Giving birth is really a drain on one's vitality. Chen Xuan has always thought that she is in very good health, but since giving birth to her daughter, she has become particularly sleepy. She actually took her daughter to sleep again in the morning. Speaking of which, this little girl is also strange. She is not like those naughty children who make trouble. Generally speaking, she will only cry in two situations: one is when she is hungry, and the other is when she urinates.
Wei Jin came to see his niece, and praised her every time, "You look more and more like me." Chen Xuan felt that the child was born to her elder sister-in-law. Wei Jin not only praised her verbally, but also expressed it in action. He secretly gave Chen Xuan a gold locket and did not let Chen Xuan tell anyone, because when Yun Jieer was born, Wei Jin only gave her a silver locket. They are all nieces, so Wei Jin must show that they are equal. However, Wei Jin said that she prefers the little girl who looks more like her, and thinks that the little girl is blessed.
Wei Jin gave it quietly, and A Xuan also quietly accepted it. When he told A Nian about this matter in the evening, Wei Nian smiled and said, "Don't tell anyone about this matter." In addition to liking his daughter, the eldest sister should also be touched by Strawberry's technology.
After Chen Xuan showed the gold locket to Wei Nian, she put it away for her daughter and said, "Wait until our Ah Xin is older before giving it to her."
Wei Nian responded and moved closer to look at his daughter. He praised her every time he looked at her, "Look at our daughter's eyebrows and eyes. She is so pretty."
Chen Xuan also said, "I didn't think she looked very good when she was first born, but after a few days, I think her Ah Xin is getting better and better looking."
"Who said she's not pretty? Is there anyone prettier than our daughter?" Wei Nian stroked the soft cheek of the little girl and muttered, "Daddy's little darling, when will you call me daddy?"
Chen Xuan felt that her brother Anian had a tendency to be insane. It took until a child was one year old for him to start calling people.
Of course, everyone in the family likes her daughter very much, and Chen Xuan is also very happy. Although Chen Xuan secretly asked Li about the secret of giving birth to a son, of course, Chen Xuan asked Li quietly. Although Li couldn't tell the reason, Li's pregnancy and childbirth were all natural, and it was up to God to give birth to a son or a daughter, and there was no secret recipe. Chen Xuan still felt it was strange, because she liked to eat sour food when she was pregnant. She always thought it was a son, but in the end, she gave birth to a daughter.
Mrs. Li was worried that she would be disappointed by having a daughter, and she comforted Chen Xuan, "Sons and daughters are the same. In my opinion, a daughter is better because she can take care of her brothers in the future."
Chen Xuan's eyes softened. "Sister-in-law, Xin Jie'er is my first child, and I love her very much. It's the same. Although we are talking about gender equality now, it is harder for us women to be human and do things than men. When Xin Jie'er grows up, I will tell her to work hard. Maybe she will have to work harder than her brothers."
Li sighed, "For us women, it's easy to live in confusion, but it's hard to live with clarity."
Chen Xuan felt that Li's words were full of meaning. She thought that Wei Shi had seldom sent letters since he went outside the Great Wall and had not returned home for the New Year. Then she thought of Wei Nian's speculation about Wei Shi. In his previous life, Wei Shi had not encountered any problems outside the Great Wall, and Wei Shi should be back soon.
The two sisters-in-law talked for a while, and after a while, Wang Damei brought in boiled eggs and fried sesame salt. Li asked Chen Xuan to eat, and she went to help in the kitchen. In the afternoon, Li had to go to the lace factory.
During her confinement, Chen Xuan's main food for three meals a day was eggs, boiled eggs, steamed eggs, fried eggs, sugar-water eggs, and sesame salt. Chen Xuan had at least six eggs for one meal. The family ate eggs quickly, and Mrs. Wei kept whispering to her eldest daughter, "Eighteen eggs a day. Logically, these eggs should be sent by your mother's family. You said your second brother's wife doesn't have a mother's family, so our family has to pay for it."
