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墨書 Inktalez
“Midwife, midwife, come quickly! It seems my daughter-in-law is about to give birth!”
The sound of hurried footsteps and heavy breathing filled the air, fully waking Xia Muxin. She quickly grabbed the clothes hanging behind the screen and rushed out of the water, not bothering to dry herself as she hastily put on her garments.
As she stepped out of the bathing room, she noticed that the door to her mother’s room was closed. Her father, grandfather, and brother were all waiting outside. Shen Muhan stood at the entrance, his gaze fixed on the night sky, staring into the distance.
“Ah…”
“Push! Yes, push harder!”
“Ah…”
Inside the room, cries echoed as the midwife continuously guided the process. Aunt Liu had arrived at some point, holding a wooden basin filled with water. Xia Jihua carried a tray that held clean towels and a pair of scissors. A few men at the door smartly stepped aside to let them in.
The door closed again, leaving only the sounds of cries and encouragement from within.
Even after witnessing Aunt Xia give birth several times, Summer Forest was still tense, anxiously pacing back and forth. He pressed his ear against the door from time to time, wishing he could turn invisible and slip inside.
Seeing this scene made Summer Old Man tease him lightly.
Shen Muhan, however, remained calm. When he saw Xia Muxin approaching him, he took her small hand and looked her up and down as if contemplating something for a long while before saying:
“Our child will probably be less than two years younger than his aunt.”
Xia Muxin took a moment to grasp his meaning and shot him an exasperated glance. This man just couldn’t think of anything serious.
“All I can think about right now is when you will agree to have children with me.”
Shen Muhan seemed to know what she was thinking. He gently pulled her into his embrace from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as he softly spoke.
"Alright..."
"Wow... wow... wow..."
Xia Muxin elbowed him in the waist, ready to scold him, but suddenly heard the sound of a baby crying. She immediately pulled away from Shen Muhan's embrace and hurried to the door of their mother's room, stretching her neck to peek inside.
"Sister, do you think we'll have a little brother or a little sister?"
Songzi's eyes lit up as she tugged at Xia Muxin's sleeve, smiling as she asked.
Although Xia Muxin was a few years older than Songzi, they were nearly the same height, which made Xia Muxin feel somewhat disheartened as the older sister.
"I guess it will be a sister. If that's the case, she'll be the youngest flower in our family."
Xia Muxin's lips curled into a joyful smile as she winked at Songzi, confidently making her prediction.
"Yes, I think so too."
Songzi nodded in agreement.
"Congratulations, congratulations! You've had a precious daughter."
At that moment, the door swung open, and the midwife beamed with a smile, revealing a fairly neat set of teeth as she joyfully announced. However, Xia Muxin could clearly see the hint of discomfort in her eyes.
Xia Muxin stuffed a cloth bag into the midwife's palm and thanked her before following her father and the others into the house.
"Ming Yi, take the midwife back."
After receiving her payment, the midwife kicked it into her pocket and watched as the family entered the house. A trace of helplessness crossed her eyes, which Shen Muhan caught. He frowned slightly, snapped his fingers, and gave an order before also entering Aunt Xia's room.
Aunt Liu and Xia Jihua tidied up inside, removing blood and other unwanted items. Xia Jihua's eyes were slightly red, and even the midwife pressed her lips together tightly, her tense expression revealing no joy at all.
Aunt Xia had fallen into a deep sleep from the exertion of childbirth, her hair disheveled and beads of sweat glistening on her pale face.
Ermiao took a clean towel and gently wiped her face. With a strange expression, she glanced at the others before lowering her head and stepping outside.
At the head of the bed, a baby swaddled tightly was nestled, her eyes still closed. Her small mouth was slightly open, and her hands and feet moved within the swaddling, emitting tiny sounds reminiscent of a kitten's mew.
Summer Forest smiled broadly as she tenderly picked up the baby, soothing her gently.
Summer Old Man also began to unwrap the swaddling, seemingly eager to see whether the child was a boy or a girl.
Just as he was about to tighten the swaddling again, he suddenly gasped, his face turning as pale as wood as he stood there frozen.
Seeing this, Summer Forest placed the child back on the bed and opened the swaddling. In an instant, her expression darkened as she stared blankly at her father.
