Chapter 415 Born
Time passed quickly, and Yun Zheng's belly was already bulging high. Especially because she was pregnant with two babies, her belly was much bigger than that of a single baby.
Her body became heavier in the late stages of pregnancy, and even turning over required Fu Linghe's help in supporting her waist.
In the master bedroom of Tanxiyuan, Fu Linghe specially replaced the bed with an electric lift bed, and there was always lemon water at just the right temperature and massage oil to prevent stretch marks on the bedside table.
The Mo family would fly from Country A to Beijing to stay for a few days almost every month, especially their mother Ning Zhi, who stayed there for three months this time.
She moved all her painting supplies and set up a temporary studio in the guest room with the best sunlight, but she always ran to her daughter's room early in the morning to report.
"Mom, you really don't have to do this..." Yun Zheng leaned on the chaise longue by the window, watching Ning Zhi stuff another peeled green grape into her mouth.
The green grapes were just picked from the greenhouse this morning. The skin still has the coolness of the morning dew, and the sweet juice bursts on the tip of the tongue.
"Ling He took good care of me."
Ning Zhi gently tapped her daughter's forehead with her fingertips. The jade ring felt cool when it touched her skin. "Zheng Zheng, are you starting to dislike your mother?"
As she spoke, she peeled another green grape and this time stuffed it into the mouth of Shen Lanshu who had just walked in.
The sunlight shone on the three of them through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Shen Lanshu was wearing a Xiangyunsha cheongsam today, and the fabric made a rustling sound when she walked.
She used a small silver fork to pick up a piece of honeydew melon. The melon was carved into the shape of a flower, and the edges were gleaming with crystal icing sugar. "Mother-in-law, our Zheng Zheng is worried about you. But since you're here, just stay and make peace. You can chat with me."
Yun Zheng couldn't help but smile as she watched the two mothers getting along so harmoniously.
Who would have thought that the two families were once as hostile as water and fire, but now Shen Lanshu and Ning Zhi have become best friends who can talk about anything.
The afternoon tea time is always on time every Wednesday. Sometimes they get so excited chatting that no one even notices Fu Linghe coming home.
Last week they even went to listen to Kunqu Opera together, and when they came back they brought back the same Suzhou embroidery round fans.
"Try this. I asked the kitchen to make a low-sugar version."
Shen Lanshu pushed over a plate of delicate macarons, their shell-shaped pastries emblazoned with gold foil. "Dr. Brown says blood sugar needs to be controlled during late pregnancy, but occasionally enjoying a sweet treat can boost your mood."
Ning Zhi picked up a pink piece and gently broke it open with a bone china knife, revealing the raspberry jam filling inside. "We both love sweets. In this respect, we are very similar as mother and daughter."
Fu Linghe's voice came from the entrance. He had just finished a multinational video conference. His tie hung loosely around his neck and his custom-made suit jacket was casually draped over his arm.
The eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses were smiling, but there was a faint blue tint under them. "What are you talking about so happily?"
When he walked over, Yun Zheng smelled the familiar cedar cologne mixed with a hint of the bitterness of coffee.
Fu Linghe leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, then nodded to the two mothers.
"Did you stay up late reading the report again last night?" Yun Zheng reached out to smooth his slightly wrinkled brows, and asked instead of answering, her fingertips touching the throbbing blue veins in his temples.
"I looked at it for a while." Fu Linghe held her hand, gently rubbing the back of her hand with his fingertips, the wedding ring pressing between their skin. "How are you feeling today? Did the baby make you cry?"
"You're so good." Yun Zheng took his big hand and placed it on her bulging belly. She felt slight fetal movements under her cashmere home clothes.
"I did a fetal heart rate monitor this morning, and Dr. Brown said everything was normal." She suddenly gasped. "Ouch!"
Fu Linghe felt a powerful kick under his palm, and his eyes lit up. "This must be my sister, the movements are so gentle."
"No way!" Ning Zhi retorted with a smile, the jade bracelet on her wrist jingling as she moved. "When I was pregnant with Zheng Zheng, she kicked me so hard that my ribs hurt, but she ended up giving birth to a beautiful little princess."
She turned to Shen Lanshu, "How about you, mother-in-law? How was it when you were pregnant with Ling He? Was he noisy?"
