Thanks to Quinnie for the support. Enjoy the bonus chapter!

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“Oh my! Good heavens, Mother Heaven!”

In the middle of the night, in the western room of the Zhang household, Mrs. Zhang Er grabbed the quilt and sat up abruptly, wailing wildly.

Her two children, who had been sound asleep beside her, were both woken by her screams. Zhang Er rubbed his eyes and scolded her, “It’s the middle of the night—why aren’t you sleeping? What’s gotten into you?”

“I… I had a nightmare…” She hadn’t dared tell her family about the fight she’d had with Luo Xiu by the river earlier that day, but the incident kept running through her mind. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became—she didn’t even know if that ger had given birth yet.

As a result, she had a nightmare in the middle of the night.

In the dream, Luo Xiu sat beside her, holding a dead infant, his body covered in blood, and demanded to know why she had tried to harm him.

Though she was foolish and wicked, she hadn’t completely lost her conscience, and this incident tormented her terribly.

After finally getting the two children to sleep, she called out softly to her husband, “Lao Er, are you asleep yet?” 

“What’s up?”

“I… I need to tell you something. Don’t get upset…”

As soon as Zhang Er heard this, he immediately opened his eyes, turned his head, and said, “What have you done now, you stupid woman? Last time you poured water on someone’s beans and ended up having your own pulled out of the ground, yet you still wouldn’t admit it. I think you’re asking for a beating!”

Zhang Er knew she was in the wrong and didn’t dare argue back. She said timidly, “I was wrong that time, but when I got beaten, you didn’t stand up for me. With all that pent-up frustration, of course I…”

“You want me to stick up for you? Zheng Beiqiu is as ruthless as Yama himself. If you want me dead, just say the word—I’ll go cause trouble for him right now.” 

“No, I was just venting… I was doing laundry by the Big River today, and I—I got into a fight with Luo Xiu…”

“What?!” As soon as Zhang Er heard this, he sat bolt upright on the kang. “I’m telling you, Old Lady, have you had enough of flipping somersaults? He’s a widower—he doesn’t steal or rob, and he doesn’t bother you. Why do you always go out of your way to pick a fight with him for no reason?”

Mrs. Zhang Er said, “It just happened one thing leading to another. Besides, if he hadn’t started it, I wouldn’t have wanted to fight him…”

“Enough of that! How did the fight go? Did he hurt you? He’s pregnant, after all. What if something happens to him? Zheng Beiqiu would kill our whole family!”

Mrs. Zhang Er was so frightened she was on the verge of tears. “He hit me first. I really didn’t use much force—I just gave him a little shove, and he fell down. Then… then he started bleeding a lot…”

“It’s over, it’s over! Why did I ever marry you, you jinx? You’re going to get me killed!” Zhang Er sighed repeatedly in terror. “What are we going to do now…” Mrs. Zhang Er sat beside him, wiping away her tears.

“Did the three of you attack him together, or did you do it on your own?”

“I—I did it myself… The third son’s wife grabbed the eldest sister-in-law and ran off first.”

“You’re the dumbest of the three—so dumb you could reach the heavens!” Zhang Er was so angry his chest ached. After a long pause, he said, “First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll go beg my father to step in. I’ll go check on Luo Xiu first. If he’s okay, that’s for the best. But if something’s wrong… I would be at a loss…”

“Waaah, waaah, waaah…”

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With the sound of a melodious rooster crow, Luo Xiu awoke from his sleep.

The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was look for the baby, only to find the little one sleeping soundly in Zheng Beiqiu’s arms. Luo Xiu sat up to pick up the child, but the slightest movement woke Zheng Beiqiu. “You feed the baby first; I’ll go make you some breakfast.”

He’d fed the baby twice last night. Even though he’d done it in the dark, the thought of a man sitting right beside him made Luo Xiu feel self-conscious.

Zheng Beiqiu knew he was shy, so he tried his best not to upset him over such matters. He went out, lit the stove, and first boiled a pot of hot water for Luo Xiu to wash up. Then he began cooking foxtail millet porridge and boiled a few eggs while he was at it.

