Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 550

Chapter 550: My Child

When An Zhi returned from her walk, she saw Madam He leaving with red eyes. She called out, “Madam of Meng,” but Madam He didn’t even look at her.

As An Zhi reached the threshold, she saw Madam Meng wiping away tears. She pursed her lips and went inside. “The hearts of parents are all the same,” she said. “Your efforts for Xuan’er will be worthwhile for you in the future.”

Seeing that An Zhi had noticed her tears, Madam Meng made no attempt to hide them. After wiping her own tears, she looked at An Zhi and said, “I understand my mother. She won’t give up until Xuan’er is married. I don’t really want Xuan’er to marry into a wealthy or powerful family; I just want to find a young man with ambition and good character. My nephew isn’t bad, but he’s too dull and not the kind of person who can bring honor to the family.”

An Zhi nodded, indicating she understood. Seeing hesitation in Madam Meng’s eyes, she said directly, “Third Sister-in-law, please speak frankly. If I can act as a matchmaker, I will definitely help.”

Everyone was intelligent. Madam Meng had been looking for a husband for her daughter for so long but had never mentioned choosing anyone. Therefore, An Zhi guessed that she had her eye on someone related to her.

Hearing An Zhi’s meaning, Madam Meng said directly, “Years ago, I had some dealings with your aunt, Madam Qian. She’s a few years older than me. When I was little, I thought she was really dashing, and I especially admired the Qian family’s traditions. I heard the Qian family has a youngest son who isn’t engaged yet. What do you think?”

In terms of social standing, the main branch of the Qian family was slightly higher than the third branch, but the difference was not significant. Moreover, the third brother’s career was steadily rising; even Pei Que said he had a bright future. An Zhi thought it was quite good.

“The Qian family is a family of military generals. They went to the west to guard the borders several years ago,” An Zhi recalled. “The last time I saw members of the Qian family was around the time of my wedding. The Qian family sent the youngest son that my third sister-in-law had her eye on. He’s tall and robust, not very talkative, but he has all the proper manners. He seems like a good candidate. But, third sister-in-law, if Xuan’er marries into the Qian family, she’ll have to leave the capital. Are you willing to let her go?”

In general, among the daughters of prominent families in the capital, those who married far away were usually illegitimate daughters or second daughters; eldest legitimate daughters rarely married far away, as they were the most honored young ladies in their families and were usually used for marriage alliances with prominent families in the capital.

Madam Meng had long considered marrying far away. There were good families in the capital, but her husband had chosen the path of a civil official, and the main branch of the Pei family also consisted of civil officials, so they wanted to establish some connection with military officials. Moreover, Madam Meng greatly admired the Qian family’s strict family traditions.

“I’m reluctant to let her go,” sighed Madam Meng. “But I know my daughter; she doesn’t have any grand schemes, and she’s better suited to a simpler family. What I said earlier was the truth; I genuinely like the Qian family’s traditions.”

“Alright, I’ll write to Aunt Qian later to ask.” An Zhi had recently gained a lot of favor from Madam Meng, and Pei Xuan was a pretty good girl, so she was happy to play matchmaker. “It’s almost New Year’s. Last year, the Qian family was busy suppressing bandits and didn’t come back, but they should send someone back this year. If the young master of the Qian family isn’t engaged yet, Aunt Qian will definitely send him back to the capital.”

Madam Meng herself couldn’t get close to the Qian family, but with An Zhi acting as a go-between, things became much easier.

With her previous worries gone, Madam Meng smiled and talked with An Zhi for a long time.

When Pei Que returned in the evening, An Zhi told him about Madam Meng’s thoughts. She sat in a chair watching Pei Que take off his outer garment. “Third brother and sister-in-law both understand. Their planning is quite farsighted.”

Pei Que wasn’t surprised. “The Lin family was seized because the whole family were scholars. If the Lin family had military power, the late Emperor wouldn’t have been able to raid them so easily. Although the Qian family’s military strength is inferior to the Bai family’s, the Qian and Bai families are related by marriage, and their territories are adjacent. Establishing a connection with the Qian family is like indirectly gaining access to talk to the Bai family. Third Brother doesn’t talk much, but he’s actually more shrewd than both Eldest and Second Brother, which is why the Third Branch is doing better than the other two.”

After taking off his outer garment, Pei Que squatted by the stove to warm his hands for a while. Once they were warm, he got up and sat down next to An Zhi. His dark eyes darted around, slowly curving into crescents. “These past few days, I’ve troubled Third Sister-in-law to help you greet guests. If this marriage goes through, it will be a good thing. Besides, the Qian family has many members, and in recent years they’ve been thinking of sending some people back to the capital to develop their careers. Pei Xuan might not necessarily marry far away.”

An Zhi, unaware of the Qian family’s intentions, said, “Any development is fine, as long as they become a good couple. I’m just playing matchmaker; whether they’re suitable or not is for them to discuss themselves.”

Pei Que hummed in agreement, leaned back in his chair, took the sweet cake An Zhi offered, ate one piece, and then refused, saying, “I won’t eat anymore; I won’t be able to eat anything else. I heard from Nanny Wang that you’ve already brought the midwife to the manor?”

An Zhi nodded. “Although I still have about a month until my due date, every time I think about how my stepmother and Aunt Zhang gave birth, I feel a chill. It’s better to have a midwife stay at home sooner rather than later, so there’s someone there for any emergencies, in case of any unexpected events.”

“Pah, pah, pah! There won’t be any unexpected events.” Pei Que straightened up abruptly. “Don’t talk nonsense. You’ve gotten through the past few months without any problems, and the last month will be fine too. You’ll definitely have a smooth delivery.”

Pei Que looked at An Zhi earnestly, reassuring her and also comforting himself.

An Zhi slightly curved her lips. Giving birth was truly unpredictable; many people were unlucky and died, liked her mother, who died after a miscarriage. This was An Zhi’s first time giving birth, and she felt a little scared every time she thought about it, but when she looked at the little toys she made for her baby, she also looked forward to the baby’s birth.

The closer the due date got, the more careful An Zhi became. She had not gone out much in the past two months, and then she only walked around her own courtyard, not even going to the garden.

An Zhi rubbed her belly, thinking about the baby clothes she’d recently made, and asked Pei Que, “Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl? Some people say sour for a boy and spicy for a girl, but I craved sour food a few months ago, then spicy food around the fifth or sixth month, and now I crave sour again. Others say my belly is pointed, like I’m carrying a son. I’ve made clothes for both boys and girls; I’m just so curious.”

Pei Que hadn’t paid much attention to childbirth before, only learning about the many taboos surrounding pregnancy after his own wife became pregnant. He reached out and touched An Zhi’s belly, feeling the baby move inside. His heart raced, and he exclaimed with delight, “It seems like it knows we’re talking about it!”

An Zhi laughed. “It probably doesn’t know. It’s not even born yet; how could it be so accurate?”

“Our child is definitely different,” Pei Que said proudly. “You just mentioned whether it’s a boy or a girl; I really don’t know. As long as you and the baby are safe and sound, I’ll be happy.”