Tang Weixing wouldn’t linger; newborns shouldn’t be exposed to the wind, and he indeed wanted to take a look at the child, but as a man, he felt it was inappropriate to enter the birthing room, so he let it be!
After eating, he took the pork trotters cooked with ginger and was the first to head back in the horse-drawn carriage.
He had made a special visit today, having asked for leave from his host.
At the moment, instead of going to see his own estate, he decided to head back home first, of course to share the events of the day with his wife.
Time quickly passed, and more than twenty days later, Mrs. Li did not share with her family what had happened at her younger sister’s house when she returned, only telling them that Ye Shuzhi had given birth, was in good health, and was recovering well.
She completely concealed the incident of Ye Shuzhi fainting from anger due to her sister, not wanting to worry the elderly heads of the family.
As unpleasant as her father-in-law and mother-in-law might be, they were still her husband’s parents, and it wouldn’t do to anger them; their good health was the greatest benefit to the younger generation.
Calculating the days, tomorrow would be the visit for the full moon celebration. In an ordinary family, they would just have a banquet for a male child.
They assumed Ye Shuzhi had given birth to a daughter, whose in-laws would not throw a full moon banquet, but contrary to expectations, they were informed that there would be a celebration the next day, inviting relatives and friends.
For this, Mrs. Lai, the grandmother, was not mentally prepared, as she thought the celebration for her granddaughter’s full moon was canceled and she wouldn’t need to attend.
Even if it was just a family visit without entertaining outsiders, there was Mrs. Li, wasn’t there?
With Mrs. Li around, she, the grandmother, had even managed to avoid giving a red packet.
Upon receiving notice that the entire family was to attend, Mrs. Lai had no choice but to prepare a red packet, asking the little maid to sew a wallet using red cloth for her.
In front of her husband, she nagged, "Why make such a fuss for the birth of a girl? Better to save the money for when a boy is born and have a grand celebration then."
Hongji’s father glanced at her and said, "This is your daughter’s firstborn, and besides, you’re not the one paying for the feast. You’re even stingy about the red packet. Hasn’t your daughter given you money all this time?"
In truth, as a grandfather, he should visit now that the child is one month old, since it was inconvenient for him to go right after the birth. It was only appropriate to go meet his granddaughter.
But like most families, they valued sons over daughters, so the birth of a granddaughter indeed did not excite his curiosity.
Even so, as a grandfather, he couldn’t be too heartless. Now that his daughter’s in-laws were hosting a big event, he had to prepare a red packet.
"Isn’t it right for her to be filial to me? After all, I raised her for more than ten years," she retorted.
Hongji’s father shook his head, choosing not to argue further with his wife, feeling more and more disgusted as he aged.
He couldn’t muster the face to remarry and settle for living with such a wife, it suffocated him.
Mrs. Lai had absolutely no sense of danger, unaware that men develop ideas once they have money.
She simply thought that at their age, no matter how she vexed him, he wouldn’t leave her.
As the sister-in-law, Mrs. Li began preparing zongzi and pastries for tomorrow’s full moon feast from today, as part of the preparations for attending from her family’s side.
The household workers obediently got busy.
Mrs. Li, too, hurriedly took out fabric from her chest and began sewing clothes—naturally, these were a hat, garments, and tiny shoes for the child’s one-month celebration.
Ye Luoqi, now a little over ten years old, came into her mother’s room with her four younger sisters to help.
Not only were they helping look after their little brother but they also got busy with work—their teacher hadn’t been coming for the past few days, which was a break beginning in the winter when teachers and students would get to rest every few days in the cold weather.
Only the youngest, Ye Shiqi, didn’t enter her mother’s room to showcase any needlework skills, nor did she waste time when not in lessons.
Other than busy with her painting, the plants in the space needed her Divine Sense to tend to them when no one was around.
She always worked at night when others were asleep, which was not only a mental strain but also affected sleep in the winter.
Ye Shiqi felt that in ancient times, girls needed not only to learn Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting and needlework, but they should also know Martial Arts for self-defense.
Not like those boys, who if wealthy enough, could hire Martial Arts teachers.
Even village boys would learn Martial Arts under the guidance of elders.
Other than woodcrafting skills, there was nothing her grandfather and father were good at—not even agricultural techniques were up to par.
Ever since she could walk, she had observed the village boys practice Martial Arts many times and memorized it all.
Her previous morning exercises were not yoga but rather aimed at developing bounce and flexibility, yet that wasn’t real Martial Arts.