Chapter 206 "Third Day Bath"

At night, Liu Zhiye stayed in the hospital with his daughter. He glanced at his daughter who fell asleep after eating and drinking, and his heart was filled with pity.

Then, he gently stroked Gan Ning's hair and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Ning." The moonlight sprinkled on his face, reflecting a deep and determined expression.

Gan Ning said softly, "Zhiye, I'm sorry that I couldn't give you a son. Will you..." At this point, she hesitated, with a hint of regret and worry in her eyes.

Liu Zhiye blocked her mouth with his fingers and looked at her seriously: "Xiao Ning, why do you think so? I am not old-fashioned. Having a son or a daughter is the same to me. In my heart, I am only happy and have no regrets."

These words came from his heart. As soon as he saw Xiaoxian, he thought of his daughter Keke, who had been haunting him in his previous life.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Liu Zhiye always felt that Xiaoxian looked so much like his daughter Keke in his previous life when they were just born, as if she was the best gift God had given him.

When he saw Xiaoxian again, he seemed to have traveled back in time. His daughter's bell-like laughter echoed in his ears again: "Dad! Come and play with me..." He burst into tears and fell into memories.

at night.

"Wow!..." The baby's cry broke the silence.

Liu Zhiye, who had just been dazed for a moment, suddenly woke up and immediately looked at his daughter who was sleeping on the small bed.

Gan Ning also said in a daze: "The child is hungry again, please bring her over!"

Liu Zhiye did not immediately pick up the child to feed her, but first lifted the quilt to look at the child's butt. Sure enough, after finding a pool of black and green feces, he quickly changed her into a dry diaper.

After patting Xiaoxian gently, she fell asleep peacefully again after a while!
Gan Ning was amazed as she watched Liu Zhiye perform these movements with such skill.

"Zhiye! Sure! Tell me the truth, is this really your first time being a father?" Gan Ning said doubtfully.

Liu Zhiye looked aggrieved and said, "What's wrong? Are you starting to doubt me?"

Gan Ning continued to ask: "What happened just now? Your movements were quite skillful. I don't know these parenting knowledge, but you, a grown man, know a lot?"

Liu Zhiye explained: "Hey! I am so wronged! I found someone to teach me in advance. You know I learn things quickly."

"Okay then! I'll believe you this time..." Gan Ning responded after hearing that.

Liu Zhiye was secretly sweating in his heart. He had to admit that these women were quite perceptive.

Although Liu Zhiye lied, that was in his previous life! Strictly speaking, he didn't lie.

……

Liu Zhiye stayed in the hospital for three days, and Gan Ning and her daughter were discharged smoothly. The family of three rushed back to the courtyard, and they were going to hold a "third day bath" ceremony for the child today.

Old Beijing people believe that there are two major events in life: one is the "washing the third day" three days after birth; the other is the "receiving the third day" three days after death.

So everyone, rich or poor, takes action, big or small, but it is not as big a deal as in other regions.

If we really want to celebrate it formally, we have to wait until the full month to hold a big celebration.

Before the "third day of bathing", the Liu family followed the old custom and prepared the navel hairpin, basin cloth, jar stove, millet, gold and silver ingots, flowers, flowers, measuring cups, buckets, padlocks, scales, small mirrors, toothbrushes, tongue scrapers, green cloth tips, green tea leaves, new combs, new cages, rouge powder, pig pancreas soap balls, new towels, copper tea trays, green onions, ginger slices, moxa balls, baking cages, incense and candles, money and grain paper codes, raw and cooked eggs, mallets, etc.

You also need to boil water made from locust trees, cattails and mugwort, and use rouge to dye some laurels, lychees, raw peanuts and chestnuts red.

If the baby is a girl, an embroidery needle should be threaded with red silk thread and soaked in sesame oil in a wine cup for three days so that the baby's ears can be pierced during the "third day of the baby's wash".

Because Liu Zhiye's daughter was born in a hospital, no midwife was hired, so their family did not invite a "midwife" to preside over the ceremony, and everything was simplified a lot.

What to do if there is no "midwife"? So they choose to let the three aunts who have given birth to many children to take on this role.

In order to thank the three aunts for their help, Liu Zhiye specially sent ten kilograms of eggs to their family. This unexpected surprise made the three aunts very happy, as she originally wanted to help out of good intentions.

When I got home, I found that Liu Zhitai had already made arrangements. Grandpa, aunt, sister, brother-in-law and others were all there, which made me feel particularly warm.

When the old man heard the noise, he rushed out of the house anxiously with his crutches, shouting, "Where is my great-granddaughter? Let me see her..." His anxious expression and hurried steps revealed his deep expectation for his great-granddaughter.

"Grandpa! Look, this is your great-granddaughter, Xiaoxian..." Liu Zhiye held the child and showed it to the old man.

"Haha! Xiaoxian! I'm your great-grandfather!" The old man was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.

Then he said: "This child is so handsome, and his face shape is very similar to our family's faces. You can tell at first glance that he is from our family..." The uncle, aunt, sister, and brother-in-law also stepped out of the house and surrounded the child, looking at him with concern.

The uncle carefully took the child and found that Xiaoxian was not shy at all. He stared at him with his big black and bright eyes, blinking his long eyelashes, and grinned.

