It was the second summer since the Lin couple had settled near the Wei River. Shen Shaoguang’s belly was slightly protruding, carrying a child of about five months.
She finally had some resemblance to a Tang Dynasty beauty, though only five months pregnant, she had already gained a noticeable amount of weight. Shen Shaoguang pinched the flesh at her waist, pursing her lips in displeasure.
Lin Yan’an comforted her, “This looks good too.” To add credibility, he added, “It’s the perfect balance between slender and full. You were too thin before; it made people worry.”
Shen Shaoguang glanced at him with a smile, thinking how our Young Lord Lin now speaks sweet words with such ease, unlike before when he needed the right mood and setting.
Although Shen Shaoguang complained about her weight, she couldn’t control her appetite and stomach. While others experienced morning sickness with everything they ate, Shen Shaoguang would only avoid getting sick if she kept her stomach full.
She had particular cravings, especially missing things from her previous life, and the more unobtainable they were, the more she yearned for them.
For instance, chili peppers.
Chopped chili fish, sour cabbage fish, boiled fish in chili oil; diced chicken with chilies, pickled pepper chicken feet, dry-fried chicken with chilies; stir-fried pork with chilies, spicy shrimp, spicy stir-fried pork intestines… even a bowl of sour-spicy noodles would do.
Shen Shaoguang thought she might be experiencing pregnancy depression due to hormonal changes during this special period, almost crying over a bowl of sour-spicy noodles.
After listening to his beloved wife’s description of needing something spicy and sour, with roasted sesame seeds, fried soybeans, and meat sauce, cooked in broth, with a touch of pepper powder and cilantro, Lin Yan’an nodded and went to the kitchen himself. He later returned with a tray carrying a Tang Dynasty pregnancy-friendly version of “sour-spicy noodles.”
The noodles were made from mung beans, slightly overcooked; the spiciness came from Chinese prickly ash and minced garlic, though minimal; the vinegar was just enough to give a slight tang; the broth, meat sauce, and beans were generously portioned…
This bowl of barely sour or spicy noodles, exuding an air of “perfect harmony,” though quite different from traditional sour-spicy noodles, still managed to cure Shen Shaoguang’s pregnancy depression.
With a satisfied stomach, lying on the bamboo mat, Shen Shaoguang became cheerful again.
Lin Yan’an looked at her with concern. Since becoming pregnant, Aji had trouble sleeping and is particularly sensitive to heat. Though her appetite was good, there were many things she couldn’t eat. He’d heard that women’s emotions were particularly unstable during this time, and although Aji was usually carefree, she must have been enduring some discomfort. If only her mother were still here…
Lin Yan’an stroked her hair.
Shen Shaoguang looked at him – what’s wrong? Does the expectant father have prenatal depression too?
Shen Shaoguang deliberately teased him: “My Lord, tell me, what were you thinking back then? Having someone pretend to deliver the bamboo mat to me?”
“Seeing you troubled by the heat, I wanted to send you one. But fearing you wouldn’t accept it, I came up with that plan,” Lin Yan’an answered honestly without any embarrassment.
“Why didn’t you send it under Grandmother’s name like you did with the screen before?”
“Using the same trick too often wouldn’t work.”
Shen Shaoguang laughed.
“But my Aji proved to be as sharp as a seasoned investigator,” Lin Yan’an smiled, thinking how he had expected more difficulties back then, never imagining they would have such moments now.
Shen Shaoguang said proudly, “Of course! I brilliantly deduced then that this must be either ‘deception or theft.’ I originally thought it was ‘theft,’ but who would have thought…” She cast a meaningful glance at Lin Yan’an.
Lin Yan’an carefully embraced his beloved wife and kissed her red lips, but dared not do more, mentally calculating how long they still had to wait.
After cuddling for a while, Shen Shaoguang sat up, “Come on, since we’re rarely by the Wei River, let’s go for a walk.”
Lin Yan’an sat up too, helped her put on a veiled hat for sun protection, and held her hand as they walked slowly towards the river embankment.
“My Lord, would it be alright to eat a little river snail?”
“Such strange creatures are best avoided.”
“What about an eel?”
“Eel is too warming in nature; it might make you uncomfortable.”
“How about a soft-shelled turtle?”
Lin Yan’an felt a bit guilty, “Soft-shelled turtle promotes blood circulation… Aji, why don’t we have some crucian carp soup? While you were sleeping today, I caught a few fish and had the kitchen simmer them. It’s milky white now, and we can add some noodles and fresh vegetables from the garden.”
