Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The Liang family rejoiced over the birth of a male heir, and on the same day, they opened the ancestral hall in the mansion to burn incense and worship the ancestors.

Second Master placed great importance on this matter. He left the court early and entered the ancestral hall together with Liang Yun.

The room was silent, save for the occasional clinking of golden bells and jade pendants, the faint rustling of their movements, and the sound of boots during the kneeling and rising.

"Honored ancestors, the descendants of the thirty-third and thirty-fourth generations pay their respects. Today, we offer sacrifices to express our filial piety. We beseech the ancestors for their blessings." Liang Ting bowed repeatedly to the ancestors, overcome with emotion. Then, facing the rows of ancestral tablets, he said, "For many years, we have troubled the ancestors with concerns about our descendants. Fortunately, by the grace of heaven and the virtue of our ancestors! Now, both the second and third branches of the Liang family have male heirs, allowing us to continue the lineage and uphold the family's heritage."

After speaking, Liang Ting sighed towards Liang Ji's tablet, "Third Son, though you departed early, you now have a son!"

Liang Ting then looked at Liang Yun and asked, "According to tradition, the elder brother is like a father. Since Ji'er is gone, his child should be named by you. However, now... it might be better to avoid certain things. Should we let the elders of the clan choose some names, or...?"

Liang Yun stayed silent, his dark lashes slightly lowered. After a while, he adjusted his sleeves and said, "Let's delay naming the child until after his first birthday."

Liang Ting gently stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and agreed, "Indeed, the child is still delicate. It's not appropriate to decide on a name too early."

...

Meanwhile, in the Rongshou Hall.

The old lady, gazing at the child in Madame Wei's arms, was unusually animated.

Previously, the old lady would never have thought to hold a newborn close, but she was so fond of this child.

Originally, she had planned to just take a quick look and then have someone take the child back immediately. But now, seeing the baby sleeping peacefully in the swaddle, she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Madame Wei smiled and said, "Mother, would you care to hold the child? This child is very well-behaved!"

The old lady's heart and gaze were now entirely fixed on her great-grandson. Though she knew she wasn't contagious, merely old, she still feared passing any ailment to the child. She asked Madame Wei to hold the child at a distance, even though her eyes were dim and she couldn't see clearly, she dared not get too close.

A group of ladies sat with the old lady, providing her company.

The old lady had waited all night for this child's birth, staying up all night. The princess, fearing that the old lady's health couldn't withstand it, advised her to just take a quick look, "Let's return the child to his mother promptly. A Ruan must be getting anxious."

The old lady understood this reasoning. Such a young child shouldn't have been taken out at all, but she also knew her current health condition. She felt each day was worse than the last, and each look might be her final one.

These past few days, she could still sit up, and her eyes hadn't gone blind. But she feared that in a few more days, she might not even be able to get up, and then she wouldn't be able to see clearly.

The old lady continued to gaze at the child and directed Nanny Chen to fetch the gold necklace, lock, and other items she had prepared.

"This child arrived at the perfect time. If he had been a few months later, he wouldn't have seen me."

Originally, she had planned to give these gifts during the child's full moon or first birthday, but now she wasn't even sure if she could make it to the full moon.

Her words moved everyone to tears.

The old lady, seeing that the child hadn't even opened his eyes yet, sighed and said, "He will never recall this old woman in the future. Let me take a good look at him and remember him. Inform his great-grandfather that this child is handsome, a true Liang."

"Alright, you've seen him now. Return the child to his mother. Be careful, the child is still small. Make sure to hold an umbrella and don't let him catch a chill..." The old lady gazed for a while longer, but her body couldn't hold out any longer, and she reluctantly spoke.

Upon hearing this, the wet nurse quickly stepped forward to take the young master from Madame Wei's arms.

Some of the ladies accompanied the child back, while others took their leave.

Madame Wei watched reluctantly as the wet nurse carried the child away. After everyone had left the inner room, she sat up eagerly and pleaded with the old lady, who was about to rest, in a sorrowful voice, "Mother, I think A Ruan is too young and doesn't seem like she knows how to raise a child. You didn't see it, but A Xiao, who is so thin, gave birth to a seven-pound Yuan Er. I took such good care of A Ruan, but she only gave birth to a child less than six pounds... She's too young and inexperienced. I'm afraid she won't be able to take good care of the child..."

The old lady seemed to have expected this from her daughter-in-law. She listened coldly, and after Madame Wei finished speaking, she remained silent.

Madame Wei's cheeks flushed as she pressed on, "I’ve set aside a room in my house specifically, the one where Ji'er used to live when he was a child. It would be lovely for the father and son to share a room. I’ve raised two children myself, and they both turned out fine. Mother, I’ve been a widow for so many years. Please grant me this wish. I’ll have no regrets in the future..."

