By the end of the fifth month, the weather had already grown hot. The sun hung high in the sky, and it didn’t take long for a fine layer of sweat to appear on people’s faces.
Qiao Suiman was eating the colorful tangyuan[mfn]汤圆 tāngyuán – Glutinous rice balls, often filled with sweet or savory mixtures, traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival. They symbolize family togetherness and reunion due to their round shape and homophony with “tuanyuan” (团圆, reunion).[/mfn] that Lu Dongqing had brought back from the market. The cool, sweet soup was very refreshing against the heat. Hua Yun was in the yard airing out clothes; not just Qiao Suiman’s, but also the little one’s, taking them out to sun every few days.
It was estimated that Qiao Suiman would give birth in the next few days so no one in the family dared to venture too far from home. Miao Lianhua gathered grass only in the nearby areas, ensuring she could hear Hua Yun if she called. Lu Dongqing would rush home as soon as he closed the shop every day.
After waiting for a long time, the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth arrived. When he returned home, except for going to the bamboo grove and inviting the midwife back yesterday, Lu Dongqing did not go anywhere. He also took care of all the housework.
After Qiao Suiman finished the last sip of the sweet soup, he happily stood up, wanting to wash his hands. However, he suddenly felt a pain in his stomach and water started flowing from his lower body.
It was time.
“Hss, Dongqing, Dongqing,” Qiao Suiman shouted while holding the table.
Lu Dongqing, who had just finished washing the bowls, immediately ran out of the kitchen. “Are you going to give birth?”
In the next instant, he shouted, “Grandma Yuan, Hua-dajie, Xiao Man is about to give birth!” He then hurriedly supported Qiao Suiman and helped him back to their room.
“Coming, coming,” answered Midwife Yuan as she emerged from the backyard.
Hua Yun heard the noise and went out to call Miao Lianhua and the others. After a while, Miao Lianhua and Tang Guo’er hurried back home, while Lu Xuesong went to the village to call people.
Qiao Suiman was in the room, brows tightly furrowed as he endured wave after wave of intense pain. Lu Dongqing’s hands trembled as he wiped the sweat from Qiao Suiman’s face. Midwife Yuan came in to take a look and said it had only just begun; it would be a long time yet before the birth. However, the Lu family paid her well, so she didn’t dare neglect. She repeatedly urged Qiao Suiman to relax and breathe.
Following Midwife Yuan’s instructions, Qiao Suiman slowly inhaled and exhaled, resisting the urge to cry out. Wasting energy shouting now might leave him with no strength for the actual delivery. This was his and Lu Dongqing’s first child, and he had been extremely cautious throughout, doing whatever was best for the child. Now was no different.
The time it takes for a stick of incense to burn has passed. Aunt Qian, Zhou Shuifen, Qin Yu, and others had also arrived. Qiao Suiman began panting heavily. Those with experience knew the baby was coming and urged Lu Dongqing to wait outside, as men were not allowed in the room during childbirth.
Tang Guo’er and Lu Xuesong were boiling water in the kitchen while Qiao Ruifeng fetched water and moved firewood for them. Chen Xuesheng was also pregnant, so Zhou Shuifen asked him not to come, but he couldn’t sit still at home knowing Qiao Suiman was in labor, so he came anyway and was now helping to look after Little Tuanzi.
Lu Dongqing stood frozen outside the door. From time to time, he could hear Qiao Suiman’s suppressed cries of pain from inside. His heart felt tightly clenched, his eyes reddened, his hands were shaking, and his mind went blank.
As Qiao Ruifeng passed by carrying water, he said in a low voice, “It’ll be fine once the child is born. Don’t scare yourself.”
He was in the same situation when Qin Yu gave birth last year. He knew comfort was of little use. A heart suspended in anxiety wasn’t easily settled, but he offered the words anyway.
“Mn, I know, Da-ge,” Lu Dongqing said this, but his eyes did not move away from the door at all.
Qiao Suiman bit the cloth between his teeth. Midwife Yuan urged, “Push, relax, push.” He endured the pain and did as she asked. He had endured many beatings in the past, this pain wasn’t unbearable for him. After what felt like an eternity, he felt his entire body go light, and the next moment, he heard the baby’s loud cries.
“He’s born, he’s born!” everyone in the room exclaimed.
Midwife Yuan cleaned the baby, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and cracked the door open. “Congratulations, congratulations! It’s a little boy, a full seven jin[mfn]斤 : ~600g[/mfn]!”
“What a big, fat boy!” Miao Lianhua said with a smile and continued to wipe Qiao Suiman’s body.
Hearing Midwife Yuan’s words, Qiao Suiman gave a faint smile before exhaustion pulled him into a deep sleep.
