Chapter 140: Four Treasures

Wang Tiezhu shrank back when Xu Qiaofeng looked at him.

He scratched his head sheepishly, took a half step back, and muttered softly, "Captain, I was just saying it casually, just for fun. I wouldn't dare to actually do anything about it!"

The others had also had their fill of the spectacle, and being comrades after all, they quickly chimed in with explanations.

"Yeah, we were just joking, Captain, don't take it seriously."

"Isn't that right? Even if we had a hundred lives, we wouldn't dare to even think about it."

"Captain, don't worry!"

Xu Qiaofeng snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. His chilling aura silenced the group of rough men.

He turned to look at Ning Tang, and his eyes softened instantly.

The man reached out and touched her round belly, his voice lowering, "Are you tired? Would you like some water?"

Ning Tang shook her head.

She's not made of clay; she just sat here and said a few words. She's not that precious.

However, Ning Tang did not say these words directly.

Xu Qiaofeng was a stubborn person and disliked her saying such self-deprecating things the most.

Every time he hears this, he has to put on a cold face and say very seriously that his wife is the best in the world and deserves even better!

Thinking of this, Ning Tang's smile deepened.

She smiled and said, "I'm not tired. They're all quite interesting. They told me a lot about things in the team. I didn't expect you to be so fierce usually."

Xu Qiaofeng gave a faint "hmm".

His deep gaze fell on Ning Tang's face, as if he were looking at his own possession.

The frustration I felt in the meeting room seemed to vanish the moment I saw her.

"Is the meeting over?" Ning Tang asked.

"Yes, it was an impromptu meeting, which took up a little time."

Xu Qiaofeng reached out and gently tucked the stray hairs from Ning Tang's forehead behind her ear.

"I'll take you back to the hospital later. What would you like to eat for dinner? Let Aunt Zhang know when I get back."

There are currently two pregnant women in the Xu family.

For some reason, Su Ying, the eldest sister-in-law, suffered from severe morning sickness. Even with Ning Tang's dietary supplements, it couldn't cure the underlying problem.

Every day at mealtimes, everyone had to watch Su Ying's expression.

If she looks unhappy, any meat or fish dishes on the table should be quickly removed.

Ning Tang is almost eight months pregnant now, which is exactly the time when she needs to nourish her body. It just so happens that these two people have run into each other.

Su Ying felt very guilty and kept saying that she had let Ning Tang down.

Several times her eyes were red from crying, and she said she wanted to move back to her parents' house, saying that out of sight, out of mind, so as not to bother everyone.

Ning Tang was always reluctant to let her sister-in-law be so kind and gentle, and she would always try to persuade her with kind words.

She said that morning sickness is a normal thing, and we are all family, so why distinguish between us?

“You know your sister-in-law’s personality; she’s always overthinking things, and sometimes even your brother gets a headache from it,” Xu Qiaofeng said helplessly.

Xu Qiaolan was driven crazy by this period.

But then I thought, his wife was tormented like this every day in order to give birth to his child, what is my little bit of suffering compared to that?

Xu Qiaofeng thought so too; he couldn't mistreat his wife, no matter who else he might mistreat.

He looked down at Ning Tang: "Let's keep it light tonight."

"Make some millet porridge, and have Aunt Zhang steam some egg custard. Also, make a portion of your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs and bring it to your room to eat separately, so that your sister-in-law won't feel uncomfortable seeing meat."

Ning Tang looked up at the considerate man in front of her, her eyes full of smiles.

She said softly, "Your idea is more reliable."

"certainly."

“You are my wife, I can’t let you suffer. My sister-in-law is my brother’s wife, he won’t suffer either. For the sake of our Xu family, let’s all take a step back.”

Ning Tang is not one to cause trouble.

The main reason is that Su Ying had been very good to her before, and she was willing to take a step back for her sister-in-law.

Besides, it's just eating in the room, it's not like she's not allowed to eat, there's nothing to feel wronged about.

Moreover, they take turns eating; today she eats in her room, tomorrow it's Su Ying's turn.

In a way, it's quite harmonious.

"Oh, right." Ning Tang looked up at Xu Qiaofeng as if she had suddenly remembered something. "On the way here, Zhang Yanfei came to see me."

Xu Qiaofeng tightened his grip on her arm, his eyes instantly turning cold: "What does he want with you?"

"It could also be for Ning Xin's sake."

Ning Tang pouted, her tone full of dislike.

“Ning Xin is pregnant, and I heard that she hasn’t been feeling well lately. She won’t say what’s wrong. Zhang Yanfei came to me and brought up the fact that Ning’s mother adopted me back then, scolding me for being ungrateful and insisting that I help her.”

