Chapter 151 Two Sons
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Du Li helped Meng Qing into the house, while Wang Zhou followed behind with his hands behind his back and his head swaying. Hearing a "ga" from a goose, he ran to open the gate and let the four geese out to play in the water.
"The yard will be covered in goose droppings again tomorrow morning," Meng's mother complained.
“I’ll sweep, I’ll get up early tomorrow morning to sweep the floor,” Wangzhou said. “Grandma, they’ve been locked up for half a day, they’re so pitiful.”
Mencius' mother scoffed, "They live the life of landlords' sons, what's there to pity? They have no worries about food and drink and don't have to do any work. Stop playing, go back to the backyard to wash up and go to bed."
Wang Zhou said "Oh," and obediently ran away.
Du Li and Meng Qing had already gone back inside. He came out to fetch water and ran into Wang Zhou. He said, "I'll fetch you water later. Don't run around outside, or you might bump into someone."
"I'm going to talk to my mother." Wang Zhou darted into the main house in the courtyard, where only the three of them lived.
Meng Qing was fanning herself when she saw Wang Zhou come in, so she handed him the palm-leaf fan.
Wang Zhou took the fan and stepped back, then swung it forcefully. "Mother, is it cool?"
"It's so cool, even cooler than when your dad fans you," Meng Qing said exaggeratedly.
Wang Zhou scoffed, "I'm not buying that anymore."
Meng Qing laughed, "What's wrong with this? Doesn't it taste good anymore?"
"That's too childish," Wang Zhou snorted. "You can save it to appease our second son."
Meng Qing laughed heartily, "Alright, stop fanning yourself, come and sit down."
Wang Zhou kept moving, saying, "I'm not tired."
Meng Qing enjoyed the moment a few more times, then she asked him to come and sit down again, saying, "Let your father fan you later, so you can rest."
"Doesn't his dad get tired?" Du Li came in carrying a basin.
“It’s only right that his father is tired. If he doesn’t take care of his own wife and children, who will?” Meng Qing tossed him the palm-leaf fan.
Du Li put down the basin, picked up a stool and sat opposite the mother and son, fanning them with a palm-leaf fan.
Wang Zhou smiled contentedly. He thought about his third uncle and his father, and compared them, he felt that a father like his own was better.
“Mom, you’re amazing,” he suddenly said.
"I know." Meng Qing was puzzled, but that didn't stop her from admitting it without any modesty.
Du Li: ...
"Why do you say that?" Meng Qing finally had time to ask.
Wang Zhou looked at Du Li and said shyly, "You chose my father to be my father. He is so good. He is a good father."
Du Li's lips curled up, and she began to wave her fan wildly, kicking up dust from the ground.
"As long as you're satisfied." Meng Qing smiled. "Why are you suddenly praising your father? Just because he's willing to fan us?"
Wang Zhou hesitated for a few moments, then said in a low voice, "My third uncle certainly won't take care of his children and wife like my father did."
"Hey? I caught you! You were gossiping behind people's backs too." Meng Qing didn't want him involved in family squabbles, so she raised an eyebrow at him. "Does this count?"
Wang Zhou was speechless. He blushed and jumped up, saying, "I'm going back to my room to sleep."
Meng Qing did not try to keep him.
"I'll go get him some water." Du Li handed the fan to Meng Qing.
After an incense stick's time, Du Li returned. Meng Qing noticed that his sleeves were rolled up and there were wet patches on his waist, and asked with certainty, "Did you give your son a bath?"
Du Li smiled and said, "After all, they praised me as a good father, so shouldn't I show them what I'm made of?"
"You're hopeless." Meng Qing couldn't help but chuckle.
"Do you want to wash now, or sit for a while longer?" Du Li asked.
"Let's sit for a while longer, lying down is uncomfortable." Meng Qing patted her belly. "It's already late May, and she still hasn't come out."
Du Li sat down opposite her, took the fan and continued to fan her. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Do you feel more comfortable living here or in the government office?"
Meng Qing understood immediately, "You feel comfortable living here, right?"
“Yes.” Du Li had been living a very comfortable life for the past two weeks since he moved out of the government office. His wife and children’s attention had returned to him. In this home, he was not worried about anyone jumping out and encroaching on his territory.
“The third brother is always so sarcastic and ambiguous. Since we moved back to the government office, we haven’t been as comfortable as we are now. If he and his wife have a fight, you have to coax them.” Du Li chimed in, “We’ve already moved out, so let’s not move back. Let each of us live separately.”
