Chapter 160: The Culinary Tycoon

Baby’s Name

The hundredth-day celebration was naturally held at House of Prosperity, but this time they didn’t invite as many guests. Due to Baby Yu’s previous fright and fear of too many unfamiliar faces, they only invited close relatives and friends.

However, there were still quite a few guests in attendance. The Cai, Zhao, Luo, and Xue families were invited, as well as Master Hu and Boss Liu, with whom Yu family had business partnerships. Additionally, some villagers were invited, although not everyone from the village. They invited the village chief’s family, Wen Li’s family, Brother Chang’s mother’s family, and the staff members from the two shops.

The staff members pooled together to present Baby Yu with gifts for the hundredth-day celebration: one hundred large pancakes, one hundred eggs, one hundred long-life pastries, and one hundred scholar cakes, symbolizing a wish for Baby Yu to live a long and prosperous life.

Once the guests were all present, with everyone as witnesses, Baby Yu began to perform the ceremony to recognize his maternal uncles.

Baby Yu had two uncles, his biological uncle, Chang Hao, and his maternal uncle, Chang Shun.

At this moment, both uncles were seated in the front row, waiting for Baby Yu to perform the ceremony.

“Hey, Brother Shun, why do I feel a bit nervous?” Chang Hao placed his hands on his knees, kept his gaze straight ahead, and sat still without daring to move. His usual playful and smiling demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“I, I am too.” Chang Shun looked around, everyone’s eyes were fixed on them. How could he not be nervous? His palms were sweaty.

“Why isn’t grandpa coming to receive the ceremony? Why does it have to be the uncle?” Chang Hao found it difficult to understand. Grandpa was still here, so why should he be the one to do it?

“Yeah, grandpa is the elder in the family. What do we two understand?” Chang Shun was also puzzled and asked nervously, “What if we make a mistake later? What should we do?”

Chang Hao said, “…I don’t know.”

But he couldn’t think of a solution anyway, and the auspicious time had arrived.

“The auspicious time has come! Begin the ceremony of recognizing the uncle!” The village chief, acting as the master of ceremonies this time, announced.

Chang Hao and Chang Shun straightened their backs when they heard it, quickly making their posture more upright.

“Remember your roots and the source of water. Baby Yu, pay respects and recognize the uncles!” The village chief sang.

Yu Qingze knelt down with Baby Yu, kowtowed three times, then offered tea to the two uncles on behalf of Baby Yu, and handed over the prepared gifts.

With the village chief’s guidance, Chang Hao and Chang Shun drank the tea, accepted the gifts, and then took out the previously prepared gifts.

Chang Hao presented a longevity lock that was specially crafted by the best craftsman from Liao’s family shop. It was made entirely of silver, with the front engraved with the blessing “May you live a long life” and the back engraved with a small tiger, representing Baby’s zodiac sign. It served to ward off evil and bless Baby with a safe and healthy life.

Originally, Chang Hao and Grandpa Chang wanted to get a small golden lock to make it look more luxurious. However, Dr. Xue said that it would be better for Baby Yu to wear silver, as gold would only look good but not be as beneficial for the body. So, they decided to get a silver longevity lock instead.

Chang Hao took the longevity lock out of the box and personally put it around Baby’s neck. He said, “Baobao, Uncle is giving you this longevity lock to bless you with good health and a long life. When you can walk, Uncle will take you out to play, alright? You be a good boy and grow up quickly.”

Everyone laughed upon hearing this. The age gap between this uncle and his nephew wasn’t that big, so it was indeed possible for him to take Baby Yu out to play.

Wen Li had communicated with Chang Hao and knew that he had given a longevity lock, so they prepared a pair of silver bangles. Chang Shun put the bangles on Baby Yu’s wrist and also said some auspicious words, completing the ceremony of recognizing the uncle.

Next was the naming ceremony.

Because each of the five people, including Yu Qingze, had thought of a name and wanted Baobao to use the name they came up with, and Yu Qingze didn’t have any rules that required the baby’s name to be chosen by the father or grandfather. He knew that everyone in the family loved Baobao and was happy to have everyone involved. So they decided that during the hundredth-day banquet, Baobao would choose his own name.

Baby Yu was only a hundred days old and wasn’t quite capable of actively grabbing things yet. But if you put something next to his hand, he would hold it tightly.

Their solution was to write the names they thought of on red paper, fold the paper into small balls, hang them with a string, and then place them in front of Baby Yu. They would see which one he grabbed and use that name.

On one table, ink, brush, paper, and inkstone were already prepared, waiting for them to write the names on the spot.

The guests were all curious about the names they had chosen and gathered around to take a look.

