Madam Qian was expected to give birth after the New Year, which was one of the reasons Song Jiyun dared to go to Nanjing.
Unexpectedly, Madam Qian went into labor early.
Fortunately, both the midwife and the doctor had already been arranged for, and all that was needed was to send someone to fetch them in advance.
Nanny Zheng calmly and collectedly directed the maids and servant boys, sending for the doctor and the midwife, boiling water, and fetching ginseng slices. Despite the bustle, there was an orderly and methodical air to the chaos.
Yuan Yunzhong thought for a moment, then went to join Madam Qian as well.
However, he didn’t enter the yard but waited outside with Steward Wu.
Soon, snowflakes began to drift from the sky. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Song Jiyu and Song Jixue hurried over upon hearing the news.
The two young misses huddled under an umbrella, shivering like quails, eliciting a surge of pity from those who saw them.
Although Yuan Yunzhong had never experienced such a situation, he knew that childbirth was a matter of life and death, and with Song Jiyun not at home, the two young misses must have been extremely afraid of their mother coming to harm.
He thought of those earnest but slightly crude handcrafted lace gifts and instructed Steward Wu, "Please take the two misses to wait in the side hall."
Steward Wu hesitated.
The two misses had not yet married, and it would be proper for them to avoid such matters.
Yuan Yunzhong disagreed, saying, "The unknown is even more frightening."
Steward Wu found his point reasonable and promptly ushered Song Jiyu and Song Jixue to the side hall.
He then held an umbrella for Yuan Yunzhong, who continued to wait outside.
At midnight, Madam Qian gave birth to a daughter without complications.
Steward Wu’s heart sank at the news, and he quickly turned to look at Yuan Yunzhong.
Yuan Yunzhong remained expressionless, but his shoulders slumped noticeably.
Why did he look even more disheartened than him?
Steward Wu was perplexed but felt it inappropriate to inquire further.
He was busy handing out rewards to the doctor, midwife, and all the female servants and nannies who had labored throughout the event.
As for whether to inform Madam Zeng of the good news, he hesitated and consulted with Yuan Yunzhong, "Should we wait for the eldest young miss to return?"
Madam Zeng had previously leveraged the unborn child as a means to control the household. Now that a daughter was born, he was worried that Song Sanliang and Madam Zeng would use it as an excuse to rekindle the dispute over the estate with Song Jiyun.
Yuan Yunzhong declared firmly, "That won’t happen!"
Steward Wu considered his words and then understood Yuan Yunzhong’s meaning.
Although he didn’t fully believe Yuan Yunzhong, the latter’s conduct during this period had convinced him that he was not a simple character. Moreover, with the Fourth Young Miss of the Song Family now born and the family not hiding the event, it would be impossible to completely conceal the news until Song Jiyun’s return. He decided it was better to adhere to tradition and report the joyful news as per usual.
Madam Zeng was indeed overjoyed upon hearing the news and quickly summoned Song Sanliang and his wife back to the city to discuss the matter.
Whereas, Madam Qian cried until her eyes were swollen.
"It’s all my fault," she wept to Nanny Zheng. "If I had given birth to a brother for Yun Duo, she could have legitimately taken over the family business. All the effort she put in before might be wasted because of me."
Nanny Zheng also felt emotional but could only console her, "This is fate! No one has control over it; you’ll have to accept it!"
She was even undecided about whether to perform the ’wash-three’ ceremony for the child.
But to have no celebration at all was also not right.
So, she went to consult with Yuan Yunzhong.
"Do it!" Yuan Yunzhong stated resolutely. "Follow the rules and do it!"
Because the Song Family was still in mourning, to "follow the rules" meant that only close family would gather for a meal.
Sighing, Nanny Zheng went to send word to relatives and friends.
The Clan elders of the Song Family were in a difficult position, however.
They gathered at the Eleventh Grand Master’s house, debating whether to attend the wash-three ceremony for the Fourth Young Miss of the Song Family.
"Why did it have to be a daughter? How perfect it would have been if it was a son!"
"I definitely must go, but what am I to do after I get there?"
"Sanliang has no sons, by rights he should adopt a son for Sanliang, but how should we choose the person?"
