Inside the house, Zhao Yueniang was staying with Lin Yu, asking from time to time if he wanted water or if it hurt. Not long after, Sang Niang and He Daniang arrived, and Zhao Yueniang, being a young woman, was sent out to boil water.

Wei Qingshan drove the mule cart at full speed, urgently knocking on the midwife’s door and waking her up. The midwife was a woman of about fifty or sixty. As she dressed, Wei Qingshan kept asking several times if she was ready yet.

The midwife replied irritably, “What are you in such a hurry for? It won’t happen that fast. No one gives birth that quickly.”

As soon as she came out, Wei Qingshan helped her onto the mule cart. He drove so fast that the old midwife nearly got shaken to pieces, jolting so much that she cried out, “Aiyo, Boss Wei, this must be your first time being a father! It’s not something to rush like this!”

But Wei Qingshan couldn’t help it—he was just that anxious, afraid that something might happen to Lin Yu.

When he finally hurried back home with the midwife, He Daniang and Sang Niang were already there. The midwife took one look and said, “Heh, it’s still early yet.”

It was Wei Qingshan’s first time becoming a father, so he didn’t have much experience. He Daniang quickly had Zhao Yueniang boil two bowls of brown sugar eggs—one for the midwife, one for Lin Yu. Zhao Yueniang quickly went to cook them. When the midwife was taken care of and in a good mood, she would also work harder.

After the midwife ate her egg, she was pleased. She stayed in the room to watch over Lin Yu, while Wei Qingshan paced back and forth outside, waiting anxiously. He waited until dawn began to break before there was finally some movement inside.

He Daniang told Zhao Yueniang to quickly bring the hot water into the main room. From inside came Lin Yu’s muffled groans. Wei Qingshan, alarmed, tried to rush in but was pushed out by He Daniang. “Don’t make trouble.”

As dawn approached, the inner room was bustling with activity. Basin after basin of hot water was carried inside. Wei Qingshan waited anxiously until daylight, when at last the sound of a baby’s cries came from within. He Daniang’s voice rang out from inside, “It’s born, it’s born! It’s a little ger!”

The midwife looked at the little one—fair and tender, unlike those babies born dark and thin from families who didn’t eat well. There was even a small red mole between his brows, looking exceptionally fine. The midwife sighed softly in her heart. For a child born so well, what a pity that it was a little ger.

She had delivered countless babies for country families. If it had been a boy, she would have received a larger red envelope; but for a ger or a daughter, some of those biased families would give much less—especially those who had already given birth to several ger or girls in a row.

Wei Qingshan hurried in to take a look. Lin Yu was already so exhausted that he had fallen asleep. The little one had cried twice and then quieted down, sleeping obediently by Lin Yu’s side. Wei Qingshan gently pulled open the swaddling cloth to take a look and felt great joy in his heart. He took out a silver tael and gave it to the midwife. The midwife was so delighted that she exclaimed, “Congratulations, congratulations!”

She had thought the red envelope wouldn’t be much, but who would have thought he would give her a whole tael of silver! In all her years of delivering babies, it was the first time she had ever received so much!

The smile on the midwife’s face grew even more genuine. Though she had been woken up in the middle of the night, she didn’t mind at all now, grinning from ear to ear.

Zhao Yueniang also had a good sense of propriety. Seeing that dawn was almost breaking and everyone had been busy for so long, she had already rolled out noodles before Lin Yu even gave birth. When she heard that her brother had given birth to a little ger, Zhao Yueniang was very delighted and hurriedly cooked the noodles. She even cracked eggs into them.

Zhao Yueniang brought the bowls into the main hall. “He Daniang, all of you eat something.”

“Ah, ah, ah.”

Sang Niang and the other two each took a bowl. After working hard for the latter half of the night, everyone was starving, and when they saw that there were even eggs in the bowl, they were pleasantly surprised.

Zhao Yueniang also served a bowl for Wei Qingshan. “Brother-in-law, you eat some first. When my brother wakes up in a while…”

Wei Qingshan brushed Lin Yu’s hair aside, his heart full of both pain and joy. The family had gained another mouth to feed. When Lin Yu woke up, he would still have to take care of him, so he quickly ate a bowl of noodles as well.

The midwife, having received her silver and eaten a bowl of egg noodles, was in an excellent mood. She did not even need Wei Qingshan to send her off. Since dawn had broken, she slowly and leisurely made her way home on her own.

When Lin Yu woke up, he began to tease the little baby beside him. The tiny one lay obediently at his side, letting out a soft whimper. Lin Yu let out a light laugh. “He’s so small.”

Zhao Yueniang also leaned over to look at the baby, reaching out to gently poke him. “So soft.”

He Daniang at the side kept praising how fair and tender the little one looked. Sang Niang brought over a bowl of light egg noodles for Lin Yu to eat, and everyone crowded around the bed to look at the baby.

By noon, Wei Qingshan had sent He Daniang home and invited her to come again for the full-month celebration. He Daniang repeatedly agreed.

Her eldest son was now working at Wei Qingshan’s butcher shop. She had heard he earned forty copper coins a day, which, in a month, was quite a decent amount of silver.