That morning, after Liu Hua finished her chores, she came over. 

Although her aunt-in-law was kind-hearted, it wouldn’t do to keep bothering her—after all, her eldest daughter was about to get married, and there were plenty of things to take care of at home. Zheng Beiqiu planned to make a trip to Xiagou Village to bring his younger sister over to help take care of Luo Xiu during his postpartum confinement.

Before leaving, he went into the room to check on the baby and Luo Xiu one last time. “Wait here at home. I’m just running an errand and will be back soon.” He first stopped by the house next door to leave three hundred wen with the Liu family’s grandmother.

Mrs. Liu, who was still unaware of his relationship with Luo Xiu, looked at him in confusion and asked, “What’s this for?”

“You helped Luo Xiu give birth yesterday—I can’t let your efforts go unrewarded. Take this money to buy some meat.” 

“No, no—he’s struggling to make ends meet himself. How could I possibly accept his money?”

“This is a gift for you. Once the house is finished in a little while, I’ll be marrying Luo Xiu.”

Only then did Mrs. Liu realize what was happening. She took the money and thought to herself: This young man from the Zheng family is quite generous—he’s already helping out financially before he’s even married him. It looks like Luo Xiu won’t have a bad life from now on.

Meanwhile, after Luo Xiu finished his meal, Liu Hua helped him to his feet and took him for a short walk.

“You can’t just lie in bed all the time after giving birth. If you do for too long, you’ll end up paralyzed. Years ago, I had a great-aunt who lay on the kang for half a month after giving birth. When she finally got up, her legs were as limp as noodles—she lost all her strength. She hasn’t been able to walk since.”

Hearing this, Luo Xiu was so frightened that he hurriedly started walking. The tear down there hadn’t healed yet, and every step sent a wave of pain through him, causing cold sweat to break out on his brow. He never imagined giving birth would be such an ordeal.

Liu Hua said, “It’s just that gers suffer more than women. But once your pelvis has opened after giving birth, it won’t hurt as much next time.”

After walking around for a while, Luo Xiu’s clothes were damp with sweat. He sat down on the kang to rest for a bit; the little one lay there sleeping soundly, not even waking up when he spoke.

“Auntie, look how he’s been sleeping the whole time—is there something wrong with him?”

Liu Hua slapped her thigh and burst out laughing. “What’s wrong with that? All newborns are like this. When our eldest daughter was little, she’d sleep endlessly too. I’d even shake her awake on purpose just to hear her cry a couple of times before I’d feel at ease. Later, after my mother scolded me, I finally realized that a nursing baby during the postpartum period can sleep up to ten hours a day!”

“That long?”

“That’s right. All he does is eat, pee, and poop—and the rest of the time he’s sleeping. He didn’t start looking even remotely human until after the postpartum period.”

Luo Xiu gently poked his son’s cheek with his finger. The baby, fast asleep, smacked his little lips—the sight melted his heart. What an adorable little guy.

Liu Hua looked at him with admiration as well. “This child is handsome; he’ll definitely take after you and have fair skin.” 

“But to me, he looks so dark and ruddy.”

“You don’t understand—the redder a baby is during the postpartum period, the fairer he’ll be once he’s out of it. On the other hand, babies who are fair at birth tend to get darker as they grow.”

Luo Xiu marveled, “So there’s actually a saying like that.”

“By the way, you weren’t due yet—how come labor started so suddenly? And then you fell by the river and bled all over the place—that really scared Daqiu and me!”

Luo Xiu thought back to yesterday’s events and was still seething with anger, so he recounted the whole story—how he’d gotten into a verbal altercation with Mrs. Zhang Er that had escalated into a physical fight out back.

Liu Hua spat in disgust. “That low-class shrew—once she picks on someone, she just won’t let up!”

“It’s only because they see I have no one to back me up. Back when Changfu was alive, they’d never have dared…”

Mentioning her nephew, Liu Hua’s eyes welled up with tears. “But there’s no need to worry now—Daqiu is here. I can tell he’s very devoted to you; if he found out about this, he’d definitely stand up for you!”