Shen Shaoguang nodded, “That’ll do.” Our lord has become quite skilled at describing food, almost matching my level. His description made the fish soup with noodles sound appealing. But I still want spicy stir-fried river snails, turtle stewed with chicken, and dry-fried eel! I’ll wait until after the baby is born…
Both Shen Shaoguang and Lin Yan’an eagerly awaited the delivery date. After the scorching summer passed and autumn winds began to blow, they endured two more months until late autumn arrived. The weather had cooled morning and evening, and though the expected delivery date had come, there was still no sign of labor.
Lin Yan’an anxiously invited the Imperial Physician several times, but each time they were told everything was fine and to keep waiting. Princess Fuhui and Madam Li, the Minister’s wife, had both visited, and Lady Shen had moved in to help.
After another half month, one morning while taking her usual walk in the garden, Shen Shaoguang suddenly felt something different – labor had finally begun.
Shen Shaoguang remained calm, entering the delivery room, changing clothes, and eating a bowl of custard egg soup to maintain her strength. She even joked occasionally with her aunt, but gradually, as the contractions grew stronger and more frequent, she could no longer joke.
Lin Yan’an, after finishing his court duties, received the news and personally went to fetch the Imperial Physician, then rushed home on horseback without waiting.
Grandmother was sitting in the hall and seeing her grandson stride in, said, “Don’t panic, don’t panic—”
Lin Yan’an clenched his fists, listening outside the door.
From inside came the voices of his aunt-in-law and the midwife telling someone to push, the sound of implements clinking, and water sounds, but no sound from Aji.
Lin Yan’an’s heart rose to his throat – could something be wrong with Aji? Childbirth brought extreme pain, and Aji had always been delicate…
“Aji, Aji—”
Hearing his voice, Shen Shaoguang suddenly felt like crying. This fool, only now returning!
Not hearing her response, Lin Yan’an’s heart sank, and he pushed the door open directly. Madam Jiang didn’t have time to stop him, and the servant women at the door dared not block him. Lin Yan’an quickly walked around the screen.
“Young Master, what are you doing here?” Lady Shen blocked his way.
Glimpsing the half-hidden curtain and the alarming bloody water in the copper basin, he called out, “Aji…”
“She’s fine,” Lady Shen said.
“I’m alright!” Shen Shaoguang groaned.
Lin Yan’an breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to Lady Shen, and retreated.
Madam Jiang shook her head and pointed at him reproachfully.
“Grandmother, I’ll go outside to welcome the Imperial Physician.”
Madam Jiang nodded.
In the end, the Imperial Physician wasn’t needed. Just after noon, they heard a baby’s cry, and the midwife’s congratulatory voice came from inside, “My Lady, it’s a young master!”
Outside, Madam Jiang recited Buddha’s name, while Lin Yan’an resumed his composed manner of a noble scholar.
He smiled and thanked the Imperial Physician for their trouble, saying he would personally pay his respects later and invited them to attend the hundred-day celebration for a drink.
Following the same logic as giving children humble names for longevity, noble families like the Lins simply called their children by birth order, not even giving them pet names. Young Master Lin’s hundred-day celebration wasn’t particularly grand, but the attendees were all distinguished – Ministers, Secretaries, Attendant Gentlemen, all were prominent court officials… Those sending gifts were even more numerous, with even the Emperor sending a gift through his eunuchs.
In the inner quarters, Princess Fuhui and the ladies were gathered. Shen Shaoguang brought out the baby for the ladies to see. At one hundred days old, the baby had passed the red-skinned stage and was now plump and fair. With such good-looking parents, how could the child not be adorable?
The older ladies wanted to hold him, while the younger ones wanted to play with him. Young Master Lin furrowed his tiny brows, looking serious.
Princess Fuhui laughed, saying to Shen Shaoguang, “He doesn’t look like you at all.”
Madam Li Yue also laughed, “He’s exactly like his father.” Then she smiled at Madam Jiang, “In not many years, we’ll have another Top Scholar.”
But Shen Shaoguang knew this was the prelude to crying, and sure enough – “Waaah!”
Madam Li Yue quickly patted him and returned him to Shen Shaoguang.
Shen Shaoguang smiled, “He must be hungry.”
The ladies all chorused, “Quickly feed him, quickly feed him, don’t let him go hungry.”
Shen Shaoguang gave a slight bow to the Princess and the elder ladies, nodded to the younger ladies, and returned to the inner chamber with her servants.
