TIPS – Chapter 90

Feng Shi immediately said, “I told you earlier to let your brother and sister-in-law go back first, but you insisted otherwise. And now you’re complaining again.”

Yang Shi said, “But if you and my brothers go back together now, isn’t it the same?”

“No way,” Feng Shi replied. “I still haven’t attended my great-grandson’s full-month banquet. How could I leave?”

There it was again—the full-month banquet. Yang Shi counted on her fingers; there was still a long time until then. She paused for a moment and said, “It’s not that I don’t want you to attend the banquet… But as long as you’re staying here, you should just live peacefully. You don’t need to worry about our family’s affairs. Just focus on eating and resting well.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying I’m meddling in things that aren’t my business?” Feng Shi thought for a moment and added, “It must be your daughter-in-law complaining about me, right? I just said one wrong thing yesterday—was that really such a big deal?” She knew she had made a mistake the previous day and had earned a glare from Song Jingwei.

“It’s not about whether it’s a big deal or not. Just think about it—if I went to your house and interfered in everything, would you be happy?” Yang Shi spoke directly, not bothering to beat around the bush. Her mother had always been like this—if you spoke too subtly, she would think she had done nothing wrong.

“Oh, so now you think I’m interfering?” Feng Shi glared at Yang Shi, her eyes widening. Out of habit, she reached out, trying to pinch Yang Shi’s ear.

“Mother! This is not your house—this is my house!” Yang Shi put her hands on her hips and stared right back at Feng Shi. She was no longer the timid girl who could be pushed around. She had a husband, children, a daughter-in-law, and grandchildren—she had everything. She was confident!

“You!” Feng Shi never expected her once weak daughter to stand up to her like this. Her face flushed red with anger.

“Give me an answer—are you going to stay here quietly and wait for the full-month banquet, or are you packing up and going home with my brother?” Yang Shi pressed on, determined to settle this today.

“I…!” Feng Shi stiffened, unable to say anything harsh. She was so angry that she wanted to slap Yang Shi, but times had changed—she couldn’t do that anymore. If she wanted to stay, she had no choice but to say, “Fine! I won’t meddle anymore, alright? As if I enjoy interfering! I have enough to worry about with my own family!”

“Good. Then you don’t need to worry about our family either. We’re doing just fine on our own.” Yang Shi was unwilling to back down, stretching her neck forward to make her point.

“Hmph!” Feng Shi snorted coldly. She had no leverage left. If she still wanted to get along with her daughter, she couldn’t push too far.

From that day on, the household was finally at peace.

However, things still hadn’t reached Song Jingwei’s expectations. Because of this, Shen Junxi felt a little uneasy. As soon as he got news from his mother, he hurried back to tell his wife, “They haven’t left, but they promised Mother they wouldn’t interfere anymore.”

Song Jingwei didn’t necessarily insist on driving them away. He simply said, “As long as they don’t boss me around, I won’t bother with them.”

“Alright.” Shen Junxi smiled at that. There would definitely be no more interference.

Day by day, the postpartum confinement period dragged on. No one wanted the full-month celebration to come sooner than Song Jingwei did. He hadn’t washed his hair or bathed for what felt like forever, and he felt absolutely filthy. Whenever he couldn’t stand it anymore, he would ask Shen Junxi, “Smell me—do I stink?”

Shen Junxi leaned in, sniffed him, and then shook his head, gesturing, “No, you don’t.”

Song Jingwei sniffed himself but couldn’t tell. Still, after more than half a month without a bath, how could he not stink? He said, “Tonight, while your mother isn’t around, get me some hot water so I can wash up.”

Shen Junxi shook his head furiously like a rattle drum and gestured, “You can’t. You have to wait until after the confinement period.”

“Just go do it! If I can’t bathe, at least let me wipe myself down, okay?” Song Jingwei snapped, exasperated.

Seeing his wife in this state, Shen Junxi didn’t dare to shake his head anymore. He thought for a moment, then nodded and gestured, “Alright, I’ll get some hot water for you to wipe down, but no washing your hair.”

