After Xia Liang was moved to a regular ward, the whole family, except for Han Yulan who was looking after her granddaughter, gathered around to show their concern. Xia Liang, her face pale, weakly asked Gu Yanxiao, "Where's the baby? Boy or girl?" Gu Yanxiao held her hand and softly replied, "The nurse took her to bathe. It's a girl, she looks like you, very pretty." Xia Liang weakly forced a smile and then fell asleep.
Han Yulan brought her clean-washed granddaughter into the ward. Everyone was overjoyed to see the rosy-cheeked little baby. Perhaps it was because Xia Liang had received ample nutrition during her pregnancy, but unlike some newborns who are wrinkled, the baby's skin was remarkably smooth, except for a slight redness. Han Yulan wanted to hand the baby to Gu Yanxiao, but Gu Yanxiao was too afraid to hold her! She was so small and soft; he tried several times but didn't know how to hold her. Han Yulan rolled her eyes at him and continued to smile as she looked at her granddaughter in her arms.
After three days in the hospital, Xia Liang was discharged and returned to the county government compound. With the care of her family and the several delicious meals a day provided by Aunt Wu, Xia Liang felt much better. However, her mother-in-law still wouldn't let her get out of bed for long periods, nor would she allow her to wash her hair. She was forced to lie in bed and read, but not for very long. Basically, she was waited on hand and foot, with Gu Yanxiao doing everything for her. The baby was being mixed-fed with breast milk and formula, as they were worried she wouldn't be used to formula when she went back to work, so they wanted her to get used to it first. Xia Liang was currently lying on her side in bed reading, with Gu Yanxiao sitting beside her. Although neither of them spoke, the atmosphere was warm and cozy. Suddenly, a weak cry rang out, "Ahhh!" Gu Yanxiao quickly picked up his daughter and placed her on the crib beside him. He opened the diaper and saw it was indeed wet. He skillfully changed the diaper, but the baby continued to cry. Gu Yanxiao then handed her to his wife, Xia Liang. Xia Liang knew she was hungry and needed to be fed. She glanced at the man standing beside her and gestured for him to leave. Helpless, Gu Yanxiao could only reluctantly go out to wash the diapers. Xia Liang wanted to laugh at his expression. After feeding the baby, the little one fell asleep again. That's how it is with babies in their first month: eat, sleep, wake up, poop.
When Gu Weiguo and Han Yulan returned home that evening, they asked Xia Liang if she had decided on a name for the baby. The mere mention of it gave Xia Liang a headache. She had been thinking about a name since before giving birth, and even now, several days after being discharged from the hospital, she still hadn't come up with one. Xia Liang passed this daunting question to Gu Yanxiao. Gu Yanxiao glanced at his wife. Actually, he had thought of several names while he was in the army, but considering that his wife had been alone from pregnancy to delivery, and he hadn't been there to take care of her, he felt it wasn't right for him to take away the right to choose a name, so he hadn't said anything. But now that his wife wanted to give him the decision, he eagerly spoke up: "I've thought of a few." Han Yulan said, "Tell me about them." Gu Yanxiao said, "Qingyan, Wanning, Yunxi, Kexia, I like the last one the most." He then looked at Xia Liang: "I want to add your name too." Xia Liang refused: "No, I refuse." Gu Yanxiao could only agree. Han Yulan added, "I've prepared a few too. Choose whichever you like. If you're not satisfied, keep thinking." Xia Liang nodded, then heard her mother-in-law say, "Shuyi, Wanyin, Yaxian, Ruochu, what do you think?" Before Xia Liang could answer, Gu Yanxiao said, "I think my choices are good. Mom, yours are just so-so." The mother and daughter started arguing. Xia Liang could only helplessly say, "How about we draw lots? Write them down on little slips of paper and let the baby choose. Whichever she chooses is hers. If she asks later, we can say she chose it herself." Han Yulan and Gu Yanxiao nodded, saying in unison, "Okay." So, Gu Yanxiao went to prepare the slips of paper, while Han Yulan sat on the sofa holding her granddaughter, unable to get enough of looking at her. Gu Weiguo also came over to talk to the little one, "Sweetie, I'm Grandpa. Call me Grandpa." Han Yulan glanced at him, "If you're going to call someone, call them Grandma first." Xia Liang "......"
Gu Yanxiao took the small slips of paper with names written on them and placed them directly on the coffee table. Each slip was cut very small, and the names were even smaller. Gu Weiguo said, "No wonder it took you so long. You're very thoughtful. Now my granddaughter can get them all." He placed a handful of slips of paper with names on them in the hands of a baby less than a month old. The baby couldn't grasp them and naturally couldn't hold them. The family of four held their breath, quietly waiting for the baby's final decision. Until the slips of paper in the baby's hand fell one by one, and only the last one remained, Gu Yanxiao quickly and skillfully... Upon opening the slip of paper, he jumped for joy, laughing heartily, "As expected of my dear daughter, she understands her father perfectly! She chose the name I gave her." Han Yulan didn't believe him, holding out her right hand, "I don't believe you, let me see it." Gu Yanxiao raised his chin high and handed the slip of paper to Han Yulan, "You still don't believe me?" Han Yulan opened the slip of paper and saw "Yunxi." She glanced at her son reluctantly, then said helplessly, "Alright! Since our darling chose this, let's call her Yunxi. Go register her birth tomorrow." Gu Yanxiao nodded happily.
Meanwhile, Gu Yunxi, still fast asleep, had no idea that her name had been decided so hastily. Couldn't they have taken it a little more seriously?!
The next day, a new page appeared on the Gu family's household registration book: Gu Yunxi. Thinking of his daughter, Gu Yanxiao felt a surge of happiness emanating from within, as if he were bubbling with joy. However, the thought that he would have to return to his unit in a few days brought a pang of sadness to his heart. He was reluctant to leave his wife and daughter.
But there was nothing he could do; Gu Yanxiao's holiday countdown had already begun. The night before his departure, Gu Yanxiao held his daughter tightly, unwilling to let go. Han Yulan tried several times to hold her, but he wouldn't let her, saying, "You can hold her anytime at home, but I'm leaving soon. I don't know if my little darling will still recognize her father when I come back next year. By then, she should be able to call out to people!" He couldn't think about it; the more he thought about it, the more tears he couldn't hold back. Han Yulan stopped trying to take her granddaughter from him, but they followed her everywhere. So, when Gu Yanxiao carried little Yunxi around the living room, they followed him there; when he walked around the kitchen, they followed him there, like two little shadows.
The next day, when Gu Yanxiao left, Xia Liang couldn't see him off because she was still in her postpartum confinement period. Gu Weiguo and Han Yulan went to the train station early in the morning to see their son off. Although he always fought with her over their granddaughter at home, they were still a little reluctant to let him go. Watching the train carrying their son slowly pull away, Han Yulan felt a little lost. Gu Weiguo said, "Let's go home and hug our granddaughter." Han Yulan instantly perked up and happily went home. Poor Gu Yanxiao!
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