CHAPTER 602: CHAPTER 393: RUORUO_2

The good news prepared to be sent to Lanling had also been delayed for several days.

Suddenly having two more children meant that the originally prepared items were completely insufficient. Fortunately, there was an extra wet nurse at home. Ran Yan let the wet nurse feed the two boys, while she personally fed and took care of the youngest.

When Lady Luo heard that Ran Yan had given birth to triplets, and that the youngest’s health was poor, she had Ran Pingyu search everywhere for folk remedies to see how others nourished weak children. However, triplets were rare, and cases like Ran Yan’s were even rarer. In the end, only one or two similar situations were found. Although they were of no use, Ran Yan was very grateful.

For the youngest baby, Ran Yan had chosen the milk name ’Ruoruo’. Xiao Song was somewhat dissatisfied with this name. Just like Princess Jinyang who was frail, a name with the connotation of strength had been chosen. But having no way to outstubborn Ran Yan, he could only follow her lead and use the name.

After seven or eight days, the appearances of the eldest and second child gradually became more relaxed, their pink and tender looks extremely endearing, but they were still so small. Seeing that they could eat and sleep well, and their bowel movements were also normal, Ran Yan was a lot more at ease. However, Ruoruo was still only so little, and her appearance seemed not to have changed much, which was worrying. On the upside, Ran Yan was relieved that Ruoruo could latch onto her breast milk autonomously, even though she would only take a few sips each time.

Wu Xiuhe had also restrained his appetite, staying in the residence at all times with the three children.

Liu Qingsong visited almost daily. He used to run his own clinic and was not specialized in any particular field, having a wide range of medical knowledge, which made him more adept at infant care than the average Chinese medicine practitioner.

Xiao Song also had the Imperial Medical Bureau’s best pediatricians come every few days to check on the three children. Occasionally, he would also invite physicians with high morality and reputation from among the people to have a look.

It was as if the entire Great Tang’s world of medicine had been mobilized.

For a clan like the Xiao family, heirs were of utmost importance. This branch’s direct lineage was not particularly prolific. Therefore, when Lanling received the news that Ran Yan had given birth to triplets, the clan elders saw it as an auspicious sign. Even Duke Song, who typically squabbled with Xiao Song upon meeting, could not stop smiling and went specially to report the good news at the ancestral tomb.

Lady Xiao had been the driving force behind this marriage, snatching Ran Yan decisively from the Cui family. The Xiao clan considered Lady Xiao to have great foresight, hence they offered special prayers in homage.

Duke Song had not previously agreed with his mother’s often decisive tactics, and was somewhat resentful towards her for Xiao Song’s personality. But upon reflection, those actions did not lack reason, especially considering Lady Xiao’s philosophy: "For the people, for the heart."

After pondering for over half a month, he then named his three grandchildren. The eldest was named Xiao Shu, the second was Xiao Ji, and the youngest was Xiao Nian. After consulting with the clan elders and finalizing the names, they decided to record the heir’s names in the family register when they reached one hundred days old.

Only the biological parents could indulge in choosing a milk name.

With the meticulous care from the entire household, by the end of the year, Xiao Shu and Xiao Ji had both grown to around six jin, still smaller than typical infants, but they were plump and spirited. Every night, the Xiao residence would be filled with the cries of babies. It was fortunate that the residence had been expanded; otherwise, the neighbors might have had cause for complaint.

Ruoruo, at least, had grown to four jin, but everyone still dared not relax their vigilance.

Before the Lunar New Year, Xiao Song had visited his neighbors to the left and right, presenting them with door god paintings by famous artists, as well as various New Year’s gifts, and asked them not to set off too many firecrackers.

The neighbors of the Xiao residence were mostly colleagues, and the majority held lower official positions than he. With such humble gestures from him, they graciously complied, agreeing to set off firecrackers only twice during New Year’s Eve, once outside at the outer curved gate and once along the Inner Gate. They then brought gifts to visit the Xiao residence, offering congratulations on the birth of his precious child.

In the Tang Dynasty, firecrackers were merely bamboo segments burnt in fires, not producing very loud sounds. What really troubled Xiao Song were the fireworks. Ever since he had set off fireworks on Zhuque Street to win Ran Yan’s affection before their marriage, people had come knocking on his door to buy the formula at a high price. He had paid them no attention, but couldn’t hold out against Ran Yun’s persistent coaxing. Besides, the formula was originally Liu Qingsong’s to begin with, so he reluctantly gave a few hints. Generously, Ran Yun, under Liu Qingsong’s guidance, gave forty percent shares to Ran Yan as a wedding gift.

Afterwards, during festive seasons and holidays, fireworks become common everywhere, even in the imperial court. Xiao Song surely couldn’t forbid the whole of Chang’an from setting off fireworks!

As the Xiao residence was close to bustling areas like East Market and Zhuque Street, and Xiao Song’s third son was physically frail, Xiao Song had no choice but to start with his own home. Ran Yan had already recovered from her postpartum period, so he enlisted the help of Liu Qingsong to redesign the bedroom to improve sound insulation.

This wasn’t too difficult; some restaurants had already made such improvements to facilitate private discussions among patrons. Thus, they also brought Ran Yunsheng, who was looking after the child at home, and together with the artisans, the three of them tinkered around for seven or eight days.

Liu Qingsong, showing his caring side, rounded off all sharp corners in the bedroom and wrapped them in thick cotton cloth. He also switched the bed curtains to gentle colors like milky yellow and pink. Xiao Song looked on with a darkening expression, but as soon as Liu Qingsong mentioned that it would interest the baby, he immediately accepted it.

When the night of the Lunar New Year came, Xiao Song and Ran Yan stayed in the bedroom with their three children.

The soundproofing of the room was indeed effective; as long as the doors and windows were closed, they could hardly hear the sound of fireworks and firecrackers coming from East Market.

The bed had been expanded and covered with thick bedding, on which the three young children lay in a row. Ruoruo would fall asleep as soon as he was full, given his weakness, he didn’t have the energy to fuss. The eldest and second child, with their shiny big eyes, stared at the colorful paper cranes hanging from the canopy above, reaching out to grab them now and then.

Xiao Song watched his three children with a smiling face, "My Lady, you are truly amazing!"

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Please wait half an hour for another update.

Today, Sleeves did something silly, but it’s for everyone’s benefit. Suddenly realizing that the editor’s signature had changed, as if angered by the children who had been cut off from updating their stories, Sleeves nervously remembered that she had missed an update last week. The new book updates were particularly unstable, so she dutifully went to confess.

It turned out that Cola was actually unaware...o(╯□╰)o, but after she found out, she was very angry and demanded that Sleeves must write twelve thousand words today (combining new and old books)...

So she sneakily started writing at work, but the prospect seemed bleak, as Sleeves’s writing speed for the new story was three hundred words per hour! Dang it! Back to writing~~~~(To be continued. If you like this book, please feel free to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)