Chang Hao was the first to write, and the name he thought of was Yu Yang. Chang Shun asked him why he chose that name.

Chang Hao replied, “Because my name is Hao, and Baobao will be called Yang. Together, we are like the vast ocean!”

“Wow, Xiao Hao, it has a meaning too,” Cai Yunwei exclaimed, quite surprised.

Chang Hao proudly nodded and said, “Of course! And let me tell you, Brother Yunwei, Baobao’s five elements are lacking water, you see, the character ‘Yang’ has water in it. Isn’t it suitable?”

Old Madam Cai chuckled and said, “Oh, there’s another layer of meaning to it. Xiao Hao, you’ve put thought into it. It’s a lovely name.”

Chang Hao became happy and said, “Right, right! Even Old Madam Cai thinks it sounds good. I said we should use this name, but they didn’t want to. They were just making a fuss for no reason!”

His words amused the people around, and they burst into laughter.

After Chang Hao finished writing, he put the red paper aside to let the ink dry so he could fold it later. Then he looked at Grandpa Chang and said, “Grandpa, shall I help you write?”

Grandpa Chang nodded and said, “You go ahead and write.”

“Grandpa, what name did you give Baobao?” Cai Yunwei asked.

“Yu Hu!” Grandpa Chang answered firmly.

“Ah,” Chang Hao shook his head and said, “Grandpa, why do you still insist on using this name? It’s the least creative name, so old-fashioned. Baobao will find it boring.”

(Note: The character “护” (hu) is commonly used to convey the idea of safeguarding or defending something or someone. It can refer to the act of providing protection, support, or care for someone or something. It implies a sense of guardianship or looking out for the well-being and safety of the object or person being protected.)

Grandpa Chang patted him on the back of his head and said, “You don’t understand. Baobao belongs to the tiger zodiac sign. The simpler the name, the easier it is to raise, and it’s also easy to remember. Hurry up and write!”

“Grandpa, haven’t you noticed that ever since Baobao was born, you stopped spoiling me?” Chang Hao shook his head and sighed, “I used to be the youngest and most cherished in the family, but now I’ve fallen out of favor…”

Jiabao laughed and said, “You’re still the second youngest in the family, so how have you fallen out of favor?”

Upon hearing this, Chang Hao immediately acted like a drama queen, leaning his arm on Jiabao’s shoulder and said, touched, “Brother Jiabao, you still care about me…”

Grandpa Chang couldn’t take it anymore and gave him a smack on the head, saying, “Just write already, why are you being so chatty?”

“Alright, alright, I’ll write, I’ll write,” Chang Hao rubbed the back of his head and quickly stood up, picking up the brush and started writing.

Everyone laughed; this family was quite entertaining.

Jiabao chose the name Yu Yue, symbolizing a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Everyone agreed and Jiabao was very happy.

(Note: “Yu Yue” (鱼跃) represents the idea of overcoming obstacles, making remarkable progress, and achieving great success.)

Chang Le hoped Baobao would be healthy and safe, so he chose the name Yu Jianping.

Yu Qingze chose the name Yu Jingshuo for his son, which means flourishing beauty and brightness. Additionally, the character “Shuo” contains the character for “joy,” which was his little clever thought.

Once the ink had dried, Brother Chang helped fold the red paper into small balls and threaded them with a needle and thread, making them all the same length.

“Alright, Baobao is about to start grabbing. Get ready, begin!” Brother Chang held five strings with the small balls hanging from them, positioning them in front of Baby, right within reach of his little hands.

These five red paper balls with names written on them were folded and threaded, making it impossible to know which name belonged to which ball. Now they were placed in front of Baobao, and Yu Qingze and the others anxiously watched.

The onlookers in the crowd also quieted down, eagerly waiting to see which name Baby Yu would grab.

To keep Baobao awake for this naming ceremony, Chang Le had been teasing and playing with him.

At this moment, as Baby Yu saw something in front of him, moving and within his reach, he widened his eyes and stared quietly for a while. He thought that his mother was playing with him, so he excitedly exclaimed, “Ya!” and reached out with his little paw.

—The first time, he grabbed nothing. The small ball was pushed aside.

Chang Hao breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Brother Chang, Baobao couldn’t grab it. You need to bring it closer and place my ball in the center of his palm.”

Brother Chang chuckled and asked, “Can you still recognize which one is the one you wrote?”

Chang Hao nodded and pointed to a small ball, saying, “I know, it’s this one, I’ve been watching it closely. Hurry up, just tilt your hand a little.”

As Chang Hao spoke, he nudged Brother Chang’s arm slightly and aligned the designated ball with Baobao’s palm.

“Xiao Hao, no cheating!” Jiabao protested.

