Shen Xuyue was extremely nervous because his wife was about to give birth, while Hu Nianchun and Zhao Mingyue were much calmer. Shen Xuyue called his mother-in-law over and said, "I'll go call a taxi and take Mingyue to the hospital right away."

Zhao Mingyue said, "No rush. Mom said the contractions will last for several hours. Let's go when it's light. There probably aren't any cars available now, and we'll just have to lie down and wait at the hospital anyway."

Shen Xuyue grabbed Zhao Mingyue's hand: "Can you handle it?"

Zhao Mingyue's forehead was covered in sweat: "It's okay, every woman goes through this pain when giving birth."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Zhao Mingyue, panting, said, "Just stay with me."

Shen Xuyue reached out and took Zhao Mingyue's hand, wiping her sweat with a handkerchief. When Zhao Mingyue's contractions struck, she gripped Shen Xuyue's hand tightly, so tightly it hurt. Shen Xuyue looked at his wife with heartache; he was in so much pain himself, so he could imagine how much she was suffering. "Wife," he said, "shall I take you to the hospital now?"

Zhao Mingyue frowned and endured the pain. After a while, the pain subsided, and she breathed a sigh of relief: "It's okay, this pain is bearable. Let's wait until dawn before going."

Hu Nianchun had already prepared all the daily necessities for his daughter's hospital stay. Then he poured a glass of water, added some brown sugar, and handed it to Zhao Mingyue: "Drink some water."

Shen Xuyue quickly grabbed the water glass and helped Zhao Mingyue sit up to drink. She had sweated so much and definitely needed to drink more water to replenish her fluids, otherwise she would become dehydrated. Zhao Mingyue also felt thirsty and drank more than half of the glass of water.

Shen Xuyue checked the time; it was 2:40 PM. It wouldn't be light until at least 5:00 AM, meaning they would need another two hours before they could get to the hospital. Seeing Zhao Mingyue in so much pain, he felt helpless and utterly useless.

Hu Nianchun had given birth to four children and had seen others give birth to many children, so she was quite experienced in this matter. She instructed Shen Xuyue to pour water and rub a towel to wipe Zhao Mingyue's body, which would help her cool down and feel much more comfortable.

Zhao Mingyue said, "Help me change my clothes too, they're all wet."

Shen Xuyue said, "Okay, I'll change it for you."

Zhao Mingyue's maternity clothes are all cotton dresses that she made herself. Luckily it's summer, so they are very convenient to wear and easy to change.

Zhao Mingyue's next contractions came about an hour later, and after two contractions, it was almost dawn. Unable to make a phone call, Shen Xuyue had to ride his bike to the taxi stand to hail a cab. Phones were only available at offices and post offices, and they weren't open at this hour, so there was no way to call a taxi company; he had to wait at the taxi stand. These days, you could only hail a taxi at a taxi stand; hailing one on the street wouldn't get you a ride, and soliciting passengers on the street was illegal.

Actually, the hospital wasn't far from their school, but Shen Xuyue was worried that Zhao Mingyue couldn't walk that far, and riding on the back of a bicycle seemed too dangerous. Calling an ambulance would be overkill, so he could only call a taxi. Shen Xuyue thought to himself, "If only I had a car! Every household in America has a car, but in China, even calling a taxi is so difficult. That's the difference. When will China catch up with America? Maybe in another fifty years?" Shen Xuyue sighed inwardly. He rode his bike, lost in thought, until he reached a taxi stand. Luckily, there was one near the school. Shen Xuyue quickly hailed a taxi, explained the situation to the driver, and told him not to get in but to follow him.

People are still kind-hearted these days. They managed to hail a taxi. Giving birth is a huge event, and everyone takes it very seriously. Shen Xuyue led the driver to the school's faculty and staff dormitory building and went upstairs to pick up Zhao Mingyue. He reached out his arms to hug her, but Zhao Mingyue said, "No need to hug me. I can walk down by myself. I'm not in pain now. You can just help me."

Shen Xuyue thought that it would be dark and unsafe to go down the stairs, so he said, "Okay, I'll shine a flashlight for you, and we'll go down the stairs slowly."

