong then asked his sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, can I hug him?"
Zhou Jianer said with a smile, "Yes, why not?"
The one Zhou Yuehua had originally held was now slowly handed over to Yu Qinglong, "Just hold him gently."
Yu Qinglong didn't dare. He wasn't afraid of fighting, but the little guy looked so small that he was worried about hurting the child if he didn't hold him properly.
Fortunately, Fang Shu was there. Fang Shu had watched Zhuangzhuang grow up and was very good at holding children. After Yu Qinglong held him for a while, Fang Shu told him how to hold a child without discomfort and how to hold him safely.
Yu Qinglong held the child in his arms for a long time, and only gave him back when the child started crying.
Yesterday he thought giving birth was a particularly scary thing, but today he felt it was something to look forward to.
People are so fickle.
But such a little guy is so soft and chubby everywhere, it makes people's hearts melt, so cute!
Yu Qinglong walked out of the room and poked Fang Shu: "Husband, how about we try hard tonight?"
Fang Shu didn't understand for a moment: "You want to finish writing two volumes before going to the county town?"
Yu Qinglong said, "No. I mean the child."
Fang Shu glanced around and whispered to him, "Your husband is available here anytime. But please don't tell Long'er that I have no self-control at night."
"That depends on the situation. I said try hard, but I didn't say fight to the death. You just keep pestering me every time you get the chance."
"No way! I'm obviously very restrained."
"That's called 'convergence'? I even suspect you've been secretly drinking tonics again recently."
"How could that be? It's just that I've tasted the sweetness and can never be satisfied."
"Stop! In broad daylight!"
The two men returned to the house, feeling very guilty. Their hearts were like grass growing in them, but it was dry grass, and it would set the whole prairie on fire at the slightest spark.
However, there are many people at home, and they don’t know when someone will come to find them, so they can only hold it in.
Even though my sister-in-law has given birth, other people who do manual labor still have to continue doing it, and they can't stop writing storybooks.
At this moment, it was just the mother-in-law and his father who became busier, because one had to teach parenting experience and prepare some meals for the new mother, and the other had to help with the washing.
Washing diapers is a very troublesome thing. Newborn babies eat and pee frequently, so it is normal to wash dozens of diapers a day.
His elder brother and father would go fetch water whenever they had nothing to do.
What is more gratifying is that after my sister-in-law started producing milk, she had plenty of breast milk, which was enough for the baby to eat and was convenient to feed at night. There was no need for someone to go out to get food all the time, making it much easier to take care of the baby.
A few days passed like this, and Yu Qinglong welcomed the first snow since the beginning of this era.
He suddenly realized that he should get some winter clothes!
With the recent addition of a new baby, crafts, and storybook writing, he'd forgotten he had few winter clothes. He hadn't even brought his old clothes.
The new clothes he got when he got married were all suitable for spring, summer and autumn. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, he added thicker clothes, but they were definitely not suitable for winter.
He has been staying at home recently and rarely goes out, so he actually forgot about it.
"Guard the city. I want to go to town."
"What are you doing?"
"Go get some cloth and make two sets of winter clothes."
"Oh, you don't have to go. Just look inside the cabinet."
"In the closet? What's going on in the closet?"
As Yu Qinglong opened the box, he discovered a brand new winter coat. It was a navy blue, long cotton robe, a bit like what Taoist priests wear. This was probably a common style during the Ming Dynasty, and at first glance, it had a subtle sense of fashion.
Yu Qinglong took it out and said, "Is it for me?"
Fang Shu said, "Yes. There are still two sets left to be made. This one was made by my father-in-law."
"When did it happen? How come I don't know?"
"That day when we went to ask Aunt Liang for help, we were still wearing my cotton-padded jackets. I thought of asking my father-in-law what size you wear so that I could ask my mother to sew you a few new ones. My father-in-law said that my mother has been busy taking care of my eldest sister-in-law lately, so why not let him sew for you? So we bought cloth and cotton and started making them. I have two more sets ready, but they are all rushing to help you sew them, so I think they will be ready soon."
"Grab?"
"Yes. My younger brother and Brother Yan also helped sew it. They said they wanted to embroider some little fish on it."
