(a) As the saying goes, a humble name makes a child easier to raise.
-
Thirty days after Lu Sijing's birth, which happened to be the Lantern Festival, Qin Qi was finally able to finish her postpartum confinement.
This is the first major year since the young emperor ascended the throne.
The sound of firecrackers heralds the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. The streets are filled with joy, and the faces of the people are beaming with happiness, from the elderly to the young, all enjoying themselves immensely.
Qin Xi and the others had already arranged to have their New Year's Eve reunion at Yu Xian Zhai, to celebrate a lively and festive holiday together. They also planned to visit Ding Tai Restaurant to check out the menu and book their child's one-month celebration banquet.
However, on the eve of the Lunar New Year, Qin Xi looked at the silly-looking man in front of her and became worried.
"Son, I'm your dad." Lu Huai hugged the limp Si Jing, laughing and teasing him.
"..."
He had been repeating this phrase for days, every single day since his return, and Qin Xi was practically sick of hearing it. However, seeing how much he loved it, Qin Xi could only sigh and rub her forehead.
He walked up to her with a smile, holding the child in his arms. "Wife, when do you think our son will be able to call us 'Dad'?"
“…He’s only a month old.” Qin Xi glanced at him silently, then tightened the swaddling clothes around Si Jing. “He’s not even fully awake yet, why did you insist on picking him up?”
Lu Huai automatically ignored her last sentence.
After a moment of deep thought, he frowned and spoke again: "So why aren't you calling me 'Dad' yet?"
Qin Qi rolled her eyes at him.
“If you have so much free time, you might as well name the baby. It’s already a month old and still doesn’t have a proper name,” she muttered. “It’s just too sad.”
"Who said that?" Lu Huai glared. "My son has a name, Lu Sijing!"
“That’s a courtesy name.” Qin Qi sighed and tried to be patient as he spoke to him, “A name, a name, you have to have a given name.”
"courtesy name?"
Lu Huai repeated her words, his brows furrowing slightly. He placed the still-sleeping Si Jing back into the cradle, as if pondering for a moment, before waving his hand and speaking.
"From now on, it won't be a courtesy name anymore; Lu Sijing will be my son's formal name!"
Qin Xi: "..." He just wants to slack off, doesn't he? Right, right?
She twitched her lips. "Then Sijing doesn't have any characters? Everyone else has them, but Sijing doesn't?"
"What other words do you need? I don't want them!" Lu Huai said generously. "Everyone has them, which shows how vulgar they are. My son doesn't need such vulgar things!"
Qin Xi felt that she and Lu Huai were becoming increasingly unable to communicate. His ideas were so absurd that she didn't know how to respond!
"We can forgo the given name, but we can come up with a nickname." Lu Huai happily put his arm around her shoulder and pressed her down to sit on the bed. "This is something your husband excels at."
He seemed quite pleased with himself, but Qin Xi felt something was very amiss.
"Then tell me, what nickname should we give him?" she asked.
“You’ve come to the right person.” He raised his eyebrows smugly. “As the saying goes, ‘Don’t do evil because it’s insignificant, and don’t neglect good because it’s insignificant,’ right?”
That sounds plausible, Qin Xi nodded, there was indeed such a statement.
“So how about we name our son ‘Coal Ball’?” he said, beaming.
"..." Qin Xi was so shocked by the nickname he gave her that she couldn't close her mouth, and it took her a long time to recover. She looked at him incredulously, "What does this have to do with what you just said?"
Lu Huai was puzzled. "I didn't say there was any connection."
Then why are you showing off?
Qin Qi roared inwardly, wishing he could crack open the man's head and see what absurd things were inside.
"As the old saying goes, it's easier to raise a child with a humble name. I don't expect Sijing to be easy to raise, I just hope she's healthy."
He sat down next to her. "Compared to Uncle Wang's dog next door, Coal Ball is already pretty good. It can be said to be the best-sounding name among all the humble names."
Qin Qi nodded slightly, "That's true."
She glanced at him a few times and, seeing that he genuinely meant well for the child, was persuaded. After all, parents always want the best for their children, and she also hoped her child could grow up healthy.
If calling him this name can really bring Sijing good health, then what's wrong with calling him Er Gouzi?
This isn't exactly feudal superstition; it's just a matter of belief. It's just a nickname, so let them call you that. It's not like you'll suffer any great loss.
So let's congratulate Lu Sijing on getting a nickname!
Lu Sijing, who was being controlled: "..."
...
(II) Gradually, the sound of the cold wind can be heard, deep and resonant in the city.
-
Now that they're back at the Minister's residence, they naturally hired a wet nurse. It doesn't necessarily have to be for breastfeeding, but at least she can take care of Sijing when Qin Qi is too busy.
Just as Qin Xi and Lu Huai were about to set off for the agreed meeting place, they saw several guests arrive at the mansion. Upon closer inspection, they all looked quite familiar.
It turned out to be Prime Minister Qin, Doctor Xu, and Master Shu.
Lu Huai led Qin Qi forward and said, "This son-in-law greets father-in-law, Lord Xu, and Uncle Shu."
The group all smiled and nodded.
The Prime Minister Qin finally looked at him with satisfaction, and he reached out his right hand to pat his shoulder, "Good boy."
Looking at the empty space on her father's little finger, Qin Xi felt a little uneasy.
Several elders gave them a few words of advice before they went to the front hall, led by the steward, where Minister Lu was waiting for them.
The young couple watched them leave, only turning around slowly when their figures disappeared around the corner.
Lu Huai glanced at her and teased, "No wonder you refused to go to the restaurant; it turns out you had already made arrangements."
Qin Xi smiled, pursing her lips.
When they arrived at Yuxianzhai, Shu Zhan, Xu Zi, Shu Hua, and Cai Fengyin were already sitting at the table waiting. Even Qin Huaiyan put aside his work and brought Cai Yueshi to join them for the New Year's Eve reunion.
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