Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The midwife kept pressing on Shen Qingqing’s belly before finally letting her take a break. 

After an exhausting day, Shen Qingqing wanted to fall asleep. She turned to her mother with great difficulty and muttered, “Mom… I want to see the baby.” 

Things had been so chaotic earlier that she hadn’t even had a chance to get a good look at her daughter before the midwife took her away. 

Mrs. Chen smiled and said, “I’ll call Zhongchang right away.” 

Shen Qingqing kept her eyes on the door.

Not long after Mrs. Chen left, the curtain parted, and Li Zhi walked in cradling the baby in his arms. 

When he looked up and saw his little wife on the bed, he noticed that her cheeks looked as pale as goat milk. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with tears as she gazed at him and the baby. 

The room still carried a faint scent of blood, reminding him of her hard work throughout the night. 

Li Zhi hurried over. 

“Slow down.” Shen Qingqing felt a rush of anxiety. ‘What if he tripped and dropped the baby?’

Li Zhi chuckled. If he were foolish enough to drop their precious daughter, he’d never want to face anyone again. 

“You still have the energy to worry about the baby. Guess you’re not in pain anymore,” he teased, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

Shen Qingqing shot him a glare, and muttered, “Of course it hurts! Want to switch places and see how it feels?” 

Shen Qingqing’s eyes were practically shining with anger.

Seeing the anger in his wife’s tired-looking eyes, Li Zhi flashed a grin. Then he placed a gentle kiss on her left eye, then moved to the right. His soft touch brought a wave of tranquillity over her. 

“Can I see our daughter now?” Shen Qingqing muttered. 

Li Zhi leaned in closer so Shen Qinging could get a better view of their little girl.

The baby was sound asleep. Her tiny eyebrows and squinty eyes gave her an irresistibly cute appearance.

Unable to resist, Shen Qingqing gently caressed the baby’s face. “Her hair is so gorgeous,” she remarked, running her fingers through her daughter’s thick black hair.

It was hard for her to believe that such a beautiful baby had been growing inside her for nine months.

Li Zhi had been admiring the baby for a while, but now he was even more enchanted by the sight of Shen Qingqing embracing motherhood. He kissed her cheek and said, “All those walnuts I cracked for you were totally worth it.”

His words took Shen Qingqing back a few months. She remembered her elders saying that eating more walnuts could enhance children’s hair quality, so she had the maids bring in a big bowl of them. Thinking Li Zhi was a bit too relaxed as a dad, she asked him to peel the walnuts for her. 

He didn’t mind at all and happily got to work.

‘Well, my daughter’s beautiful hair is all thanks to him,’ she thought. “Why can’t I figure out who she looks like?” After studying the baby for a moment, Shen Qingqing asked, confused.  

Li Zhi chuckled, and replied, “Your mother says she takes after you.”

Shen Qingqing felt a little happy hearing that, but she also got it and scoffed, “My mom saw me when I was a newborn, so of course, she thinks the baby looks like me. What about my grandma? What would she say?”  

Li Zhi’s smile faded a bit. He instinctively wanted to make up a story, but since the old lady had left after realizing the baby was a girl, he knew he couldn’t keep this from his young wife for long.  “Grandma hasn’t met the baby yet. She went to take a rest,” Li Zhi said, holding the swaddled baby in one hand and wrapping his other arm around her shoulders.  

Shen Qingqing was unaware of what had happened outside and thought Old Madam Zhu had left a while ago, so she didn’t press Li Zhi for more details.

However, Li Zhi knew that he couldn’t hide this matter from his wife. Li Zhi gently rubbed her cheek and sighed. “Qingqing, I’m not getting any younger and Grandma has always wished for us to have a boy first. Now that we have a girl, she might feel a bit down for a while because of her disappointment. Just make sure to take care of yourself and don’t stress about it.” 

Shen Qingqing, who was on cloud nine, felt her heart sink. 

Interestingly, she had once hoped for a son too, but the moment she laid eyes on her daughter, all thoughts of gender flew out the window. 

Looking up at her husband, Shen Qingqing asked, “Grandma’s not thrilled about having a granddaughter. What about you?” 

Li Zhi gazed at their little girl and sighed. “I’m definitely happy. But the thought of her being taken away by a son-in-law in a few years doesn’t sit well with me.” 

Shen Qingqing couldn’t help but laugh. Their daughter had just arrived, and he was already worrying about a future son-in-law. It was way too early for that! 

