Chapter 285 Mother and Son
These words were so out of character for him that Nan Zhiyi couldn't help but burst out laughing and glanced at him.
"So, Fifth Brother, you're going to go home and cry in front of me all by yourself? I'd really like to see that."
Gu Xiao was speechless at her words and gently squeezed her shoulder.
The two were talking in hushed tones when Mencius' mother came over.
"Gu Xiao, Zhiyi, thank you for your hard work in staying here for so long. Your children are still young at home, why don't you go back and rest? We can take care of things here."
Nan Zhiyi quickly composed herself and politely replied, "Auntie, please don't say that. It's all what I should do. There are people looking after the children at home. Anping and I grew up together, and I feel even more uneasy if she's not by her side right now."
Gu Xiao nodded slightly and said succinctly, "Aunt Meng, you're too kind."
Meng's mother glanced at her son's stiff back and sighed softly, "I hope she'll be strong enough to give birth soon, so everyone can be at ease. If you're tired, go back and rest. We'll take care of things here."
"We're not tired, let's wait for more news."
After exchanging a few more polite words, Meng's mother turned around and sat down next to Lin Yaru, her gaze fixed on the delivery room, and said no more.
The sky outside the window gradually changed from pitch black to grayish-white, with a faint glimmer of dawn.
The delivery room door opened and closed several times during that time, and two loud cries of newborns were heard. Each time, Meng Qingshan looked up sharply, and Nan Zhiyi's heart clenched, but it was not Zhou Anping.
Nan Zhiyi glanced at her watch and looked at Gu Xiao, who had been by her side the whole time.
"Fifth Brother, it's almost dawn. You should go back now; you still have to go to work. While you're at it, could you call my advisor and ask for leave? I'm afraid I won't be able to go to school today."
Seeing that she insisted, Gu Xiao knew he couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he nodded.
He squeezed her hand tightly: "Okay, I'll make the arrangements."
He spoke a few more words to Meng Qingshan, who stood there like a wooden stake, before turning and striding away.
After Gu Xiao left, time seemed to pass even more slowly.
As dawn broke and people began to move about and make noise in the hospital, a baby's cry once again pierced through the door of the delivery room.
Nan Zhiyi sprang up from the bench and strode to the door.
Meng Qingshan also moved slightly, and his stiff back came back to life.
A moment later, the delivery room door opened again, and a nurse came out carrying a swaddled baby. "Are Zhou Anping's family members here? Mother and child are safe and sound; it's a big, healthy boy!"
Several people immediately surrounded them.
Nurse: "Come here, let Daddy give you a hug."
Meng Qingshan took the tiny swaddled baby, bewildered, his arms stiff and motionless.
He glanced at the wrinkled little face in his arms, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears again.
Meng's mother looked at the baby with a smile for a while, then reached out her hand: "Oh my, my little grandson, let Grandma hold you!"
She took the baby directly from Meng Qingshan's arms.
Nan Zhiyi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settled down. She didn't rush to see the baby, but immediately asked the nurse, "Comrade, how is the new mother, Zhou Anping? Is she alright?"
The nurse nodded: "The mother is doing alright, she's just exhausted and has fallen asleep. We'll observe her for a while, and if everything is fine, we'll take her back to her ward. The family can now tidy up the ward and prepare some light, liquid food for her to eat when she wakes up and needs to replenish her energy."
Mencius' mother nodded repeatedly, her mind mostly on her grandson.
Lin Yaru, being more cautious, chimed in, "Okay, okay, we'll go prepare right away. Thank you, nurse!"
Nan Zhiyi glanced at the baby who had been taken back by the nurse, then looked at the delivery room door that had closed again, and let out a long sigh of relief.
Thankfully, everything is alright.
Lin Yaru went to tidy up the ward, while Nan Zhiyi, Meng's mother, and Meng Qingshan continued to wait outside the delivery room for nearly two hours.
When the door opened again and the nurse pushed out the transfer bed, Meng Qingshan was the first to rush forward.
Zhou Anping lay there, his eyelids drooping heavily, still weak.
"Anping, how are you? Does it still hurt? You must be exhausted?" Meng Qingshan asked in a series of questions, bending over.
Zhou Anping nodded very lightly, seemingly without even the strength to open his eyes.
The group followed the nurse and took Zhou Anping and the newborn back to the ward.
Nan Zhiyi helped Zhou Anping to lie down on the hospital bed and tucked her in.
"How are you feeling now? Is it still very painful?"
Zhou Anping shook his head slightly, lifting his eyelids to a slit, "It feels much better than before..."
Mencius' mother sat on a chair against the wall, holding her swaddled baby, looking at her grandson with loving eyes, reluctant to let go.
Lin Yaru brought over a bowl of warm brown sugar water and carefully fed Zhou Anping a few sips.
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the ward door, and Gu Xiao's bodyguard, Xiao Liu, came in carrying several thermos containers and lunch boxes. "The minister asked me to bring these over."
Xiao Liu placed the items on the bedside table and explained, "This is fish soup that Sister Zhang made early this morning; it's very light. There's also some breakfast—steamed buns and rice porridge—enough for a few of us to share."
Mother Meng quickly thanked him, "Oh, this is so thoughtful! I was just planning to make some soup when I got home, Gu Xiao has really gone to great lengths."
Lin Yaru smiled and agreed.
Zhou Anping recovered and felt a bit more energetic.
She knew in her heart that Fifth Brother was able to think of such details entirely because of Zhiyi.
"Zhiyi, I'm really fine here. You've been up all night too, so go back and rest. You can take Xiao Liu's car back."
She whispered, "Please thank Fifth Brother for me."
Meng's mother and Meng Qingshan also politely offered their advice from the sidelines.
"Sister-in-law, you've worked so hard. Go back and rest. We're here for you."
Nan Zhiyi saw that Zhou Anping was weak but out of danger, and since the Meng family was all there, she really didn't need to stay by his side anymore.
She nodded: "Okay, I'll go back first. You get some rest and don't worry too much. I'll come see you again tomorrow afternoon."
Zhou Anping nodded in agreement.
Nan Zhiyi then got up, glanced at the sleeping baby in the swaddling clothes, said goodbye to Meng's mother and Lin Yaru, and quietly walked out of the ward with Xiao Liu.
When the jeep returned to the entrance of the Gu family's courtyard, Sister Zhang heard the commotion and came to greet it with Xiaoman.
"There's food heating up in the pot, it's ready-made, you can eat after washing your face."
The warmth from the heating in the room instantly made Nan Zhiyi feel sleepy.
She first went upstairs to the bathroom to take a shower and change into her pajamas before going downstairs to eat.
“Xiaoman was very well-behaved last night. She slept soundly until dawn without making a fuss.”
As Sister Zhang served her porridge, she said, "I had just woken up this morning when Minister Gu came back, carrying a crucian carp. He said he happened to run into it and told me to clean it up and make soup with it."
Nan Zhiyi nodded, "Thank you for your hard work, Sister Zhang."
After dinner, Nan Zhiyi told Sister Zhang what was going on and went back to her bedroom to rest.
Xiaoman followed closely behind, like a little tail.
The curtains were drawn in the bedroom, making it dimly lit.
Nan Zhiyi fell into a half-asleep, half-awake state as soon as she touched the pillow.
She could feel Xiaoman climb onto the bed, rustling around her for a while before finding a comfortable position to lie down next to her.
The mother and son snuggled together, sleeping soundly.
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