Mrs. Zhou felt increasingly uneasy. "Mother, is there something you wanted me for?"
Tian Guihua smiled. "Nothing much. I haven't been getting out much these past few days, so I haven't seen much of you."
Feeling a guilty conscience, Mrs. Zhou quickly explained, "Mother, I wanted to come see the little sister-in-law first thing, but I've never had children myself and don't know how to look after a baby. Unlike the second daughter-in-law, who is so handy, I was afraid of getting in your way."
Without letting on that she saw right through Mrs. Zhou's motives, Tian Guihua chose to turn a blind eye. "You're a filial child, Mother knows."
Fu Qiujiu widened her eyes as she looked at Mrs. Zhou. Clearly just a tiny milk-fed baby with a pure and innocent mind, yet under her gaze, Mrs. Zhou felt a growing sense of guilt.
"Mother, what my mother said... I didn't ask her to say those things. I didn't think that way."
"Your mother was only looking out for you, there's nothing wrong with that."
*Advancing by retreating—old mother is truly formidable, what brilliant tactics.*
Fu Qiujiu mentally applauded her old mother first, though her hands and feet refused to obey her commands.
Seeing her daughter smile at her, Tian Guihua smiled back.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, our family did come into a bit of money, but life is still long, and there's no telling what things will be like in the future. Every penny has to be spent where it counts."
Mrs. Zhou nodded, though she remained troubled.
"Still, don't you worry. If you and Dajin need to see a doctor, you still need to see a doctor. The money must be spent. But don't be in too much of a rush either. If it's not there now, perhaps the fate just hasn't arrived yet."
Drawing from her own experience, Tian Guihua said, "You see, your father and I wanted a daughter before, but after bearing so many boys, the girl simply wouldn't come. Now that we stopped thinking about it, she appeared. So you see, some things can't be forced."
Mrs. Zhou had no other intentions; she just hoped for a bit more money so that if she truly couldn't bear children in the future, life would be a little easier for her and Dajin.
Learning that her mother-in-law was also looking out for them warmed her heart. True or false, she could no longer hold onto her grievances.
"Mother..."
"Alright, look at why those chickens are still squawking. Qiujiu needs to sleep, make sure you don't wake her."
As long as the family didn't split up, the money naturally couldn't be divided.
Tian Guihua coaxed her little daughter, "Your father and I still need to save some money to buy our Qiujiu some candy."
Outside the door, the hens were shooed away.
Fu Qiujiu felt a little disappointed. She had just reached the crucial moment: the dog belonging to the Huang family at the east end of the village had fathered pups with the Liu family's dog at the west end, yet the Hu family's dog had ended up playing the father.
My...
Was the dog world really this chaotic?
Seeing her mother talk about buying her candy, Fu Qiujiu, sensible little girl that she was, firmly grasped her thumb.
"Aigoo, aigoo, love sweets, do you? Not right now, wait till you're a bit older."
Tian Guihua sighed with a smile, "My little daughter, when on earth are you going to grow up?"
Soon, soon. Eat plenty, grow quickly.
Fu Qiujiu rubbed her head against her mother, and accordingly, she enjoyed another hearty, gulping feast.
Knowing that her man had a fierce temper and that the matter would end once it reached her, Tian Guihua did not mention it to Fu Baiwan when he returned from delivering messages to the relatives.
Chapter 9: The Full-Moon Banquet
Strangely enough, ever since Mrs. Zhou had laid eyes on little Qiujiu, a single day without seeing her left her feeling restless and tormented.
Tian Guihua was already out of bed, eating in the main room where she wouldn't catch any drafts, but Fu Baiwan dotingly refused to let her step outside for fear she would develop postpartum illnesses.
This made even Fu Bajin miss his mother a little, but then he remembered he was a big brother now. How could a big brother compete with his little sister for their mother!
"Is Mother awake? I'll go take the chicken noodle soup to her..."
"Wait..." Mrs. Zhou pressed down on Lady Wu's arm, her expression somewhat unnatural. "Second sister-in-law, you've cooked for so many people, take a break. I'll take it."
Without waiting for Lady Wu's consent, Mrs. Zhou took the bowl from her hands and headed toward the room.
She had always heard the second sister-in-law say that the little sister-in-law loved to smile and would beam the moment she saw her. Such a pink and tender little girl—needless to say, she must look exceptionally pretty when she smiled.
