The moment Tian Guihua carried her out of the room, Lin Mei had to spend quite a while adjusting before she could properly open her eyes.
Ever since her birth, this was the first time she had been allowed outside the room.
At last, she could finally see the entire layout of the little courtyard clearly.
Today her grandfather and uncle had come to celebrate her one-month birthday, and Lin Mei had been looking forward to it for a long time.
After all, she knew that the goat supplying her precious milk had been a gift from her grandfather. She had always been curious about what this generous grandfather looked like.
As they approached the main hall, Lin Mei heard voices conversing inside.
Some of the voices sounded unfamiliar—that must be Grandfather or Uncle.
The moment they reached the doorway, Tian Guihua called out first:
“Father! Little Brother! You’re here!”
Grandfather and Uncle both looked over.
Her younger uncle immediately stood up from his stool and strode over quickly.
Without hesitation, he reached out and scooped Lin Mei from Tian Guihua’s arms.
“As expected of my niece—she’s beautiful! They say nieces resemble their uncles, and it’s absolutely true!”
As he spoke, he carried Lin Mei toward the older man standing nearby.
The sight before her made Lin Mei freeze.
The man was over eight chi tall, standing there like an iron tower cut in half.
He had bronze bell-like eyes, a lion-shaped nose, and a steel-bristle beard streaked faintly with white.
His left sleeve, however, hung empty.
The sleeve had been tied at his waist with hemp rope, and he deliberately wore a long robe to conceal the missing arm.
Her uncle passed Lin Mei into her grandfather’s arms.
Lin Mei stared with wide eyes.
Was this… the real-life prototype of Zhang Fei from TV dramas?!
He even had the exact same hairstyle as that famous meme picture!
The moment the thought appeared, Lin Mei completely lost control.
She burst into laughter.
Her gums showed as her entire tiny body shook from giggling.
It really was not her fault.
The Zhang Fei meme had been one of her favorite reaction images in her previous life.
Seeing Lin Mei laugh so happily, everyone in the room instantly erupted into cheerful laughter as well.
Old Madam Lin chuckled loudly.
“Our little girl really likes her grandfather! She knows her food supply came from him—look how happy she is the moment he holds her!”
The whole room laughed together.
Grandfather then had Uncle bring over a small wooden box.
Inside was a longevity lock identical to the ones her two older brothers wore.
“Father, you already gifted that goat. Why bring another present too? My two younger brothers still aren’t even married yet,” Tian Guihua complained softly.
“I know what I’m doing regarding your brothers,” Grandfather replied casually while teasing Lin Mei. “Just accept it and stop worrying.”
“Father, why did only you and Little Brother come today? Where’s Eldest Brother?” Tian Guihua asked after glancing around and not seeing Tian Xiuwen.
“Your eldest brother still hasn’t returned from escort work,” Grandfather answered. “This trip went all the way to Yuzhou. It’ll probably take another half month before he gets home. Once he gets leave, I’ll have him come visit his nephews and niece.”
“Father… is Little Brother also going on long-distance escort duty soon?”
Tian Guihua’s face immediately filled with worry.
“Yes, Elder Sister,” her younger brother answered before their father could speak. “Next month I’ll also be going on a long escort run. But don’t worry. Second Brother and I are both pretty skilled, and we travel with many people.”
“How can I not worry?” Tian Guihua frowned. “Why don’t you all switch professions? Father, with your abilities, you could buy farmland and live by farming while hunting during the off-season.”
“You worry too much.”
Grandfather directly cut her off.
“Neither your brothers nor I are suited for farming. We’ll be careful. Today is our little girl’s full-month celebration—we’re not discussing this.”
Just then, excited childish voices sounded from outside.
“Grandfather! Uncle!”
“Grandfather! Uncle!”
“Did you bring candy? We’ve been really good lately!”
“Oh my, the two little monkeys got heavier!”
Uncle laughed as he scooped up Fuping in one arm and Fu’an in the other.
“Your uncle brought lots of candy today. And I also brought something special for you two!”
“Uncle, what is it? Is it soft pastries?” the boys asked excitedly.
