Chapter 62 It’s Born It’s Born It’s Born

Chapter 62: Born, Born, Born

In the delivery room, the tall man lay quietly on his back after giving birth, his head tilted toward the operating room door. Though he couldn’t see anything, he knew an intense gaze was fixed on the other side—those usually cheerful eyes must have been worried sick this morning.

Shu Yangkuo closed his eyes for a moment, then turned to Zheng Yuan. Zheng Yuan had the medical staff check the data once more; everything was fine, so he signaled approval.

They left the delivery room twenty minutes earlier than most mothers or birthing parents.

As the door opened, the first thing he saw were the two younger family members with tearful eyes. At the sight of him, they grew even more emotional, on the verge of sobbing. Shi Zai wanted to throw himself into the man’s arms immediately, but he was holding Wang Wang. The man had just undergone a C-section, and a mix of worry, heartache, and longing froze Shi Zai in place. He and Yang Yun watched Shu Yangkuo, tears falling freely. The doctor laughed and said, “The baby isn’t crying, but you two are weeping together.” Just then, Shi Zai looked down at the baby in his arms—Wang Wang’s eyes were still slightly squinted, not fully open yet, but they curved into a faint smile.

Shi Zai paused, tear-streaked, then quickly smiled back, his eyes shining as he looked at the man on the hospital bed, as if marveling.

Even as a father, he’s still such a big goof.

Shu Yangkuo chuckled softly and opened his arms:

“Come here, babe.”

“Ge—”

Though it was Shu Yangkuo who had been in the operating room, Shi Zai behaved as though he was the one who had suffered, unable to speak, only shedding tears. Holding Wang Wang, he leaned down and gently nuzzled against the man’s chest, finally releasing the chaotic emotions he’d been holding inside.

Shi Zai gave several loud kisses on the man’s eyebrows, cheeks, and lips before straightening up, only to freeze in a hunched position. The tiny baby in his arms, whose eyes weren’t even fully open yet, had reached out a small fist and grabbed the collar of his father’s patient gown. With surprising strength, he held on tightly, making the medical staff laugh. It was as if he sensed the presence of the father who had given birth to him.

With the help of the medical staff, Shi Zai placed Wang Wang beside Shu Yangkuo. The baby, who had felt quite heavy in his arms at over eight pounds, now seemed incredibly small next to the man’s arm—like a mighty lion beside a newborn kitten. But as the lion gazed at the kitten, his demeanor softened. He lifted his head slightly and kissed the little one’s shoulder. Wang Wang’s eyes curved again before he fell back asleep.

Shu Yangkuo then opened his arms to let the younger one, the first child in the family, nuzzle against his chest before they returned to the hospital room.

Shi Zai held Shu Yangkuo’s hand tightly all the way back, gripping it even more firmly than Wang Wang had. His anxious heart seemed to finally settle securely in the man’s palm, calm and steady. Earlier that morning, the man’s words had nearly scared the life out of him. He had been about to jump out of bed when Shu Yangkuo stopped him. It turned out the man had sensed something at dawn and had already messaged Zheng Yuan to come pick them up. As they spoke, the sound of a car parking outside the courtyard reached them. Shi Zai was still flustered, unsure whether to help Shu Yangkuo up first or gather their things. Fortunately, Yan Wei and Zheng Yuan arrived promptly, and everything proceeded without a hitch. Shu Yangkuo had originally thought the birth would happen in a day or two, so he planned to stay at the hospital early to avoid making Shi Zai panic. Luckily, his intuition had been right—they went straight to the delivery room upon arrival. The C-section was quick, and after an hour of observation post-birth, all the tension finally dissipated.

Back in the hospital room, Shi Zai breathed a sigh of relief. He and Yang Yun sat on chairs beside the bed, one asking, “Are you tired?” and the other following with, “Does it hurt?” Before Shu Yangkuo could shake his head, Shi Zai gently lifted the edge of his gown and immediately covered his mouth with a soft gasp. Tears fell once more as he saw the roughly ten-centimeter incision across the man’s abdomen, his fingers trembling slightly as they clutched the fabric.

Seeing this, Shu Yangkuo pulled his gown back down and intertwined his fingers with Shi Zai’s:

“Don’t cry. Ge is happy. Smile for me, okay?”

Knowing the man loved seeing him smile, Shi Zai wiped his tears and put on a wide, bright grin. To his surprise, Shu Yangkuo chuckled softly, as if… laughing at him. Shi Zai’s face scrunched up again, and Shu Yangkuo reached out to touch his cheek:

“How come your smile is even sillier than Wang Wang’s?”

“Wang Wang’s smile isn’t silly!... Wait, how is my smile silly?!”

“And you’re even better at being clingy than Wang Wang.”

“…”

Shi Zai buried his face in the man’s large hand, drying his tears before looking up again with his usual bright smile.

He was about to say more when a nurse came in to call them for the baby’s bath. Shi Zai paused, replied, “Coming!” then turned to Shu Yangkuo, “Ge, wait for me,” and to Yang Yun, “Take good care of Ge.” Carefully, he picked up the still-sleeping Wang Wang and followed the nurse out.

How can he sleep so much? His chubby cheeks were even softer than when pink dumpling first arrived home, pink and fair-skinned—such a beautiful Wang Wang. As Shi Zai lowered his head slightly, the nurse joked, “You can’t eat the baby, you know.” Shi Zai laughed softly.

It was only during the bath that Wang Wang woke up. Once in the water, instead of being afraid, he seemed right at home, splashing his little arms and legs. His expression was neutral as he struggled to open his eyes and look at the person bathing him. Shi Zai gently tapped his tiny arm, knowing he was searching for Shu Yangkuo, and whispered, “Daddy is very weak right now, lying in bed wiping tears.” Wang Wang’s eyes shifted, and he turned his head to the side. Tch, this little one didn’t believe him. Shi Zai leaned closer, meeting Wang Wang’s gaze again. Heh heh, those large, bright eyes were just like his own. He grinned, and Wang Wang smiled back. Shi Zai glanced around and whispered to Wang Wang, “Who do you like more, Daddy or Papa?” “Do you like Papa more?” “If Daddy and Papa fell into a sewer, who would you save first?” “Would you save Papa first?”... The little one opened his tiny mouth, yawned, closed his eyes, and fell back asleep.

Well, Wang Wang doesn’t understand human language yet.

Back in the hospital room, Yang Yun leaned over the bed, his head resting against Shu Yangkuo’s arm. Since Shu Yangkuo couldn’t eat, drink, or get out of bed for six hours, this was the only way Yang Yun could keep him company. But like his little brother, he didn’t know what to say.

Shu Yangkuo reached back and patted Yang Yun’s head:

“Ge isn’t in pain.”

“You really love the younger one, don’t you?”

“…”

“Hee hee, the younger one loves you too, and you both love me. And Wang Wang—Ge, I’ll support Wang Wang in the future and take good care of this little, little, little nephew. You don’t have to worry about me competing for attention or anything, hee hee.”

Hearing this, Shu Yangkuo was silent for a moment, glancing at the ceiling before looking at the person beside his arm:

“Ge is only eleven years older than you, not twenty-one or thirty-one.”

“…Ha ha ha, I know. Ge—”

“Hmm?”

“We’re both really lucky.”

After saying this, Yang Yun lifted his head slightly, looking up at Shu Yangkuo from below. Ge gazed back quietly.

Yang Yun gently grasped Ge’s arm, kissed his arm, and suddenly laughed:

“Ge, did you start liking the younger one because he was all over you?”

“…Don’t do anything foolish.”

Yang Yun touched his nose and nodded, about to speak, when Ge added:

“Are you sure?”

“…Yeah.”

For some reason, he blushed, but Yang Yun maintained eye contact, letting Ge see the clarity in his eyes:

“I’ll grow up fast.”

“Good. Make yourself indispensable.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll grow taller too!”

“…”

“Hee hee, I understand, Ge. I won’t always put myself in a position where I need protection.”