“Honestly, as long as you have the baby, I’d be happy even if it were a piglet,” Li Zhi whispered in her ear. 

Shen Qingqing: “You’re the one who’d give birth to a pig…” 

Before she could finish, Li Zhi covered her mouth.

Li Zhi hadn’t kissed his wife in ages because he was worried about the risk of a miscarriage. But this time, he couldn’t hold back. Shen Qingqing felt a rush of warmth and got nervous. She quickly turned away from him. 

After a few minutes, she asked him to call the midwife, fearing she might start bleeding heavily. 

Recognising the seriousness of the situation, Li Zhi left with a serious look on his face. 

The midwife arrived, checked on Shen Qingqing, and reassured her with a smile. She explained all the possible physical changes that could happen during the postpartum period. 

After listening to the midwife’s words seriously, Shen Qingqing felt exhausted. She took one last look at her daughter before drifting off to sleep. With a wet nurse taking care of the baby, she slept soundly and didn’t wake up until noon the next day. 

When she woke up the next day, she was starving. She was enjoying a big bowl of red date porridge when Li Zhi came to visit her, with the wet nurse holding the baby behind him. 

“What should we name her?” Shen Qingqing asked, cradling the baby.

Li Zhi thought for a moment and suggested, “They say simple names are easy to remember, so how about Niuniu?”

Shen Qingqing wasn’t too fond of such a plain name, and just as she was about to argue, her daughter suddenly opened her eyes! Those bright, dark eyes were absolutely adorable!

“Look, she opened her eyes!” Shen Qingqing called Li Zhi in surprise.

Li Zhi was thrilled when he saw it. “Looks like my daughter really loves the nickname I gave her!”  

Shen Qingqing was speechless.  

She found it hard to believe, but when she heard Li Zhi casually calling his daughter Niuniu, she decided to join in and call her Niuniu too.  

Before long, the entire Li family came to meet the baby, except for Jiang Yiyue and Old Madam Zhu.  

Jiang Yiyue quietly explained, “Sister-in-law, the old lady waited too long last night and is feeling a bit under the weather. She’ll come to see you once she’s better.”  

She then shot Shen Qingqing a sympathetic look, as if she was worried about her getting upset.  

Shen Qingqing was already aware of what had happened the night before. Initially, she felt a bit annoyed, but then she realised she wasn’t having a baby for Old Madam Zhu; all that mattered was that she had a daughter she adored. What Old Madam Zhu thought didn’t concern her.  

“It’s our turn to visit Grandma,” Shen Qingqing said, feeling a bit guilty.  

Li Zhi, sitting nearby, understood that his young wife was just speaking lightly and didn’t genuinely feel obligated to show respect to the old lady. Still, he was pleased that she had such a level of self-restraint. After all, even he found it hard to tolerate the old lady’s behaviour.  

Later in the afternoon, Shen Qingqing took a break while Li Zhi headed to Wanfu Hall.

Old Lady Zhu was sprawled out on the couch, looking a bit down. Jiang Yiyue knelt beside her and started to gently massage her legs. 

“Brother Zhongchang.” When she spotted Li Zhi, Jiang Yiyue greeted him and was about to stand up. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Old Lady Zhu stopped her, pointing to her back. “My waist is sore; give it a good rub.” 

With no other option, Jiang Yiyue shifted behind Old Lady Zhu, bowed her head, and began to knead her back, acting like a dutiful little maid. 

Old Lady Zhu then lazily glanced at her grandson and asked, “Why are you here instead of spending time with them?” 

Li Zhi replied softly, “I heard from Yiyue that you weren’t feeling well, so I came to check on you.” 

Old Lady Zhu frowned and sighed. “I’m alright, just getting old and eager to meet my great-grandson. Poor Qingqing had a tough night. I don’t blame her. I’ll visit her and Niuniu once I’m better.” 

Li Zhi settled down next to the old lady and smiled. “Grandma, don’t worry. Flowers bloom before the fruit. We’ll make sure you get a healthy great-grandson in the next pregnancy.” 

Old Lady Zhu’s expression softened a bit, and she started asking about Shen Qingqing and her daughter with genuine concern. 

Li Zhi felt a wave of relief seeing that the old lady was still thinking about his reputation. 

A harmonious family was essential for success; even a facade of harmony was better than open conflict.

End of chapter 49

Have a nice day!