“If we move back, your third son won’t have any more conflicts with his wife,” Meng Qing said. “Do you think Caiwei can tame him?”
"No." Du Li felt that Du Laosan would never be tamed by another person. Even if another person appeared who was wholeheartedly good to him, he would never open his heart to that person. Timing was very important. Du Min currently lacked nothing. He might not appreciate someone's wholehearted kindness, and might even despise them.
"Why do you say that only if we move back can he and his wife live a good life together?" Du Li didn't understand.
“He was once jealous of you, jealous that your in-laws treated you sincerely. He once made a wish while drunk that he would marry a girl who truly loved him. What was the root of it all? It was envy. He saw how much we loved each other, and he longed for a loving marriage too,” Meng Qing replied. “Envy is a feeling that comes and goes quickly. If he gets great satisfaction in other areas, he will give up the satisfaction that marriage brings. He is competitive, has high self-esteem, cares about his image, is greedy, and wants to benefit from everything. With us around to support him, seeing us every day, his envy doesn’t diminish, and that’s why he’s willing to manage his marriage properly.”
“That makes sense.” Du Li suddenly realized, “You’ve figured him out completely.”
"But our feelings are different from theirs. He'll inevitably feel resentful, and his emotions will fluctuate." So Meng Qing stepped aside, letting Yin Caiwei understand Du Min's personality herself, lest she mistakenly think that it was because of her that their relationship was cooling down day by day. If she really has any unpleasantness with Du Min in the future and wants to seek her advice and judgment, she has to be sincere, appreciative, and able to listen to her.
Du Li understood her intention. Meng Qing moving back to her parents' home appeared to be a concession on the surface, but it was actually an offensive move. However, whether it was a concession or an offensive move, it didn't harm anyone else in the slightest, and in the end, Du Li herself benefited.
Meng Qing kicked Du Li, "Where did the fan go?"
Du Li looked down and found that the palm-leaf fan had been turned around and was fanning himself. He smiled and said, "I feel hot inside, let me fan myself a few more times."
“For my sake and for our child’s sake, please bear with it a little longer,” Meng Qing said. “I’ve raised the wild wolf into a domestic dog. Now that I’m being asked to untie the rope, I don’t want to.”
Du Li couldn't say anything. He had to bear the consequences of his actions. He was able to be a good father to Wang Zhou because Du Min had taken away his burdens and prevented Wang Zhou from becoming a second Du Min.
"It's not about being tolerant; it's that I was greedy again, wanting to get the full benefit in every way." Du Li gave up the idea of splitting up the family and living separately. He commented on himself, "Du Laosan and I are indeed brothers. Although our thoughts and actions are different, our goals are exactly the same."
Meng Qing was amused and laughed until her stomach hurt. She quickly stopped laughing and held her stomach to catch her breath.
"What's wrong?" Du Li's expression changed drastically. "Is she going into labor?"
"Don't speak," Meng Qing said.
After drinking a cup of tea, her stomachache subsided, and she asked Du Li to fetch some water. But as soon as she took off her clothes, her stomachache started again.
"I'm about to give birth." Meng Qing's memories from seven years ago came back, and she calmly instructed, "It's still early before I give birth. Help me take a bath and change into clean clothes first."
Du Li was a little flustered. He wasn't home when Meng Qing was giving birth, so even though Wangzhou was already seven years old, it was the first time he had ever seen a woman give birth. He served Meng Qing with trembling hands throughout the bath, and followed her instructions to wash and dry her hair.
"Come on, let's go for a walk, feel the night breeze, and dry our hair," Meng Qing said.
"Going out for a walk?" Du Li exclaimed in surprise. "I'm going to call my mother and find a midwife..."
"It's still early, listen to me." Meng Qing leaned against him and said, "Let's go, let's go out."
Du Li was about to cry; his legs were shaking.
Meng Qing walked out of the courtyard and strolled around the backyard for a while. Only when the contractions became more intense did she let Du Li go to call for help.
"Take Wangzhou to your parents first, but don't wake him or startle him, lest you frighten him," Meng Qing instructed. "Arrange for a servant to guard him, and if he wakes up, don't let him get close."
"Okay." Du Li rushed out the door. He first woke up Meng's parents, then came back and picked up the sleeping Wang Zhou. Wang Zhou was a heavy sleeper and did not wake up even after being moved to another courtyard.
