The Exiled Life of the Noble Girl

Chapter 142

The gatekeeper was originally a servant of the Tang family. He was ordered to go to the academy to ask for leave on behalf of Liu Yizhu, but he had only been gone for a short while when Tang Jue caught him. They simply did not believe that Liu Yizhu would be late.

After greeting the teacher, they decided to go and check on the situation. They happened to meet the gatekeeper chatting with the gatekeeper elder at the entrance.

The gatekeeper was delighted and waved to Tang Jue, "Young master, young master, Mrs. Liu has given birth. I can't go in, please..."

"What!"

Before the gatekeeper could finish, all three of them were startled and rushed over, surrounding him. "Sister-in-law has already given birth? Isn't it more than ten days before her due date?"

"It's the sixteenth today."

"The sixteenth!"

"I...I..." The gatekeeper didn't dare resist as his young master tugged at his clothes. He simply stepped back and let out a breath. "I don't know either. Her water broke last night, and she gave birth early this morning."

The three glanced at each other and hurried towards the small courtyard, leaving the gatekeeper and the gatekeeper elder looking at each other in bewilderment.

The gatekeeper elder stepped forward and shouted after their backs, "Hey, you three, you're supposed to be in class. Where are you running off to? Did you ask the teacher for leave? Hey!"

The gatekeeper cautiously replied, "Why don't you ask the teacher if they've taken leave? And while you're at it, help me ask for leave for my master Liu as well. The four of them have the same teacher."

The gatekeeper elder frowned and tossed out a reply, "You wait right here." Then he headed towards the academy.

Zhong Liangyu was the shortest of the three and always walked the slowest. He suddenly stopped in his tracks behind the other two.

"Tang Jue, Jingyuan, isn't it inappropriate for us to go empty-handed?"

Tang Jue and Yang Jingyuan also stopped, turned to look at him, and realized he was right. For the first time visiting a newborn, how could they not bring gifts?

"Should we go buy something?"

"Like what? Longevity locks, silver bracelets, necklaces."

Tang Jue looked at Yang Jingyuan, "You seem quite knowledgeable!"

"Heh!" Yang Jingyuan pointed at Zhong Liangyu and explained, "When he was young and sickly, his family was afraid something might happen to him, so they had him wear all sorts of auspicious items, no matter how minor the symbolism. See the red string around his neck? His mother got it blessed at the temple for his protection, and he's worn it for years."

Zhong Liangyu glared at him and tucked the red string further into his clothes.

Tang Jue laughed lightly, "We can't make it to the temple now. Let's check the silver shop."

Silver items were sold by weight, and a child's accessories wouldn't be too heavy, perhaps just an ounce or two, which Zhong Liangyu and Yang Jingyuan could afford. They agreed.

The three pairs of eyes scanned the arrays of silver ornaments, unsure of how to choose.

"We forgot to ask if it's a boy or a girl."

Tang Jue immediately called over an attendant, who helped them select suitable gifts. On their way, they stopped by a pharmacy to buy some postnatal supplements for Li Mingwei. Only then did they finally make their way to the residence.

When they arrived, Liu Yizhu was still dejectedly holding a sheet of paper in the courtyard, lost in thought.

Seeing his dejected state, Tang Jue felt a pang of concern. He handed the gifts to a maid and carefully sat down beside Liu Yizhu, asking anxiously, "Brother Liu, how are your wife and child?"

"Hm?" Liu Yizhu came to his senses, glancing at the three of them. "Why are you all here?"

"You didn't come to class today, so we thought we'd come check on you. The gatekeeper said your wife has given birth, right?"

Liu Yizhu nodded.

"So where are your wife and child?"

Liu Yizhu turned to look at the closed door. "In there."

Just now, his mother had taken the child inside to nurse. He had been chased out by his mother-in-law, and there had been no sound since, so he didn't know what was happening.

The three breathed a sigh of relief, their faces breaking into smiles as they leaned in eagerly, one question after another.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Is your wife doing alright?"

"What does it feel like to be a father?"

"Your child with Sister-in-law must be very good-looking, right?"

Liu Yizhu took a deep breath and pushed their faces away. "A boy. She's fine. No particular feeling. My sister-in-law says he's not good-looking, but my mother says he looks just like me when I was young, so he'll be good-looking when he grows up."

"So your sister-in-law thinks you were an ugly child!"

Tang Jue burst out laughing and patted Yang Jingyuan's shoulder. "What an excellent summary!"

Yang Jingyuan met Liu Yizhu's unfriendly gaze and quietly took a step back.

Zhong Liangyu came forward and picked up the paper beside Liu Yizhu, changing the subject. "What are you doing here? Choosing a name for the child."

"Perfect timing!" Liu Yizhu spread the paper out in front of them, asking them to choose one. "I'm going to wash up. When I come back, you three give me an answer."

If he still couldn't come up with a good name, his son would truly end up with some outlandish name.

Tang Jue glanced over it and couldn't help but feel dizzy from the sheer number of names, scoffing, "Where did he find so many names?"

Yang Jingyuan commented, "He said being a father doesn't feel any particular way, but look at this list!"

Just this one page must have taken a long time to prepare.

Idle chatter aside, the three of them seriously discussed which name was best, but unfortunately could not reach a consensus. When Liu Yizhu returned from washing up, they had already gotten into a scuffle.

Tang Jue and Yang Jingyuan were grabbing each other's collars, shouting, "Mine is better!" "No, mine is better!"

They both turned to the crouching Zhong Liangyu, hoping he would act as the impartial judge. "Whose name is better?"

Zhong Liangyu lowered his head silently. "I think mine is better."

"You...!"

Liu Yizhu felt a headache coming on. He went over and separated the two, and they immediately vied to show him their chosen names, asking him to pick one.

Their choices were quite different from his original ideas, so Liu Yizhu circled all three of their names, as well as the two he had picked. "I'll let your sister-in-law choose. Whichever one she says, that's the one."

"Alright, but don't tell her which ones you picked."

Liu Yizhu nodded, gently knocked on the door, and was shushed by the midwife, who let him in while she went to entertain Tang Jue and the others.

Li Mingwei had just been wrapped in a headscarf by the midwife and was still adjusting to it, constantly tugging and pulling at it.

Liu Yizhu caught her hand. "Don't move it. Mother said you can't let any wind in during the confinement period, or you'll get headaches later."

"Alright." She took the paper with the five circled names from Liu Yizhu. "Have you decided?"

"Yes, they each chose one name, and I chose two. You pick one."

"They?"

"Tang Jue and the others came."

Li Mingwei nodded, pondering for a moment before looking up at Liu Yizhu with a smile. "Aren't you going to give me a hint?"

What if she picked one chosen by someone else?

Liu Yizhu shook his head.

Li Mingwei's fingertip traced over each circled name, pausing for a moment on each one as she glanced at Liu Yizhu's reaction.

Finally, she tapped on the name "Si Mo". "This one."

Liu Yizhu couldn't help but smile, and Li Mingwei knew instantly that it was his choice.

Her gaze fell on the sleeping child beside the pillow. She hoped he would study diligently in the future and become a person like his grandfather.