Yet... though she had been visiting diligently these past few days, she had never once seen the baby smile at her.
"Just in time you're here. Help me watch her for a moment, I need to go relieve myself."
Babies in the confinement month were actually quite worry-free; aside from eating, they just slept. They couldn't roll over or crawl yet, making them quite safe right where they lay.
Yet the elderly couple, Fu Baiwan and Tian Guihua, simply couldn't set their minds at ease—they couldn't bear to leave little Qiujiu without anyone by her side.
"I... I can't..." Mrs. Zhou had looked after children before; her maiden family's nephew was already over a year old, and she held him when she went back.
But this was different. The little sister-in-law was the apple of the entire family's eye. What if something happened...
"It's fine, Qiujiu is very well-behaved." Truth be told, Tian Guihua wasn't entirely at ease either, and resolved to hurry back.
"Oh."
Mrs. Zhou looked down at the tiny baby staring up at her with wide, blinking eyes, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Fu Qiujiu knew full well that this eldest sister-in-law didn't like her.
Was she going to pinch her in secret?
In her past life, her gaze had always been sharp and laced with a murderous aura; many people would tremble all over just from a single glance.
Yet now, she had no idea that the exact same look on her present body produced a completely different effect.
Gazing at the milky, adorable baby, Mrs. Zhou thought to herself: if she could give birth to such a cute little daughter, wouldn't the Fu Family lift her straight up to the heavens?
"Little sister-in-law, why aren't you smiling? Come on, give me a smile, smile for your eldest sister-in-law."
Mrs. Zhou's voice was soft and gentle, not fierce in the least.
Fu Qiujiu wasn't a real infant; could it be that she had misunderstood her?
"Little sister-in-law, everyone says you're our family's lucky star. Then help your eldest sister-in-law give birth to a little baby just as cute as you, alright?"
This...
Fu Qiujiu felt a bit troubled; she didn't seem to possess that kind of power!
Still, thinking about how she had been married for four or five years without any news from her belly, she must be suffering deeply inside.
Fu Qiujiu decided to comfort her.
"Ah, she smiled, she smiled!"
So pretty, so cute—her heart melted.
What made Mrs. Zhou even happier was the feeling that her plea had been answered.
Not daring to touch little Qiujiu's face for fear that her rough hands would hurt her, she tentatively stroked Fu Qiujiu's tiny, tender hand instead.
After a quick touch, she hurriedly let go and broke into full bloom, glancing furtively toward the doorway like a thief caught in the act.
...
Fu Qiujiu was the very first baby girl in Yangshu Village to hold a full-moon banquet, and a lavish one at that.
What a glorious spectacle it was; the Fu Family was a scene of great hustle and bustle.
All the villagers, young and old, came, along with distant relatives from other villages whom they were barely related to.
Naturally, with the hard times, they hadn't eaten meat in a very long time.
A full-moon banquet meant meat, and it also meant wine.
Fu Qiujiu had been woken up early in the morning. Yawning, the moment she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a room full of people—all of them male.
Through their interactions over this period, though the times they'd met were few, she had managed to sort them out: the one with the small mole on his face was the eldest of the twins.
Only... who was that lean, slender youth?
"Qiujiu, I am your fifth brother.Reply with only the corrected sentence." Fu Hardware (Fu Wujin) gently pinched her tiny, fleshy hand and smiled as he spoke.
Fifth Brother?
The only scholar in the family?
Yet Fu Wujin carried the faint fragrance of medicinal herbs about him—not the scent of ink?
Then again, most ink smelled foul; only the great aristocratic families of ancient times had the idle wealth to afford scented ink.
Never mind that.
Though the Fu brothers were born in the countryside, none of them lacked in appearance. Most had been tanned dark by the sun, but Fu Wujin, shielded from wind and weather, appeared exceptionally refined and fair.
Fu Qiujiu parted her lips; a baby in the confinement month naturally spoke in a milky voice.
"Mother, Qiujiu is truly pretty." Fu Wujin took a sachet from inside his tunic.
A wave of herbal fragrance rushed to her nose. Taking a sniff, Fu Qiujiu instantly recognized the nine Chinese medicinal herbs packed inside, including mugwort, perilla, cloves, and mint.
"This is the little younger sister's full-moon gift; it can ward off insects and prevent pestilence."