Lu Dongqing’s legs felt weak. He peeked through the crack in the door. Miao Lianhua, Qin Yu, and the others were crowded around Qiao Suiman, blocking his view. He then turned his gaze to the newborn, who had just finished crying, tears still at the corners of his eyes. A smile broke out on his face, and he whispered, “Little Tangyuan, Little Yuan’er.”
Upon hearing the good news, Chen Xuesheng hugged Little Tuanzi tightly and said with a smile, “Our Tuanzi has a little brother now.”
Little Tuanzi, as if understanding, kept giggling.
Tang Guo’er, having seen several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law give birth at home before, finally relaxed and said, “Qiao-gege was in labor for so long. Given our little nephew’s weight, Qiao-gege really had a hard time.”
Then he said to Lu Xuesong, “You keep boiling water. I’ll prepare the meal.”
Lu Xuesong agreed with a smile.
When Qiao Suiman woke up, he felt much cleaner, but the smell of blood still lingered in the room. He opened his eyes to see Lu Dongqing sitting by the bed, gazing at him tenderly.
Seeing him awake, Lu Dongqing said hoarsely, “Xiao Man, you’ve worked hard.”
Qiao Suiman smiled. “Where’s Tangyuan?”
The baby’s milk name had been decided long ago. Qiao Suiman has recently taken a liking to eating tangyuan, loving both the filled and unfilled kinds, so they simply decided to call the child Little Tangyuan or Little Yuan’er, using the two names interchangeably. It would go well with Tuanzi, making a pair: Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan[mfn]团团圆圆 tuán tuán yuán yuán (lit. group, group, round, round) – used to describe a happy and harmonious reunion, typically of family members gathering together[/mfn].
Lu Dongqing lifted the child from the cradle. “He just had some goat milk and fell asleep. He’s a big, fat boy weighing seven jin. Grandma Yuan and Mother said he’s very strong.”
Little Tangyuan’s face was rosy. His little mouth kept making sucking motions, not knowing what he was dreaming about in his sleep. Qiao Suiman’s heart melted. He reached out and gently poked his son’s cheek, and said with a smile, “Tangyuan’er, Little Yuan’er, our Little Yuan’er. Your a-mu has finally met you.”
Miao Lianhua pushed the door open a crack and brought in a meal, smiling from ear to ear. “Xiao Man, you must be exhausted. Come, eat something. Everyone outside has already eaten.”
Qiao Suiman carefully sat up, jostling the injury below. He hissed and Lu Dongqing immediately took a soft pillow and placed it behind his lower back.
“It’s fine,” Qiao Suiman said. “It’ll be better in a little while.”
“Lao-da[mfn]老大 lǎo dà – eldest child/sibling[/mfn], go attend to the guests outside,” Miao Lianhua said.
Lu Dongqing took another look at Qiao Suiman and his son before getting up to go out.
Miao Lianhua brought over a short table and placed the meal on it: a bowl of steaming hot chicken soup with a greasy chicken leg inside, stewed meat, stir-fried kidney[mfn]腰花 yāohuā (lit. “kidney flowers”) – a dish made from sliced pork kidney, often stir-fried[/mfn], scrambled eggs, a bowl of dry rice, and a plate of stir-fried chayote. Qiao Suiman was hungry, so he picked up his chopsticks and started to eat.
Miao Lianhua patted Qiao Suiman’s shoulder gently. “Xiao Man, you are the great benefactor of our Lu family. I am truly lucky to get you as my son’s fulang.”
“Mother,” Qiao Suiman said with a gentle smile. “You treat me so well. I’m the truly lucky one.”
“Have Guo’er, Da-ge, and the others seen the child already?” Qiao Suiman asked.
“They have. Everyone adores him. Our Little Tangyuan is so dearly loved.”
Qiao Suiman looked at his son sleeping soundly beside him. The discomfort in his body seemed to vanish, leaving only overwhelming joy.
Miao Lianhua sat for a while longer before also going out to attend to the guests. Qiao Ruifeng sent Midwife Yuan home. After the meal, everyone dispersed. Hua Yun was washing the blood-stained clothes and bedding. Tang Guo’er came into the room to take another look at Qiao Suiman and the baby before returning to his own room with satisfaction.
Lu Dongqing was afraid he might bring chill into the room, so he took a hot bath before returning.
Little Tangyuan woke up, pouting and crying. After finishing the laundry, Hua Yun warmed some goat milk to just the right temperature. As Qiao Suiman couldn’t move easily, she fed Little Tangyuan spoonful by spoonful, smiling as she said, “Little Yuan’er is just like Little Tuanzi, just drinking it up. He’ll be easy to raise.”
