The next day was little Baozi's third-day birthday celebration. The couple was in Yangzhou City, and apart from the Zhang family, they had no familiar friends or relatives.
The Zhang family seemed to know this as well. On the day of the third-day bath, almost all of the Zhang family members, except for the uncle, were present. Mrs. Zhang and several sisters-in-law also invited relatives from her natal family to come over to add to the occasion, and the third-day bath banquet was quite lively.
Although Li Yaonan didn't care about these things, he still kept the Zhang family's intentions in mind.
Last night, after Lin Yixuan woke up, the couple discussed and decided to name the child Xu, which means the rising sun. It just so happened that their son was born when the sun rose, and the couple were very satisfied.
After lunch, when the auspicious time arrived, the midwife took Xiao Xuer out.
The incense table had already been neatly arranged, enshrining thirteen statues of goddesses.
The midwife held Xiao Xuer in her arms and bowed three times. The little baby was chubby and had no more wrinkles on his face than when he was just born. He could open his eyes now. They were clear and bright. He really looked like Li Yaonan.
After the worship, the maids brought a basin of water. The midwife held Xiao Xu'er, took the water, and gently patted his head: "One dozen smart."
Feeling the coolness of the water, Xiao Xuer became excited and waved his two little paws in the air.
The midwife patted him again: "You are so smart."
Xiao Xuer was very curious and pouted her little mouth to make bubbles.
"Three strikes and all diseases and disasters are gone."
Xiao Xuer waited for a long time, but found that there was no cool feeling on his head and he couldn't touch anything. His little mouth pursed and he burst into tears.
"It's okay if you cry, it's okay if you cry." Mrs. Zhang said with a smile and threw a heavy longevity lock into the basin.
The ancients were very particular about customs and superstitions. Children must cry on the day of the third day of the lunar year, otherwise it would be considered unlucky.
Li Yaonan scoffed at this, but he would not be ungrateful. He naturally understood the good intentions of the lady.
It's just that children born in winter take cold water when they are bathed, so why don't they cry? Summer is different, the coolness of the water will make children feel interesting, and it is normal for them to laugh. Such unlucky sayings are really unacceptable. If they meet a feudal patriarch, they will ruin the child.
Then Mrs. Zhang threw a piece of mutton-fat jade into the basin, followed by her cousin, brother-in-law, cousin-in-law, and some guests who came, who were actually some relatives of the Zhang family, and now they were considered distant relatives of him.
The married woman who has no children holds Xiao Xu'er tightly in her arms, hoping to get some of the blessing.
It was a small third-day baptism banquet, and Xiao Xuer gained a lot. He was tired from playing and fell asleep. The nanny took him back. After all, children are delicate and cannot stand the tossing and turning. It is okay now that it is summer. In winter, children will usually be taken away after the baptism to prevent them from catching cold.
The third-day bath banquet ended successfully, and that evening, Li Yaonan and Lin Yixuan said goodbye to each other reluctantly.
Seeing Lin Yixuan's still pale face, to be honest, Li Yaonan was a little worried. He pinched Lin Yixuan's cheek and said seriously: "You have to take good care of yourself during the days I'm away. When I come back, I must see you gain some weight. Do you hear me?"
"Yeah!" Lin Yixuan nodded, feeling very touched by Li Yaonan's concern. He stared into his eyes and asked, "Will you come back for Xu'er's full moon?"
"Of course I have to go back." Li Yaonan answered without any hesitation. Although most candidates would take the provincial examination in Suzhou before leaving, this was the first time in his two lives that he had a son. Suzhou was not far from Yangzhou, and he could not miss the child's full-month banquet no matter what.
Lin Yixuan smiled with satisfaction. He felt that the best decision he had ever made in his life was to hold on to the man in front of him.
The couple talked for a while. After all, Lin Yixuan had just given birth, and after a while she began to feel sleepy and her speech became unclear.
Li Yaonan quietly looked at her husband and children beside her. Her heart seemed to be filled with something and she felt as if her whole being was complete.
The next morning, Li Yaonan packed his luggage and prepared to leave. Before leaving, he came to the main courtyard and kissed his son twice, making Xiaoxuer cry.
Li Yaonan laughed out loud, and Lin Yixuan gave him a reproachful look. She felt sorry for her son and her face turned red from crying.
Li Yaonan handed her son to the wet nurse, waved away the servants, and looked at her husband gently.
In the quiet space, Lin Yixuan felt a little shy when being looked at. She touched her cheek and suddenly felt a little hot.
Li Yaonan sat on the bed, put his arm around her husband's shoulders, and said to him seriously, "Wait for me to come back."
"Yeah!" Lin Yixuan's eyes were filled with reluctance and deep attachment.
Li Yaonan leaned over, pressed his lips against his, and gave him a light kiss. Then he stood up very quickly and strode towards the door.
Lin Yixuan stroked her lips, stunned until Li Yaonan disappeared from her sight. Then she came to her senses. A hint of surprise and sweetness appeared on her face, and the corners of her lips curved up unconsciously. Have she and her husband taken a step further
Li Yaonan was actually also nervous. It was his first time kissing a man, so he still felt a lot of pressure. But after the kiss, it felt just like that. Lin Yixuan's lips were warm and sweet, not uncomfortable. Li Yaonan felt relieved and thought that the first step was indeed difficult. Maybe he could try it more after coming back.