Hu Nianchun followed behind, carrying a water bottle and a change of clothes.

The three of them slowly went downstairs and got into the car. Zhao Mingyue suddenly remembered something: "Did you lock your bicycle?"

Shen Xuyue thought for a moment and said, "No, wait a minute, I'll go lock the car."

"Young lady, you're really calm, much calmer than your husband," the taxi driver said with a smile.

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "He was just in a hurry. Giving birth doesn't happen that quickly."

Shen Xuyue locked his bicycle and got into the front seat of the taxi: "Okay, let's go."

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, a new round of contractions began. The contractions were now shorter, no longer once an hour, but about once every half hour. Shen Xuyue felt that she was about to give birth. In a panic, he stretched out his arm, picked Zhao Mingyue up, and rushed into the hospital, shouting urgently, "Doctor, doctor, hurry, my wife is about to give birth."

The contractions were so intense that Zhao Mingyue couldn't think straight. Instinctively, she found a spot and bit down on Shen Xuyue's arm. Shen Xuyue felt a sharp pain and almost let go, but he gritted his teeth and held on, saying, "Don't be afraid, wife. We're at the hospital. You'll be admitted soon."

An emergency doctor came and led him to the emergency room. Shen Xuyue said, "Doctor, please help my wife, she's about to give birth."

The on-call obstetrician came over, took a look, and said, "She's only just started dilating, it's still early. She's in labor pains now. Take her to a ward first, and she can go to the delivery room later. Her family should go and complete the admission procedures."

Shen Xuyue looked at the nonchalant doctor, somewhat bewildered: "My wife is in so much pain, isn't there any way to alleviate it?"

The middle-aged female doctor said expressionlessly, "Every woman goes through childbirth like this. This is just the beginning; there's more pain to come. Calm down, young man."

Shen Xuyue: "..."

Zhao Mingyue was in so much pain that she refused to cry out, gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, almost biting her lip until it bled. Shen Xuyue quickly took a towel from the luggage Hu Nianchun was carrying and stuffed it into her mouth: "Wife, bite this, don't bite yourself. I'm going to handle the hospital admission procedures, wait for me, I'll be right back. Mom, keep an eye on Mingyue, I'll be back soon."

After completing the formalities, Shen Xuyue returned to the emergency room and found that Zhao Mingyue was gone. He frantically searched everywhere, grabbing people and asking, "Where is my wife? She's the pregnant woman who was just brought in." He was like a headless fly, completely devoid of his usual composure.

At this moment, Hu Nianchun stood in the corridor and waved to him: "Xiao Shen, over here."

When Shen Xuyue saw his mother-in-law, he quickly ran over and saw Zhao Mingyue lying in the hospital bed. There were two other pregnant women and a woman who had just given birth in the room. Zhao Mingyue was silently gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, her forehead covered with beads of sweat the size of soybeans.

Shen Xuyue took the water glass and waited for her to recover from the contractions. He grabbed her hand, anxiously unsure what to do. The doctor arrived and explained the correct breathing method to Zhao Mingyue, saying it would conserve energy and reduce pain. Shen Xuyue practiced breathing with Zhao Mingyue. Hu Nianchun watched their former village secretary act like a child, completely helpless because his wife was giving birth. Unlike the men in their village, who would just stand by with wide eyes and wait dumbfounded when their wives gave birth, city people were different. His daughter had married the right person.

It was already broad daylight, and Zhao Mingyue's contractions were coming more and more frequently than before. Shen Xuyue was afraid that she couldn't bear it, so he quickly went to buy her food to replenish her strength. The doctor said that the baby hadn't been born yet, and when it came time to give birth, there would be a tough battle ahead.

It was too early, and the breakfast shops had just opened, so there wasn't much food available. Shen Xuyue bought a bowl of porridge, and just then he saw a vendor selling watermelons from a cart. Zhao Mingyue quickly bought two large watermelons and brought them back to give her some energy. Since she couldn't eat hard food at this time, squeezing the watermelon into juice for her was the perfect solution.