“…”
During the day, Yu Qinglong received two new sets of embroidery. As expected, they had fish embroidered on them. They weren't very large, just a small, delicate fish embroidered on the left edge.
Yu Qinglong said, "You guys are amazing. I've been walking around here every day, and I never noticed. When did you do this?"
Li Zheng laughed and said, "I did it at night. Otherwise, you're so smart that you wouldn't have figured it out long ago. Go try it on and see if it fits."
Bai Wanqiu said, "We've been wanting to thank you these past few days, but we didn't know what you needed. And since your brother-in-law said he wanted to make you some cotton-padded clothes, why don't we just rush over and take over the job?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Then I'll go and try it right away."
Yu Qinglong knew it would fit him the moment he saw it. His father had taken his measurements and made one set, and the other two were likely made based on that. Add to that the craftsmanship of Li Zheng and Bai Wanqiu, and there was no doubt it was right.
Sure enough, it is very comfortable and warm to wear.
Yu Qinglong was trying them on in the house. Fang Shu looked at them for a while and said, "They're just ordinary clothes, why does my husband look better in them than other husbands?"
"Why do you think that is?"
"It must be because my husband is the most handsome." After a pause, Fang Shu continued, "But it's more than that. Long'er, your eyes are clear and charming, and you are neither humble nor arrogant wherever you go. This is something many people find difficult to achieve. That's why I can't take my eyes off you."
"Yes, you are absolutely right. I am just that unique."
"Ah?" Fang Shu was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "Are you not ashamed to praise yourself?"
"Why are you embarrassed? Did you just say a lie?"
"Of course not. I'm talking about the most lovable thing about you."
His husband rarely felt embarrassed, always so graceful and generous, gladly accepting compliments, not pretending to be happy and modest at the same time. Even if he was truly modest, it was because he truly felt that he was inadequate.
Yu Qinglong said, "My husband has great taste. No wonder I fell in love with you at first sight. Now I'll go out and show them."
Fang Shu said, "Wait a moment."
He helped Yu Qinglong comb his hair and pin it up again: "That's all right now. Go ahead."
Yu Qinglong went to the main hall and thanked Li Zheng, Bai Wanqiu, and Fang Wu. As for his father, he probably went to hug his precious grandson again.
This time, the handicraft and the storybook took longer to complete than before. However, due to the snowy weather and the difficulty in traveling, and also because of the last time he sent two volumes at once, Lu Dexin didn't send anyone to inquire again.
Two days later, when the snow had almost melted, Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu packed up their school bags and manuscripts and headed out. This time, Yu Qinglong brought two pairs of couple's bags—yes, just these two pairs.
There were no pen holders or old-style school bags, because Fang Wu and his father were busy helping his sister-in-law take care of the younger one and had no time to make them, so only two people were left to make them, and they were new models, so they couldn't make many.
Two pairs was already a very good result, after all, these two guys also helped him make new clothes.
Yu Qinglong went to the county town in his new clothes. He didn't bring his Ma Qinsui and Yan Xikuan with him this time, as they were busy packing up their belongings and moving to a new, relatively warm home.
However, this time they were not the only couple.
Wu Sheng went with them to go to the town to cancel the engagement.
The Lu family finally decided to cancel the engagement, so Wu Sheng decided to go to the county town to cancel the marriage.
But he didn't say it at first, just saying that he had something to do in the county town. When he got to the carriage and Fang Shu asked what it was, he explained his intention.
Fang Shu asked, "But shouldn't these matters be handled by the elders? Uncle Wu and Aunt Wu don't need to go?"
Wu Sheng said, "My mother has had a headache these past few days, so I didn't tell her. My father is still sulking. After all, he and the old man from the Lu family used to be close friends. Now that things have gotten this bad, he doesn't want to see him. He originally wanted to ask the matchmaker to cancel the engagement, but I don't think it's necessary. It's just about taking back the token, so it doesn't matter who goes."
Yu Qinglong said, "What about the betrothal gifts from before? Do you want to take them back? Or if you feel you need our help, we can go with you."
Wu Sheng said with a smile, "You guys are going with me? What's going on?"
Fang Shu said, "I am at least a year older than you. We are good friends, but also brothers. My husband and I are like your elder brother and your elder brother, so why can't I accompany you?"