Xu Qiaofeng's face was terribly gloomy, and the atmosphere around him seemed to drop several degrees: "You bastard! He doesn't even deserve it!"

Xu Qiaofeng knew Ning Xin's thoughts all too well.

The grievances Ning Tang suffered in the Ning family back then are all etched in his heart.

Zhang Yanfei still dares to use gratitude to blackmail Ning Tang; he's practically courting death.

"I ignored him and just left." Ning Tang nuzzled against his chest, her voice soft. "I just felt unlucky. He ruined my good mood."

"Don't be angry."

Xu Qiaofeng lowered his head, rubbed Ning Tang's head, and spoke in a cold tone.

"If he dares to bother you again, I'll have him thrown out. The Ning family's mess has absolutely nothing to do with you."

Ning Tang hummed in agreement, and the slight annoyance in her heart gradually dissipated under the man's gentle comfort.

The two chatted for a while longer.

Without wasting any more time, Xu Qiaofeng took the person back to the military hospital.

Today is Friday, and perhaps because it's a weekday, there weren't many people at the Traditional Chinese Medicine department this afternoon.

Ning Tang was bored and suddenly remembered that Zhang Yanfei had said that Ning Xin was also in this hospital that morning.

actually.

She was still quite curious about why Ningxin had gotten so angry that she had a stomachache and had to be hospitalized.

Ning Tang exchanged a few words with her colleague, swapped tasks, and then got up and headed towards the obstetrics and gynecology department on the first floor.

She didn't go to find Ning Xin on purpose.

Counting the days, it's time for my prenatal checkup.

Tomorrow is a day off, so Ning Tang thought she might as well take advantage of today to go and see her colleague.

Ning Tang, supporting her back, slowly moved step by step to the entrance of the obstetrics and gynecology department.

Hospital corridors in the 1970s were not spacious.

The walls were painted with somewhat mottled white paint, and there was a faint smell of disinfectant in the air.

Several pregnant women wearing blue cotton jackets sat on a long wooden bench, chatting quietly, seemingly discussing whether they were carrying a boy or a girl.

When they saw Ning Tang come in with her round belly, they all smiled at her in a friendly manner.

Ning Tang's prenatal checkup doctor was Dr. Li, whom she knew well.

The two had worked together elsewhere before and spoke casually to each other.

As soon as she reached the door of the clinic, Dr. Li looked up and saw her, smiling and waving: "Ning Tang is here? I was just saying you were supposed to come for your prenatal checkup these days, come in quickly."

Ning Tang pushed the door open, closed it behind her, and said with a smile.

"Sister Li, I was worried about the crowds tomorrow, so I came over today since I had some free time."

Dr. Li had her lie on the examination bed, lifted the corner of her clothes, and placed a stethoscope on her abdomen.

Since they knew each other, she deliberately warmed the cold stethoscope in her hands.

The moment the warm stethoscope touched my belly, the little one inside seemed to be startled and gave a gentle kick.

"This child is quite strong."

Dr. Li joked with a smile.

He gently moved his fingers over her belly, listening to the fetal heartbeat.

Ning Tang smiled too, her hand unconsciously resting on her stomach.

His eyes were full of tenderness: "That's right, he's always making a ruckus in there, sometimes even kicking me awake in the middle of the night."

After listening for a while, Dr. Li frowned slightly.

She moved to different seats to listen, her brows furrowing even more, and she muttered to herself.

"That's not right..."

"How is this possible..."

Ning Tang's heart skipped a beat, and she asked nervously, "Sister Li, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with the baby?"

She's almost eight months pregnant. She's been doing well at every prenatal checkup, and all her indicators are normal. Why is she suddenly acting strangely?

Dr. Li didn't speak, but listened carefully for a while longer.

It took him a long time to raise his head, his eyes full of surprise.

Her tone was somewhat incredulous: "Ning Tang, it sounds like there are two fetal heartbeats in your belly..."

"two?"

Ning Tang was stunned for a moment, thinking she had misheard, and subconsciously asked back.

"Sister Li, are you sure you heard me right? That can't be. Every time I had a prenatal checkup, they said it was only one baby."

It's been almost eight months. If it were twins, it would have been detected long ago. How could it have taken until now to find out?

Dr. Li also found it strange; she had never encountered such a situation in all her years of medical practice.

She picked up the stethoscope again, listened carefully, and said confidently, "That's right, there are two, the rhythms are different, there's no mistake."

As she spoke, she got up again to get the prenatal checkup record book next to her, flipped to Ning Tang's previous checkup records, and looked at them page by page.

"Did you have all your previous prenatal checkups done at our hospital?" Dr. Li asked as she flipped through the pages.

"Yes, from the time I got pregnant until now, it was you or Dr. Wang who did all the checkups for me."