Zhao Mingyue drank some porridge. Shen Xuyue carefully removed the seeds from the watermelon, crushed it into juice in a cup, and gave it to Zhao Mingyue to drink when the pain subsided. Zhao Mingyue drank some more watermelon juice, then took a breath: "Okay, that's enough. Xuyue, do you want to go back and tell Mom and Dad?"

Shen Xuyue shook his head and said, "Forget it, I'll go back after I give birth."

Zhao Mingyue said, "The doctor said it would take several more hours. I only started having contractions around 1 p.m., so I won't give birth until at least noon."

Shen Xuyue thought for a moment. Since his mother-in-law was here to watch over things, he would go back and ask his mother to make something for Mingyue. Giving birth must be hard work, and she would be hungry after giving birth. So he said, "Okay, I'll go back and ask my mom to make you some soup."

Hu Nianchun said, "I'll stew it when I get back."

Shen Xuyue said, "It's alright, Mom. I'll just go back and give them a heads-up. You stay here with Mingyue."

Shen Xuyue ran home to tell his parents the good news and asked his mother to make some chicken soup to take to Zhao Mingyue. Shen's father then went to the hospital with Shen Xuyue. When they arrived, they found that Zhao Mingyue was no longer in the ward. Panicked, he rushed out and saw his mother-in-law sitting outside the delivery room. Shen Xuyue quickly went over: "Mom, is she going into labor?"

Hu Nianchun nodded: "Yes, the doctor said she's about to give birth and has been taken inside. My father-in-law has also come."

Father Shen nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

Hu Nianchun waved his hand, turned around and looked at the ward. Zhao Mingyue was groaning inside. Shen Xuyue was pacing anxiously outside, trying to go in several times, but Hu Nianchun stopped him: "What are you men doing going in when a woman is giving birth? It'll be over soon, don't rush."

"How long have they been inside?" Shen Xuyue asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. His vest was completely soaked, a testament to his nervousness.

Hu Nianchun said, "It's only been a short while. There's a doctor here, so don't worry."

Shen Xuyue felt this period was truly unbearable, every minute and second seemed to drag on endlessly. Until the clear cry of a baby came from behind that simple door, a sound like heavenly music, liberating Shen Xuyue from the long, boundless darkness, finally allowing him to see the dawn. He breathed a sigh of relief and almost rushed inside. His father stopped him: "Xiao Xu, what's the rush? He'll be out in a minute."

Soon, the door opened, and a female nurse came out, saying in a businesslike manner, "Congratulations, it's a boy, weighing eight pounds and eight ounces. Mother and child are safe and sound."

Shen Xuyue almost knelt down in shock. He had a son! Mother and child were safe! He was a father!

Hu Nianchun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing it was a boy. Father Shen nodded excitedly, "That's wonderful, wonderful!"

Shen Xuyue hugged his father's shoulders: "Dad, I have a son."

Mr. Shen patted his son on the shoulder happily: "Congratulations!"

Shen Xuyue said, "Thank you, Dad." His voice was a little choked up.

Soon, the delivery room door opened, and a nurse came out carrying a baby wrapped in a towel. Shen Xuyue quickly reached out and carefully caught the child, as if catching a world within him. Looking at the red-faced infant, he was almost speechless with emotion; his nose suddenly stung with tears. This was his son, the son he had with Mingyue. He was so small, so delicate, his eyes tightly closed, his lips moving slightly, as if he were having a beautiful dream. It was truly miraculous. His son was different from other children; his skin was smooth and full from birth, not wrinkled.

Zhao Mingyue was quickly pushed out as well. Holding the child, she went to greet him, saying, "Wife, look at our son."

Zhao Mingyue's hair was soaked with sweat, her face was pale, and her lips were bloodless; she was clearly exhausted. Unable to speak, she simply closed her eyes briefly to indicate that she understood. Seeing Shen Xuyue's clumsy movements, Hu Nianchun quickly took the child from him and carried it back to the ward.

Shen Xuyue jogged to catch up. His father looked at his son and shook his head. "He's over thirty, how come he's still like a child? He usually seems so composed. Sigh, he's already a father." He thought, "This is another grandson. I thought it would be a granddaughter. We already have two grandsons; it would be nice to have a little granddaughter to cuddle with."

