After Gu Nuannuan finished tidying up, she picked up the child. She had just adjusted her position when the child leaned in, clearly starving.
"Baby!" Only after she called out did Gu Nuan realize she seemed to have not yet named the child!
"Baby, Mama will give you a name, okay? What sounds good? Langtou is called Langtou, how about you be called Betel Nut?" The moment the words left her mouth, the child bit her, and Gu Nuan gasped from the pain.
"Okay, okay, not Betel Nut. Let go quickly." Gu Nuan immediately begged for mercy.
Feeling the child release its bite, she sighed and said, "What's with you, child? Can you understand my words or something? You bit Mama so hard it hurts."
Patting the child lightly, she thought, this child hasn't even grown teeth yet—how can it bite? She quickly pried open the child's mouth and looked. "No teeth indeed!"
"You're just sent by heaven to test me, aren't you? Mama was only joking and you bit me. If one day I get angry at you and want to spank you, are you going to spank me back?"
"Bah, I'm getting off track. Let's just give you a name first. What sounds good?"
"The auspicious clouds are bright and glorious, entwined and curling. The light of the sun and moon, dawn after dawn. How about you be called Gu Qingyun? No, that seems a bit too common. Let me think again."
"Reeds are lush and green, white dew turns to frost. The one I seek is somewhere by the water. I trace upstream, the path is steep and long. I trace downstream, she seems to be in the middle of the stream. Reeds are thick and green, white dew not yet dried. The one I seek is somewhere by the water's edge. This poem seems to be all girls' names."
Gu Nuan looked down and saw the child had eaten its fill, so she tidied her clothes and pinched the child's cheek. "What should you be called? How about just Gu Yao—simple and rough, no need to rack my brains."
Gu Nuan was having fun naming the child in the room and didn't notice Wang Lihua come and go outside the door.
Wang Lihua ran to the main hall. Seeing her father-in-law and mother-in-law still there, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Dad, I just heard that woman Gu composing poetry. Could she be someone who escaped from a wealthy household?"
The village chief stroked his half-length beard, thought for a moment, and said, "It shouldn't be. I went to town today and didn't hear of anyone running away from any household. There are only two towns adjacent here, and both have trade with each other. Nothing can be kept secret."
"If she came from the capital, that's even more impossible. This place is thousands of miles from the capital. If she ran this far alone with a child, she would have been caught long ago."
"Although she's covered in dirt, she doesn't look like someone who's been fleeing long-term. Her clothes are only slightly better than a farmer's, and her face suggests she's probably young."
"Tomorrow I'll go ask the clan elder and see what he says. For now, take this food to her. Today when she entered the yard, I heard the baby crying several times."
"Okay, I'll go deliver it right away." Wang Lihua picked up the bedding and bamboo basket again and went out.
The village chief's wife, Chen Xiaoya, frowned and asked, "Old man, can you see clearly? What if she's a runaway slave from some prominent family? Won't that bring trouble to the village?"
The village chief wasn't certain either, but when he thought of Gu Nuan's clean, clear eyes, he shook his head.
"It shouldn't be. Her eyes are clean. If she were a runaway slave, she wouldn't have eyes like that."
"She probably didn't really come to seek refuge with relatives either. Her family might have truly fallen on hard times, and she fled to Peach Blossom Village. She must also be from a prominent family—her bearing doesn't look like that of a farming household."
When Chen Xiaoya saw her husband speak with such certainty, she sighed and said, "I hope so."
Wang Lihua came to the side room door again and knocked, saying, "Nuan Nuan, may I come in, sister-in-law?"
"Come in, sister-in-law. The baby has already been fed."
Upon receiving the reply, Wang Lihua pushed the door open and walked in. "There are no new bedding sets at home. Make do with this old one. This is some food I prepared for you—just make do with it too."
Seeing her holding bedding and carrying a bamboo basket, Gu Nuan immediately stood up and said embarrassedly, "Sister-in-law Lihua, I'm really sorry. Just put the bedding here—I'll make the bed myself in a bit. I've really troubled you."