Among the young ladies was one of Shen Shaoguang’s old acquaintances – Fifth Lady Qin. Although Fifth Lady Qin had been betrothed early, due to mourning for her maternal grandfather, the grandson of the Xinyang Duke, her marriage had taken place after Lin Yan’an and Shen Shaoguang’s. Thinking of the baby’s furrowed brow just now, it did indeed look like… Recalling the past, Fifth Lady Qin smiled slightly, she had been so foolish then.
After the hundred-day celebration, as the servants were organizing the various gifts from guests, Shen Shaoguang looked at the remarkably lifelike jade monkey ornament sent by Shao Jie and couldn’t help but laugh – was this wishing for her son to be as mischievous?
Among the gifts was also one from Li Xu, the fourth son of the former Prince of Wu, now enfeoffed as the Prince of Huainan.
When the Prince of Wu’s case was reopened, the court sent people to the south to retrieve his sons—only the Fourth and Fifth Young Masters remained. Unfortunately, they only found the Fifth Young Master; Li Xu came to Chang’an himself in the spring of this year.
Shen Shaoguang had met him once, both because of the relationship between Prince Wu and the Shen family, and because of Yu San.
Shen Shaoguang had long returned Yu San’s contract of servitude, but Yu San still lived in the Shen residence, helping manage various affairs.
Li Xu had the traditional good looks of the Li family, but lacked the dandyish air Shen Shaoguang had expected—she still remembered Princess Yu San mentioning the “fish banquet exchange” incident.
Upon seeing Li Xu, Yu San’s eyes instantly lit up, before reverting to that “who are you, who am I, whatever” attitude.
Shen Shaoguang left them space to catch up. At the doorway, she heard faint voices from inside.
“Your Highness, I’ve finally found you. I thought you’d been taken to Shouxiang City,” came Li Xu’s voice.
“When the court’s people couldn’t find you, did you go to Shouxiang City? Weren’t you supposed to marry? That Liu Gongdao—”
“You believed that? Are you bird-brained? No, I mean I’m the bird-brain…”
Shen Shaoguang smiled, thinking it was all fate.
Sometime later, the Lin family received a late hundred-day celebration gift.
It was from Young Master Cui Jing of the former Secretary Cui’s family. Lin Yan’an kept nothing from Shen Shaoguang and showed her the letter.
“…A guest from the capital brought my brother’s letter, informing me of your precious son. I am overjoyed… I have an inkstone, once gifted by Master Su Yuan. Though not a famous inkstone from the previous dynasty, it carries the legacy of a great scholar. I gift it to your young master…” The letter was written in Wei-style calligraphy, simple and ancient, and quite beautiful. The letter sprawled across several pages, discussing his situation and inquiring about Lin Yan’an’s circumstances—all very domestic matters, showing they were indeed close friends.
Seeing Cui Jing refer to himself as having a “broken body” in the letter, Shen Shaoguang recalled what Uncle Chu had told her about Lin Yan’an helping Secretary Cui’s family.
At that time, because of poetry “criticizing the imperial carriage,” Secretary Cui was sentenced to two years imprisonment, his son to one year, both to be exiled to the miasmic regions of Lingnan and his daughter to be taken into the palace as a servant. Thanks to Lin Yan’an and several Cui family relatives’ active intervention, Minister Chen, who usually stayed neutral, was moved to compassion and pleaded with the Emperor, resulting in Secretary Cui and his son being sent to the closer Pingzhou instead. It was also said that Cui Jing had malaria at the time, which allowed for a postponement—otherwise, he might not have survived the journey. Shortly after, the previous Emperor passed away, and the new Emperor granted amnesty upon ascending the throne. Cui Jing was allowed to return home, but by then Secretary Cui had already died of illness, and Young Lady Cui had long since passed away.
This was what Chu Di had specifically investigated and told Shen Shaoguang after discovering the relationship between Lin and Shen, intending to tell her about Lin Yan’an’s character and his connection with the Cui family. Shen Shaoguang remembered Uncle Chu’s assessment of Lin Yan’an: “Though he seems aloof, he’s quite loyal and righteous.”
Shen Shaoguang returned the letter to Lin Yan’an, smiling, “We’ll have to tell that little rascal to be careful with it later, not to ruin such a fine thing.”
Lin Yan’an smiled, “If he damages it, we’ll spank him.”
