Chapter 205: The Birth

Chapter 205: The Birth

Pei Yan's heart was taut as he drove the donkey cart out, his face pale but composed after the initial panic, knowing exactly what needed to be done.

Liu Dagé, having helped hitch the cart, stood in the courtyard, somewhat dazed. Unlike Pei Yan, Zhou Shuyun wasn't flustered; her experience showed as she first checked on Gu Lanshi's condition inside the house. Knowing it wasn't time yet, she noticed the window slightly ajar and, upon closing it and seeing Liu Dagé, instructed him to start boiling water in the kitchen.

The whip cracked, and the donkey started running. Passing by the Gu family's door, Pei Yan stopped and went straight in to call for help.

Upon hearing that labor had begun, Miao Qiulian quickly locked her door and rushed up the mountain with Hua Xishuang, sending Zhu Ge'er to fetch Liu Guihua and Liu E, as well as Zhang Chunhua and Li Yue.

Gu Lanshi, experiencing this for the first time, only calmed down when Miao Qiulian arrived and saw her mother. She tried her best to follow the adults' instructions.

Once everyone arrived, Hua Xishuang, unable to assist inside, was sent to the kitchen with Zhu Ge'er to heat water and sterilize scissors.

Liu Dagé had already lit the fire and, seeing them rush in, promptly left. Scratching his head, he decided to wait outside the courtyard, not straying far in case he was needed.

The three large dogs became restless, pacing around the courtyard, their whimpers turning into urgent howls at the sound of Gu Lanshi's pain.

On the dirt road, the donkey cart raced, jolting its passengers.

Midwife Li held onto the cart's edge without complaint. Life and death were part of childbirth, and she was accustomed to such bumpy rides. Arriving sooner could sometimes make all the difference.

Pei Yan, anxious, stopped at the gate, not leading the donkey in. After Midwife Li got off, he realized how far the vegetable field was from the house and, without a word, carried her in.

Liu Dagé, squatting by the field and pulling weeds, noticed Pei Yan's haste and left the cart outside the gate, unsure how long the birth would take or if he'd need to send the midwife back later.

Once inside, Pei Yan was pushed out, standing outside the room for a while, staring at the door before realizing he couldn't enter. He wiped his face, leaned on a table, and sat on a bench, still dazed.

Through the closed windows came sounds of pain, accompanied by incessant barking. His mind was elsewhere until the door opened and Li Yue emerged with a basin of red-stained water. His lips were pale.

He knew it was blood mixed with hot water, but the vivid redness was unsettling, causing his eyes to sting and feel dry.

Basins of hot water went in, stained red and brought out again, like an endless flow of blood, with no sign of stopping.

Pei Yan was disoriented but still aware, his ears filled with a cacophony of sounds, Gu Lanshi's voice piercing through like a drumbeat.

"Brother Yan, Brother Yan?" Zhu Ge'er poured a bowl of tea, calling twice to bring him back to reality. He handed over the tea bowl, saying, "Have some water."

Pei Yan took the bowl, feeling his lips dry, and drank the tea in one go.

Seeing him still dazed, Zhu Ge'er didn't know how to comfort him, glanced at the closed door, and returned to the kitchen.

Fortunately, the delivery was smooth and relatively quick. When a loud, strong cry echoed, Pei Yan jumped to his feet.

Soon, the door opened, and Midwife Li stood inside, smiling as she announced the good news, beckoning him to see the baby.

Pei Yan stepped forward, his height allowing him a clear view inside. Miao Qiulian and others were helping Gu Lanshi, cleaning her and changing her bloody sheets and clothes.

No one paid attention to him, which was the best news.

Prompted by Midwife Li, he looked down at the child, the buzzing in his ears fading. "Boy or girl?"

His voice was hoarse.

Midwife Li, who had already said it, repeated with a smile, "A healthy baby boy. Listen to that cry, full of vigor."

Pei Yan instinctively reached out but retracted his hand, wary of the baby's small size.

Midwife Li didn't intend for him to hold the baby; a glance was enough. Newborns shouldn't be exposed to wind.

It was Miao Qiulian who, turning around, noticed her son-in-law standing there like a wooden post and kindly reminded him.

Pei Yan remembered, quickly retrieving a red cloth-wrapped silver coin from his chest and handing it to the midwife.

She offered more congratulations before entering with the baby, closing the door behind her.

With Miao Qiulian handling the cleanup and entertaining the midwife, Pei Yan, a man, felt useless, unable to contribute. He paced outside the room, finally unable to resist and, when no one else was around, cracked the door open and squeezed in, closing it quietly behind him.

Gu Lanshi lay on the bed, her face free of sweat but her hair still damp.

The baby had stopped crying. Regaining his strength, he tried to prop himself up to see the baby's face clearly, only to notice Pei Yan's entrance.

"How are you?" Pei Yan's voice was hoarse as he approached the bed, unable to say anything else, his eyes gradually moistening.

Gu Lanshi smiled, her complexion pale but spirits high. "Not as painful as before, I'm fine."

Pei Yan reached out, smoothing her disheveled hair, softly acknowledging her words before falling silent again.

"Don't worry, I'm alright," Gu Lanshi reassured him, adding, "Come, let's see what our son looks like. I couldn't see clearly earlier when Grandma Li showed me; now we can have a good look."

Pei Yan followed her suggestion, looking at the baby swaddled on the bed. The baby, no longer crying, was still a bit red from birth.

"He has big eyes," Gu Lanshi remarked, as if marveling at a newfound acquaintance rather than her own offspring.

Pei Yan chuckled at her comment, his gaze also fixed on the baby.

