Three years later, it was the 31st year of Hongwu.
In early spring, the daisies have formed green buds, but in the shadows, they are just a little bit of black. Outside, there is a violent storm with lightning.
There were two sheep-horn lanterns hanging in the corridor. Mu Chun was standing in the corridor, walking around anxiously. He heard his wife's cries of pain from the house. He knew that his wife was an extremely strong person. She would never make a sound if the pain was not unbearable.
But he could not help in any way - except sending someone to secretly go to Zhou Wangfu in Kaifeng, Henan, thousands of miles away, to bring Ru Sixiao, who was revising medical books in the palace, to Kunming to deliver a baby for the elderly woman Hu Shanwei.
Hu Shanwei is 38 years old this year. Many women at this age have become grandmothers and started their twilight years. Mu Chun looks at her belly growing bigger day by day, and feels happy but also increasingly frightened.
When Ru Siyao arrived in Kunming and saw Hu Shanwei's big belly, she immediately yelled at Mu Chun: "I wrote to you a long time ago to tell you to be careful not to get pregnant. It's very dangerous to have a baby at this age. Why did you still get a big belly? Is it that the fish bladder is not working well, or the sheep intestines are not working well? You are already this old, and you are still indulging in pleasure!"
After giving birth to her second son, Ru Siyao was determined not to have another child. She also kept reminding Hu Shanwei to pay attention to contraception. Pregnancy at this age would be risky for both the child and the mother, and it was easy to cause difficult labor and sick fetuses.
Mu Chun blushed when he heard this, "I've been using it all the time, but... one time I found it was torn, and I thought it was okay, but I didn't expect..."
The sharpshooter hit the target with one shot. Hu Shanwei has always been in good health. She does boxing and fitness every day, and she unexpectedly got pregnant. As the little seed sprouted and grew up, and she gradually established feelings with the little thing, Hu Shanwei looked forward to the identity of a mother more and more, and in turn advised Mu Chun, who was becoming more and more anxious, "We have been on guard for a thousand times, and we have encountered an almost impossible coincidence. Just treat it as a surprise from God. Don't be so nervous."
Mu Chun was still worried and said, "It's not a surprise, it's a shock. I'm not prepared to be a father, because I have a very bad father. It is said that a son resembles his father. I am afraid that I will become like him in the future and become a shadow in the hearts of my children. I only want to be with you for the rest of my life. I don't want to harm others."
The more Mu Chun acted like this, the more Hu Shanwei felt sorry for him. He advised, "Zi Xiao's father is just an ordinary person, but are you an ordinary person? You are not walking an ordinary path. You can break away from the conventional things, such as having a secret marriage with me. You don't know how to be a father, and I don't know how to be a mother. We can learn. Think about it carefully. Who is the best father you have ever seen in your lifetime?"
Mu Chun scratched his head and thought for a while. "Xu Da, the King of Zhongshan, is such a great father. Especially the way he treats my eldest brother-in-law Xu Zengshou, he dotes on and pampers him. This is how one treats his own son. I have envied Xu Zengshou since I was a child and wished I could snatch his father away from me."
Hu Shanwei nodded repeatedly, "The King of Zhongshan is the most meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty. He also knows how to educate his children. He has three princesses in his family. His eldest son, Xu Zuhui, inherited the title of Duke of Wei. He is brave and good at fighting. Xu Zengshou is known as the most dissolute playboy in the capital, but he has never caused trouble for his family. When Mao Xiang was criticized by thousands of people, he rarely did not join in the fun and push the wall. His children are so outstanding. Xu Da deserves the title of the best father in the world. You have found a good role model. If you don't have a best father in the world, you can be the best father of others."
Having a goal is like a lighthouse lighting up in the darkness. Although the path is still unclear and one has to cross the river by feeling the stones, at least there is a direction. Mu Chun considers himself a great father.
When the first thunder of early spring began, Hu Shanwei took action.
Muchun began the most difficult day of her life, listening to Hu Shanwei's screams in the delivery room, which became more rapid and louder.
At first, Mu Chun stayed by his side, feeding Hu Shanwei noodle soup and brown sugar eggs. Later, when his cervix dilated, Ru Siyao thought he was in the way and drove him out.
