Gu Mingyue leaned against the headboard, holding her baby who had just been fed. The little one was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed, but she wasn't sleepy at all. She just felt an uncomfortable stickiness on the back of her neck.
She raised her hand, and just as her fingertips touched the hair on the top of her head, she hissed.
The once smooth hair was now matted into clumps, and when you ran your fingertips over the scalp, you could feel a thin layer of oil.
Gu Mingyue buried her face in the baby's soft swaddling clothes and said in a muffled voice to Lu Lin, who had just pushed the door open, "Smell this, is my hair all rotten?"
Lu Lin had just brought over the chicken soup his mother had made from the kitchen. Upon hearing this, he put down the bowl, walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and reached out to brush away the stray hairs from her forehead.
"Really? I can't smell it, it still smells nice."
However, he also knew that his wife had wanted to wash her hair for a long time. She was such a beauty-conscious person that she used to wash her hair every day, but now that she was in postpartum confinement, it was impossible for her to wash it even once a day, let alone ten days. No wonder she couldn't stand it.
"I've told Mom twice already," Lu Lin said softly, afraid of waking the child in her arms.
"Mom said that the aunt next door got wet during her postpartum period and now she gets such a headache that she could bang her head against the wall whenever the wind blows. She won't let you wash it no matter what."
He held Gu Mingyue's hand, his fingertips tracing the calluses on her palm, his tone full of difficulty, "I know you're in pain, how about I go ask the doctor? If you can wash it, it'll be good to talk to Mom."
Gu Mingyue nodded quickly: "Okay, go ask the doctor."
Professionals are more reliable than them, and people feel more at ease if doctors say so.
Until she received a reply from the doctor, Gu Mingyue could only gather all her hair up, comb it into a slicked-back style, tie it all behind her head, and then put on a hat to try and ignore the discomfort on her head.
Lu Lin was quick; less than half an hour later, he returned from the hospital, panting, with the good news.
"The doctor said I can wash my hair, but not take a bath, and I have to keep warm and can only wash with ginger water."
Gu Mingyue agreed without hesitation, as long as she could wash, even ginger water would smell good at this moment.
Just then, the sound of Mom clearing the dishes came from the living room.
Lu Lin suddenly stood up, carefully placed the baby back in the crib, turned around and winked at Gu Mingyue: "Wait."
He walked quickly to the living room, and soon came in carrying hot water and a dry towel.
"I promised Mom that I would use the hottest ginger water to wash you, and I would help you dry off afterward. I would wrap you up tightly in a towel from head to toe to make sure you don't catch a cold. Mom couldn't take my nagging anymore and told me to keep an eye on you."
Gu Mingyue's eyes lit up instantly, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Really? Then you'd better dry my hair completely, or Mom will scold you."
Lu Lin smiled and nodded, reaching out to pat her head. "Don't worry, I'll complete the mission."
Zhong Yuxiu was still worried after packing her things outside, afraid that the child would cry, so she came over to help watch over the child.
Gu Mingyue didn't dare to bend over, so Lu Lin came up with a solution: he had her wash while lying on the bed, just like in a hair salon in later generations.
Hot water dripped onto her hair, and Gu Mingyue sighed comfortably. Her fingertips were finally able to gently rub away the tangled strands of hair, and the foam dripped down her cheeks, making her breathing much easier.
Hearing Gu Mingyue's cheerful voice, Zhong Yuxiu couldn't help but laugh and said, "If I had known you were suffering so much, I should have asked Lu Lin to ask a doctor earlier."
Gu Mingyue replied with her eyes closed, "It's not too late, there's still time."
She was very satisfied with being able to wash her hair this once. If she really had to wash her hair every day during her postpartum period, she wouldn't feel at ease even without her mother-in-law urging her.
After Gu Mingyue finished washing her hair, Lu Lin immediately handed her a dry towel and wrapped her hair up tightly like a baby.
Zhong Yuxiu heated the room until it was very warm. In the May or June weather, Gu Mingyue's face was flushed red from the heat, looking like an apple.
Lu Lin quickly dried Gu Mingyue's hair, making sure not to miss a single strand, until it was completely dry before putting down the towel.
Gu Mingyue turned to her mother and smiled, "Mom, don't worry, Lu Lin dried my hair very well."
Zhong Yuxiu looked at her neat hair and then at Lu Lin's flustered appearance. She couldn't help but smile, but she still said with a straight face, "Next time it can't take this long. This time it was because you were really uncomfortable."
With her hair soft and fluffy after being dried, Gu Mingyue leaned back on the sofa, her mood lightening as well.
Lu Lin handed her the warmed brown sugar ginger tea; the temperature of the cup was comforting.
Zhong Yuxiu sat by the crib, gently patting the newly awakened baby while humming an off-key nursery rhyme.
The baby kicked its little feet, its bright black eyes darting around, and suddenly reached out its little hand and grabbed Gu Mingyue's hair that was hanging over her shoulder.
Gu Mingyue smiled and gently pried open his little finger, her movements as light as touching cotton: "You little rascal, I just washed your hair, don't mess it up again."
Lu Lin leaned over and gently removed the baby's hand, then smoothed Gu Mingyue's hair: "Just bear with it for a little longer and you'll be able to take a bath. You can take a good bath then."
Zhong Yuxiu listened without saying a word, but she gently moved the baby closer to Gu Mingyue, muttering, "Hold the baby after you finish drinking the ginger tea, so he doesn't catch a cold."
Holding her baby, Gu Mingyue took a sip of sweet ginger tea, glanced at Lu Lin who was busy taking care of her, and then at her mother-in-law who was pretending to be serious but whose eyes were full of affection. She couldn't help but smile.
Soon it was time for Gu Mingyue to finish her postpartum confinement. As soon as the bugle sounded in the morning, she got up.
She touched her hair. Although she had only washed it once half a month ago, it felt much fresher than in the early days of her postpartum period. But the thought of taking a thorough shower made her quicken her pace.
Zhong Yuxiu knew her daughter-in-law had been looking forward to this day for a long time, so she had already boiled water.
"Xiao Lin will bring it over to you later. You can shower for as long as you want. I'll keep an eye on things, so don't worry."
Gu Mingyue affectionately hugged her arm and smiled, "Thank you, Mom."
The hot water was flowing freely in the bathroom, and Gu Mingyue could clearly feel a thin layer of dust being rubbed off, so she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The stock I've accumulated over the past month could easily weigh several pounds.
After she finished dressing and wrapped her hair tightly, even her neck was covered up, Lu Lin held the clothes for her from behind, saying, "This time you can blow-dry properly, instead of acting like a thief."
Gu Mingyue sat in front of the dressing mirror, looking at her refreshed self, and suddenly remembered her mother mentioning the full moon banquet yesterday: "Mom said the full moon banquet is scheduled in the cafeteria, should I go and check it out today?"
Lu Lin was blow-drying her hair when he heard this. He smiled and shook his head: "You don't need to worry. I've already gone to check. It's still the same as everyone arranged before. We'll invite people we're close to to dinner and have a good time together."
As soon as she finished speaking, the baby in the crib let out a soft "ee-yah". Gu Mingyue turned her head and saw the little guy looking at her with his eyes open, his little mouth moving.
She went over, picked up the baby, and kissed him on the cheek: "Baby, in two days we'll be having our full moon celebration!"
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