"He wasn't making much of a fuss. I thought he was a different girl."
As she spoke, Shen Lanshu suddenly remembered something and pulled a velvet box from her Hermès handbag. Opening it, she found a gold and jade-inlaid peace lock. "I got this from Tanzhe Temple. It's been blessed. I'm giving it to Zhengzheng and the child."
She personally tied a red string around Yun Zheng's wrist, with two small golden bells adorning the knot. "The abbot said these bells can ward off evil and ward off disasters."
Yun Zheng was about to say thank you when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen, as if someone was cutting through her body with a red-hot wire.
She subconsciously grabbed Fu Linghe's arm, her nails almost digging into his muscles. "Fu Linghe..."
Ning Zhi and Shen Lanshu put down their teacups at the same time, and the Jingdezhen porcelain made a crisp "ding" sound when it hit the glass coffee table.
The two looked at each other, and years of experience made them immediately realize that something was wrong.
"How often does it hurt?" Ning Zhi had already stood up, and the hem of her silk skirt made a rustling sound as it swept across the carpet.
She walked quickly to the closet and took out the delivery bag that had been prepared long ago from the baby's room.
"Just...just started..." Yun Zheng's forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and her breathing became rapid. "But the due date is still three weeks away..."
Before she could finish her words, she was hit by another wave of even more intense pain and curled up like a wounded shrimp.
Shen Lanshu had already dialed the hospital's number. As she held the phone to her ear, the Patek Philippe on her wrist gleamed in the sunlight. "Doctor Brown, it's me. Yes, Zheng Zheng might be going into labor early. We'll be there in five minutes."
After she hung up, she quickly dialed another number, "Lao Zhang, drive the car to the front door, quickly."
Fu Linghe's face turned pale in an instant, as if all the blood had been drained away.
But he forced himself to remain calm. When he bent down and picked up Yun Zheng horizontally, his arm muscles were tense, for fear of hurting her. "Don't be afraid, we'll go to the hospital now."
His voice was low and steady, and only Yun Zheng could feel the pounding heart in his chest.
Yun Zheng curled up in his arms, and in between the pain she could still smell the lingering scent of cologne on his collar.
Fu Linghe's arms were as steady as a rock, which made her feel inexplicably relieved. "I'm fine... maybe it's just a false contraction..."
But when she felt a warm liquid running down her inner thigh, her heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
Her water broke, soaking her silk house pants and leaving a dark mark on the carpet.
"Fu Linghe..." Her voice trembled, her fingers clutching the front of his shirt, "The baby is really coming!"
Fu Linghe's Adam's apple rolled, and the arms holding her tightened a little.
He strode toward the door, his steps steady and unbelievable for a man whose heart was crumbling.
Ning Zhi and Shen Lanshu acted separately in tacit understanding, one went to get the documents and delivery bag, and the other notified the driver to prepare the fastest route.
The Rolls-Royce in the garage has been started and the air conditioning is turned to the maximum.
Fu Linghe carefully placed Yun Zheng on the back seat and knelt beside her.
The car refrigerator always has electrolyte water. He unscrewed a bottle and handed it to Yun Zheng's lips, "Drink slowly."
Yun Zheng swallowed a few mouthfuls with difficulty, and suddenly another contraction came. She arched her back in pain, and her nails left several scratches on the leather seat.
Fu Linghe immediately held her hand and guided her breathing, "Follow me, inhale...exhale..."
His voice was like an anchor, preventing Yun Zheng from getting lost in the waves of pain.
Outside the car window, the street scene was rapidly receding.
Driver Lao Zhang ran three red lights, and beads of sweat on his forehead rolled down to the collar of his uniform.
The back of Fu Linghe's shirt was soaked and stuck to his spine, but he was completely unaware. All his attention was on Yun Zheng's pale face.
"Fu Linghe..." Yun Zheng called him weakly in the intervals of pain, "If... I mean if..."
"No ifs." Fu Linghe interrupted her, his voice low and firm, his fingers gently combing through her sweat-soaked hair. "You and the baby will be safe, I promise."
He had taken off his glasses at some point, and his eyes, which were always calm and composed, were now filled with panic that Yun Zheng had never seen before.