Indeed, that was its exact function. In her past life, she had been a grandmaster of traditional Chinese medicine. Fu Qiujiu grabbed hold of the sachet—her tender little flesh could hardly withstand a few mosquito bites.
Fifth Brother was truly thoughtful.
Fu Wujin instantly smiled. "It looks like Qiujiu really likes it."
Tian Guihua also smiled from ear to ear. "As expected, once someone studies, they really are different. They know so much."
Fu Wujin smiled and didn't dare answer back.
Before long, guests began arriving. The family members were busy cooking and greeting guests, unable to leave anyone standing around.
"Elder Cousin, congratulations, congratulations! You've finally gotten your wish, a lucky star has descended."
"Hahahaha..."
"Baiwan, capable indeed! To be able to have a child at this age!"
"Hahahaha..."
"Elder Uncle, congratulations! This time your family is going to soar to prosperity; when that happens, don't forget about me."
Fu Baiwan let out another booming laugh, thinking to himself: *I did the heavy lifting to have a daughter, what does your getting rich have to do with you? I invited you just so you could see that I finally have a daughter.*
In the courtyard, Fu Baiwan's joyful voice completely drowned out the words of congratulation.
Inside the room, Fu Qiujiu was surrounded by the crowd.
"So this is our family's precious little baby girl! Come, let Third Aunt hold her for a moment."
Fu Qiujiu opened her hazy, drowsy eyes and looked at the dark hand reaching out toward her. The fingernails were caked with dirt, and the old woman's lips were flecked with spittle from the words she had just spoken...
She held her breath, yet the wave of body odor still forced its way into her nose.
The old woman wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. "Baiwan's wife, let go."Tian Guihua's smile stiffened. Whenever anyone in the family wanted to hold the little baby girl, they had to wash their hands—they practically needed to bathe and change their clothes first. As for this distant Third Aunt... looking at her expression... she really didn't want to let go.
*No, please no!* With no other options, Fu Qiujiu burrowed as hard as she could into Tian Guihua's embrace and began yawning continuously.
"Third Aunt, the baby is sleepy."
"It's fine, it's fine! I've coaxed a dozen babies to sleep right here in these arms. Don't you trust your Third Aunt? No matter how much a child is crying, once they come into my arms, everything's fine. Go on, give her to me."
Fu Qiujiu had originally wanted to spare the old woman some face, but alas, the woman was simply too persistent. Left with no choice, she decided to cry.
And at the sound of her crying, Tian Guihua resolutely refused to let go, no matter what.
Having made such a grand pronouncement just a moment ago, the old woman now found herself in an awkward spot. "This child..."
Truly lacking in fortune.
***
Chapter 10: Fifth Brother's Worries
Fu Qiujiu's full-month banquet was livelier than the weddings of both her older brothers combined.
Many guests ate until their mouths were greasy with fat, yet inwardly they thought Fu Baiwan had lost his mind—it was simply money burning a hole in his pocket.
With all that money, what better things could he have done instead of throwing a banquet for a little girl?
Mother Fan, in particular, harbored a desperate longing for a son, the exact same yearning Fu Baiwan had felt before he wished for a daughter.
Yet now Fu Baiwan had gotten his wish, while over on her side... there wasn't even a shadow of a son.
Unreconciled to her fate, and figuring she was only three years older than Tian Guihua—if Tian Guihua could still bear children, then so could she—she had dragged her husband through bedtimes every single day for the past month, only to end up with absolutely nothing to show for it.
Then there was the Fu Family's Third Aunt. Her visit this time wasn't simply a matter of eating meat and drinking wine; she had other motives.
After the villagers had eaten their fill and dispersed, this old woman from the Fu Family simply refused to leave.
"Baiwan, oh Baiwan, your life is still the prosperous one. Even the village chief's family couldn't put on a feast as fine as this one you've managed."
Fu Baiwan's heart ached with every coin; the banquet had cost a full five taels of silver. But the moment he thought of his daughter, he gritted his teeth and endured it.
Tian Guihua was holding Fu Qiujiu. Deprived of the sun for so long, Fu Qiujiu now basked in its warmth, feeling cozy as her eyelids grew heavy and fought each other.
"Third Aunt, what prosperity? We just had a little girl, and the whole family from top to bottom is overjoyed, so we wanted to liven things up. You know what Baiwan's temperament is like—he's just puffing up his cheeks to pretend he's a fat man."
