Yuyao did not know what the midwife was thinking, but as she looked at the two newly born children, her expression was extremely gentle.
The two little guys are not like other children when they are born, red and wrinkled, but instead, they are like jade snow and very cute. They are born very beautiful.
Their little arms and legs were flailing about, so energetic, it was unmistakably a sign of good health. It melted her heart as a mother.
"Midwife, it really is hard for you."
She looked at the two children and raised her eyes to look at the midwife. She expressed gratitude.
The midwife smiled, "Madam, why say such things? The two children are so healthy and look intelligent. As long as they are well-raised, Madam's future will have a stable foundation."
Yuyao yawned and smiled tiredly, she naturally understood the midwife's meaning. In other people's eyes, she was a widowed woman who lost her husband, and with her husband gone, she would naturally have to rely on her children in the future.
"I will certainly raise them well and don't expect them to have much success, I just want them to be safe and sound."
She looked at the two infants in their cradles and said in a weak, soft voice.
The midwife also smiled, "Madam, you are very correct. As a mother, all we can wish for is for our children to be healthy and safe."
She knew that Yuyao had just given birth and her body was very weak. She didn't talk much to her either, and quickly took the babies down.
Outside the delivery room.
Zhou Auntie heard the baby's cry, she knew the child was born, relaxed at the same time, and hurried to push the door in.
Zhou Bo and Goudan couldn't enter the delivery room, so they had to anxiously wait at the door.
The midwife saw Zhou Auntie come in and smiled and said, "Oh, older sister, you came just in time. Please take care of the two babies for a while, I will tidy up here."
Zhou Auntie heard this, hurried over to take care of the two babies, while not forgetting to say, "Of course, of course, it's what I should do."
She walked quickly to the side of the two babies, looking at the tiny infants wrapped in swaddles, her heart softened a bit.
However, as soon as she thought about these two children born without a father, she felt sorry for them.
Thinking about how kind the wife was, she also cherished the two children as if they were her grandchildren.
Zhou Auntie carefully attended to the two children and then went to check on Yuyao. Seeing that she was fine, just too exhausted to fall asleep, she also felt reassured.
Thinking about the two babies just born and not having eaten yet, she thought that since her ladyship had just given birth, it might be too early for her to have milk. Fortunately, there was a mother goat raised in the backyard.
It was something the lady had specifically asked the old man to buy before her delivery, just in case there wasn't enough milk for the baby when it was born.
Zhou Auntie instructed Zhou Bo to go to the backyard to milk the goat, heat it up, and wait until it was at an appropriate temperature before feeding it to the two babies with great care.
The two children were clearly very hungry, and they ate happily.
Zhou Auntie had given birth to six children, but unfortunately, they all died during a time of famine. This left her and the old man, as well as her grandson Goudan.
She knew that the baby's spleen and stomach were weak, small, and she dared not feed them too much. As soon as it was almost finished, she stopped feeding them.
When Yuyao woke up, she found that the mattress and quilt on her bed had been changed, as well as the clothes she was wearing. They were clean and refreshing.
The smell of blood in the air had also dispersed quite a bit, instead, it was filled with the fragrance of mugwort, clearly the room had been smoked with mugwort.
She swallowed a health-improving pill and was about to look for the children.
She saw Zhou Auntie come in with a bowl of chicken soup. The smell was enough to tell it was soup.
"Madam, you're awake?"
Zhou Auntie saw that she had woken up, put the chicken soup aside, walked quickly over and gently helped her sit up by the bedside, placing a pillow behind her for support.
"Zhou Auntie, where are the two children? Have you fed them anything?"
Yuyao scanned the room with her eyes and didn't see the children, so she couldn't help but ask.
Zhou Auntie smiled slightly, "Madam, don't worry, the two children have already been fed. The milk came from the mother goat raised in the backyard. They are already asleep. I'm afraid they might disturb your rest, so I took them to the other room."
Yuyao heard that the children had already eaten, and were sleeping in the other room, so she didn't ask anymore.
"Madam, you must be hungry. I've made some chicken soup for you. Have a bowl to fill your stomach first. Since you're weak, there's no need to get up from the bed. You can just eat here; after all, there are no strangers around."
Zhou Auntie spoke while placing a small table by the bedside, and the bowl of chicken soup was placed on top of it.
"Zhou Auntie is right."
Yuyao smiled faintly, and she didn't get off the bed; she just sat there and drank the chicken soup.