After a long moment, she spoke with deep sorrow:
“How could this be?”
Given the unhappy expressions of the midwife, aunt, and sister-in-law earlier, Xia Muxin had already guessed that something was wrong with the child. She followed suit and unwrapped the swaddling. However, as her gaze swept over the baby, it paused when it reached the child's right hand. She quickly tightened the swaddling again.
“Father, what’s all this fuss about? It's just six fingers!”
She then turned to look at Summer Old Man and Master, speaking calmly yet humorously.
Perhaps others were unable to feel joy because of this situation.
“Six fingers!”
Upon hearing Xia Muxin's words, Shen Muhan chimed in with interest.
This was not unfamiliar to him; there was indeed a fourth-rank official with the surname Fu in court who also had six fingers. Initially regarded as a monster by many, over time people accepted him. The Imperial Physicians even began to study him frequently, and eventually, he abandoned his official post to pursue medicine.
Now in charge of the entire Imperial Medical Institute, he was over fifty years old, with a strong personality. Anyone who looked at him unfavorably or mocked him for having six fingers would find themselves unable to get out of bed the next day.
Xia Muxin understood her father's unease very well. After all, in this backward village, any child born even slightly abnormal would be ridiculed, which could be a devastating blow to their growth. However, for her, coming from a modern world, this was perfectly normal.
Moreover, in this era, there were no advanced ultrasound technologies. As long as a pregnancy did not end in miscarriage, the child would be born. It was impossible to determine how many disabled or stillborn infants there were. Often, such children would be looked down upon by their in-laws and regarded as cursed. They might even be abandoned in the forest to fend for themselves. But for her family, no matter how the child turned out, as long as they were mentally healthy and could eat and laugh, Xia Muxin believed she could raise them to become an elite in this world.
She admired Shen Muhan's calmness.
"Everyone shouldn't worry; this is quite normal. The head physician of the Imperial Medical Institute also has six fingers, just like the little one here. His right hand is the same way. Now he’s thriving; anyone who dares to mock him or annoy him will find themselves with a dose of laxative in their food, leaving them too weak to laugh."
Shen Muhan glanced at the baby's hand and noticed the unyielding expressions on Summer Forest and the others. To lighten the mood, he spoke up.
"Are you... are you serious?"
Upon hearing this, Summer Forest regained a bit of composure and looked at Shen Muhan with disbelief. Shen Muhan nodded firmly.
"Hey, now that you mention it, I do remember something like that."
In this exchange, Summer Old Man suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed loudly.
He taught at Town and had heard many rumors, but those were matters of the court and not suitable for casual conversation. If overheard by someone with ill intentions, it could lead to severe consequences.
At this moment, they were all family, so there was no need to fear.
"Oh dear, quickly give your sister a name!"
Seeing that the baby seemed displeased and on the verge of tears, Xia Muxin hurriedly joked.
As soon as Xia Muxin spoke up, Summer Old Man's eyes turned red instantly as he let out a couple of sounds of surprise.
He had never named any of Xia Family's previous three children. To think that he could name his granddaughter in his lifetime made him feel that even if he died right then and there, it would be worth it.
"How about calling her Summer Snow Rose? As the saying goes, 'Auspicious Snow Indicates a Prosperous Year.' Once the snow melts, the child will be born, which is a good omen. Your names are all derived from trees, and this Wei represents the rose, another plant—it's fitting, very fitting."
After thinking for a moment, Summer Old Man said this seriously, and then felt the need to explain.
Snow Wei...
Xia Muxin pondered over this name and found it quite appealing. Suddenly, she clapped her hands and said, "Great! This name sounds good. What do you think, Dad?"
"Sounds nice, sounds nice."
Summer Forest also chimed in with a smile. Hearing their approval seemed to ease the tension in his heart a little. He only hoped that this child would not be affected by the outside world and could grow up happily.
"Summer... Snow... Wei, snow for the character 'snow,' and Wei for the rose. Ha, this name is really beautiful and seems very cultured."
Songzi listened to the adults and couldn't sit still anymore. He reached out to pinch the baby's cheek with an air of maturity and said aloud.
- End of Chapter -
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