Riding the wind of rebirth

"What does the baby's birth chart (Ba Zi) predict?"

"I only know a little bit about it," Zhou Zhi said with a smile. "I just discussed a little something with my fourth cousin. The main star in the child's year pillar is the Eating God; the secondary star is the Direct Seal; and the terrain is Bathing. Analyzing from the year pillar, the child is generally refined, cheerful, likes to follow a methodical approach, has a good appetite, and always finds delicious food. The person is also elegant, delicate, and graceful."

“Then she’ll probably end up like Sister Xue Shan.” Mai Xiaomiao nodded: “Putting everything else aside, with you as my godfather, the promise of good food and always being able to find delicious meals is definitely true.”

Zhou Zhi smiled and said, "Yes, and the children were happy when they were young, they were good at thinking, had good minds, and could concentrate on studying. They were smart, had strong learning abilities, were good at studying when they were young, had enough to eat from birth, came from good families, and were quite filial to their parents."

"However, he was weak and frail in his childhood, which made his parents worry. In addition, although he had ancestral real estate, it was not valuable and he had no family business to rely on. Therefore, his parents were people who worked hard with their own hands. Furthermore, the family was mostly managed by women."

"Wow?! That's pretty accurate!" Mai Xiaomiao said. "You said Yang and the others have a big house in the countryside, but their family was still very poor when they were young, right?!"

“Uh… I don’t really believe in these things, but there are just too many people who like it, and none of them like to learn it.” Zhou Zhi shook his head: “In my opinion, fate prediction is a bit like quantum observation. From the moment you start to predict it, it will no longer be the same as before.”

"In Confucianism, there is no concept of fatalism. Everyone's fate can be changed by improving their character, knowledge, wisdom, morality, and many other aspects."

"Let me tell you a story about Sun Shu'ao. When Sun Shu'ao was young, he went out to play and saw a snake with two heads. He killed the snake and buried it. Then he cried all the way home."

"His mother saw him and asked why he was crying. Shu'ao replied, 'I heard that anyone who sees a two-headed snake will die. I just saw it and was afraid to leave my mother and die.' His mother asked again, 'Where is the snake now?' Shu'ao replied, 'I was afraid others would see the snake, so I killed it and buried it.' His mother said, 'I heard that those who do good deeds in secret will be blessed by Heaven, so my child, you will certainly not die.'"

"Afterwards, nothing happened. Sun Shu'ao even became the Ling Yin of the State of Chu, which is the prime minister. Before he even began to govern, the people believed in his benevolence because of his noble character. Later, he governed the country as the people wished. He was honest and simple throughout his life, and the people of Chu praised him. The Records of the Grand Historian called him the first 'upright official'."

"So you see, we Chinese people actually believe more in 'human effort can make all things happen,' which is what Sun Shu'ao's mother meant by 'those who have good deeds in secret will be rewarded by heaven.' The fate that one's birth date and time can influence is not that important. The key is the choices one makes at certain turning points in life."

“But what needs to be calculated still needs to be calculated, and what needs to be supplemented still needs to be supplemented.” Mai Xiaomiao nodded in agreement with Zhou Zhi’s statement, but still insisted on a different set of rules.

"Hahahaha..." Zhou Zhi laughed: "Xiao Miao, you're absolutely right. This is another set of things that we Chinese admire—pragmatism!"

"I'm a little tired today," Mai Xiaomiao yawned. "I'm also missing the baby a bit. Let's go to the hospital early tomorrow."

"Okay, bring them breakfast while you're at it."

Nothing happened that night. The next day, when Zhou Zhi and Mai Xiaomiao arrived at the hospital with a bag of steamed buns and fried dough sticks and a thermos of soy milk, they found Feng Xueshan slowly walking in the corridor with Yang He's help.

"The doctor told you to move like this?" Zhou Zhi asked worriedly as he stepped forward.

"Yes, the doctor said that in Xue Shan's case, she can start walking slowly after six to twelve hours." Yang He smiled and said, "Among the mothers who gave birth last night, Xue Shan is in the best condition. The doctor said it's all because she controlled her diet well and didn't let the baby get too big."

"I don't know what happened to Brother Zhang last night."

“I met her while I was heating up the milk,” Yang He said. “It’s a big, chubby girl weighing eight pounds.” “So far off? This ultrasound is so unreliable!” Zhou Zhi said. “It was predicted to be a little over six pounds, but it’s actually a little over eight pounds. No wonder she couldn’t be delivered naturally.”

"Yes, we suffered twice."

"How's your breast milk?" Mai Xiaomiao asked the baby with concern. "Can Sister Xueshan eat meat, eggs, and fish today?"

"Crucian carp soup or yellow catfish soup should be fine, right?" Zhou Zhi said. "If it's edible, I'll go buy some in a bit."

"The doctor said it's okay," Yang He said. "Does Xue Shan have an appetite? There's no need to buy anything; my father-in-law brought up a bucket of yellow catfish this time."

"Oh right!" Zhou Zhi slapped his forehead: "I almost forgot that the two elders were coming up today. They even brought live fish with them? They're really making a fortune out of tofu."

“The fish caught in the river tastes different from those raised in ponds,” Yang He said. “There are also green plums and pig stomach.”

“This is also quite important.” Zhou Zhi nodded. Green olives are olives. According to the tradition of Jiachuan, women should use green olives to stew pork tripe soup to clear “fetal toxins” before and after childbirth.

There's absolutely no green fruit for sale in Sichuan. This stuff is a specialty of tropical and subtropical regions. In Sichuan, only Manzhou Jiachuan, which produces lychees and longans, can grow this stuff. Plus, it's sour and astringent, so apart from locals who love the sweet aftertaste, not many people from other places really like to eat it.

So it really had to be brought from Jiachuan.

However, including the pig's stomach is a bit excessive, but it's not without reason. The pork in the county is generally sourced from rural areas, and the pigs are mostly local breeds that have been raised for a full year. In contrast, the pork sold in the Chengdu market is mostly from pigs raised in farms for only nine months, from birth to slaughter, and the meat and fat are not as flavorful.

However, there are also county towns or small satellite cities around Chengdu, as well as many towns, such as Huanglongxi in Zhouzhi where military training is conducted. The meat quality in the markets of those places is quite good.

Really pity the parents of the world.

After helping Feng Xueshan back into the house, everyone started eating breakfast. Mai Xiaomiao, who loves children, took a small steamed bun and went to the crib to wait.

"Have you thought of a nickname for the child?" Zhou Zhi poured soy milk for everyone and then picked up a fried dough stick.

"I've decided, let's name him Shunzi!" the sister-in-law said happily.

"Straight?" Zhou Zhi was taken aback. "Golden Flower" was just becoming popular, and when he heard "straight", this was the first thing that came to his mind.

"Ah, the birth went smoothly yesterday, and Xue Shan didn't suffer much. I suggested calling her Shunliu, but Shunliu sounds a bit rustic. After discussing it for a while, we decided that Xiao Shunzi would be a better name."

“Xiao Shunzi is a nice name,” Mai Xiaomiao said, slipping her index finger between the baby’s tiny hands, vainly imagining that the baby was holding her finger, feeling quite content: “May your life be smooth sailing.” (End of Chapter)