As soon as Wei Nian got home, Old Mrs. Wei told her son about Mrs. Wen's visit.
Wei Nian was also a little surprised and smiled, "Mrs. Wen is so polite. It might be because Ah Xuan and I didn't go to Mr. Wen's salon last time, but Ah Yin and Ah Shu went. It must be them who said that."
"That's it." Mrs. Wei reminded her son, "I've recorded this gift in our account book. You must remember it. If someone does something like this in the future, you must return the gift. Mrs. Wen was very generous and gave us a box of eggs, which contained 600 eggs."
"Oh, that's very polite."
"Yes, he is a very particular person. You didn't see that. Not only is he noble, but he also understands the old etiquette of us old Beijingers. In addition to eggs, there is also three feet of fine cotton cloth with red flowers, which is just right for making clothes for our little girl in the future. I will give it to your wife." Mrs. Wei talked to her son for a while. Wei Nian sat in the old house for a while and then went to see his wife. Chen Xuan also said, "I didn't expect that Mrs. Wen would come in person."
"We often go to Mr. Wen's place. It has been several years." Wei Nian leaned over to look at the little girl. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Wei Nian said, "She sleeps like this every day."
"Xiaoyue children are like this, eat and sleep, sleep and eat, that's how they grow fast."
Seeing his daughter smacking her little mouth like a bird's beak, Wei Nian hurriedly asked, "Are you hungry, girl?"
"No, I just ate. Now I sleep like this, smacking my lips."
After taking a closer look at his daughter, Wei Nian smiled and said, "It seems our daughter has become prettier again."
"Mrs. Wen also praised our daughter for her fair skin." Chen Xuan said as she glanced at Wei Nian, becoming more and more satisfied with Wei Nian's fair and handsome appearance.
The couple chatted for a while, and Sister An brought in warm water. Wei Nian washed his hands and face, and touched his daughter's face. Sister Xin suddenly laughed. Wei Nian said strangely, "Oh, she knows I'm back. Look how happy our daughter is."
"I am dreaming. I have been dreaming these days, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing. The old lady said that I am learning skills from the Goddess of Dreams, and this laughter is the Goddess of Dreams praising her."
"Our daughter is so smart."
At one point, the eldest sister brought in the confinement meal for Chen Xuan, and Wei Nian also went to the dining room to eat. After dinner, he looked at his daughter again. When the French teacher came, Wei Nian had to learn French for two hours. After returning to the room, he had to read to his daughter for half an hour. This was Chen Xuan's suggestion. When Chen Xuan was free during the day, she would recite poems and articles that she had memorized before to her daughter. At night, Chen Xuan asked Wei Nian to read French to her daughter. In Chen Xuan's words, although her daughter didn't understand it now, she liked to listen very much. The evidence is that every time Chen Xuan read poems and articles to her daughter, the little girl didn't cry at all, but listened attentively with her black eyes open.
Brother Anian loves his daughter so much that his eyesight is affected. He decided to read to his daughter for half an hour every night. Because not only does his daughter like to listen, but her mother likes it too. Although Chen Xuan doesn't understand French, she feels that when Brother Anian reads French in that deep and pleasant bass voice, his tone and expression are extremely tender and gentle.
Chen Xuan was released from confinement in early August. On the day she was released from confinement, she spent half a day bathing. She was not allowed to bathe or wash her hair during confinement, so Chen Xuan just wiped her hair. However, no matter how she wiped, it was not as comfortable as taking a bath in a big tub. Chen Xuan took a bath and washed her hair vigorously, but she was lucky that she had short hair, so it was easy to wipe her hair during confinement.
Chen Xuan had a good confinement period. Although her face is a little plumper, her complexion is really better than ever. She has been doing farm work in her hometown since she was a child. When she first arrived in Beijing, she was like a thick black charcoal head. In the past few years, she has not been exposed to the sun and her complexion is also wheat-colored. After not going out for a month, Chen Xuan really feels that she has become much whiter. When she looks in the mirror, she feels happy and thinks that she must keep her white skin now, otherwise, it will not be good to go out with Brother Anian and the difference in skin color between the couple will be too big.
Besides, her little girl is also very fair-skinned. If the three of them go out together in the future and she is the only one who is dark-skinned, people will say that they don’t look like a family.
After taking a shower, Chen Xuan changed into a newly made German-printed cheongsam. She had gained weight and her breasts were more than two sizes larger, which was shocking to wear. Wei Nian glanced at his wife and nodded with satisfaction.
The full moon party was not a big event, just a meal for the family.
After she finished her confinement, Chen Xuan planned to go to work in the store. She discussed it with Wei Nian first, "The store is close to our home. I will feed the baby once when I go out in the morning, come back once in the middle of the day, and feed the baby again when I go home for lunch. I will come back once in the afternoon, and feed the baby again when I go home in the evening. That's about it."
Wei Nian looked at his daughter, then back at his wife, a little hesitant, "Will running back and forth like this be too tiring?"
"It's not far from home. I can call a rickshaw and be home in ten minutes."