"Oh, by the way, Zhou Auntie, did the two midwives leave?" She suddenly remembered something and asked while drinking the chicken soup.
"They've already gone back, and the red envelopes have been given. Don't worry, madam."
Zhou Auntie smiled and replied.
She nodded slightly and didn't ask anymore, contently drinking the chicken soup.
Not bad, Zhou Auntie's cooking is quite good; it's rich and tasty. She finished the bowl of chicken soup quickly.
Zhou Auntie removed the bowl and small table after she finished drinking.
She couldn't help but say, "Madam, please rest well. It's very important for a woman to take her postpartum care."
Yuyao had been asleep for a long time, but she didn't feel like sleeping anymore. "Zhou Auntie, please bring the two children over. I want to see them."
"Okay, madam, just wait for a moment."
Zhou Auntie, seeing that the lady wanted to see the children, did not refuse. Soon she brought the two babies back, placing them on her bed next to her. One on each side.
The two children were not awake; they were still sleeping soundly, like two pink, little cute piglets.
Seeing them made her heart melt, but she didn't kiss them. It's not that she didn't like to kiss children.
It's not that she didn't like to kiss children, but she knew it was not good for them, especially for newly born babies. Even if she liked them very much, she wouldn't kiss them indiscriminately.
Moreover, this is in ancient times with backward conditions.
She also instructed Zhou Auntie and the other midwives not to kiss the children indiscriminately, as some elderly people liked to do so.
She feared that Zhou Auntie might misunderstand and think she was despising her, so she expressed herself gently and indirectly.
Fortunately, Zhou Auntie was open-minded. Upon hearing that kissing the children was not good for them, she naturally would not do such a thing.
She gave them pet names. For the son, it was "An An," which means "safe and sound." For the daughter, it was "You You," which means "happy and worry-free."
As for the children's surnames, she had not yet decided.
Also, which surname they should take, she was very indecisive in her heart.
In principle, the two children should take Xuan Ji's surname, but Xuan Ji is his Buddhist name and not a common surname.
"Zun, what do you think about giving the two children my surname?"
She played with An An, who had woken up and was blowing bubbles, and asked the system inwardly.
The system quickly appeared and said, "If the children are given your surname, the first task cannot be considered completed. As the task requires giving birth to the protagonist of the world and having them inherit, it is necessary for the children to take his surname to count."
Yuyao frowned, "What is this nonsense rule? Not following Xuan Ji's surname, does that mean they are not his children? Moreover, Xuan Ji is his Buddhist name. How can I let my children follow the surname Xuan? I don't even know his lay name."
Yuyao truly did not know what Xuan Ji's lay name was; it was possible that he didn't have one, or that he did.
When Xuan Ji was still an infant, he was secretly placed at the entrance of the Wanfodai Temple. No one knew who his parents were, what their name was, or where they were from.
The plot doesn't mention it either, just saying that Xuan Ji is a high monk of the Wanfodai Temple and was raised by the temple abbot since he was young.
"Don't tell me that's how the rules are set out."
The system yawned and lazily explained, "Xuan Ji's lay name is Du Luo. His real identity is the child of the most beloved woman of the late emperor. He is the son of Min Concubine. Min Concubine was favored above all others in the palace, but her lack of support from her family made her a target for jealousy. She was murdered during childbirth."
Yuyao was shocked and stared wide-eyed, "What are you saying? Xuan Ji is the son of Min Concubine? So, he is actually a prince?"
"Yes, Min Concubine knew her days were numbered, so she secretly gave her favorite concubine, Ruyan, the child, and instructed her to raise him. Ruyan did agree and took the child out of the palace secretly."
The system paused and continued, "Not long after leaving the palace, Ruyan met her childhood sweetheart, and their feelings for each other were very strong. They naturally discussed marriage. But that man disliked the child as a burden and demanded that Ruyan abandon him. Ruyan was conflicted in her heart, but in order to be with her beloved, she ultimately chose to abandon the child. One night, she secretly placed the baby at the entrance of the Wanfodai Temple."
After listening to the system's story, Yuyao felt sorry for Xuan Ji. He should have been a prince, son of a favored concubine, with limitless wealth and status. However, he became a monk instead.
"Does Xuan Ji know about this lineage?" she asked the system.
The system shook its head, "He doesn't know. The old abbot knows a little about it; royal children usually have some kind of token on them. But he hasn't told Xuan Ji, and it's not clear whether he will tell him in the future."