Wei Jin said, "Didn't you know she had no family on the first day? If you say she didn't have one, that's not true. How could she not have one? The uncle and aunt from the Chen family who stole clothes and asked my second brother's wife to get them back are her family! But if you dare to tell them about my second brother's wife giving birth, even if they bring eggs, they will steal three of yours if they give you one!"
"That's what I said. When it comes to mother's family, Jie Ge'er's mother is more blessed."
"Of course, my uncle's family holds treasures. When my eldest sister-in-law was in confinement after childbirth, my uncle from the Wang family always bought hundreds of eggs. He is really a respectable man."
"Yes. In this respect, Xinjie's mother is not as blessed as Jiege's mother."
"Everyone has their own blessings. My second brother and his wife are very capable. They have earned a lot of money for our family by growing strawberries in the past two years. They can also open a shop. It doesn't matter whether there is a mother's family or not."
"That's true." Thinking of Chen Xuan's ability to grow strawberries and make money, Old Mrs. Wei was in high spirits. So, she became generous and waved her hand, "Eating eggs is also for feeding our Wei family's children! Eat them! It's enough! Our family can afford as much as you eat!"
Chen Xuan had never eaten eggs so freely in her life. Not only was there enough, but she was also full. Although Chen Xuan and Wei Nian had lived a good life in Wangfucang Hutong in recent years, with meat dishes for every meal, in Chen Xuan's heart, eggs were still a very good and nutritious food. In their hometown, even the daughters-in-law of landlords who were in confinement after childbirth did not eat eggs so freely. Many families only had two eggs for a meal, and the rest was white flour buns. Some white flour buns were not enough and they had to supplement with corn flour or buns made of two or three jin of flour. How could she have the conditions now to eat eggs as much as she wanted every day.
In the past, Chen Xuan would definitely be reluctant to leave, but now she still has to breastfeed her child. Only when she is healthy can her milk be good. Moreover, Chen Xuan's thoughts have changed compared to before. She still has to study a lot in the future and go to a university abroad. She wants to become a learned person. Her ideal is to be a first-class professor. Whether doing work or studying, you must have a good body. Therefore, Chen Xuan is not polite when it comes to food.
Even if it was the ordered milk, she would drink it every morning and evening without missing a meal.
When it comes to ordering milk, Wei Nian is a modern person. Ever since Chen Xuan got pregnant, Wei Nian has started ordering milk, and the couple drinks it in the morning. Wei Nian is a filial man, so he ordered one for everyone in the old house. Old Mrs. Wei couldn't get used to it. In her words, "It's been so many years since I stopped breastfeeding. Why are you drinking milk again at your age?"
Wei Yin said, "There are people selling double skin milk outside. You tasted good drinking it, didn't you?"
"That's a snack, how can it be the same as this?" Anyway, Mrs. Wei would never drink this kind of fresh milk. Old Master Wei didn't like it either, he preferred corn porridge in the morning and evening.
The others were different. They all drank milk. Wei Yin and Wei Nian were Western-style. As for Li, she was always docile and cherished things. Her brother-in-law ordered everything for everyone. Li had never bought milk, but she knew that drinking it every day was not a small expense. Since it was ordered, she drank it. As for the children, they all went to church elementary schools, and it was not uncommon for their classmates to have milk and bread for breakfast. Therefore, the breakfast and dinner of the Wei family became a mix of Chinese and Western styles, with milk and corn porridge.
For Chen Xuan, it’s milk, eggs, sesame salt.
Sometimes, Chen Xuan felt that such a good life was like a dream.
This was a life she had never dared to dream of for many years. Even in her dreams, she had never dared to hope for it.
It turns out that as long as you let go and work hard for yourself, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can have such a life.
Chen Xuan poked her daughter's pouty face and whispered, "My little girl, you have to work hard in the future." You have to work hard for yourself and fight for your ideals, instead of being in a position to assist men and silently devoting your whole life to the ideals of others. That is certainly a great spirit, but it is no longer the spirit advocated by women in the new era. Chen Xuan was fortunate that her little girl was born in an era when women put themselves on an equal scale with men for the first time. Although there is still a long way to go for complete equality between men and women, this is an excellent start after all, isn't it
Chen Xuan loved her daughter so much that she had some experience after taking care of the child for a few days. As soon as the little girl frowned or pouted, Chen Xuan knew whether she was hungry or had diarrhea. She would feed her or change her diaper immediately, and she was reluctant to let her daughter cry any more. Even Mrs. Wei praised Chen Xuan for taking good care of the child and knowing how to take care of the child.
