When things suddenly took a turn for the better, the two midwives dared not relax. With sweat dripping from their foreheads, they guided Jin Chao as she pushed. When the child finally came out, the maid immediately took a cotton cloth to wrap it, patted the baby’s bottom twice, and immediately cried out.

The cry was strong and vigorous.

Chen San Ye, hearing the child’s cry, finally felt relieved.

He held her hand tightly, bent down to kiss her, and whispered comfortingly, “It’s all right now, Jin Chao, it’s a boy!”

Jin Chao’s heart was filled with the joy of having survived this ordeal.

She raised her head and touched Chen San Ye’s face—his curved, thick eyebrows, the contours of his eye sockets, his high, straight nose… Chen San Ye let her explore his face. Gu Jin Chao felt everything relax, but couldn’t hold back the tears that flowed, soaking her temples.

She felt that she had shed more tears today than at any other time.

Chen San Ye smiled as he stroked her hair. After quite a while, Gu Jin Chao recovered and said softly that she wanted to see the child.

Only then did Chen San Ye let the midwife bring the baby over.

The midwife had just used a hot towel to wipe the baby’s body, and now held him wrapped in a bright red embroidered swaddling cloth. The baby had only cried for a moment right after birth but was now quiet. His skin was still reddish, his face chubby, and his little mouth pink and delicate. He lay against the swaddling cloth with his eyes closed, his newborn hair black.

When the baby was placed beside her, Gu Jin Chao bent down and kissed his tender cheek.

The baby wrinkled his little nose and made a few crying sounds.

Gu Jin Chao froze and didn’t dare to touch him again, but she didn’t hear him cry.

Chen San Ye gently picked up the child and examined the little one. The baby didn’t mind his mother’s disturbance and tilted his head against the swaddling cloth, falling asleep again. His eyes and mouth were small, and it was impossible to tell whom he resembled. Yet Chen San Ye smiled and said, “The child’s eyes and brows look like yours. He’ll be handsome when he grows up.”

Gu Jin Chao laughed. What good was it for a boy to look like her? Besides, he was still so small…

The midwife praised him, saying, “The young master has a fine build! In all my years of delivering babies, I’ve rarely seen such a fair and plump boy! He’ll certainly grow up strong and healthy, free from illness and misfortune.”

Chen San Ye rewarded the two midwives with red envelopes. The midwives could tell from the weight that the amount was considerable. They left with a thousand thanks.

Lady Chen arrived with her people, also eager to see her grandson.

After holding him for a while, Lady Chen was delighted. The baby was chubby and looked so soft. His hand reached out from the swaddling cloth, and she gently grasped it—his little fist only slightly larger than a walnut. “He looks better than San Er did. San Er was very thin when he was born!”

She then asked Madam Sun, “Have you found a wet nurse? Call her over to wait. The child will be hungry soon.”

Madam Sun nodded with a smile, “One has already been found. She’s waiting in the side room and can come at any time.”

Gu Jin Chao, however, somewhat wanted to nurse the baby herself. In her previous life, she hadn’t been close with her child… The difficult delivery made her cherish this little one even more. However, the ladies of the Chen family all used wet nurses for their children, sometimes even alternating between two. It wasn’t appropriate for her to bring this up separately.

She said nothing, just smiled as she watched everyone gathering around Lady Chen.

Lady Chen handed the baby to Madam Sun, who took him to the side room.

She came to sit at Gu Jin Chao’s bedside and said gently, “It’s already daylight outside. Would you like to eat something before resting?”

This child had been troubling her for a whole day… Although Gu Jin Chao still felt uncomfortable, her mood relaxed considerably. She wanted to say she couldn’t eat anything but then thought that since the onset of labor, she had only had soup. So, she nodded and said, “I’ll have something light then.”

The maid quickly brought crucian carp soup and sweet egg for Jin Chao to eat. She was truly exhausted and fell asleep against the pillow.

Everyone who had kept vigil throughout the night was now left to rest, as the child had been safely delivered.

Lady Chen, however, called Chen San Ye out to talk.

“You entered the delivery room?” Lady Chen’s face was serious.

Chen San Ye nodded slightly.

Lady Chen sighed, “Isn’t that too inauspicious… The delivery room is very unlucky. No matter how much you care for her, you shouldn’t have risked yourself…” Thinking of how this son of hers had always been good to Gu Jin Chao, she found it difficult to continue.

Chen Yan Yun said, “Her situation was critical at that time, and I had to be with her. Let’s not talk about whether it was inauspicious or not. I know what I’m doing.”

Lady Chen remained silent for a moment, then said, “It’s all in the past now, so let’s not speak of it. Now that both the mother and child are safe, everything is fine…” Her face also showed signs of fatigue, after all, she hadn’t slept the entire night.

“You should go back and rest first,” Chen Yan Yun urged her.

Lady Chen mustered her energy, “I still need to go to the ancestral hall to burn incense for the ancestors. The child has just been born, and I must also burn some Buddhist scriptures for him…” She looked at her son with concern, “You haven’t rested all night either. Take care of yourself.”

Chen Yan Yun just smiled. Although he hadn’t slept all night, he wasn’t sleepy. Now that he could relax, he felt a splitting headache.

If he went to sleep now, he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep anyway.

He escorted Lady Chen out of Mu Xin Hall.