The old lady took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "The child has a mother. How can we bypass the mother and let you, the grandmother, take over? If you want to see the child, you can visit daily. Who would dare stop you?"

Madame Wei attempted to explain further, "But, but didn’t you say before..."

She had long held this intention and had even tested the old lady's reaction. Previously, the old lady hadn’t opposed it, so why was she suddenly so against it now?

The old lady, however, was already rubbing her forehead, looking utterly exhausted and unwilling to continue the conversation.

The maids quickly assisted the old lady to lie down and went to persuade Madame Wei, "The old lady is tired. She needs to take her medicine and rest."

Madame Wei was filled with frustration, but since the old lady had closed her eyes to rest, she had no choice but to leave, disappointed.

After Madame Wei left, the old lady sighed with her eyes closed.

Every family has its own struggles. For now, she would keep it hidden until she closed her eyes for the last time, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore.

...

Perhaps because the child had been taken away, Ying Shi woke up shortly after falling asleep.

Ying Shi moved her body slightly. She hadn’t yet adjusted to her now-flat belly, as if her body wasn’t her own.

She saw Xiang Yao sitting by her bed, her head bobbing like a chicken pecking at grain.

Ying Shi looked around and, not seeing her child, immediately grew anxious.

"Where is my child?"

Xiang Yao was startled awake and comforted her, "Don’t worry, madam. The child was taken to the old lady’s quarters. Chun Lan and the wet nurse went there early on!"

Since the young master from the second household was almost abducted last time, the Liang residence had been on high alert. Many maids had been disciplined, and with Chun Lan also going over, many loyal servants were watching over the little master. What could possibly happen?

Ying Shi trusted Chun Lan above all, but even though she was usually calm, now that she was a mother, it was different. Without her child by her side, she couldn’t even rest properly.

Ying Shi felt frustrated but couldn’t vent her anger. She could only stare at the canopy, counting silently, feeling extremely anxious and upset.

When Liang Yun returned, he saw her lying behind the curtain, wearing a pink-orange brocade robe with plum blossoms and auspicious cloud patterns, a lotus-green pearl headband across her forehead, her black hair tied low with a red ribbon, styled in a hanging cloud bun.

Her skin, once smooth and fair, was now pale as snow, and her lips were pale and bloodless from exhaustion.

Liang Yun touched her hand and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Ying Shi was of course tired, but now all she could think about was seeing her child. She didn’t even feel the pain in her body and anxiously asked him, "Why hasn’t the child been brought back yet?"

Her voice was still quite hoarse. After enduring so much pain and exhaustion, waking up to find her child gone—who wouldn’t feel upset?

Ying Shi even couldn’t help but wonder if Madame Wei had taken her child away.

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became, her eyes reddening.

Seeing her like this, Liang Yun also felt heartache and regret. He said, "Don’t worry, I’ve already sent someone to bring the child back."

In the waiting period, Ying Shi had no time to care about anything else. She lay tiredly on the pillow, her eyes fixed on the window, wishing she could hold her child the next moment.

Liang Yun tucked her blanket in.

Fortunately, Ying Shi didn’t have to wait long. Soon, the maids outside brought the child back.

The maids outside were giving instructions to the wet nurse about feeding, and Gui Niang carried the swaddled baby over and placed it in Ying Shi's arms.

Ying Shi reached out to hold the baby, but after an exhausting night and having slept for just over an hour, she hadn’t recovered her strength. Her arms were too weak, so Liang Yun took the baby and gently placed it in her arms, supporting the swaddle for her.

Ying Shi leaned against the large pillow, gazing down at the baby intently. The baby she had carried for ten months, her own flesh and blood, was now in her arms. Even though the baby looked red and a bit unappealing at the moment, she couldn’t bring herself to let go.

The swaddled baby had thin lips pressed tightly together, with tiny pink fists curled weakly. Ying Shi couldn’t help but smile tenderly. She gently slipped her finger into the baby’s palm, and sure enough, the next moment her finger was tightly grasped by the baby.

"Ha..."

Through two lifetimes, she had endured so much that was unimaginable. Although she had endured, she always felt like she was floating, never truly rooted.

Now that she had her own child, her own flesh and blood, she finally felt truly alive in this world.

Her feet had finally found solid ground.

So, she was truly incredible—she had brought a living child into the world.

Ying Shi gazed at the baby with a silly smile and said, "It doesn’t look very pretty, but I just think it’s so adorable, so adorable..."

Liang Yun leaned in and studied the baby closely, saying earnestly, "His features resemble yours, though they’re not fully formed yet. I think he’ll grow up to be very handsome."