“Baobao, grab it quickly!” Chang Hao disregarded Jiabao’s complaint and urged.

Baby Yu, who had missed the ball earlier while keeping his hand clenched, now saw the small ball approaching again. He exclaimed, “Ya!” and reached out his hand to grab it!

He caught it!

Baby giggled happily.

“He caught it, he caught it! Quick, let’s see what name it is!” Chang Hao exclaimed in excitement, trying to open Baby Yu’s clenched fist.

But Baby Yu held onto it tightly, and Chang Hao didn’t dare to exert force for fear of hurting him. Seeing the situation, Chang Le playfully teased Baobao, causing him to loosen his grip. Chang Le took the small ball out from inside Baobao’s hand.

Chang Hao couldn’t wait to open it, but when he looked at it, he crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and held it tightly, saying, “This one doesn’t count, let’s start over!”

Everyone could tell at a glance that it wasn’t the name he had chosen, and they burst into laughter.

“What is it? Open and see!” Cai Yunwei curiously asked.

Chang Hao shook his head and said, “Let’s start over, let’s start over.”

At this moment, Jiabao had already opened the remaining four small balls. After reading them, he jumped up and shouted with excitement, “I won, I won! Big brother, I got mine!”

Yu Qingze nodded with a smile and said, “Great, then Baobao’s name will be Yu Yue!”

Chang Hao raised his hand and said, “Brother-in-law! Baobao’s given name is decided, now let’s draw his nickname!”

“Hahaha, Xiao Hao, are you upset because you didn’t get chosen?” Cai Yunwei asked.

Chang Hao nodded firmly, clenched his fist, and said, “Yes! If the given name didn’t get chosen, we’ll save it for the second baby! Now let’s draw the nickname!”

Saying that, Chang Hao picked up a pen and started writing.

“Er Dan?” Cai Yunwei curiously leaned over to take a look. When he saw the nickname Chang Hao had written, he was speechless. “You’re planning to call Baobao ‘Er Dan’ (Second Egg)? It would be much nicer to call him ‘Baobao,’ don’t you think?”

Chang Hao shook his head and looked at Cai Yunwei with an ignorant expression. He said, “Brother Yunwei, you don’t understand, do you? Do you like eggs? Salted duck eggs, for example? I remember you especially enjoyed eating mooncakes with double salted egg yolks. And, don’t you think century eggs are delicious too? You see, all the ones with the word ‘egg’ are very tasty. So, calling him ‘Er Dan’ is easy to remember. Besides, there’s a saying that goes, ‘Cheap lives are easy to support,’ right?”

“Why call him ‘Er Dan’ then?”

“Because ‘Da Dan’ (Big Egg) doesn’t sound as good, ‘Er Dan’ sounds better. Actually, we could also call him ‘Dan Dan’.”

“…Let’s stick with ‘Er Dan’.”

Jiabao, who had already taken the lead, excitedly kissed Baobao’s cheek and shook his head with a smile when he heard their conversation. He said to Chang Hao, “You’re just not convinced. Well, let me make you accept your defeat. I’ve already thought of a nickname for Baobao.”

With that, Jiabao wrote down the nickname he had in mind—Xiao Yu’er (Little Fish).

Upon seeing it, Yu Qingze twitched his eye and instinctively thought of adding ‘Yu Hua Wu Que’ (Fish and Flower Inseparable) after it.

“Grandpa, what nickname did you come up with?” Jiabao asked.

Grandpa Chang persisted and said, “Xiao Hu!” (Little Tiger)

Jiabao finished writing it and then asked, “And what about brother-in-law?”

Chang Le thought for a moment, his face blushed, and he took the pen to write two characters himself.

Upon seeing it, Yu Qingze’s eye twitched again.

Chang Le wrote—Da Bao (Big Treasure).

Brother Chang laughed and said, “Chang Le, are you already thinking about having the second baby?”

Everyone laughed.

Chang Le blushed, patting Brother Chang. He found it so annoying. Why did he have to say it out loud!

Hearing this, Yu Qingze also chuckled and embraced Chang Le and Baobao in his arms.

“Big Brother, it’s your turn,” Jiabao asked.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Yue Yue.”

Jiabao wrote the characters and then let Baby Yu grab once again.

This time, Chang Hao was extremely lucky and got chosen. He was extremely happy and said, “Er Dan, from now on, you’ll be called Er Dan!”

Everyone looked at Baby Yu with great sympathy: …Er Dan, huh.

Baby Yu or Er Dan had no idea that his distinguished name for a lifetime was taken away by his own grab. Nevertheless, he grinned and laughed to himself.

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Thandar: LOL Yu Hu sounds like Yooohooo!!!