In this regard, Mrs. Wei has a lot of bragging capital. She said to her in-law, Mrs. Zhao, who came over to talk, "I'm not bragging. Both of my daughters-in-law, including Ah Jin, can take care of children. Some babies have poop and pee, and they stink. But when our little girl poops, her mother immediately washes her bottom and applies powder. She is so clean."
Mrs. Zhao said, "If the mother knows how to clean up, the children will benefit from it."
"That's right." Old Mrs. Wei smiled.
Old lady Wei raised six children in her lifetime. The first two died young. Wei Jin was the first child to grow up. All the children after Wei Jin were raised safely. Therefore, among the children, Old lady Wei, who favored boys over girls, preferred Wei Jin because she believed that Wei Jin was a blessed daughter. With Wei Jin as the eldest daughter, her younger brothers and sisters would be safe. Of course, it was also true that Wei Jin looked more like her.
Therefore, due to historical reasons and her appearance, Old Lady Wei loved her little granddaughter Wei Xin very much. However, she was not very satisfied with one thing. She felt that the name Wei Xin was not very good. She said to her eldest daughter, "What character should be used for Xin? If you ask me, if not Wei Qian, then Zhao Di. It has a better meaning."
Wei Jin agreed with her mother's aesthetic taste. She took a pink and translucent peach from Tong County from the blue-white porcelain plate and took a bite. "Yes, Qian is a good name. She is destined to be rich. Zhao Di'er is also good. Now that we have a little girl, we hope the next child will be a son."
"Yeah, I also think these two names are better than Wei Xin. Let's change the name before registering the child."
"I'm just afraid that Ah Nian won't be happy."
Old Mrs. Wei said confidently, "We are all trying to give the little girl a good name. Why should we be unhappy?"
Old lady Wei told this to her second son personally. When Wei Nian heard it, he said, "What the hell is Wei Qian! And Zhao Di'er, so unfashionable! Nine out of ten daughters are named Zhao Di'er. Why should I give my daughter such an unfashionable name!" Before Wei Nian could finish his comments, he scolded the old lady and asked her to get out.
Old Mrs. Wei scolded her second son, "You ungrateful bastard! You know nothing!"
Because her son was ungrateful, Mrs. Wei felt that her good intentions were not in the right hands, so she decided to talk about this matter with her second daughter-in-law, Chen Xuan. As a result, the name could not be changed before she even started talking. Because it was said that the wife of Mr. Wen, who was very famous in the cultural circle, came to visit the mother and the child!
Chen Xuan had not expected that Mrs. Wen would come in person. Mrs. Wen was wearing a light purple floral cheongsam with a white round pearl necklace around her neck. She was not dressed up gorgeously, but she was so gentle and beautiful that Mrs. Wei was so embarrassed that she didn't know where to put her hands and feet, let alone talk in a social setting. Wei Jin didn't know Mrs. Wen either. Mrs. Wen smiled and introduced herself, "Hello, old lady. My husband's surname is Wen. Ah Xuan often goes to my place to attend salons. I heard that the second girl in the mansion had given birth, so I came to visit."
Old Mrs. Wei was not used to dealing with modern women like Mrs. Wen. Wei Jin was younger and quicker to react, so she said quickly, "Mrs. Wen, right? Please take a seat. Your second brother's wife is in confinement after childbirth, please come in." She then directly invited Mrs. Wen to Chen Xuan's room in the backyard.
Chen Xuan was talking softly to the little girl, reciting a poem to her, "Since ancient times, autumn has been a sad and lonely time. I say that autumn is better than spring. A crane flies above the clouds in the clear sky, bringing poetic sentiment to the blue sky."
Mrs. Wen smiled. Wei Jin invited Mrs. Wen in and said in a low voice, "I think my second brother's wife is too impatient. The little girl is not even one month old yet, but she's reading poems and speaking foreign languages to her every day."
