After the Lantern Festival, Yuxi was no longer willing to continue her postpartum confinement. Mama Lan and Mama Qu tried to persuade her to continue for two months, but Yuxi was unwilling. Even though her health wasn't what it used to be, she saw no reason to stay cooped up indoors.
Mama Qu and the others had no choice but to let her be.
Two days later, Yuxi began to take charge of the household again. She didn't neglect either the outside business or the domestic affairs inside the residence. But since there wasn't much to do, she had a lot of free time and devoted all of it to Zaozao and Liu-er.
One afternoon, after her nap, Yuxi noticed Zaozao was missing and asked in surprise, "Where's Zaozao?" Zaozao now ate and slept with her.
Gancao replied, "Madam, Eldest Young Miss woke up a shichen1 ago. Just then, the Old Master said he missed her, so Old Woman Yu and the others took her to him."
Yuxi didn't think much of this. Huo Changqing doted on Zaozao, perhaps even more than Yun Qing. "Then have Mama Lan bring Liu-er over."
At dinner time that evening, Yuxi noticed Zaozao still hadn't returned, so she went to the front courtyard herself to bring her back. When she arrived at the courtyard where Huo Changqing lived, she saw Zaozao happily playing in the yard.
Zaozao was thrilled to see Yuxi. She stood and ran towards her, calling out, "Mom." Zaozao was not yet two years old, so walking too fast naturally made her unsteady, and she immediately fell to the ground.
Yuxi went over and picked her up. Seeing how filthy her clothes were, she couldn't help but scold her: "You look like a little monkey covered in mud." Sigh, if this child were a boy, this kind of rough-and-tumble behaviour wouldn't be so bad. But since Zaozao was a girl, Yuxi felt it necessary to correct her temperament.
Huo Changqing and Xu Wu came out of the house at that moment. When Huo Changqing saw Yuxi, he asked, "You've come to take Zaozao back?"
For some reason, Yuxi sensed a hint of displeasure in his tone. She suppressed the thought, smiled and replied, "It's time for dinner now." Zaozao's meals were specially prepared to meet a child's nutritional needs.
Huo Changqing merely nodded without further comment.
As Yuxi carried Zaozao back, she noticed Xu Wu following her and asked curiously, "Is there something you need?"
Xu Wu said, "Madam, may I have a word with you?" Once the maids and old women servants had stepped away, Xu Wu whispered, "Madam, Yifu2 is getting on in years and needs someone to keep him company. Could you let Zaozao spend more time with him?"
Yuxi found this a bit strange. "Don't I often have Old Woman Yu bring Zaozao over?" She only tolerated it because she knew Huo Changqing genuinely cared for Zaozao. Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept quiet about him taking Zaozao without her permission.
Xu Wu softly explained, "Madam, I meant to let Zaozao visit Yifu2 daily." People get lonely as they get older. Zaozao was cheerful and full of laughter, and she had taken a special place in Yifu2's heart, which was why Xu Wu brought this up.
Yuxi understood what he meant, but she couldn't agree. It was said that a child's character was evident by three, and their future was set by seven3. Zaozao was almost two already, and if her temperament weren't corrected soon, growing up under Huo Changqing's influence would likely make her a rough and wild girl.
After a moment of silence, Yuxi said, "Xu Wu, I'm planning to start teaching Zaozao to recognise characters soon, so she won't be able to visit the front courtyard as often anymore." This was a gentle refusal of his suggestion.
Xu Wu, not reading between the lines, widened his eyes as he exclaimed, "Madam, Eldest Young Miss isn't even two yet. She wouldn't understand even if you tried to teach her!"
Yuxi replied, "It's fine if she doesn't understand. We'll lay the foundation first. Once she's three, we'll start teaching her properly, and by four, I'll teach her embroidery, calligraphy, and music." Yuxi wanted both Zaozao and Liu-er to become proper young ladies of a noble family. She had also thought about letting them learn martial arts—if they wished—but only for physical fitness, not for other purposes.
Xu Wu blinked and said, "Four-year-olds don't need to learn that many things, do they?" Just listening to them was already this overwhelming, let alone actually learning them.
Yuxi smiled, "That is how the daughters of prominent families are brought up. Back then, I also started learning these things from a tutor at the age of four and began learning etiquette from a momo at five." The female tutors in Yu City were not good enough, so Yuxi planned to teach them herself.
Xu Wu said, "Madam, that's too hard. I think children should grow up freely." It was too hard for a four-year-old child to learn so many things without having time to play.
Yuxi smiled and said, "It is tiring, but hard work brings rewards. If I hadn't worked so hard when I was young, I wouldn't be where I am now." Yuxi never intended for Zaozao to become some kind of a talented lady, but there were certain things she had to learn, such as calligraphy and etiquette. These two things not only had to be learned, but they had to be learned well.
