My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 330: Confirming the Name

Hearing Zhang Lei's decision, the eldest brother, Ye Jianjun, said with some doubt, "Zhang Lei, aren't you going to think about a few more words?"

Zhang Lei shook his head and said, "No need, these twelve characters are just right. Twelve is a cycle, which corresponds exactly to the twelve months of a year, and the twelve zodiac animals are all twelve. So I feel these twelve characters are quite good."

Hearing Zhang Lei say this, no one objected. After all, it was Zhang Lei who established the family genealogy, and no one else interfered too much.

Zhang Lei looked at Ye Zhenshan and said, "Grandpa, what do you think of these twelve words I wrote?"

Ye Zhenshan smiled and said, "Good, good, good. Carry on the family business, establish good character, and aspire to great things. Since you two decided on this together, then let's do it according to your own wishes."

Ye Shuqin looked at Zhang Lei and said, "Husband, which generation should our son be referred to? Should it be the first character or the second character?"

Zhang Lei said with a smile, "The first character is '承' (chéng)."

Ye Shuhua said, "Shouldn't you be the first one, sir?"

Zhang Lei shook his head and said, "My name has already been decided and doesn't need to be changed. When writing the family genealogy, I'll be listed second, and then the generational succession will begin below, so they'll know who created this genealogy."

Hearing this, everyone was a little confused. The second one?

Lou Xiao'e said, somewhat taken aback, "Honey, shouldn't you be the first one?"

Zhang Lei laughed and said, "I don't know about other people, but how could I not know my parents' names?"

Everyone suddenly realized and burst into laughter. "Yes, yes, that's right! By that logic, Zhang Lei should indeed be ranked second. Zhang Lei's parents are the first generation."

After discussing these matters, Ye Shouhe looked at Zhang Lei and said, "Now you can name the children according to this generation. At least the nine children in the bellies of Shuqin, Shuqi, and Shuhua can be named in advance so that they can be registered when they are born."

Zhang Lei nodded and said, "Yes, yes, but this is something we all need to brainstorm. It would be really difficult for me to come up with nine names by myself."

So everyone started brainstorming and discussing.

Soon, everyone started discussing it. After all, the surname and generation had already been determined, and the given name only needed to be one character after the surname and generation, as long as it had a good meaning.

Looking at the group of people discussing, Zhang Lei quietly walked over to Aunt Ya and said, "Aunt Ya, go to a restaurant and order three tables of food. We won't cook for ourselves today."

Aunt Ya was cooking for three tables by herself, which was both time-consuming and laborious. Zhang Lei couldn't let her work so hard all by herself.

The mute aunt nodded after hearing this and turned to walk out.

After more than half an hour of discussion, the names of the nine children were finally decided.

1. Zhang Chengyu (Chengyu: to embrace the world, with a broad mind)

2. Zhang Cheng'an (Cheng'an: to bear peace and protect prosperity)

3. Zhang Chengming (Chengming: to inherit the light and have a pure heart)

4. Zhang Chengli (Chengli: to inherit etiquette and conduct oneself with propriety)

5. Zhang Chengyi (Chengyi: to inherit with perseverance and a will as strong as steel)

6. Zhang Chengqian (Chengqian: upholding humility and carrying on virtues)

7. Zhang Chengze (Chengze: to receive abundant blessings and long-lasting good fortune)

8. Zhang Chengrui (Chengrui: inheriting wisdom and being insightful and understanding)

9. Zhang Chengyuan (Chengyuan: to carry on the legacy of the distant future and to aspire to great heights)

All nine names begin with the character "承" (chéng), and each is imbued with a positive meaning: "天地 (tiāndì, heaven and earth), 安宁 (āníng, peace and tranquility), 光明 (guāngmíng, light and brightness), 礼礼 (lǐlǐ, etiquette), 毅力 (yìlì, perseverance), 谦和 (qiānhé, humility), 恩泽 (ēnzé, grace and favor), 智慧 (zhìhuì, wisdom), 远方 (yuǎnfāng, distant place). When connected, they imply a progressive and profound meaning: "to inherit the breadth of heaven and earth, to safeguard the foundation of peace and tranquility, to continue the wisdom of light and brightness, to pass on the tradition of etiquette and courtesy, to maintain a persevering heart, to embrace humility and gentleness, to enjoy the blessings of grace and favor, to embark on the path of wisdom, and to aspire to distant places." Moreover, they are harmonious in sound and each has its own emphasis.