Ying Shi was often complimented on her beauty, but this was the first time she had been praised in this way. She blushed, her ears turning pink, and she looked at the baby in her arms again, chiding, "How does he resemble me? He looks like a little monkey, and his eyes aren’t even open yet... How can you even tell he looks like me?"

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Liang Yun's lips. His heart, which had been cold all day, gradually softened as he watched her and their child.

"The baby's eyebrows are light, but the eyelashes are long and curled—probably like yours."

Ying Shi belatedly touched her own eyebrows. Though her eyebrows were light, they were delicate and pretty.

She looked at the baby's eyebrows again, and upon closer inspection, she could see the resemblance—Liang Yun's eyebrows were thick but didn’t give a sense of roughness or ruggedness. They were neat and sharp, like a finely crafted sword, only tapering slightly at the ends.

But this baby's eyebrows were just a few soft hairs, with a slight curve.

Hmm, curved eyebrows, and curved eyelashes too.

Perhaps, in the future, he would be a good-natured, cheerful young man.

Ying Shi couldn't help but smile, imagining her child growing up.

Liang Yun held the baby, his gaze deep, but the smile on his lips seemed somewhat forced.

He was worried about her health: "Let's put the baby in the next room and have the wet nurse and maids watch over him. They won't take him away again. You should rest and sleep a bit to regain your strength."

Ying Shi was indeed tired, but as a new mother, she was too curious and reluctant to let the baby leave her side. Pretending not to hear him, she kept looking at and touching the baby.

Unsurprisingly, even the most good-natured baby was eventually made to cry by Ying Shi, whimpering softly.

The wet nurse nearby, hearing the baby's whimpers, quickly said, "It's been an hour since birth; it's time to feed him. Young mistress, the young master is probably hungry. Please give the baby to me, and I'll take him to the back to feed."

Each child born into the Liang family was assigned four wet nurses.

When Ying Shi was only five or six months pregnant, the Liang family had already started searching for wet nurses, selecting young, healthy women who had just given birth to their first child, ensuring good milk supply.

Liang Yun was about to hand the baby to the wet nurse when Ying Shi subtly tugged at his sleeve, pulling him back.

Liang Yun turned to look at her.

He noticed Ying Shi's cheeks were slightly red, thinking she might have something difficult to say. He leaned closer, only to hear Ying Shi whisper in his ear, "Let me try feeding him..."

The speaker was shy, and the listener was equally so.

Liang Yun's pupils trembled slightly, but he still maintained a composed frown. "This is inappropriate."

"Traditionally, breastfeeding has always been the role of wet nurses. There is no reason for you to do it yourself. You should rest more."

Ying Shi understood this reasoning, but her body was unusual. In other families where breastfeeding was necessary, some women took three to five days after childbirth to produce milk, some took much longer, and some even needed medication to start producing milk.

In her case, however, her milk had come in days before the child was born.

At first, it was just a little, and she had quietly endured it, not daring to let others know, fearing they would laugh at her.

But within just an hour or two after the child was born, her chest had become engorged with milk.

How could Liang Yun understand a woman's body? Seeing that he remained unmoved, Ying Shi grew frustrated, silently cursing this man as a clueless blockhead!

What did it matter if she did it herself?

Could a wet nurse's milk be given, but not her own? Her chest was now full and swollen—should she just waste it by squeezing it out? She desperately wanted her child's first taste to be her own milk.

How could Ying Shi mention her engorged chest in front of the wet nurse? She secretly touched her swollen chest, where her once loose undergarment was now stretched tight.

Liang Yun's pupils narrowed, and after a moment of hesitation, he dismissed the wet nurse.

After sending everyone away, Ying Shi told Liang Yun to step back too. Liang Yun, who had always been thin-skinned—even more so than her—naturally felt too embarrassed to witness this scene and could only step aside, turning his back to her.

Ying Shi quickly loosened her collar a bit. After much fumbling, her hands grew sore, and she finally managed to guide the pink nipple into the child's mouth.

However, the once well-behaved and quiet child, after much effort, couldn't manage to draw any milk.

He sucked hard but still couldn't get anything out, growing frustrated and bursting into loud cries.

"Wah! Wah!"

Ying Shi was also anxious, holding him helplessly and asking Liang Yun, "What's going on? Why can't he suck it out?"

Liang Yun asked her, "Is the feeding position wrong?"

After a long while of trying different positions without success, Ying Shi, with teary eyes, had to turn to the child's father for help.

The young parents pondered for a while, both too embarrassed to ask anyone else. The poor child, with the milk so close at hand, couldn't manage to suck it out despite having it in his mouth.

Liang Yun's eyes were deep and thoughtful. In the end, it was he who came up with the idea to express the milk into a cup and then feed it to the child spoon by spoon.

The child, who had been hungry for so long, finally got to drink.