The Comeback of the Charming Farmer's Wife

"No way?" Yang Chuxia wailed, but upon reflection, surviving under Old Lady Hua’s care and ending up like that really was the norm.

"Look at these two, so fair and delicate, just like Brother An’s complexion," Ms. Wang said, handing the soup to Yang Chuxia and then turning to look at the two babies, "They look like Brother An."

"This bastard, I’ve given birth to his children and he still hasn’t come back," Yang Chuxia thought, her mind now fully intent on dealing with Ye Zi’an.

Thus, Ye Zi’an, who was on his way, felt as if he had seen a ghost, always sensing a chill around him.

After she finished the soup, she naively poked one of the babies’ cheeks, "You must grow up to look like me, not like your dad, got it?"

Seeing this, Ms. Wang’s mouth twitched, can you be any sillier, my girl?

"Mingcui!" While Ms. Wang was looking at the children, Yang Chuxia called out for Mingcui, "Go ask Li’s mother to cook some eggs, dye them red with red yeast rice, and then wrap them up in paper to hand out later. Oh, mother, how many red eggs should we give out to share the good news?"

Ms. Wang knew these were to be sent to announce the birth to family and close ones, and replied, "For a boy, it’s generally ten or five; for a girl, eleven or six, depending on how wealthy you are."

"Huh? What’s the reasoning behind that?" Weren’t ancient people more value placed on boys than girls? Why are there more eggs for girls than for boys?

Ms. Wang smiled and explained, "That’s just the old custom. Elders often say that a girl’s life is full of hardships: at her parents’ home, she has to take care of her siblings and handle household affairs. Then, at her husband’s home, not only does she need to bear and raise children, but she’s also expected to serve her husband and show filial piety to her in-laws. The only time she’s somewhat carefree is when she’s too young to understand things. If a girl is treasured by her family, her in-laws will also treat her with extra respect. If she’s not valued at home, they’ll tend to neglect her a bit more. So, the number of red eggs you give at birth also indicates how much the family values her. There are some families who give three or two less than for a boy, but most families give one more than they do for a son."

Yang Chuxia was surprised and then said, "Didn’t we not send any for Little Fourth Aunt back then?"

Ms. Wang nodded, "Indeed, that was a blunder by your Fourth Uncle. However, during the baby’s month-old celebration, they made up by giving two extra red eggs, and I heard it was Little Fourth Aunt who suggested it. According to your Fourth Uncle, they weren’t even planning to celebrate the baby’s full month."

Yang Chuxia thought to herself, Ms. Hong seems to be thriving in the fourth branch of the family, acting every bit the matriarch, and she seems pretty adept at managing relationships. She’s been nothing short of a model wife and mother over the past month.

But there was something she still didn’t understand: how could such a good woman marry her Fourth Uncle and, moreover, as a concubine! And how did she end up in such dire straits as to be sold to a brothel?

Seeing her silent, Ms. Wang thought she hadn’t quite recovered, so she said again, "You lie down for a while. Li’s mother knows how to prepare the red eggs, she even came to ask me about it earlier."

Reacting to her words, Yang Chuxia gathered her thoughts, "Since there are two children, we’ll need two sets, ten for one set, making twenty in total."

"That’s what I told her too, don’t worry!" Ms. Wang assured.

"Why aren’t they crying?" Yang Chuxia noticed the two babies still had their eyes closed, their little fists clenched, still as statues.

Weren’t babies supposed to cry a lot? Why were these two so quiet?

"You’re being silly again, how can they cry if they’re asleep? Wait until they wake up and get hungry, then you’ll know all about crying."

Sure enough, come evening, the two babies woke up and began to whimper and whine softly.