Chapter 80

Xu Zhao handed her a cup of water. “The baby is in the next room. Mom is watching him. Drink some water first, and I’ll bring the baby to you.”

Jiang Suihan’s mouth was dry. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until Xu Zhao mentioned it. She drank all the water from the cup, then looked at Xu Zhao with eager eyes.

Understanding her expression, Xu Zhao went to the next room. His mother wasn’t there, and Jiang Leyun was sitting on a small bamboo stool next to the crib, resting his chin on his hands and gazing with a silly grin at the peacefully sleeping baby.

Xu Zhao walked quietly over, and upon closer inspection, saw the baby sleeping soundly with his tiny fists clenched.

Jiang Leyun turned his head. “Brother-in-law.”

He had forgotten the baby was sleeping and spoke a bit too loudly. The baby stirred slightly, causing Jiang Leyun to quickly reach out and gently pat him, relieved when the baby didn’t wake up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling a bit of relief.

Seeing Jiang Leyun’s anxious expression, Xu Zhao found it somewhat amusing. He said softly, “Lelen, you’ve been tired all day too. Go eat something and get some rest.”

Jiang Leyun had slept the previous night, but not for long, and the narrow bamboo stool wasn’t very comfortable. With his mind occupied by his sister’s labor, he hadn’t slept well.

He couldn’t help yawning. “I’ll go now. Brother-in-law, you keep an eye on the baby.”

Xu Zhao, seeing how Jiang Leyun kept glancing back at the baby, shook his head with a smile. “Go on. The baby is at home, he won’t be lost. You can come back and see him after you’ve rested.”

Jiang Leyun agreed and was already thinking ahead to the summer vacation a month away, when he would have more time to play with his nephew.

Jiang Suihan grew anxious, feeling like too much time had passed. Why hadn’t Xu Zhao come back yet? Was something wrong with the baby?

When Xu Zhao appeared at the door holding the baby, she quickly said, “Hurry and let me see him.”

Xu Zhao carefully walked to the bedside, bending down to hand the baby to Jiang Suihan. She had never held such a tiny baby before and felt stiff and unsure of how to hold him properly.

Xu Zhao guided her gently. “Support his head with your right hand, that’s right, and hold his legs with your left hand.”

When Jiang Suihan finally held the baby, she felt an unusual sense of peace wash over her. The connection of blood was indeed magical. This was the child she had fought so hard to bring into the world, the being most closely tied to her.

Life was truly miraculous!

The tiny person in her arms was so light, yet nothing seemed more important than him. He was so small, just arrived in this world, and depended entirely on her. She was everything to him.

Seeing Jiang Suihan tear up, Xu Zhao’s heart tightened with concern. He was flustered and gently wiped away her tears with his fingers. “Why are you crying? Does it still hurt?”

He held her face with both hands, looking at her with love and concern. She had been fine just moments before, and now she was crying with no warning, which made him uneasy.

Jiang Suihan’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I don’t know why I’m crying. I guess I was just so moved to see the baby.”

Xu Zhao took the towel hanging on the chair and gently wiped her face. He patted her head and spoke sincerely, “You’re a brave woman.”

Jiang Suihan tilted her chin and, instinctively, complained to him, “You don’t know how much it hurt. I felt pain that was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. It was like my soul was separated from my body. I felt like I was in unbearable pain. The doctors and nurses kept encouraging me, saying the baby would come out soon, and I stupidly believed them. It took almost five hours, and now I don’t believe anything they say.”

The pain she endured was the worst she had ever felt in her twenty years, making her question life itself. She had decided she would not have another child in the near future. Just thinking about the pain of childbirth made her shiver, and she felt she might have some lasting effects.

Xu Zhao looked at her with deep concern. “We won’t have any more children.”

The willingness of a woman to endure such pain for a child was deeply moving and demonstrated immense willpower and love.

Jiang Suihan looked at him skeptically. “Really? Won’t the elders have opinions?”

Xu Zhao replied calmly, “They won’t, as long as I’m here.”

Having witnessed the labor this morning, Xu Zhao admitted he was frightened. When Jiang Suihan was wheeled out of the delivery room, she was pale and had lost all color. His heart seemed to be stabbed by something, and he couldn’t help but check her breathing to ensure she was alive. Only then did his legs regain their strength.

She was afraid of the pain, but he was even more afraid of losing her. He couldn’t imagine life without her. Now, they had agreed that having just one child was perfectly fine. As for the pressure from their elders, he would shield her from it.

Seeing how accommodating Xu Zhao was, Jiang Suihan hesitated again. “Won’t having just one child make him feel too lonely? When the baby grows up and sees other children with several siblings to play with, will he wonder why he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters?”

Even though the child had just been born, she was already worried about future potential grievances. She couldn’t bear the thought of her child feeling sad.

Noticing her indecision, Xu Zhao appeared helpless. “One moment you say you don’t want more children, and the next you do. We’ll put that question aside for now. The doctor said you’ve exhausted yourself from the delivery and need to recover properly. We’ll discuss it after you’ve regained your strength. I’ll go get you something to eat.”

He respected her opinion. If she wanted more children, that was fine, but she needed to get her health back in order first. Frequent childbirth was detrimental to her health. If she still felt the same way in two or three years, they could consider it then.

Su Ying was busy in the kitchen, slowly simmering chicken soup on low heat. The aroma filled the air, and it smelled delicious.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Xu Zhao replied, “Sui Sui has woken up. Mom, do you have anything to eat? I’ll take it to her.”

