Storms and Tranquility
On March 23, 2021, a spring night with a cool breeze, Wenqing and Xiaofeng enjoyed a rare moment together. Without their children, the pace of life had slowed down considerably. Returning from a post-dinner stroll, Wenqing leaned back on the sofa and whispered, "Tomorrow is Lucas and Oscar's birthday. I've booked a table at the restaurant downstairs, so you don't have to travel far."
Xiaofeng looked at her phone and asked, "Are Mom, Dad, and Uncle Two and Uncle Four coming?"
"Yes, Zhou Yang will directly pick up the three children." Wen Qing sent a picture of the menu to Xiaofeng's phone. "Take a look. Is there anything you need to adjust?"
"It's up to you," Xiaofeng smiled and shook his head, "You always arrange these things perfectly."
Wenqing added: "I've also made an appointment with Uncle Zhou and Aunt Fan."
"Then we have to let Dad see it too." Xiaofeng paused, and Wenqing took over the conversation: "Aunt Fan called a few days ago and said that Zhou Yang picked up the children every day and seemed very happy. He is in much better condition than before."
"Everything has its own plan." Xiao Feng looked out the window at the night scene and suddenly changed the subject: "Did you go to see Wen Feng last month?"
Wenqing's fingers tightened slightly: "Well, it's been six years...time flies."
"Did you tell him about the children?"
"I told you, both brothers look a lot like him." Wen Qing's voice was tinged with dusky melancholy. He suddenly looked up and asked, "Xiao Feng, if it weren't for me... would you have fallen in love with him?"
Xiaofeng immediately took Wenqing's hand, the warmth of their palms touching making the conversation feel particularly real. "The past was indeed complicated. Perhaps at some point in time, there were some possibilities between him and me, but that's all in the past. The important thing is that after I truly understood you and was with you, I knew clearly that you were the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."
"Thank you for being so candid."
"It's because I'm sure of my current love that I can face my past feelings calmly." Xiaofeng stared into Wenqing's eyes. "I care about your feelings. Are you willing to talk to me?"
Wenqing took a deep breath. "I noticed it the first time I brought you home. That look was so familiar to me. He's my brother, we've been together for twenty years... I know him too well. So I refused to move back then, wanting to use distance to block out anything that might happen, to avoid hurting myself and others. I didn't expect him to be at school..."
"He invited me to basketball practice twice, but then he got pestered by Yao Annie and the others." Xiaofeng's voice softened. "When I mentioned it to you, it was the first time you lost your temper with me... I didn't dare mention it again."
"I'm sorry... When I heard about the basketball practice, jealousy and anger got the better of me. If I had been more mature and handled it better..." Jiang Wenqing's eyes were filled with pity. He slowly raised the back of his hand, which seemed to be filled with endless tenderness. He gently touched Xiaofeng's right cheek with the back of his hand, his movements so gentle that he didn't want to disturb a feather. "You wouldn't have suffered those injustices."
"If all the past is the necessary path to today, then every experience has its meaning. The happiness I feel now makes me have no regrets about the past."
On March 24, 2021, the crystal chandelier in the private room cast a warm yellow glow. Zhou Xiao's knuckles tapped unconsciously on the turntable glass. Fan Weiwei suddenly grabbed her husband's wrist and turned to the other side. "Wenqing, Xiaofeng, thank you so much! You left Zhou Yang's child behind..." Her sobs made the pearl necklace around her neck tremble slightly. "Xiaofeng, I was wrong before. I said those nonsense..."
Xiaofeng reached out and gently pressed the back of Aunt Fan's trembling hand: "Aunt, it's all in the past. Let's move on."
The sound of the twins slamming open the box door broke the stagnant atmosphere. Fan Weiwei hurriedly wiped her eyes and stood up. The bright red and gold-stamped red envelopes in her hands looked like two dancing flames under the light. "Happy birthday, my two handsome boys! I wish you good health and academic progress!"
“Thank you, grandma!”
Zhou Xiao and Fan Weiwei walked over to Liou and slowly squatted down. "Liou, your name is Liou, right?"
"Who are you?"
"We are grandparents." Liou looked up at Xiaofeng, and Xiaofeng nodded at him.
