Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 403

Chapter 403: 403

When Zhulan arrived, Lady Li was already in labor. The emotional fluctuations of Lady Li during this pregnancy had been great, and she had a difficult time carrying the baby; now the delivery was not going smoothly.

Lady Lixu and Zhulan both went inside. The midwife had been invited to stay at the Zhou family home well in advance—the disinfection was done according to Zhulan’s preparation, and everything was well prepared. It’s just that the child was reluctant to come out.

Lady Li suffered through the night, and Zhulan stayed up with her. It wasn’t until dawn that Lady Li finally gave birth.

The midwife was exhausted but joyfully announced, "Congratulations, madam, it’s a robust little boy."

Zhulan took the child from the midwife’s arms and felt his weight; he was quite heavy, about seven pounds. No wonder Lady Li’s belly had grown so large.

Lady Lixu, feeling sorry for her daughter, had already gone in to see her.

Zhulan, carrying the child, followed suit. Lady Li had changed clothes, and everything had been tidied up; she was so tired from the labor that she had fallen asleep.

Zhou Shuren was delighted at the arrival of another son, but soon felt that three sons were quite enough. He did not want to have any more children.

Zhou Shuren only came over when he heard that the baby had been born. Seeing Zhulan’s pale face, he frowned and said, "It’s getting late. There are people to take care of things here. You should rest after breakfast."

Zhulan was indeed extremely tired. She said to Lady Lixu, "Juan Hua will take care of the child and Lady Li. Mother-in-law, let’s go have breakfast. You’ve also been busy all night. You should rest too."

Lady Lixu felt slightly dizzy herself; her body just couldn’t handle it now that she was older, "Alright."

Zhulan returned to the main courtyard with Zhou Shuren. He supported her, unable to help muttering, "The doctor and the midwife were here. Why did you insist on staying up all night? You don’t know how to take care of your own health."

With a smile touching her lips, Zhulan said, "I did it to make you worry."

Zhou Shuren glared at her, "Good that you know. Just look at how dark the circles under your eyes are."

Zhulan looked at the dark circles under Zhou Shuren’s eyes. She hadn’t gone back all night; Zhou Shuren hadn’t rested either. "You should take some rest today if you find the time at the government office."

Indeed, Zhou Shuren was tired. He had been at the dike for the last few days and had stayed up all of the previous night. He really needed to find a place to rest during the day. "I will take care of myself."

After breakfast, Zhulan went to see Lady Li again before heading back to her room to rest. When she woke up, she missed lunch, and only when she called for Liu Ya did she find out that it was almost four in the afternoon.

Massaging her forehead, Zhulan felt a throbbing pain, "Have I slept that long?"

Liu Ya helped her mistress get up. "Miss came to call you for lunch, but seeing you were sleeping soundly, I didn’t wake you."

Zhulan got up and let Liu Ya comb her hair. "Has the eldest lady awakened?"

With a smile, Liu Ya said, "She has woken up. She ate two bowls of noodle strips at noon and is now chatting with the mother-in-law!"

Zhulan envied her; "As I age, my health seems to have declined. Last year, traveling didn’t tire me out as much."

Having said that, Zhulan’s mood turned gloomy. After just one night of vigil, her body had barely held up. How could she possibly go through pregnancy and childbirth with this physique?

Liu Ya didn’t know why her mistress’s mood was low and dared not say anything further.

Zhulan, still somewhat groggy after freshening up, drank a bowl of porridge and rested for a while before heading to the main house.

Lady Lixu stood up, "My dear in-law has arrived. Your complexion doesn’t look very good, please sit down and rest."

Zhulan said apologetically, "I just haven’t stayed up late in a long time, I’ll be fine after a night’s rest."

Lady Lixu was relieved. She was thoroughly impressed by her in-law; her worry the previous day had been no less than that of the child’s own mother.

Lady Li, after hearing her mother, was moved to tears, "Mother, I’m really fine here; you should go back and get some rest."

Zhulan didn’t insist on staying, "Alright, I’ll have a look at the child and then go back to rest."

Lady Li was grinning widely; she had given birth to four children, and the youngest son was the chubbiest. Moreover, this child was very fortunate, "Mother, the child looks like you."

Zhulan hadn’t paid much attention to the child’s appearance that morning, feeling dizzy. Upon closer inspection, she saw that Lady Li wasn’t just flattering her. The child did indeed resemble her, with similar facial features, eyebrows, and eyes. Among all the grandchildren in the Zhou family, the newborn resembled her the most, "He really does look like me."

Initially, Lady Li hadn’t noticed, but her mother did; upon a closer look, she realized how much the child resembled the grandmother. No wonder the child seemed very blessed. The grandfather cared deeply for the grandmother, and since the boy looked like her, the grandfather would surely show him extra affection.

Lady Li smiled foolishly, feeling quite satisfied with herself for birthing such children.

Zhulan felt very fond of the little one who resembled her, and she even thought that if she didn’t have children of her own, having one that looked so much like her was not something to regret. Her spirits were lifted, and she felt much better.

Zhulan went back to her courtyard and took out the golden lock, golden necklace, and gold bangle that she had prepared earlier, then picked up a pen to think of a name for the child. After some thought, she decided on Zhou Minghui.

When Zhou Shuren came home, he saw Zhulan contemplatively looking at the name she had written down. He was aware of her thoughts, but he couldn’t take the risk. Smiling, Zhou Shuren said, "Is this the name you’ve chosen for the child?"

Zhulan came back to her senses and nodded with a smile, "The little guy looks so much like me, I wanted to be the one to name him."

Zhou Shuren raised an eyebrow, "Looks like you?"

Zhulan nodded, "His eyebrows, eyes, and face shape all resemble me."

Zhou Shuren’s hands clenched behind his back; he clearly saw the joy in Zhulan’s eyes. She still hoped to have a child of her own. He and Zhulan, ahem, had calculated carefully. Zhulan’s menstrual cycle was very regular, so their contraception was quite effective.

Zhulan of course knew this, but she never spoke about it. He could guess what was on Zhulan’s mind. She was also taking a gamble that if she became pregnant despite their precautions, it would be destiny. However, for the sake of Zhulan’s health, he preferred not to have a child, even if it was regrettable. Now, having a child that looked like Zhulan seemed pretty good.

There was a celebration for the new addition to the family that day, and the food was plentiful. Zhulan, however, didn’t have much of an appetite and retired early to rest. After a night of rest, she felt rejuvenated.

Lady Dong and Lady Zhao had already heard that the newborn in the main house looked like the grandmother. Lady Zhao touched her belly with shining eyes, thinking she had found a quick way to return home—give birth to a child that resembled the grandmother!

Lady Dong envied her sister-in-law’s good fortune and lamented the uncertainty of when the third house’s child would arrive.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the "Wash Three" ceremony. On the day of the event, the Chen family, He family, and others who knew of it all attended. The little one made them proud; he cried for a while during the ceremony and then settled down.

If it were not for the arrival of spring, Zhulan truly would not have wanted to hold the "Wash Three" ceremony.