After sending her off, Wei Qingshan returned to look at the baby. The little one was whimpering at that moment. Sang Niang, after cooking for Lin Yu, had gone to the backyard to milk the goats for the baby, so the little one was probably hungry.

It was Wei Qingshan’s first time being a father. No matter how he looked at the baby in the cradle, he could not get enough of the sight. Lin Yu’s face was also full of smiles. “Do you want to hold him?”

Wei Qingshan did not dare to. He was afraid that his strength would make the baby cry, so he only bent down to gently touch the baby’s little face. Perhaps because his hands were too rough, the baby opened his mouth and let out two cries. Wei Qingshan quickly withdrew his hand, standing there at a loss.

It was Sang Niang who came over and picked up the baby to coax him. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, let’s drink some milk.”

The whole family was now immersed in the joy of having a new little one. Zhao Yueniang also spent her days circling the baby. Her brother had finally given her a little nephew to play with, and from now on, she would take him everywhere with her.

Sang Niang took care of Lin Yu and the baby during the day, returning home to cook for Qing-ger when it was time for meals. Qing-ger had grown up now and no longer needed constant watching—either playing in their own courtyard or following Sang Niang over to Lin Yu’s place to play.

After eating light meals for two days, Sang Niang began to stew chicken and meat for Lin Yu. Her cooking was quite good, and Lin Yu ate happily. He did not have to worry about anything—the baby was entirely in Sang Niang’s care.

Lin Yu ate well and was in good spirits. He often asked Sang Niang to bring some chicken soup for Qing-ger to drink. Sang Niang was deeply moved. Although her family’s days were not bad now, in the countryside, no household could afford to eat meat every day.

Every two days, Wei Qingshan would deliver a pig to the town. He told Madam Wu and the others that they had a new little ger at home. Shi Xiaoliu was so happy that he jumped up in delight.

Wei Qingshan told them to close the shop during the full-month celebration so that everyone could attend the banquet together. The shop was full of a cheerful atmosphere.

Sang Niang took care of things during the day, and Wei Qingshan cared for them at night. When night came, he would place the baby in the cradle. Whenever the little one whimpered, Wei Qingshan would get up to see whether he was hungry or needed his diaper changed.

Sometimes Lin Yu would wake up drowsily at night and see Wei Qingshan busying himself nearby. Still sleepy, he soon drifted back to sleep, not needing to worry about anything during his confinement month.

A few days later, He Dongdong, Chun-ger, and Lian-ger brought over some eggs to visit. They came to see the baby and sat for a while before leaving.

He Dongdong looked at the baby’s fair little face and exclaimed, “The little ger is really good-looking—he looks just like you, Yu-ger.”

Wei Qingshan also thought the little ger resembled Lin Yu and could not look at him enough.

The visitors did not stay long, chatting briefly with Lin Yu before departing.

Wei Qingshan and Lin Yu thought for several days before deciding to name the baby’s formal name Wei Ming, with the nickname Tuan-ger. Both felt it was a good name, and usually, they just called him Tuan-ger.

Everyone in the village knew Lin Yu had given birth to a little ger. Wei Qingshan had even invited their neighbor, Sang Niang, to help take care of things. Those who lived nearby could often smell the aroma of meat wafting from their house.

While washing clothes, the village women and husbands gossiped, “No one in this village has ever seen someone hire help to care for a newborn. I heard it costs one tael of silver a month. Why didn’t they think to hire me for such a good thing?”

“People used to say Dong-ger married well—back then, all the meals at home were made by Shi Niang. But now, look at Yu-ger. When he first got pregnant, he didn’t even go to the fields. During the busy season, when he returned home, he even brought someone from the shop to wait on him. Two people taking care of one! And now that he’s given birth, he even hired someone to take care of him during his confinement month.” 

“Isn’t that so? Just look at how blessed he is. In all the nearby villages, even the landlord families might not be tended to as carefully as this.”

Someone said enviously, “So what? No matter how precious he is, he’s still just a ger. Maybe Wei Qingshan doesn’t even like him that much.”

“Don’t be a sour grape. I heard that it’s Wei Qingshan himself who takes care of things at night. What other man around here would do something like that?”

In the blink of an eye, Lin Yu was about to finish his confinement month. The weather had turned warm, and he took Tuan-ger out to the main hall doorway to bask in the sun. The little one was now even fairer and more tender, wearing a small red outfit and lying in the cradle, sucking on his tiny hand.

Lin Yu teased him, “Tuan-ger, Tuan-ger.”

Qing-ger also leaned over to look at his little brother. “A-Ma, little brother is so small.”

“Mm, when Tuan-ger grows up, he can play together with Qing-ger.”

Sang Niang smiled as she watched Qing-ger and Tuan-ger play. She was currently in the courtyard washing diapers. Quite a few diapers were hanging in the yard. She took meticulous care of Tuan-ger, changing his diapers frequently and often washing and scrubbing them. Because of that, Tuan-ger was especially clean.