Upon hearing this, the old woman forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes, using her tongue to lick away a shred of meat stuck between her teeth. Reluctant to spit it out, she swallowed it anyway.
"Guihua, are you sitting here crying poverty to me?"
Tian Guihua handed Fu Qiujiu over to Lady Wu. "Take Qiujiu back to the room to sleep."
Lady Wu stepped forward to take her, but Mrs. Zhou snatched her away first. "Mother, give her to me. I'll take the little aunt to sleep."
Whenever Mrs. Zhou found an opportunity these days, she wanted to grow close to Fu Qiujiu. Though she had no children of her own, she poured all her maternal affection into Fu Qiujiu.
Just moments ago, she had even exchanged sharp words with her own mother on Fu Qiujiu's behalf.
Fu Qiujiu reached out her tiny hands toward her mother, reluctant to leave. This old woman was thoroughly annoying, and her words carried barbs—at a single glance, she looked like bad news, and Fu Qiujiu wanted to stand side-by-side with her mother against this foe.
Alas... an arm could never twist a thigh. She was carried away to the bedroom.
Mrs. Zhou's movements were exceedingly gentle, as if she terrified of making the child uncomfortable. Fu Qiujiu was rocked into a daze, yet the herbal medicinal scent emanating from Mrs. Zhou made her frown.
Based on the snatches of conversation she had eavesdropped on these past few days, this eldest sister-in-law had evidently been struggling to conceive. The family had even provided money to buy medicine, but was she encountering a quack doctor or something? This medicine... was there something wrong with it?
Fu Qiujiu made babbling noises at Mrs. Zhou for quite a while, but Mrs. Zhou couldn't understand a single word.
"Little Aunt, what's wrong? Are you uncomfortable in the eldest sister-in-law's arms?"
Fu Qiujiu: "Babble, babble..."
*That's not it, Eldest Sister-in-law! Do you even want to get pregnant while taking this medicine?*
Unfortunately, they faced a communication barrier.
Fu Qiujiu's babbling—neither crying nor laughing—left Mrs. Zhou at a complete loss. Coaxing her with every sweet word imaginable, she was practically ready to kowtow and bow to Fu Qiujiu.
Fu Baiwan was the first to rush back into the room, his face dark with chill. "Give her to me."
Mrs. Zhou felt a pang of distress and explained through gritted teeth, "Father, I wanted to coax the Little Aunt to sleep... I didn't do anything to her!"
Fu Baiwan kept his face stern, impossible to read whether he believed her words or not. "Mm, you can go outside."
Feeling deeply aggrieved, Mrs. Zhou stepped out, her expression less than pleasant.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, your complexion doesn't look too good."
Fu Wujin was packing his things, preparing to hurry back to the academy in the county town.
Mrs. Zhou neither favored nor resented her brothers-in-law; her attitude toward them was generally cool and detached. However, she was always impeccably polite to Fu Wujin. He was a scholar—someone who commanded respect wherever he went—and besides, he rarely came home.
"Maybe I just woke up early and tired myself out."
Fu Wujin sniffed and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, have you been taking some kind of medicine lately?"
"Medicine... oh..."
Mrs. Zhou's gaze flickered away evasively. The medicine she took was all provided by her mother, and on the first and fifteenth of every month, she even had to drink water infused with sacred talismans. "You know how things are with your eldest brother and me, don't you?"
She knew. Of course she knew.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, I managed to secure a medical prescription for you in the county town," Fu Wujin said as he pulled a neatly folded square of paper from inside his tunic. "Have Eldest Brother get the herbs according to this. As for those other medicines... if they aren't working, you should stop taking them."
"Ahem..." Although Mrs. Zhou was somewhat older than Fu Wujin, discussing such matters still felt rather awkward for them both, and Fu Wujin felt the same.
"Wujin, thank you."
Mrs. Zhou accepted the prescription, clutching it tightly in her palm. She knew Fu Wujin meant well, yet her heart still felt unsettled.
Watching her retreating figure, Fu Wujin sighed inwardly. *What kind of folk remedy is the eldest sister-in-law taking now? I hope she doesn't ruin her health.*
He had pondered over this prescription for a very long time, though he had never gotten the chance to feel the eldest sister-in-law's pulse. If only he could check her pulse, he would definitely be able to help his eldest brother and sister-in-law hold a baby in their arms much sooner.