When Wu Sheng heard this, he thought it made some sense, so he took out the token.
It is a very small silver bowl that can be used as a pendant.
"I have to send this back. The token of trust my family gave me was a silver bracelet with cloud patterns and phoenixes on it. It was my mother's dowry and was to be passed down to my future daughter-in-law, so I have to get it back."
"Just take back the bracelet?" Yu Qinglong asked. "Are you sure there's nothing else?"
"And the engagement letter, that's all."
"Well, we'll go with you."
It was already dark when they arrived at the county town. The three of them stayed at an inn. The next day, Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu went to deliver the manuscript, along with two pairs of couples' backpacks, and received 108 taels of silver.
Lu Dexin asked, "This time the schoolbags are very unique in design, why are there so few of them?"
Yu Qinglong said, "The people who make the dumplings have something to do, so they've done less. By the way, I wonder if it's okay to ask the young master for something."
"Brother Xiaoyu, you're too polite, aren't you? Feel free to ask if you have any questions."
"Did you know there's a family named Lu who's in the porcelain business? No, not really, they're in the porcelain business, they just sell bowls, plates, chopsticks and other household items. But they're familiar with a family named Kang who's also in the porcelain business."
"I'm not very familiar with the Lu family you're talking about, but if you're talking about the Kang family who's in the porcelain business, then I do know them. Their shop is just two streets down, and it's called Kang'an Porcelain Shop."
"Then does Young Master know if there has been any happy event in this family recently?"
"Happy event? I haven't heard of it."
"Is this family easy to get along with?"
"I don't know if it's easy to get along with. It's just a small shop that sells bottles and cups. It's not a well-known place in our county. I only knew about it because I often go to that street to buy tobacco for my old man. In our county, only the Wang and Ling families are famous in the porcelain business. The others are small businesses that are not worthy of being on the stage."
"Then there's a man in the Kang family who's in his twenties?"
"That's true. Why are you asking about him, brother Xiaoyu?"
"Are you asking for a friend? Thank you, Young Master. I won't be back for another two weeks."
Seeing that Yu Qinglong didn't want to say more, Lu Dexin tactfully said, "Okay, then I'll wait for the right time. Brother Fang, Brother Yu, take care."
After saying goodbye to Fang Shu, Yu Qinglong went down two streets.
Fang Shu asked, "Why is Long'er asking about the Kang family? Aren't we going to the Lu family?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Don't you want to know what kind of family stole our brother Changjie's fiancée? Some wealthy porcelain maker? It sounds like nothing special. And my dear, don't you think the Lu family is strange? If they didn't want to marry into the Wu family, why didn't they withdraw early? Why are they dragging it out like this? Now they're suddenly withdrawing again. Are they trying to climb up the social ladder while keeping a backup?"
Fang Shu frowned upon hearing this, feeling somewhat puzzled. The Wu family hadn't mentioned canceling the engagement, perhaps because they were thinking of their past relationship and wanted to negotiate with the Lu family to cancel the engagement. This would prevent external criticism of either family and preserve their reputation.
But the Lu family neither took the initiative to negotiate nor wanted to marry into the Wu family. Now they suddenly want to cancel the engagement. How could they act like this?
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu returned to the inn to meet Wu Sheng and asked him if he wanted to go to the Lu family right away.
Wu Sheng thought about it and nodded, then took the small token and went out together.
Unexpectedly, he arrived at the right time. When he arrived, the second daughter of the Lu family was just coming out with the young master of the Kang family. A servant followed them. They were talking and laughing as they walked towards the west.
Wu Sheng clenched the object in his hand as soon as he saw it.
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu also immediately understood why this good friend knew about this matter in the middle of the year, but only came at this moment. It was obvious that he still had this Miss Lu in his heart.
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Author has something to say: Qinglong: My husband, I am not good at speaking. I will say more in a moment. [Sunglasses]
Fang Shu:??? Is that what you said? [Laughing and crying]
Qinglong: I said yes [Let me see]
Fang Shu: Okay, okay, I'll do as you say. Please help me with the baby rocking car [empty bowl][empty bowl][let me see]
[1] From "Ode to the Cypress Trees in the Taoist Temple" by Wei Zheng
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