Chapter 139 Naming a Child
Du Wanchun settled Liu Niangzi in Zhang Qiuhe's home.
Zhang Qiuhe and her son usually lived a quiet life at home, but their home became lively after Liu Niangzi came.
Liu Niangzi had some money from her rouge business over the past few years, and she bought a lot of nice things when she came to Zhang Qiuhe's house.
There were pastries, fish, meat, some bedding and fabric, and some small sugar figurines for Zhang Qiuhe's children.
Lady Liu changed her clothes and told everyone that she was Zhou's cousin from the capital. The villagers believed her because she was beautiful and didn't look like a farmer.
These days, Prefect Zheng came to Cheng'an County to investigate the burning of Liu's Rouge Shop. To avoid trouble, Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan did not go to the shop. Instead, they stayed at home and helped Aunt Zhou make incense.
"Wanchun, come here, this is fragrant rice cake that your mother just made. Try it." Aunt Zhou took out a plate of plump, round millet cakes and placed it in front of Du Wanchun.
Now, with Du Wanchun, Aunt Wang, and Du's eldest aunt helping out in Xiangfang, Aunt Zhou always thinks of making delicious food for Du Wanchun whenever she has free time.
Of course, it was always done secretly when the Third Prince went to the fields.
Otherwise, if the Third Prince were home, he would never have allowed Aunt Zhou into the kitchen.
Du Wanchun took the pastries from Aunt Zhou, took a bite, and found them soft and fluffy, with a faint aroma of rice mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus, and a sweet taste.
She quickly said, "Mom, the rice cakes you made are delicious."
Aunt Zhou was overjoyed to hear this and quickly said, "I'm glad it tastes good. This is my first time making it, so I don't know if you'll like it."
Du Wanchun ate several in a row, nodding repeatedly and saying, "Delicious, Mother, come and have some too."
As she spoke, she picked up a piece of millet cake and handed it to Aunt Zhou.
Aunt Zhou took the food and ate it. "If you like it, eat more. I'll make it for you again next time."
Du Wanchun smiled and nodded.
Aunt Zhou got up, wiped her hands, and walked towards the kitchen with a smile. "You eat first, I'll go tidy up the kitchen, otherwise your third uncle will be angry when he comes back."
Du Wanchun smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry, even if Third Uncle comes back, he won't dare to be angry with you."
That's true.
No matter how fierce the Third Prince was, he would never raise his voice to Aunt Zhou.
Even when he was so angry that he stomped his feet, he became incredibly obedient in front of Aunt Zhou.
Aunt Zhou smiled broadly and turned to go into the kitchen.
Du Wanchun took the pastries and got up to go into her room.
In a little over a month, Zhou Ruiyuan will be going to Qingzhou Prefecture to take the provincial examination. He has been practicing calligraphy these past few days in preparation for the exam.
His handwriting used to be too obvious and easily noticed by the emperor and officials in the capital. In order to avoid being noticed, he has been practicing writing with his left hand these past few days.
The characters I write with my left hand are completely different from before, but they are a bit uglier, so I need to practice more.
"Husband." Du Wanchun brought rice cakes to his side. "These are rice cakes made by my mother. Please try them."
Zhou Ruiyuan put down his pen, looked up at her, and said softly, "Mother made this especially for you. Keep it and eat it slowly."
Du Wanchun handed him a piece of rice cake and looked at the words he had written. "Husband, your handwriting is really beautiful."
Zhou Ruiyuan spread out the paper and laughed, "You always praise me. This handwriting is really not presentable, but it doesn't matter. It should be enough for the rural probation test."
After he finished speaking, he reached out and put his arm around Du Wanchun's waist, gently pressed his ear against her belly, and asked in a deep, warm voice, "Is this little one being fussy?"
As the months progressed, the baby's movements became more pronounced, occasionally waking Du Wanchun up in the middle of the night.
Du Wanchun looked down at her slightly protruding belly and smiled, "It's a bit of a fuss, but it just happens to show that he's in good health."
Zhou Ruiyuan took out a pen and wrote two characters on the table: "懿" and "裕".
Du Wanchun looked at it and asked in confusion, "Husband, what is this?"
Zhou Ruiyuan pointed to the two characters and said, "If the child is a boy, then we'll name him Zhou Yi; if it's a girl, then we'll name her Zhou Yu."
Du Wanchun chuckled, "Are you naming our child?"
Zhou Ruiyuan pressed his face against her lower back, looked up at her, and said, "Hmm, the name we've chosen for our child."
Du Wanchun held the paper with those two words written on it in her hand, looking at it again and again, "Isn't it a bit too early now?"
Zhou Ruiyuan raised his hand and gently stroked her belly. "It's getting late. He'll be born in a few months."
Du Wanchun looked down at Zhou Ruiyuan, gently stroking his hair, her face full of anticipation.
As this was their first child, the couple, now first-time mothers, were eagerly anticipating the baby's birth.
They often sketched their child's outline late at night, thinking of giving him the best of everything in the world.
"My lord, if you pass the provincial examination this time, will you be returning to the capital?" Du Wanchun asked him.
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