"Father." Once Fu Wujin stepped inside, his gaze fell upon Fu Qiujiu's face. The little girl was fast asleep.
Even while sleeping, Fu Baiwan couldn't bear to put her down.
"Time to leave?"
Fu Wujin nodded. "I just wanted to take one more look at my little sister. By the time I come back next time, she'll have changed completely."
Fu Baiwan reserved all his doting indulgence for Fu Qiujiu; with his sons, he was a stern father. He proceeded to give Fu Wujin instructions about studying diligently and other such matters.
"Ever since your younger sister was born, the family finances have loosened up a bit. You don't need to be as stingy as before either. Things for your studies, meals—these are necessary expenses, you can't skimp on them."
"Father, I understand. Actually..." Fu Wujin felt the heavy weight pressing on his heart, and he decided to confide in his father.
Right at that moment, his mother called out from outside.
"Old man! Third Aunt and Baishan are about to leave, hurry up and go see them off!"
Fu Baiwan glanced down at his little daughter, then cast a sideways look at Fu Wujin. "Keep an eye on your sister."
As soon as Fu Baiwan left, Fu Wujin leaned in closer to Fu Qiujiu.
The moment she was laid down, Fu Qiujiu woke up.
Fu Wujin gently pinched Fu Qiujiu's hand. "Qiujiu, Fifth Brother is leaving. When I come back next time, you'll have grown a bit bigger, and then Fifth Brother will carry you out to play."
Fu Qiujiu longed to clap her hands. She felt far too cooped up inside this room and wanted to go outside for a stroll.
Besides, she also liked this Fifth Brother very much—no, she liked every single one of her brothers.
*Sigh...*
Fu Qiujiu waved her little hands, wanting to stroke this handsome youth's face to take a tiny advantage, when she suddenly heard Fu Wujin heave a sigh.
*What's wrong?*
*Does Fifth Brother have something weighing on his mind?*
"Qiujiu, do you think Fifth Brother should tell our father that I don't want to study anymore?"
*No, don't do that, Fifth Brother! You're the hope of the entire family!*
Yet watching Fu Wujin's slumped expression, Fu Qiujiu felt a twinge of pity for him.
"I know very well how much money our family has spent to support my schooling, but... I prefer saving lives and curing the sick."
No wonder he always carried a faint scent of medicinal herbs about him.
Looking at it this way, Fifth Brother was carrying rather too much on his shoulders.
"What should I do? Father, Mother, and the rest are all waiting for me to make something of myself, but I... Sigh... Do you think Fifth Brother should give up?"
A forced melon is never sweet. Fu Qiujiu also knew that her Fifth Brother hadn't attained any scholarly honors yet; perhaps he simply wasn't cut out for academics, and was being driven like a duck onto a perch.
She stretched out her hand, and Fu Wujin leaned in closer. She finally managed to touch Fu Wujin's face, and even planted a little *mwah* kiss right on it.
Fu Wujin's heart swelled with delight. "Qiujiu, are you saying Fifth Brother should talk to the family?"
***
Chapter 11: Punishing Old Mother Zhou
Time flew like an arrow, and the months slipped away. At two months old, Fu Qiujiu could roll over; by four months, she could crawl; at five months, she could sit up; and at six months, she could stand. Fu Qiujiu pushed herself desperately to stay ahead at the starting line.
By the time she reached eight months of age, she could already walk unsteadily, and she could stammer out words like "Daddy," "Mommy," and "Brother." "Sister-in-law" was a bit harder to pronounce, so she wasn't quite fluent with that one yet.
The very first thing she did after she learned to toddle unsteadily was waddle over to Fu Dajin and Mrs. Zhou's room, arriving just in time to knock the medicine bowl right out of Mrs. Zhou's hands before she could drink it.
Overwhelmed with worry, Mrs. Zhou's expression changed drastically. "Little Aunt, are you alright? Let me see—did you get burned?"
Old Mother Zhou, however, glared fiercely and pointed at Fu Qiujiu, spewing all sorts of ugly words.
"What lucky star? I say she's a broom star! You should have been pregnant long ago—it was clearly this brat who brought misfortune and snuffed out your baby. I've already asked Master Xu the Immortal, and that's precisely how it is!"
Mrs. Zhou frowned slightly. "Mother, Qiujiu can understand speech now. Stop talking nonsense."