My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

Chapter 17: Chapter 19 The Young Lady Named Him Ping'an

Old Mrs. Qin and her entourage arrived at Mrs. Gu's room to find the babies crying loudly, while Qin Liuxi was administering acupuncture to Mrs. Gu. The look on her face was ghastly.

"What's going on here?" Old Mrs. Qin's heart raced, especially seeing Mrs. Gu's pale complexion, which made her hands tremble.

Mrs. Wang had the wet nurse surnamed Zhou and Ju'er hold a baby each and take them aside to soothe them, otherwise the commotion was too unsettling.

Mrs. Gu slowly came to her senses, and when she saw everyone around, she was dazed for a moment before her gaze followed the sound of the babies' crying.

"Third Aunt, don't blame me for being blunt and unpleasant, but your constitution isn't suited to breastfeeding. I'm sure Qi Huang has warned you. Your insistence on trying will only wear you out," Qin Liuxi said, her face dark as she withdrew the needles and looked directly at Mrs. Gu with an icy tone. "You had a premature twin birth, which was not easy. After finally achieving a safe delivery for both mother and child, instead of focusing on your recovery, you exhaust yourself. Do you find your life too long?"

Mrs. Wang was somewhat helpless, softly calling out, "Xixi..."

Although the words were sensible, couldn't they have been phrased more gently?

Mrs. Gu forced herself to sit up, looking at Qin Liuxi with a guilty and aggrieved expression. "I just saw the child crying badly and wanted to let him have a few sips, but I didn't expect that I..."

She lowered her head, tears falling like beads off a string.

She never imagined she would not have a drop of milk for her child, seeing him struggle vigorously but unable to suckle anything, and then crying heart-wrenchingly. Her heart shattered. She was both frantic and panicked, and in her agitation, she fainted when she couldn't catch her breath.

"Your body can't handle it. The prescription I've given you includes medicinal herbs that suppress lactation. You can't breastfeed him," Qin Liuxi said quietly.

Mother's milk is as precious as a woman's blood, but Mrs. Gu's body couldn't support breastfeeding. No amount of replenishment would suffice for what she would lose.

The child is important, but the mother is even more so. If the mother is gone, where does that leave the child?

Mrs. Gu was stunned.

Old Mrs. Qin had already understood the situation and advised, "Mrs. Gu, your priority is to recover your health. Leave the children to the wet nurses. If one is not enough, then find another. But if something happens to you, what will become of the children and your husband?"

"Mother, I'm scared!" Qin Mingbao knelt by the bed, crying as he grasped her hand.

Mrs. Gu's heart ached even more, and her tears fell faster.

"Stop crying now. You can't cry during your confinement, or else your eyes will suffer later on," Mrs. Wang wiped away her tears, saying, "We know you're heartbroken for the children, but that's all the more reason to take care of yourself, isn't it?"

Mrs. Gu nodded, "I was shortsighted."

She was only thinking of her pity for the children, without considering that her body couldn't allow it.

Mrs. Gu looked at Qin Liuxi, "Like my sister-in-law, may I also call you Xixi? Xixi, these children were born smoothly with your presence, drawing upon your good fortune. Could you please give them names?"

Qin Liuxi's brows slightly furrowed as she turned to Old Mrs. Qin, "It should be the elders in the family who decide this."

"Mother..." Mrs. Gu immediately looked at Old Mrs. Qin, her eyes pleading.

Old Mrs. Qin then said, "Third Aunt is right, go ahead and give them names for now. These can be their nicknames; later, we will write to your grandfather and Third Uncle. When the children turn three, we'll give them their formal names."

With things having come to this point, Qin Liuxi refrained from further protest. She was well aware of the children's birth details and had also checked their pulses. But the children were too small, and it was too early to make any determinations, so she kept silent.

"Peace," Qin Liuxi looked at the swaddled babies in the hands of the wet nurse and Ju'er, suggesting, "Just call him 'Peace' for now. It's neither pretentious nor humble, and it signifies a life easily sustained."