Mu Chun had no choice but to wait in the pavilion under the corridor. When it was time to light the lamps, two ox-horn lanterns were lit in the pavilion. Hu Shanwei had not been born yet, but a strong wind and heavy rain came.
Crack!
There was a ball of lightning in the distance, it was a ball, not a single bolt, because the lightning was round, and it seemed to have formed just in front of the chrysanthemum field, not in the air. This is what people commonly call rolling thunder, and the official term is ball lightning.
The bright yellow ground rolling thunder instantly illuminated the chrysanthemum field, and even the tiny hairs on the green buds of the daisies were clearly visible. Not only that, after the ball lightning formed in the chrysanthemum field, it rolled towards the pavilion!
The ground rolling thunder had the same killing power as a small artillery. Mu Chun quickly jumped from the pavilion and rolled into the chrysanthemum field. The ground rolling thunder collided with the pavilion, and lightning flashed in all directions, just like a firework. Even the two sheep-horn lanterns hanging in the air exploded, and pieces of transparent skin were like
It exploded like flowers scattered from heaven and fell on Mu Chun's head.
The sheep horn lamp is a kind of traditional glass. The sheep horns are melted into a translucent gelatinous state. The craftsmen dip the mold into the gelatin and blow it into transparent containers. They are used to cover the outside of candles on windy and rainy days, and they are called wind-proof lanterns.
The sheep horn lamp was made of elastic gel, not sharp glass, so the exploded fragments did not hurt Muchun. Muchun stood up and shook off the lamp residue on his body like a dog, but heard the crying of a baby.
At first Mu Chun thought it was an auditory hallucination. He had had auditory hallucinations at least ten times today. This time the crying sounded sharp, just like the sound of the cat at home when it was in the most severe horny state.
So Muchun didn't go into the delivery room and continued to stay in the pavilion.
It was Shi Qianhu who reminded him, "It's born! Duke, go and have a look!"
Mu Chun mistakenly entered the delivery room several times due to auditory hallucinations and was scolded by Ru Siyao. The lives of his wife and children were in Ru Siyao's hands. This time, Mu Chun dared not say anything and said, "This is an illusion. It's the cat at home that is calling. After all, spring is here."
Shi Qianhu said anxiously: "You are the father of eight children, and you still can't tell whether it is a cat's cry or a child's cry?"
After hearing this, Mu Chun ran to the delivery room. As soon as he pushed the door open, he ran into Ru Siyao. Mu Chun quickly pointed at Shi Qianhu behind him and said, "It's all because of him! He asked me to come here!"
Ru Siyao shook her hands, which still smelled of blood. "It's born. It's a girl, weighing 10 pounds. Hu Shanwei suffered a lot when she gave birth to her. She was as fat as a ball. She pouted her mouth to look for food when she was born. Now she is eating her mother's colostrum and she stopped crying immediately."
Ru Siyao went out to change into clean clothes. Mu Chun rushed into the room like a rabbit. Ru Siyao reminded him from behind: "A newborn baby is very delicate. Wash your hands before holding him."
Mu Chun hummed, washed his hands, took off his outer robe that was wet by the thunderstorm, took off his boots, and went to the bed wearing cloth socks.
Hu Shanwei was lying on her side with her hair all wet. When she heard Mu Chun come in, she didn't even look at her husband. She just stared at the baby who was sucking her breast hard.
As greedily as the baby sucked, Hu Shanwei's eyes were as greedy.
My daughter was wrapped in a swaddle, lying on her side like a candle, feeding, with only her moist head exposed. Her hair had grown very well and had reached her neck.
Mu Chun reached out to touch her daughter's head, but Hu Shan swatted her away like a fly. "Shh, don't scare her. Wait until she finishes feeding before you hold her. Ru Siyao said that colostrum is like gold and is good for her body."
Muchun squatted beside the bed and encouraged his daughter, "Try harder, try harder, did you eat it?"
The daughter ate until her face turned red, then she stopped eating in satisfaction and fell asleep. Mu Chun carefully picked up her daughter and finally saw her face. The nine-pound girl was round all over, with a round face and round eyes. Her little hands were clenched into fists, like a ball. Her feet in the cradle looked like steamed buns.
