Chapter 730: Millet
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At the end of July, on a sweltering afternoon, Mingzhu welcomed her second child amid torrential rain.
This child, just as considerate as she had been in the womb, was born within half an hour. The midwife, holding the wrapped baby, smiled and congratulated her, “It’s a little princess, and she looks wonderful.”
The baby weighed a healthy five pounds and nine ounces. She had a good amount of hair and squinted at Mingzhu before closing her eyes to sleep again, her tiny pink mouth slightly pouting, so delicate it seemed a pinch would make her cry. Mingzhu couldn’t help but tear up. This child had come with great difficulty, enduring so much, yet remained so resilient and sweet—how could she not be cherished?
Donghui immediately stopped her. “Wangfei, you mustn’t cry! Your eyes will hurt later.”
Mingzhu quickly held back her tears and smiled, “I went through so much, I thought she would be much bigger because my belly was so large. I was worried before she was born, but she’s only five pounds and nine ounces.”
The midwife laughed, “Wangfei, you might not know, but when carrying a daughter, the belly usually looks bigger compared to carrying a boy. And the best weight for a baby is around five or six pounds. It’s easier for the mother to give birth, and the child is healthy and strong, likely to live a long life.”
Mingzhu knew the midwife was flattering her, but it made her happy, so she had Donghui reward the midwife and the others generously. The midwife, delighted with her reward, glanced out the window and said, “This little princess is truly blessed and filial. Despite all the bumps on the journey, she remained calm. She came into the world without causing her mother much pain, and as soon as she was born, the torrential rain stopped!”
Someone brought in hot water, smiling. “Exactly! The heavy rain stopped suddenly, and a rainbow appeared—actually, a double rainbow. It’s a shame the Wangfei can’t open the window to see it due to the childbirth, but it was a beautiful sight.”
Mingzhu smiled, “It was just a coincidence. When I had Zhuangzhuang, my firstborn, I didn’t suffer much either, and he was born easily. I was just inexperienced and cried a lot out of fear, but now it’s a funny memory.” Fortunately, this was a girl. If she were a boy, he might be burdened with a reputation for being born under extraordinary circumstances, which could be used against him. Now, it was perfect; her brother would only love and cherish his obedient and sweet little sister.
Donghui, understanding Mingzhu’s thoughts, changed the subject, “Childbirth is like crossing the ghost gate. Wangfei, you might not have been genuinely unafraid, but with his highness not by your side, you had no one to cry to, so you had to rely on yourself.”
Everyone laughed, and Mingzhu felt a bit embarrassed but still boldly admitted, “Yes, with no one to lean on, I had to rely on myself.”
Soon, they cleaned the birthing room and arranged for Mingzhu to rest. The newborn was taken out to be shown to Du Heng, Ye Xiu, and Jiang Zhouzi, who had accompanied Mingzhu through numerous hardships. Naturally, they doted on the baby, who, despite being red and wrinkled with closed eyes, seemed to them like a stunning beauty with all the world’s best qualities concentrated in her.
Donghui couldn’t listen anymore and whispered, “You shouldn’t praise a newborn too much, you know.”
There’s an old superstition that praising a newborn too much could attract the jealousy of spirits, which wouldn’t be good for the child.
The group exchanged puzzled glances and tried to change the subject. Du Heng said, “Has Wangfei given the baby a nickname? I have one in mind that I think is quite nice.”
“Who do you think you are, giving the little princess a name? What good name could you come up with?” Jiang Zhouzi sneered at Du Heng. “I also thought of one, a truly excellent one. I don’t expect Wangfei to use it, but she can consider it.”
Only Ye Xiu smiled and said, “I’m a rough person, so I won’t embarrass myself.”
“Stop babbling and quickly send the news to His Highness. He must be very anxious,” Donghui said bluntly, taking the baby to the wet nurse. Later, when Mingzhu woke up, Donghui shared the incident as a joke.
Mingzhu chuckled and said softly, “The formal name will be left for her father to choose, but I have thought of a nickname. On this journey, I’ve seen a lot of hardship among the people, realizing that even getting enough to eat is not easy.
Back home, I always got whatever I wanted to eat, without a second thought about waste. His Highness forced me to eat coarse grains, and I was so scared that I avoided it whenever possible. This child is fortunate to be born into our family, but she must not develop my previous lazy and wasteful habits. I’ll call her ‘Millet’ to remind her that every grain is hard-earned and that one must cherish blessings to have them.”
Donghui praised, “That’s a great name, meaningful and easy to raise.”
“Is she still being good? Is she feeding well? Has she had any bowel movements? Is the wet nurse taking good care of her?” Mingzhu smiled, thinking that if Yuwen Chu heard the origin of this nickname, he would surely tease her about how much she had learned on this trip. She felt a pang of longing, wishing to return home soon or to wake up and find Yuwen Chu miraculously by her side.
Donghui laughed, “She’s very good, with a great appetite. She’s already had two feedings and both bowel movements. The wet nurse is very diligent and attentive. You just rest assured and take care of yourself; we’ll handle everything else.”
Mingzhu, feeling energized, said, “Bring her over so I can see her.”
Millet happened to be awake, peeking at Mingzhu with one eye open and the other closed before yawning and continuing to sleep, looking lazy. Seeing this, Mingzhu suddenly had the feeling that this child was not just obedient but perhaps lazy?
Noticing Mingzhu’s worried look, Donghui asked, “What is the Wangfei worried about?”
Mingzhu shook her head, “It’s nothing, just that this child seems too inactive. She was lazy even in the womb, and now she still looks lazy.”
Donghui, thinking Mingzhu was worried about the baby’s health, quickly reassured her, “It’s nothing to worry about. Jiang Zhouzi checked her and said she’s very healthy. Newborns are usually like this, sleeping most of the time. Zhuangzhuang was the same way, but he was much more active after the first month.”
Just then, they heard someone outside say with a smile, “Someone has arrived from the capital!”
Mingzhu and Donghui exchanged curious glances. Who could it be?
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