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A sepulchral silence fell on the wide corridor that led to the main room, the only thing that could be heard was the delicate whispers coming from the other side of the closed door. Kind words and lullaby hums. The night was quiet, the commotion of the moment had finished a few minutes ago and everyone had returned to rest. Even he still wore his night clothes and his long hair was loose against his back. His heart was pounding against his ribs as he placed his hand on the door, ready to push it open, however, he couldn’t do it, his muscles were stiff, a drop of sweat falling down his spine, the feeling making him uncomfortable. How long have he been standing there? 5 minutes? 30? One hour? He didn’t know, but something in him told him that he had been on his feet for a long time now, his calves and the arches of his feet aching a little. The constant look of his nephew burned on his back, hurrying him silently- The murmurs inside the room had died and he immediately missed them, a wave of guilt making his heart tremble. “Uncle.” The voice almost made him jump out of surprise, he swallowed hard. “The nurses said you could go in 20 minutes ago.” He could hear the impatience in his nephew’s voice and that made him anger a bit. “I know, Jin Ling.” The words came out harsher than he wanted and the wave of guilt returned. Jin Ling didn’t open his mouth again and waited behind his uncle, his hair loose and a little messy, his sleeping clothes slightly wrinkled and his forehead cleaned from the vermilion mark. Jiang Cheng took a big breath and let it out loudly as he pushed the door open. The scene in front of him made him go breathless. The moonlight filtered through all the windows, illuminating the room: the desk, the bookshelf, the rack where Sandu rested neatly - everything shone with silver blue, however, everything seemed opaque to the glow that emanated from the bed in the center of the room. At said bed, a woman, with her hair cascading over her shoulders and back, and her clothes slightly stuck to her body due to the sweat, held in her arms a small body wrapped in white sheets; with her hand patting its little back, her eyes glued to it and a soft smile stretching her lips. The woman’s skin seemed made of the finest jade in the world, it shone almost blindingly under the moonlight, her warm eyes shining with tears of happiness and looking more alive than ever. Jiang Cheng stood at the entrance, Jin Ling looking curiously into the room, his feet stinging to get close to the woman in the bed. Self-absorbed with the bundle in her arms, she didn’t even seem to notice the new prescences in the room until Jiang Cheng released the air he had been holding. She looked up and her warm smile spreaded as she saw the visitors. “Welcome, we were waiting for you two.” At that invitation, Jin Ling did not hesitate a second more to approach, leaving his uncle behind without concern. “Aunt, how are you?” Her heart leapt at her nephew’s words as she watched him kneel next to her beside the bed. “A-Ling, I’m glad you’re here.” The baby moved, a little annoyed when she extended one of her arms to touch Jin Ling’s cheek. “I'm sorry we woke you up.” Jin Ling shook his head. “It's nothing. How is… the baby?” Her hand went back around the baby and it sighed happily. “She is perfect.” Jin Ling opened his eyes widely. “Is it a girl?” She nodded. “Could I see her?” The huge smile she showed him made Jin Ling smile back at her. Carefully, she moved her arms diagonally to show her face to Jin Ling. She was sleeping peacefully, her small hands clenching together on her chest, one of her cheeks against her mother’s chest. Her small nose wrinkled in dreams and a little red and swollen after being born. Long black lashes rested on her flushed and rounded cheekbones, messy hair on top of her little head. Jin Ling was breathless and seeing the little creature, his eyes flew to his uncle, who was still standing at the entrance of the room: his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. Jin Ling rolled his eyes, looking back at the little girl. “He’s missing this!.” She smiled and pinched Jin Ling’s cheek softly, at the affection, he blushed furiously. Taking her eyes off her nephew, she looked up at the man at the door. “Sect Leader Jiang,” she whispered almost playfully and Jin Ling blushed even more. “Will you stand there like a guard the rest of the night or will you come here to meet your first-born?” Jiang Cheng’s legs immediately moved and he reached the bed in the blink of an eye. He dropped to his knees with a thud next to Jin Ling, his eyes looking the face of the woman in front of him before they fell to the little baby in her arms. She was beautiful. Swollen, flushed and frowning at something making her uncomfortable. Jiang Cheng felt a warm feeling starting to flutter in his stomach, making him feel a bit nauseous. “Uncle, are you- Jin Ling didn’t dare to finish the sentence. Huge tears fell from Jiang Cheng’s eyes, his lips trembled like those of a child and his body shook trying to contain the sobs, he didn’t want to wake the baby. His baby. His little girl. His first-born. “A-[Name] she’s- she’s gorgeous.” Seeing him cry like that made her eyes fill with tears too, her chest filling with a warm feeling that she could only describe as pure happiness. [Name] leaned to him and caught one of the tears falling down his cheeks with a warm kiss. Jiang Cheng closed his eyes, tilting ainto the affection. Jin Ling felt a bit uncomfortable, but he looked at the little girl with a big smile on his lips, his eyes shining with excitement. “Do you want to hold her for a while?” “Yes!” The sudden answer from both men made the baby’s eyes snap open, they all took a sharp gasp, waiting for her to burst into tears, but, instead, she looked curiously at the new people beside the bed. Jin Ling flinched when the little eyes looked at him, he felt shy. “H-Hi, little baby,” he whispered, hoping for the baby to look away from him. She did, her eyes falling on Jiang Cheng. She looked at him for a little before she suddenly began to stir and cry in her mother’s arms. Jiang Cheng immediately felt guilty and got up to leave the room to not bother the baby anymore, but [Name] stopped him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “She wants you to hold her.“ “What?!” Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling answered in unison. “She- she wants me to hold her? Are you sure?” Jin Ling looked at his uncle as he took the baby from her mother’s arms. He had never seen him so nervous and worried as he took the girl in his arms. Jiang Cheng’s eyes lit up immediately when the girl stopped crying once she found a comfortable position in her father’s embrace and against his strong and broad chest; her little eyes closing once more, falling into a deep sleep. “Uncle, she really likes you!” [Name] laughed and Jiang Cheng glared at his nephew. “What do you mean?! Of course she likes me!” Jin Ling smirked and, thinking that the three of them should have a moment alone, he stood up to leave. “Wait, A-Ling!” She stopped him as he began to bow his head in deep salute. “How should we call her?” “What?” They both exclaimed in surprise, Jiang Cheng gasping and shushing the baby whining in his arm. “This rascal will not name my daughter!” “Are you asking me to name your daughter?!” “She is my daughter too, A-Cheng. And yes, A-Ling, how should we call this baby?” Jin Ling’s head spun, he did not feel worthy to name his uncle’s daughter, he even felt fear! However, his mouth uttered words without hesitation. “JiaLi. Jiang JiaLi. A-Li.” Her eyes gleamed with happiness at the name and she turned her head to Jiang Chen, who was looking at JiaLi with a warm smile. “Not bad, rascal.”
JiaLi
- Good and Beautiful