Yu Yuehui endured the waves of discomfort emanating from her body, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. She gripped Xie Yan's hand tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh, trying to control her inner panic and speaking as calmly as possible: "My water broke, it's too late."

These words struck Xie Yan like a bolt from the blue, instantly making his mind go blank and leaving him frozen in place, completely at a loss.

The air inside seemed to freeze, and the tense atmosphere, like an invisible net, tightly enveloped the two of them.

He hurriedly helped Yu Yue back to lie down on the kang (a heated brick bed), which was slightly warm from the sun, but Xie Yan felt no warmth at all.

Turning to face outside, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Chao Chao, Chao Chao, find Grandma, find Grandma!" His voice echoed in the silent house, filled with endless anxiety and fear.

At this moment, he was as helpless as a child. All the obstetrics knowledge he had studied diligently every day was like a kite with a broken string, which he had long forgotten.

Xie Yan's shouts went unanswered.

The moment Chaochao heard Yu Yuehui say she was about to give birth, she dashed towards Qian Hong's house like an arrow released from a bow.

Her small figure ran desperately along the narrow village road, knocking the roadside weeds to the side. The wind whistled in her ears, but she didn't slow down at all, her heart filled with worry for her mother.

Xie Yan was extremely anxious when she received no response; she felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

He steeled himself and pinched himself hard. A sharp pain, like an electric shock, instantly spread throughout his body, finally forcing him to calm down. He closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and tried to think calmly, as vague knowledge about childbirth gradually surfaced in his mind.

"I'm a professional, I'm a professional!" Xie Yan kept repeating to himself, as if this was his only lifeline at this moment.

After repeating it twice, he gradually calmed down.

He first bent down to help Yu Yue lie back down, then carefully checked her condition. Seeing that she was only dilated to one finger, he breathed a slight sigh of relief and tried to sound calm, "Wife, don't be afraid. Wait here, I'll go cook you some brown sugar eggs."

Yu Yuehui nodded slightly. At this moment, her stomach had begun to cramp in waves, but she could grit her teeth and endure the pain. In addition, having given birth to Chaochao before, she wasn't actually that scared.

She forced a smile and said, "Yes, you should go now. I feel like I still have some time before I give birth."

Xie Yan carefully took Yu Yuehui's pulse again. Feeling the steady pulse and confirming that the child was normal, he hurriedly ran to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the flames on the stove were still roaring, illuminating Xie Yan's anxious face. He quickly picked up pots and pans, cracking eggs one after another with a very steady hand.

Meanwhile, from afar, Chaochao began urgently calling out to Qian Hong. Her childish voice became shrill with fear and anxiety, "Grandma, Grandma!" The sound echoed in the sky above the village, carrying far and wide.

Hearing their eldest granddaughter's urgent call, not only Qian Hong, but also Yu Shan and Mao Dan quickly ran out of the house.

The sunlight shone on them, outlining their hurried figures.

Qian Hong looked worried, her brows furrowed, and asked anxiously, "What's wrong, Chaochao?"

Chaochao gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, and shouted with all his might, "My mother is going into labor!"

"What!" Qian Hong, Yu Shan, and Mao Dan were all shocked when they heard the news.

Qian Hong's eyes were filled with worry and anxiety. She didn't have time to take Chaochao with her and ran towards Yu Yue's home like a gust of wind. A cloud of dust rose from the ground beneath her feet, and the wildflowers by the roadside swayed gently in the breeze she stirred up.

As soon as Qian Hong entered the room, she saw her daughter lying weakly on the bed, covered in sweat.

Seeing her daughter suffering alone in the pain of childbirth, she was filled with rage. While anxiously checking on her daughter, she shouted, "Where's Xie Yan?" Her voice trembled slightly with anger. "Where is he at such a crucial moment?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Yan hurriedly came in carrying a large bowl of steaming hot brown sugar eggs.

The bowl of brown sugar and eggs emitted a faint sweet aroma, and wisps of steam rose from it. Seeing the bowl of brown sugar and eggs, Qian Hong instantly realized she had misunderstood Xie Yan, and felt a pang of guilt.

When Xie Yan saw Qian Hong coming over, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mother, keep an eye on Yuehui. I'll feed her the eggs first."

Qian Hong nodded quickly, "Feed her first, she'll have the strength to give birth if she's full."

Yu Yuehui thought so too. She leaned against the quilt, half-lying down, and with Xie Yan's careful feeding, she finished a whole bowl of brown sugar and eggs.

Just then, several more women entered the house, one of whom happened to be the village midwife. As soon as the midwife arrived, she hurriedly pushed the thank-you banquet outside.

Xie Yan grabbed the person's hand, forced a smile, and said, "Third Aunt, will you be delivering the baby later?"

Third Aunt nodded.

After confirming that she was the one who delivered the baby, Xie Yan immediately pulled her aside, brought out the hand sanitizer he had prepared in advance, and said earnestly, "Auntie, wash your hands. This is the hand sanitizer I prepared. Wash your hands before you go in."

Auntie San wanted to say that there weren't so many rules; she had been delivering babies in this village for so many years, there weren't so many regulations.

But she also knew that Xie Yan was a doctor and knew a lot, so she obediently cooperated.

However, her handwashing was very perfunctory; she simply dipped her hands in the water.

Xie Yan frowned. What good would just dipping it in water do? For his wife's sake, he decided to wash her with his own hands.

Auntie was startled and instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Xie Yan held her hand tightly as if it were rooted to the spot, and said seriously, "Auntie, the hands used for childbirth must be washed very thoroughly. Doctors in big hospitals wash their hands very thoroughly before giving birth to ensure the safety of the mother and child."

Upon hearing that doctors at big hospitals do this, Auntie stopped moving and even cooperated by washing her hands thoroughly.

After entering the house, Auntie chuckled and teased Qian Hong, "Your son-in-law is so particular. Look, he washed my hands so much they're almost peeling."

Yu Yuehui knew that this must be the disinfectant that Xie Yan had prepared.

Qian Hong had also heard about it and immediately said, "They are right. I only found out when I went to the hospital to take care of my daughter last time. Doctors disinfect their hands before they start examining patients."

"When you deliver babies in the future, even if you can't disinfect like doctors, you still need to wash your hands properly."

"The doctor said that we have a lot of bacteria on our hands, and children and pregnant women are very vulnerable. They can easily get infected if they are not careful."