Lou Xiao'e, standing to the side, said with a hint of jealousy, "Shuqin (a seven-stringed zither), Shuqi (a seven-stringed zither), Shuhua (a seven-stringed zither), I really envy the three of you."

Ye Shuqin looked at Lou Xiao'e and said with a smile, "Don't worry, once the gender of the baby in your belly is found out, your husband will give the baby a very meaningful and auspicious name."

Lou Xiao'e shook her head and said, "It's not that. It's because the three babies in your bellies together have such a good meaning, while I only have one baby in my belly."

Ye Shuhua then looked at Lou Xiao'e mischievously and said, "Then this can't be blamed on us; it must be because you didn't try hard enough."

Hearing Ye Shuhua's words, Lou Xiao'e blushed deeply with embarrassment.

Ye Shuqi gently patted Ye Shuhua's mouth and whispered, "Shut up, don't blurt out anything."

The others just smiled and turned their heads away, remaining silent. Only then did Ye Shuhua realize that everyone had been looking at her, and she quickly shut her mouth.

In fact, not only Lou Xiao'e, but Ding Qiunan, Chen Xueru, and Yu Li also envied Ye Shuqin and her family. But there was nothing they could do, since Ye Shuqin and her family were triplets. Moreover, the triplets were carrying triplets in their bellies, so there was no way to compare.

Soon, the food was brought over, and Zhang Lei invited everyone to sit down and eat.

While eating, Ye Shuhua suddenly remembered a question and asked, "Honey, is the order of these nine names supposed to be like this?"

Zhang Lei nodded and said, "Yes, the meaning has already been agreed upon, right? After the child is born, the name will be ordered according to these nine names."

Ye Shuhua laughed and said, "Honey, if I'm the first to have a baby, does that mean my baby will be the oldest?"

Hearing Ye Shuhua's words, Zhang Yulan interrupted him, saying, "Shuhua, what are you saying? Why do you have to argue about everything?"

Ye Shuhua simply stuck out her tongue playfully and continued eating.

Ye Shuqin generously replied, "Shuhua, it will be exactly as you want. But that depends on how well the baby in your belly performs. If your baby comes out first, Shuqi and I won't say anything."

Ye Shuqi nodded indifferently.

At this moment, Zhang Lei suddenly thought of a problem: what would happen if three people had a baby together? Zhang Lei couldn't even imagine the scene.

After the meal, the eldest sister-in-law, the second sister-in-law, the third sister-in-law, the mother Zhang Yulan, and the grandmother Li Xiumei all stayed behind, since women are more likely to talk to each other.

At this moment, Zhang Lei quietly approached Lou Xiao'e and said, "Xiao'e, find some time these next couple of days to ask your dad if he knows anyone who makes jade pendants?"

Hearing Zhang Lei's question, Lou Xiao'e asked with some confusion, "Husband, why do you want to find someone who makes jade pendants?"

Zhang Lei thought for a moment and said, "Well, our children are all in your bellies. When they are born, I will give them a gift. I plan to make twenty jade pendants. The front will have the child's name written on it, and the back will have a dragon carved on it if it's a boy, and a phoenix carved on it if it's a girl."

Hearing Zhang Lei say this, Lou Xiao'e became interested and said, "Honey, you're so thoughtful."

Zhang Lei nodded and said, "Your dad must have connections in this area. I'll ask him to help find some good materials, and I'll cover the cost."

Lou Xiao'e thought for a moment and said, "Honey, no need. My dad has more money than he can spend. Besides, this money isn't being spent outside. Let my dad pay for it himself."

Zhang Lei shook his head and said, "No, no, my father-in-law's family is rich, and we can't keep taking from them like this."

Lou Xiao'e said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, husband, I'll take care of this. Just trust me. As for the money, we'll talk about it later."

Seeing Lou Xiao'e's expression, Zhang Lei felt somewhat helpless, but after thinking about it, he decided to return the item of equal value another day.