Wei Qingshan came back carrying a bamboo basket on his back. After eating, he went to the back mountain to cut grass. Every day, he would pick the most tender grass to feed the sheep, and from time to time, he would even feed the sheep some white flour soup just to make it produce more milk.

After feeding the sheep in the back courtyard, Wei Qingshan washed his hands and came inside. He picked up Tuan-ger from the cradle and gently rocked him, making Tuan-ger laugh. Now that Tuan-ger had grown a bit, he looked more and more like Lin Yu, and Wei Qingshan could never get enough of looking at him.

“In another couple of days, our Tuan-ger will be one month old.”

“Have you informed all the relatives in the village?” Lin Yu asked.

“They’ve all been told.”

Wei Qingshan and Lin Yu didn’t have many relatives. For the full-month banquet, they just invited the Wei family relatives and a few close families from the village. The celebration was set for the sixth day of the month, and everyone would come to have a meal and see the baby.

Wei Qingshan slaughtered a pig the day before. He sent half of it to town for sale and kept the other half at home for the banquet. When he went to town, he also bought some vegetables and some tofu from Chun-ger’s house, so most of the preparations were done.

On the day of the full-month banquet, relatives came one after another to help. The married women and husbands washed and picked vegetables, while the men went around borrowing tables, benches, and bowls from other households. The courtyard bustled with lively activity.

Madam Wu, Shi Xiaoliu, and the others also came from town. Madam Wu brought generous gifts—there was a piece of cloth in her basket, as well as eggs and candies. The relatives all brought eggs, specially prepared to nourish the body of a husband who had just given birth.

The courtyard was lively and festive. Today, Tuan-ger was dressed in a small, silk blue outfit, with a longevity lock hanging around his neck and a pair of silver bracelets on his chubby little arms. Everyone who came first went to look at the baby and was amazed to see such a tiny child already wearing silver ornaments.

“Oh my, Tuan-ger is really so fair and clean-looking!”

“Isn’t he just! Look at those big eyes.”

“Just look at him—he’s like one of those little immortal boys from the New Year paintings.”

The villagers all praised Tuan-ger for being so handsome. Shi Xiaoliu also leaned in to take a look. Lin Ama’s little ger was really born beautiful—he hadn’t ever seen such a good-looking baby before.

A few of the women and husbands helping with the vegetables whispered to each other, “Look at how pampered their child is—he’s so small and already has silver bracelets.”

“Isn’t that so? And some people were jealous, saying it’s just a little ger, but look—he still has silver bracelets! Whose family in our village ever gives silver to a newborn boy? And look at this banquet—they’ve used half a pig!”

“Tell me, how do they live such good days? Everything for them just goes so well.”

The midday feast was especially grand—braised pork, stir-fried pig’s blood, stir-fried offal, cold sliced pig’s head meat, radish and bone soup, and braised tofu, with two vegetable dishes added to each table.

The entire meal was full of meat. Everyone who came to the banquet ate until their mouths were shiny with oil. The countryside was poor; usually, when a husband or wife gave birth, there was no banquet at all. Even when someone had a son, most didn’t hold one. When He Dongdong held his banquet that year, he only invited two tables of close families.

But Wei Qingshan’s celebration had a full eight tables, each one piled high with meat. Everyone stretched out their chopsticks to grab pieces. The children who couldn’t reach were helped by adults who picked food for them—there was never this much meat to eat at home.

The children’s hands and faces were greasy, and they grinned widely with joy.

Shi Xiaoliu brought his two younger siblings, and after eating until he was full, he let out a loud burp. He was already familiar with Lin Yu’s household, so after the meal, he took the two of them to wash their faces and hands.

After that, Shi Xiaoliu came over to hold and coax the baby to sleep. Although he had never taken care of such a small baby before, he had looked after Shi Xiaoshu and Shi Xiaohua, so he was quite practiced. After rocking for a while, he managed to coax Tuan-ger to sleep.

“Lin Ama, when are you two coming back?”

“In another half month, we’ll return.”

Shi Xiaoliu smiled, his eyes curved like crescents. “There are many people in our shop—when the time comes, Yueniang and I can help you take care of Tuan-ger.”

After eating, Madam Wu and the others went back. The shop in town had been closed for a whole day today, and tomorrow they would have to go back to work.

After the relatives finished eating, they helped tidy up before leaving as well. The courtyard quieted down again. Lin Yu had finished his confinement period, so Sang Niang no longer needed to take care of him. The three of them at home could manage just fine.

Now Lin Yu could take Tuan-ger outside to play, basking in the sun and enjoying the breeze. Tuan-ger loved going out—his bright eyes turned and sparkled as Lin Yu shook a rattle, making him giggle happily.

Their courtyard in the countryside was large and peaceful. That was why Lin Yu had chosen to return there to give birth. They planned to stay home for a while longer before going back to town.

Zhao Yueniang also teased the little one. “Tuan-ger, Tuan-ger~”

The two of them were playing with Tuan-ger in the courtyard when a horse-drawn carriage stopped at the gate. A young coachman jumped down and asked, “Is this the Wei Qingshan household?”

A group of children surrounded the carriage, watching curiously. This was a horse carriage—they had never seen one before.