Chapter 60
On the day of the baby's third-day celebration, Xun Yi set off early.
He couldn't bear to stay at home for even a moment longer than Xun Ai was on his mind.
Therefore, unlike some village girls' families who deliberately act haughty and arrive very late, this time the girl's family did not.
Of course, there was also a reason why he trusted the Wu family.
The Wu family was wealthy; they had built seven or eight rooms in a house with blue bricks and tiles.
But the Wu family members were all amiable and not the kind of landlords who looked down on others just because they had a little money.
When Xun Yi arrived at the Wu family, he was indeed not looked down upon because he arrived early.
Wu Buzhi, Wu Zheng, and several elders of the Wu family sat with him for a while before letting him go to Xun Ai's place.
Although it is a hot month, a woman's postpartum period should not be taken lightly.
The Wu family had taken ample precautions. In Xun Ai's room, there was a screen at the entrance, behind which was a curtain, and behind that curtain was another gauze curtain.
Xun Yi first saw Lin Xinghua, who was sitting behind a cloth curtain and in front of a gauze curtain, gently rocking a swaying chair with one hand.
The child in the car was undoubtedly his niece. She was fair-skinned and chubby, and looked quite similar to Xun Ai. She had one hand clenched into a fist at her side, and the other hand raised to her ear. Her tail was slightly open, and her eyes were closed, as if she had entered a sweet dream.
Xun Yi glanced at it several times, liking it as much as he did, but he still didn't forget to look at Xun Ai.
Behind the gauze curtain was a carved wooden bed. Xun Ai was covered with a thin quilt and leaned lightly against the pillow. She had only given birth three days ago, but she looked well and had a rosy complexion.
"Big brother!"
Xun Ai had been eagerly anticipating Xun Yi's arrival, and his tone was slightly excited.
The brother and sister have relied on each other for so many years, and they inevitably miss each other.
Xun Yi immediately headed over there, but his little niece was still asleep beside him, so he controlled the sound of his footsteps.
"How are you?" he asked in a low voice as he walked to the bedside.
Xun Ai knew that her elder brother was not just asking how she was doing now, but whether she had been doing well since giving birth.
Xun Ai felt extremely wronged.
Although she is doing well now, her delivery was not good at all.
This was Xun Ai's first child, and from the onset of labor to the birth of the baby, it took a full day and most of the night.
As the night went by, her pain became more and more frequent.
I persevered from morning till night, but I couldn't eat anything in between, and my whole body was covered in sweat due to the hot weather and abdominal cramps.
Many times the pain was so intense I couldn't bear it anymore, but the midwife always said it would be over soon, and the baby would come out very soon.
Afterwards, when she was exhausted several times, the midwife and her mother-in-law fed her sugar water and wiped her body, which helped her recover and eventually give birth to the child successfully.
Xun Ai concealed the inconvenient things and told Xun Yi all the bitterness that could be expressed.
Xun Yi finally understood the saying that "giving birth is like a woman walking on the edge of the gates of hell."
Just considering this physical pain, Xun Ai probably didn't even experience it ten years ago when he was fleeing famine.
He felt a pang of heartache, but could only sigh.
As the brother and sister chatted, the baby in the stroller fell asleep.
Lin Xinghua knew that the siblings had things to say to each other, so she greeted them and excused herself to leave.
Now that only his blood-related younger sister and his little niece were left in the room, Xun Yi felt much more at ease. He took out the headband that Shu Wanxiu had prepared from his pocket and handed it to Xun Ai.
"This is?"
Xun Ai was wearing a headband, which she had picked out herself when she went to the county with her mother-in-law before giving birth.
Knowing that the month of delivery would be hot, even though I bought a headband, I didn't choose one with particularly thick fabric. I only chose a style with white plum blossoms embroidered on a light pink fabric.
She used the light to examine the cloth in her hand, which was also made of fine Xiangfei-colored cloth, but embroidered with white orchids.
The Wu family was quite wealthy, and she gained some experience after marrying into the family.
Although I haven't developed any particularly good embroidery skills myself, I can still tell the difference between other people's embroidery work.
It looks like the headband she has isn't as exquisite as the one she bought. You can tell that the embroiderer's skills aren't very deep, but her stitches are fine and the finishing stitches are well done, showing that she put a lot of effort into it.
"Do you remember the Shu family? This was a gift from Shu Wanxiu."
Xun Yi had told Xun Ai about Shu Wanxiu.
Long, long ago, not long after the refugees were assigned to the village.
It wasn't intentional to bring this up at first, but since Turtleback Village also received refugees, the two siblings naturally started talking about it when they met.
Shu Wanxiu and Shu Shouyi, how much they resembled them back then?
Xun Ai also encouraged Xun Yi to help them more.
Because of the grain robbery, Shu Wanxiu brought Shu Shouyi to Guibei Village for medical treatment late at night. Xun Ai found out and even wanted to visit Doctor Li to see them.
Unfortunately, the snow was too thick at the time, and she was pregnant and unable to go out, so the matter was dropped.
Xun Ai asked curiously, "Why did she give me a headband?"
When Shu Wanxiu told Xun Yi about the things, she naturally explained the reasons.
After Xun Yi recounted it, Xun Ai smiled brightly, "It's not something important worth worrying about, yet she's remembered it for so long."
"That's just how she is." She feels embarrassed when others show her kindness and always tries her best to repay them.
Thinking of Shu Wanxiu, Xun Yi's expression softened.
Xun Ai sensed something unusual, but before he could ask, someone else came in.
The visitor was an elder woman from the Wu family. Xun Yi had originally moved a stool to the bedside, but seeing that there were many people coming, he left to make room for her.
The Wu family's third-day celebration involved a banquet with over ten tables, and they even hired an opera troupe to perform, making it a very lively event all day long.
As Xun Ai's maternal family member and her child's maternal uncle, Xun Yi was treated as an honored guest.
They enjoyed fine wine, delicious food, and excellent hospitality all day long.
At noon and in the evening, Xun Yi could not refuse and was persuaded to drink two cups of wine.
He drinks small amounts, but his face turns red when he drinks.
Before going home, Lin Xinghua made a special trip to see him.
Seeing that he was flushed and seemed drunk, they, like the Wu family, advised him to stay there for the night.
"I'm not drunk."
Xun Yi's eyes were indeed clear.
The two met so secretly, as if it were something they were trying to hide. Of course, what they were talking about wasn't exactly something honorable.
Lin Xinghua was worried that Xun Yi might make a mistake without her as his 'strategist' after only three days away from the village, so she came to question him about his situation over the past few days.
Alcohol can embolden people and boost their confidence.
Xun Yi chuckled as he recalled how Shu Wanxiu had left his house so quickly three days ago. He dismissed the doubt in his heart and completely attributed it to shyness.
He said cheerfully, "Aunt Xinghua, your method is very useful."
"oh?"
Lin Xinghua asked them what had happened.
Xun Yi was unwilling to elaborate. He felt that Shu Wanxiu was shy, but if he told others, it would be tantamount to ruining Shu Wanxiu's reputation.
Lin Xinghua wanted to know the details, but she couldn't leave Xun Ai's place for too long.
Moreover, ever since he managed to extract a lot of information from Xun Yi last time, this kid has become more and more wary and less willing to keep his mouth shut.
She reluctantly believed the silly boy's judgment, but seeing Xun Yi's excited appearance, she was afraid that he would do something wrong, so she said, "You can't do anything indecent to others."
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