Chapter 1: I Gave Birth

Yan Qing felt aching all over, especially in his nether regions, more painful than being deflowered by a man who looked refined and scholarly but was as rough as a teenager just starting out. It felt like a massive stool that had been brewing for decades was stuck there, impossible to pass. He wanted to scream, and he thought he already was. But it seemed as if his body was being forcefully held down.

Is this sleep paralysis...?

There was a vague sound in his ears, but he had no idea what was happening. His mind was completely blank, filled only with the buzzing in his ears and waves of unconsciousness. The only thing he could think about was getting that ‘stool’ out of his nether regions.

Damn, why is my stomach and lower body hurting so much...

“...Push harder, hurry up! Fu-er, my precious child, I can see the baby’s head already. Hurry, push! Your grandfather has even found you a hundred-year-old ginseng root; we will definitely make it through this…”

Push? What’s going on? Do I need a woman to tell me how to use the toilet? Giving birth... Why does this feel like a woman giving birth?

“Ahh!” Yan Qing screamed as he felt something being forcibly pulled out from his lower body. He felt much lighter, but his stomach still hurt, as if he hadn’t finished ‘going’ yet.

Giving birth... to a child?

Yan Qing had a dream where he turned into a woman, became pregnant, and gave birth to triplets after enduring great hardship.

The reality was that when Yan Qing regained consciousness, he realized his dream had come true!

The only fortunate thing was that he didn’t turn into a real woman; his manhood was still intact. Unfortunately, he seemed to have become half a woman, as he now had both male and female genitalia, a perfect embodiment of the legendary yin-yang balance, a gender-complementary ‘angel.’

Most astonishingly, he really did give birth, and it was to triplets—two boys and one girl! When he received this news, Yan Qing was stunned for a long time.

“Is this the price of rebirth?” Yan Qing muttered to himself, then comforted himself with his strong ability to accept, “It’s okay, maybe this is for the best. This way, I can escape that bastard’s curse and perhaps live a peaceful life without love or hate. This... Zhang Donglin, I’ve already been reborn, so stop haunting me and get out of my head...!”

“Fu-er, what are you daydreaming about? And that expression, it’s scary. You’re ruining your beautiful face. Quickly, pull yourself together. Didn’t I tell you not to try to sit up so often? If you don’t rest properly during your confinement, you’ll suffer when you’re older.” A beautiful woman, dressed in the style of a rural woman from the 1970s or 1980s, walked into the room with a smile, carrying a bowl of moderately fragrant chicken soup. “Here, drink the chicken soup. That boy specially raised these chickens for you before he left. He has some conscience, raising over thirty of them. We can eat the eggs and drink the soup, enough to last until you’re out of confinement. It’s a pity you don’t have milk; otherwise, feeding them directly would ensure my grandchild grows up healthy and chubby...”

Milk? Yan Qing, with a look of horror, covered her chest and looked at the other person, as if to say, "Don't scare me; I'm easily frightened."

"Ha ha!" The beautiful woman laughed heartily. "Alright, Mom was just teasing you. It's already great that you can give birth. Your grandfather said it was thanks to his imperial prescription that you could even bear children. How could there be milk? When you were asleep, Mom checked, and your son and daughter don't have the luck to drink your milk."

How can I stop wanting to cry? No wonder he felt a sharp pain in his chest when he woke up, thinking it was due to something else. It turns out the culprit was right here—

Yan Qing glanced at the beautiful woman, feeling wronged and depressed. He thought to himself: Damn, is this a woman? Is this my mother? How can she do this? Although he had the memories of the original host and knew that no one in this family was reliable, couldn't they at least not push him to his limits?

"Come on, don't just stand there. Drink the chicken soup quickly. You've already given birth; what's the point of worrying now?" Seeing her son dazed again, the woman hurriedly handed him the chicken soup. After Yan Qing took the bowl, she asked solicitously, "You've been sleeping for a week, and half a ginseng root from your grandfather has been used on you. If your grandfather hadn't said you'd be fine, Mom would have almost sent you to the hospital."