The baby's large eyes were dark and bright, soon closing as he fell asleep.

"He should be called 'Xingxing'," Gu Lanshi suddenly said.

Pei Yan's gaze shifted from the sleeping baby's face to hers, confused, not immediately understanding.

Gu Lanshi smiled, lying comfortably. "I mean, the baby should be called 'Xingxing'."

She was delighted, continuing, "Look, his eyes are so dark and bright, just like stars at night, aren't they?"

The name had popped into her mind the moment she saw those big eyes.

"What about 'Yuer'?" Pei Yan asked. He was indifferent; both names were Gu Lanshi's suggestions, and he hadn't contributed, so he didn't want to decide arbitrarily.

"Hmm, let's call him Xingxing, Little Star." Gu Lanshi chuckled foolishly, then after some thought added, "Keep the name Xiao Yuer for later; we'll definitely need it."

Pei Yan paused, realizing belatedly that he was right—they were bound to have more than one child.

Later.

Those two words, once abstract, now carried weight. He could almost see young children playing and laughing in the house and yard, filling his heart with an indescribable warmth that spread throughout his body.

*

Upon learning that her great-grandson's nickname was Xingxing, Miao Qiulian was overjoyed. Seeing Pei Yan return from escorting the midwife, she gave him some instructions before taking Zhu Ge'er and Hua Xishuang back home. She had been busy all morning, and there was still much work to be done at home. She also reminded Zhou Shuyun to take good care of things.

As she left, she kept muttering about how fortunate it was that her son-in-law didn't mind spending money on hiring someone. Otherwise, if she couldn't manage everything herself, no one would be there to look after her Lan Ge'er and little Xingxing.

As for Pei Yan, while he could handle cooking and washing clothes, men weren't typically suited for postpartum care. Few men did such tasks, so she didn't expect much from him.

In the east room.

After eating a breast fruit, the baby fell asleep again. Seeing Gu Lanshi close his eyes as well, Pei Yan tucked the blankets around them both, then quietly left the room.

Everyone had already eaten, and Zhou Shuyun was in the courtyard removing the bloodstained bedding. The sun was shining brightly today, so she washed it early. Seeing him come out, she lowered her voice and said, "I've only prepared twenty breast fruits, which should last for these seven or eight days. After that, autumn harvest will begin, and things will get busy. If you have time these few days, pick more fruits."

Pei Yan, who had been preoccupied with Gu Lanshi and the baby, hadn't thought of this. He nodded in response. "Alright, Sister Zhou, I'll go up the mountain now."

The valley where the breast fruit trees grew was far away. Last time, he had picked some fruits just to prepare ahead. This time, traveling along the mountain path, his mindset had changed slightly—the baby's food supply couldn't be lacking.

He had watched by Xingxing's side as the baby ate the breast fruit with vigor, grunting and clenching his tiny fists.

Thinking of his son's chubby little fists, Pei Yan couldn't help but smile.

When Gu Lanshi woke up, he saw a basket of breast fruits on the ground and knew Pei Yan had gone up the mountain. Without calling out, he slowly sat up on his own, leaning against the head of the bed. Seeing that Little Xingxing was still sleeping, his eyes filled with a gentle smile. After watching for a while, he felt that Xingxing resembled Pei Yan more.

The door creaked softly as Pei Yan entered. He had only intended to peek in from outside, but seeing that Gu Lanshi was already sitting up, he hurried inside and asked, "Are you hungry? Sister Zhou made egg custard. Or do you want something else?"

Gu Lanshi replied, "Pour me a glass of water first; I'm thirsty."

Pei Yan immediately complied.

After setting down the teacup, Gu Lanshi said, "Then I'll have the egg custard. Use less sesame oil; I wasn't very hungry after eating half a bowl of noodles before bed."

"Okay," Pei Yan said without stopping. He went to the kitchen to fetch the egg custard for him.

The egg custard was perfectly cooked, tender and smooth. After eating a couple of bites, Gu Lanshi asked, "What time is it?"

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Pei Yan glanced at the sleeping child and said, "It's the beginning of the Shen hour, still early. Rest a bit more. What do you want for dinner? I can ask Sister Zhou to make it for you."

"Mm, let's decide later. I can't think of anything right now," Gu Lanshi said, quickly finishing the bowl of egg custard.

Feeling a slight pain again, he handed the empty bowl to Pei Yan and leaned back against the soft pillow behind him. Once the pain subsided, he said, "Mother said it'll be better after these few days."

"Do we need to find a doctor to check?" Pei Yan looked worried.

Gu Lanshi laughed. "No need. It's common for most people. Ask Sister Zhou; she'll say the same thing. After giving birth, it takes a few days to rest and recover. Even when you cut your hand, doesn't it hurt until it heals properly?"

Pei Yan stayed and chatted with him for a while. When he went out again, he asked Zhou Shuyun once more, confirming that this was indeed the case before putting aside the idea of inviting a doctor.

*

As night fell, Gu Lanshi, having taken a nap at noon, wasn't very sleepy. Pei Yan lit a lamp, casting a warm yellow glow in the room.

Little Xingxing ate half a breast fruit and fell asleep again. Newborns were like this—eating and sleeping well brought peace of mind.

By the light of the lamp, Pei Yan used warm water to wash his husband's hands and face. He also held the mouth rinsing basin for him to clean his teeth and rinse his mouth.

After the cleaning, Gu Lanshi felt much more comfortable and slowly moved to lie down.

The lamp was extinguished, plunging the room into darkness. Hearing the baby's occasional coos—soft and small, their presence was particularly noticeable. It melted hearts while making everyone speak softly, afraid of disturbing the little one's sweet dreams.