Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 132 Going Home

He Zhijun kept staring at the delivery room door, his tone somewhat anxious: "When will my wife come out?"

The nurse smiled and said, "We're getting her ready. She should be out in about half an hour." Then she went back to the delivery room.

Grandma held the baby, looking at her with great delight: "Xiao Li and the others were right, it really is a little sister. Xiao Wang, can you write this down for me? The second baby was born on September 13, 1980, the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, at 6:15 pm, the hour of You (5-7 pm).

Sister Wang quickly took out paper and pen from her pocket and wrote down the child's birth date. The grandmother, holding the child, walked up to He Zhijun and said, "Zhijun, Jingyan is still inside. Do you want to see the child first?"

He Zhijun's anxious and flustered mood had eased considerably, and only then did he finally remember to look at his daughter. He lowered his head and looked at the soft, cuddly baby in the swaddling clothes, his heart melting completely.

"Grandma, don't they say newborns are all red and wrinkled? How come our baby is so clean and fair-skinned? He doesn't look like that at all." After saying that, she poked the baby's face with her index finger. Hmm, it feels nice.

Grandma explained with a smile, "Most babies weigh around five or six pounds. Some babies who aren't raised well can weigh as little as four pounds. They're so small at birth, of course they won't grow properly."

But our two children, An'an weighed just over six pounds at birth, and the second baby is even heavier than An'an. She grew faster than average in the womb, so of course she wasn't all wrinkled. Luckily, Jingyan is large-framed; otherwise, such a heavy baby might not have been delivered smoothly.

He Zhijun pinched the child's face again: "Grandma, I plan to come to the hospital to get my tubal ligated during the National Day holiday. One son and one daughter are enough. Jingyan suffered a lot during her pregnancy and childbirth. It would be good if the two children could keep each other company. I don't plan to have any more children later."

Grandma replied nonchalantly, "This is your own business. You're so old; you can make your own decisions. As long as you don't regret it, that's fine."

I'm old; it's a blessing from heaven that I've lived to see four generations under one roof. From now on, this old woman will just stay with her great-grandchildren; I won't interfere in your family matters."

He Zhijun laughed: "I'm just worried that Grandma likes children and wants us to have more."

Grandma sighed: "Having more children isn't necessarily a good thing. Raising children takes so much effort. We don't have a throne to inherit, so why have so many offspring? Are we just going to exhaust the older generation? Don't believe those who say that more children bring more blessings. I think it's more like having more children shortens one's lifespan."

By the way, you two should choose the name for the second baby. Or you can pick one from the names your father previously chose. The important thing is to decide as soon as possible and register the baby. I heard from the neighbors that the government is currently conducting a census. Although I don't know what it entails, the sooner it's registered, the sooner it'll be over.

He Zhijun took these words to heart: "We'll decide together when Jingyan wakes up."

When Jingyan was wheeled out of the delivery room, she turned her head and vaguely saw He Zhijun. She subconsciously called out, "Zhijun," and then felt her hand being held. She smiled with her eyes closed, "This time, you've stayed by my side the whole time. You have no regrets now, right?"

He Zhijun held Jingyan's hand and listened to her murmured words. The moment he fell into a deep sleep, tears streamed down his face. "Jingyan, I didn't miss your delivery this time. I have no regrets, but you suffered so much. From now on, we will never have to suffer like this again."

The doctor pushing the hospital bed looked disgusted: "The woman just gave birth, move aside and go back to the ward. Hey, family member of the woman, don't block the way. You'll be carrying her to the bed in a bit. Can you do it? If not, I'll need to find someone to help carry her."

He Zhijun quickly took a step back and nodded: "I can carry him."

The doctor looked at him with a distrustful gaze and said to the midwife beside him, "Go and get two more male doctors to come over and help lift it up later."

The midwife turned and left. He Zhijun didn't notice the doctor's actions, but his grandmother did. She wanted to laugh, but she held it back and followed the baby back to the ward.

When they were turning the bed, He Zhijun went to pick up Jingyan, but he felt he couldn't straighten up and couldn't get any leverage. He reluctantly put his hands down, and just as he looked up, he saw the midwife coming over with two male doctors.

Seeing that He Zhijun couldn't lift her, the two men quickly stepped forward to help support Jingyan's lower back and lend a hand. With their help, He Zhijun was finally able to lift his wife. Although the process was a bit rough, he managed to successfully turn Jingyan onto the bed.

After watching He Zhijun settle Jingyan down, the doctor spoke, "When a woman is unconscious after childbirth, she won't have a point of leverage, so the weight will be heavier than usual. Besides, your wife is quite large, so it's normal that you can't lift her."

