Chapter 192: The Birth

Chapter 192

The Birth

Nie Ying was nearing her due date, and Kang Wang refused to leave her side. Every day, he worked from home, bringing documents to read near her. Nie Ying, not one to fall behind, had Wang Dongpo bring her ledgers to review as well. The couple often sat across from each other, exchanging glances while they worked, with smiles constantly playing on their lips. With Kang Wang taking such good care of his consort, Chunmei was sent to help Wang Dongpo at the increasingly busy tea house.

One night in the eighth month, Nie Ying went into labor. Kang Wang paced back and forth in front of the room, unable to sleep all night. As the first light of dawn broke, the cry of a newborn echoed, and the exhausted Wang rushed to the door.

“Yingying! Have you given birth? How are you?!”

Nie Ying had fallen asleep from exhaustion and didn’t answer. Kang Wang grew increasingly anxious, almost ready to break down the door to reach her. Chunmei, who had been helping in the delivery room, quickly came out to report.

“The consort is safe, Your Highness. She’s just very tired and has fallen asleep.”

“Can I go in and see her now?”

He asked urgently, forgetting even to ask about the gender of his child.

“Please wait a little longer, Your Highness. The delivery room is still not in the best state. I’ll notify you as soon as it’s ready.”

Yet, Kang Wang remained standing staring at the door, even after Chunmei had closed it, as if he could see through the walls. He needed to be certain with his own eyes that she was truly safe. The past hours had been unbearable, hearing her screams of pain and being unable to help.

After some time, the door finally opened. Kang Wang rushed in, kneeling beside his wife’s bed. Her small face was pale, drenched in sweat, and she looked so fragile that it pained him. He gently took her soft hand, careful not to wake her.

“Your Highness, it’s a son,”

Chunmei interrupted hesitantly, holding the newborn wrapped in cloth. Kang Wang turned to take the tiny, red-skinned baby into his arms. The tiny infant, not yet opening his eyes, seemed exhausted after his earlier cries and had fallen asleep. Still inexperienced in holding a baby, Kang Wang handled him awkwardly, fearful of dropping the little one. The baby, sensing some discomfort, furrowed his brow, and the father smiled, leaning down to kiss his brow. He sat there, looking between his son and his wife, and the more he looked, the more love swelled in his heart.

Once the three midwives had finished their work, they congratulated Kang Wang before leaving, each one beaming with joy as they exited the palace, rewarded handsomely for their efforts.

News of the newborn spread throughout Huangjing City, and the people celebrated. Many praised the fortune of the women from the Nie family, marveling at how Nie Ying had given birth to a son so soon after her marriage to Kang Wang, even though she hadn’t had triplets like the Lady Boss.

The couple named their son Ye Tianpeng. He was showered with love and care from his parents, making him perhaps the happiest child one could imagine. When news reached the capital, the Emperor, Xian Fei, and others in the palace sent an entourage of gifts in celebration. Everyone was delighted for Kang Wang, who had just become a father for the first time.

Kang Wang helped Nie Ying care for their child personally. In the beginning, the couple was quite inexperienced, relying on the guidance of an experienced wet nurse. Nie Ying quickly realized just how exhausting it was to have a child, growing even more impressed with Nie Shuang, who had handled triplets. During the first month, their baby cried frequently for milk, leaving Nie Ying sleep-deprived. Although Kang Wang had arranged for a wet nurse, Nie Ying still preferred to nurse the baby herself.

Nie Shuang and her family, who were traveling, received the news a bit late. The six lively children caused a constant commotion along the journey. None of the soldiers traveling with them were unfamiliar with Young Master Bao Bao. Every time the group stopped to eat, Bao Bao would rush toward the circle of soldiers with Xiao Tong running behind him. Bao Bao was fascinated by the soldiers’ uniforms and the weapons hanging at their waists, finding them far more entertaining than his younger siblings. His siblings would cry when he waved his arms and legs at them, unlike this group of friends—they let him climb and play as much as he wanted.

This time, General Song appeared different on his journey to the northern border. The soldiers had hardly ever seen him smile, especially during the period when his young wife was missing, when his face had been terrifyingly stern. But now, with his family traveling with him, the soldiers could constantly see a warm smile gracing his face. They could only hope that with the General in such a good mood, the training at camp might ease up a bit.

While riding in the carriage, the older triplets, who could understand more, were often placed in the same carriage as their grandparents. The younger triplets rode with their parents. Now that they had started crawling, they were rarely still when awake, often trying to crawl back and forth inside the cramped carriage. Li’er, Min’er, and Shang’er enjoyed the time spent alone with their parents without their older siblings around. The older ones were bigger and always grabbed their parents’ attention with their chatter. The younger ones had no way to compete, except by crying loudly, and sometimes all three would cry in unison to be able to compete with their older siblings.

Among the younger triplets, Li’er was the only one who liked Bao Bao. When the younger ones weren’t crying, Da Ge would often bring toys to share. Min’er and Shang’er would swipe their hands and scatter Da Ge’s toys all over the place, but Li’er would sit quietly, watching him play and clapping her hands happily. Seeing this, Da Ge would pat his little sister on the head and praise her in his broken speech, saying,

"Li Li good (girl)."

However, Bao Bao had rivals. Both Bei Bei and Xiao Hua Hua seemed fond of little Li Li too. Xiao Hua Hua, who had started speaking earlier than the others and could even sing, would often sit and sing songs for Li’er. Da Ge once tried to carry Li Li away, but accidentally made her fall, causing her to cry. As a result, he received three smacks on the bottom from his mother.

Min’er and Shang’er seemed like grumpy babies, not as cute as little Li Li. Especially Shang’er, who was fussy and often cried loudly. Once, Bao Bao playfully poked Shang’er’s cheek with his finger, but Shang’er bit his finger so hard that Bao Bao had to cry and call for his mother. His mother praised Bao Bao for not hitting his little brother, making Bao Bao feel proud. Min’er, even though he was the fifth child, was bigger than Li’er, the fourth. Once, Min’er grabbed his string-pulled cart and wouldn’t give it back. Mother told him that Min’er was still too young to understand and just wanted to borrow it for a while. Out of respect for his mother, Bao Bao agreed, but Min’er ended up tossing the cart, breaking the axle. Their mother didn’t scold Min’er at all, so Bao Bao cried. To make up for it, his mother had their father fix the cart for him.

Often, when their mother was surrounded by the younger siblings and Bao Bao couldn’t get close to her, he would look for his father. His father was always nearby, waiting for Bao Bao to run into his arms and scoop him up to comfort him. Bao Bao loved his father. Not only did his father help feed and bathe him, but when his mother was busy working, his father would take the older triplets out for walks in the garden. His father was quick and agile. Whenever Bao Bao tried to sneak off for mischief, like jumping into the lotus pond or climbing the rock garden, his father would always grab him by the collar and pull him back just in time.

Bao Bao was thrilled that this time he got to travel with his father. When his mother first told him that his father would be going back to the border, Bao Bao had been furious. His father was going to leave them again. But when his father said they would all be going together, Bao Bao’s anger disappeared. He loved this journey so much. Every night, they slept in a different place. Sometimes, they even camped by the roadside, which Bao Bao enjoyed the most. At night, the soldiers would build a fire and cook simple meals. When he looked up, he could see the vast sky full of stars.Unfortunately, this adventure ended too quickly. After just over twenty days, Bao Bao and his family arrived at their new home.