Chapter 258: Birth
Chapter 258
Chu Yang's belly was getting bigger and bigger. At night, she would experience leg cramps and need to use the bathroom. Whenever Chu Yang stirred, Chi Yan, who slept next to her, would wake up.
"Are you uncomfortable? Are you having cramps? Let me massage you."
"Mm-hmm."
As time went on, Chu Yang felt that Chi Yan was also getting tired. "Why don't you sleep in the next room at night, and let the housekeeper stay with me? That way you won't be so exhausted."
Chi Yan, of course, refused. "No way. I won't feel at ease if I'm not watching over you. I'm not tired, and the baby likes having daddy around too, right?" Chi Yan caressed Chu Yang's belly and suddenly felt the baby move.
Chi Yan looked up, delighted. "Just now... did the baby move?"
Chu Yang smiled at his reaction. "Yes, she did. She's saying hello to you."
Chi Yan carefully put his head against her belly. "Baby, I'm your daddy."
Then he felt another movement, which excited him even more. He kept talking, "Be a good baby, don't bother mommy, okay?"
In the spacious living room, the master of the house had his head pressed against his wife's belly, speaking softly. The servants cleaning nearby became extra careful, feeling happy about the couple's affection.
As the due date approached, Chi Yan started coming home from work earlier. Every day at a certain time, he would grab his coat and leave the office.
"The boss has been leaving so early lately."
"He seems to go home at noon every day too."
"I think his wife is about to give birth."
"Wow, does that mean we'll soon have a young master or young miss?"
Meanwhile, Chu's Mom had arrived at the old house to keep Chu Yang company.
At this moment, Chu Yang was sitting in the living room, eating grapes. Chu's Mom was crocheting small socks nearby. "Did your in-laws say when they're coming back?"
Chu Yang: "Mom and Dad said they'll be back tomorrow. They were supposed to return today, but they reached a crucial point in their research, so they delayed it by a day."
"I see."
Chu Yang ate a few grapes and suddenly felt some pain in her belly. This had been happening lately, so she was used to it. She stood up, intending to wash her hands. Wen Yi immediately went to support her.
Chu Yang suddenly paused. She was wearing a dress and looked down. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Mom, I think I'm going into labor."
Chu's Mom was startled for a moment, then quickly stood up. "Hurry, hurry! Call for a car!"
In an instant, the butler rushed over and started directing everyone.
Meanwhile, Chi Yan was in a meeting. A manager was giving a report, but Chi Yan seemed distracted and uneasy. He glanced at his phone and sent Chu Yang a message, "What are you doing, honey?"
Two minutes passed without a reply.
Chi Yan sent another message, "Honey, I'll be off work in an hour. What are we eating today?"
Another two minutes passed, and Chu Yang still hadn't replied.
Chi Yan was getting worried and was about to ask the manager to pause so he could make a call when his phone rang. It was the butler. "Young master, the madam is going into labor."
Chi Yan stood up abruptly with a loud noise, startling everyone. The reporting manager thought he had said something wrong and didn't dare to breathe. "Bo... Boss, I..."
Before the manager could finish, Chi Yan said, "Meeting adjourned. I have to leave for an urgent matter."
With that, he left, and Qi Jie hurried after him. Everyone looked at each other in confusion. What big event had occurred?
Chi Yan quickly arrived at the hospital. Chu Yang was lying on the hospital bed. The doctor had just checked her. "She's not fully dilated yet. We'll wait a bit longer."
Chu Yang felt her belly tightening in waves, but she didn't dare cry out loud. Chu's Mom had brought some food. "Yang Yang, eat a little. Don't shout, save your strength."
She began feeding her daughter.
Despite the pain in her belly, Chu Yang ate the food bite by bite.
It was at this moment that Chi Yan burst in. "What's wrong? Is Yang Yang okay?"
Chu Yang took his hand. "It's okay. I'm fine, don't worry."
Chi Yan sat by the bed, his forehead covered in sweat, looking very concerned. "Are you in a lot of pain? Is there anything I can do?"
Chu Yang shook her head. "It's fine. Just stay with me."
Chi Yan nodded. "Alright. I'm here with you. Don't be afraid."
Chu Yang's belly tightened again, and she furrowed her brow.
The doctor came to check again. "It's time." Then they wheeled Chu Yang into the delivery room, while Chi Yan and the others had to wait outside.
Soon, Chi Xin and Chi Jin arrived. Chi Yan kept pacing back and forth outside the delivery room, occasionally peeking in even though he couldn't see anything.
Chu Luo arrived not long after. As for Chu's Dad, he was still in their hometown. At that moment, he was sitting in the fields smoking. The sky was very blue. A villager passing by greeted him, "Old Chu, your vegetables are growing well!"
Chu's Dad stubbed out his cigarette and replied, "The weather's been good lately."
"I heard your daughter married someone in Jing City. Why didn't they bring you there? Where's your wife?"
"My daughter originally wanted us to go to Jing City, but we didn't want to. If we left, who would take care of the crops? My daughter and son-in-law love eating the peaches we grow here. What would they eat if we stopped growing them? My daughter is pregnant, so my wife went to Jing City to take care of her." Chu's Dad couldn't help but feel proud talking about his daughter.
"Oh, she's pregnant! That's great. I hear pregnant women should eat a lot of chicken. When the baby's born, remember to bring some hens over."
"Don't worry, her mom has been raising several hens already."
As they were talking, Chu's Dad's phone rang. "Hello?"
"What? She's given birth! Oh my! I'll pack up and head over right away!" Chu's Dad said goodbye to the villager. "My daughter has given birth. I need to go prepare to visit her."
"Hey, hey, congratulations!"
"Haha, I'm a grandfather now." Chu's Dad threw down his hoe and ran off, almost slipping and falling along the way.
At the hospital in Jing City
Chi Yan and the others waited anxiously. Chi Yan had messed up his hair, looking desperate, but the delivery room door remained closed.
Two hours later, there was finally movement from the delivery room. A nurse came out carrying a baby. "Chu Yang's family?"
Chi Yan and the others quickly gathered around. "Here, here. I'm her husband. How's my wife? Is she alright? Is everything okay?"
"The maternal woman is doing well. It's a girl. Please make sure you remember that."
"Okay, okay."
...
Not long after, an exhausted Chu Yang was wheeled out. Chi Yan quickly ran over. Seeing Chu Yang's pale face as she slept, he finally felt relieved.
He was on the verge of tears.
...Chu Yang felt like she had slept for a long time. When she opened her eyes, she saw a somewhat haggard Chi Yan. Seeing her awake, he finally smiled. "Yang Yang, honey, you're finally awake."
Chu Yang felt as if all the energy had been drained from her body, leaving her completely exhausted.
"Where's the baby?"
Chi Yan quickly pointed to the side. "Right here. The baby's right here."
Chu Yang looked and saw the tiny person sleeping next to her. She felt her heart melt. Her little treasure!