Before long, An'an came in carrying a steaming stew pot. There were some faint dark circles under her eyes, but she was in good spirits, obviously having rested. When she saw Lu Qi's bare upper body and the mess of wounds on his back, her brows immediately furrowed.
"How did it get like this? And it hasn't been treated yet?" An'an put down the stew pot, quickly walked behind Lu Qi to check, and said in a reproachful tone, "In this weather, if you keep covering it up, it will definitely fester!" She immediately washed her hands, took the clean cloth and medicine handed to her by the maid, and began to clean the wound with deft movements.
The medicine stung when it touched the wound. Lu Qi gritted his teeth, remaining silent, but his gaze never left Shen Zhao on the bed.
While carefully washing and applying medicine, An'an said to Shen Zhao, "Your husband was terrified yesterday. You didn't see it, he didn't even glance at the baby when we brought him out, he just stared at you, his hands were shaking as he held you, and tears were falling onto the back of your hands. The midwife told him to leave, but he refused, just stood there like a doorman, his eyes were so red it looked like he wanted to eat people. If I hadn't stopped him, he probably would have rushed up and thrown Wang Mama and the others out."
An An's tone was teasing. As Shen Zhao listened, her gaze fell on Lu Qi's face, which was filled with worry and tension. Seeing his tightly pursed lips and the beads of sweat on his forehead from enduring the pain, and imagining his disheveled and flustered appearance yesterday, the anger and heartache in her heart slowly melted into a warm current. Her sore eyes welled up again, this time with tears of happiness.
“Fool…” she muttered softly, looking at Lu Qi, her voice thick with nasal tone, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards.
When Lu Qi saw her smile, his tense nerves finally relaxed, and he grinned foolishly as well. As a result, he aggravated the wound on his back and hissed in pain.
An An neatly bandaged his wound: "Alright, don't get it wet for the next few days, and change the dressing on time." She tidied up her things, picked up the bowl of soup, and sat down by the bed. "Here, Zhao Zhao, this is freshly stewed astragalus and angelica chicken soup with red dates and goji berries. It's good for replenishing qi and blood, drink some while it's hot."
An'an scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it, and brought it to Shen Zhao's lips. Lu Qi immediately leaned over: "Sister-in-law, let me feed her!"
An'an smiled and handed him the bowl: "Okay, you take it. Be careful, it's hot."
Lu Qi carefully imitated An An, blowing on the soup to cool it before bringing it to Shen Zhao's lips. Shen Zhao took small sips, the warm soup soothing her stomach and her heart. Watching Lu Qi's profile as he focused on blowing on the soup, she felt a surge of immense satisfaction.
"Sister-in-law," she swallowed her soup, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Where are the children? Bring them here so I can see them! I was too tired yesterday and didn't get a good look at them!" Her face radiated the glow of new motherhood, and her previous weakness seemed to have been somewhat mitigated by this anticipation.
"The wet nurse is feeding them right now, she'll bring them over in a bit," An'an replied with a smile. "They're twins, a boy and a girl! The brother came out first, and the sister followed closely behind. They're both very healthy, and their voices are so loud! Their crying is almost enough to lift the roof off the house," she joked.
“Twins…” Shen Zhao murmured repeatedly, her smile growing brighter and brighter, carrying a sense of relief and pride as if the dust had settled. “Great! All done in one go! Lu Qi, did you hear that? You won’t have to suffer like that anymore!” She looked at Lu Qi, her eyes filled with cunning and the joy of relief.
Looking at her radiant face and the pure happiness in her eyes, Lu Qi felt no pain in his back; his heart and mind were filled with her vibrant and alive presence. He scooped up a spoonful of soup, blowing on it more carefully, his voice so gentle it could melt hearts: "Hmm, no need. With you and the children, that's enough. Here, have some more."
Inside the warm pavilion, the aroma of chicken soup mingled with the scent of medicine and the faint milky fragrance of a newborn, weaving together a profound sense of happiness, a feeling of surviving a catastrophe.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com