SGEIRS -Chapter 500 Mother and Child Are Safe

After Madam Zhang followed her mother-in-law out, she didn’t see her younger brother-in-law appear for quite a while. She was a bit puzzled but didn’t comment, instead staying with Madam Chen in the main hall of Weirui Pavilion to accompany her mother-in-law.

Qingqiu, being considerate, noticed that the three of them hadn’t had breakfast yet, so she stepped forward and asked, “Old Madam, Second Madam, Third Madam, shall I have breakfast served now?”

Old Madam Gu lightly nodded. “Yes, serve it.”

Upon hearing this, Qingqiu immediately sent a maid to the kitchen to fetch breakfast.

While having her meal, Madam Zhang noticed that her younger brother-in-law still hadn’t come out and asked curiously, “Why hasn’t Third Brother come out yet?”

Madam Chen replied, “He’s probably still in the room with Third Sister-in-law.”

Madam Zhang was taken aback and disapproved: “The delivery room is such a filthy place, why is Third Brother still in there?”

Madam Chen, accustomed to Madam Zhang’s lack of tact, gave her a look to remind her not to speak recklessly and said, “This is Third Sister-in-law’s first child; it’s natural for Third Brother to be nervous. Besides, she hasn’t given birth yet, so there’s no harm in him being there. He’ll come out when it’s time for her to deliver.”

Madam Zhang opened her mouth to retort, “Which woman doesn’t start from her first birth? Everyone goes through it this way,” but realizing that saying this might upset her mother-in-law, she swallowed the words and said something more agreeable instead: “You’re right. With Third Brother there, Third Sister-in-law can feel much more at ease. I have a feeling this time it will be a son. Finally, our Marquis Mansion will have a young master.”

Old Madam Gu said, “As long as both mother and child are safe, it’s fine.”

Madam Zhang nodded repeatedly. “Mother is right. Even if it’s a girl, that’s fine too—first the flower, then the fruit. Third Sister-in-law is still young; in a couple of years, she can give you a grandson.”

Old Madam Gu nodded slightly, saying no more. She, having gone through it herself, understood that having a son sometimes depended on fate and couldn’t be forced. She remembered how, back then, she had taken medicines, consulted many doctors, prayed to gods and Buddha, and yet couldn’t conceive for years. Later, when the time was right, she conceived Yaoling.

Before long, Xiuyuan’s wife, Madam Jiang, and Gu Xuanyi, upon hearing that Meng Jinyao was about to give birth, hurried over.

Gu Xuanyi was delighted and asked with a beaming smile, “Mother, I just heard that Third Aunt is about to give birth. Has my fourth brother been born yet?”

Madam Zhang was speechless.

Her daughter had changed so much that sometimes she hardly recognized her. Seeing her so excited, one would think that Third Sister-in-law was her mother and that the child about to be born was her own sibling.

She replied, “Not yet. It will probably be a few more hours.”

Hearing this, Gu Xuanyi recalled that when her eldest sister-in-law, Madam Jiang, gave birth, it took a long time, and labor was painful before reaching the final stage. She said, “Then I’ll wait here. I have nothing to do anyway. Third Aunt is so beautiful; my fourth brother will surely be handsome too.”

Madam Zhang pressed her lips together, not wanting to respond to her daughter. Previously, when her daughter was eager for the child in Third Sister-in-law’s womb to be born, she had told her to find a good husband while young, have a cute son, and life would be complete. Her daughter, however, had said, “They say love skips a generation. I don’t want to hold a son; I want a grandson. Mother, why don’t you arrange a marriage for me? Then I can marry in and immediately hold a big fat grandson.”

What a handful! She didn’t know whose nature her daughter had inherited. Rebellious to the core, if she said one thing, her daughter would retort three times. If she didn’t want to hear something, her daughter would insist on saying it, spouting nonsense until she was provoked.

Inside the Room

When Meng Jinyao felt the first pangs of labor, it lasted for a while and then subsided. She thought she could endure it; giving birth didn’t seem that frightening. But as time passed, the intervals between contractions shortened, the pain intensified, and soon it became almost unbearable.

Her face turned pale from pain, cold sweat ran down her body, tears flowed uncontrollably, and she wanted to cry out. But the midwife said she couldn’t shout and needed to save her strength, or she wouldn’t have energy when it was time to push. She could only bite down on a cloth and bear it with all her might.

Gu Jingxi, seeing her in such agony, couldn’t help but tremble slightly while wiping her sweat. He knew childbirth was hard, but seeing Jinyao suffer so much even before actual delivery, he realized that the pain he had imagined was far milder than reality.

Physician Baili, had already arrived at the Gu residence. Gu Jingxi stepped out of the room, asking him to find a way to relieve Meng Jinyao’s pain.

Physician Baili was flustered. How could he do that? If he could, he would have already made a name for himself when the Empress gave birth. The Emperor loved the Empress so much that he would surely have rewarded him handsomely. Ashamed, he said, “Marquis, please forgive me. My medical skills are not sufficient; I cannot do that.”

By evening, the midwife checked Meng Jinyao’s condition and said, “Marquis, you should step aside. Madam is about to give birth.”

Gu Jingxi replied, “It’s fine. I’ll stay.”

Seeing the midwife standing awkwardly aside, Meng Jinyao gritted her teeth against the pain and said, “Husband, please go out first. There’s nothing you can do, and your presence might disturb us.”

Gu Jingxi wanted to say more, but seeing her resolute gaze, he had no choice but to wait outside.

Outside the Room, Old Madam Gu and the others waited anxiously, listening to the uncontrollable cries from inside. Gu Jingxi’s face was pale; several times he wanted to rush in, but feared that he would not only be unable to help, but also cause trouble.

Seeing this, Old Madam Gu diverted her son’s attention. “Yaoling, while the child hasn’t been born yet, why don’t you think of a name for the baby?”

Gu Jingxi replied, “Mother, the name is already decided: formal name Xuanying, nickname Wanwan.”

“Xuanying?”

Old Madam Gu was surprised, but quickly realized that it was a girl’s name. She didn’t dislike the idea of a granddaughter. However, she wondered if her son, at this age, didn’t want a son but a daughter instead.

Gu Jingxi had imagined his daughter’s appearance a thousand times and couldn’t help but smile. “When I was thinking of the name, Xuanying responded for the first time with her first fetal movement. I thought she would surely be a beautiful, lovely little girl, so I decided on the name. As for Wanwan, that was Jinyao’s idea. She said the child hadn’t arrived yet, so we could call her Wanwan.”

Hearing this, both Madam Zhang and Madam Chen were stunned. They hadn’t expected their younger brother-in-law to not be hoping for a son this time.

Old Madam Gu gently said, “Since the formal name and the nickname have already been decided, Xuanying for the formal name and Wanwan for the nickname are both good choices.”

Suddenly, the baby’s cries came from inside the room, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Jingxi’s face lit up with joy, a full smile spreading across it. “Mother, congratulations. You’re going to have a granddaughter.”

Old Madam Gu smiled, looking at her excited son, and said with affection, “Yaoling, congratulations to you as well. You’re going to be a father.”

Not long after, the midwife came out holding the baby. “Congratulations, Marquis. Madam has given birth to a healthy little son. Both mother and child are safe.”