Just as the two were talking, the old patriarch of the Zhang family across the street arrived with Zhang Er and Mrs. Zhang Er, carrying a basket of eggs.

As soon as the three stepped through the door, Liu Hua nervously stood up and stepped in front of Luo Xiu. “What are you doing here?” The old patriarch of the Zhang family hurriedly said, “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’ve brought Er and his wife over to pay a visit and apologize.”

Mrs. Zhang Er, pushed forward by her husband, stepped up. “Y—yesterday, I was in the wrong. I shouldn’t have pushed you, but you hit me first. I didn’t expect… I didn’t expect… Ah, it’s all my fault, Sister-in-law. I’m truly sorry.”

Luo Xiu eyed her coldly. If it hadn’t been for his aunt and cousin yesterday, he might have lost both his own life and the baby—how could he possibly forgive her so easily?

Zhang Er chimed in, “My wife’s a bit dim—she’s single-minded. Young Master Luo, please don’t hold it against her. Consider these eggs a gift to help you regain your strength. It’s better to resolve grievances than to hold a grudge; as neighbors, we should get along well.”

Luo Xiu remained silent. Ever since he’d moved in, Mrs. Zhang Er had made life difficult for him at every turn. If it weren’t for his cousin’s support, she would have bullied him to death. How could she expect him to forgive her with just a few words?

The old patriarch of the Zhang family added, “If Young Master Luo isn’t satisfied, I’ll have them kowtow to you in apology.” Zhang Er and his wife knelt on the ground, ready to kowtow.

Luo Xiu wouldn’t accept that, so Liu Hua stepped in to mediate: “There’s no need to kowtow. No one living in the front or back courtyards wants to strain our relations. But let’s be clear—bullying Luo Xiu again is out of the question! Even a clay figurine has its limits; if you really push him too far, it’ll be a loss of face for everyone!”

“Yes, yes, yes. Mrs. Zhang is right. We’ll take the chicken, then. Please put in a good word for us.”

Liu Hua nodded. After the others had left, Luo Xiu said, “I hate them to death. I really don’t want to accept anything from their family!”

“Silly girl, you shouldn’t turn down a free gift. Besides, if Mrs. Zhang Er hadn’t told me you’d fallen by the river that day, it might have been delayed.”

Luo Xiu was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Mrs. Zhang Er to have a shred of humanity.

“They’re neighbors, after all. Since they’re trying to make amends, don’t hold a grudge against her. If you really end up fighting to the death, how are you going to get along in the future?”

Seeing that Luo Xiu still couldn’t let go of his resentment, Liu Hua told him a story from the past.

“Years ago, there were two families in our village who lived right across from each other. They got into a fight over some trivial matter, and ever since then, the two families have been constantly bickering.

When the arguments got too heated, they started throwing punches, and the feud only grew deeper.

Later, a child from one of the families ran out to play and didn’t come back by nightfall. The adults searched the entire village, and after half the night, they found the child on the hill behind the village. Sadly, the child was already dead—someone had strangled him…

Everyone in the village said the neighbors were responsible, but without evidence, who can say for sure? When a feud grows too deep, it takes its toll on the children…” Luo Xiu’s breath caught in his throat. He looked at the baby in the swaddling cloth and finally understood. He quickly expressed his gratitude: “Thank you, Sister-in-law, for teaching me!”

Liu Hua knew she’d gotten through to him. She patted the back of her hand. “You’re a smart girl. I’m glad you’ve figured it out.”

After helping finish preparing the meal, Liu Hua went over to the construction site. Luo Xiu hobbled out to the yard on his own and sorted through the items Zheng Beiqiu had bought the day before.

In addition to a large bag of brown sugar, there were fifty eggs—plus the thirty sent by the neighbors across the way—more than they could possibly eat. After putting everything away, he climbed onto the kang to start making clothes for the baby.

The baby hadn’t been named yet. According to village custom, a child’s nickname is given three days after birth, and a formal name after the first birthday. Luo Xiu had already decided on his nickname.

Since he was born after he fell by the river, he decided to call him “Xiaoyu.”

He softly called out his son’s nickname, “Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu, swimming in the water, free in every direction—grow up quickly.”