For a moment, Shu Yangkuo felt deeply moved. One little one had just been born, while the other was already eager to grow up. It was as if overnight, the five-year-old little ball who once fit in his arms had become a young man over six feet tall, now speaking to him about serious matters like this.

Yang Yun straightened up and, taking advantage of Shu Yangkuo’s daze, kissed his forehead, grinning:

“Ge, I’m still young. You have to take care of me until I’m at least eighty!”

“…Be good.”

“Oh, and Ge, let me show you the rooster dance I just learned!”

“…”

Shu Yangkuo shook his head helplessly, watching expressionlessly as the family’s big boy fooled around. He mentally retracted his earlier thought—Yang Yun wasn’t eager to grow up after all. With this attitude, he’d need a few more years of polishing. But that was fine; it put his mind at ease.

Yang Yun held Wang Wang's two small outfits, waving them around while continuing to chatter on:

"Big Bro, you don’t have to worry about me and Xiao Zai being jealous of Wang Wang. Xiao Zai said you’ll feed all three of us formula together!"

"……"

"And also, we won’t make Wang Wang cry!"

"……"

He sighed softly to himself, enduring the assault on both his eyes and ears while thinking that he probably had to look after not just Wang Wang, but these two as well. Were they really going to compete for attention? If so, they'd have no one to blame but themselves for treating them all equally.

Just as he was thinking this, the door was pushed open. Shu Yangkuo looked over with a smile in his eyes—his wife was really growing up, even knowing how to hold a child now.

Shi Zai walked in quickly, holding the fragrant, sweet-smelling Wang Wang:

"Brother, brother! Wang Wang's actually human!"

"……"

"Smell him, he’s so sweet! Look at him—he understands us! When I was bathing and teasing him earlier, Wang Wang wasn’t scared at all, and he made all these little faces! Brother, listen—he’s breathing…"

Wang Wang was back in the crook of his arm. Shu Yangkuo looked down at the little one, who stared blankly for a while before his gaze gradually focused and his eyes crinkled into a smile. Shu Yangkuo returned the smile, and Wang Wang chuckled twice before closing his eyes and falling asleep just like that.

It was an amazing feeling—they had actually given birth to a child.

After watching for a long while, Shu Yangkuo finally looked up, pausing for a moment. When did those two sneak up so close? He cleared his throat:

"Wang Wang is still young, after all…"

"Brother, I know!"

"I understand too! We don’t want to drink formula with him!"

"……Keep your voices down."

As soon as Shu Yangkuo finished speaking, Yang Yun pouted, exchanged a look with Xiao Zai, and both quickly quieted down.

Yan Wei came in to check, and everything was normal. He asked which of the two would come learn how to prepare formula. Wang Wang would need another feeding when he woke up—Yan Wei had given him a little milk an hour after birth, and now, two hours later, Wang Wang was hungry again.

Yang Yun announced loudly, "I’m the man of the house!" and followed along.

Shi Zai, having missed out, let out a "hmph" and leaned against the bed:

"Brother, I want to talk to you."

"……Xiao Zai, don’t be afraid."

Hearing this, Shi Zai let out a soft "mm," his voice choked as he tried hard to hold back:

"My heart aches for you, brother. It feels like anything I say sounds hollow—I don’t even know how to speak properly…"

"Good, let brother stroke your cheek… Don’t cry."

"……Mm, I won’t cry anymore."

Hearing this, Shu Yangkuo’s expression softened even more:

"Isn’t it only right for a wife to care for her husband?"

"……But I don’t know what I can do for you right now."

"You have a whole lifetime—what’s the rush? Care for me, cherish me, and watch over me for a lifetime, alright?"

Shi Zai nodded repeatedly, the tangled emotions in his heart instantly fading. It was just a surgical wound—he could handle it too. Why worry like this? They had a whole lifetime, and he would love this man well, even more deeply.

Seeing that the big eyes under his thumb were no longer dripping tears but still glistening wet, Shu Yangkuo paused, then teased with a straight face:

"There’s plenty a wife can do… Go, get the bedpan for me."