The Daily Life Of Mei Furen Doting On Her Husband - Chapter 160

“You did not keep your word. Did you lie to me before?” Master Mei asked with a stern face.

Wu Zhen was not afraid at all; in fact, she even touched his face in an indecent manner and smiled, “That’s not called lying to you; that’s called coaxing you.”

Mei Zhuyu saw that she had no remorse and was left speechless for a long time. In the end, he could only wipe her cheek and say, “You have worked too hard.”

Wu Zhen held his hand that was caressing her face and replied, “You were also tired and worried.”

The child, who had been almost invisible, suddenly cried, breaking the ambiguous warmth between his father and mother. Wu Zhen’s expression turned blank for a moment before she picked up the child and stuffed him into Master Mei’s arms. “We agreed before that I will be responsible for giving birth and you will be responsible for raising the child. I leave it to you, my dear.”

Mei Zhuyu: “……?” When did we agree on this?

The child was born as the weather began to warm, with the peach and pear blossoms by the Jade Belt Pond in full bloom. He had grown into a jade baby, and his mother had finally begun to like him more than she did at the beginning, often carrying him out to meet people.

The once slim-waisted and elegant Hu-styled beauty, now dressed in men’s clothing, rode on horseback through the streets of Chang’an and made appearances in various music halls. However, this time, she brought a child with her.

The ladies in the music troupe, familiar with Wu Zhen, were thrilled to see her again after a long time. Before they could catch up with her, their attention was drawn to the child she was holding.

“Ah! What a cute child! Is this your baby?”

“The little boy is so adorable at such a young age. He will definitely grow up to be a handsome man!”

“Second Lady, he’s so cute! Can you let me hug him?”

“I also want to!”

“Me too!”

“Be careful, don’t drop the child!”

A group of ladies from the music troupe were vying to see the child, even dropping their instruments in the process. In the chaos, two of their scarves tore, but no one paid any mind. Wu Zhen waited behind the crowd, hugging her chest. She thought the child looked cute, but any crying child could drive a person to the brink of despair. Silently, she counted to three, and just as she reached the number, a loud cry erupted from the crowd, startling all the ladies.

“Ah! Why is he crying? Rui Niang, did you hold him too tightly?”

“Is he hungry?”

“How can I stop him from crying?”

“How about I sing a little tune to comfort him?”

“That makes sense. Let’s try it.”

A group of women surrounded the wailing baby. A gentle-looking woman sat among them, holding a pipa and singing a soft tune. Gradually, the baby stopped crying, opening his big eyes like black grapes, as if he were listening attentively.

Wu Zhen had been watching, hoping the crying would scare them off. To her surprise, she discovered that singing and playing music could soothe the child, and she felt a surge of joy. Consequently, she began appearing more frequently in various music halls. The more often he went and the more music he listened to, the more discerning he became. He refused to acknowledge those who sang poorly and continued to cry when the performance didn’t meet his standards.

That child was smart and precocious, learning to speak early. After several months of attending the music hall with his mother, when he finally learned to talk, the first word he uttered was not “father” or “mother,” but—

“Reward!”

At that moment, Mei Zhuyu was holding the child, while Wu Zhen sat opposite them, playing the pipa. Though she rarely took an interest in playing, she had received the pipa from Mei Zhuyu some time ago, so she often brought it out to play a tune or two.

Just after finishing a song, the child in Mei Zhuyu’s arms exclaimed, “Reward!” 

Mei Zhuyu initially didn’t comprehend what his son had said, but Wu Zhen understood immediately. She smiled and replied to her son, “Thank you for the reward, Young Lord!”

It finally dawned on Mei Zhuyu what the child meant. Whenever Wu Zhen enjoyed a musical performance, she would often give money to the musicians if she thought they sang well. How could his son grasp such a concept at such a young age?

If Wu Zhen continued teaching him like that, it could lead to trouble. Mei Zhuyu realized the seriousness of the matter.

After calming down, Mei Zhuyu looked at the child’s mother and felt it would be difficult to say anything to her, so he picked up his son and held him in front of her, ensuring they could make eye contact.