At the hospital entrance, the medical team who had been waiting for a long time quickly took over.
Fu Linghe was stopped outside the delivery room and could only watch Yun Zheng being pushed in.
He subconsciously wanted to follow, but Ning Zhi stopped him, "Let the doctors check first to determine whether a caesarean section is necessary."
Shen Lanshu hurried over, followed by a nurse pushing a delivery bag.
She saw her son standing at the door of the delivery room, motionless like a statue, not even blinking, "How is Zheng Zheng?"
"Just went in." Fu Linghe's voice was so dry that it didn't sound like his own. "Mom, there are still three weeks until the due date. Will it be..."
Shen Lanshu held her son's hand and found that his palm was cold and still trembling slightly.
Only then did she notice that there were two obvious wrinkles at the knees of Fu Linghe's suit pants. He had been kneeling in the car just now.
"Three weeks premature isn't medically too early. Dr. Brown said twins usually come early. The hospital has the best neonatology department, so don't worry."
Fu Linghe nodded and mechanically followed his mother to the waiting area and sat down.
His phone kept vibrating. It was work messages from his secretary, but he didn't even glance at it.
The sound of the second hand of the wall clock was infinitely amplified in the quiet corridor, and every second seemed as long as a century.
Two hours later, Dr. Brown finally came out to tell them that Yun Zheng was three fingers dilated and was ready for an epidural.
"You're going to hit her now?" Fu Linghe stood up suddenly, knocking over the paper cup on the coffee table, and spilling warm water on his custom-made trousers. "She's been in pain for so long..."
"Mr. Fu, epidurals need to be administered at a specific stage. Doing it too early will affect the labor process."
Dr. Brown patiently explained, the tablet in his hand displaying Yun Zheng's real-time monitoring data. "Madam's condition is stable, and the fetal heart rate is normal. You don't need to worry too much."
"Can I come in and be with you during the birth?"
"Wait a little longer. You can go in after the epidural is finished."
Fu Linghe sat down again, clasping his hands together in front of his forehead.
Ning Zhi patted his shoulder gently and handed him a glass of warm water. "Our Zheng Zheng is very strong. She will definitely be fine."
"I know." Fu Linghe raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. "I just... hate that I can't feel the pain for her."
He unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his shirt sleeves to his elbows, revealing several fresh scratches on his forearms.
This was left by Yun Zheng when she was in extreme pain in the car.
Another hour that seemed like eternity passed before the nurse finally came to inform Fu Linghe that she could enter the delivery room.
He almost ran in, his disinfection suit was worn crookedly and he didn't even bother to straighten it. He rushed in with only one shoe cover on.
Yun Zheng in the delivery room had already received an epidural and looked much better than before.
Seeing Fu Linghe come in, she smiled weakly, her lips still pale, "Mr. Fu, you are late."
Fu Linghe knelt on one knee beside the bed, carefully held her hand and placed it against his cheek.
There was still an IV needle on the back of Yun Zheng's hand. He avoided the needle and gently kissed her fingertips. "I'm sorry for leaving you alone..."
"Silly boy." Yun Zheng wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes with her thumbs. The skin there was rougher than usual, the result of staying up late for days. "I'm fine, and the babies are also very good."
She pointed to the fetal heart rate monitor beside the bed. Two wavy lines were beating regularly on the screen. "Listen! That's their heartbeat."
For the next few hours, Fu Linghe stayed by Yun Zheng's side without leaving her side.
He lost count of how many times he had given her water, carefully bringing it to her lips with a sippy cup each time;
I can't remember how many times I wiped her sweat, and when the cotton towel gently brushed across her hairline, it always brought down a few strands of wet hair;
She only remembered how she held his hand tightly with every contraction and the reassuring "thump, thump" sound on the fetal heart monitor.
When Yun Zheng was pushed into the formal delivery room, Fu Linghe was asked to put on a full set of sterile clothes.
He stood beside Yun Zheng's head, listening to the instructions of the doctor and midwife, and watching Yun Zheng use all her strength to push for the birth of a new life.
Her face flushed red, veins bulged on her forehead, and she struggled desperately like a stranded fish.