Mu Chun held her tightly and refused to let go. She told Hu Shanwei about the ball lightning she had just encountered. "… The ground roller rolled towards me. Fortunately, I ran fast and jumped into the chrysanthemum field. The ground roller rushed to the pavilion and the two sheep-horn lanterns exploded on the spot, like fireworks. It was an auspicious sign. But she was round and plump, just like a ground roller."
In high spirits, Mu Chun gave his daughter a nickname on the spot, "Let's call her Lightning. What a unique name, it sounds better than flowers, grass, spring, or beauty."
If she hadn't been exhausted from giving birth, Hu Shanwei would have wanted to get up and beat her husband up. "You actually think the name 'Chun' is vulgar? You've forgotten what your name is. Regardless of whether it's a boy or a girl, who would give a nickname like Lightning?"
Mu Chun said, "If lightning doesn't work, then flash? Electric?"
Hu Shanwei was silent. Since the marriage, he wanted to beat him up every few days, but in the end he was always moved by his tenderness: I'm married, right...
Mu Chunwen's thoughts flowed like a spring, and he didn't sense the danger coming. He continued, "Gonggong? Leilei? Just call him A Lei. There is a line in the Book of Songs: Spring thunder rumbles, summer rain and snow, the heaven and earth merge, only then I dare to break up with you. Look, how poetic it is, and the word "Spring Thunder" just happens to contain the names of both us, father and daughter."
Hu Shanwei wanted to cover his daughter's ears, fearing that she would be led astray by her uneducated father. "It's thunder in winter and snow in summer."
Mu Chun said, "I am not well educated, so don't lie to me. There is no thunder in winter."
Hu Shanwei was so angry that he wanted to "break up with you". "It is because there is no thunder in winter and no snow in summer, so the day when these phenomena occur is the time for lovers to separate."
Mu Chun acted coquettishly in front of his wife, "I don't care about anything, I just like Chunlei. If you think A Lei doesn't sound good, you can come up with a nickname." If you can do it, go ahead.
Hu Shanwei thought about it for three days. Perhaps because of preconceived ideas, he thought of many names but none of them was as good as A'lei. Moreover, his daughter's crying was deafening, really like thunder. In addition, Shi Qianhu and Ru Siyao both said that it was easier to raise a child with a humble name. In the end, he had to accept reality and named his daughter A'lei.
Ru Siyao waited until Hu Shanwei was out of confinement and both mother and daughter were healthy before leaving Kunming. Before leaving, she repeatedly reminded them to pay attention to contraception, "… If it really doesn't work, wear two layers, and don't let it break again."
Even Mu Chun's face, which was as thick as a city wall, felt ashamed. "I know, don't worry, Ru Siyao."
When A Lei was 100 days old, an acre of chrysanthemums in the family's home were in bloom. Mu Chun took his daughter for a walk in the flower field and discussed his daughter's appearance with his wife, "Look at her!"
He looks chubby, and doesn't look like me or you. Could he be the reincarnation of Marshal Tianpeng?"
Zhu Bajie, the Marshal of the Heavenly Troops, was introduced to Yunnan along with Yang Jingxian's Northern Opera "Journey to the West" and has become a household name. Almost everyone, whether local natives or new immigrants, knows him.
Hu Shanwei couldn't bear it any longer and punched him with his fist.
Shi Qianhu, who was walking his big yellow dog nearby, was a bystander and said, "From what I can see, the young lady looks a bit like Mr. Hu, especially her round grape-like eyes, which are very similar to Mr. Hu."
Mr. Hu is Hu Rong, the father of Hu Shanwei.
Three years ago, after Mao Xiang was executed by slow slicing and the Jinyiwei was disbanded, the secret agents who were following him disappeared all of a sudden. Mu Chun took the opportunity to ask Chen Xuan to secretly take his father-in-law and his family out of the capital, send them to Yunnan, and settle them in Kunming. Hu Rong also opened a bookshop in Kunming, but he didn't dare to use the old sign of "Hu Family Bookshop" for fear of causing trouble for his daughter, so he split the surname "Hu" into two parts and called it "Guyue Bookshop".
