Winters in the south of the Yangtze River are also mild, not as cold as in the north, and snow rarely falls. However, Yangzhou City, which was seven years old in Yongle, was an exception.

This day is the winter solstice in the 24 solar terms, the folk have always had "the winter solstice is as big as the year" said, every household has prepared food, after sacrificing to the ancestors, they all sit around the house, steamed rice cakes, the Lantern Festival, and happy to gather together for the festival.

It was a day when it was overcast from the middle of the day, the sky was full of clouds, and the north wind swirled and drilled into the cracks of human bones. At the back door of a large mansion in the west of the city, two small servants moved a chicken coop from the car and carried it to the back kitchen. A wealthy housekeeper lady greeted her: "Come to An, come to Shun, how many chickens did you buy and come back?" ”

Lai Shun replied: "Aunt Fu, today is the winter solstice, and everyone has to drink a bowl of chicken soup, right?" Look at this appearance, I am afraid that it will snow on this day, and the hens in the chicken market are even more sought-after, and a chicken costs a penny and two cents of silver! Lai'an and I ran all over the city to snatch these twenty old hens. It's cold, but it freezes both of us. ”

Aunt Fu scolded: "You two useless things who have been beheaded! What are these two dozen chickens for? Madame turned out to be half a month before she was born, who would have thought that it would be launched last night. There are no 10 or 20 chickens on the day of this confinement? What are these chickens good for? Catch up with tomorrow morning, you will put me in the car and go to the countryside to collect it! If you don't get enough, don't come back! ”

Lai An scooped two bowls of hot soup from the stove and drank it with Lai Shun, took out a piece of pink plum blossom rice ball from the steamer and stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it twice, stretched his neck and swallowed it, and said in surprise: "Madame, such a beautiful woman with Nana, how can she have such a big belly and eat more than a dozen chickens a day?" ”

A girl next to her who was wearing a silk jacket with an elastic ink flower and a blue-green armor chuckled: "Look at this unseen thing!" How can a chicken eat like that? All a chicken can use is the little bit of meat on the breast, and a pot of soup can't make a dozen chickens? ”

Lai'an couldn't help but say, "Oh my mom! How much silver will it cost on this day! “

Aunt Fu pouted: "Hmph! Our Sun family is not to say that they are the richest people in Yangzhou, and it is not without gold and silver! Are you afraid you can't afford to eat these chickens? Look at the stew on the small stove of your sister Sichuan pepper over there, it is a century-old ginseng that replenishes the qi of his wife, and a branch costs a few hundred taels of silver. I hope that Mrs. is a little young master, and the Sun family's property is good to be inherited, right? ”

As he was talking, a big girl wearing a silver and red armor inlaid with rabbit lamb hair hurriedly ran in in the moon cave door leading to the kitchen in the back house, thinking that she was running too quickly, and when she entered the door, she held on to the door frame and panted, and the gold-inlaid ruby and white fruit pendant in her ear swayed like a swing: "Quick, quick!" Send the old ginseng soup to the lady! ”

Aunt Fu saw that her face changed color rapidly, and immediately poured the ginseng soup into an official kiln ice-patterned lotus cup, and then carefully put it into a delicate food box with a cotton sleeve, and then sent a girl to send it: "Su Ye!" Hurry up and send it carefully, don't make a mistake! ”

He grabbed the big girl who turned around and wanted to leave: "Miss Yarn, how is the situation of Madame?" ”

Tears rolled in her eyes: "From last night to now, Madame has been in pain all night." The little boy just didn't move. Madame's body itself is not good, this time I saw that I had no strength, and I fainted just now. This has to be a good thing, but what should I do? As he spoke, he whimpered and began to cry. Aunt Fu's eyes were also red, and she hurriedly patted the yarn: "Silly girl!" That's it! Women don't all give birth to children in the ghost door. Our lady has always been kind and charitable, compassionate, and has never done good deeds, such good people, gods and Buddhas will bless her! She raised her hand and wiped her eyes: "Don't cry!" I don't have to be angry. Rest assured. Madame will be safe! ”

In the blink of an eye, it was dusk, and it was so dark that it was impossible to see anything more than ten paces away. The air-dead wind lantern under the eaves in front of the door had already been hung, and bursts of snow particles hit the oil silk cotton curtain on the door of the main house of the Sun Mansion. The door curtain kept being opened, and the shuttle-like girl carried buckets of hot water in, and came out with basins of blood water, and bursts of ** came out from the inner room from time to time.

Sun Zhang sat on the rosewood official hat chair in the outer hall, the sleeves of the ochre origami pattern silk lambskin robe were tightly clenched by his fists, and he was so wet and wrinkled by the sweat in his palms that he didn't feel it. Listening to his beloved wife's gradual weakness, he was anxious. I wanted to rush into the room several times, but was honestly and unceremoniously driven back by the old lady guarding the door. A little girl of four or five years old next to her, wearing a pink and gold brocade jacket and pants, and pink makeup, asked, "Daddy, how long will it take for my mother to give birth to her little brother?" Sun Zhangyang hugged her distressedly: "Be obedient in your clothes, my mother will work harder." Hungry, right? Let Mama bring you some food first, okay? ”

"I have to wait for my father and mother to eat together."

