Chapter 166: Giving Birth

Chapter 166 Labor

Basin after basin of bloody water was carried out. Xie Zheng went pale as he seized Chun Tao’s arm. "How is A Yuan? Is she alright?"

Unable to see inside, just hearing A Yuan’s piercing screams made his heart race.

Is giving birth always this terrifying?

Chun Tao was just as scared, her hands trembling as she held the basin.

"Mrs. Liu says the baby’s positioned right, so the birth shouldn’t be too difficult, but it will take time."

"What can I do?"

Just waiting around was torture.

Xie Zheng had survived battlefields and endured corpses, but being unable to help his sister now made him feel completely useless.

After a moment’s thought, Chun Tao said, "Childbirth is exhausting. You could prepare some ginseng soup to boost her strength and some easily digestible noodles."

"Got it—I’m on it!"

Xie Zheng gave a sharp nod and went to prepare them himself, not delegating the task to anyone else.

The clinic occupied a small courtyard. The room where A Yuan was giving birth was next to the one where Wei Xun was being treated. The commotion from next door reached his ears, and the man’s fingers jerked.

"My lord?"

Chang Yuan almost sobbed when he saw Wei Xun open his eyes.

"You’re finally awake! Dr. Liu said if you didn’t wake up, it didn’t look good. Thank goodness!"

His burns weren’t the worst of it—his ribs had been fractured by falling debris, and the flames had seared his wounds, leaving no unburned skin left on his back.

When Dr. Liu applied the medicine, Chang Yuan had to look away, unsure how Wei Xun had endured it.

Wei Xun struggled to sit up, his gaze urgent. "Where’s A Yuan? Where is she?"

Chang Yuan quickly steadied him. "Dr. Liu just finished treating you. Your ribs are broken—you mustn’t move recklessly, or the bones could puncture your organs and kill you!"

"I asked you where A Yuan is!"

Wei Xun couldn’t care less about his own life. He only wanted to know if A Yuan was safe.

Knowing he couldn’t stop him, Chang Yuan replied, "Mistress Xie’s right next door. She... she’s giving birth."

"Thud!"

Wei Xun bolted upright, biting back the searing pain in his chest, and lurched forward, bracing against the wall for support.

A Yuan was giving birth!

He’d missed A Man’s birth. If he wasn’t there for this one too, he would never forgive himself.

"My lord, let me help you."

Unable to watch his master keep crashing into the walls, Chang Yuan rushed to support him.

As soon as they stepped outside, A Yuan’s screams hit them. Wei Xun clenched his fists, wishing he could suffer instead.

"Hold on a little longer, young lady. You're almost fully dilated."

"It hurts..."

Even though she had given birth once before, A Yuan still couldn’t bear the pain of labor.

Wei Xun stood at the door, his mind blank, pressing against it as he shouted inside, "Stop this—we’re not doing this again!"

"What nonsense are you talking? The baby’s head is right there—do you think you can just push it back in now? If you really cared, you wouldn’t have gotten her pregnant!"

Mrs. Liu was sharp-tongued and didn’t care how high Wei Xun’s rank was or how powerful he might be.

All she knew was that childbirth was like facing death itself—only by surviving it safely could one count it as a blessing.

Chun Tao brought hot water from the kitchen, and through the crack in the door, Wei Xun caught a glimpse of A Yuan, her hair soaked with sweat, her hands gripping the bedsheet tightly.

"Has the food arrived? Get your wife to eat up. She’s carrying twins—she’ll need all the strength she can get."

Xie Zheng arrived with ginseng soup and Yangchun noodles. Hearing Mrs. Liu’s words, he knocked on the door, "Got it!"

Chun Tao hurried out to take the food. Xie Zheng wiped his sweat and called inside, "A Yuan, don’t be afraid. Your big brother’s right outside."

The pain stole her voice, but knowing both her brother and Wei Xun were outside gradually calmed her racing heart.

"Chun Tao... the noodles..."

Having given birth once before, she knew the drill—the more she ate now, the more strength she’d have later.

Xie Zheng had moved quickly, buying a bowl of Yangchun noodles from the best restaurant in town, topped with three poached eggs.

A Yuan didn’t have a big appetite, but days of anxiety had left her starving. She devoured the whole bowl, broth and all.

Mrs. Liu smirked approvingly. At her age, she admired women who weren’t fussy or finicky.

She had initially worried that A Yuan, with her fragile appearance, might not cooperate, but seeing her like this now, Mrs. Liu’s grin widened.

"Young lady, you’ve got the look of good luck. Hang in there—I’ve got you, and I’ll make sure both you and your children are safe!"

"Thank you, madam."

A Yuan muttered a weak thanks before closing her mouth to conserve energy.

The sudden silence in the room made Wei Xun’s heart clench. His quick wits had turned to mush.

"Why isn’t A Yuan saying anything?"

The windows of the delivery room were sealed with paper, and without the door opening, those outside couldn’t see a thing.

When A Yuan’s cries suddenly cut off, alarm gripped not just Wei Xun but Xie Zheng as well.

Their stomachs in knots, they waited from afternoon into evening before the sounds of labor resumed.

A Yuan’s first birth with A Man had gone smoothly, without too much suffering, but these twins had been a handful from the get-go, making her miserable for seven months. Now, at the moment of birth, they were putting her through the wringer again.

"Bear down, girl! The baby is almost out!"

"Ah!"

Mrs. Liu’s "almost" dragged on for another half-hour of agony for A Yuan. Just as her strength was nearly spent, a piercing wail finally broke the quiet in the courtyard.

"Wah!"

"The baby's here! It's a boy!"

Mrs. Liu let A Yuan glimpse the newborn before passing him to Chun Tao.

"Don't sleep, my lady—there's still one more!"

A sharp pain shot through A Yuan's belly as she rallied her strength. This child proved more cooperative than his brother—emerging in under eight minutes.

"Congratulations! Twins! Two beautiful boys!"

Mrs. Liu had delivered twins before, but never ones quite this striking.

Then again, considering A Yuan and Wei Xun's looks, she thought it only natural.

After cutting their cords, the infants were bathed in warm water and swaddled.

Chun Tao and Mrs. Liu then tended to A Yuan's cleanup.

New mothers mustn't catch a chill, so Mrs. Liu cracked the door. "Both mother and babies are doing well. You may speak briefly, but don't linger."

"Yes, yes!"

Xie Zheng came to his senses and pressed against the doorframe, murmuring, "A Yuan, how are you? Still in pain?"

His sister's heart-wrenching screams had shaken him to the core.

"No pain now. Brother, would you like to meet your nephews?"

Gazing at her wrinkled newborns, A Yuan's heart melted.

"Good—I'll have Chun Tao bring them out."

He was determined to see which two little rascals had put his sister through such torment!

Wei Xun stood aside, observing the siblings' exchange.

Here he stood—the children's father, yet receiving the least attention.

Only when assured of A Yuan's safety did the knot in his chest finally loosen.

Chun Tao couldn't handle both babies alone, so Mrs. Liu carried one.

Though their skin bore newborn wrinkles, the twins were clearly identical.

Xie Zheng held them in his awkward, first-time-uncle embrace. All thoughts of scolding them vanished as he cooed, completely disarmed.