The little baby screamed and started crying, frightened by his father’s expressionless face.

Wu Zhen remarked, “Hey, the child is still young! Why are you being so mean to him?”

“I haven’t said a word yet,” Mei Zhuyu replied. Though his tone remained unchanged, Wu Zhen sensed the underlying grievance.

She quickly changed her approach, saying to Mei Zhuyu, “No, I didn’t say anything. Go on, scold me as much as you want. I promise I won’t be biased toward this kid.” After that, she playfully slapped her son’s round bottom and added fiercely, “Don’t bully your dad!”

The little boy couldn’t comprehend the situation, but he instinctively sensed that disaster was looming.

The child of Mei Zhuyu and Wu Zhen was named Mei Ruozhe, a name given by Mei Zhuyu, the biological father.

The naming of the child nearly sparked a fight within the Wu family. His father-in-law wanted to name the child Mei Yuanfa. When Her Majesty the Empress found out, she sneered and wrote a letter questioning whether her father had become foolish from chanting sutras, wondering why he didn’t simply name her Mei Fafang. She suggested naming the child Mei Baoyuan, a name that sounded festive and harmonious.

Wu Zhen felt discontented when she learned her sister wanted to give her son such a name. She laughed at her sister, deeming it rustic. She couldn’t understand how her wise and brave sister could propose such a casual name.

In Wu Zhen’s opinion, the child should be named Mei Yisi.

“Mei Yisi? That’s a funny name! Isn’t this much more interesting? Haha!” As a mother, she didn’t care if her son would be teased for having that name when he grew up. In fact, she would be the first to laugh.

Fortunately, Mei Zhuyu was a reliable father and disregarded her suggestion. He lit a stick of incense before the ancestors and meditated for half a day before settling on a serious name like Mei Ruozhe.

Wu Zhen sighed, “This name is really meaningless.” 

However, she didn’t voice her discontent, and thus the child’s name was officially decided. Her Majesty the Empress was quite displeased with the outcome. Princess Yuanzhen wrote a letter to Wu Zhen, while Concubine Mei also sent a message to Mei Zhuyu. Eventually, Baoyuan, the name suggested by Her Majesty, became the baby’s nickname.

Xiao Baoyuan resembled a little gold ingot. His mother, indulging him with a variety of food, had made him plump and adorable, with tiny ears that looked just like golden nuggets. However, the child didn’t inherit any special abilities from his parents. He lacked the extraordinary sight that allowed Wu Zhen and Mei Zhuyu to perceive monsters. He was just an ordinary boy.

“It’s good to be an ordinary person,” Wu Zhen mused, considering that if her child were ever disobedient, she could always catch a couple of little monsters to raise at home to scare him into behaving.

Unbeknownst to her, Mei Zhuyu was already enacting a more rigorous approach. Taoist Master Mei always taught his children in a straightforward and rough manner, even when it came to his own son. Soon enough, the little playfulness Xiao Baoyuan had learned from his mother was all but erased by his father’s stern teachings. He was molded into a serious and motivated child, one who stayed away from singing halls.

Nonetheless, whenever Mei Zhuyu was occupied with work, Wu Zhen would sneak Xiao Baoyuan out for some fresh air. The little boy inherited not only his mother’s beauty but also her thick skin. Once out of his father’s sight, his serious demeanor vanished. He lazily perched on the small table designated for practicing calligraphy, disdain written all over his face, mirroring the expression his mother wore when confronted with things she didn’t like.

A melodious bird song drifted in through the window, capturing Xiao Baoyuan’s attention. His eyes lit up as he rushed over, flinging open the window to reveal his mother’s beaming face.

“Your father has a lot to do today, so he’ll be back late. Come, let Mom take you out to play!”

With that, Wu Zhen scooped her son up under her arm and dashed out of the room, instructing the servants not to inform her husband about it. Xiao Baoyuan clutched his hands together, looking up at his mother with pleading eyes.

Under the combined pressure from the lady and the young child’s endearing pleas, the servants agreed to keep the secret from Mr. mei—at least for that day.

However, did Master Mei truly remain unaware?