Wei Nian didn't object to Chen Xuan working in the store. What's the point of staying at home all the time? Wei Nian was more worried that Chen Xuan would be too tired, and whether his daughter would be uncomfortable leaving her mother. Chen Xuan loved her daughter just the same. Chen Xuan said, "Try it first. If our little girl doesn't want to do it, I will come back to take care of her. I will go to the store when she is older."
"Okay, let's try it first."
After the couple discussed it, Chen Xuan went to discuss it with the old lady. Old Lady Wei was not like some old-fashioned old ladies who were unwilling to let the women in the family go out to work. Ever since Wei Yin and Chen Xuan opened the store, Old Lady Wei had been accustomed to her daughter and daughter-in-law working. Now, not only did she not object, but she also strongly supported it. Business people always value practicality. Old Lady Wei waved her hand and said happily, "Go. Just go to the store to work. I have you, little girl, and Sister An and Big Sister. Three living people can't bring up a child!" Many women go out to work now, not to mention that her daughter and daughter-in-law are not working for others, but their own business. Even the in-laws, Old Lady Zhao, envied her daughter and daughter-in-law for being capable and making money. Even the eldest daughter-in-law can earn more than ten yuan a month. Although Old Lady Wei was a little jealous, she didn't ask for the money. Even if the eldest daughter-in-law kept it for herself, the money was in their old Wei family and could not go anywhere else. Therefore, after Chen Xuan finished her confinement, she went to work in the store. Old Mrs. Wei was very supportive of her. She said that as a businessman, one must be able to endure hardships and make money.
Even in the secret inner world of Mrs. Wei, which no one could know, she felt that Chen Xuan went to work right after she left the confinement period, so that the hundreds of eggs she had stored during the confinement period would not be wasted. Ask around in the neighborhood, which daughter-in-law's in-laws can get such an unlimited supply of eggs during the confinement period! Eggs are so expensive now, six for 10 cents before, but only four for 10 cents now. Even Mrs. Wei herself couldn't bear to eat eggs every meal.
Now that she is out of confinement, Chen Xuan knows she has to go back to work, and Old Lady Wei is very satisfied. Although this daughter-in-law is a big eater, fortunately she is also a person who lives a life of ease, so she eats a lot, and the eggs are not cheap for outsiders.
For this reason, Mrs. Wei privately praised Chen Xuan to her eldest daughter, and said with satisfaction, "She knows how to live."
Wei Jin also said, "My second brother's wife is really fierce. If it were someone else's daughter-in-law, she would have stayed at home even after the confinement period, at least until the baby was weaned."
"That's okay. We can come back once in the morning and once in the afternoon. It's easy to go back and forth by rickshaw." Old Mrs. Wei is used to her family taking rickshaws. Everyone in the family is making money, so they don't care about the travel expenses. "I'll help take care of the little girl, and Sister An and my eldest sister will also help. It's fine."
“That’s true.”
So, Chen Xuan began her life of juggling work and breastfeeding.
At first, I was not used to it. As a mother, I was so worried about leaving my child. I couldn't concentrate on my work. I had to check the time from time to time, afraid that I would miss the baby's feeding. Chen Xuan had to remind herself from time to time to do things. As for going home to feed the baby, Chen Xuan went to Dong'an Market and bought a small copper alarm clock and put it in the store. When the alarm went off, she would call a rickshaw to go home to feed the baby, and then go back to the store after feeding and coaxing the baby.
Fortunately, the little girl is well-behaved and not naughty. The main reason is that children who have just come out of confinement sleep more and are less awake. This child still sleeps a lot, two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. At night, she urinates and defecates at most, and does not make trouble. But even so, Chen Xuan also feels that her energy is not as good as before, and her concentration is not as focused as before, especially at night when the child follows her, and she will wake up to check on the child at the slightest movement. Even her memory seems to be not as good as before. Now the progress of learning in one night is only half of what it used to be. Chen Xuan even began to lose her hair, and she was distracted and dazed. Chen Xuan said to Wei Nian, "Brother Nian, I feel like I'm going to become stupid."
Wei Nian was so happy, "Then I have a silly wife." What was even more hateful was that he called Chen Xuan "silly wife, silly wife", which made Chen Xuan so angry that she punched Wei Nian twice. Wei Nian smiled and comforted Chen Xuan, "You just gave birth to a child, and you are always worried about the child, so you are like this."
"Brother Anian, you are also concerned about our little girl. Why don't you do this? You still remember things so quickly!" Chen Xuan stared at Wei Nian with two depressed eyes, waiting for Wei Nian to give an answer. Wei Nian thought for a while, "You are the mother and I am the father, of course it is different."
It's the same as not saying anything.
Chen Xuan also consulted Mrs. Wei, Wei Jin, and Mrs. Li about this problem. They all gave the same answer: "It's normal. This is what happens after giving birth to a child. It will be fine in a year or two."