"Next time something like this happens, remember not to try to be a hero. You might hurt your back if someone else can't lift you up." After saying this, the doctor waved and led the male doctor and the midwife away.

He Zhijun froze on the spot.

Grandma placed the child she was holding on another hospital bed and instructed, "Zhijun, take Xiaowang and drive back. She can come back after she's made the soup. We'll stay at the hospital tonight to keep you company. Tomorrow morning, you take me back to pick up Xiaowang."

By the way, tomorrow ask the doctor if we can be discharged early. You have school the day after tomorrow, so it's best if you can avoid missing it. If not, ask the school for two more days off.

He Zhijun nodded in agreement. Sister Wang went to the corner, grabbed the two drooping hens by their legs, and followed He Zhijun out of the hospital.

When they arrived home, Ho Chiu-lai was reading to On On in the bedroom. Ho Chiu-lai was reading to On On, and whether On On understood or not, who knows? Anyway, she looked quite serious.

Hearing a noise at the door, Ho Chiu-lai ran out. Seeing them, he exclaimed happily, "Uncle, you're back! How's Aunt? Where's Great-Grandma?"

An'an then ran out and pounced on He Zhijun, hugging his leg tightly. He Zhijun bent down, picked An'an up, walked to He Chaoli, and patted his head.

"Auntie gave birth to a little sister. Great-Grandma is at the hospital with Auntie tonight. Uncle will be there later too. Would you like to sleep with Aunt Wang tonight?"

He Chaoli nodded sensibly: "Uncle, don't worry, we will be good. When will Aunt and my sister be able to come back?"

“I’ll be back in two days,” Ho Chiu-lai replied.

He Zhijun went to the kitchen to kill and pluck the chicken. Sister Wang took the two children to wash up and put them to bed. He Zhijun's hen was almost ready, so he took over the pot to stew it.

It was already past ten o'clock when the chicken soup was finished cooking. He Zhijun filled a clay pot with half of it and drove to the hospital. When he arrived at the hospital, Jingyan was still asleep. He ladled out a bowl of chicken soup for his grandmother to drink first. They had been in the hospital for almost a whole day, and none of them had eaten much. It was fine for the young people, but his grandmother was old and couldn't go hungry.

Grandma didn't stand on ceremony with him. She ate a scallion pancake with the chicken soup and was almost full. He Zhijun gave her some warm water to wash up and then slept on the empty bed next to her with the newborn baby girl.

He Zhijun checked on Jing Yan again to make sure she was sound asleep. He tidied himself up quickly, then sat on the edge of the bed and dozed off. Jing Yan woke up hungry in the middle of the night. Opening her eyes, she saw the figure beside her bed in the moonlight and felt reassured.

But she was too hungry, so she gently nudged He Zhijun's head. He Zhijun hadn't dared to fall asleep, and Jingyan's nudge woke him up immediately. He quickly got up, turned on the light, and looked at her: "Jingyan, you're awake. Are you hungry?"

Jing Yan nodded: "I'm hungry."

He Zhijun quickly walked to the earthenware pot in the corner, touched it to check the temperature, ladled out a bowl, took a sip, confirmed that the chicken soup was still warm, and handed it to her: "Have a bowl of chicken soup to tide you over first. When it gets light, I'll take the rest of the chicken soup to the hospital cafeteria and ask them to cook a bowl of noodles for you."

Jing Yan obediently took the soup bowl and ate a bowl of it, along with the chicken. With food in her stomach, she felt less anxious. She lay down and said to He Zhijun, "You should get some sleep too. Don't wear yourself out by staying up like this."

He Zhijun cleared away the soup bowls, pointed to the hospital bed, and said, "I'll sleep with you. Grandma and Erbao are sleeping in that other bed."

Jing Yan moved to the side and patted her side: "Then come up here."

He Zhijun chuckled as he climbed onto the bed, lay down on his side, and after thinking for a moment, pulled Jingyan into his arms again, saying, "If you sleep like this, you won't fall off."

Jing Yan chuckled, "As long as you don't mind the strong smell of blood on me." After saying that, she found a comfortable position to lie down and closed her eyes.

“You gave birth to my child, how could I possibly dislike you? Sweetie, go to sleep.” He Zhijun patted her gently twice, and the two fell asleep in each other’s arms.