Fu Linghe was so distressed that he almost suffocated, but he could only repeat in her ear over and over again, "You are the best... It will be over soon... I love you~"
"I see the head!" the midwife exclaimed in surprise, her gloves stained with blood. "One more time, Miss Yun, push harder!"
Yun Zheng let out an almost hoarse cry, and the sound cut through Fu Linghe's chest like a knife.
Then, a loud cry broke the tense atmosphere in the bankrupt house.
"Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy!" The nurse quickly cleaned the newborn, but Fu Linghe's eyes never left Yun Zheng's pale face.
She looked like she had been fished out of the water, her hair wet and sticking to her forehead, but a weak smile hung on the corner of her mouth.
"There's one more, Miss Yun, hold on a little longer!" the doctor reminded her, placing his hand on her bulging belly and pressing gently.
Yun Zheng was exhausted and her eyelids were drooping.
Fu Linghe held her hand and placed her palm against his face. "Zhengzheng, look at me. It's almost over."
His voice was choked with sobs, and hot tears fell into her palm. "Hold on a little longer, okay?"
Perhaps it was this tear that gave Yun Zheng strength, and she gathered all her strength again.
Ten minutes later, the younger sister was also born safely. Her cry was much softer than her brother's, but she was equally full of vitality.
"Twins, a boy and a girl, what a blessing!" The nurse brought the two babies in swaddling clothes to show the parents.
Fu Linghe quickly glanced at the two wrinkled little faces and immediately turned to the doctor, "How is my wife? She lost a lot of blood..."
"Postpartum bleeding is within normal range. Miss Yun is just too tired and needs to rest."
The doctor soothed her, signaling the nurse to administer a hemostatic injection. "We'll monitor closely."
When Yun Zheng was pushed out of the delivery room and transferred to the VIP ward, Fu Linghe finally had the time to take a closer look at the baby that Yun Zheng had given birth to with great effort.
Ning Zhi and Shen Lanshu each held a baby, their faces filled with unconcealable joy.
The newborn was wrapped in a brocade swaddling cloth, with only two rosy little faces showing.
"Ling He, come and see your son and daughter." Shen Lanshu called him softly. The baby girl in her arms was sucking her fist unconsciously. "They look so much like you and Zheng Zheng."
Fu Linghe carefully took his daughter in his arms. The little life felt almost weightless in his arms.
The baby's pink face still had a newborn blush, and his eyelashes were long and thick, trembling slightly with his breathing.
When she half opened her eyes, revealing amber pupils exactly the same as Yun Zheng's, an unprecedented desire to protect her suddenly surged into Fu Linghe's heart, making his throat tighten.
"She's so beautiful." His voice was hoarse, and his fingertips gently traced the contours of the baby's eyebrows and eyes, "Like Zheng Zheng."
The baby boy in Ning Zhi's arms suddenly twisted and whimpered like a kitten.
Fu Linghe freed one hand and gently touched his son's little face. The soft touch made his heart tremble again.
There was a shallow wrinkle on the little guy's forehead, exactly the same as his expression when he was thinking.
"They need to check because they're premature." The nurse came over and took the babies, her movements as skillful as if they were treasures. "But initial observations show that they're both healthy. The brother weighs 3.8 catties and the sister 3.5 catties, both within the recommended weight range."
Fu Linghe nodded, but his eyes had already drifted towards the ward, "I'll go see Zheng Zheng."
In the ward, Yun Zheng was sleeping soundly, her face as pale as paper, and only the slight rise and fall of her chest proved that she was just asleep.
Fu Linghe sat gently on the edge of the bed and tucked her scattered hair behind her ears.
The liquid in the IV bottle dripped down drop by drop, just like his anxious heart finally settled down bit by bit.
"Mr. Fu, you can go and rest for a while," the nurse gently reminded, pointing to the family lounge next door. "The VIP family lounge is ready. It has massage chairs and showers."
Fu Linghe shook his head, his eyes never leaving Yun Zheng's face. "I'll stay here with her."
His voice was soft, but undeniable.
The nurse smiled knowingly and quietly retreated.
Fu Linghe leaned over and gave Yun Zheng a light kiss on the forehead, then leaned back in his chair, finally allowing fatigue to wash over him.
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