"It's nothing. Then you can make the bed yourself later. I'll go tidy up the yard first." Wang Lihua took Gu Nuan's words as an opportunity, placed the bedding on the **, put the bamboo basket on the table, and walked out.
Seeing her leave, Gu Nuan placed the child at the head of the bed, carefully spread the blanket, and then tucked the child into the covers.
After eating the mixed-grain steamed buns Wang Lihua had brought and tidying up a bit, she went out the door.
Seeing Wang Lihua sweeping the yard, she ran over and said, "Sister-in-law Lihua, let me do this."
"Oh no, no need. There's only a little left. I'll finish sweeping and then get ready for bed. You go sleep quickly." Wang Lihua turned and dodged Gu Nuan's outstretched hand.
Gu Nuan took another step forward and said, "Sister-in-law Lihua, I've already imposed so much. How could I feel right if you don't let me do something? Please let me do it."
Wang Lihua thought for a moment, then handed her the broom. "Then thank you. I'll go tidy up the kitchen. Once you finish sweeping, go to sleep. It's almost dark."
"Alright, sister-in-law Lihua. I'll go to sleep after sweeping. Don't worry." Only after seeing Wang Lihua leave did Gu Nuan lower her head and begin sweeping the yard.
Sigh, it really is ancient times. Going to bed at this hour.
Thinking back, who would sleep before eleven or twelve? Now, even if you don't want to sleep, you have no choice. First, lamp oil and candles are expensive. Second, sleeping early keeps you from getting hungry.
In rural areas, everyone eats two meals a day. Some poorer families even have only one meal—no breakfast at all, just the midday meal.
Just thinking about it made Gu Nuan's stomach ache.
She carefully swept the yard clean and returned to the room before it was completely dark. Fumbling her way onto the bed, she gathered the child in her arms.
She had thought she might not fall asleep so quickly, but before she knew it, she had drifted off shortly after closing her eyes.
The next day, as soon as the rooster crowed, Gu Nuan woke up. The first thing she did upon waking was check the child to see if he had wet his pants. Upon checking, she found he was perfectly clean.
Seeing that the sky was still dim, she laughed and said, "Child, you only eat but don't poop—is there something wrong with your body?" Just as the words left her mouth, baby pee shot right onto her face.
"Ah! You little brat, you did that on purpose, didn't you!"
What responded to her was the child's bare bottom.
Gu Nuan angrily wiped the baby pee off her face and gave Gu Yao's bottom a smack. "You little thing, have you become a spirit? You're here specifically to torment me."
She wrapped the child's swaddling clothes properly and picked him up. "Speaking of which, here it comes. Student Gu Yao, tell me, did you do that on purpose? Why didn't you follow it up with a big one? I haven't seen you poop either—why didn't you do that at the same time?"
Gu Nuan suddenly brought her face close to the child and said with a smile, "Son, do you think I should give you a little kiss and let you get a taste of your own baby pee?"
Just as she was about to lean in, the door was pushed open forcefully from the outside. Wang Lihua walked in and asked hurriedly, "Nuannuan, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, sister-in-law. Sorry to bother you. The kid just peed on me, and I was about to teach him a lesson." Gu Nuan said with a chuckle.
"Nuannuan, you?" Wang Lihua stared at Gu Nuan's fair and clean face in surprise.
She hadn't expected Gu Nuannuan to be so delicate and striking—truly one of a kind in Taohua Village.
Gu Nuan didn't notice her reaction, thinking she had already wiped her face clean. She quickly apologized, "Please forgive me, sister-in-law. It's only because I'm out here alone that I'm in such a state. I hope you won't take offense."
Wang Lihua nodded. "I understand. You've had it rough."
Then she shot her a playful glare and said with a smile, "What's there to teach him a lesson about? The child is so young, he doesn't know any better. He pees whenever he wants to—he doesn't pick a time for it."
Wang Lihua took the child from her arms and gently rocked him, saying, "Go get yourself cleaned up. I'll hold the baby for you for a while."