The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 120

 

| TBBOTOF | 120

In no time, the whole village knew about the news. Naturally, they had to inform the Wei family, and Tang Erhu also told his parents and elder brother and sister-in-law. 

The old lady couldn't sit still, especially after knowing the news. She insisted on going to take care of the new mother and baby during the postpartum period. 

“You can’t go; how will the family manage? We still have to do farm work!” Tang Dahu, Tang Erhu’s elder brother, tried to stop her.

Luo Pingping understood that it was summer and she had to make cold noodles every morning to supply the restaurant. It was truly difficult to leave. But she also wanted to see Tang Xu’s chubby baby, at least to see what the big baby looked like. Eight and a half pounds! Whose child could be so heavy?

"Alright, I’ll just go have a look. What if they’re not taking good care of him over there? Childbirth is very taxing on the body. Don’t stop me." Luo Pingping didn’t pack much. Since it wasn’t far, she planned to go see if they were taking care of Tang Xu properly. If not, she’d come back and bring more supplies.

When they arrived, they saw Wei Zhonghong had just finished feeding Tang Xu a large bowl of carp tofu soup. She warmly greeted them and invited them into the house.

Tang Xu sat on the kang, looking dejected, holding the chubby baby who had just finished feeding. Hearing the commotion, he turned and saw his grandmother and aunt entering.

He waved excitedly, "Grandma, Auntie, come in!"

Wu Guizhi, his grandmother, entered the main room and immediately spotted the chubby baby in Tang Xu's arms. She was filled with affection, "Oh my, look at how big he is! He’s only a few days old!"

"He was born big. This morning, Dongzi weighed him, and he’s eight pounds," Tang Xu said, looking at Luo Pingping with a smile, "Auntie, did you finish making the cold noodles for today?"

"Yes, I did. I was thinking about you. How are you feeling?" Luo Pingping approached but didn’t dare touch the baby, marveling at how cute and fair-skinned he was, "What a handsome little boy."

“Huh? Why? I see he’s a bit red,” Tang Xu said, passing the chubby baby to his grandmother, “Grandma, hold him for a while.”

The old lady couldn’t get enough of the baby, her eyes always smiling. She took the baby in her arms, nodding and cooing, “So chubby, so heavy. My precious great-grandson!” She kissed his little hand in the air.

Tang Xu shook his sore arms and pulled Luo Pingping to sit beside him, whispering, “Auntie, can you help persuade my aunt to stop coming over every day to make nourishing soups for me? I really can’t drink them anymore.”

Luo Pingping couldn't stop laughing. With her experience, she said, "Your family just wants to nourish you. How can you refuse after only a few meals?"

"I know they mean well and want to help me recover, but drinking soup every day, every meal, is too much. I really can't drink anymore. I don't even need it to produce milk for the baby," Tang Xu said, covering his face, feeling very tired. "I feel too embarrassed to tell Auntie. She comes over every day after delivering those cold noodles to the restaurant to make soup for me and leaves right after. Auntie, you know I can't keep troubling her."

Wei Zhonghong came in from outside and said, "It’s a family matter. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

Tang Xu sighed and looked at her, "Auntie, I really can't drink that much soup. Drinking so much liquid, I have to get up several times during the night."

"You can feed the baby at the same time," Wei Zhonghong said with a smile. "When the baby sleeps, you sleep. When the baby wakes up, you wake up. You'll get used to it after a while. Raising a child is never easy."

Tang Xu said, "Auntie, Dongzi takes care of the baby at night. I don't."

Wei Zhonghong's eyes widened in surprise. Even Wu Guizhi and Luo Pingping looked at Tang Xu with astonishment. Who ever heard of a man helping to feed the baby at night? A baby needs to be fed at least three or four times a night; it’s a lot of work.

"Auntie, please, I'm begging you, don't make any more soup for me. I want to eat normal meals. Even Dr. Xu said I'm recovering well and don't need such nourishing soups," Tang Xu was on the verge of tears. He wasn't a big fan of soup to begin with, and now he had to drink it every meal. The soup was also bland, and whenever he tried to add salt, his aunt refused, saying too much salt was bad for his recovery.

Besides, Wei Zhonghong seemed to treat him as if he was still in confinement, following all the old customs strictly. She decided what he should eat and do.

Four days had passed since the birth, and Tang Xu hadn't even taken a bath. Now it was early summer, and with the windows closed, he was sweating all over. He could even smell the sour odor from his own body. Finally, Wei Dong decided to heat some water for him to take a bath, but both Wei Zhonghong and Tang Erhu stopped him.

Even Dr. Xu said that the bones and joints were still open after childbirth and advised him to wait before bathing, warning that cold air could seep into his bones, making it difficult to recover.

Tang Xu really wanted to explain the modern scientific approach to postpartum care, but his whole family told him to endure it. Even Wei Dong, who usually pampered him, was no exception, which made him feel extremely aggrieved. Who knew having a baby would be so troublesome and strict!

Tang Xu was aware that his current mental state might be a bit too sensitive, but he really felt suffocated these past few days. He couldn't do anything and was almost confined to the bed.

Wei Zhonghong frowned, wanting to say something, but Luo Pingping quickly stopped her. She sensed her nephew's frustration and gently squeezed Wei Zhonghong's wrist, leading her outside with a smile.

"Big sister, let's go outside and chat," Luo Pingping suggested.

As they walked out, Luo Pingping said, "Big sister, I know you care about Xu and came over to help take care of him, but you can see he's clearly feeling very stifled. We all want him to recover well, but if he's feeling so constrained that he might burst out in anger, it's not necessary."

Wei Zhonghong sighed, "Yes, I’ve noticed. He hasn't been eating well these past few days."

"You know, his mother used to manage him, and later he managed himself without anyone's interference. Now, in this hot weather, he’s feeling even more stifled. Being confined during postpartum is even harder for him. Let’s not control everything; let the young couple handle things themselves," Luo Pingping advised.

Wei Zhonghong sighed again and finally nodded, "Alright, I’ll stop making the soup for him. I noticed he used to enjoy soup."

"He did like soups, but making him drink medicinal soups every day is too much," Luo Pingping laughed, changing the topic. "Big sister, how long does it take you to make a hundred sheets of cold noodles now? My kitchen is small, so I have to get up at dawn to make them, otherwise, I’ll delay making breakfast for the family."

"It's the same for me. I'm saving up some more money to renovate the kitchen," Wei Zhonghong said as she led Luo Pingping to the main hall. They sat down, eating sunflower seeds and drinking warm water, chatting away.

Tang Xu leaned against the window, listening to the conversation and feeling a surge of relief when he realized he wouldn't have to drink the medicinal soup anymore. His spirits lifted as he thought, Finally, he can stop drinking that stuff!

With a renewed sense of joy, Tang Xu cuddled his plump baby and gave the chubby cheeks a few kisses. 

His grandmother chuckled and gently patted him. "Be gentle with him."

"Auntie is the best," Tang Xu grinned, feeling the frustration of the past few days finally dissipate.

The two women didn't stay long and had lunch before Wei Dong sent them back. As soon as Luo Pingping got off the mule cart, she was surrounded by curious villagers.

"Did Xu Ge’er really have an eight-and-a-half-pound baby?"

"I heard the baby is very good-looking?"

"Did they hire wet nurses? With their money, they could afford several."

"Who's taking care of them? Did you stay to help with the postpartum care? I thought you would!"

"Is the new house finished? How big is it? Do you know how much they spent? I heard Xu Ge’er paid for it."

Luo Pingping was bombarded with questions. Wu Guizhi quickly waved her hand and went inside to find her husband, eager to tell him about their handsome great-grandson.

"Stop asking, I'll tell you what I know," Luo Pingping said, waving off the group of women. "I don't know how much they spent on the house. Xu Ge’er didn't hire wet nurses; they’re feeding the baby goat milk. The baby is really healthy, chubby, and has the most beautiful white skin. I’ve never seen such a good-looking baby."

"Goat milk? That must cost a fortune," one of the women commented.

Luo Pingping shrugged, "Maybe, but the baby is thriving. He's worth every penny they spend."

"You don't need to worry about how much money our family spends, we have plenty." Luo Pingping turned and walked towards the courtyard.

"Oh dear, I wanted to ask you, my daughter-in-law just gave birth last month, she has a lot of breast milk. Could you help ask if Xu Ge'er needs a wet nurse? She can provide a lot of milk, it might be cheaper than feeding them goat's milk!"

"Do you think your family is the only one who has a daughter-in-law who has milk? My family also has one. My daughter-in-law is also in good shape, very clean, and her milk is pure too! Xu Ge’er can hire my daughter-in-law."

"Your daughter-in-law is so skinny, her milk is obviously oily, while my daughter-in-law's milk is creamy, it's great, the child will definitely grow up fat!"

Luo Pingping rolled her eyes at hearing this, quickly interjected before they could argue: "You two chat, I need to go back and tidy up. There are still chores to be done at home this morning!"

She hurried into the courtyard and closed the courtyard door behind her. She went to the main house to find her mother-in-law, who was sitting on the kang arranging a small bundle of cloth.

"I forgot to bring over the new shoes I made for Xu Ge’er this morning, and also the two pairs of shoes for the child. Did you also forget to bring over the little clothes?"

"Oh, I made some winter clothes. I'll make two more little belly wraps when I have some free time. That chubby baby loves to sweat, so we need to change them frequently." Luo Pingping smiled and said, heading back to get the little clothes she had made for the child.

Since learning about Tang Xu's pregnancy, the two mother-in-laws had been preparing diligently. Luo Pingping was skilled with a needle and thread, making several sets of clothes.

"After the confinement period, let's go over again. Xu Ge’er will be able to take a bath by then, and he'll be much more comfortable." The old lady understood her grandchild’s temperament well. He kept moving away from her, obviously worried that she would smell his odor.

Luo Pingping agreed.

On the other side, Tang Xu was urging Wei Dong to boil water for him in the middle of the night so he could bathe and soak, at least using warm water to wipe himself off, he was all sticky with sweat.

Wei Dong was initially puzzled, but later understood.

What did he understand?

Tang Xu said, "Sleeping together can soothe the heart."

Wei Dong's heart was moved.

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