Chapter 229 Little Dragon
Hearing Aunt Feng mention the old story of their childhood betrothal and praise Gu Xiao so frankly, Nan Zhiyi's cheeks flushed slightly. She felt sweet inside, but was too embarrassed to show too much affection between husband and wife in front of her elders.
She lowered her eyelashes, a hint of shyness in her eyes, and readily admitted, "Yes... Aunt Feng, you're right, Fifth Brother is a very good person."
At this moment, Zhang Yueran got up from the carpet and started rummaging through her luggage, exclaiming, "Look what good things I brought for Xiaoman!"
She took out a small, exquisitely crafted soft cloth pillow. The pillowcase was made of soft, light blue cotton fabric, embroidered with a cute and lifelike little dragon.
The colors are vibrant and the stitching is meticulous, clearly showing that a lot of thought and effort was put into it.
"Look! A little dragon pillow for our little dragon baby! May it bless our Xiaoman with good health and the spirit of a dragon and horse!"
There was also a sun hat in the same color scheme, with a small and cute dragon pattern embroidered on the brim, which was very childlike.
She presented the two items to Xiaoman, who was attracted by the bright colors and cute patterns. Xiaoman reached out her little hand to touch them, showing great interest.
Nan Zhiyi was deeply moved and praised her repeatedly, "Yueyue, you are so skillful! This embroidery is so beautiful, even more exquisite than the ones you buy outside. I didn't even think of such details, I just gave him a regular cotton pillow."
She felt a little guilty. Most of Xiaoman's clothes and accessories were either handmade or bought by relatives and friends. She and Gu Xiao, as parents, had indeed neglected many of these small details for their child.
Aunt Feng smiled and continued to rummage through the bulging canvas bag.
She took out a cotton back brace and handed it to Nan Zhiyi: "Zhiyi, you mentioned in your last letter that your back ached after sitting for a long time. I was worried that it might be a problem caused by not resting properly during your postpartum period. I made this especially for you. It's filled with new cotton, and I added some mugwort floss and Chinese herbal powder to promote blood circulation. It'll feel warm and comfortable when you stick it on your lower back."
"And this too,"
She took out several brown glass bottles that were tightly sealed with wax, containing dark-colored pills.
"Some time ago, ... that old Chinese medicine doctor surnamed Zhang was exonerated, and I specially asked him to prescribe some menstrual regulating pills. Your periods have always been irregular, so you still need to regulate them, otherwise how will you have a child in the future? These are made with good medicinal materials, and they are the best for regulating menstruation, relieving pain, and nourishing blood and qi."
Nan Zhiyi thought to herself that her back pain was mostly due to Gu Xiao's lack of self-control and his irregular periods, which had been a long-standing issue for her. She was already used to it.
Moreover, she and Gu Xiao had no plans to have a second child at all; in fact, he secretly underwent a tubal ligation for this purpose.
These intimate secrets and shocking decisions were absolutely not to be told to Aunt Feng in this era that valued having many children and good fortune; it would be utterly against the natural order.
"Aunt Feng, thank you so much. You always worry so much about me. ...I'm about to start school, and my fifth brother is busy with work. As for having a second child...we'll talk about it later, no rush."
Aunt Feng, being so perceptive, saw through her reluctance and didn't press the matter. She patted her hand and said, "Silly child, this medicine isn't just for childbirth. Regulating your menstrual cycle and relieving pain, taking care of your own health is the real priority! I can't bear to see you suffer the pain of pregnancy and childbirth again..."
She had met Madam Su and knew how deep Commander Gu's feelings for her were. Naturally, she subconsciously felt that, given Commander Gu's personality and how much he valued Gu Xiao, he would surely hope that Gu Xiao's branch of the family would flourish.
But saying those things would only put pressure on Zhiyi to have children, so why say more?
She simply instructed, "Just eat on time, and I'll send you some regularly. It's not for having a baby; I just hope you take good care of your health."
Nan Zhiyi felt incredibly warm inside. Aunt Feng treated her just like her own mother, considering everything for her and even caring about the most private matters.
She nestled on Aunt Feng's shoulder, just like when she was a child, and said, "Aunt Feng, you're the best to me..."
Even though he was far away in Jian'an, he would regularly send her Xiaoman clothes, her favorite pickles, and even local dried specialties. This concern, though separated by mountains and rivers, never ceased.
Aunt Feng patted her back affectionately: "Your well-being is the most important thing. We'll all have better and better lives from now on..."
Watching her mother and sister's affectionate interaction, Zhang Yueran deliberately pouted to lighten the mood: "Alright, alright, now Mom has your sister to hold, and I have Xiaoman to hold. I'm not envious at all!"
As she spoke, she reached out and pulled Xiaoman, who was playing with the little dragon pillow, into her arms, pillow and all, and then fell onto the carpet.
Xiaoman was amused by her and laughed heartily. Her childlike laughter dispelled the sadness and left only the joy of reunion.
As it was almost noon, Nan Zhiyi said, "Fifth Brother said this morning that he has training missions in the army these two days and won't be able to come back for lunch. He told us not to wait for him."
She got up and went to the kitchen to see the dishes that Sister Zhang had prepared.
Knowing that Aunt Feng and Yueran were coming, she had instructed Sister Zhang a few days in advance to prepare more good dishes.
Sister Zhang took it to heart. She not only bought plenty of meat and eggs, but also went out of her way to find some fresh and tender chives and early-blooming bean sprouts, which were rare at this time of year. She even got two live fish to keep in a basin of water to make a fish soup.
There were a few plump, fresh radishes on the cutting board, ready to be shredded and made into a cold salad.
Nan Zhiyi looked at it and was very satisfied.
Aunt Feng followed her in, and looking at the prepared ingredients, she repeatedly praised Sister Zhang: "Sister Zhang, you've really gone to a lot of trouble, you've prepared everything so thoroughly, you're so clever!"
Sister Zhang was embarrassed by the praise: "It's nothing, it's nothing, you're too kind. The fish soup is simmering right now, and we'll be able to eat in a little while."
Aunt Feng is a quick-witted and restless person. Looking at the luggage in the corner of the living room, she felt it was in the way and said, "I'll take the luggage inside first. It doesn't look right here."
He then started to pick up his luggage.
Nan Zhiyi hurriedly said, "Aunt Feng, don't worry, I'll get it. Rooms have been prepared upstairs and downstairs. You can sleep in this room downstairs, it's quieter there. Yueyue can sleep in the guest room upstairs."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yueran immediately raised her hand and exclaimed, "Perfect! I'll sleep with my sister tonight, and Xiaoman will sleep in the middle!"
Aunt Feng was both amused and exasperated by her daughter's thoughtless words. She glared at her and said, "You silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about!"
She turned to Nan Zhiyi and said, "Yueran and I can sleep in the room downstairs together; it'll be warmer if we squeeze in."
Zhang Yueran wanted to retort, "Mom, I want to be with Xiaoman..."
Aunt Feng's tone softened, deliberately tinged with melancholy: "Sigh, my daughter is going to stay in Beijing to study now, so far away from me. It'll be hard for us to even share a bed and talk..."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yueran quickly took her mother's arm and compromised, "Okay, okay, I'll sleep with you, Mom! Don't be sad, Mom, I'll come back to see you when I have my vacation!"
She was secretly plotting: "After Mom goes back to the military region in a few days, I'll sleep with my sister again. Anyway, Mom won't know!" Hehe.
Aunt Feng then stopped scolding her silly daughter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com