Since Mu Chun fought for Yunnan to have independent examinations six years ago and encouraged local education to set questions for the imperial examinations according to local actual conditions, various parts of Yunnan have flourished in both literature and sports, and produced scholars and juren. The "combat effectiveness" of these juren was decent in the local area, and when they went to the capital to take the joint examinations and competed with juren from all over the country, they were unsurprisingly "annihilated."
However, as long as one passed the examinations and obtained official titles such as Xiucai and Juren, one could be an official in any place in Yunnan, except one's hometown. This was a timely relief for Yunnan, which was eager to recruit talents. Muchun arranged for the first batch of officials who "produced and sold themselves" in Yunnan to take office. The locals knew the actual situation in Yunnan better, so they could get started faster than officials from outside.
Moreover, last year, that is, in the 30th year of Hongwu, the imperial examination broke out, and the North-South list case broke out: 51 Jinshi were selected in this imperial examination, all of them were from the south - of course, Yunnan was not included.
The northern candidates did not accept this result and made trouble. The Hongwu Emperor was furious and severely punished the chief examiner. He also announced a re-examination. In the end, 61 people were admitted, all of whom were from the north.
Afterwards, Emperor Hongwu ordered the reform of the imperial examination system, which set a precedent for selecting candidates from the north and the south. The quota of Jinshi was allocated to the north and the south and to each province, so that some would die of drought and some would die of flood.
Mu Chun was well-informed and immediately submitted a memorial to the emperor, crying poor and asking for a share for Yunnan and a few places for Jinshi.
In order to encourage the promotion of education in Yunnan, Emperor Hongwu agreed.
The news that Muchun got the quota spread throughout Yunnan immediately. The scholars cried with joy and were grateful for Muchun's contribution. Their enthusiasm for study increased greatly because they no longer needed to surpass other culturally strong provinces, which was such an unattainable goal. They only needed to surpass their own people.
As a result, the reading trend became popular in Yunnan. Seeing the people around them, who were all common people, transformed themselves into officials who were paid by the emperor, this realistic stimulation was more effective than anything else. More and more people began to pay attention to their children's education and formed a reading culture. As a result, bookstores, paper and pens and other cultural and educational industries flourished. The business of Guyue Bookstore went from being ignored to gradually improving.
Hu Rong's second wife, Chen, fell ill on the way and died soon after arriving in Kunming. Hu Rong and his son Hu An depended on each other for survival. After Hu An's 27-month mourning period was over and he turned 17, Hu Rong decided to marry his son to a local Bai woman in Kunming. The family of three lived a comfortable and prosperous life in Kunming.
In order to keep the secret of the secret marriage, Hu Shanwei dared not show up in front of his family, but asked the chief of the household to protect him secretly, and still sent half of his salary to his father every year for his old age. Because her stepmother Chen, who had abused her before, had died, her half brother Hu An was simple and kind, and was very filial to his father.
Therefore, when Juan got married, Hu Shanwei gave the bride a set of gold and gemstone head jewelry as a gift.
All of this was arranged by Shi Qianhu, so he was very familiar with Hu Rong's appearance. Hu Rong had a pair of round tiger eyes, and he remained handsome and unrestrained even when he was old. His eyes were not cloudy, but bright and energetic.
Shi Qianhu interrupted, and Hu Shanwei had no time to beat her husband who was talking nonsense. She and Muchun looked at A Lei who was trying hard to stuff his entire steamed bun-sized fist into his mouth.
Arei is over a hundred years old and has just shaved his head, which is as white as lightning. He has thick eyebrows, tiger eyes, a straight nose bridge, and a slightly upturned nose tip. These features are indeed very similar to Hu Rong.
Mu Chun teased his daughter mischievously and said to A Lei, "Father-in-law, please accept my greetings."
Of course, he failed to bow down and was instead hit by two punches from Hu Shanwei.
Hu Shanwei scowled coldly, "I want you to be a great father, not to treat your daughter as your father."
A Lei seemed to find his mother's sudden change of expression very interesting, and he laughed loudly. Mu Chun loved his daughter's laughter the most, so he quickly said to his wife: "Quick, hit me twice more, harder, and make her laugh."
The author has something to say: After all, I am not a devil. I cannot always cause trouble and kill people. I have to be sweet and sprinkle some sugar occasionally.
I will send 100 red packets tonight. Good night, everyone.