Shen Xuyue leaned over the headboard, whispering to Zhao Mingyue. The baby was placed next to Zhao Mingyue's pillow, and the three of them huddled together, creating an extremely heartwarming scene. Shen Xuyue reached out and gently brushed the hair that was stuck to Zhao Mingyue's cheek, saying tenderly, "Wife, you've worked so hard."

Tears welled in Zhao Mingyue's eyes. She finally had a child of her own; her life was truly complete. Shen Xuyue was startled and quickly asked, "Wife, why are you crying? What's wrong?"

Zhao Mingyue let her tears flow freely, a smile on her lips: "I'm so happy, my son is finally born."

Shen Xuyue reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Cheer up, wife, we finally have a son. Don't cry. Here, drink some brown sugar water to replenish your strength. I've already told Mom to make chicken soup for you. It should be here soon." Shen Xuyue scooped up the brown sugar water and fed it to her.

Before long, everyone arrived. Mother Shen brought soup, Fang Zhen held the baby, and Shen Fuyu brought Jingjing; they all came to visit Zhao Mingyue and her son. With another grandson, Mother Shen was so happy that two more crow's feet appeared at the corners of her eyes. She held Hu Nianchun's hand and kept praising Zhao Mingyue.

The young people gathered together to chat. Shen Xuyue fed Zhao Mingyue soup. Although Zhao Mingyue was very sleepy, she still planned to eat something before going to sleep. She drank the soup while listening to her older sister and sister-in-law chatting.

The eldest sister held Zhao Mingyue's son in her arms and said with a smile, "That's great, now there are three rascals. Jingjing is old enough that he shouldn't fight with his brothers. Zhuangzhuang and Xiaobudian are only two months apart, so the two brothers will definitely compete for supremacy and fight at home every day. The house will be turned upside down."

Jingjing snuggled up to her mother to look at her newborn brother.

Shen Xuyue rolled his eyes at his sister: "Do you think my son is a barbarian who only knows how to solve problems with violence?"

Shen Fuyu gently patted the baby, while smiling at Zhuangzhuang in Fang Zhen's arms: "Zhuangzhuang, did you hear that? Your uncle is trying to get your younger brother to compete with you in intelligence. We can't lose to him!"

Zhuangzhuang is two months old now. He doesn't move much yet, but his eyes are already quite bright and alert. When he sees a small baby, he bounces up and down in his mother's arms, trying to see the baby.

Shen Fuyu said, "Oh, Zhuangzhuang can recognize his little brother now? Come on, you two brothers, give each other a kiss."

Of course, the two little kids couldn't kiss. One was sleeping soundly, and the other didn't even know what kissing was. Fang Zhen held her son and moved closer, letting the two little ones touch cheeks. The baby felt uncomfortable and twisted his body in protest.

Jingjing asked, "Uncle, what's your little brother's name?"

Zhao Mingyue looked at Shen Xuyue. The two of them had indeed thought about it for a long time but still couldn't decide on a name for the child. Shen Xuyue said, "Isn't this the third child in the family? Let's call him Sanzi (Third Son)."

Zhao Mingyue frowned: "You're making things too easy for me. No, let's find someone else."

Shen Xuyue chuckled and said, "I've got it. Let's call him Liangliang."

Everyone asked, "Why?"

Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "His father is the sun, and his mother is the moon. With both the sun and the moon shining, how could it not be bright?"

Jingjing asked, somewhat confused, "I know my aunt is the moon, but how come my uncle is the sun?"

Shen Fuyu told her son, "Your uncle's name contains the character 'Xu,' which means the rising sun."

Jingjing suddenly clapped her hands, thinking of a good idea: "Since it's the sun and the moon, then the next one should be the little star, so the little brother should be called Star."

Shen Fuyu praised her son: "Look, my son is so good at naming things. That's it, his nickname and formal name are both Xingxing (Star)."

Shen Xuyue glared at his older sister: "You're the gorilla."

