Chapter 118 I'm preparing to do what my brother did...
After becoming pregnant, Chen Baoyue found that her emotions had become very strange.
One moment she was having a nice conversation with her mother, the next she saw the leaves outside the window that were about to fall, and for some reason she started to feel sentimental about spring and autumn again.
In her mother's words, all the sensitivity and delicacy she hadn't shown in the previous twenty years suddenly came rushing back.
Such situations became even more common when she was with Guo Baiwen.
But no matter how hard she tried to control herself, she unconsciously started to get angry easily and would start to cry at the drop of a hat.
Unfortunately, this feeling comes and goes quickly.
Before it started, she was so emotional that she felt she couldn't bear not crying. But once she actually started crying, she felt that there was nothing worth shedding tears for.
Even the doctors who came to see her later reassured her that these were normal phenomena after becoming pregnant, and that not only would her personality change, but even her appetite and thoughts would sometimes change.
Guo Baiwen thought it was good that she was like this; being able to vent her emotions was better than keeping them bottled up and unable to express them.
Because he believed that "it's better to guide than to block," Guo Baiwen would always try to persuade Chen Baoyue whenever she tried to control her emotions.
However, the result of this is often that after giving advice, tears start streaming down people's faces.
Fortunately, after I finished crying, the anxiety I felt earlier subsided considerably.
When they are in a peaceful state of mind, the two will also discuss what their future children will look like. Guo Baiwen doesn't really care whether it's a boy or a girl.
With the current level of medical care, he only hopes that Chen Baoyue and the baby in her womb can be safe and healthy.
Therefore, whenever he saw Chen Baoyue eating too much, he would always find some excuse to drag her out for a walk.
He now serves as an instructor at the Bailu Academy in the prefectural city, and he receives three taels of silver a month. With a stable income, his family is much better off now, but he can no longer take care of his family as often as before.
Even after receiving his letter, Chen Zhonghua, Chen Baoyue's mother-in-law, packed her bags and came over the next day to help take care of Chen Baoyue.
But considering that the family needed help taking care of things right now, and that pregnancy was hard work, he couldn't rely solely on his mother-in-law to take care of everything. So he made time to talk to the broker and hire a cook to help with the cooking.
I plan to wait until the academy is on holiday, then look for a suitable family that would like to hire me as a doorman.
This way, if someone comes to visit, or if there's something at home that needs to be done by running errands, you won't have to rush off yourself.
By winter, Chen Baoyue's body had become increasingly heavy. It was cold and snowy every day, and no matter how much Guo Baiwen tried to persuade her, she refused to go out for a stroll.
Seeing this, Chen Zhonghua could only advise Guo Baiwen that it was better to stay inside his house since the roads were slippery in the snow.
Grandma Guo has gradually handed over her business to Yang Qiaomai. He has been in the shop for a long time, and he is hardworking and honest. It's time to promote him from a junior employee to a higher position.
Grandma Guo also considered the inconvenience of traveling from the county town to the prefectural city.
The summer dessert business had already been mostly handed over to Yang Xianu, and if Yang Qiaomai's hot pot business went smoothly this year, then they would simply hand over the shop business in Xiuning County to the two of them to help manage.
She has saved up quite a bit of money over the years, and it wouldn't be a problem for her to find a suitable shop in the prefectural city and open another Guo's shop.
So this year, before the New Year festival, I came here early with Xiaohua in a donkey cart.
Because Chen's shop couldn't be left unattended, in addition to the dried chicken and duck that Grandma Guo had prepared, there were also some medicinal herbs such as ginseng, mushrooms, and astragalus that Chen Damu and Chen Youtian had found together in the small mountain village.
In addition, there were many pieces of leather of different sizes, which were said to be used to make clothes for unborn children. In any case, they didn't care whether they were useful or not, as long as they looked good, they packed them all together.
Chen Zhonghua brought far too much stuff, and it took her several days to finish packing. She kept saying that if Chen Youtian came to the prefectural city later, she would definitely give him a good scolding.
Everyone is eagerly anticipating the birth of this unborn child.
Guo Baiwen originally wanted to give his child a nice name, but nowadays, it seems that the prevailing opinion is that children with humble names are easier to raise.
Only when a child is over five years old and can stand on their own will a family with the leisure time give them a nice-sounding name.
After hearing Grandma Guo's explanation, Guo Baiwen finally understood where his previous names, Bawen and Xiaohua, came from.
However, when it comes to this, Guo Xiaohua said she also had something to say, raising her hand high, "I'm planning to change my name just like my brother!"
Upon hearing this, Grandma Guo turned to look at her.
Then she pulled out a small cloth bag from somewhere, inside which was a piece of paper with a name written on it.
Some of the handwriting was a little messy, but you could tell at a glance that she wrote it herself.
Previously, when he was teaching her to read, she was always reluctant, but now, seeing his younger sister like this, Guo Baiwen felt a little gratified for some reason.
Even the questioner's voice softened considerably, "What name did you choose?"