After everything was settled, Du Li went out to call the midwife who had been arranged in advance.
When the midwife arrived, Meng Qing had just finished eating a bowl of sweet egg soup. She endured the pain and said, "Auntie, my water has broken."
The midwife took a closer look with the candle, then felt the baby's position and said, "The baby's position is fine. Just wait a little longer, and the baby will definitely be born before dawn."
Another half hour passed, and the midwife looked again. She rolled up her sleeves and said, "She can give birth now. You can even see the baby's hair."
Mencius' mother was pleasantly surprised, "That was quite fast."
"The child feels sorry for his mother," the midwife said. "Come on, push!"
Meng Qing bit her pillowcase, pushing harder and harder following the midwife's instructions. She didn't know how long she pushed, but then her belly emptied, and the sound of a baby crying filled the room.
"It's born! It's born!" Upon hearing the crying, Du Li breathed a sigh of relief. As he stood up, he stumbled and bumped into the door, which slammed shut. The crying inside grew even louder.
"Congratulations, madam, it's a little boy!" the midwife announced. "The baby is a bit small, but he has a loud voice; he's definitely going to be a strong baby."
Meng's mother took the child and showed him to Meng Qing, "Look, isn't he exactly the same as Wang Zhou when he was little?"
Meng Qing couldn't tell the difference, but she could recognize that the child's eyes were the same as hers, a pair of crescent-shaped eyes.
"Mother, why can't I hear Qingniang's voice? Let her say something," Du Li called through the door. "Qingniang, how are you feeling? Should we call a doctor?"
"No need," Meng Qing replied. "Go and deliver the good news."
Mencius' mother, holding her child, opened the door and went out, saying, "It's another boy. In the future, he can study, write, and take the imperial examinations with Wangzhou. The two brothers can look after each other in the officialdom."
"You've really thought ahead." Father Meng snatched the child into his arms, beaming from ear to ear. "That's wonderful, wonderful! Our Meng family has gained another child."
Meng's mother glanced at Du Li and said, "What do you mean, 'your Meng family'?"
“This child was born to my daughter.” Mr. Meng said, his voice trembling with emotion. “Qingniang has become a mother again. I was waiting outside when she was born, and I am still waiting outside today.”
Seeing that his father-in-law was already crying, Du Li felt embarrassed to take the child away again. Seeing that the bedroom door was not closed properly, he took the opportunity to slip inside.
The midwife heard the voice and saw it was him. She ordered, "Young master, you've come at the right time. Pick up your wife and I'll take the mattress off the bed."
Du Li stepped forward, picked up Meng Qing, and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore. It won't hurt after the baby is born," Meng Qing replied.
"Alright." The midwife laid a clean mat on the bed, gave a few instructions, and then left.
Du Li touched Meng Qing's hair and found it was damp with sweat. He untied her long braid and wiped the dampness from the roots of her hair with a handkerchief.
Her fingers twirled a handkerchief through her hair, gently stroking her scalp. The lingering excitement after childbirth gradually subsided, and she became sleepy. Before closing her eyes, she said, "The second child will be named Wangchuan, the 'Chuan' in 'mountain and river,' meaning that a boat and a river depend on each other. A boat cannot live without water, and water can support a boat."
"Okay, I understand. We'll call it Wangchuan." Du Li agreed.
After a while, Meng's mother came in carrying her child. Just as she was about to tease her daughter about her father, Du Li made a "shh" gesture, and she shut her mouth.
*
The first rays of dawn appeared on the horizon; daylight was approaching.
Wang Zhou had the sheets wrapped around himself; he was sweating profusely in his sleep, his cheeks flushed.
"Wangzhou, wake up." Du Li patted Wangzhou's face. "Open your eyes and see what I'm holding in my arms."
Wang Zhou's eyelids twitched.
"Open your eyes and look!"
Wang Zhou opened his eyes and saw his father sitting by the bed looking at him, while in his arms...
"Look, your mother gave birth to a little brother for you last night," Du Li announced with a smile.
Wang Zhou sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with shock. "Last night? Last night..."
He was talking with his mother last night.
“He was born just before dawn. Your brother’s name is Wangchuan,” Du Li said. “Get up quickly. We’ll go to the yamen with your father later to tell your third uncle and aunt the good news.”
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Author's Note: Taking readers' suggestions into consideration, the name "Wangshui" has been changed to "Wangchuan".
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