That was good enough. Song Jingwei finally calmed down and sighed in relief. “I really can’t stand this…” A whole month without washing—it would never happen again in his lifetime.

Late at night, after lulling the baby to sleep, Shen Junxi carefully placed the child onto their bed.

“Hurry up,” Song Jingwei urged in a hushed voice as soon as he finished.

“Okay.” Shen Junxi signed to his wife and quietly carried a wooden basin outside.

In the kitchen, he ran into Yang Shi. Seeing him preparing hot water, she asked, “What’s going on?”

Shen Junxi gestured, “The baby peed again, so I’m washing his bottom.”

Yang Shi nodded approvingly. “Yes, you should clean him up after he pees, or his little bottom will get irritated.”

“Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded seriously, then, after heating the water, slipped back quietly.

Song Jingwei was about to get out of bed to clean himself, but Shen Junxi quickly set the water down and stopped him, signing, “Sit still. I’ll do it for you.”

After so many days since giving birth, most of his wounds had healed, and getting out of bed no longer hurt. Even going to the bathroom wasn’t as uncomfortable anymore. Song Jingwei felt that he could manage things on his own now, so he said, “Bring the water to the washroom. I’ll clean myself.”

Shen Junxi shook his head and gestured, “No, if you want to wash up, let me help you. Otherwise, I won’t be at ease.” If he didn’t keep an eye on his wife and he did something reckless, he’d have nowhere to cry.

“What’s there to be worried about? You barely brought any water—what could I even do?” Song Jingwei said, fully aware of what Shen Junxi was thinking.

“No matter what, I’m not letting you do it alone,” Shen Junxi signed before wringing out a towel and wiping Song Jingwei’s face and hands.

After washing his face, Song Jingwei wiped his hands and returned the towel.

When Shen Junxi wrung out the towel again, he signed, “I’m going to lift your shirt.” He made sure to give a heads-up first to avoid getting slapped.

“…”

It wasn’t the first time Shen Junxi had helped him wash up, and once there was a first time, there would naturally be a second. Song Jingwei simply lifted his shirt and lay down on his stomach, exposing his back. “Wipe carefully. I feel like there’s a thick layer of grime on me.”

“Pfft…” Shen Junxi couldn’t help but laugh, his hands going weak as he wiped. His wife was really overthinking this. Forget just half a month—some people didn’t bathe for half a year and still didn’t have a “layer of grime.”

“What are you laughing at? Just hurry up and wipe,” Song Jingwei grumbled, closing his eyes. Honestly, having someone help him clean his back was quite enjoyable.

But when it was time to wipe his front, he didn’t feel the same way. If he didn’t close his eyes, things would be awkward between them. Forget about directing Shen Junxi on how to wipe—just not rejecting him outright was already an effort.

Sensing his wife’s discomfort, Shen Junxi sped up, making sure to be thorough while keeping the process quick.

“I’ll do the rest myself,” Song Jingwei said, snatching the towel and hastily wiping the lower half of his body.

Shen Junxi silently handed him another warm towel for a second wipe.

As the saying goes, once there’s a first time, there’s always a second. From then on, every night, Song Jingwei had Shen Junxi secretly bring in a basin of hot water so he could wipe himself down. It wasn’t as good as a proper bath, but it was better than nothing.

After over ten days, their baby, Shen Chang, finally reached his full-month milestone.

The main Shen family held a grand celebration, inviting all the families who had attended the baby’s three-day bath ceremony, as well as other acquaintances in the village. When the villagers heard it was Song Jingwei’s son’s full-month celebration, they all came to congratulate the family and enjoy a drink.

During the banquet, the baby—who looked strikingly similar to Shen Junxi—was brought out to meet the guests. Everyone craned their necks to get a look, and upon seeing the child, they all said he was the spitting image of Shen Junxi. Yang Shi couldn’t stop smiling and said, “His nose and mouth do resemble Xi’er, but his face shape looks more like his little father’s.”

