Chapter 64

Chapter 64

If he had no real sense of being pregnant at the beginning, Rong Yu'an's feelings now were overwhelmingly intense.

Whether awake or asleep, he could clearly feel the difference in his body compared to before.

He had never imagined in his dreams that he would have nights where he tossed and turned, unable to sleep well. Lying on his back felt exhausting, and lying on his side made his waist ache. Walking made him feel heavy, and sitting made it hard to breathe.

Although he was still looking forward to the babies' birth, the exhaustion was real.

Actually, it was only a little over six months, but his belly already looked almost as big as someone about to give birth.

Today, Gu Shenhan brought him for another prenatal checkup.

He couldn't help asking, "Grandma Zheng, do you think I'm eating too much? Should I pay attention to it? Otherwise, will it be hard to deliver later?"

Grandma Zheng said, "You should eat normally for now. The babies are still in an important stage of development. Besides, since this is a twin pregnancy, the babies won't be as large at birth as a singleton. Based on what you've said, if your cousins and friends could deliver smoothly, you don't need to deliberately reduce your food intake."

Rong Yu'an thought that made sense.

Gu Shenhan then smiled and said, "I wonder if the babies will like sports after birth? It seems like they keep changing positions."

Last time it looked like they were chatting harmoniously, but now they were back-to-back, as if they were sulking.

Rong Yu'an also found it amusing and asked, "Grandma Zheng, can you tell if they're boys or girls? If you can, I'll be able to prepare more little outfits."

Grandma Zheng said, "I can't tell. Look, every time their positions hide everything completely."

Although they were sitting sideways now, their little legs were curled up, making it impossible to see the gender.

Rong Yu'an didn't ask further and instead decided to continue preparing pale yellow and light blue. The baby room was decorated in these two colors as the main theme and had already been fully furnished.

He hadn't been able to go back to see it, but Gu Shenhan showed him during a video call.

It was inconvenient for him to go out, but he could shop online. He bought a lot of things and had them sent to Cui Xi Yuan, and Gu Shenhan arranged them all according to his requests.

Time flew by, and it was April. His body grew heavier and heavier. Gu Shenhan, worried about him being home alone during the day, discussed moving back to Bi Shui Wan together.

During the day, he stayed with Yan Yu and Lin Xiaotang, and at night, Gu Shenhan also came to Bi Shui Wan. Their studio was in Building 521, and he and Gu Shenhan lived in Building 520.

Yan Yu had previously tried to adjust his schedule, making some progress but not waking up very early. However, since Rong Yu'an returned, he started getting up at 7 a.m. every day to take care of Rong Yu'an along with Lin Xiaotang.

When Yan Yu touched Rong Yu'an's belly, the little one inside thumped twice.

Now that the baby was bigger, a kick would make a noticeable bulge.

Yan Yu asked, "Does it hurt?"

Rong Yu'an smiled and said, "It doesn't hurt much, just feels like a strong push."

Lin Xiaotang washed some fruit and brought it over. He dried a cream-colored guava with a tissue and handed it to Rong Yu'an. "I think these two little ones are quite playful. I bet they'll be strong when they're born. Even though they're twins, I guess they won't be too small."

Almost every time they sat together chatting, Rong Yu'an's belly would bulge here and there. It only stopped when the babies got tired from all the activity. And his belly was really big.

After sitting for a while, Rong Yu'an felt pressured, so he stood up to catch his breath, rubbing his waist. "It's easier to raise strong babies. If they're too small, it's hard to hold them. One of my cousins had a second baby who was very small, and we had to be extremely careful when holding him. The whole family was very careful, but unfortunately, we lost the baby. So if these two want to be active, let them be. Grandma Zheng said the fetal heart rate is normal, development is fine, and it's normal fetal movement, so I'm not worried."

"We've already decided to close the shop for renovations about half a month to a month before you give birth," Lin Xiaotang said. "We have a lot of ideas that we can implement together after the two little ones are born. Think of it as an upgrade to the store."

"We can hire a model for live streaming and recruit a professional photographer to record our production process," Yan Yu said. "If we don't want to show our faces, we can blur them. But if we want good sales, our faces are great advertising."

"Sorry for making you accommodate me," Rong Yu'an said. "I'll make it up to you slowly and help you with more work later."

"Brother Xiao'an, when you're better, you can just focus on embroidery and drawing. But I guess Brother Han will stop you and make you rest for half a year or a year. Yesterday, I just said something about the fabric stored here, with all the fibers and dust. This morning, six of the latest air purifiers were delivered."

Lin Xiaotang laughed. "Is this a case of 'when one person gets ahead, the whole family reaps the benefits'?"

Yan Yu said, "Yes. If I hadn't been dragged out by you, I probably wouldn't even know how to buy groceries properly. Now, fresh organic ingredients are delivered every day, and my weight is getting a bit concerning."

When Rong Yu'an heard the word "weight," he got a little worried.

The babies were growing, but he had also gained a lot of weight. His face was getting rounder. He was a bit anxious when facing Gu Shenhan. But Gu Shenhan seemed completely unaware of any change and looked at him with loving eyes every day.

Lin Xiaotang then checked the prenatal supplies again. "Did we miss anything?"

Yan Yu said, "Don't worry, Brother Xiaotang. I've checked several times and even joined a pregnant women's group to ask for advice. We definitely have more than enough."