As he was talking, he heard a cry of "wow", and a cheer came from the back room: "It's born!" Raw! ”

As soon as the door curtain was lifted, Mr. Yang Yici, a famous gynecological saint in Yangzhou City, walked out, first carefully cleaned his hands under the girl's service, and then took the hot towel handed by the girl and wiped the sweat on his head, and stopped Sun Zhangyang, who was rushing to the ground: "Congratulations to Brother Sun, Mrs. Zun, mother and daughter are safe." ”

Sun Zhang Yang was stunned: "Ah, another girl? Alas! A girl is a girl! As long as the mother and wife are safe! ”

Yang Yici hesitated for a moment before sighing, frowning, and said, "Brother, Mrs. Zun's body is delicate, her pelvis is narrow, and it is very difficult to give birth. When I gave birth to the eldest lady, it was a smooth birth, but there were already dark injuries in the uterus; This fetus is a difficult birth, fortunately saving the life of the mother and woman, but it cannot be regenerated in the future, otherwise it will be difficult to save the life of the child. ”

Sun Zhangyang's heart was like a knife when he heard this: "Can't be reborn?" Haizhu, she knew how sad it should be. Hi! If you don't give birth, you won't be born, it's okay, and I'll die of distress if I let Haizhu suffer again. I have two precious daughters, what else is not satisfied? ”

Hearing him say this, everyone in the room laughed secretly in their hearts, but no one noticed that the little baby who had just been picked up by the midwife and had been crying all the time, but stopped crying, and looked at her father with a pair of dark eyes, with a hint of scrutiny in his eyes......

Hearing that Sun Zhangyang didn't care whether it was a man or a woman, the midwife secretly wiped a cold sweat, and only then did she dare to step forward with the baby in her arms, and said flatteringly: "Master Sun, I'm afraid that your daughter has an extraordinary background!" When the grass fell, there was a sudden smell in the house, and the incense mist lingered until now! That's a lot of luck! Look at it again, how handsome the little lady looks! Congratulations on the addition of another beautiful woman to the house! ”

Yang Yici also nodded: "Yes, Brother Sun, you are a very good person." There is a strange fragrance when it falls from the fetus..."He wrinkled his nose and sniffed again: "It seems to be the fragrance of roses, brother, I have been practicing medicine for so many years, and this is the first time I have encountered it." ”

At this time, everyone smelled the fragrance that diffused, and it was indeed a rich fragrance of roses. The people in the house were overjoyed, and they were busy kowtowing to Sun Zhangyang to say hello. A housekeeper smiled toothlessly and flattered: "Our young lady is so extraordinary, I think it should be the daughter of heaven who descended to earth." How can a mortal have such a fate! This is a rich and wealthy person, and he can still be a mother if he can't keep it! ”

Sun Zhangyang frowned, took the baby, the fragrance on the baby's body was even stronger, she didn't cry or make trouble, just opened her black eyes and looked at it casually. Seeing Master Sun looking at her, he looked at Master Sun without blinking. Master Sun only felt that those eyes were brilliant, and his tender little mouth opened and yawned, looking at her made people soft to the bottom of his heart. couldn't help but feel pity, hugged her tightly in his arms, and the only trace of frustration flew out of the clouds.

Master Sun stepped forward with the baby in his arms and gave Dr. Yang a big gift, and made a gesture to the midwife: "Thanks to the hard work of the two today, we can keep her mother and daughter safe." The grace of saving his life Sun will never dare to forget. It's just that today's fragrance is too strange, if it is spread out, it may attract people's attention, and I am afraid that the little girl will be blessed and will not be able to bear it. Please don't preach it. ”

He also instructed his subordinates: "It's just that the lady's bottle of Western perfume was spilled, so there's no need to make a fuss." A chill flashed between his eyebrows: "Don't talk about this matter again in the future!" If there is any more nonsense, the whole family will sell it immediately! Everyone was awe-inspiring, and they all agreed in unison. The mother-in-law who slapped the horse's ass on the horse's hooves hid behind the people with a face full of shame.

Sun Zhangyang waved his hand, and the girl who was waiting for the side to offer Xie Yi: the mother-in-law was one hundred taels of silver, and two good velvet rulers, two plain silk, and twenty catties of water cotton. This thank-you gift is enough to pay for most of the midwife's income for half a year. The midwife was overjoyed and hurriedly stepped forward to thank her.

The gift to Yang Yici is thick, it is five gold ingots of ten taels, two hundred-year-old ginseng, ten gold tweeds, and ten jars of fine osmanthus thick wine. Yang Yici accepted it after a push: knowing that his family is rich, although these gifts are thick, they are nothing in his family.

After receiving a generous gift, both of them also understood in their hearts: there is also a hush money in it. sighed that Sun Zhang looked up and loved his daughter, and both of them rotted today's events in their stomachs and never said anything about it. It's worthy of this generous gift.

Sun Zhang hugged his little daughter on his back, grabbed the corner of his father's clothes tightly, and came to Mrs. Sun's bed. Li Haizhu's smoky beautiful eyes blinked, and aggrieved tears flowed down her cheeks: "Master, it's a daughter again......"

Sun Zhangyang hurriedly wiped away his wife's tears with heartache, and carefully handed the baby wrapped in a Baina quilt carefully assembled with beautiful patterns of various colors of cloth to his wife: "What's wrong with my daughter, you see how beautiful our clothes are, this little girl is a little beauty, who else can compare to our daughter?" ”