Chapter Eight Origin of the Name

  As for the question of the three sisters' names, Qiao Lianyu naturally knew what was going on, because Qiao Zhenxuan had once said something when he was drunk and accompanying the three sisters.

  Qin Ying was born when Qiao Lianru was old. At that time, Qiao Zhenxuan was still teaching in school. On that day, he was explaining Zhou Dunyi's "Love Lotus" to his students:

  "The flowers of aquatic and terrestrial plants are lovely, but the charming ones are numerous. Jin Tao Yuanming alone loved chrysanthemums; since Li Tang's time, people have been fond of peonies; I alone love lotus for its ability to emerge from muddy water without being stained, to be washed by clear ripples without becoming flirtatious, with a straight and unadorned stem, not sprawling or branching out, with fragrance that becomes even purer at a distance, standing quietly and elegantly, able to be admired from afar but not to be carelessly trifled with. I say chrysanthemums are the reclusive flowers; peonies are the noble and wealthy flowers; lotus is the gentlemanly flower. Alas! The love for chrysanthemums has rarely been heard of since Tao's time; who shares my love for lotus? The love for peony is indeed suitable for the masses."

  Just as he was getting to the exciting part, a colleague, Teacher Jiang, suddenly rushed in from outside and called him out of the classroom.

  "What's wrong, can't you see I'm in class? Look at how anxious you look!" Qiao Zhenxuan was a responsible and good teacher, somewhat dissatisfied that Jiang Laoshi had called him out.

  Mr. Jiang excitedly told Qiao Zhenxuan, "Qiao teacher, it's born!"

  "What's wrong?" Qiao Zhenxuan was still immersed in the beauty of ancient literature and didn't react for a moment.

  "Sister-in-law has given birth, it's a girl! I heard that both mother and daughter are safe and sound! Congratulations! Don't forget to invite me to the celebration dinner later! I still remember the delicious braised pork you had at your place last time, sister-in-law's cooking skills are really exceptional!" After saying that, he swallowed his saliva, it seems that the charm of that bowl of braised pork was too great, and he still can't forget it until now.

  Qiao Zhenxuan is a man with a strong literary air, and he gets along well with the leaders and teachers. Upon hearing this good news, he laughed and patted Jiang teacher's shoulder, saying: "Needless to say, I'll definitely treat you!" After that, he happily returned to class to teach.

  Later, when the couple was discussing what to name their child, Qiao Zhenxuan said, "When I found out you gave birth to our eldest, I was in class teaching Zhou Dunyi's 'On Loving Lotus'. The lotus is a noble flower among flowers. I especially like lotuses. If it's a girl, let's name her Qiao Lianou, ou being the root of the lotus. Of course, if it's a boy, we'll call him Qiao Yuning, peaceful and calm as can be.

  As a result, Qin Ying gave birth to three girls in one breath. Qiao Zhenxuan named them Qiao Lianou, Qiao Lianhua and Qiao Lianpeng respectively. Someone asked why the third child was not named Lianhua but Lianpeng instead? Qiao Zhenxuan said:

  "There is a line in Song poetry that says 'Most fond of the mischievous little one, lying on the creek head lotus pod', every time I read this line, I feel refreshed and comfortable. You don't know the fun in it, my little girl is called Lotus Pod, isn't it wonderful?"

  The rural area has a serious ideology of preferring boys over girls. After having two daughters, Qiao Zhenxuan and Qin Ying both wanted to have another child, a boy. At that time, the family planning policy had already been implemented, but Qin Ying was under pressure and held her breath, wanting to give birth to a boy.

  The day Joelle was born, Grandma Jo was anxiously waiting for news outside. Because although the Jo family had three houses, except for the eldest son who had a son, the rest were all girls. Grandma Jo hoped that Qin Ying's belly could fight for some air and give birth to another son for the Jo family, making the incense stronger.

  The midwife came out and said, "It's another daughter." Old Mrs. Chiao immediately burst into tears and began to wail:

  "Heavens, what's to be done?! Another daughter?! How can this be?!..." The voice carried far and wide, making it seem as if the sky had fallen, with a sense of doomsday and heart-wrenching despair.

  Qin Ying lay on the bed and heard these words, her heart was extremely distressed, and she couldn't help but shed tears. However, when she took the child from the midwife's hands and saw the little treasure in the swaddling clothes, she suddenly burst into laughter. Heaven is pitiful, such a beautiful little person, can't be exchanged for gold, pearls, or precious jewels.

  Qin Ying felt a little guilty after having three daughters in a row. But unexpectedly, Qiao Zhenxuan said, "My three daughters are worth more than three sons! Just watch and see, I will raise them to be even more knowledgeable and cultured than ordinary boys!"

  Qiao Zhenxuan practices what he preaches. At home, he doesn't ask Qiao Lianou and Qiao Lianhua to cook or do the dishes. His reason is that they can learn those things when they're older, but now time is precious and should be spent on studying. Qin Ying feels that Qiao Zhenxuan spoils his daughters too much. When she's exhausted and can't take it anymore, she complains: "Look at other families, which kid doesn't help out? But you, you treat your girls like treasures and don't let them do anything. Am I just a nanny hired by the Qiao family or what?"

  Complaints are complaints, but when I see the four of them sitting around the table doing their homework and telling stories, I feel that no matter how hard I work, it's all worth it. Gradually, I've also gotten used to Qiao Zhenxuan spoiling his three daughters.

  However, during the summer vacation, Eldest Brother Qiao Lian'ou and Second Brother Qiao Lianhua still had to do some things within their power, such as herding cattle and pulling pigweed, because Qin Ying alone really couldn't handle it, there were just too many things to do in the countryside. There was land to be planted, pigs to be raised, cows to be fed, and a whole family to take care of, rural women's lives are really not easy.

  After listening to Qian Lian's explanation of the origin of her name, Zhou Yongsheng said with envy:

  "So that's how it is! Your dad really has a knack for this, and there are so many considerations when it comes to naming."

  "Of course!" Qiao Lian'ou also felt proud, having a capable and articulate father made her feel an unspoken pride as his daughter.

  Qiao Lian thought to herself, I won't let Dad leave us, no way! She clenched her small fist tightly in secret.

  A few people chatted endlessly along the way, having endless fun, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the mountain forest.

  "Alas, I'm too tired. Let's take a break." Song Xiaoshan put down his basket and sat down on the pine needles with a thud, lying down on his back.

  Everyone else also put down their baskets and sat scattered about, panting for a few breaths.

  "Hey, I'm starving! Song Xiaoshan, bring out the stuff you brought and let's have a taste." "Tasting expert" Zhou Yongsheng was famous for his good appetite. Now that they were walking and got tired, their craving also came up.

  "What's delicious?" Qiao Lian'ou heard this and felt a little hungry too. Children back then were not like children nowadays, they almost never felt hungry, there was no snack food to eat, it was really unimaginable that besides staple food, what else could be carried on the body.

  "Alright, I was just saying that we should pick up some firewood and then take it out to eat." Song Xiaoshan turned over and got up, found his own backpack, and took out a package from inside.