Gu Qingcheng quickly fed her a few more spoonfuls of brown sugar water.
The woman seemed to regain some strength and said weakly,
“Heroine, I entrust my child to you. I hope you will treat him well. I will repay you with my life in the next one.”
“Don’t speak, I’ll take you out.”
The woman intermittently recounted her situation.
It turned out her name was Madam Liu. She was heavily pregnant and nearing her due date. Thinking she wouldn’t be able to return home for a long time if she gave birth, she decided to visit her parents before delivery. Unexpectedly, she was robbed by bandits from Black Wind Stronghold while passing through this area. Her scholar husband was killed by them, and the bandits intended to hold her for ransom, which was why they didn’t kill her.
Later, in the stronghold, she gave birth to a boy. Unexpectedly, a severe cold snap followed. However, because she was locked in the cellar, she and the baby didn’t freeze to death.
Gu Qingcheng held the baby and listened with great emotion, then encouraged her,
“It’s alright now. The bandits are all dead. I’ll take you and your child upstairs.”
“Thank you, benefactor. I can only repay your great kindness in my next life!”
Unexpectedly, at this moment, after finishing her important task, Madam Liu seized an opportunity, pulled a dagger from Gu Qingcheng’s waist, and stabbed herself in the chest. Blood gushed out instantly.
Gu Qingcheng was greatly alarmed, but it was too late to stop her.
She never expected Madam Liu to be so resolute. Previously, she hadn’t taken her own life, likely for the sake of her child. Now that her child had someone to entrust him to, she had resolved to die.
Seeing her daughter conversing with the woman below and sensing no danger, Hu Lanfang also descended into the cellar to help carry the baby up.
As soon as she reached the bottom of the pit, she saw Madam Liu with a knife in her chest, beyond help. The mother and daughter sighed and could only find a mat to cover her.
The baby in Gu Qingcheng’s arms began to cry again with a whimper. Gu Qingcheng sighed and said,
“Mother, let’s go. We’ll go up to feed the baby and prepare to go back.”
Mi Guo, who had witnessed the entire unexpected event, looked shocked.
After coming upstairs, Gu Qingcheng retrieved infant formula, a baby bottle, and hot water from the mall, prepared the milk, and put the bottle into the infant’s mouth.
Eating is a basic instinct. The human infant latched onto the bottle and drank greedily. Seeing him eat with such effort, Gu Qingcheng felt a little better.
“It seems we have to take him back and raise him,” Gu Qingcheng sighed.
“Indeed. If we don’t look after him, who will?”
Hu Lanfang was also quite speechless.
If she had known Madam Liu would commit suicide, she would have stopped her beforehand.
As a community cadre, wasn’t she capable of ideological work?
Who knew Madam Liu would be so resolute, acting faster than she could have imagined.
Gu Qingcheng bought a swaddling blanket for the infant from the mall, as well as a baby carrier to be worn on her chest. After covering it with a windproof and warming outer layer, they set off on their return journey.
Mi Guo was not surprised when his mother and sister decided to adopt the infant. Wasn’t he also adopted by them in the same way?
The Gu family was a warm and loving household, and he increasingly liked this home. With a new member joining the family, it felt even better.
On their way home, carrying the infant, they walked more slowly. It took them two hours to reach home, and it was almost dark.
However, as they finally arrived home and stood before their house, they were surprised to see a light inside and hear movement.
Could it be? Had their home been raided by bandits?
The three of them were on high alert.
Gu Qingcheng held her bow and gently pushed the courtyard gate. It was slightly ajar, not closed.
As she entered the house, she saw someone coming out, holding something. Gu Qingcheng shouted,
“Who’s there?”
Startled by the shout, the person’s hand trembled, almost dropping the clay pot he was holding.
Their eyes met, and they both smiled.
Gu Qingcheng put down her bow and said with a smile,
“Dad, why are you back? You startled me.”
“I was wondering where the three of you went. I came back and couldn’t find anyone.”
Gu Zhaobei placed the clay pot on a nearby table.
“It’s a long story,” Gu Qingcheng said. “Let’s talk inside, we’re freezing out here.”
Gu Qingcheng then turned and shouted to the outside, “Mother, Mi Guo, it’s Dad, you can come in.”
As Gu Qingcheng entered the house, perhaps due to the warmth inside, the baby she was holding suddenly started crying loudly.
Although the baby had cried like a sickly cat on the mountain, after drinking milk, he immediately regained his energy and cried so loudly that it startled Gu Zhaobei again. He quickly asked,
“Whose child is this? Where did it come from?”
“This is Qingcheng’s…”
Before Hu Lanfang could finish, Gu Zhaobei exclaimed in surprise, “You don’t even have a son-in-law, how can you have a child?”
Gu Qingcheng’s little face flushed red, and she retorted indignantly,
“Dad, why don’t you ask about the circumstances? We found this child at Black Wind Stronghold.”
She then explained the entire story. Only then did Gu Zhaobei pat his chest and say,
“You scared me to death. I thought…”
“What did you think? What were you thinking, Qingcheng is only 13 years old.”
Hu Lanfang muttered.
Like parents everywhere, they had once wished their children would grow up quickly so they could be free again.
But as their children grew older and prepared to leave home, they became reluctant, wishing they could take them back into their wombs and never let them leave.
After understanding the child’s origins, Gu Zhaobei, having been momentarily distracted, didn’t inquire further about the bandits and instead turned his attention to the child, asking,
“The child hasn’t been named yet, right?”
“No, Madam Liu said the child’s father’s surname was Zhang. Should we let him keep the surname Zhang?” Gu Qingcheng suggested.
“Good.”
Gu Zhaobei was also willing.
An extra child meant only needing one more pair of chopsticks. He didn’t have the idea of forcing the child to carry on their family line, so it wasn’t necessary for the child to bear their surname.
“Qingcheng, from now on, he will be your younger brother. Why don’t you give him a name?”
Gu Zhaobei yielded the right to name the child to his daughter, believing it would foster a closer relationship between them.
Given their daughter's youth and their own advanced age, it was more likely that she would spend more time with the infant. Establishing a good relationship from the start was essential.
Gu Qingcheng was terrible at naming things, but somehow a name came to her. She blurted out,
“How about calling him Xue Sheng? He was born in the snow, so Zhang Xue Sheng, what do you think?”
“Excellent, very meaningful. When he’s older and can understand, we’ll tell him his true story.”
Gu Zhaobei nodded in approval.
And so, the little baby’s name was decided.
Zhang Xue Sheng smacked his lips, put his fingers in his mouth, and suddenly started crying again.
Gu Qingcheng held him and tried to soothe him, but he continued to cry loudly. Gu Qingcheng was at a loss.
“Mother, what’s wrong? Why is he crying so much?”
“He might be hungry, or he might have urinated, defecated, or is feeling unwell. Children cry for these four reasons.”