Chen Xuan was very surprised to see Mrs. Wen. She was playing with her daughter under the quilt when she suddenly saw Mrs. Wen. She was very surprised and kept asking, "Madam, why are you here?"
"I heard from Ah Yin that you gave birth, so I came to see you. Sit down and get well." Mrs. Wen sat on the edge of the kang. Wang Damei brought tea, and Mrs. Wen took a few sips and put it on the small kang table. Seeing that the room was not big, it was very tidy. There was a unique milky smell in the room. Mrs. Wen came closer to look at the little girl and smiled, "This child is really white."
"This is like Anian, she is naturally white." Chen Xuan is always a humble person, but she couldn't help but praise her little girl proudly. "If she was like me, she would be dark."
"It's good to be like you." Mrs. Wen looked at the child and asked about Chen Xuan's health and what she usually eats.
Chen Xuan said, "I can eat any eggs at home, and I drink milk every day. I have gained weight."
Chen Xuan has indeed gained weight. She was a little plump when she was pregnant. She took good care of herself during the confinement period, and her skin has a healthy pink hue. The good complexion is hard to describe with cosmetics. As long as you see Chen Xuan, you will know that she is living a very good life.
"You have to take good care of yourself during the confinement period, both for the baby and for your own health." Mrs. Wen saw that the little girl had woken up and her eyes would gurgle at people when she heard the voice. She was very smart and couldn't help but ask with a smile, "What's the baby's name?"
"Call me Wei Xin, my sweetheart's heart."
Mrs. Wen smiled and praised, "What a good name."
"Brother Anian chose it. He picked more than a hundred names and this one." Ever since she had a daughter, Chen Xuan has developed a disease called "showing off". She loves to show off her daughter and husband to others, wanting people to know how well she lives, how good her daughter is, and how much she loves her little daughter. Although she knows it's not good, she just can't help it.
Mrs. Wen couldn't help laughing when she saw the wedding photo of the two on the wall. In the photo, Chen Xuan was well-proportioned and pretty, a little reserved, with shy joy between her eyebrows. In the blink of an eye, she became a mother. Next to the photo was an ideal photo frame for the two of them. Mrs. Wen smiled and said to Chen Xuan, "Don't be too anxious to study. You should rest well during the confinement period."
"Well, I didn't read. My eldest sister-in-law's mother-in-law said that reading during confinement hurts the eyes. I'm afraid that I will forget what I remembered before, so I read it out when I have time. It not only exercises my memory, but also lets the little girl listen. She will definitely be smarter than me when she grows up." Chen Xuan can chat with anyone, especially her daughter. She is quite talkative. She looks at the child with soft and loving eyes, as if looking at the most precious treasure in the world, and her voice is also soft. "I didn't feel this way before I gave birth. After giving birth to our little girl, I believed that there is such a kind of heartache in the world. Sometimes when I look at our little girl, my heart seems to melt."
Mrs. Wen listened with a smile and said softly, "The hardship of a mother carrying a child for ten months is something that others cannot understand. A mother's love for her children is always like this."
Chen Xuan nodded, agreeing with Mrs. Wen's words.
Although Mrs. Wen was a modern woman, the things she brought to visit the new mother were in line with the old Beijing customs. She brought three feet of red flowered cotton cloth, which was for making clothes for the baby. She also brought a box of eggs, which contained 600 eggs, to nourish the new mother. After seeing them, Mrs. Wei said, "Nowadays, many modern people don't understand the rules and don't follow these old rules. Mrs. Wen is really worthy of being an educated person. Look at the things she brought. They are really exquisite."
Wei Jin also said, "Mrs. Wen's demeanor shows that she is a sophisticated person." He also said, "My second brother's wife doesn't talk much on weekdays, but she is really capable of organizing things. She actually knows the wife of such a wealthy family."
"He is not only rich, but also knowledgeable. The big calligraphy in the hall of our house was written by Mr. Wen!" When talking about this, Mrs. Wei was very proud, as if her family was also influenced by the scent of books.
The author has something to say: ps: The first update is here, good afternoon everyone!