Su Ying lifted the lid of the pot, and the rich aroma of the chicken soup wafted out. She took out a bowl from the cupboard, filled it with half a bowl of chicken soup, a bowl of rice, and a bowl of steamed egg with minced meat. She placed these on a tray.

“Take this up to her. She should finish the soup, and we’ll save the rest for tonight.”

Jiang Suihan, exhausted, had placed the baby on her lap. She cradled the tiny baby with both hands, smiling and gazing at him with the utmost tenderness.

Xu Zhao walked in with the food. “Give the baby to me. You should eat first.”

Jiang Suihan reluctantly handed the baby over to Xu Zhao. Xu Zhao found it amusing. The look of disappointment on Jiang Leyun’s face was exactly the same as his sister’s.

“The baby is right here and won’t run away. Finish your meal, and then you can hold him again.”

Suddenly, Jiang Suihan’s stomach growled in protest. She smiled sheepishly, picked up the soup bowl, and took a sip. She furrowed her brow. “It seems like there’s no salt.”

Xu Zhao explained, “Mom said to use as little salt as possible for your postpartum meals. The soup only has a bit of salt. Just manage with this for now. It’ll be over in a month.”

Jiang Suihan muttered, “A whole month? There’s practically no salt in this soup. It’s so bland, it’s unbearable. Can’t you ask Mom to be a little less rigid and relax the rules a bit?”

On matters concerning Jiang Suihan’s health, Xu Zhao was firm. “No, the soup is nutritious. Drink it up.”

Seeing that Xu Zhao wouldn’t budge, Jiang Suihan had no choice but to drink half of it while pinching her nose. “I’ll eat first and drink the rest later.”

She needed a break and a change of flavor.

The rice was better than the soup. Chewing slowly, it had a slight sweetness. The steamed egg with minced meat, seasoned with a bit of soy sauce, complemented the rice. Though the flavor was mild, it was still decent, and she was truly hungry, eager to fill her stomach.

There were a few pieces of chicken in the soup. Jiang Suihan ate two pieces and drank two more sips of the hot soup. “I’m full.”

Xu Zhao frowned. With such a small amount of food, he didn’t want to force her to eat more. He took the baby from her and polished off the remaining food in her bowl.

Jiang Suihan gazed intently at the baby. “His nose looks like yours, his mouth too, and his forehead and ears. It’s not fair that he looks so much like you.”

She sounded a bit aggrieved. Despite having worked hard to give birth to the baby, he looked just like Xu Zhao. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became, feeling her genes couldn’t compete with his.

Xu Zhao, amused, pinched her nose. “If a boy looks like you, it won’t be easy for him to find a wife.”

Jiang Suihan pouted. “He doesn’t have to look exactly like me, but at least one feature should be mine. They say sons look like their mothers and daughters like their fathers. In our case, it’s completely the opposite.”

Xu Zhao comforted her. “His eyes are like yours—big, bright, and round.”

Jiang Suihan looked at the baby’s peaceful sleeping face. “Really? Why isn’t the baby awake yet?”

Xu Zhao replied, “He should wake up soon.”

He would wake up when he was hungry. No need to rush.

Jiang Suihan gently touched the baby’s soft, smooth cheek. “Have you decided on a name?”

Xu Zhao asked, “Do you have any ideas?”

Since Jiang Suihan had given birth, it was natural for her to name the baby.

Jiang Suihan shook her head. “I don’t know how to choose a name. You do it.”

She had been particularly troubled about naming. She had spent months flipping through dictionaries, but couldn’t decide. Names were either unattractive, hard to pronounce, had poor meanings, or too many strokes. She could always find reasons not to like any name, so the matter of naming was put on hold.

Xu Zhao thought for a moment and tentatively suggested, “Jianjun, Jianshe, Heping, Zhiqiang?”

Jiang Suihan’s mouth twitched. “Too old-fashioned! Can’t you come up with something less clichéd? Names like these are so common that if you shout them on the street, half the people will turn around. There’s no creativity. If you choose one of these names, it will definitely be his first black mark in life.”

Seeing some merit in her argument, Xu Zhao acknowledged, “Then perhaps you should choose.”

The names he could think of were limited, and he wasn’t able to come up with anything innovative.

Jiang Suihan asked, “Who named you?”

Xu Zhao replied, “My grandfather arranged for someone to name me. It was an old Taoist priest.”

As the only male grandchild, Xu Zhao’s grandfather had high hopes for him. The old man was quite superstitious. Shortly after Xu Zhao was born, his grandfather hired a well-known Taoist priest to give him a fortune reading. After the reading, the priest wrote the character ‘Zhao’ as Xu Zhao’s name, which became the origin of his name.

The new dad isn’t very reliable, so Jiang Suihan has to manage on her own. After some thought, she suggested, “How about naming him Chenchen? It means ‘morning’ or ‘sunrise,’ symbolizing hope and brightness.”

Xu Zhao repeated the name “Xu Chen” a couple of times. It has a nice meaning and sounds smooth: “Alright, let’s name him Xu Chen.”

Jiang Suihan smiled as she touched Chenchen’s small nose. “Chenchen, you have a name now. Doesn’t it sound nice?”

Just then, in the perfect atmosphere of the room, Chenchen suddenly opened his mouth and cried out, “Wah…”