I Became the Mother of His Child

Song Yuanhuan couldn't quite recall how long he had been sitting outside the delivery room, he had carried Xu Xiuxiu into the hospital, where the doctor examined her and said that the cervix was only dilated one finger's breadth. To make the birth easier for Xu Xiuxiu, Mrs. Song fed her the ginseng chicken soup she had brought, afterwards, Xu Xiuxiu paced back and forth in the corridor outside the delivery room for quite half an hour, sweating so much that it seemed she could wring out water. Finally, when Xu Xiuxiu was utterly exhausted, the nurses pushed her into the delivery room.

At that moment, Xu Xiuxiu couldn't help but think, did she still have the energy to give birth after being so exhausted? However, a woman's strength is infinite, and Xu Xiuxiu still fought hard after she entered the delivery room.

The hospital's equipment at that time wasn't very good, and the sound insulation was far from ideal – far from what one might imagine. From the moment Xu Xiuxiu was pushed into the delivery room, her cries became louder and higher, but after an hour, then two hours, those cries gradually weakened, even becoming a bit hoarse!

How had she not given birth yet?

Song Yuanhuan, in a frenzy, scratched his buzzed head and instinctively reached into his pockets. He wanted to smoke, but couldn't find any cigarettes, then he remembered Xu Xiuxiu was pregnant and he had quit smoking a long time ago – she didn't like the smell of smoke. But at that moment, he couldn't help but crave the numbing effect of nicotine every time he heard Xu Xiuxiu's cry; he was so anxious he wanted to kick down the door to the delivery room.

What kind of doctors, what kind of nurses are these? Why hasn't the baby come after hours in the delivery room? Incompetent, surely incompetent!

"Each birth takes its own time. I was in pain for a full ten hours when I had Yuanying; it's natural for it to take longer, especially since Xiuxiu is carrying twins," Mrs. Song was much calmer compared to Song Yuanhuan's restlessness. As a rural woman, she was experienced in this matter. She had birthed five children but only raised four; another boy, older than Song Yuanhuan, was born at an inauspicious time, added with malnutrition, he passed away not long after birth.

Back then, children were hard to raise, but rural people firmly believed in the saying, "more people, more strength." If you lose a child, just have a few more to fill the void! But, did Mrs. Song not grieve for that lost child? The answer is, of course, she grieved, but the necessities of daily life did not leave her much time for sorrow, as she still had four other children to raise.

The pressures and trials of life had sculpted this middle-aged woman to be kind and approachable on the outside, but inside her heart had been toughened to be impervious to sword or spear; she sat across from her second son, looking at his normally calm persona now dissolved into panic, Mrs. Song couldn't help but offer a word of comfort.

In fact, for rural women, giving birth, though a matter of life and death, to most people was akin to a hen laying eggs, nothing much to worry about. In the end, every woman had to face it; if the baby is born, it meant she was lucky, if not, it's because the woman lacked ability – there's a big difference between being unable to conceive and failing to give birth after conception.

"Mmm!" Song Yuanhuan rubbed his hands back and forth, unable to take in the comfort offered by his mother. He hung his head low, hands propped against his forehead, as Xu Xiuxiu's shrill screams reached his ears, his heart ached sharply.

He would never let Xu Xiuxiu go through childbirth again, never! If possible, at this moment he even had the urge to barge into the delivery room and shove those two little imps back in; putting his wife through such torment right before his eyes – did they want to be punished upon arrival? Did they?!

Xu Xiuxiu had been in pain in the delivery room for a good four hours, and just as she was on the brink of exhaustion and fainting, at last, the first loud cry of a baby came through. The rather composed Mrs. Song and the anxious Song Yuanhuan exchanged glances at this moment, both feeling a touch of excitement. Shortly after, a nurse came out carrying a rather hefty baby boy, red all over, with eyes closed and mouth wide open, continuing to wail.

"Congratulations, the first one is a boy," the nurse said, handing the baby over to Mrs. Song, who was standing beside her. Song Yuanhuan, on the other hand, stood awkwardly, vigorously rubbing the fabric of his trousers with both hands, staring at the tiny child in front of him for a long time.

It was too incredible—so small, the head wasn't even as big as his clenched fist! Song Yuanhuan, who had missed Song Chengguang's birth due to being on duty and had not witnessed his own son coming out of the delivery room, couldn't help but curve the corners of his mouth up while watching the child in front of him with unerring focus.

Compared to the surprise outside the delivery room, Xiuxiu inside was beginning her next round of torment.

However, after the first child was born, the second one came much more easily. Ten to twenty minutes later, the second child was born, accompanied by a delicate and weak cry, so faint it almost sounded like the mewing of a cat. Upon hearing it, Xiuxiu closed her eyes with exhaustion.

Mrs. Song, holding her hefty grandson outside the delivery room, knew upon hearing that cry from the operating room that it was likely the second child. The frail sound immediately furrowed her brow.

It's said in the countryside that having twins isn't as good as having a single child because twins are harder to keep alive and are more likely to suffer from insufficient nutrition. If one child needs the nourishment for three, how can it ever be enough? So, hearing this weak cry, Mrs. Song's excitement about the twins diminished a bit with worry.

Before long, the nurse who had brought the first child out now carried a baby the size of a little kitten in a small swaddling bundle, "Congratulations, boy and girl twins. The second one is a girl, weighing three and a half pounds. She's smaller than her brother, but the doctor has checked, and all her organs are fully developed; she just needs to be well cared for at home." The nurse said with a smile, extending her hand to hand the little girl over to Song Yuanhuan.

At this moment, Song Yuanhuan's hands trembled, and he couldn't muster the courage to take his little baby girl, who he had longed for. Finally, he felt fulfilled, but when he turned to look at his son, who was significantly larger than his daughter, then at his daughter, frail as a small kitten, he felt a burst of anxiety unfurl within. He couldn't bring himself to hold her in his arms for a long time, afraid his roughness might harm the child.

"What are you waiting for? Hold your child!" The nurse, clearly not new to dealing with family members like Song Yuanhuan and seeing that he didn't seem the type to devalue girls, urged him on. She still had to get back to the delivery room!

"Will I hurt her like this?" Song Yuanhuan asked worriedly, his hands trembling as he carefully took the baby, then stood stiffly, uncomfortable all over, his gaze filled with anxious questioning as he looked at the nurse, and then, without taking his eyes off, at the little girl in his arms. His precious daughter!

"Pfft!" The nurse chuckled as she glanced at Song Yuanhuan, finding this rough-looking man somewhat amusing. "No problem, just be careful, don't be too tense, try to relax your grip a bit," she said, turning and pushing the door behind her to re-enter the delivery room.