"Good. Some things need to be sent ahead of time so we don't panic at the last minute," Lin Xiaotang said. He had no personal experience, so they relied on online research and asking for advice. Now they had prepared a bunch of things, and it seemed like there was nothing missing.

"You two seem more nervous than I am," Rong Yu'an said with a smile. "But I feel very reassured."

"It's good to feel reassured. You need to sleep well to save your strength."

"Let's stew that old hen tomorrow!" Yan Yu said. "Didn't Sister Fei give us those two free-range chickens? Let's stew them tomorrow."

"Sure!"

In the afternoon, after finishing work, Gu Shenhan had dinner with Rong Yu'an at Building 521, then took a stroll back to the neighboring courtyard.

Rong Yu'an slowly paced around the room to aid digestion, while Gu Shenhan studied nearby.

What he was studying now were things written by his mother-in-law from another world, which Xiao Yu'an had brought to show his wife and then had her note down.

These included how to recover after childbirth, what foods are beneficial for health, and precautions during labor. It also covered how to handle various situations and ways to ensure a smoother delivery.

These weren't suitable for others to see, so he decided to study them himself. Grandma Zheng also had a copy, but he was the one primarily studying. He was determined to be there for the delivery.

In another month, he would take a long leave of absence to rest. During this period, Grandma Zheng would take over his work. After the kids are born, she'll officially retire, and he'll go back to being a workhorse.

It was all neatly planned out.

Gu Shenhan said, "Your mother-in-law said you need to rest thoroughly after giving birth. So you must behave and take a complete rest after the little ones are born. I'll be with you then, and the nannies will take care of the babies. Tomorrow, ask your mother-in-law if she can list out a half-month menu in advance. I'll have Chef Cui follow it every day and add some of your favorite dishes."

Rong Yu'an said, "It's still early. No rush."

Gu Shenhan stroked Rong Yu'an's belly. "It's better to be prepared early for peace of mind."

Since Rong Yu'an couldn't sleep anyway, he went to grind some ink and wrote down the questions he had in mind. He used a brush because writing large characters made them easier to read.

He set the paper aside to use the next day. Then he went to the bathroom.

Gu Shenhan, worried he might slip, followed him in and asked, "Are you sure you want to do a water birth?"

Rong Yu'an said, "Yes. All my cousins did it that way. Newborns don't breathe through their noses immediately, so they won't choke. As long as the water is the same temperature as my body and we bring the baby out in time, it'll be fine."

Gu Shenhan thought it over but still felt uneasy.

He hadn't told Rong Yu'an, but he hadn't been sleeping well lately. He often dreamed that Rong Yu'an was giving birth in water, and in the blink of an eye, both Rong Yu'an and the baby had vanished.

"Didn't you say you already prepared the bathtub over there? It's even smart and temperature-controlled."

"It's ready. I just have no experience, so I always worry if something isn't enough."

"Prepare some food for me. I might get hungry then."

"I'm thinking about that."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. Enough warm water, a blanket for the baby, soft towels to wipe, some food and drink, and a sterilized pair of scissors—that's plenty."

Gu Shenhan still felt something wasn't enough. So the next day, shortly after arriving at the office, he contacted the renovation crew and a bathroom supplier to install a smart, constant-temperature bathtub at Bishuiwan 520 as well.

The plan was to move to the pre-prepared birthing room shortly before the birth—the same place where Rong Yuan had been doing his prenatal check-ups.

There was a full set of medical equipment, and professional medical staff would be on standby starting two weeks early. Since twins often arrive earlier than the expected due date, they added a buffer.

Rong Yuan said, "It'd be a waste not to give birth to more than two, given how much money we invested in that birthing room."

He hadn't inquired about the costs before, because he had no concept of the price of medical equipment from the other world. Later, when chatting with Teacher Du about modern childcare knowledge, he took the opportunity to ask how much the equipment cost and was surprised to learn that everything he'd seen there added up to over a million yuan. And some devices, like a "hyperbaric oxygen chamber," might not even be used.

Just in case of complications during childbirth, they had set it up specifically. If they only used it once, they felt it was a loss.

"Better not," Gu Shenhan said. "Look, you haven't been able to sleep well lately, and your back hurts all the time."

"Will they sell the machines after they are used?"

"Donate them, to accumulate merit for the children. Later, if you want another one, we can buy newer models—they're always being updated anyway."

Rong Yuan thought that was a good idea.

But what they never expected was that not only the emergency-use hyperbaric oxygen chamber, but even the oxygen machine Gu Shenhan thought would definitely be needed, never had to be used at all.

On the last day of May, Rong Yuan was sleeping when he suddenly felt the bedding becoming increasingly wet and warm. When he woke up, he had a stomachache.

It wasn't quite nine months yet. Gu Shenhan immediately decided to take him to the hospital.

But Rong Yuan stopped him and said, "Honey, there's no time to go to the hospital. You... you go run the water for me. The babies seem to be coming out."

Gu Shenhan panicked. He called Lin Xiaotang while rushing into the bathroom to turn on the water.

Luckily everything had been pre-sterilized. After a brief explanation, he also notified the elderly lady.

He forced himself to calm down, then carried Rong Yuan into the bathroom. Following Rong Yuan's instructions, he helped him take off his clothes and placed him into the bathtub.