Xu Wu didn't know what else to say, so he simply watched Yuxi leave with Zaozao. When he returned to Huo Changqing's courtyard, he shared this information with him: "Yifu2, Madam said she's going to start teaching Zaozao to recognise characters soon." Then, he explained Yuxi's plan to teach Zaozao the four arts. Afterwards, he muttered, "Yifu2, what can a three or four-year-old really understand? Isn't it too much for her to learn all of those?" Young ladies from wealthy families really didn't have it easy.
Huo Changqing looked very displeased. "What's the point of learning those useless things?" Things like music and calligraphy couldn't fill your stomach or be used practically—they were only a waste of time.
Even Xu Wu, who was usually slow to understand, realised Huo Changqing was upset. "Yifu2, there's no hurry. When the General returns, we can discuss it with him. He can talk to Madam." This issue wasn't something they could interfere with directly.
Huo Changqing waved his hand. "Go back to your duties."
The next morning, shortly after breakfast, Yuxi was managing the household when Mama Qu rushed in and informed her, "Madam, Guard Xu has just sent word. Madam Fu went into labour before dawn."
Yuxi put down the account book. "If we count the days, her pregnancy is just over seven months—she hasn't even reached eight yet!" Premature births around this time were usually quite risky.
Mama Qu admitted: "Indeed, she hasn't reached eight months yet. Madam, if she has a difficult labour, she might come here to ask for help!"
Yuxi responded, "We'll see. Oh, and later, tell Xu Wu to send word to Guo Xun, Chief Lian, and the other estate managers to come to Yu City in three days' time." Normally, they reviewed the accounts at the end of each year, but last year had been too busy. Yuxi had been managing the family affairs for the past few days and hadn't had the time.
Mama Qu nodded. "Yes, Madam."
Yuxi was so preoccupied that she completely forgot about Chen Shi until her nap was interrupted by the news that Chen Shi was indeed having a difficult labour.
This time, it wasn't Mama He who came, but Fu Tianlei's trusted aide—a clear sign of Fu Tianlei's personal plea.
Yuxi asked, "Is your Madam in grave danger?" Hearing that Chen Shi's baby was in an abnormal position and that it was very dangerous, Yuxi didn't hesitate and immediately sent Mama Lan to the Fu residence.
When Mama Qu saw Yuxi's frown, she advised, "Madam, although Chen Shi isn't well-liked, the child is innocent." Besides, there was a saying in Buddhism that it was better to save a life than to build a seven-storey pagoda. If Mama Lan could save both the mother and child, it would be a great blessing.
Yuxi shook her head. "I'm not that petty. I'm just curious—didn't the Fu family already hire a midwife? Why is the baby still in an abnormal position?" A baby in that position could often be corrected if detected early.
Mama Qu shook her head—she didn't know either.
Yuxi dropped the matter and said to Mama Qu, "Please bring Liu-er over." Without Mama Lan around, she didn't feel comfortable leaving the child with others. She'd rather look after the child herself.
Less than half a shichen1 after Liu-er was brought over, she began to cry softly. Every time Yuxi heard that small cry, her heart ached terribly.
She opened the swaddling clothes and checked the diaper—it was dry. "She must be hungry. Bring the wet nurse." Liu-er often vomited after feeding and ate very little. Since one wet nurse's milk was wasted, they had prepared two.
Shiliu prepared the milk before taking it to Yuxi.
Yuxi took a tiny spoon, the size of her pinky nail, and fed Liu-er a spoonful. After Liu-er vomited again, Yuxi's eyes immediately turned red. After a few spoonfuls, her tears started to fall. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry, sweetheart." If only she had been more careful before, Liu-er wouldn't be suffering now.
Shiliu whispered, "Madam, let me do it." Shiliu was a clever maid; being older, she was also more steady in her actions. Mama Lan regularly relied on her and entrusted her with many tasks.
Yuxi shook her head. "No." She wiped away her tears and continued to feed Liu-er. She couldn't let her child go hungry, no matter how hard it was.
Shiliu said nothing more. She remembered the first time she saw Liu-er—everything she ate came back up. At worst, her face had even turned blue. It was terrifying. Mama Lan and Mama Qu had been wise not to let Madam see this during her confinement; otherwise, she would never have been able to rest properly.
When Mama Qu heard Yuxi sobbing, she rushed in to comfort her. "Don't be upset, Madam. Mama Lan said that it's normal for babies to vomit after feeding. Even the Eldest Young Miss at the residence did the same." The 'eldest young miss' was referring to Qiqi.
Yuxi wasn't fooled. "Liu-er's vomiting clearly isn't normal." Other babies might spit up a bit, but Liu-er threw up almost half of her food. This situation happened because her body was too weak.
Shiliu said, "Madam, Mama Lan said this will pass in time. Second Young Miss won't always be like this." She meant that Liu-er would get better eventually.
Yuxi didn't reply. She continued to feed Liu-er, her tears falling silently.
Footnotes Full List
- 时辰 shíchen = 2 hours
- adoptive father
- 三岁看小，七岁看老 (sān suì kàn xiǎo, qī suì kàn lǎo – "See the child at three, the adult at seven") is a proverbial metaphor suggesting that early childhood behaviour predicts lifelong traits.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi