That evening, after everyone had left, Huo Haocheng held his wife in his arms and lay on the bed, listening to her talk about what had happened in the past month or so, why Xiao Mingxuan had appeared in their house, and the fact that the group of children who had lost their memories after taking the medication had changed their names to her surname. The couple chatted casually.
Before long, Ruan Ruan fell asleep in his arms.
Looking at his sleeping wife, Huo Haocheng pressed his head against her stomach, chatted with the children for a while, and then held her as he fell asleep.
The next day, after breakfast, as usual, Wang Qun first took Xiao Mingxuan to school, and then came back to pack his things. Yesterday it was too late and the child had to go to school this morning, so he didn't bother. Now that he had time, he packed them up first, and Lan Chaoyang and the others could pick them up after reporting to the factory.
Huo Haocheng took his wife to a prenatal checkup early in the morning. The last time they went for a prenatal checkup was before Huo Haocheng left in July. Now it's September, and Ruan Ruan is due to be born in January. They just need to have one more checkup before the baby is born.
When they arrived at the hospital, they went to the obstetrics and gynecology department for a check-up, just like usual. After that, they went to see Dr. Jiang. She was more than a month ahead of Ruan Ruan, and was already eight months pregnant. She was about to start preparing for childbirth, but they didn't know when she would start taking leave.
When Ruan Ruan went to her office to find her, she saw her packing her things.
"Hey, why are you starting to pack?"
"You've arrived! Please have a seat. Gu Jinghe has gone to deliver some documents for me and will be back soon. I've already spoken with the dean and I'll be resting at home starting tomorrow to prepare for childbirth. Your arrival today is perfectly timed."
As Dr. Jiang packed her personal belongings, she told them that with Gu Jinghe's help, she had sent the percentage of patients she had seen to the head doctor. Fortunately, she had been dealing with minor illnesses and pains lately, so she could take a vacation without worry. Otherwise, it would have been more troublesome to have meetings with the other doctors who were taking over her patients to hand over the cases.
"It's good that you're taking a vacation early. Your belly is getting bigger and bigger. It's not convenient with all the people coming and going at the hospital." Looking at Dr. Jiang's belly and then at her own, she felt it wasn't appropriate to say anything to others.
"You're carrying twins, which means there's a risk of premature birth at any time. You'd better be prepared!"
"Yes, I've thought of that too. Come to the hospital as soon as possible. I know what I'm doing, so don't worry. Your task now is to give birth to the baby in peace."
The two sisters chatted in the office for a while before Gu Jinghe returned.
When Dr. Jiang saw them, she gave him the seat next to her so he could continue tidying up, while she sat down and talked to Ruan Ruan about the changes the baby had undergone in her womb during this time.
Both women are first-time mothers with no experience. They've relied on advice from their elders on childcare, so their conversations are full of conflicting advice: "My grandma said...", "My mom said...", "My neighbor said...". However, their advice all seems contradictory, and after discussing it, they realize none of it is reliable. The only point they agree on is that women shouldn't be exposed to drafts, wash their hair, or bathe during postpartum confinement. But they also say that when they had their babies, they only had a week of confinement before returning to work in the fields—this completely contradicts what they've been told.
The two women were chattering away, and Huo Haocheng stood behind his wife, acting as her human support. He also listened to what they were saying. He would give them a few pointers if he thought they were useful, and discard the useless ones. For example, he would simply ignore nonsense like, "You can go back to work in the fields after the baby is born."
After Gu Jinghe finished packing, the four of them went to the cafeteria for lunch. When the other doctors saw them, they all came over to say hello and asked for advice on any problems they encountered in treatment. So, for the entire lunch break, Ruan Ruan and Dr. Jiang were surrounded by the hospital's doctors. Of course, Ruan Ruan was the one doing most of the talking, while Dr. Jiang listened along.
Huo Haocheng and Gu Jinghe were squeezed onto another table. They didn't have much to say about it, as long as their wives were alright.
"Your wife is about to give birth. Have you prepared everything the baby needs?" Huo Haocheng asked Gu Jinghe while eating, keeping an eye on Ruan Ruan and the others.
"I don't know either. My mother-in-law prepared all these things. During the holidays, my mom made a few sets of clothes and socks for the child, so I guess she's prepared them." Gu Jinghe was quite surprised to hear Huo Haocheng ask.
But it wasn't that he didn't care. When he was in the army, he would send his wife to work early every day and then come back to pick her up in the afternoon. He would leave before dawn and not return until dark. He really didn't have time to think about these things.
"I suggest you go back today and ask your mother-in-law if she has prepared the baby bottles and formula. If not, there's still some time to find a way to prepare them. When the baby is first born, the mother may not have breast milk. If you haven't prepared, your baby will only be able to be fed water."
"Where did you get that information from?" Seeing how logically Huo Haocheng spoke, one might have thought his wife had already given birth.
When Gu Jinghe asked that question, Huo Haocheng looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Your wife and my wife were talking for a long time in the office just now, did you not hear a thing?" Huo Haocheng thought. He didn't see them keeping their voices down when they were talking. Even if they were standing at the door, they should have been able to hear them.
Huo Haocheng asked the question because he had just heard his wife say that. He was worried that his family hadn't prepared anything and that Dr. Jiang herself had forgotten. Wouldn't the child suffer in the end?
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com