"Hello, Grandpa! Hello, Grandma!" The children's voices were as clear as ice spikes hitting each other.
"Liou...you're so good...red envelope...Weiwei, give me the red envelope quickly." Zhou Xiao's words were choked by tears several times.
During the meal, Jiang Heng picked up the last shrimp dumpling with his chopsticks and placed it in Liou's bowl. He then brought up the topic, "The twins will be enrolling at Danfeng International in September. I'm wondering..." He paused, glancing at Liou, who was struggling with the shrimp dumpling with puffed cheeks, "Should Liou transfer to Danfeng's kindergarten or stay at the Fruit Seedling Home?"
The porcelain spoon hit the edge of the bowl, making a tinkling sound. Liou pointed the spoon, which was covered with shrimp crumbs, in the direction of his brothers and said, "I want your brothers' school!"
Fan Weiwei wiped Liou's hands and asked with a smile, "Tell grandma, do you want a brother or a sister?"
Liou suddenly put down his cutlery like a little adult, touched his chin with his chubby little hands, and thought seriously: "I want a younger brother." Seeing that the adults were looking at him curiously, he hurriedly added: "My older brother has a younger brother, and my younger brother has an older brother. I only have an older brother, and I want a younger brother too!" The childish little grievance caused laughter to spread throughout the table.
Fan Weiwei's eyes moved, and she turned to the twin brothers with a smile and asked the same question.
The two brothers were sharing a piece of osmanthus cake head to head. Upon hearing the words, they raised their little faces covered with cake crumbs and said, "Brother." Their tacit understanding was as if they were looking in the mirror.
"You like your brother too?"
Lucas lowered his voice mysteriously, "Grandma taught us to say things in reverse! Last time we said 'I want a little sister,' and a little brother came. This time if we say 'I want a little brother,' it will definitely be a little sister!"
Zhou Xiao laughed and joked: "This is a reverse prophecy."
Zhou Yong couldn't help but chuckle, "Now Doctor Zhang in the ultrasound room avoids me whenever he sees me, saying he's afraid you'll be upset."
Xiaofeng shook his head and looked at Wenqing: "Doctor Zhang, your hint is too obvious. Wenqing, if this baby is still a boy..." Before he could finish his words, Wenqing grabbed his wrist. A gentle smile appeared in his eyes: "It's up to you. Let's keep working hard. We will eventually get our baby."
On April 27, 2021, at 24 weeks of gestation, the twins' prenatal checkup brought good news: one baby had a biparietal diameter of 60mm, a head circumference of 228mm, a fetal heart rate of 145 beats/minute, and an amniotic fluid depth of 53mm; the other baby had a biparietal diameter of 59mm, a head circumference of 220mm, a fetal heart rate of 130 beats/minute, and an amniotic fluid depth of 44mm. Most reassuringly, the myometrium thickness of the scarred uterus remained stable at over 5mm, and the distance between the placental edge and the scar remained greater than 20mm.
"The two young soldiers did a great job, but we can't be careless in the later stages." Zhou Yong slid the ultrasound image, his eyes curved into crescents, and his tone was full of relief.
Xiaofeng nudged Wenqing gently with her elbow, her eyelashes fluttering with unconcealed pride: "It seems our baby is of good quality." Before leaving, she suddenly remembered something and turned to Zhou Yong and said with a smile: "By the way, Dad, I have Xiaoqi for dinner today, you should go home early too."
The setting sun on the way home stretched their shadows very long, and they were carefully selecting ingredients in the fresh food supermarket.
"My cooking skills will be tested again." Wen Qing said with a smile while carrying a heavy shopping bag.
Xiao Feng suddenly leaned close to his ear and lowered her voice: "If she dares to say it's not tasty..."
"Um?"
"I'll let her see the majesty of a pregnant woman."
"That's not authority at all," Wen Qing laughed, ruffling her hair with his hand. "You're just being coquettish."
The doorbell rang suddenly, its rapid "ding dong" sounding as if conveying Xiaoqi's uncontrollable joy. Wenqing held Xiaofeng, who was about to stand up, and his fingertips paused slightly on the doorknob. When he pushed the door open, the scene before him made his eyes widen instantly.