Chen Xuan began to write to Madam Wen. Chen Xuan always thought that Madam Wen was knowledgeable. Moreover, she felt that Madam Wen was the kind of beautiful, kind-hearted elder who was willing to guide the younger generation, so she wanted to hear Madam Wen's opinion. It is said that Madam Wen has three biological sons at home. Madam Wen has given birth to three, but she is still so smart. Maybe she has a trick. This time, Chen Xuan still sent an airmail letter. In the letter, she talked about some of her postpartum conditions, and of course, how cute her little girl was. After unwrapping the little quilt, the little girl was so happy. She waved her little hands and kicked her little feet when she woke up all day. Now her hands and feet are fleshy, bulging, and feel soft like clouds.
Mrs. Wen replied very quickly. She first expressed her blessing and love for the child in the letter, and then praised Chen Xuan for going out to work after the confinement. Mrs. Wen said in the letter that the only place where a woman can settle down is herself, and self-reliance and self-improvement will never be outdated. There are also some answers to Chen Xuan's postpartum condition. Mrs. Wen said that she had a similar situation after giving birth. She went to the hospital to ask the doctor and consulted an old Chinese doctor. Many times it is caused by the monotonous diet during the confinement period. Let Chen Xuan eat more vegetables and fish in moderation after giving birth, and insist on drinking milk. In addition, you have to rely on yourself to adjust. When you can't concentrate, you should remind yourself to concentrate. You should take it as a warning when you are dazed and distracted. It should get better after a while. By the way, tell Chen Xuan to pay attention to body recovery. Women will get fat after giving birth. At this time, because of breast milk, you can't diet. It's best to strengthen exercise and don't become stupid and fat like ordinary women who give birth. Whether it is to please yourself or yourself, a thin body shape is also conducive to physical health. At the end of the letter, he also gave Chen Xuan several weight loss recipes and recipes to help with breast milk production. He also suggested that Chen Xuan go to Tong Ren Tang to ask an old Chinese doctor to take her pulse, because everyone's physical condition is different, so she should listen to the doctor's advice. The doctor is a professional, and after all, physical health should be the first priority.
Chen Xuan thought, there must be a reason why Madam Wen is so beautiful and smart.
So Chen Xuan did something that made Old Lady Wei appreciate her greatly. She went to the store instead of taking a rickshaw. She walked. It was not yet Mid-Autumn Festival, so the weather was not cold. The store was not far from home. Chen Xuan no longer wore cheongsam. There was another popular style now, which was a light-colored sweater on the upper body, a tweed skirt on the lower body, and a coat on the outside. The tweed skirt was a large skirt, which was more convenient and faster to walk in than the cheongsam.
Chen Xuan calculated the time and went back and forth between her home and the store several times a day. She also secretly went to Tong Ren Tang by herself and consulted an old Chinese doctor. Chen Xuan's body was a little weak before, and the doctor told her when she was pregnant. Fortunately, she and Wei Nian were pretending to be a couple after marriage, and they did not get pregnant immediately. With the improvement in diet in the past few years, Chen Xuan was still young, and she did a good job in confinement this time. The doctor also said that there was no big problem after taking her pulse. Chen Xuan asked for a few dietary prescriptions, paid the consultation fee and went home. From then on, Chen Xuan's behavior made Mrs. Wei appreciate her even more. Wei Nian felt sorry for his daughter-in-law and often asked Wang Damei to buy fish and meat. Chen Xuan ate in moderation. The old Chinese doctor said that anything in excess was not good. In addition to fish and meat, Chen Xuan ate more vegetables, such as green vegetables, radishes, carrots, beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Chen Xuan was not picky about food.
She was still living a vigorous life, and after properly transferring some of her energy from the child to herself, Chen Xuan's spirit really began to recover. In fact, Mrs. Wen also suggested in the letter that Chen Xuan hire a special nanny to help take care of the child. Chen Xuan felt that her spirit was not as good as before. One reason was because of the birth, and the other was that she had to take care of the child at night after giving birth, and she had to get up at least two or three times a night. If she hired a nanny, Chen Xuan could have a good rest at night. After considering it, Chen Xuan did not do what Mrs. Wen said, she was reluctant to let the little girl be taken care of by others. They were not together during the day, and she had to put the little girl next to her and kiss her at night. Only then did Chen Xuan feel that her heart was filled with a love that was almost overflowing.
When Chen Xuan said this to Wei Nian, Wei Nian was quite dissatisfied, "You are biased, share some of your overflowing love with Xin Jie'er's father." When Chen Xuan was pregnant, she had to restrain herself in the first three months, and did not dare to do anything big afterwards. Now that she has finally given birth, although Chen Xuan has gained some weight during the confinement period, she is not too fat. Her body is slightly plump, fragrant and soft, and Wei Nian feels very close to her. Now Chen Xuan has started to exercise and her figure has begun to recover. However, she is breastfeeding, and she can't lose weight anywhere. It's autumn now, and she doesn't show much when wearing a coat. When she is indoors, she is really hot. Wei Nian is full of blood and thirsty for many days, so how can one or two days of nonsense satisfy him.
Chen Xuan was embarrassed, blushing and whispering, "He's getting more and more frivolous, and our little girl is still so energetic."
Wei Nian immediately said, "Then I will read French to Xinjie." French is very hypnotic. Usually, Wei Nian can read for half an hour and the little girl will fall asleep.
Chen Xuan blushed and made the mattress for sleeping.