Zhao Mingyue couldn't help but chuckle, thinking of the Lucky Three Treasures. Fang Zhen said, somewhat puzzled, "Stars are great, aren't they? The sun, the moon, and the stars, what a perfect family!"

Zhao Mingyue said, "Sister-in-law, this has the same name as a gorilla in the zoo, that's not good."

Fang Zhen finally realized what was happening and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Shen Xuyue said, "Don't come up with a name randomly. It's settled then, Liangliang. Our son will be called Liangliang." He finished feeding his wife the chicken soup, then sighed, "Actually, it would have been even better if it were a daughter."

“What’s wrong with a son?” Shen Fuyu said to the baby in her arms. “What’s wrong with Liangliang being a boy? He can throw things and fight, he’s not spoiled at all, he’s a real little man, there’s nothing wrong with him.”

Jingjing reached out and gently touched Liangliang's face: "Hello little brother, I can play with him from now on."

Zhao Mingyue teased Jingjing, saying, "Little sister, aren't you going to bring her?"

“Little girls cry a lot.” Jingjing thought that all little girls were like Dongdong, too spoiled and not fun.

Shen Xuyue looked at his nephew and teased him, "If you don't like little sisters now, you won't even be able to find a wife in the future."

Jingjing was at an age where she was beginning to understand the differences between boys and girls. Upon hearing her uncle's words, she quickly pouted and went out to play, saying, "Mom, I'm going out to play."

Shen Fuyu said, "Then go ahead, but don't go too far."

"Yes, I know."

Zhao Mingyue said, "Actually, I also want to have a daughter. Daughters are more considerate. We already have two boys in the family. If my Liangliang were a girl, she would definitely be taken care of by her two older brothers."

Shen Xuyue said, "That's right, I've always wanted a daughter. A daughter can wear dresses, braid her hair, and be dressed up in a delicate way. With Mingyue and my genes, we're sure to have the most beautiful daughter. She'd make other people's sons envious. I wouldn't give up even if they wore out their doorsteps. She'd make other people's sons anxious to death."

Shen Fuyu reached out and pinched her younger brother's arm: "You're dreaming. You don't even like your son."

Shen Xuyue said in a serious tone, "Of course I like my son too. If it's a son, then the only woman in our family can enjoy more happiness. I will raise him to be a strong and upright man, so that he will know how to take care of and protect his mother from a young age. If it were a daughter, I would have to divide my love into two parts. Now that it's a son, I have much less to worry about."

Shen Xuyue was becoming a father for the first time today, and he was so excited that he was incoherent. Once he started talking, he didn't hold back and said all sorts of things, making his older sister and sister-in-law laugh. They were also very envious of Zhao Mingyue.

Zhao Mingyue was tired and couldn't help but yawn as she listened to their conversation. Seeing this, Chen's mother said, "You two should say less. Mingyue needs to rest. She just gave birth and must be exhausted. Let her get some sleep. We're going out to eat. Xuyue, you wait here. You can eat after we've finished, or we can bring you some back."

Shen Xuyue nodded: "Okay, bring me some." He planned to stay with his wife and children today.

Zhao Mingyue looked at the purplish-blue teeth marks on his arm, which she had bitten in pain: "I'm sorry, Xuyue, I bit you."

Shen Xuyue glanced at it and chuckled, "This is the medal of honor. It's alright, go to sleep."

Zhao Mingyue said, "You haven't rested for most of the night either, why don't you get some sleep?"

"Okay, I'll lie down for a bit, you go to sleep, don't worry." Shen Xuyue patted her hair, Zhao Mingyue nodded, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

Shen Xuyue reached out and smoothed Zhao Mingyue's hair, then kissed his precious son. At that moment, he felt like the happiest person in the world, and his whole world was here.

He was about to take a nap when he suddenly remembered something: he seemed to have forgotten to ask for leave from work. So he quickly went out and made a phone call to report the situation to his supervisor.

When the boss heard that he had a baby, he smiled and said, "Since you didn't come, I guess your wife has given birth. I'll give you three days off. Remember to bring red eggs to distribute when you come back."

"Definitely!" Shen Xuyue agreed with a grin. At this point, he would probably have agreed to anything, even a golden egg, let alone a red one.