Do people not go to the hospital to give birth? Yan Qing almost blurted out the question while drinking the chicken soup, but fortunately, the soup in his mouth stopped him from revealing himself.

"Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

"…No, just my chest hurts."

"Uh! Ha ha!" The woman laughed nervously, feeling guilty!

Yan Qing ignored her, rolled his eyes subtly, and then focused on finishing the bowl of chicken soup without leaving a drop.

Seeing her son finish a large bowl of chicken soup, the woman looked satisfied, as if she had drunk it herself. This made Yan Qing, who accidentally witnessed the scene, feel a pang of tenderness.

"Do you want to see the baby?"

"…" Can I say no?

The woman, noticing the expression on her son's face, didn't suspect a thing and let out a nervous chuckle. "If you don't feel like seeing them, we can wait a few more days. Mom and Grandma (although she's actually your grandmother, since your father-in-law is a赘婿) have been looking after them these past few days."

"Okay!" Yan Qing replied with a lack of enthusiasm.

The woman sighed softly and said with a weighty tone, "Mi'er, I know you're still feeling uneasy, but you've already accepted that guy, haven't you? Even though you can't be with him long-term, having kids is still a blessing. You're a fortunate one, managing to get pregnant and having three children in one go, two sons and a daughter. Ha ha, I'm so happy for you. Nowadays, every family struggles to have children but can't. Your grandfather said that his comrade mentioned our country will soon implement the one-child policy. In the future, each family will only be allowed one child. If they catch you pregnant with more, they'll make you get an abortion. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps! Don't worry about raising the children. As long as there's food on the table, you'll have plenty too. Our family always has enough grain. Your mom and grandpa’s medical work brings in enough money to raise another kid. After you finish your confinement and recover, you can spend more time with the children. You'll grow to like them. When it comes to taking care of you in your old age, they'll be better than adopted children or your siblings."

"I know..." Yan Qing lowered his head. With the memories of the original owner, he understood why this family acted so unreliably. It was all for the original owner's sake.

"It's good that you understand. Don't blame me for stirring up trouble between you and your younger siblings. As the saying goes, 'even real brothers keep clear accounts.' No matter how close they are to you now, once they get married and have children, they'll have their own families and become distant. By then, even if they want to be good to you, they'll have to consider their spouses and children, leading to conflicts. But never mind, I won't say more. Just know it yourself."

"Mom, I understand. I understand that you're all doing this for me. I'll think it through."

"Good, good, good. That guy is also a good person. Not only did he help you conceive, but he also prepared a lot of food for your confinement—chicken, duck, fish—these aren't easy to buy, you know. I still have the meat tickets he left behind. We'll buy more meat after your confinement is over and make sure to replenish everything you lost during pregnancy. This is even better than a proper marriage. Your grandfather said that soldiers are responsible. Even if things don't work out, they still... Ah, I'll steam a fish for your next meal. So don't hold a grudge. After all, he did help us out, and we should be grateful."

Poor guy. Just thinking about it makes Yan Qing cringe. As a former military man, recalling the unfortunate circumstances of that person from his memories, he couldn't help but feel a wave of sympathy. They say you should repay a life-saving favor with your own life. But this guy not only ended up with a man but also gave birth to children. A real honest guy!

"Thank you, Mom... Have they eaten?"

"Who are you asking? Oh, oh, yes, they've eaten. You don't know how much your grandparents fussed over them, treating them like royalty. Fortunately, both of you are good-looking. You were raised well before. In all my years as a midwife, I’ve never seen twins grow so strong and healthy. It's been only six or seven days, and they're growing like weeds. Luckily, we raised sheep; otherwise, it wouldn't be enough for the three little ones. Your grandparents say these three children are easy to raise. Our Mi'er is truly blessed."

"Heh heh, that's good." Yan Qing felt relieved and pulled the blanket up, preparing to lie down again.

"Be careful not to strain your wound. You've just woken up and need plenty of rest. If you need to use the toilet, just call me, and I'll bring the chamber pot." As the woman spoke, she tidied up her son's blanket and looked at his pale face with closed eyes for a long time before leaving the room, satisfied.