The sky gradually brightened as muffled moans came from inside the room.

Zhao Ling stood beneath the window lattice, anxiously sweating profusely, repeatedly saying: “A’Yun, it’s alright, it’s alright, I’m just outside the room… bear with it a little longer, it’ll be over soon…”

This wasn’t like being sick where bearing with it would make it better…

Fu Tingyun wanted to laugh hearing this, but just as she tried to smile, another wave of pain came…

She had to bite down hard on the handkerchief Granny Lü had given her.

Granny Lü gently stroked her forehead: “Do as I say, and everything will be fine.” Her tone was loving and gentle. “See, your husband is here with you!”

Fu Tingyun nodded.

Granny Lü nodded to Madam Tong, who immediately brought over brown sugar water. Granny Lü personally helped her drink it.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ling, hearing no sound, anxiously called out: “A’Yun, A’Yun, what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine!” Fu Tingyun replied with effort, her voice sounding somewhat weak.

“That’s good, that’s good!” Zhao Ling murmured, then asked Fu Tingyun, “You ate a few boiled eggs two hours ago. Are you hungry? Is there anything special you’d like to eat? I can have someone prepare it…”

Fu Tingyun was about to answer when Granny Lü, who had been gentle and soft-spoken, suddenly said with displeasure: “She needs to save her strength for childbirth. You asking fewer questions would be better than any food!” She then scolded Fu Tingyun, “Instead of spending energy talking to him, you’d better conserve your strength.”

Her face reddened, and she lowered her head, concentrating on drinking the brown sugar water.

Zhao Ling dared not speak anymore and paced back and forth.

Zhenzhu and Kou’er didn’t dare to breathe loudly.

Zheng San’s wife, bringing in hot water, saw this and advised him: “First births are like this. Ninth Lord, why don’t you rest in the other room for a while? You haven’t closed your eyes all night. When the child is born, I’ll bring the baby to you immediately.”

How could Zhao Ling possibly sleep?

Though he knew anxiously waiting outside was useless, he would be even more anxious if he weren’t here.

“How… how much longer will it take?” he asked anxiously.

It had been a whole night, and still, no baby’s cry was heard.

He was tired of standing, let alone Fu Tingyun, who had been in pain until now.

“Soon, soon!” Zheng San’s wife could only comfort him this way.

Hearing her perfunctory tone, Zhao Ling’s face darkened, his lips pressed tightly together, his brow revealing a formidable sharpness.

Zheng San’s wife felt a shudder, hastily saying, “Granny Lü is waiting for my hot water,” and hurriedly entered the inner chamber.

Zhao Ling stood on the steps of the main hall with his hands behind his back, motionless, watching the morning glow slowly redden the pomegranate tree beside him.

Suddenly, a crisp baby’s cry came from the inner chamber.

Overjoyed, he exclaimed: “A’Yun, A’Yun…” Disregarding Granny Lü’s instructions, he hurriedly pushed open the lattice door of the hall.

“Quick, quick, stop him!” Granny Lü, hearing the commotion, shouted. “Be careful he doesn’t bring cold air in and startle the mother and child.”

Hearing such a shout, Zhao Ling abruptly halted at the inner chamber’s door curtain, but he couldn’t help craning his neck anxiously to ask: “A’Yun, how are you?” He completely ignored the silk curtain hanging before him, through which he could see nothing.

“I’m doing well,” Fu Tingyun’s tired yet joyful voice came through the curtain to his ears. “It’s a daughter… we have a daughter…”

“That’s wonderful, wonderful…” Zhao Ling answered through the curtain, suddenly feeling his vision blur with tears. “Let me see her quickly, bring her out to me.” As he spoke, the baby’s crying stopped, making him anxious again. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Why isn’t the child crying anymore?”

“In all my years of delivering babies, I’ve never seen anyone noisier than your husband,” Granny Lü said angrily. “Both mother and child are perfectly fine. The baby isn’t crying because she’s being bathed.”

Zhao Ling felt embarrassed by Granny Lü’s words, but then he heard Granny Lü’s slightly teasing voice: “However, your daughter is quite interesting. Her eyes wide open, when placed in the water, she neither cries nor fusses…”

Hearing this, Zhao Ling became even more restless, desperately wanting to see his daughter at once…

Hearing the rustling sounds outside the curtain, Granny Lü chuckled and said to Fu Tingyun: “Your husband cares for you so much, you are truly blessed.”

She had been in pain all night, and Zhao Ling had been making a fuss outside all night.

“Granny Lü, you’re teasing me,” Fu Tingyun smiled with embarrassment, though her eyes and brows betrayed undisguised sweetness.

Granny Lü laughed and said: “I’ll help you deliver your next child.”

Next time?

She had just given birth!

Fu Tingyun was bewildered.

Granny Lü had already risen and walked to Madam Tong’s side, taking the well-wrapped baby and examining her carefully. Then, turning to Fu Tingyun with a smile, she said: “Your daughter looks like you, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, truly beautiful.” She handed the baby to Zheng San’s wife. “Quickly, take her to show your master, or else the bricks at the inner chamber door will be worn through by your master’s pacing!” By the end of her words, she had a teasing tone.

Everyone listening broke into smiles.

…

Zhao Ling leaned over the edge of the kang bed, smiling as he stared at the exquisite baby sleeping with closed eyes in the bright red swaddling cloth, unable to take his eyes off her.

