A newborn little prince and princess were in the arms of the midwife and palace servant. They were already wrapped in swaddling clothes and carefully cleaned.
Stepping forward, the midwife guided Wen Mingyu on how to breastfeed and explained the significance of the first feeding, preferably within half an hour. Seeing that everything was going well, the midwife then retired and left, allowing the emperor and empress to spend their first private moment with their newborns. After Wen Mingyu finished breastfeeding, he quickly pulled his lapels shut. His ears flushed red. Although it wasn’t painful, he felt awkward and also nervous, worried that he hadn’t done it correctly.
It was a wonderful feeling, as though he and his children had formed a connection. Watching them work so hard to drink his milk moved him deeply.
Wen Mingyu did not let anyone take the babies away once they were fed and instead watched them affectionately, clinging to them like a dragon guarding its gold and silver jewellery, treasuring them.
Wen Mingyu asked, “I heard that babies just born have wrinkled skin and resemble little old men. Really ugly. Is it true? But they look fine to me now. Your Majesty, what did they look like right after they were born?”
Mu Zhan had actually just gotten a good look at them himself. He was too overwhelmed earlier and didn’t pay attention at all.
He gave a solemn nod. “Mn, very ugly.”
Wen Mingyu truly believed him, even looking down at his babies, marveling at how rapidly they had changed.
After all, what he was seeing now wrapped in swaddling clothes were two fair-skinned, grape-like eyes, and little hands squeezed into fists, so unbelievably cute.
But later, a palace servant would unintentionally mention to Wen Mingyu how the little prince and princess were among the most beautiful newborns the midwife had ever seen and that they would undoubtedly become even more handsome and beautiful as they grew older. Wen Mingyu would then realize Mu Zhan had lied to him.
At the moment, Wen Mingyu didn’t care and said, “It’s okay. It’ll look better now.”
He reached out and caressed the baby’s tiny fist. It was so small in comparison to his own hand. No matter how he looked at it, it was just too adorable.
“Since we haven’t decided on their formal names yet, let’s give them nicknames first. If not, we won’t know what to call them,” Wen Mingyu said enthusiastically, showing no signs of fatigue.
Imperial names were very particular with this matter and not something that could just be set in stone, especially since these children were legitimate heirs to the throne. However, nicknames differed. Intimate names were bestowed by elders and were not subject to rigid rules. Quite a few commoners gave their children playful names likeDog Eggsand so on.
Naturally, Wen Mingyu wanted to give the kids cute nicknames, and given his love for food, he proposed, “How about Stinky Tofu?”
This new food he tried during his pregnancy was delicious, and Wen Mingyu was so impressed that he still had a craving just at the thought of it.
Mu Zhan: “…”
Ever since the midwife had brought the babies in, Wen Mingyu’s focus had entirely been on them, barely even sparing Mu Zhan a glance. His expression turned slightly displeased, and the look he gave the two adorable cubs was now tinged with a bit of jealousy.
Then, he heard the rathercharmingnickname Stinky Tofu and found himself not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
“If you really call them Stinky Tofu, they will cry.”
Wen Mingyu was a bit torn, understanding but unable to let go of this appetizing-sounding name. “Really? But stinky tofu is so good…”
No matter what angle, naming your child Stinky Tofu while gazing at the child and at the same time drooling at the thought of food was not normal.
Pk WaGw’t IgrbIttQJw LGt vJhrSQvGEIH EJ HItvbQiI. sI EJkvaIH EaI YQtE JY EaI SQEESI JwI vSJtItE EJ aQh. ektE Gt aQt aGwH hGHI vJwEGvE, EaI SQEESI iGiN aGrrIwIH EJ hJAI EJJ, hGBQwV QE SJJB Gt EaJkVa EaI iGiN aGH rkwvaIH aQh.
Wen Mingyu was puzzled. “What made you think this?’
Mu Zhan cast his eyes down to Wen Mingyu’s ankle, where a delicate gold chain was fastened, with a small, intricate bell hanging from it. He let out a low laugh. “Sort of a love token.”
