Chapter 10: Named by Father

My gaze fell upon Nanny Zhang, and two sets of numbers appeared above her head. Her black number was forty, and her white number was sixty; her character was quite decent, and her fortune was not bad either.

Qingguo’s black number was ten, and her white number was ninety.

Wow, Qingguo’s fortune was surprisingly good. Why would someone with such auspicious luck be a servant? Still, she must be a loyal person.

Nanny Zhang looked at Meng Jiaoyue, who was staring back with eyes as round and black as grapes, and sighed with heartache. "Young Mistress, what are we to do? The young miss cannot go hungry."

After what had happened, they dared not let the young miss drink from the other two wet nurses.

Lin Yuntang said, "I will feed her myself."

Nanny Zhang was about to point out that it was unheard of for a lady of the house to breastfeed her own child, but considering their current predicament, there seemed to be no better option.

Upon hearing this, Meng Jiaoyue immediately began to cry. She didn't want to eat—she wouldn't drink from her beautiful mother either.

Lin Yuntang began to wonder if she, too, had been poisoned.

After coaxing her for a long while and seeing that her daughter truly refused to eat, Lin Yuntang had no choice but to say to Nanny Zhang, "Nanny Zhang, go and prepare some rice water yourself."

She could not trust anyone else right now. After a pause, she added, "Have the house physician inspect the rice and water before you cook it."

She was worried that someone might have reached into her own quarters, and she no longer felt safe with her own supplies. It was better to be cautious.

Nanny Zhang immediately replied, "Rest assured, Young Mistress, I will go at once."

Hearing that she wouldn't have to drink human milk, Meng Jiaoyue relaxed; rice water was quite nutritious, after all.

As she waited, she drifted off to sleep, wondering if her father would be able to uncover the culprit behind the scenes. That wet nurse had clearly been bought off—she wondered if she even knew the true identity of the person who bribed her.

Nanny Zhang acted quickly. When Meng Wenxuan heard that she was preparing rice water for his daughter, he had the physician check the rice and water first.

Once the physician confirmed there were no issues, Nanny Zhang went to prepare the rice water, taking the rice bag directly into Lin Yuntang’s room.

By the time Nanny Zhang returned with half a bowl of rice water, Jiaoyue had been so hungry that she couldn't sleep properly, waking up whimpering several times. Lin Yuntang’s heart ached for her.

Catching the scent of the rice, Jiaoyue opened her eyes at once. Seeing the bowl in Nanny Zhang’s hands, her eyes practically glowed with greed.

Her meal had finally arrived!

Lin Yuntang used a small silver spoon to feed her daughter herself. Jiaoyue ate mouthful after mouthful, enjoying every bit of it.

Seeing this, Lin Yuntang’s heart ached even more; how hungry her daughter must have been.

Seeing that she had already finished half, and fearing she might overeat, Nanny Zhang quickly said, "Young Mistress, that should be enough. The young miss is just born; she cannot eat too much, or it will upset her stomach."

Lin Yuntang prepared to stop, but Jiaoyue reached out her tiny hands and gripped the edge of the bowl tightly. "I’m not full yet, don't take it away."

Recalling her daughter’s earlier behavior and her unique nature, Lin Yuntang tentatively asked, "Yueya, you aren't full yet?"

Meng Jiaoyue made "ooh-ooh" sounds and said, "Mother, I’m not full."

Lin Yuntang tentatively fed her again, and Jiaoyue ate with gusto. Lin Yuntang was convinced: her daughter really wasn't full.

Nanny Zhang and Qingguo watched in stunned silence. Could a newborn baby eat so much? Would she make herself sick?

Meng Jiaoyue held onto the edge of the bowl with her little hands until she felt about eighty percent full, then let go. She had just been born and her body was small, so her digestive system was still weak. Even though she had a bigger appetite than a normal infant, she couldn't overeat; eighty percent was just right.

When her beautiful mother brought the spoon to her lips again, she kept her mouth shut.

Lin Yuntang was incredibly astonished. Her daughter could truly understand speech and knew when she was full.

Having witnessed the entire process, Nanny Zhang and Qingguo were so shocked they didn't know how to express their feelings. Their young miss could understand speech, knew when she was full, and refused to drink human milk—had she become some sort of supernatural being?

Regaining her composure, Lin Yuntang immediately warned them that whatever they saw today must be kept to themselves, and not a word should be uttered.

Nanny Zhang and Qingguo nodded immediately, practically swearing oaths that they would never reveal the young miss's peculiarities.

Once full, Meng Jiaoyue yawned and grew sleepy again.

Nanny Zhang smiled and said, "The young miss is sleepy. Young Mistress, let me wrap her up."

As soon as Meng Jiaoyue heard that she was about to be swaddled again, she immediately reached out to grab her mother’s collar and kicked hard at the swaddling blanket, protesting with "ah-ah" sounds.

Lin Yuntang watched her quiet daughter suddenly become restless and wondered what was wrong.

She looked at her daughter’s little feet, which were still kicking at the blanket, and remembered Nanny Zhang’s intention to wrap her up. Could it be that her daughter disliked the feeling of being restricted?

She tentatively asked, "Yueya, do you dislike being wrapped up tightly?"

Meng Jiaoyue became excited and broke into a grin.

Lin Yuntang understood; she was certain now that her daughter could indeed understand what they said.

Since her daughter disliked being tightly wrapped, they would leave her be.

"Very well, if Yueya doesn't like it, we won't wrap you up. Mother will keep an eye on you to make sure you don't catch a cold," Lin Yuntang said with extreme tenderness.

She didn't place her daughter back in the cradle but kept her on the inner side of the bed. Qingguo, showing great initiative, took the small quilt and pillow from the cradle and arranged them.

Lin Yuntang laid her daughter down and covered her with the blanket.

She patted her gently. "Yueya, sleep now. Mother is watching over you."

Meng Jiaoyue felt truly happy. So, this is what it felt like to be loved by a mother? It wasn't bad at all. She suddenly felt that those hundred boxes of spirit stones and the warm jade bed didn't matter so much anymore.

Meng Jiaoyue chatted with her mother for a bit before closing her sleepy eyes.

"Yueya, do you like your nickname? Your father chose it for you," Lin Yuntang whispered.

Meng Jiaoyue, who had already been quite sleepy, snapped her eyes open. What? Her nickname was chosen by her father?

Her father seemed like a man of culture; why would he choose such a mundane nickname?

Seeing her daughter’s eyes wide with curiosity, Lin Yuntang continued, "Your father said your formal name is Jiaoyue, so your nickname should be Yueya. It means that our precious girl is currently a small sprout of the moon. When you grow up, you will be a full moon—the true Jiaoyue."

Only then did Meng Jiaoyue realize that her nickname was "Yueya" (Moon Sprout), not the "Yueya" (Crescent Moon) she had assumed.

This nickname was filled with her father’s expectations—the hope that she would grow from a tiny sprout into a towering tree.

Well, looking at it that way, the nickname wasn't so bad after all.

Meng Jiaoyue gave her mother a toothless smile to express her satisfaction, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Seeing her daughter’s smile, Lin Yuntang knew she liked the name her husband had chosen. She realized that whenever her daughter was unhappy, didn't want to do something, or sensed danger, she would cry; when she liked something, she would smile.

Feeling exhausted herself, Lin Yuntang lay down beside her daughter and drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, a furious Meng Wenxuan was busy interrogating the wet nurse surnamed Wang, who had been revived by the house physician.