Xiaoqi stood at the door like a moving Christmas tree, with colorful shopping bags hanging on her arms, three bulging canvas bags slung over her shoulders, and even an unopened pacifier package comically stuck in her hair.
"Oh my God, why didn't you call and ask us to get it?" Wenqing quickly took the bag from her hand and let her in. Xiaofeng scolded her from the side.
"The 'home curse' your husband cast on you is too strong." Xiao Qi twisted her body flexibly and took off her "equipment" one by one like performing an acrobatic act.
"Are you moving the maternity and baby store here?"
"I really want to move here," she laughed, panting, beads of sweat still hanging on the tip of her nose. "These things can be used by both boys and girls. If you need anything else, let me know and I'll be responsible for the delivery..."
Xiaofeng leaned on the massage chair and suddenly tugged at Wenqing's clothes, a cunning glint in her eyes: "Let my housekeeper settle the bill..."
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Qi pretended to kneel down: "My Queen, please spare me! These are my filial gifts to my future godson..." Then he took out two little yellow ducks from his bag like a magic trick, which made the two of them laugh.
"How are you now?" Xiao Qi asked with concern.
Xiao Feng gently rolled up his trouser legs, revealing his ankles: "I went to the hospital this afternoon, you see..."
"Is it so swollen?"
"This is after the foot bath and massage. Now you understand why I can't go out, right?" She muttered softly, "I'm so bored too." As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes unconsciously drifted to Wen Qing who was busy in the kitchen, and a sweet smile suddenly broke out on her face, "But it's all worth it!"
Xiao Qi followed her bestie's gaze and said, "He's been your driver, bodyguard, and chef forever..."
"He's quite busy too, isn't he?" Xiaofeng smiled happily as he straightened the corners of his clothes.
"It's great to see you so happy!" Xiao Qi said sincerely, and then was asked in return, "What about you? You're always so mysterious."
"I don't have much to say." Xiao Qi quickly changed the subject. "You know what? The restaurant over at the boxing gym was specially taken care of by the Jiang family..."
"You're one step closer to becoming a wealthy family now, right?"
"Whether it's you, Jiang Wenqing, or his family..."
"Birds of a feather flock together." Xiaofeng winked playfully.
She was most afraid of the sudden silence in the air. It took Xiaofeng a long time to react and she laughed, "Pregnancy makes people stupid for three years..."
Wenqing came over with a fruit plate. "So happy? Xiaoqi, are you hungry?"
Xiao Qi couldn't stop laughing and waved his hands.
"Then we'll have dinner together when Dad comes back," he looked at his watch, "He should be back in half an hour."
The restaurant was already filled with tempting aromas. Wenqing had just brought the last dish to the table when the sound of the door lock turning was heard.
"Dad!" Xiaofeng immediately stretched her neck to look towards the door, her voice filled with a sweet, coquettish tone.
"It smells so good." Zhou Yong said with a smile as he changed into his slippers. "It seems that since we have guests today, Wenqing has used all her best skills."
Wenqing took the briefcase from his father-in-law naturally: "Dad, it's time for dinner."
"Hello, Uncle Zhou!" Xiao Qi quickly stood up and greeted him in a clear voice.
"Hello, Xiaoqi." Zhou Yong nodded amiably. "You and Xiaofeng were classmates in middle school, right? This is the first time I've met you."
"We've known each other since the first grade."
Wenqing's eyes suddenly lit up: "Then you must know about Xiaofeng's glorious deeds during his student days. Come and share them with us." As he spoke, he considerately served food to everyone, and the table was suddenly filled with a relaxed and happy atmosphere.
"Once, during the seat rotation, she sat in the front row and dared to doze off. Half asleep, she heard the head teacher yell, 'Strict discipline!' Suddenly, she clasped her fists and shouted towards the podium, 'Master, calm down!' From then on, she earned the nickname 'The Silent Master of the Martial Arts World.'"
Wenqing pushed the whole plate of peeled shrimp in front of Xiaofeng and said with a smile, "Master Meng, please enjoy your meal!"
Xiao Feng puffed out her cheeks and glared at Xiao Qi: "If you say anything more, our friendship will be ruined!"