“Being able to eat is a blessing,” Lu Dongqing said gently.
Little Yuan’er ate mouthful after mouthful with relish. Qiao Suiman’s heart and eyes were full of his son, his chest swelling with emotion as if about to overflow.
“Was the gift money for Midwife Yuan given?”
“Mn, one hundred and eighty wen. Da-ge sent her home after the meal. Aunt Shuifen and Qin Yu-ge also brought some meat.”
“Good. It took so long today. They must have been worried too,” Qiao Suiman said softly. “Fortunately, Yuan’er knew his a-mu was tired and came out quickly.”
“Xuesong went to fetch the physician. Not long after he left, this little one came out crying loudly. Xuesong heard the noise and hurried back to boil water.” Lu Dongqing chuckled as he spoke.
The chaotic day passed, and a little boy was born in the family. Miao Lianhua delivered red eggs to the households in the village, so everyone would know their family had a new member.
The confinement period was tedious. The sixth month was also the busy farming season. During the day, Lu Dongqing was away. Lu Xuesong and Tang Guo’er had to cut grass to feed the chickens and ducks and deliver eggs to town. Tang Guo’er also had to return to Hedong Village from time to time to collect fruits. Miao Lianhua was also busy. Only at lunchtime did everyone have a moment to play with Little Yuan’er.
Most of Qiao Suiman’s time was spent in the room with Little Yuan’er. Hua Yun would keep him company, chatting and teaching him some childcare experience to pass the time.
Occasionally, he would embroider a bellyband or sew a small garment for Little Yuan’er, and the day would pass like this.
The first thing Lu Dongqing did upon returning home each day was to tell Qiao Suiman about the situation at the shop and how much they earned that day. He told him every detail. The customers all knew Qiao Suiman had given birth to a big, fat boy. The auspicious words they said were too many to remember. Qin Xiaoyao was eagerly waiting for him to bring the child back for a visit and Qiao Suiman couldn’t stop smiling.
“Little Yuan’er can laugh now! I played with him this morning for a while, and he laughed so happily.” Qiao Suiman held the sleeping Little Yuan’er in his arms and happily went to Lu Dongqing’s side.
“Really?” Lu Dongqing’s eyes curved into a smile. “He takes after you, clever.”
“What’s clever about it? A baby laughs when happy and cries when hungry or wet.” Qiao Suiman chuckled.
“Regardless, our Yuan’er is clever, fair and tender, and knows how to look for food,” Lu Dongqing said, a new father fascinated by his child’s every move. He held his fulang and child, bis face was full of smiles.
“We haven’t chosen Yuan’er’s formal name yet. Mother said we should decide soon.”
They pondered for a long time over Little Tangyuan’s formal name but couldn’t come up with one. For their first child, they only wanted to bestow the most auspicious meaning, so they considered many options but couldn’t decide on one.
“Tomorrow, I’ll make a trip to the prefectural city and pray at the Yuan’an Temple. I heard a great master will be there tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Qiao Suiman agreed with a smile, rocking Little Tangyuan in his arms. “Little Yuan’er will have his formal name tomorrow.”
The next day, Lu Dongqing asked Chen Xiasheng to watch the shop. Chen Xiasheng had become very good at business during this period and was also very smart. With Heijin in the shop, no one dared to cause trouble. Lu Dongqing rode as fast as he could to the prefectural city to ask for a name. Then he told everyone about it when he returned home in the evening.
“Lu Yuanfeng.[mfn]陸元楓 Lù Yuánfēng[/mfn]”
“Which two characters?” Qiao Suiman asked, waving Little Yuan’er’s hand with a smile.
“Yuan (元) as in yuanbao[mfn]元宝 yuánbǎo – A sycee, a type of gold or silver ingot currency used in imperial China, shaped like a boat or shoe. It is a symbol of wealth and prosperity.[/mfn], feng (楓) as in fengye[mfn]楓葉 fēngyè (maple leaf)[/mfn],” Lu Dongqing explained.
Qiao Suiman was even more delighted. “I know how to write both those characters. Yuanfeng, Yuanfeng. It sounds wonderful.”
Little Tangyuan was still awake, grinning from ear to ear. Although he made no sound, one could tell at a glance that he was also happy.
Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing were overjoyed. “Little Tangyuan, Little Yuan’er, Little Yuanfeng. Our baby has so many names.”
“Just call him whatever you like. He really is like a little tangyuan.”
Lu Dongqing held his hand in front of Little Tangyuan’s face, and opened and closed his five fingers. Little Tangyuan giggled nonstop.
If you enjoy my translations, consider buying me a milk tea 🥛🍵
