newborn
The first snow of early winter arrived quietly, and the fine snowflakes covered the capital with a thin layer of silver. On this cold morning, Lin Xueyin had an attack.
The contractions came suddenly and violently, and her face turned pale with pain, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Su Yuzhen immediately pressed the call bell, and Lin Guodong was so anxious that he paced around the ward, at a loss as to what to do.
Song Zhiyuan arrived almost at the same time as the doctors and nurses. He had clearly come directly from some important event, still carrying the chill of the outdoors, with unmelted snowflakes clinging to the shoulders of his dark coat.
When he saw Lin Xueyin curled up in pain, his brows instantly furrowed. He took a few steps to the bedside and grabbed her cold, sweaty hand.
"Don't be afraid." His voice was low and tense, with an unquestionable strength. His fingers tightly grasped hers. "The doctor is here."
His palms were warm and dry, and his grip was so strong that it almost hurt. But the pain strangely distracted her from the contractions. The firm touch felt like a lifeline, giving her a glimmer of support amidst the intense pain. Lin Xueyin was speechless from the pain, and could only hold on to his hand tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh.
The delivery room door closed behind her, isolating her parents' anxious figures but not the hand that held her tightly. Song Zhiyuan changed into a sterile suit and followed her in. He insisted on being there.
The next few hours were a long, blurry ordeal for Lin Xueyin. Pain washed over her like a tide, wave after wave.
She was conscious but hazy, and she only remembered that there was a low and steady voice in her ear, sometimes repeating "breathe", sometimes calling her name "Xue Yin", and sometimes just holding her hand silently and tighter.
When she was in great pain, she would cry out unconsciously and clench that hand tightly, even leaving deep finger marks on it. But the owner of that hand never let go.
In her most distracted moments, she seemed to be transported back to that cold winter in Hongqi Commune. He was the same way, offering her a blanket, a bowl of hot soup, or simply standing silently beside her when she felt most helpless. Fear and dependence, pain and peace of mind, these diametrically opposed emotions, were strangely intertwined at this moment.
I don’t know how long it took, but after a heart-wrenching effort, a loud and clear cry, like the dawn light, broke the tense and depressing atmosphere in the delivery room.
"It's a girl! Congratulations, Comrade Song, Comrade Lin!" The midwife's joyful voice came.
Lin Xueyin collapsed on the delivery bed, drenched in sweat, as if she had just been pulled out of the water. She weakly turned her head and looked to her side.
Song Zhiyuan was still holding her hand tightly, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his breathing was a little rapid, and his hair, which was always meticulous, was a little messy.
He looked down at her, his deep eyes filled with extremely complex emotions - there was lingering tension, there was relief that the dust had settled, and there was a kind of almost soft vibration that Lin Xueyin had never seen before.
The nurse brought the cleaned and wrapped baby over and carefully placed it next to Lin Xueyin's pillow.
Small, red, and wrinkled like a little monkey, but with black hair and a pair of clear eyes that were trying hard to open. She smacked her lips and made a soft humming sound.
Lin Xueyin's heart was instantly filled with an indescribable feeling. All the pain, fear, and grievances seemed to have found a home and meaning in this moment. Her tears welled up without warning, filled with joy, relief, and indescribable emotion.
She stretched out her trembling fingers and gently touched the baby's delicate cheek.
Song Zhiyuan's eyes also fell on the little life. He let go of Lin Xueyin's hand, and with a somewhat stiff movement, he used his big hands, which were used to holding pens and guns, to pick up the tiny baby with extreme caution and almost clumsiness.
His movements were awkward, his arms tense as if he were cradling some fragile, rare treasure. He looked down at his daughter, the tiny child seeming even smaller in his broad embrace. The lines on his face softened at a visible speed, and the trembling in his eyes transformed into a deep, focused gaze.
"Song Xi..." He whispered the name they had chosen together, his voice hoarse but with an unprecedented tenderness.
The baby seemed to sense something and moved in his arms, his little mouth unconsciously opening into a small arc.
At that moment, Song Zhiyuan's cold eyebrows and eyes were like ice and snow melting, and a very faint but real smile bloomed.
Lin Xueyin lay on the delivery bed, watching this scene - the strong and cold man was now holding their newborn daughter in an almost pious posture, with a gentleness on his face that she had never seen before - her heart felt like it was being gently brushed by the softest feather, sour yet warm.
All the past seemed to be given new meaning in this cry and this hug.
As the nurse took the child away for further examination, Song Zhiyuan sat back down beside Lin Xueyin's bed and smoothed back her hair, which had been wet with sweat and stuck to her forehead. His movements were still not very skilled, but they were filled with a clear sense of cherishment.
"Thank you for your hard work." He looked into her eyes, his voice low and serious.
Lin Xueyin was so exhausted she didn't even have the energy to speak. She simply looked at him, shook her head gently, and then fell into a deep sleep. This time, her sleeping face was no longer filled with fear and anxiety, but was filled with a calmness after exhaustion. There was even a faint, soft curve at the corner of her mouth.
Song Zhiyuan sat by the bed, watching over her and their daughter, who had just been brought home and was sleeping peacefully in the cradle. The light from the snow outside the window shone in, casting a tranquil halo over the ward.
A new life is not just the arrival of a little life.
Perhaps, it also indicates that something else is quietly beginning on this pure white background.
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