It’s unclear how Jiang Changyang spoke with Jiang Zhong, or if he said anything at all. Regardless, it wasn’t long before he brought the babies over. Jiang Changyang’s movements were clumsy and stiff, constantly fearing he might harm the precious bundles in his arms. Yet his face wore an expression of utter satisfaction.
The birth had been natural, and Mudan was young. Thanks to her consistent exercise routine, her spirits were good. With Lin Mama’s help, she sat up and gestured for Jiang Changyang to hand her the babies, without inquiring about Jiang Zhong. Jiang Changyang, understanding the situation, didn’t mention him either. He stood nearby, carefully caressing the babies’ cheeks with one finger, trying to prove that they resembled him in every way.
Being twins, the babies were small, swaddled tightly into two tiny, straight bundles. Only their red, wrinkled faces covered in lanugo were visible. The brother and sister slept soundly. Mudan stared at them for a long time but couldn’t see any resemblance to Jiang Changyang, despite his insistence. She smiled and said, “They barely have eyebrows, and their hair doesn’t look good. They’re so small, seemingly smaller than Qin Niang’s child or A’xin’s daughter.”
“What do you mean, no eyebrows?” Jiang Changyang protested. “Who can tell if a newborn’s hair is good or not?” He believed that even if his children’s hair wasn’t perfect now, it was temporary and would soon grow better than others. As for their size, well, they were twins – of course, they’d be small! But they were his children; just look at how tall he was, and Mudan wasn’t short either. Surely they wouldn’t remain small.
“Yes, you’re right,” Mudan suppressed a laugh, deciding to indulge his newfound paternal joy and pride. Let him say what he wanted. After examining the baby for a while, she started to shoo him away. “You’ve been here all day and must be tired. Go rest for a bit.”
Jiang Changyang smiled, “I’m not tired.” Mudan was so considerate, thinking of him even with the new babies.
“Even if you’re not tired, you should rest,” Mudan blushed. She needed to breastfeed, and how could he stay? When it was just the two of them, it was different, but now there were others in the room. Jiang Changyang sat for a moment, then seemed to understand and left reluctantly.
Mudan immediately asked Lin Mama for help. Lin Mama disapproved, pointing out that they had hired the best-wet nurses – two clean and plump women dedicated to their duty. Why was Mudan troubling herself? At this time, focusing on recovery was the right thing to do.
Mudan patiently explained, “These are my children, yet they haven’t had my milk for even a day. It doesn’t seem right.” She knew she couldn’t satisfy both babies, but shouldn’t they at least have her milk for a few days? During pregnancy, she had longed for the babies, but seeing them now made her want them even more. Wouldn’t breastfeeding strengthen the bond between mother and child?
Lin Mama had other considerations but followed Mudan’s instructions. After helping her clean up, she said with a hint of smugness, “But the babies are asleep.” Hadn’t Jiang Zhong used disturbing the babies’ sleep as an excuse to prevent others from holding them earlier? She could use the same tactic now. Surely they couldn’t wake the babies up?
Mudan just smiled without speaking and picked up Xian’er, who was closest. She frowned slightly. Somehow, in the womb, Xian’er hadn’t been able to compete with Zheng’er and was noticeably smaller. Looking at her wrinkled little face, Mudan couldn’t bear to wake her daughter. Well, newborns needed strength to suckle, so let the stronger brother do the work for his sister.
Mudan put Xian’er down, covering her with a small blanket, and picked up Zheng’er. She gently flicked his little ear. Immediately, loud crying filled the room, Zheng’er’s small face turning impossibly red.
“Oh!” Lin Mama felt as if her flesh was being cut. She tried to take the baby from Mudan to comfort him, but Mudan, smiling, didn’t let her. She just gently stroked Zheng’er’s cheek, softly soothing him. Soon, Zheng’er stopped crying, and Mudan awkwardly began to nurse. One didn’t know how to feed, the other didn’t know how to eat, but both were working towards a common goal. After some struggle, she finally had some success. By evening, both babies had tasted their mother’s milk. Mudan found this endlessly enjoyable. With two backup food sources, she didn’t have to worry about whether she had enough milk or if the babies would go hungry, nor did she need to wake up at night to feed. It was casual, comfortable, and relaxing for her.
Lin Mama, however, felt that Mudan was like a child playing house who had gotten carried away. Unable to tell Jiang Changyang directly, she informed Madam Cen, hoping she would persuade Mudan. Upon hearing this, Madam Cen calmly said, “What’s the problem? They’re her children; she can do as she pleases. When my eldest son was born, I breastfed him myself.”
Lin Mama, feeling rebuffed, had nothing more to say.
Soon, it was time for the babies’ first bath. Originally, before the incident with the Jiang family, Jiang Changyang and Mudan had planned to hold a grand celebration. But plans changed faster than expected, and now it meant they couldn’t do anything elaborate. Everything had to be kept simple; otherwise, they’d be drowned in gossip.
“Let’s not inform others. Just a simple meal with family will do,” Jiang Changyang said, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry it’s not better for you and the children.”
