Chapter 4: The Daughters Are Born, Alive and Soft!

He had the hands of a scholar, slender and delicate, and his shoulders were thin and straight, never yet bent by farm work.

But now, he bent his body slightly, gritting his teeth as he hauled the cart forward. The snow on the road was thick and deep, and his forehead was already covered in a thick layer of sweat.

Lin Muyu’s heart skipped a beat.

She shrank back, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions. She couldn’t help but say, “I… I can get down and walk by myself. I’ll walk for a bit, then rest. You’re too tired.”

“I’m not tired.”

Xie Zhao caught his breath and replied with a smile.

He wasn’t just trying to comfort her.

He truly did not feel tired.

He had wondered countless times what would have happened if he had returned earlier and wheeled her to the county seat himself.

Would his daughters have survived?

Would his parents, who had genuinely cared for him, have accepted him?

And she… wouldn’t have divorced him either, right?

He had thought about it countless times.

For thirty years, he had mentally retraced this path countless times.

Now, the imaginary weight had become real, pressing heavily on his shoulders. The rough rope chafed against his skin, stinging with pain.

But how could he possibly feel tired?

Xie Zhao knew that what he carried on his shoulders was his wife and children, but even more so, his day-and-night repentance and self-redemption of the past thirty years!

It was evening.

Heavy snow began to fall from the sky.

Lin Muyu’s belly began to ache.

The pain came rapidly and intensely. Normally, contractions for a first-time mother lasted a long time, and the cervix dilated slowly. The pain would start every half hour, gradually becoming more frequent until the cervix was fully dilated.

This process, from contractions every half hour to every three minutes, usually took an entire day.

But there were always exceptions.

Like Lin Muyu.

From the moment her belly began to ache slightly to the onset of intense, rapid pain, only a single hour had passed.

She trembled all over from the pain, curling up beneath the quilt as cold sweat poured from her body.

“It… it hurts so much…” she groaned through gritted teeth, her face deathly pale.

Xie Zhao tensed all over. He quickened his pace, forcing himself to stay calm as he comforted her. “Don’t be afraid, Muyu. We’re almost at the hospital. Look, it’s right there.”

He walked very fast.

Ten minutes later, the cart arrived at the hospital entrance. Xie Zhao gently set it down, then rushed toward the nurse’s station, his face pale.

“Is anyone here? My wife’s belly hurts, she’s about to give birth!”

The nurse on duty arrived quickly. After asking a few questions and learning it was her first pregnancy, she remained relatively calm and unhurried.

“What’s the rush? First-time births are always slow. Let me check her cervix first.”

She directed Xie Zhao to carry Lin Muyu into the ward. When she saw Lin Muyu’s belly, she let out a soft gasp.

“She looks so thin, why is her belly so big?”

Xie Zhao quickly replied, “It’s twins.”

Twins?

In this day and age, twin pregnancies were highly risky. Combined with the poor medical conditions, giving birth was like stepping through the gates of hell.

The nurse’s expression instantly turned solemn.

She quickly reached out to check the cervix. What she found gave her a sudden fright!

“She’s five centimeters dilated! And one of the babies is breech!”

She was too shocked for words.

This was her first pregnancy!

How could she be dilating this fast?!

“You stay here and watch her. I’ll go get Doctor Huang! She’s the director! She’ll be right here!”

With that, the nurse jogged out of the room.

Xie Zhao’s heart also leaped into his throat.

Five centimeters?

Breech position?

What did all of that mean?

He didn’t dare ask. On the bed, Lin Muyu was already drenched in cold sweat, gripping the rails as she trembled in pain.

Her hair was soaked with sweat, and she had bitten her lips until they were white, with tiny beads of blood beginning to seep out.

“Don’t be afraid. The doctor will be here soon. Don’t be afraid!”

Xie Zhao didn’t know how to comfort people.

He could only hold Lin Muyu’s hand, squeezing it tighter and tighter.

Doctor Huang arrived shortly.

She checked the cervix again and ordered with a grim expression, “Get the delivery room ready immediately! She’s eight centimeters dilated and about to give birth! Go now!”

The young nurse who had followed her in quickly ran back out.

Before long, two nurses arrived and wheeled Lin Muyu toward the delivery room.

The whole process was fast and smooth; by the time Xie Zhao reacted, the delivery room doors had already closed.

His hands and feet went cold. Standing at the door with a blank mind, he stared at the yellow-painted doors of the delivery room, countless memories flashing through his mind in that instant.

Trembling, Xie Zhao instinctively reached into his pocket for a cigarette, but feeling only emptiness, he remembered that he had been reborn.

His smoking habit was something he had only picked up after leaving Shishui Village in his past life.

He took a deep breath and glanced out the window.

In the night sky, a few brilliant fireworks bloomed, accompanied by the crackle of firecrackers that shattered the darkness in a lively celebration.

That was in the direction of the Chen Family. In these times, only wealthy families could afford fireworks.

Only then did he finally recall, in a daze, that today was New Year’s Eve.

With a creak, the delivery room door opened.

A nurse poked her head out and called, “Is Lin Muyu’s family here?”

Xie Zhao stepped forward quickly, his body stiff and tense, his voice trembling. “I… I am! Is she okay? Is she alright? The… the babies?”

“They’re both fine! It was a close call! Good thing you brought her in early, or the babies definitely wouldn’t have made it! It happened so fast! She went through a lot of pain!”

The nurse said, still shaken.

She glanced at Xie Zhao again, pausing for a moment, her tone a bit displeased.

“She gave birth to two little girls. Both are healthy, but they’re so thin! I’ve never seen a mother and babies this thin! What on earth did you feed her while she was pregnant?”

“They’ll have to stay in the hospital for the next couple of days. Your wife is the main concern! Her health is too poor, so she definitely won’t have any milk for the first few days. The newborns can’t travel, and your wife needs to rest. Staying in the hospital for observation for a few days will be best for both the mother and the babies!”

Xie Zhao looked ashamed and quickly nodded.

Only then did the nurse reach out and pull a small bassinet over from behind her.

“Here, take a look. The mother still needs to be observed, she’ll be out in a bit.”

Xie Zhao turned his head, completely unprepared, and his eyes fell upon the two tiny, delicate babies.

They lay quietly wrapped in the sheets, their eyes wide open as they curiously took in the world, and gazed at him as well.

The moment their eyes met.

Xie Zhao’s breath caught.

He had met them once before.

Tiny, bloody, gray-white, and emaciated bodies, soaking stiffly in a wooden bucket, their faces a sickly blue-white, eyes closed, and lips a terrifying shade of dark purple.

Utterly lifeless.

But now.

Here they were, looking at him curiously with their glistening dark eyes, their lips soft and pink, and their skin flushed. Although they were very thin and clearly malnourished…

But…

They were alive.

Warm and soft.