When Young Master Lin turned three, he finally received his formal name: Chang Ling. This name rather surprised Shen Shaoguang; she had thought Lin Yan’an would choose something emphasizing virtue or conduct, but instead, he chose such a simple name, only wishing for his son’s safety and longevity.
Unfortunately, soon after Lin Chang Ling received his name, his father was appointed as Minister of Justice and sent to Jiangnan as an Inspector, leaving for over a year.
Lin Chang Ling was a handsome little boy who usually didn’t talk much but occasionally would become quite talkative.
Shen Shaoguang discovered he had an exceptionally rich imagination. Seeing a group of ants carrying a fat bug, he would speculate about soldiers and generals, friends and foes. This greatly pleased Shen Shaoguang, feeling it came from her genetic inheritance—if the child couldn’t do anything else in the future, at least he could make a living writing stories.
Lin Yan’an’s colleagues were very considerate, periodically asking if there were letters to be taken to Jiangnan. Among these family letters was Young Master Lin’s masterpiece—”Picture of Ants Hunting.”
The picture was drawn with charcoal made from willow twigs, “heavily inked,” barely recognizable in form, with various annotations by Shen Shaoguang alongside. Between the drawing and text, it managed to tell the young master’s story.
Later, when they received a reply, it contained his father’s “corrected homework,” with several added plot points, turning the simple story into something with proper structure. Young Master Lin greatly enjoyed this, stumbling through and half-guessing the characters in the picture, then pestering Shen Shaoguang to retell the ant hunting story again and again while comparing the picture and letter.
Sometimes Shen Shaoguang would improvise, adding more details to the story, transforming it from a children’s cartoon to a picture book and then into a novel.
Perhaps because of these letter exchanges, or because Shen Shaoguang always said “Father loves our eldest son the most,” although Lin Chang Ling initially felt somewhat distant from his father, after sharing stories and playing games, he quickly warmed up again.
Playing cuju with Lin Yan’an, Lin Chang Ling’s forehead was covered in sweat. When Shen Shaoguang called him to wipe his sweat and have a drink, he waved her off, wanting to continue playing.
Shen Shaoguang teased, “Your father just returned, and now you’re ignoring your mother.”
Lin Chang Ling hugged the ball and reasoned with Shen Shaoguang: “I just want to play cuju.”
“You never play this intensely with A-Yuan and A-Qing.”
The young master finally told the truth: “It’s more fun with Father.”
“Isn’t it fun with A-Yuan and the others?”
Though Lin Chang Ling liked A-Yuan, he still said, “It’s fun, but playing cuju with Father is more fun.”
Unfortunately, his preference for his father only lasted until bedtime.
“It’s late, Father should go to sleep.”
Lin Yan’an looked at his son: “I’ll sleep here.”
“But this is Mother’s and my bed.”
Lin Yan’an tried to reason with him, “You’re a big boy now, it’s not proper to still sleep with your mother.”
“Father is even bigger.” Lin Chang Ling hugged his mother’s arm.
Seeing his defensive posture, Lin Yan’an couldn’t help but laugh, sitting on the bed, hoping to gradually win him over.
Lin Chang Ling quickly declared: “Mother says we must respect first come, first served.”
Lin Yan’an: “…”
Shen Shaoguang burst out laughing.
Lin Chang Ling frowned, giving his mother a reproachful look.
Shen Shaoguang quickly said, “Our son is right.”
Lin Chang Ling displayed the same kind of smug smile his father showed when pleased.
“With such a large bed, wouldn’t our son be willing to share some space with Father?” Lin Yan’an changed tactics.
Lin Chang Ling seemed to sense his father’s persistence, thought for a moment, and finally compromised: “Then—Father can sleep here? Mother?”
Shen Shaoguang reluctantly nodded: “Alright, let him sleep here.”
Lin Chang Ling lay between his parents, initially still wary of his father, but after hearing two bedtime stories from his father, finally let go of his reservations. He fell asleep with one hand clutching his father’s clothes and the other arm around his mother.
Lin Yan’an gently carried him to the side room’s bed, tucked him in, kissed his little face, and returned to the couple’s bedroom.
Shen Shaoguang smiled.
Lin Yan’an gave a helpless smile as well.
Lin Yan’an stepped forward and held his wife tightly, finally saying after a while, “Aji, I’ve missed you.”
Shen Shaoguang nestled in his embrace, saying tenderly, “Lin Yan’an, I’ve missed you too.”
Author’s Note:
- Hundred-day celebration: A feast held when a child reaches one hundred days old.
②Criticizing the Emperor.