At noon, he boarded the ship to Suzhou. It was rare to see a candidate as slow as him.
There are still a lot of people on the boat today, but he is the only student.
Li Yaonan felt ashamed, but her husband giving birth was a big deal, so what if it was delayed for a few days, as long as he could catch up on time. Li Yaonan didn't take it to heart, but was a little annoyed by the gossip of the ancients.
Upon learning that he was a scholar taking the imperial examination this year, the passengers on the same ship shook their heads. It was obvious that they did not think highly of him and kept looking at him.
Li Yaonan simply stayed indoors and reviewed his lessons in the cabin, to avoid the constant talk from people who spoke to him in a regretful tone that made people feel sick.
To put it bluntly, it was because Li Yaonan's name was too famous. Even he himself didn't know when the name Li Yaonan became famous in Yangzhou City.
I remember last year, he was fine. Li Yaonan was confused, but he was too lazy to think about it. It was not a good thing. He only knew that it was a joke when he heard others pointing and talking. He had failed the exam twice, and this time he was late again. People looked down on him.
Li Yaonan just couldn't understand the pity in those people's eyes, the feeling of being disappointed with someone, and the obvious gloating on some people's faces.
However, he did not need to make excuses. As long as the results of the imperial examination came out, he would know the result. Why bother to compete now? He just made up his mind that the next time he came to Suzhou, he would charter a boat even if it cost more money, and never take this kind of passenger ship that looked beautiful but was crowded with people.
Li Yaonan was very calm. He turned a blind eye to everything around him and peacefully read in the cabin or slept.
When he arrived in Suzhou, it was already the evening of the next day. The brothers from the clan had already been waiting at the dock to greet him. They were relieved when they saw him and smiled as they walked up to him and said, "Brother Yaonan, you are finally here. Fourth Uncle was so anxious that his beard turned white. He was afraid that you would miss us."
Li Yaonan raised his eyebrows and curved the corners of his lips, looking very handsome: "How could it be, Fourth Uncle's beard has never been black."
"Haha!" Li Youp was amused by his humorous words. He cupped his hands and congratulated, "I haven't congratulated Brother Yaonan on the birth of his baby yet."
Li Yaonan returned the greeting, and the smile on his face was more sincere: "You're welcome. Let's go first. We have to go to the examination room early tomorrow morning. We need to get enough rest first. I'm afraid you are tired today."
"No, I have inquired about it. Your ship will arrive in the evening. It won't take long to wait. Dad knows that you have a son, so he asked me to congratulate you. I will definitely go to celebrate on the full moon day."
"That would be great. My family will surely be blessed with great honor."
The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at the inn. Li Youp had booked a room for him a few days ago.
After settling down, Li Yaonan thanked him again.
Li Youp pretended to be angry: "Brother Yaonan looks down on me, and it would be awkward to thank him again."
Li Yaonan smiled and said, "Okay, I won't be polite to you. By the way, where can I find food nearby? I have to go prepare some."
Li Youp was surprised: "Why aren't you ready yet, Brother Yaonan?"
Li Yaonan laughed and didn't have the nerve to tell him that he didn't want to leave the cabin, so he ate almost half of the food prepared by his family. It would take three days and three nights to enter the examination hall, and the remaining food would definitely not be enough.
"There's a restaurant nearby, but I suggest you buy some cakes. That way you can stay hungry and avoid them going bad."
Li Yaonan nodded. Food easily goes bad in summer, so he was naturally aware of this. After all, the original owner had taken the examination for the scholar twice, and had passed the provincial examination once. It was a pity that he had failed the academy examination, and now he had to take the examination again.
Scholars in ancient times, like modern civil servants, also needed to be assessed. If you failed, sorry, you still had to pay the taxes. The title of scholar would be determined when you passed the assessment.
After buying some cakes, Li Yaonan filled several large pots of water and prepared everything. It was already evening.
Before leaving, Li Youp pointed in the direction of Yangzhou and warned Li Yaonan: "The second young master of the Li family is here too. If you meet him, don't be too impulsive."
A look of understanding flashed across Li Yaonan's face. Li Yaozu and Li Yaozong were carefully trained by the Li family, so it was not surprising that they came to take part in the imperial examination this time. But when he suddenly heard the second young master of the Li family, he felt a little uncomfortable. But then he was relieved. The affairs of the Li family had nothing to do with him anymore.
After saying goodbye to Li Youp, Li Yaonan returned to his room. He needed to get enough rest tonight so that he could better cope with the next three days of exams tomorrow.
Early the next morning, students from Suzhou City rushed to the examination hall.
Looking at the large courtyard surrounded by wooden fences in front of him, Li Yaonan was disgusted with the examination room. Calling it an examination room was actually overstating the place, as it was clearly just a large shed with a tile roof. But thinking that the original owner had already taken the exam twice and that almost everyone in the officialdom had experienced this, Li Yaonan felt balanced in his heart and just waited patiently.
It wasn't long before his name was called.
Li Yaonan came forward holding the package. The guard searched him and checked his luggage. After finding nothing wrong with it, he let him go and called the next candidate's name.