Mudan just smiled, “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I think this is perfect.” She held Jiang Changyang’s hand. “All that is just for show. At least our family of four is still together, whole. That’s something money can’t buy.” She knew that Jiang Changyang had only recently become the Lang Zhong of the Ministry of War before being forced to step down due to the incident with the “pig duke,” and he must be feeling upset.
However, Jiang Changyang wasn’t as distressed as she imagined. “No matter what happens, you always find a bright side. Staying away at this juncture might not be without its benefits.” He said softly, “I’ve recommended Yuan Shijiu to Prince Jing.”
Mudan perked up, “That’s great. Yuan Xiansheng didn’t stubbornly refuse, did he?” This was a career opportunity; ordinarily, no one would refuse. But with Yuan Shijiu’s temperament, it was hard to say.
Jiang Changyang smiled, “He agreed.” Without his presence in court, many things weren’t as easy to handle as before. Having Yuan Shijiu working for Prince Jing would make things much smoother when he eventually returned.
Mudan relaxed, seeing that he had planned this all along. It turned out she didn’t need to worry about him after all.
The day of the babies’ first bath arrived quickly. The He family came early, but there wasn’t much fuss. They simply bathed the babies and shared a simple, modest family meal. Unexpectedly, just as they finished clearing the dishes, Zang Mama arrived on behalf of the Princess Consort of Fen, bringing a pair of longevity locks made of pure gold and four pieces of brocade for the newborns. The gifts weren’t extravagant, just ordinary, but sending gifts at this time showed thoughtfulness, which was very pleasing.
Shortly after Zang Mama left, Li Manniang and Wu Shijiuniang arrived together, both bearing substantial gifts. Wu Shijiuniang showed no signs of the usual postpartum plumpness; she looked quite thin. After looking at the newborns, her gaze settled on Zheng’er, a fleeting look of wistfulness crossing her face. She sighed, “You’re truly blessed.” Li Xing treated her well, but she was secretly competitive. Having given birth to a daughter, she felt awful without anyone needing to say anything, not to mention having a mother-in-law like Madam Cui. As a result, she had pushed herself to this state. Today, Li Xing had advised her not to come, asking why she should if she felt uncomfortable. But she had gotten angry with him, feeling that he was implying that having given birth to a daughter made her inferior and embarrassed to go out. So she insisted on coming.
“You’re blessed too. First comes the flower, then the fruit. Your daughter is well-behaved and healthy, unlike my two who look so small, it’s worrying,” Mudan said, aware of Wu Shijiuniang’s inner conflict. She suppressed her happiness in front of her, trying to find other topics to discuss. Regardless, Wu Shijiuniang’s visit was a gesture of goodwill.
However, Mudan didn’t anticipate that her words would sound boastful to Wu Shijiuniang. Consequently, Wu Shijiuniang’s subsequent behavior made Mudan uncomfortable. Whether intentional or not, Wu Shijiuniang kept consoling her, telling her not to worry about the recent events in the Jiang family, saying that everyone knew Jiang Changyang wasn’t like the others, regardless of how bad their reputation was. She mentioned that Li Xing had been very concerned and had made inquiries, implying that he had exerted considerable effort on Jiang Changyang’s behalf. She also hinted at Li Xing’s promotion.
Li Manniang tried to change the subject, but Wu Shijiuniang pretended not to understand, smiling and saying, “No matter what, with your husband’s abilities, the future might be even better than now. This incident won’t affect him. So don’t worry.” She laughed, appearing caring and considerate, but her tone and smile were unsettling. It was like children competing – if I can’t outdo you in this, I must surpass you in something else.
Mudan began to feel uncomfortable but then thought that she didn’t need to fuss over Wu Shijiuniang. Wu Shijiuniang wasn’t even twenty years old, while Mudan, counting her past life and current one, was over thirty. For Li Xing’s sake, if not for Wu Shijiuniang’s, she should be gracious. So she smiled and let it pass, saying, “Thank you for your kind words, sister-in-law. I’m grateful.”
Seeing Mudan’s happy smile, Wu Shijiuniang felt somewhat deflated. At this moment, Li Manniang suggested leaving, and Wu Shijiuniang took the opportunity to politely take her leave. Li Manniang found a chance to quietly tell Madam Cen, “Please tell Mudan not to take it to heart. Shijiuniang isn’t usually so petty, but she’s been upset these days and is having trouble coping.” Upon hearing that Mudan had given birth to both a son and a daughter at once, Madam Cui’s “illness” had worsened. Although she didn’t dare to openly show her displeasure to Wu Shijiuniang, her being sick and hardly inquiring about her granddaughter’s affairs was a form of showing her displeasure. Who could bear that?
Madam Cen replied coolly, “Who would take offense at her? If we were to take such things seriously, we’d have stopped associating long ago.”
Li Manniang smiled slightly, “Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”
Not long after the Li family left, Pan Rong and Madam Bai arrived, each bringing gifts from two people.
Note: A reader reminded me that for a grandmother’s mourning, grandchildren only need to observe one year of mourning. I had previously written three years, but when I checked the references at the time, it said that the eldest grandson of the eldest son should observe three years of mourning. However, I didn’t notice that this practice was implemented after the Ming and Qing dynasties. Before that, the eldest grandson observed three years of mourning for his grandfather, but there was no mention of the grandmother. So I’m clarifying this here and correcting it.