"Just yesterday, Song Sanliang came to me and asked what I thought. But if we adopt their son, I’m afraid Boss Song won’t agree!"
"Is it up to her to agree or not? It’s customary! Does she really expect to take her family’s property with her to her husband’s family?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone exchanged glances, but no one responded.
The Eleventh Grand Master Song, who had been silent until then, now spoke softly, "The ’Third Wash’ ritual is for the ladies to attend, isn’t it? We don’t need to go!"
A clan elder immediately understood his implication.
His eyes lit up, and he said, "You mean, we wait for Song Jiyun to return?"
Before the Eleventh Grand Master Song could nod, the crowd erupted, all saying, "Yes! Exactly! The two families are competing against each other, why should we interfere?"
Of course, there were a few who disagreed, but seeing that the majority felt this way, it was not appropriate to stand out in this situation.
And so, the matter was settled.
When the Fourth Young Miss of the Song Family had her ’Third Wash’ ceremony, the female members of the Song Clan were all in attendance, including Madam Yan and Madam Wu, who were close with Madam Qian.
And there came an intriguing guest—Old Master Xiong’s wife.
During the ’Third Wash’ ritual, she threw several gold ingots into the wash basin.
This immediately attracted everyone’s attention, and they all inquired who she was.
Mrs. Xiong, a woman of extremely gentle appearance and a seemingly shy personality, closely followed Madam Yan in and out. When asked about her, she did not just hide behind Madam Yan; instead she introduced herself in a soft voice, explaining that Old Master Xiong was now in business with Song Jiyun and had come especially from Wuyuan to congratulate the Song family.
After hearing this, everyone privately discussed among themselves, feeling that since the Song Clan came under Song Jiyun’s care, their prominence seemed to grow even stronger. They felt indifferent at first, but now they all adjusted their attitude, smiling and interacting amicably with one another.
Madam Yan, seeing that Madam Qian wasn’t looking too well, took her aside to comfort her, "Having daughters is like having half a son. You have four daughters, which is like having two sons. What’s not to be happy about? Look at Boss Song, how capable she is! She’s a hundred, no, a thousand times better than any son. If I had such a daughter, I’d wake up laughing even in the middle of the night."
Madam Qian, looking at her youngest daughter sleeping in her cradle with chubby rosy cheeks, said softly, "It’s not that I don’t like daughters. A daughter is a little cotton-padded jacket close to her mother’s heart. I just feel that I’m holding Yun Duo back."
"Then you must lift your spirits even more!" Madam Yan said, "You can’t let others laugh at you."
Madam Qian felt the words strike her like thunder and from then on, stopped mentioning this and stood up straight.
Song Jixue was young, and since everyone spoke in front of her, she inadvertently overheard much idle gossip these past days.
As many guests arrived for her sister’s ’Third Wash’, taking advantage of the moment when Madam Qian and Nanny Zheng were not watching her, she ran into Song Jiyun’s courtyard and listlessly started carving characters into a camphor tree with a carving knife.
When Yuan Yunzhong passed by, she also gave him a fierce glare.
The look on her face was exactly like when Song Jiyun was angry.
He found it amusing and asked her, "What are you doing here? Where are your maids and nannies?"
"None of your business!" Song Jixue sneered, lifting her chin in a manner that was also quite like Song Jiyun.
Yuan Yunzhong seemed to see a miniature Song Jiyun.
He grabbed Song Jixue by the collar, intending to hand her over to the servants attending him.
Song Jixue screamed and thrashed in the air, shouting, "You’re no good person either! I saw everything clearly that day. My mother was upset at having another daughter, and you were unhappy too. When my eldest sister comes back, I’m going to tell her!"
Yuan Yunzhong was taken aback.
Song Jixue took the opportunity to kick him.
But he dodged it.
"Don’t spout nonsense!" he said gently, letting go of Song Jixue and patting her head.
Song Jixue’s face immediately turned red, and she ran off like a shot.
Yuan Yunzhong sighed lightly as he watched Song Jixue’s retreating figure.
The Song family had gained a Fourth Young Miss Song; he was somewhat displeased.
But his unhappiness was not because Madam Qian had given birth to a daughter.
Rather, he felt that with the birth of a daughter, Song Jiyun would now be even less likely to leave the Song Family!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