Guo Xiaohua chuckled, no longer keeping her in suspense, and said frankly, "Song Wan—" Then she turned to see everyone's reaction to the name, "How is it? Isn't it great?"
Grandma Guo was the first to agree, saying, "It sounds better than Xiaohua."
Guo Baiwen was somewhat surprised, "Did you come up with this name yourself?"
“Yes.” Guo Xiaohua—no, now it’s Guo Songwan—was carefully putting away her note.
“It just so happens that the prince’s current name is ‘Baiwen’, so I thought of a name that would make people immediately recognize him as one of our own.”
Although she hadn't read many books, she knew that pine and cypress were both evergreen trees.
Guo Baiwen silently repeated the name twice, "It implies composure in the evening, giving the name a sense of resilience... It's a rare and good name." But as he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, "I was so focused on my own name that I didn't even notice you, little sister—"
Upon hearing this, Guo Xiaohua shook her head.
"No, this is perfect. It's your own name, you should like it!" Then, grinning, she leaned closer to Grandma Guo, "Grandma, why don't you change your name too?"
"No, no, I think my name, Malt, sounds pretty good." Besides, so many years have passed, and even if she changed the name, it still sounds awkward to her.
Grandma Guo rejected her suggestion, then turned to look at the others present.
Originally, everyone was thinking about naming the child, but after Guo Songwan's interruption, their enthusiasm waned.
"Forget it, when choosing a name, it should be something the child likes."
Guo Baiwen put away the books he had spread out, such as the Book of Poetry and the Book of Changes. "Let's give him a nickname first so that his family can call him easily. We can find a better name for him when he starts school later."
However, even just saying that makes it difficult to come up with a nickname is quite a challenge.
Everyone had their own ideas, and it was clear that no one could persuade anyone else. So in the end, they could only agree that when the time came, everyone would write down the nicknames they had chosen, and the child would choose whichever nickname they picked during the first birthday celebration.
Days passed by like this, and by the time Guo Baiwen had become completely familiar with teaching life at the academy, Chen Baoyue's belly was getting bigger and bigger.
That day, before she had finished her morning egg tea and was still sitting in the main room, Chen Baoyue suddenly felt a surge of heat running down her abdomen.
Before she could react in her daze, Chen Zhonghua, who had just set down the bowls and chopsticks, turned pale with fright at the sight. "Moon!"
The original production date was still more than ten days away, but no one expected it to start ahead of schedule.
Chen Baoyue subconsciously gripped the back of her chair, unconsciously using more force in her hands. She noticed the veins bulging, but she didn't realize it. She was just trying her best to calm herself down and not be frightened by this sudden scene.
The cook, who had been busy in the kitchen, had already run out into the courtyard. Even from a distance, you could hear her calling to the gatekeeper, "Quick! Madam has gone into labor! Go and call the midwife and doctor!"
"And the scholar! We must also call him over!"
Although it was more than ten days early, the delivery room had been prepared well in advance, just in case.
The midwife was started looking for more than a month in advance, but Chen Zhonghua felt that one midwife was not enough to be safe, so he asked the cook to call a doctor over as well.
Because we had given prior notice, and it was daytime, the midwife and doctor arrived with their supplies in less than half an hour.
Chen Baoyue was already lying in bed when she looked at her skirt, which had turned slightly red, and belatedly began to feel scared.
Knowing what she was thinking, Chen Zhonghua quickly grasped her hand and tried to calm her down, saying, "Moon, don't be afraid! Mother is here, don't be afraid!"
Chen Baoyue's face was pale, and fine beads of sweat had begun to appear on her forehead. Unaware of her surroundings, she said in a tearful voice, "Mother—"
Chen Zhonghua held her hand and wiped her sweat with a handkerchief. "It's alright, it's alright. The midwife and doctor are here, and your mother is here too. Everything will be alright soon."
Chen Baoyue lay in bed for a while, and gradually began to feel the contents of her stomach dropping down, bringing waves of pain.
Whether it was fear or real pain, she felt as if her body was about to be cleaved apart by the force, and her face turned deathly pale almost instantly.
At this time, Guo Baiwen also hurriedly asked for leave from the academy and rushed back.
As soon as I entered the house, I was taken aback by the scene inside.
Fortunately, the midwife had delivered many babies before. Seeing this, she could comfort everyone while directing the people in the yard to do various things.
While they were busy with the preparations, they turned around and saw Guo Baiwen walking into the delivery room with a sullen face. The midwife and the cook quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying, "Oh dear, scholar, things are busy inside. Don't go in and cause trouble."
Even though he said that, hearing the cries of pain coming from inside from time to time, Guo Baiwen still wanted to go in and see Chen Baoyue.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade him otherwise, the doctor, who had just finished taking Guo Baiwen's pulse, simply assigned him a task as well: "How about this, scholar, you just stand by the window and read something aloud, as long as the lady inside knows you're outside."
Having something to do is better than just waiting around anxiously.
Moreover, hearing the familiar voices outside made the lady inside feel somewhat more at ease.
As for the midwives, they are currently busy preparing the tools and hot water needed for childbirth.
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