Chapter 402 - 140: Keyue
In the second or third month of spring, the grass matched the color of the water.
By the end of February, the weather had already warmed. Yueyao got up early in the morning and went to the backyard to perform the Five Animal Frolics, just to hear the pleasant chirping of birds in the trees.
Looking at the birds, Yueyao declared joyfully, "Hearing the birds sing so early in the morning surely means there will be good news today." The call of the magpie definitely meant good tidings were on the way.
Smiling, Xi Yu said, "What the young lady said must be right."
By noon, Yueyao had received news that Zhuang Ruolan had given birth to a girl. Speaking to herself, Yueyao said, "Fate can indeed be changed." She remembered that in her previous life, her older cousin had died childless, but in this life, he already had a daughter.
Since both the Imperial Physician and the Midwife had predicted the baby to be a girl, Ma Chengteng and Ma Peng were prepared for this news and were not disappointed upon hearing it was a girl. The first child of the family, even if a girl, was still a joy.
This was Ma Peng’s first time being a father. He held the tiny child so tenderly he dared not make any sudden moves, afraid to touch her wrong, which amused all the maids and old nannies by his side.
The child’s third-day celebration was very lively. The Lian family was still in mourning, so on such a festive day, they sent gifts but did not attend in person.
Madam Bao, well-known for her virtue, naturally didn’t leave room for criticism at the third-day celebration. Privately, however, she reminded Ruolan, "The most important duty of a married woman is to spread her branches and grow leaves. Jealousy is one of the seven grounds for divorce; you cannot allow Zhuang Family’s daughters to gain a reputation as shrewish wives." Madam Bao’s remark implied that Ruolan was narrow-minded, for during her pregnancy she had not prepared a Chambermaid for Ma Peng, causing the Zhuang Family’s reputation to suffer.