Tian Xiuwu set the boys down and opened a bundle.
Inside were two slingshots.
“Waaah! Waaah!”
The boys exploded with excitement.
“Uncle, are you a fortune-teller too?! Yesterday Tiedan showed off his slingshot and made us jealous! And today you brought us two of them!”
“We love you the most, Uncle!”
The two little rascals bounced and jumped wildly with joy.
“Yesterday didn’t you two say your favorite person was Grandma?” Old Madam Lin teased.
“We love everyone! Everyone!”
With that, they ran off holding the slingshots to show their cousins.
“These two little brats,” someone laughed. “Once they get toys, they even forget about candy.”
Grandfather suddenly asked,
“Has the little girl been given a name yet?”
“Not yet. Father-in-law, why don’t you give her one?” Lin Sanyong answered quickly and tactfully.
“How could the maternal grandfather choose the name? It should be her grandfather from the Lin family,” Grandfather immediately objected.
Old Man Lin waved both hands repeatedly.
“I barely know any characters. I can’t come up with names. All the younger generation in our family were named by their own parents.”
“How about Maisui (Wheat Ear)?” Uncle suggested with a grin. “She was born during the autumn harvest after all.”
“Don’t randomly pick names,” Tian Guihua objected immediately. “There are at least dozens of girls named Maisui around here. If you asked around Qingshi Town, you’d probably find hundreds.”
“Then how about Hemiao, Xing’er, Liu’er, Huiniang, Honggu, or Xi’er? Those all sound nice too.”
Uncle stubbornly continued listing names.
“Where did you even hear names like that?”
“Aren’t little girls usually called things like that?”
At this point Lin Mei also got a good look at her uncle.
He stood around seven and a half chi tall, lean and upright like green bamboo.
Under his single eyelids were bright, lively eyes, while his skin carried the wheat-dark complexion of someone constantly exposed to sunlight.
He resembled Tian Guihua quite a bit—they must have inherited their looks from Lin Mei’s late grandmother.
Then Grandfather spoke again.
“How about Sui’an?”
“Suìsuì píng’ān—peace and safety year after year.”
“Would that be alright?”
“That sounds wonderful!” Old Madam Lin immediately slapped her thigh approvingly. “Our in-law really knows how to name children!”
“Fuping, Fu’an, Sui’an,” Lin Sanyong added happily. “Just hearing the names together, people would know they’re siblings.”
Lin Mei was stunned.
Just like that—
her name in this lifetime had been decided.
She had been called “Lin Mei” for over twenty years in her previous life, so changing names so suddenly felt strange.
Still…
“Lin Sui’an” truly sounded much prettier than “Lin Mei.”
Back in her previous life, “Lin Mei” had been the name her grandmother chose for her.
In that generation of southern girls, names commonly used characters like “Mei,” “Yan,” “Chun,” “Hua,” “Ying,” and “Hui.”
After hearing it her whole life, she had never thought it sounded bad.
But now—
a brand-new world.
A brand-new name.
From this moment onward, “Lin Mei” would become “Lin Sui’an.”
Today’s full-month banquet was relatively simple.
Since only two people had come from Tian Guihua’s family, the Lin family still ate as usual at two separate tables.
But the dishes were incredibly lavish.
Large coarse porcelain bowls held soy-braised chicken glistening with golden oil.
Two palm-sized fish lay on a wicker tray, their bodies cut with diamond-shaped knife patterns and drizzled in vinegar sauce.
The scrambled eggs with garlic chives glowed tender yellow.
Tofu meatballs floated in rich bone broth.
Most impressive of all was the massive bowl of braised pork belly.
The layers of fat trembled softly with amber-colored sheen, sprinkled with freshly picked chili berries.
There was also a huge bowl of stewed eggplant with green beans.
And best of all—
unlimited millet rice.
Because the men sat at the kang table, two jars of cloudy homemade wine were added there as well.
The full-month feast ended with both hosts and guests completely satisfied.
Grandfather and Uncle did not leave until around the end of the Hour of You.
Their village, Mountain Hollow Village, was only five li away from Peach Blossom Village, so there was no need for them to rush home.