When Jingyan woke up again the next day, it was already bright. After He Zhijun helped her wipe her face and hands, he took the earthenware pot to the canteen to buy noodles. He returned with the pot in no time, and the three of them finished the pot of soup noodles. When the doctor came looking for her, Jingyan had just finished breastfeeding her second child, and He Zhijun was changing the baby's diaper.

The nurse following behind the doctor looked on with envy: "Your husband can even change the baby's diapers. I've been in the hospital for so long, and I've never seen a man change a baby's diapers so skillfully."

Jing Yan glanced at He Zhijun and smiled, "This is my second child. I practiced with the first one, so I'm naturally skilled."

Before the nurse could say anything more, the female doctor shot her a sharp look, and the nurse swallowed her words. "Since this is your second child, has the baby been breastfed?"

Jing Yan nodded: "I just drank it."

"It seems there's no problem with your breast milk. According to regulations, you can stay in the hospital for three days. However, if you have someone at home to take care of you, you can be discharged and go home today. After all, it's not very convenient to make soup or anything like that here," the doctor suggested.

Jingyan also thought the suggestion was good. She had children at home, and she wouldn't feel at ease leaving them at home while she was in the hospital. "Zhijun, why don't you go and complete the discharge procedures? I want to go home too."

He Zhijun nodded: "Okay, Grandma will stay here with you for now. I'll go find Dr. Qin to get the prescribed medicine, then we'll complete the discharge procedures and go straight home."

Watching him leave the ward, the female doctor spoke again: "You have prior experience, so I won't repeat any unnecessary medical advice. But be careful not to eat spicy food. Since you're breastfeeding, spicy food can easily cause internal heat, which will affect the baby."

Eat nourishing soups in moderation, but not every day. Weight gain during breastfeeding is difficult to lose later. Now is the perfect time; eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to supplement vitamins. You probably already know the rest, so I won't go into detail.

Jing Yan thanked the doctor sincerely. The female doctor glanced at the earthenware pot in the corner and said, "Chicken soup and the like, drinking it once every three to five days is enough." After saying that, she left with her entourage.

As they left the ward, the nurse asked the doctor with some confusion, "You always tell other new mothers to eat nutritious food and drink plenty of meat broth, but why did you tell her to drink less today?"

"Most of the new mothers in the past were very thin and weak, which showed that they were tired from daily work and did not get enough nutrition. If they did not take advantage of this period to nourish their bodies, their in-laws might not be willing to feed them well after the postpartum period. So naturally I want them to eat more good food."

But this family clearly dotes on their wife. I was on duty last night, so you didn't see it, but the man drove back in the middle of the night carrying chicken soup. This morning, I saw him again in the cafeteria, carrying an earthenware pot and begging the cafeteria staff to cook a pot of chicken soup noodles with his own chicken soup.

This new mother wasn't thin to begin with. If she continues to eat richer foods every day during this period, she'll gain even more weight after her postpartum period, making it very difficult to lose weight later.

"A woman dresses up for the man she loves. If she marries into such a good family, it would be a loss if she gains weight and her husband dislikes her. Now that I've noticed, I naturally have to give her some advice," the female doctor said calmly.

He Zhijun happened to be carrying the foot bath medicine pack that Dr. Qin had prepared. Hearing the female doctor's words, he paused for a moment, then turned around and continued to complete the discharge procedures.

The formalities were completed quickly, and soon the three adults and one child got into the car and left the hospital. The story of He Zhijun making chicken soup for his wife in the middle of the night spread throughout the hospital for a long time, and he was regarded as a model husband by the medical staff. Later, many families of new mothers took care of their wives according to this standard, for fear of being accused of mistreating their wives. This can be regarded as the beginning of the awareness of pampering one's wife.

When the car arrived home, Sister Wang heard the noise and rushed out. She was surprised to see Jingyan and said, "Why are you back already? Weren't you supposed to stay in the hospital for three days?" She then quickly went to help her up.

Jingyan took her arm and walked into the house: "The doctor said that since this is my second pregnancy, I have enough breast milk and don't need to stay in the hospital for so long. I can go home. I'm not as comfortable at home as I am in the hospital, so I was discharged and came back."

"It's good that you're back. It's always more convenient to be at home." Back in the room, lying back on the kang (a heated brick bed), Grandma placed the baby next to her. Jingyan touched the child's little face; he was so cute.

He Chaoli, holding An'an's hand, also came to see his younger sister. Seeing Jingyan unwrap the baby's swaddling clothes, and the baby kicking and thrashing about, He Chaoli couldn't help but reach out and grab the baby's little feet, grinning from ear to ear: "Auntie, my little sister's feet are so small!"