She felt so fond of the child that she said affectionately, "Hey, let grandma see whose little baby this is?" The child's adorable look made her want to share it with more people.

The aunt gently rubbed Xiaoxian's cheek, and Xiaoxian did not resist, but just felt a little itchy on his cheek. Xiaoxian's little hands kept waving, trying to touch the aunt's cheek, and his mouth made a sound of "ah~ah~". The aunt smiled gently and gently stroked Xiaoxian's little hand. The scene was warm and harmonious.

"This child is well-behaved, easy to raise, and not noisy. He is really kind to others..." Deng Ru said with a kind smile.

"Let's go inside and talk. It's windy outside, don't let the children get caught in the wind!" the old man warned.

The family carried the child into the house, and Liu Zhiye finally felt like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders, and he felt a lot more relaxed.

Later, Liu Zhiye asked Deng Ru, "Mom, has Zhitai gone to pick up my father-in-law and his family?"

Deng Ru replied: "Yes, I went there. I just took your grandfather home and rushed to pick him up. I think he should be back by now..."

Everyone here today is our family, and this is the big day for “the third day of the lunar year” according to the customs in Beijing.

Usually only close relatives will come to congratulate the mother. They will give the mother some food such as oil cakes, osmanthus jar stoves, broken-edge jar stoves, eggs, brown sugar, etc., or some clothes, shoes, socks, etc. for the children as gifts.

The old man also prepared gifts for her including a rocking bed, a rattle, a hand bell, a wooden horse, etc.

This afternoon, Auntie Three got lucky. She became the "midwife" and was treated as a distinguished guest. She sat in the main seat and ate a lot. It was really enjoyable.

The table was full of delicious dishes, including stewed chicken, sea cucumber with scallions, braised yellow croaker, prawns, crabs, and spare ribs. Her stomach was so full that it was about to burst. She ate until her face was flushed and she burped several times.

The last staple food at noon is noodles, commonly known as "washed three noodles".

After the meal, the "bath three ceremony" begins. The "bath three ceremony" is usually held after lunch, and today it is presided over by the three aunts who act as "midwives".

First of all, at the front of the living room of Liu Zhiye's house, there is an elaborately set up incense table, on which are enshrined thirteen statues of gods including Bixia Yuanjun, Qiongxiao Niangniang, Yunxiao Niangniang, as well as statues of the Goddess of Childbirth, the Goddess of Childbirth, the Goddess of Pox, the Goddess of Vision and other gods.

The incense burner is filled with millet, which is used as ash for incense sticks.

A pair of small red candles are inserted on the candle stick, and underneath are pressed yellow coins, ingots, thousand pieces of paper and other money for worshiping the gods.

In addition, statues of the gods "Kanggong and Kangmu" are enshrined on the kang head of their bedroom, and three to five bowls of osmanthus jar stove or oil cakes are used as offerings.

As usual, mother-in-law Deng Ru burned incense and kowtowed, and the "midwife" the third aunt also followed suit and bowed three times.

Then, the Liu family placed a copper basin filled with soup made from locust branches and mugwort leaves and all the ceremonial items on the kang.

At this time, the third aunt held Xiaoxian in her arms, and the prelude to the "third day of the newborn" ceremony began. The Liu family members, in order of seniority, took the lead in adding a small spoonful of water to the basin, and then put some coins in it, which was called "adding water to the basin".

If you add gold or silver ingots or coins, put them in the basin. If you add banknotes, put them in the tea tray.

In addition, you can also add some auspicious fruits such as longan, lychee, red dates, peanuts, and chestnuts.

The third aunt also has a fixed set of blessings when she serves as the "midwife", and she always says different blessings based on the content you add.

If you add clear water, she will bless you with "long-flowing water, smart and clever"; and when you add auspicious fruits such as dates, laurel, chestnuts, etc., she will bless you with "early birth of a son, and many sons; laurel symbolizes wisdom, which will make you hit the top three in your studies and career."

These simple and meaningful blessings always win the favor of the Liu family.

After "filling the basin", the third aunt picked up the pestle and stirred the basin, then said: "Stir once, stir twice, stir three times, the sister leads the younger brother to run. Seventy-year-old, eighty-year-old, crooked-haired boy, naughty boy, they are all here!" Her voice was full of joy and expectation, as if calling for Xiaoxian's younger brothers and sisters to come.

When Xiaoxian was bathing, she caught a cold and started crying. The Liu family not only did not think that it was a taboo, but instead believed that it was a good omen and called it "ringing basin."

The third aunt was busy bathing the child. She gently scrubbed the child's skin while whispering blessings. Something like: "Wash the head first, you will become a king; wash the waist later, each generation will be taller than the previous one..." It was particularly interesting.

Then, he lit a moxa ball, used ginger slices as a support, and placed it on Xiaoxian's forehead, roasting it symbolically.

After combing Xiaoxian's hair and dressing her up, she added: "Three combs, two combs, you will wear a red hat when you grow up; draw eyebrows on the left, tie the temples on the right, you will find a son-in-law who is as good as the village head; brush your teeth, rinse your mouth, and don't embarrass yourself when talking to others."

(End of this chapter)