“He looks exactly like him! Just like a carbon copy,” the villagers marveled, amazed by the uncanny resemblance.

Previously, some people had speculated that the child might not be Shen Junxi’s. But now, they had been proven embarrassingly wrong. The child was practically a miniature version of his father—what was there to doubt?

The Shen family’s main household felt the same way. They were eager to invite as many villagers as possible, just to prove that the baby was indeed of their lineage. They figured that after today, no one in the village would dare to spread such rumors again. This was the best possible outcome.

As the full-month banquet wound down, guests gradually departed, while some of the village women and men who were on good terms with the family stayed behind to help clean up. Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi also stayed, tidying up the remaining food in the courtyard.

Seeing Pei Hongxuan helping, Yang Shi quickly said, “Hongxuan, don’t trouble yourself! Let them handle it—go find a place to rest. Don’t overwork yourself.”

Wu Xi also urged, “Listen to Auntie Yang Shi, go rest. I’ll take care of this.” He had already tried persuading Pei Hongxuan earlier, but to no avail. Now that Pei Hongxuan was pregnant, Wu Xi dared not argue too much, afraid of upsetting him.

“I’m only a few months along; it’s no big deal,” Pei Hongxuan replied. He still remembered how Song Jingwei had been working on construction sites even at five or six months pregnant. He was also a man—why should he be any more delicate?

“It’s the first few months that are the most important,” Yang Shi said worriedly. Whether a man or a woman, early pregnancy was the most vulnerable time. Her daughter-in-law hadn’t even realized she was pregnant at first, and they were lucky nothing bad had happened. Otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to live with herself.

“I understand, Auntie. I’ll go rest now,” Pei Hongxuan finally conceded, seeing that Yang Shi was keeping such a close watch on him.

“That’s more like it. If you get bored, go sit with Jingwei and spend time with the baby,” Yang Shi suggested with a bright smile. She always lit up whenever she talked about her grandson.

“Alright.”

The child in his own belly would also be a boy, and he’d be less than a year younger than the Shen family’s little chubby one. Thinking of this, Pei Hongxuan made his way to Song Jingwei’s room.

Now that the full-month banquet was over, Feng Shi finally accepted that she wasn’t welcome and reluctantly said, “I’ll be leaving with your brother tomorrow. We’ve been away for so long—I don’t even know how the pigs and chickens at home are doing.”

“Alright, I’ll go get things ready.” The first thing Yang Shi did was pack up some items so that her mother and younger brothers could take them home.

Over the past few days, Feng Shi had been relatively well-behaved and hadn’t caused any trouble, so Yang Shi was feeling generous while preparing the gifts. She was especially mindful of her honest and hardworking younger brother and his wife, which made her even more eager to give them good things.

When Song Jingwei heard that Yang Shi’s maternal family was leaving, he said to Shen Junxi, “Go to the drawer and take out ten or eight taels of loose silver. Let your mother give it to them to take back.”

Shen Junxi hesitated and signed, “Giving them more silver? We already gave them ten taels last time.” In his view, ten taels was already a large amount. In the past, their entire household might not have been able to gather that much to send to his grandmother’s family.

“Just give it to them—it’s better than letting them nag your mother,” Song Jingwei said knowingly. He understood Feng Shi all too well—she was the type who could be easily swayed by money. As long as there was silver involved, she would look at you differently, regardless of who you were.

“Alright.” Shen Junxi didn’t argue further. He had learned that once his wife made a decision, he could never win the debate—unless it was a matter of principle, like bathing and washing hair during postpartum recovery, which was non-negotiable.

Seeing her daughter-in-law give silver, Yang Shi slowed down in packing. She didn’t dare keep any of it for herself, so she decided to forgo the previously prepared items entirely. In the end, Feng Shi received ten taels of silver but nothing else.

Fortunately, Feng Shi was the type who found money to be the most satisfying thing. With ten taels in hand, she was content and said nothing more.