Wen Mingyu followed his eyes and instantly remembered something. He blushed and shook his head firmly. “Nope. Change it.”
How else would he call out his son’s nickname in the future without it coming to mind.
Mu Zhan’s face showed pity, but Wen Mingyu refused stiffly, so he had to settle for the next best thing and said, “Rice Cake it is then.”
Because Wen Mingyu liked eating rice cakes. He had just eaten them a couple of days ago.
“Little Rice Cake?”
Wen Mingyu thought it was good and found it cute. Compared to Little Bell, this one was much more acceptable. He nodded quickly.
He lowered his head and continued to watch his two little ones. They were so tiny, had just been born, and couldn’t respond to him, yet he couldn’t bear to look away.
Fingers carefully touched their plump cheeks, caressed the fine soft baby hair, and lightly pinched their tiny fists with two fingers. Just watching them like this, his heart already melted into a puddle of water. It was in this moment that the reality of fatherhood truly sank in. He now had the responsibility of raising and nurturing these two little lives.
“Little Rice Cake, Little Chilli.”
Wen Mingyu whispered their names softly, his eyes curling into a smile.
Mu Zhan’s earlier frustration had long since vanished and been replaced by a similar feeling of warmth. He extended his hand and placed it lightly on Wen Mingyu, as if drawing him and the children into his embrace. Wen Mingyu returned his gesture; it was as if the two fathers were building a safe haven from the wind and rain, a haven where they would watch over and guide their children as they grow.
Babies were naturally sleepy creatures. The little prince and princess have eaten their fill and soon closed their eyes again and fell into a peaceful slumber.
As Wen Mingyu watched them, exhaustion crept up on him. His eyelids grew heavy, and he felt sleepy too.
“Sleep,” Mu Zhan said.
Wen Mingyu mumbled vaguely, still wanting to say something. But in a beat, he fell asleep and entered dreamland, with a hint of a smile lingering on his lips.
One big and two littles, sleeping together. There was already a resemblance between them.
Although their features were not apparent yet, it could be seen from the round eyes that they were like Wen Mingyu’s. Tiny, miniature versions of him.
Unconsciously, Mu Zhan’s eyes softened as he looked at this scene. He watched for a long time before eventually closing his eyes and falling asleep as well.
In the following month, imperial physicians focused on nursing Wen Mingyu back to health. They replenished his nutrients and ensured he recovered as much as possible to his prenatal state of health.
Wen Mingyu felt like he was being handled like a fragile porcelain doll during this time. Everybody was extra cautious around him, especially with regard to his cravings. No matter how pitifully he looked at Mu Zhan or how sweetly he pleaded, he could only eat just a little bit. It was useless.
Mu Zhan was with him during the whole birthing process, and he appeared to have been shaken by that life-threatening experience. He was taking no chances and remained extremely strict. No amount of pleading could persuade him otherwise.
Wen Mingyu could understand that light and nutritious meals weren’t bad, but he really would love to have some strong-flavored dishes. The thought had him drooling.
At such moments, Wen Mingyu would walk over to the infants’ cradle and look at the soundfully sleeping Little Rice Cake and Little Chilli. Newborns slept a lot and spent the majority of their days napping. They basically woke up in less than half an hour and then fell back asleep for nearly two hours.
Wen Mingyu watched the well-behaved sleeping babies. He gently poked their plump cheeks and complained, “Mean father, isn’t he?”
A second later, just as he spoke, Little Rice Cake happened to wake up. His black orbs looked upwards, just in time to meet Wen Mingyu’s eyes. Little Rice Cake unconsciously curled up his tiny mouth and grinned a little.
Wen Mingyu was stunned and instantly felt a bit weak, feeling like he was teaching the child bad things. He quickly tried to remedy the situation. “You didn’t hear anything.”
After thinking about it, it was only less than a month. The baby definitely didn’t understand. Relieved, he made a mental note to be more watchful of what he says around the children.