Xiao Qi held up a finger, suppressing a laugh. "One more thing! I still can't figure it out—" She deliberately dragged out her voice. "Her English homework was always used as a model essay. Not only did those boys steal it, they even drew turtles on her notebook. Finally, one day, she slammed her head on the table and yelled, 'If you keep doing this, I'll do anything!'"
Zhou Yong nodded and interjected, "That's very Xiaofeng."
"Then what?" Wen Qing asked curiously.
Xiao Qi imitated Xiao Feng's angry and cowardly expression: "She added in a very low voice, '...except for math problems.'"
Amidst the laughter of the entire table, Xiao Qi managed to squeeze out a sentence: "So I'm confused, why did you choose mathematics as your major?"
"Making a math major isn't just about solving math problems..." Xiao Feng pouted and pointed at Xiao Qi, "She's the one who loves to bully me the most."
"I bully you because I like you." After Wen Qing finished speaking, he saw Xiao Qi's mouth stiffen out of the corner of his eye, and then quickly returned to normal.
After sending Xiaoqi away, Xiaofeng swiped the screen of her phone and sent a message: "I'm here whenever you want to chat." After sending the message, she leaned her head back on the bed, letting Wenqing's warm palms knead her swollen calves.
"Mr. Jiang," she suddenly leaned forward and poked her husband's tense chin with her fingertips, "you've 'peeked' at Xiaoqi twice today."
Wen Qing paused: "She seems... not quite right today?"
Xiaofeng showed him her phone—the chat history was stuck at the point where the other party had read the message but not replied. "Same old as always, she won't say anything." She stroked her swollen belly, her voice lowering. "We've joked about her liking girls before... I wonder if that's what's saddening her."
Wen Qing suddenly felt like he was facing a formidable enemy: "Then what did I say just now, 'bullying is liking'..."
"You're overthinking it!" Xiaofeng pinched his nose. "She looks at me differently than you do." Her fingertips slid down the bridge of his nose to his furrowed brows. "But she must be worried about something else..."
As the silence stretched, Zhou Yong suddenly knocked on the door: "Are you asleep?" Wen Qing wiped his hands hastily and went to open the door, but Xiaofeng's eyes were still glued to the darkened screen of his mobile phone.
"Dad, I just finished massaging her legs. What's wrong?" Wen Qing opened the door a crack. Zhou Yong lowered his voice and said, "Come to the study and talk."
Returning to the bed, Wenqing skillfully supported Xiaofeng's neck and helped her lie flat. "Good night, mother. I'm going to hear what new black history my father-in-law has learned about you."
"If you dare to listen, you will sleep on the sofa."
"How can you bear it?" He tucked the corner of the quilt in tightly with a smile and kissed Xiaofeng on the forehead.
As soon as the study door closed, Wenqing's smile fell: "Is there a problem with the examination?"
Zhou Yong's thumb unconsciously stroked the teacup. "You know, in the late stages of twin pregnancy..." He recalled the contents of the ultrasound report. "Natural delivery is ruled out."
"The ideal scenario for a cesarean section," Zhou Yong put down his teacup, "is that we control the bleeding and preserve the uterus. But even then..." He paused, "We'll have to wait at least three years to have another child, and the chances of placenta accreta in the next pregnancy will increase eightfold."
Wen Qing's throat rolled: "What's the worst?"
"If uncontrollable bleeding occurs," Zhou Yong looked directly into Wenqing's eyes, "we need to complete a cesarean section and hysterectomy within half an hour. Last year, there was a similar case at the Third Hospital, and the result was..."
"As long as Xiaofeng is safe." Wenqing suddenly interrupted, digging his nails deep into his palm, "We don't have to have the child, but..."
Zhou Yong held his son-in-law's trembling wrist and said, "There is also an extreme situation called fatal bleeding chain, and the mortality rate..." In the end, he didn't have the heart to finish speaking the data.
Wenqing turned toward the window and wiped his face: "I should have insisted on not having these two children."
"You know better than anyone," Zhou Yong patted him on the back, "that girl was willing to risk her life for you and the baby."
"Dad, I can't imagine life without Xiaofeng..." Wenqing's voice trembled uncontrollably.
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