Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

September 3rd, the tenth day after the Beginning of Autumn.

The morning breeze was already a bit chilly, and the pomegranates in the yard were ripe, each one splitting open to reveal its glistening seeds. Chen Yu got up early, picked a few of the largest ones, put them on a plate, and waited for Qin Huairu to wake up and eat them.

Qin Huairu's due date is in the next few days, and her belly is so big that she has difficulty walking. Chen Yu stays by her side every day, not even entering the small world, for fear that something might happen to her.

"Brother Chen, is Sister Qin awake?" Ding Qiunan pushed open the door and came in, carrying a thermos. "I made millet porridge and boiled some eggs."

"Not yet." Chen Yu took the thermos. "You've been working yourself to death these past few days, don't come so early."

"I'm not tired," Ding Qiunan shook her head. "Sister Qin is so good to me, it's only right that I do more work."

Just then, Qin Huairu's voice came from inside the room: "Chen Yu..."

Chen Yu hurriedly entered the room. Qin Huairu was lying on the bed, her face was a little pale, and fine beads of sweat were seeping from her forehead.

"What's wrong?" His heart tightened.

"My stomach... my stomach hurts..." Qin Huairu clutched her stomach, her voice trembling, "I think I'm going into labor..."

Chen Yu's mind went blank for a moment, but he quickly calmed down. He took a deep breath and said to Ding Qiunan, who had followed him in, "Qiunan, go quickly and call the midwife! The one we arranged to meet last time, Granny Liu!"

"Okay!" Ding Qiunan turned and ran.

Chen Yu held Qin Huairu's hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Qin Huairu nodded, but was in too much pain to speak.

Half an hour later, Granny Liu arrived. She was the most famous midwife in the area, over sixty years old, and had delivered hundreds of babies; she was very experienced.

"Hot water, scissors, and a clean white cloth, get them all ready!" Grandma Liu began giving instructions as soon as she entered the room.

Ding Qiunan hurriedly went to prepare. Chen Yu was kicked out of the house and could only pace back and forth in the yard, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Qin Huairu's cries of pain echoed from inside the room, each one like a knife cutting into his heart.

"Thank God, mother and child are safe..." he murmured, his palms sweating.

He Yuzhu, Yan Bugui, and Zhang Xiulan all came and stood in the courtyard to keep him company. He Yuzhu patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, Huairu is healthy, she'll be fine."

Chen Yu nodded, but didn't stop walking.

An hour later, a loud cry suddenly came from inside the house—

"Wow--"

Chen Yu was stunned, then overjoyed surged into his heart, and he rushed over to push open the door.

The door opened, and Granny Liu came out carrying a swaddled baby, her face beaming with joy: "Congratulations! It's a healthy baby boy! Mother and child are safe and sound!"

Chen Yu took the child, a tiny bundle with its eyes closed and its face wrinkled, but in his eyes, it was the cutest baby in the world.

"Son...I have a son..." he murmured, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Go in and check on Huai Ru quickly," Zhang Xiulan reminded her.

Chen Yu handed the child to Zhang Xiulan and rushed into the house.

Qin Huairu lay on the bed, her face pale and covered in sweat, but her eyes were full of gentle smiles.

"Chen Yu," she said softly, "look at our son."

Chen Yu walked over, took her hand, and gently kissed her forehead: "You've worked hard, Huai Ru. Thank you."

Qin Huairu shook her head and smiled.

Ding Qiunan wiped away her tears, but her face was full of smiles: "Sister Qin is amazing! Brother Chen, your son is so handsome!"

A crowd gathered around, praising him enthusiastically. He Yuzhu shouted the loudest, "This kid's crying is really loud; he'll definitely amount to something someday!"

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses: "His eyebrows and eyes resemble Huai Ru's, and his nose resembles Chen Yu's. He's a handsome boy."

Zhang Xiulan held the child tightly, reluctant to let go: "Let me hold him a little longer, this little thing is so adorable."

The room was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

As Chen Yu watched this scene, an unprecedented sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

He has a family now.

A real home.

He has a wife, a son, relatives, and friends.

It was all worth it.

Three days later, the third-day celebration will take place.

According to tradition, a "third-day bath" is held on the third day after a child's birth, where relatives and friends are invited to a feast, and the child is bathed and blessed.

The courtyard became lively again. He Yuzhu was busy arranging the banquet, Yan Bugui was in charge of writing the gift list, and Zhang Xiulan was helping to prepare the bathwater.

The bathtub was filled with warm water, infused with mugwort, calamus, and honeysuckle, which were said to ward off illness and misfortune. Grandma Liu personally oversaw the process, reciting auspicious words as she bathed the child:

"Wash your hair, and you'll become a king; wash your back, and each generation will rise higher than the last; wash your testicles, and you'll become a county magistrate; wash your ditch, and you'll become a prefect..."

The child cried loudly while being washed, and everyone laughed.

"Good cry, a loud cry, you'll have good fortune in the future!" Grandma Liu said with a smile.

After a bath and changing into brand-new little clothes, the child was placed in Qin Huairu's arms. He had finished nursing and fell into a deep sleep, his little mouth still moving slightly, as if he were having a sweet dream.

Chen Yu sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his wife and children, his heart filled with boundless tenderness.

"Chen Yu," Qin Huairu said softly, "let's give the child a name."

Chen Yu thought for a moment and said, "Let's call her Chen Nian'an. Nian means 'to miss' and An means 'peace'."

"Chen Nian'an..." Qin Huairu murmured, "Nian'an, Nian'an, I hope he lives a peaceful life."

"Yes." Chen Yu nodded. "No matter what happens in the future, as long as he is safe and sound, that's all that matters."

Nian'an seemed to understand, and in her sleep, she slightly moved the corners of her mouth, revealing a faint smile.

On the day of the full moon, another banquet was held in the courtyard.

Nian'an has grown up, she's chubby and fair-skinned, with big, bright eyes. She smiles at everyone she sees and will let anyone hold her.

"This kid's definitely going to be a womanizer when he grows up," He Yuzhu teased him. "He's already smiling at people at such a young age, what will he be like when he grows up?"

Everyone laughed.

Ding Qiunan held Nian'an tightly, reluctant to let go: "Nian'an is such a good girl, she doesn't cry or fuss, much better than those children who cry all the time."

"That's right," Qin Huairu said with a smile, "He takes after his father; he has a good personality."

Chen Yu listened from the side, feeling secretly pleased.

After the banquet ended, the guests left one after another. Chen Yu held Nian'an in his arms and basked in the sun in the courtyard.

The autumn sun was warm and felt wonderful on my skin. Nian'an squinted, bubbles coming out of her little mouth, babbling incoherently.

"Son," Chen Yu said softly, "this world is vast, full of wonders, and also full of dangers. But don't be afraid, Dad is here."

Nian'an looked at him and suddenly smiled, a bright and cheerful smile.

Chen Yu smiled too.

He knew the road ahead was long and full of challenges. But with his wife and children by his side and friends around him, he feared nothing.

As the sun sets, a peaceful atmosphere pervades the courtyard.

A new day, a new year, a new life—it's all just beginning.