After Niannian’s wedding, Tao Yu and Yue Linze went traveling again, but they soon received news that the steward was unwell and hurried back.
The steward was in his twilight years, his eyes cloudy and unable to see clearly. He spent most of his days sitting in the courtyard of the city lord’s mansion, basking in the sun, occasionally chatting with Niannian and Yue Linze.
Knowing the steward didn’t have many years left, Yue Linze and Tao Yu stayed by his side, accompanying him for several years, until Niannian became pregnant.
Hearing that Niannian was pregnant, the steward seemed to regain some vitality, always saying, “I want to see my great-grandchild before I die.” And he did hold on until then.
Niannian was delicate and had been trying to conceive for years. She had taken too many supplements, making the birth difficult. She cried out in the room all night. Yue Linze and Tao Yu stayed outside, anxious. The steward, hearing the commotion, insisted on coming over. The maid had no choice but to push him in a wheelchair.
At first, Niannian was screaming, but then she fell silent. Yue Linze was anxious outside, unable to go in. He turned to see the steward staring intently at the window. His heart ached. “Steward, please go back and rest. I’ll bring the baby to you when it’s born.”
“No, I want to see my great-grandchild before I die,” the steward insisted.
Yue Linze had no choice but to stay with him.
As the first light of dawn broke, a baby’s cry echoed from the room, followed by the midwife shouting, “Mother and daughter are safe!” The son-in-law collapsed to the ground, the usually scholarly man crying without any composure. Yue Linze sat exhausted by the steward’s wheelchair.
Soon, Tao Yu emerged with the baby. The son-in-law rushed into the room without even glancing at the baby. Tao Yu smiled and held the swaddled baby tighter, showing the still-crying infant to the steward. “Look, this child is so beautiful.”
“My great-grandchild is naturally beautiful,” the steward said, his spirits high. Seeing the baby, he even laughed, his usually cloudy eyes clear. He reached out a trembling hand to touch the baby’s face, the contrast between his withered hand and the baby’s soft, red cheeks stark.
