In the inner room, Old Lady Su was lying on the kang bed, her face somewhat pale and weak.
Beside her, wrapped inside a small blanket covered with patches, was a delicately beautiful baby girl, as exquisite as carved jade.
The little girl had her eyes closed, sleeping soundly.
“So this is my daughter.”
Old Man Su rubbed his hands together. With just a single look, his heart nearly melted.
His voice involuntarily softened.
He even lightened his footsteps, afraid of startling his precious little daughter.
The baby girl’s skin was fair, tender, and smooth, like egg whites.
She wasn’t like those stinky boys at all, who all looked like hairy little monkeys when they were first born.
Sure enough, a little daughter was completely different from stinky boys.
Old Man Su would absolutely never admit he had double standards.
He finally had a daughter!
Standing by the edge of the kang, Old Man Su looked at his little daughter, so moved that tears almost welled up in his old eyes.
Seeing Old Man Su like this, Old Lady Su burst into a giggle.
“Look at you, acting so useless! You look as if you haven’t seen a daughter in several lifetimes.”
Old Lady Su gave Old Man Su a playful glare.
Yet the joy in her voice was unmistakable.
Old Man Su didn’t take offense at all, only chuckling stupidly.
“Well, isn’t it true that we haven’t seen a daughter in several lifetimes?”
A look of deep emotion washed over Old Man Su’s face.
“All these years, every now and then another stinky boy would be born into this home, turning the whole house into something like a Buddhist monastery.”
Having said that, Old Man Su let out a long breath.
Oh, how thrilled he felt inside.
He knew very well that it wasn’t just his generation of the Su family.
Neither his father nor his grandfather had ever had a daughter either.
Now, they had finally broken the Su family curse of never having daughters!
Old Man Su didn’t step outside anymore. He just leaned by the edge of the kang, gazing at his little daughter while exchanging heartfelt words with his wife.
“Mother of my children, you are the greatest hero of our Old Su family…”
“Our family has waited for several lifetimes just to get such a precious daughter…”
“When our time comes a hundred years from now, I’ll definitely speak of your great service to my parents—no, to the ancestors of the Old Su family…”
Hearing Old Man Su’s talk get more and more absurd, Old Lady Su didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. The two of us must live long and healthy lives to a hundred, so we can raise our daughter properly.”
“That’s very true! This is the precious daughter we finally wished for after so much effort; we can’t let her suffer any grievances.” Old Man Su nodded repeatedly.
At the same time, he made up his mind that he would quit smoking tomorrow.
Word was that smoking a pipe was bad for one’s health.
As Old Man Su looked at his little daughter, his determination to quit smoking was rock-solid.
In the past, no matter who urged him to quit, he had paid them no mind.
Now, without anyone persuading him, he had decided on his own.
Truth be told, Old Man Su and Old Lady Su had been longing for a daughter for over twenty years.
However, child after child was born, and every single one came with a handle (was a boy).
The old couple had been on the verge of despair.
In the end, having no other choice, they had pinned their hopes on their sons.
Their daughters-in-law’s bellies were certainly cooperative—they got pregnant right after marriage and delivered babies very efficiently.
Yet, they were still all boys.
The old couple’s hearts were practically freezing cold with disappointment.
Unexpectedly, Old Lady Su had a late-in-life miracle and gave birth to a plump baby girl.
Old Man Su felt that his life was complete.
“Father of my children, you’re not still remembering what that fortune-teller said back in the day, are you?” Old Lady Su suddenly asked in a low voice.
Old Man Su waved his hand. “How could anyone take the words of such a traveling fraud seriously?”
Old Lady Su didn’t say anything more, just looking at her little daughter, doting on her the more she looked.
“Father of my children, give our daughter a name,” Old Lady Su said.
Then, as if remembering something, she added another instruction.
“This time you must name her seriously and carefully, no half-hearted slacking off.”
“Listen to you! When have I ever slacked off?” Old Man Su said, refusing to accept the charge.
His voice was still kept extremely low, terrified of waking his little daughter.
“Not slacking off? Out of six sons, you only came up with ‘Dahu’ off the top of your head for the eldest, and then just named the rest of the boys following that pattern without putting any thought into it at all.”
Old Lady Su exposed her husband’s shortfalls without holding back.
Anyway, she was now the greatest hero of the Old Su family, her spine held straight and proud.
“Well, wasn’t that just a bunch of stinky boys? What did it matter what they were called?”
Old Man Su felt a bit guilty, a face full of disdain appearing as soon as those bare-headed boys were mentioned.
Seeing her husband’s stubborn, tight-lipped act, Old Lady Su stopped teasing him. Her eyes crinkled with a smile as she said, “Stinky boys can be called whatever, but a little daughter cannot.”
“That’s for sure!” Old Man Su agreed without hesitation.
His precious little daughter naturally had to be given a great name with auspicious meaning, profound artistry, and high elegance.
“How about… we call her Dabao (Big Treasure)?” Old Man Su said hesitantly.
Old Lady Su: “…”
The corners of her mouth twitched.
She gave Old Man Su a look of pure disdain.
“Old Wang’s family at the east end of the village silly boy is named Dabao, think again!”
Old Man Su rolled up his sleeves, held his breath, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
“How about Fumian? Meaning ‘enduring good fortune and wealth’?”
Old Man Su felt he had finally come up with a scholarly, meaningful name.
Back in the day, he had been educated and was literate.
It was just that over time, all that knowledge had gone down his gullet along with the cornmeal mush.
“This one… isn’t bad,” Old Lady Su nodded. “I don’t expect our little daughter to be incredibly rich and famous in the future; I only hope she lives a life of peace and joy, marries a good man who knows how to care for her, and gets a kind and gentle mother-in-law. Even if life is a bit tough, as long as her heart is sweet, life will turn sweet too…”
“Then let’s call her Tangbao! Hoping our little daughter lives a sweet and beautiful life just like sugar.” Old Man Su made the final call.
Old Lady Su’s eyes lit up. “Let’s call her Tangbao then.”
The old couple looked at each other and smiled, both seeing satisfaction in each other’s eyes.
“Her formal name will be Su Tang, and her pet name will be Tangbao.”
Old Man Su was all smiles and full of delight.
“Good.”
With that single “good,” Old Lady Su smiled with a charming, radiant grace.
Then, looking down at her little daughter, she said, “Tangbao, I’m your mother, and this is your father…”
Old Lady Su gently stroked her little daughter’s tender cheek, her tone so low, soft, and gentle it could practically drip water.
This kind of tone was something she had only used with Old Man Su back when they were newly married.
“Tangbao, I’m your dad. Dad will buy you candy to eat in the future…”
Old Man Su also leaned over the edge of the kang, talking softly to his little daughter like a fool.
So noisy?
Who’s buzzing in her ear?
Who keeps calling her name?
Little Tangbao wrinkled her tiny nose and slowly opened her black, grape-like eyes…
Author’s Note: The Su family is thriving with a large population in this story. To help everyone understand better while reading, Ye Zi would like to introduce the family relationships here: