The night before, Mother Meng had specially boiled a pot of thick soup with brown sugar, sliced ginger, and dates, instructing her to drink a bowl heartily, then to wrap herself in her quilt and sleep until daylight. Come morning, she arose drenched in sweat, headed to the bathhouse for a thorough wash from head to toe, and immediately felt refreshed and invigorated.
On the day before the full month celebration, there were two important tasks that had to be done—taking the baby outside and shaving his head.
The so-called "taking outside" meant carrying the one-month-old baby out for a stroll to bask in the spring sunshine. It didn't need to take long; the objective was simply to let the little one see the sun and for the mother, who had just finished her postpartum recovery, to breathe some fresh air. Thus, Mother Meng would have the house to herself, to meticulously clean and tidy up the rooms that had been stuffy for a month.