“This silver is from my daughter-in-law,” Yang Shi said. “He’s a generous person—this, along with last time, makes twenty taels in total.” She made sure Feng Shi knew how kind Song Jingwei was so that she wouldn’t harbor any unnecessary grievances in her heart.

Feng Shi smiled in satisfaction. “He’s a filial child. You’re lucky to have him as a daughter-in-law.”

Yang Shi pursed her lips, unimpressed by her mother’s attitude, but she couldn’t help but smile as well. Yes, she truly was lucky to have such a daughter-in-law.

Since the household had been busy with the full-month celebration, Song Jingwei hadn’t yet informed his only friend in the area, Yuan Qingsui, about the birth. So, after Feng Shi and the others left, he sent Shen Junxi to deliver the news.

Upon learning that Song Jingwei had already given birth to a son and that the full-month banquet had already passed, Yuan Qingsui quickly prepared a gift for the baby and came to visit. To his surprise, his father, Yuan Jinyun, also decided to tag along after hearing about the happy occasion.

As soon as he arrived, Yuan Jinyun eagerly asked to see the baby. When he saw the child, his face lit up with joy. Holding little Benben in his arms, he exclaimed, “This child is wonderful, truly wonderful! I like him very much. Has he been given a name yet?”

“Father…” Yuan Qingsui called out awkwardly, knowing that his father was once again indulging in his habit of naming other people’s children. It was fine when it was a relative’s child, but this was a friend’s baby—it would be inappropriate to overstep.

“The name has already been chosen,” Shen Dongming said happily. “His formal name is Shen Chang, and his nickname is Benben.” He had no idea that Yuan Jinyun had been hoping to name the baby himself.

“Oh? Shen Chang is quite a good name,” Yuan Jinyun said, though he sounded a little regretful. It was a shame because the name was so well chosen—otherwise, he could have insisted on changing it.

“Heh.” Yuan Qingsui breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a helpless glance with Song Jingwei.

Song Jingwei chuckled as well. He then noticed Yuan Qingsui’s hand and asked, “Has your hand fully healed?” Ever since he met him, Yuan Qingsui had been nursing an injury—it had been several months now.

“It’s healed, but it’s still not very agile when I handle a spear,” Yuan Qingsui replied. “In about ten days or so, I’ll be returning to the military camp for duty.”

“You won’t be staying here?” Song Jingwei asked, surprised.

“No, I won’t.” Yuan Qingsui was also reluctant to leave. He had been living well with his father here, but he smiled and said, “I’ll return in the summer to visit my father.”

Song Jingwei nodded. “Alright, when summer comes, I’ll treat you to some good food and good drinks.”

Yuan Qingsui laughed heartily. “What good food? What good drinks?”

“Good food—lotus root, fish, and shrimp,” Song Jingwei said with a smile. “As for good drinks, it’ll have to be good tea. I don’t have any fine wine here.” He personally didn’t enjoy drinking—his past experiences with social drinking had been enough. Besides, avoiding alcohol was better for his stomach.

“Great, I’ll be looking forward to it,” Yuan Qingsui said with a nod. He was excited to return in the summer.

“Will your father continue living here?”

“Yes,” Yuan Qingsui said, glancing at his father, who was happily playing with the baby. He then turned back to Song Jingwei and said, “If you have the time, please help me look after my father. I worry he might get lonely by himself.”

Without hesitation, Song Jingwei agreed, “Don’t worry. Whenever I have time, I’ll bring the baby to visit him or invite him out for a walk.”

“Alright, thank you,” Yuan Qingsui said sincerely.

Even though there wasn’t much free time, days passed quickly. By the time Song Jingwei finished his postpartum recovery, it was already late February heading into March.

The lotus pond next to the tea plantation had long been dug, and Song Jingwei had been thinking about planting lotus roots. Usually, lotus roots were sown around February or March, but they still hadn’t found any seeds yet.

No one in the Shen family’s main household had experience growing lotus roots, so Song Jingwei had no choice but to figure it out on his own.

_{I don’t know what to say. I am not a very social person so this indulgence to the people like this I don’t understand. Anyway, I am glad they left.}