Fu Tingyun finished her brown sugar water in one gulp, handed the empty bowl to Zhenzhu, and rinsed her mouth with Kou’er’s assistance. Reclining against the large pillow, she took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her mouth, only to realize that Zhao Ling had maintained the same position without moving.

She couldn’t help but smile with pursed lips and said: “Weren’t you constantly clamoring to hold the baby? What now? Now that you’re allowed to hold her, you won’t?”

Zhao Ling smiled sheepishly: “Isn’t she sleeping? I’m afraid if I wake her, she’ll cry! When she wakes up, I can hold her then.” He didn’t want to admit that he was afraid to hold the baby—when she was just born, Zheng San’s wife had brought her out and placed her in his arms, and that tiny, soft body had made him extremely nervous, fearing that one wrong move might hurt her…

Fu Tingyun didn’t expose him, looking at him with tenderness flowing in her eyes, and said softly: “You should go rest for a while. You haven’t slept for almost two days and two nights!”

“I’m not tired,” Zhao Ling’s gaze involuntarily fell on his daughter again. “Tell me, who does she look like?” he murmured to himself. “I think her nose looks like mine, high and straight, and her mouth resembles yours, red and vibrant…” As he spoke, he lowered his head to gently touch his daughter’s cheek. “Why is she so small? When will she grow up?”

All childish talk.

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but laugh and said: “With all this time, why not think about what name to give our daughter?”

“I’ve already thought of that,” Zhao Ling revealed a somewhat proud expression upon hearing her words. “Our daughter was born on the twenty-fourth day of the fourth month, at the first quarter hour of Si, just as the morning sun was rising. She’s also our eldest daughter. I think her formal name should be ‘Hui,’ and her pet name ‘Xiao Long’!”

Si, the fourth month, corresponds to the Snake in the Chinese zodiac, and snakes are also called little dragons.

“A girl called Xiao Long?” Fu Tingyun looked at Zhao Ling in surprise, shaking her head like a rattle drum. “No, no!”

“Then, then her pet name could be Spring’er…” Zhao Ling said, not waiting for Fu Tingyun’s response before shaking his head himself. “Sounds like a maid’s name, not good… or maybe Xu’er, which also means morning sun…”

Fu Tingyun, seeing him getting more outlandish, said: “I think ‘Youyou’ would be good. ‘The deer calls youyou, eating wild duckweed’—look at her temper, demanding to eat when hungry, and starting to cry loudly if slightly delayed. I think ‘Youyou’ is perfect.” She liked the name more and more as she spoke.

Zhao Ling, looking at his daughter now lying quietly beside her mother, recalled her earlier heart-stirring loud cries, and burst into laughter: “Then Youyou it is.” Then he started talking to his daughter, “Youyou, your mother thinks you cry too loudly, so she specifically gave you this name…”

“What nonsense are you talking?” Fu Tingyun scolded. “Children have ears too. Whatever you say, she’ll remember in her heart.”

“Really?” Zhao Ling smiled. “Then she should be most familiar with me. Before she was born, I talked to her every day.” As he finished speaking, the previously sleeping Youyou suddenly opened her eyes.

Black pupils, clearly reflecting Zhao Ling’s image.

Zhao Ling was ecstatic and quickly said: “A’Yun, look, look… Youyou havex opened her eyes. She must know I’m talking about her, that’s why she opened her eyes.”

“Where? Where?” Fu Tingyun hurriedly bent down to look.

Their daughter’s eyes were large and round, bright and clear, as beautiful as flawless jade.

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable with two heads hovering over her, Youyou began to cry loudly.

“What’s wrong with her?” Zhao Ling hurriedly asked. “Is she hungry?”

Fu Tingyun picked up her daughter in a fluster: “It can’t be, she just had milk.”

“Could she be thirsty?”

“She had some water before feeding.”

“Or does she need to be changed?”

The two heads came together again to unwrap the swaddling cloth.

The diaper was dry and clean.

The two tried clumsily to wrap the baby back up.

But the child kept moving her hands and feet. Zhao Ling and Fu Tingyun were sweating profusely, while the child remained unwrapped and cried even louder.

“What should we do?” Fu Tingyun asked Zhao Ling, her forehead covered in sweat.

Zhao Ling didn’t know what to do either, but being resourceful, he immediately said: “Call in the wet nurse.”

A wet nurse had been arranged before Youyou’s birth, but Fu Tingyun had milk after eating just a few brown sugar boiled eggs. The wet nurse’s child was born a month earlier than Youyou. When Fu Tingyun went into labor, they had sent for the wet nurse. Following tradition, the wet nurse couldn’t bring her own child into the household. She had gone back to express milk when her breasts became full. When Youyou had pursed her small lips, Fu Tingyun, feeling distressed, tried to feed her herself. The baby ate heartily, taking large mouthfuls until she was full. By the time the wet nurse came to take the baby, Fu Tingyun was reluctant to part with her, saying only that the wet nurse should take good care of herself, and kept her daughter by her side to feed herself.

Zhao Ling knew that the wet nurse’s milk wasn’t as good as Fu Tingyun’s. Concerned for his daughter, he pretended not to know.

Zheng San’s wife, hearing the crying, entered: “What’s wrong?” Seeing the unwrapped swaddling cloth, she was startled and stepped forward to wrap the baby: “Let me do it, let me do it!”

The two let out a long sigh of relief.