Ning Tang's voice trembled slightly, her mind a jumbled mess.

She recalled that when she first became pregnant, her morning sickness wasn't too severe, but her belly showed earlier than other pregnant women.

Back then, she even mentioned to Xu Qiaofeng that the child was probably a chubby boy. Now that I think about it, it wasn't a chubby boy at all; there were clearly two of them!

Dr. Li went through all the records, but he was still completely baffled.

"That's strange. Previous checkups always showed it was a single pregnancy, but now that it's almost full term, they've found out it's twins?"

She thought for a moment and then said, "Perhaps the two babies were too close together before, and the equipment wasn't as advanced as it is now, so it was mistaken for one. With your big belly and thick layer of fat, it's indeed easy to make a mistake."

Ning Tang lay on the examination bed, her mind buzzing, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

One became two, it's like a dream.

She and Xu Qiaofeng eagerly awaited the arrival of a new life.

Who would have thought that God would give them such a big surprise!

Two wonderful treasures fell from the sky, completely stunning Ning Tang.

At this point, there was no time to worry about calming down.

Even after she got off work in the afternoon and returned to the Xu family home, she still hadn't recovered from the shock.

Su Ying had taken the day off today. Seeing that Ning Tang looked unwell, she quickly asked with concern, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"

Ning Tang snapped out of her daze, looked at Su Ying's concerned eyes, opened her mouth, but swallowed the words back.

Her mind is still a mess; the thought of having two little ones inside her feels like a dream.

"It's alright, sister-in-law."

Ning Tang forced a smile and slowly sat down, supporting herself on the sofa.

"I'm just a little tired."

Su Ying, however, was not so easily fooled.

She frowned, reached out and touched Ning Tang's forehead, then touched her own, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't have a fever. Were you busy at the hospital today? Your belly is so big now, you can't push yourself anymore."

As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and lowered her voice.

"Is that shameless Lu Niannian causing you trouble again? I heard Qiao Lan mention her once. Don't pay any attention to her. That kind of person is a scoundrel. The more you talk to her, the more arrogant she becomes."

Ning Tang felt a warmth in her heart and shook her head: "It has nothing to do with her, I just..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard footsteps at the door, and Xu Qiaofeng pushed the door open and came in.

The moment the man entered, his gaze was fixed on Ning Tang.

He strode over, bent down, and took her hand, his voice urgent.

"How are you? Tangtang, you look terrible. Are you feeling unwell?"

When he took Ning Tang to the hospital at noon, she was perfectly fine.

Why is your face as white as paper when you come back now?

Xu Qiaofeng's heart skipped a beat. He was about to call Zhang Sao to fetch the doctor when Ning Tang stopped him.

"I'm fine."

Ning Tang couldn't help but smile when she saw his nervous expression.

His eyes were slightly red. "Qiaofeng, I have something to tell you."

Seeing this, Su Ying stood up tactfully and said, "Then I'll go back to my room first, you two can talk slowly."

Only the two of them remained in the living room.

Xu Qiaofeng squatted down in front of Ning Tang, holding her hand and refusing to let go.

"What happened? Don't scare me."

Ning Tang took a deep breath, looked up at him, and said, word by word, "Dr. Li said that I am carrying twins."

With a loud bang.

Xu Qiaofeng was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

He stared blankly at Ning Tang's belly, then blankly at Ning Tang's face, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Ning Tang couldn't help but laugh when she saw his silly expression.

"Are you stupid?"

Xu Qiaofeng then came to his senses and suddenly stood up.

Afraid of frightening her with too much movement, he quickly squatted back down, his voice trembling.

"Two...two? Really two?"

"Um."

Ning Tang nodded, reached out and touched her belly, her eyes full of tenderness.

"Dr. Li said that the two little ones were too close together before, and the equipment was not advanced enough, so it was not detected."

Xu Qiaofeng's hands trembled.

He gently placed his hand on Ning Tang's belly, and felt a slight fetal movement under his palm, one after another, as if it were responding to him.

The man's eyes instantly reddened. He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, and remained silent for a long time.

Ning Tang was startled and quickly touched his head: "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

"Happy."

Xu Qiaofeng raised his head, his eyes glistening with tears, yet he smiled like a child.

"I'm so happy, Tangtang, I..."

He wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only hug Ning Tang tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

"Thank you, Tangtang, thank you."

Ning Tang leaned against him, listening to his strong heartbeat.

"From now on, we'll have three little darlings in our family," she said with a smile.

Xu Qiaofeng was stunned for a moment, then realized that she had included herself in the calculation.

The man chuckled and lowered his head to kiss the top of her head.

"There are four, and you are my darling too."