Chapter 164: The Due Date

Chapter 164

The Due Date

Lately, Nie Shuang felt as though she had become so comfortable that she was almost getting lazy. Each day, she woke up only to sit or lie down. Whenever she was hungry, food would be brought right to her. Whenever she wanted something, she barely had to lift a finger. All she needed to do was raise an eyebrow or glance in a direction, and her husband would rush to fetch whatever she needed. He was also the one caring for their three children. And if any of the little ones tried to climb onto her lap, Song Qilin would quickly step in and carry them away.

"Mother has a baby in her tummy. If you’re not careful, you might hurt her,"

Song Qilin said to Bao Bao, who pouted. Recently, Bao Bao had grown so close to his father that he had the audacity to argue with him. Da Ge babbled defiantly, waving his hands as if making his case. Nie Shuang laughed at the sight of father and son bickering, even though Bao Bao couldn’t fully speak yet.

"Let him sit close to me for a bit; it’s fine,"

Nie Shuang softly interjected, causing Bao Bao to smile victoriously. He turned to his father with a triumphant look.

Seeing his son’s smug expression, Song Qilin felt a sudden urge to playfully throw him on the ground.

"What if the others follow suit? Besides, Bao Bao is strong. Last time, he accidentally made Xiao Hua Hua cry."

Song Qilin tried to reason.

"Am I as small as Xiao Hua Hua?"

Nie Shuang asked her husband with a smile. Whenever he saw his wife’s face, Song Qilin found it impossible to refuse her, so he lifted Bao Bao onto the seat next to her while he kept a close watch. Should Bao Bao flail around, he could catch him in time. Having been kept at bay by his father for a while, Da Ge hugged his mother and rested his face against her belly. His father had said there was a baby inside, but why hadn’t he ever heard the baby make any sound? Nie Shuang gently stroked his back, while Bao Bao curiously placed his chubby hand on her belly, softly touching it.

"Ai!"

He greeted the baby inside, talking non-stop when there was no response. Hearing their brother’s voice, Bei Bei and Xiao Hua Hua approached, eager to join in. Seeing Da Ge trying to talk to their mother’s stomach, they mimicked him. They knew their father was very cautious about their mother’s pregnancy, so they simply leaned in and joined the cheerful chatter around her belly. Song Qilin watched the children with a smile and turned to his wife, asking,

"Shuang Shuang, have you thought of a name for the baby yet?"

"I named the triplets. You should name this one,"

She replied with a smile. Her sweet gesture made him look at her fondly.

"Mm, if it’s a boy, I’ll name him Wumin to match his brothers, Wuqin and Wujun. If it’s a girl, I’ll name her Zili to pair with Xiao Hua Hua—Ziwei and Zili."

Nie Shuang loved the names he picked and nodded happily.

"You’ve come up with such beautiful names."

Receiving her compliment, Song Qilin beamed with pride. Whatever his wife liked, he liked too.

One morning, while having breakfast with her children and husband, Nie Shuang suddenly felt sharp pain in her belly. Song Qilin, who had been feeding the children, immediately dropped his spoon and rushed to her side.

"Shuang Shuang! What’s wrong?! Is it time? Are you going into labor?"

He asked in a panicked voice. He had never been this scared, even on the battlefield. Just seeing his wife’s furrowed brows and pained expression made his heart ache. He couldn’t bear to see her suffer and wished he could take on the pain himself.

"Quick, fetch the midwife!"

He turned to speak with Xiao San and then carefully carried his wife to the bed. Xiao San rushed around, not only ordering someone to fetch the midwife but also sending news to the Hou and the Elder Furen. Before long, the two elders arrived at the quarters. Xu Shi, who had the most experience, immediately began instructing the servants to boil hot water and prepare nourishing drinks, like ginseng and red sugar. The children, who had been happily eating their meal, suddenly noticed the flurry of activity and looked around in confusion. Even though the wet nurses tried to feed them, they refused to eat.

It wasn’t long before the midwife arrived. As soon as she stepped into the room, she saw the large man sitting by his wife, holding her hand. She snapped at him, showing no deference,

“All men, out. It’s time to deliver the baby.”

She didn’t care who the man in front of her was. This old midwife was well-known in the capital for her expertise, with a track record of safe deliveries. No one dared cross her, no matter their rank, because without her, who would assist their family’s women in labor? Skilled and lucky midwives were hard to come by.

Song Qilin stroked his wife’s head and gently kissed her forehead.

“Shuang Shuang, I’ll be waiting right outside. I won’t go far. If you need anything, just shout for me, alright?”

“Hmph! What else could she need besides enduring labor pains? Young man, stop dawdling and let me get to work already.”

Before leaving, the General lifted his wife’s hand, pressing it to his lips, before reluctantly stepping out. He turned to the midwife and said,

“Please take care of my wife. If all goes well, I will reward you handsomely.”

The midwife swatted her chest,

“Don’t worry. I’ve been delivering babies since I was young. I’ve handled difficult births plenty of times, and every mother came through just fine.”

Hearing her words, Song Qilin finally felt a little more at ease. He paced back and forth outside the room, his fists clenched as he listened to Shuang Shuang’s agonizing cries. The Hou pitied his son and got up to pat him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much. When she gave birth to the triplets, everything went fine, didn’t it?”

Truth be told, the Hou was worried as well. Back when Xu Shi was giving birth, he had been away on the battlefield and never at home. Hearing his daughter-in-law’s cries now unsettled him. Xu Shi, after checking on the triplets, who were with Xiao Tong and the wet nurses, returned to see her husband and son standing together, looking grim.

“Everything will be fine. It’s normal for her to be in pain during labor. I’ve spoken with Shuang Shuang before; her first delivery was smooth with no issues. This is her second, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

The Hou felt a bit more at ease and sat down, but Song Qilin continued to stand, listening to every painful cry from his wife. Each scream cut him deeply. Inside the room, he could hear the midwife giving commands, telling Shuang Shuang to push, and instructing her assistants. Xiao San was also in the room, feeding her red sugar drink and ginseng. The doors and windows were shut tight, leaving Song Qilin to imagine the scene inside based on the sounds he could hear.

Time seemed to crawl for him. Finally, the baby’s cry rang out, followed by the midwife’s joyful shout,

“She’s out! It’s a girl! You have a daughter!”

Upon hearing that the baby had been delivered, Song Qilin felt a wave of relief wash over him. Only then did he realize that his palms were drenched in sweat. But when he noticed the door hadn’t yet opened, he furrowed his brow.

“Xiao San! How is the Young Furen?”

He called out.

“The Young Furen is safe and well, General.”

“Shut up! Who told you to shout like that in here?! If you’re going to disturb me, then get out!”

After Xiao San was scolded by the midwife, Song Qilin stopped asking questions, though his heart was still filled with worry. The commotion in the room continued for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the door creaked open, and the midwife emerged, smiling broadly.

“Congratulations, young man. You have twins.”

Song Qilin nearly collapsed on the spot. Twins again?! He felt overjoyed but couldn’t help rushing to his wife’s side, too concerned about her to even glance at the babies.

“Shuang Shuang!”

Her face was pale, but to him, she looked as beautiful and delicate as ever. She appeared utterly exhausted, so he gently took her hand and smiled at her. When she squeezed his hand back, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.

“Shuang Shuang...thank you so much. You’re amazing.”Nie Shuang, too tired to speak, smiled weakly at him before drifting off to sleep.