Su Muqing finished taking care of Su Cuiping and then went to teach Leng Kui how to care for the baby. Madam Wang wanted to interject several times but dared not. After almost incurring the wrath of everyone, she didn't dare to say another word.
Recalling the look Su Muqing had given her earlier, Madam Wang felt a pang of fear. Even when Cuiping was giving birth and her attitude towards her had been so poor, Su Muqing had never looked at her that way.
Actually, Madam Wang was thinking for the child's sake. There was a custom in their hometown. For any newborn boy, his nipples had to be squeezed shortly after birth,
and some milky white liquid had to be squeezed out. The elders said that only by doing so could they prevent the child from developing feminine features when he grew up.
Madam Wang thought she was doing this for the baby's good, so she didn't tell anyone else. While Su Muqing and Leng Kui were attending to Su Cuiping, she took the baby to the low couch.
She opened the quilt, revealing the baby's naked body. Looking at the rosy, chubby child, her well-grown grandson, she thought she had to squeeze his nipples. Otherwise, what if he lacked manly vigor when he grew up?
With that thought, Madam Wang reached out to pinch the baby's nipples. Fortunately, she was also worried about hurting the child, so she didn't use too much force. However, for an infant's delicate skin, her touch was enough to make the baby cry out in pain.
Meanwhile, Su Muqing was pressing Su Cuiping's abdomen to help expel the lochia. The anesthesia had barely worn off, and Su Cuiping was already in great pain. Now, with someone pressing her abdomen, she cried out like a slaughtered pig.
As Su Cuiping was wailing loudly, the baby suddenly started crying too. Su Muqing and Leng Kui looked up and saw Madam Wang had already uncovered the baby, leaving him naked on the couch. They didn't know what she had done to him to make him cry incessantly.
Leng Kui and Su Muqing didn't know what Madam Wang was doing. Seeing that she didn't pick up and comfort the crying baby, but instead kept reaching out and touching him, they immediately shouted to stop her.
"Mother-in-law, what are you doing?"
"Aunt, what are you doing?"
Hearing the baby's cry and realizing it wasn't due to hunger or a wet diaper, Su Muqing felt something was amiss. She quickly ran to the low couch and saw that the baby's small nipples on his chest were swollen, and Madam Wang's hand was still on one of them.
Su Muqing pushed Madam Wang's hand away, picked up the baby, and re-wrapped him in the quilt. She looked at Madam Wang, her face full of confusion, and asked sternly, "Aunt, Cuiping sister went through so much to give birth to this child, why are you doing this?"
Leng Kui took the baby from Su Muqing and gently rocked him, trying to soothe him. Seeing the baby's face red from crying and his throat hoarse, he was heartbroken. His gaze towards Madam Wang was also filled with anger.
"What's wrong with the baby? What's wrong with the baby? Mother, Muqing, Third Brother, quickly bring the baby to me..."
Su Cuiping was on the verge of fainting from the pain. When she suddenly heard the baby crying and couldn't hear what Su Muqing and the others were saying, she became anxious.
She used all her strength to prop herself up, wanting to see what had happened to the baby. However, her wound was too painful, and she couldn't move.
Su Muqing only realized after shouting that she shouldn't have been so loud. She had momentarily forgotten herself. Su Cuiping was already very fragile, and any loud noise could trigger an emotional breakdown.
Madam Wang stood in the corner with her hands raised, looking as if she had done something wrong, afraid that Su Cuiping would become agitated again. The looks Su Muqing and Leng Kui had given her earlier had sent shivers down her spine.
Leng Kui said nothing. He simply brought the baby to the bedside so Su Cuiping could see him. He placed the baby on the bed and helped Su Cuiping lie down slowly.
Su Cuiping still wanted to struggle and sit up, but Su Muqing quickly stopped her. Fearing that she might upset Su Cuiping and strain their mother-daughter relationship further, Su Muqing had to cover for Madam Wang.
"Cuiping sister, don't move around. If your wound splits, it won't be good. Don't worry! The baby is fine. I was just too anxious earlier. I saw Aunt trying to change the baby's clothes, and I was worried he would catch a cold, so I shouted loudly. As a result, the loud noise startled the baby."
After speaking, Su Muqing picked up the baby and, under the guise of tidying the quilt, subtly dripped some diluted spiritual spring water onto the baby's red chest.
Seeing that the baby had indeed stopped crying, Su Cuiping finally lay down, half-believing, and stopped struggling. Su Muqing placed the soothed baby back on the bed. When she saw Madam Wang still trying to reach for the baby, she quickly shot her a warning glance.
Madam Wang quickly retracted her half-extended hand and retreated, not daring to move. She felt very wronged. She was Su Cuiping's own mother, the baby's maternal grandmother, and would she harm her own daughter and grandson?
Unfortunately, Su Muqing and Leng Kui were too busy with both of them to notice Madam Wang's grievance.
Su Cuiping gave birth to the baby around ten in the morning. By three in the afternoon, Su Muqing and Leng Kui were still busy with her and the baby.
Leng Kui was unwilling to delegate tasks. He wanted to personally handle all the care for Su Cuiping. Seeing his sincerity, Su Muqing could only impart her knowledge and guide him meticulously.
After attending to the baby, they attended to the adult, and when the adult was taken care of, the baby started crying again. They were so busy that they didn't even have time to rest. They only managed a few hurried bites of lunch to sustain themselves.
It wasn't until seven in the evening that Su Cuiping finally passed gas. Passing gas meant she could eat. Su Muqing had the servants bring the black fish soup and congee that had been stewed earlier. Leng Kui took the bowl and fed it to her spoonful by spoonful.
Just as Su Muqing sat down to rest, Su Minghui's voice came from outside the door. "Muqing... Your Majesty, dinner is served in the front hall. Please come and dine!"
"Muqing, I'm feeling much better now. You've been busy all day. Hurry and go eat!" Su Cuiping felt very guilty seeing Su Muqing, who was the ruler of a nation, busy with her affairs.
"Yes, Your Majesty, please go quickly! I'm fine here. You haven't eaten properly all day. Hurry to the front hall for dinner!" Leng Kui also urged Su Muqing to go eat. As a subordinate, he felt it was improper for His Majesty to labor so hard.
"Alright, I'll go have dinner then. Rongrong will come to help tonight, so Third Brother Leng will be able to relax a bit." With the important matters handled, Su Muqing indeed felt hungry. There were still many things to do tonight, and she needed to eat to have the energy.