Since it was feeding time, he bent down and carried Little Rice Cake out. Being taught by the midwife, his posture of holding the child went from rusty to skilled. And he already knew exactly what to do.
After feeding Little Rice Cake, Little Chilli also woke up, so he gave Little Rice Cake to Mu Zhan to hold and feed another one.
Mu Zhan’s way of holding the baby was equally skillful, only his eyes fell on Wen Mingyu with a faint, unreadable look. “What were you telling the child?”
Wen Mingyu acted like he didn’t hear anything. He lowered his head and focused on Little Chilli in his arms.
But Mu Zhan went on, “I heard you badmouth me.”
“You heard wrong.”
“You didn’t just badmouth me, you lied to me.”
“What did I lie to you about?” Wen Mingyu felt like he was spoken to like a scum and was being falsely accused. He glared over in dissatisfaction.
Mu Zhan replied, “You lied to me that you would give birth to a litter.”
”…”
Wen Mingyu’s face changed to one of guilt. He turned away and muttered, “Two is already a lot. They’re barely getting enough milk as it is.”
Not to mention, this man even had the audacity to steal milk from the two babies.
Just thinking about this, Wen Mingyu wanted to smack him.
But Mu Zhan said, “It’s fine. We can arrange for a wet nurse. There’s also cow’s milk and goat’s milk, and there’s no problem with eating rice porridge.”
Hearing this, Wen Mingyu was just about to scold him when he was interrupted—by Little Rice Cake, who spit milk onto Mu Zhan. A wet stain instantly appeared on his robe, and a faint milky scent clung to him.
Wen Mingyu burst into laughter and chided, “That’s what you get for saying that. You’re not liked, are you?”
Mu Zhan was slightly stunned. He hadn’t expected this and had been so preoccupied with speaking to Wen Mingyu that he had forgotten to burp the baby, leading to this.
He had to use a brocade handkerchief to dab at the milk stains that were spilling over Little Rice Cake’s mouth before he changed into a fresh, clean robe. By the time Mu Zhan got back, Wen Mingyu had already finished feeding and was about to burp Little Chilli when he reached out and said, “I’ll do it.”
Wen Mingyu was not polite and handed the baby over and asked casually, “Have you decided on their names?”
Mu Zhan nodded. “Yes. Mu Lin will be the prince’s name, while Mu Ning will be the princess’s.”
They had been racking their brains over names for days, so much so that they nearly went bald from overthinking. After much deliberation, they finally reduced it down to a few decent options. Though Wen Mingyu liked them all and couldn’t decide, he left the final decision to Mu Zhan to see which was more suitable for the imperial family requirements.
As for their surname, both children would take Mu Zhan’s since they both have the right to inheritance, and this also gave them options to choose their future paths. Once finalized, their names would be subjected to formal procedures and be recorded into the jade register. The imperial family’s genealogy.
The author has something to say:
Little Rice Cake:yueee—
(Watch me perform a dramatic milk spit)
Little Chilli:chug milk and watch the show.jpg
Mu Zhan: …
Jade Cub: hahahahahahahaha.
Mu Zhan, without saying a word, carried a person into the bedchamber.
The babies’ nicknames were chosen based on their characters. Their other form will appear once they grow a bit. Soon~
PS: Sighting of red is generally a pre-labor sign. In the 24 to 48 hours before delivery, the cervix begins to dilate, causing a slight separation between the fetal membranes and the uterine wall. This leads to small capillary ruptures and discharges a small amount of blood.
The pregnancy and birth is based in Baidu and Author asked people around. Everyone’s situation is not quite the same. Some have sightings of red and then have a sense of pain and then water breaks. But there are many pregnant women who had their water broken first, before contractions started. It may be painful for a long time before giving birth, but some also just felt uncomfortable and delivered very quickly. It depends on the person. The text is written to only reflect some possibilities. The reality of listening to the doctor shall prevail. Author is a single dog and has never given birth. QAQ