She chuckled softly.
"Madam, you still need to rest and recuperate. How about I take the young master downstairs to rest?" Mrs. Zhou tentatively asked.
Xiqiu thought for a mont and shook her head, saying, "Just leave him here. You can sleep next door tonight. If he cries, then co and feed him." Hearing this, Mrs. Zhou hesitated but nodded before leaving.
"Fourth Master, please call Nanny Cen in for ," Xiqiu said quietly.
Fourth Master Xiao nodded, lifted the curtain, and called Nanny Cen inside. Xiqiu then instructed, "Among the wet nurses, just keep Mrs. Zhou here." She paused and continued, "Arrange for her to rest next door and provide her with anything she needs."
"Madam?" Nanny Cen looked towards Xiqiu, "You an..."
Xiqiu understood her aning and explained, "The child wants to be with his mother, and I can’t bear to be apart from him. For now, just keep him by my side. If I find it too taxing, then we can pass him over."
Nanny Cen knew that once Xiqiu made up her mind, it was unlikely to change. She nodded, saying, "Then I’ll make the arrangents." She paused and suggested, "How about arranging soone to watch over the night, or adding a small couch in the room? It would be convenient."
Though Xiqiu found it convenient, she was still unaccustod to having others in her room. She thought for a mont and said, "Let’s keep it this way for now. If it doesn’t work, we’ll make other plans."
Nanny Cen saw that she couldn’t convince her, so she nodded, "I’ll go make the arrangents!" she said as she left.
Fourth Master Xiao returned inside, and Xiqiu looked at him, "Does Fourth Master wish to rest for a bit?" She paused and continued, "Are you going to the military camp outside the city?"
"No need." Xiao Yanyi had already submitted a morial to the Emperor: "Tomorrow’s city affairs have been arranged; soone will handle it!" He walked to the bedside and sat on the chair he had just occupied. "The kitchen has prepared food for you. Shall I have it brought for you?"
Feeling relieved, Xiqiu felt quite hungry and smiled, nodding, "Alright!" Fourth Master Xiao then called for soone to bring the food. Chunliu entered with a cheerful smile, "Madam, Nurse Zhang said you should take your dicine first before eating." She brought a bowl of dark, murky dicine, and Fourth Master Xiao frowned, asking, "What dicine is this?"
Chunliu replied, "It’s said to dispel bad blood; you might need a few doses until the bad blood is gone, and then you’ll be fine."
Fourth Master Xiao was still sowhat uneasy, but Xiqiu took the bowl and drank it all in one go, then wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, reassuring him, "After childbirth, there’s always bad blood; don’t worry, Fourth Master."
Only then did Fourth Master Xiao relax his frown.
Feeling more comfortable after eating, Xiqiu lowered her head to look at her son. After a while, she lifted her head and asked Fourth Master Xiao, "Would Fourth Master give him a na?"
The Xiao family uses the "Huai" generation na this generation: Sheng, Xin, Min...
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master Xiao raised his eyebrows, appearing sowhat perplexed yet serious: "No rush, it’s getting late; you should rest early."
Xiqiu did not insist, smiled at him and said, "Fourth Master should also rest." In the past two days, Fourth Master Xiao couldn’t sleep here, although the bedroom was available, he could sleep there. However, with a room full of won coming and going, it was inconvenient. Xiqiu had soone prepare the study early on, which was fortunately nearby and convenient for going back and forth.
"You sleep." Fourth Master Xiao tucked the quilt around her, couldn’t help but kiss her still sowhat pale face lacking color, "I’ll stay here and keep watch."
Xiqiu knew he must have hurried back, likely not rested for several days, so she looked at him with concern: "Otherwise... why doesn’t Fourth Master settle for the Imperial Concubine’s Couch over here?"
"I’m not tired." Fourth Master Xiao insisted on staying awake, and Xiqiu couldn’t persuade him. She was too sleepy to keep her eyes open, managed to say a few words as she held his hand and touched her son’s head against his before retreating into the quilt to sleep.
Fourth Master Xiao’s hand was held in her bosom, his gaze shifting between her face and his son’s face, his smile growing wider...
In the middle of the night, Xiqiu was awakened by a cry, so loud it seed it could raise the roof. Opening her eyes, she saw Fourth Master Xiao holding their son in a peculiar posture, his hands supporting the child at his chest, pacing back and forth in the room. Seeing Xiqiu wake, he awkwardly asked, "Did... did he wet himself again?"
"Let take a look." She said, and Fourth Master Xiao carefully placed their son beside her. Xiqiu reached in and felt it; everything was dry, no wetness, she puzzled, "Hungry?" but wasn’t certain.
Speculating, she looked toward Fourth Master Xiao: "Fourth Master better call Mrs. Zhou in." Fourth Master Xiao nodded and was about to leave when Mrs. Zhou had already opened the curtain and entered. Seeing the child, she said, "He’s hungry." She then turned to Xiqiu, "If the young master opens his eyes without crying or fussing, it’s definitely because he is wet or soiled; if he cries like this heart-wrenchingly, he’s definitely hungry." She had already discerned the pattern.
Xiqiu nodded, rembered it, and looked at Fourth Master Xiao, "Fourth Master, go rest!" Fourth Master Xiao looked at Mrs. Zhou, then at Xiqiu, thought for a mont, and nodded, "Then have a good rest." He said as he left with his hands behind his back.
After Fourth Master Xiao left, Xiqiu said to Mrs. Zhou, "Let try. If it doesn’t work, then you can feed him." Mrs. Zhou placed the child before Xiqiu and assisted her with feeding. The little one grabbed the food source, smacking eagerly but only for a few short mouthfuls. Seeing no result, his small mouth quivered and started crying again.
Xiqiu sighed, worried he’d go hungry; she had no choice but to give up and passed him to Mrs. Zhou. Mrs. Zhou took him aside, and Xiqiu watched as he ate heartily, enjoying it very much.
The child was too clever; with milk, he’d eat; without it, he wasn’t willing to exert even the slightest effort. The milk required suckling to produce, and like this, within just a couple of days, she’d surely lose all possibility of nursing him herself.
Fourth Master Xiao went to the study but didn’t sleep; he sat at the desk with a pen in hand, visibly deep in thought, even sowhat troubled. When a drop of ink fell on the Xuan paper, he snapped out of it, tossed the pen, and pulled out a book from the bookshelf, flipping through page by page.
Choosing a na for the child?
Min’s na was chosen by the Grand Dowager...
It cannot be too casual, yet it shouldn’t be too ostentatious.
The whole night, a pile of books accumulated on the desk, but he couldn’t find a suitable character for his own son; none felt right.
The next morning, when Xiqiu woke, Chunliu and Nanny Cen, along with several others, filed in. Seeing Nanny Cen, Xiqiu asked, "Is the Grand Dowager and the two children well?" Yesterday evening before dark, Madam Jiang and Tong Xiyan had gone back.
"The Grand Dowager woke yesterday noon, and seeing the young master, she liked him imnsely." Nanny Cen bead, offering hot water for Xiqiu to wash her face, "Young Master Xin and Young Master Min were very obedient; they slept by themselves last night and went to the academy by themselves this morning."
Xiqiu was relieved, asked, "And Fourth Master?" Nanny Cen’s smile grew even broader, replied, "He just fell asleep this morning; last night I saw the light in the study was on all night."
Xiqiu listened and smiled, knowing Fourth Master Xiao well, he was surely troubled over choosing a na for their child.
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