…

When Gu Jin Chao woke up, it was afternoon, and she was now in the main room. Last night, the maids had barely slept; now Yu Zhu was dozing, leaning against her bed, her head bobbing like a pecking chicken.

Gu Jin Chao looked around but neither saw the baby nor heard any sound.

Having just given birth to the little one, she truly wished to have the child by her side at all times.

Gu Jin Chao called out to Yu Zhu, who woke up startled, rubbed her eyes, and said, “Madam, ah! How did I fall asleep? You’re awake, do you want something to eat?” She looked at Gu Jin Chao with a somewhat ingratiating expression, as if at her command, she would dart out to bring whatever she wanted.

This maid was always quite amusing.

Gu Jin Chao smiled, “I don’t want to eat anything… Where’s the baby?”

“Madam Zhu and Madam Sun took him to the east wing room for a bath. They’ll bring him back shortly.”

Gu Jin Chao sighed with relief and asked, “Has he been fed?”

“Yes, he drinks in big gulps, eating heartily! But he likes to cry, he’s cried several times already…”

Gu Jin Chao told her, “…Children are all like that. When they’re unhappy, they cry.”

She then asked, “Has San Ye gone to rest? I don’t see him.”

“Third Master is copying Buddhist scriptures in the study,” said Yu Zhu. “Madam Sun had lunch sent over, and the maid who reported back said he was still copying.”

Gu Jin Chao frowned slightly. He hadn’t slept? Hadn’t he been up for a whole day already…

She told Yu Zhu to call him over.

Chen San Ye came quickly.

“Why aren’t you resting?” He arranged her bedding. “Do you want to see the baby? He’s been taken for a bath and will be brought back soon.”

Gu Jin Chao shook her head and asked him, “Do you have official business tomorrow?”

Chen San Ye smiled gently, “Don’t worry, the cabinet can make decisions without me. You’ve just given birth, and I want to spend a few days with you.”

Gu Jin Chao took his hand, “That’s not what I meant… I was thinking you should rest for a while.”

“I can’t sleep anyway, so I might as well copy some scriptures,” he looked at her with gentle eyes. “When you were in labor, I made a vow to Buddha. If you and the child were safe, I would hand-copy nine hundred and ninety-nine volumes of the Diamond Sutra as an offering.”

Nine hundred and ninety-nine volumes… how long would that take!

Gu Jin Chao didn’t know he would pray to Buddha. Didn’t he always say that it was better to rely on oneself than others?

Gu Jin Chao knew that sometimes when he stayed up too late, he would get headaches that prevented him from sleeping. Especially if he had to think hard the night before, the situation would be worse. She looked at him and asked, “…Do you have a headache?”

Before Chen San Ye could answer, Gu Jin Chao said, “Let me massage it for you. It will help a little.”

Chen San Ye lay down beside her. Gu Jin Chao was about to reach out to massage him, but he held her hand and said, “Don’t massage me. I’ll lie down for a while and it will be fine. You rest.”

Gu Jin Chao watched as Chen Yan Yun closed his eyes, his breathing deep and clear. She noticed that Chen San Ye had very thick eyelashes, and she thought of the newborn baby… the baby’s eyelashes were like his, not particularly long but very thick. She leaned against Chen San Ye’s shoulder, feeling his strong arm encircling her in return… the two of them lying quietly together.

What should they name the child? Now was the time to think of a suitable milk name.

Since Gu Jin Chao couldn’t sleep anyway, she began to think about names for the baby. In her previous life, the baby also had a milk name, given by Lady Chen, but she had never used it. A boy’s milk name could follow his maternal uncle’s, or be based on the season or his zodiac sign… all would be good… As she thought, her consciousness grew fuzzy, and lying in Chen San Ye’s arms, she quickly fell asleep again…

The news of Gu Jin Chao giving birth to a baby boy was relayed to the Gu family the next day.

Gu De Zhao was very pleased upon hearing it and came to tell Xu Jing Yi, “…The baby weighed eight jin at birth, a plump little fellow! When it’s time for the third-day washing ceremony, prepare some extra things to go see her. I heard the delivery wasn’t very smooth. Have a gold longevity lock made for the child!”

Xu Jing Yi nodded with a smile, “I’ve already prepared everything—tonics for Jin Chao, little clothes and toys for the baby. I’ve not only prepared a gold longevity lock but also a pair of gold anklets with fish and water plant patterns. I’d also like to take Xi Er to see her. She says she misses her elder sister.”

Gu De Zhao stammered, “You’ve been quite thoughtful…”

Xu Jing Yi was capable and good with words. She managed the affairs of the fourth household very well, leaving nothing for him to worry about.

He casually helped her wring out a handkerchief and handed it to her. Xu Jing Yi took it from his hand and wiped her face.

“In a while, I’ll go pay my respects to Mother. We’ll need to discuss things. My gifts cannot exceed Mother’s, and I should reduce them accordingly…” Xu Jing Yi thought for a moment, “Fourth Master, you said your income ledgers are all with Mother?”

Gu De Zhao nodded, “After all, the fourth household has entered the common account, and any income is calculated as part of the common fund.”

Xu Jing Yi sighed with a smile, “That’s true. Now that Second Master has lost his official position, he definitely won’t separate from us.” They wouldn’t separate now… but what about after Madam Feng died? Given Madam Feng’s approach, she would certainly take the fourth household’s property and divide it equally with the second household.

If the second household treated them well, it would be fine. But as things stood now, Xu Jing Yi was very unwilling.