"I'll be out of town for one week," Gu Wei Hei said to his wife. "Are you sure you'll be alright alone?" he asked again, his gaze falling to her very large stomach. According to the doctor's schedule, his wife could go into labor at any time within the next two weeks.
"It's fine, you don't need to worry," Huang Jia Li replied, looking perfectly relaxed as she rubbed her stomach slowly. "There are so many assistants at home, all prepared for any unexpected situation."
Gu Wei Hei let out a sigh. "I've told you, it would be safer and easier to schedule a cesarean. A natural birth with twins... and at your age... the risk is greater."
Huang Jia Li just smiled slightly, having openly rejected the doctor's earlier suggestion for a C-section. She was determined to give birth naturally if she could. "Haha, don't keep nagging. You have to leave now or you'll miss your flight!" she interjected, wanting him to stop his lecturing.
Finally, Gu Wei Hei surrendered to his wife's stubbornness. He leaned down and placed a short, tender kiss on her rounded belly. "Don't give your mother any trouble, understand?" he ordered firmly, as if the babies inside could hear him.
After he left, Huang Jia Li returned to the nursery she had prepared, adjusting the arrangement of a few items here and there. "When will you come out, hm? Mama really wants to see you," she said softly.
That night, Huang Jia Li slept fitfully. A heavy rain poured down, with thunder and lightning cracking continuously through the darkness. In the dim bedroom, occasional flashes would starkly illuminate the room. Huang Jia Li's eyes snapped open after a particularly loud clap of thunder.
She glanced outside through the large window in her room. Strangely, despite the relentless rain, she could see the bright, perfectly full moon shining through. The sky tonight felt profoundly different to Huang Jia Li.
Then, she felt a movement in her stomach, followed slowly by the onset of a persistent, tightening pain. Huang Jia Li gripped the blanket covering her body tightly. She could feel a warm gush of fluid. With great effort, her hand fumbled for the call bell on her nightstand.
Given the size of the mansion, her bedroom was equipped with a bell connected directly to the head housekeeper. Huang Jia Li's breath began to come in short gasps as she bore down against the merciless pain gripping her abdomen. Finally, her fingers found the button, and she pressed it several times in succession.
"Aaaargh...!" Huang Jia Yi cried out loudly as another wave of pain hit. Not long after, a knock sounded at her door. Huang Jia Li tried to raise her voice. "Come in... Aaarggh....!!" she screamed.
Auntie Li Mei Lan immediately opened the door upon hearing her mistress's cry. With trembling hands, she turned on the bedroom light to see more clearly. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of Huang Jia Li's deathly pale face, beads of sweat soaking her skin. Huang Jia Li's long hair, usually always neat, was now disheveled and plastered to her face.
"M-Mistress...!" Auntie Li shouted, snapping out of her stupor and rushing to her side. Her hands immediately clutched Huang Jia Li's, which were gripping the blanket as if it were a lifeline. "Mistress, y-you're going into labor! I-I'll call people, we must get you to the hospital!" Auntie Li stammered nervously.
"A-Auntie..." Huang Jia Li called out with great difficulty. "T-there's no t-time..." she continued, her teeth clenched against the pain.
"C-call Doctor Ang... here!" Huang Jia Li ordered. "Aaaarrgh...!" she screamed again.
Auntie Li added more pillows behind her mistress's back to make her slightly more comfortable. "I will call Doctor Ang and some of the other staff. Mistress, you must hold on!" Auntie Li said, then immediately ran out, issuing orders to several servants to prepare clean cloths and boil hot water.
Fortunately, Auntie Li was a highly capable woman. Suppressing her own panic, she contacted Doctor Ang and insisted she come to the mansion immediately. Once sure everyone had their instructions, Auntie Li returned to the master bedroom to support her mistress through the impending birth.
Some of the younger servants looked terribly nervous, especially with each loud cry from Huang Jia Li. Their elegant mistress, who always spoke so softly, was now a stranger to them, fighting to bring her children into the world. Auntie Li soaked a towel in warm water and gently wiped Huang Jia Li's face, cleaning the sweat from her beautiful features. "Mistress, save your strength. Don't push yet," Auntie Li advised softly.
They waited for nearly an hour, though to Huang Jia Li it felt like an eternity. Her body felt as if it were being torn apart from the inside. She hadn't imagined childbirth could be this painful. Had she known, she might not have been so stubborn about refusing a cesarean.
"T-the doctor is here...!" shouted one of the younger servants, practically pulling Doctor Ang into the room.
Doctor Ang hurried to Huang Jia Li's side and began checking her condition immediately. "Mrs. Huang, try to keep your breathing steady. I can already see the head of one of your babies," the doctor said. She then turned to the servant standing closest. "Prepare hot water and clean cloths. We'll need to clean these babies right away!" Her command was firm. The servant immediately ran out to prepare everything.
"Good, Mrs. Huang, now follow my instructions!" said the doctor, her voice calm and authoritative. "When I tell you to push, you must push with all your strength." Huang Jia Li nodded her head vigorously. 'I have to do this! Soon I will see my babies!' she thought fiercely.
"AAGARGHH....!!!!" Huang Jia Li screamed, pushing with all her might.
"Good, good! Once more, Mrs. Huang... push now!" The doctor's command was encouraging. Huang Jia Li screamed once more, and finally, the first baby slid smoothly into the world.
Auntie Li deftly stepped forward to take the baby from the doctor. Upon hearing the infant's strong, healthy cry, Doctor Ang smiled in satisfaction. "A very healthy baby boy. Did you hear that, Mrs. Huang? A very strong voice," the doctor said gently. Huang Jia Li let her head fall back against the pillows, a wide, exhausted smile on her face as she watched Auntie Li clean her son.
"Just one more. You can definitely do this, Mrs. Huang," the doctor said, offering encouragement. The rain outside had lessened, but thunder still occasionally illuminated the night sky. Doctor Ang glanced at the window and her eyes widened in surprise. Was it her imagination, or was the moon tonight extraordinarily large and seemingly so close?
Shaking off the thought, she refocused on Mrs. Huang, who was struggling to deliver the second baby. "I can see the head now!" Doctor Ang exclaimed enthusiastically. "Do just as before, Mrs. Huang. When I say push, push as hard as you can!" The instruction was clear.
Huang Jia Li nodded again, gathering the last remnants of her energy. "Push now!"
Upon the doctor's command, Huang Jia Li let out another mighty shout and pushed with all her remaining strength. This time, the second baby slid smoothly out.
The moment the baby was born, a sudden marvel occurred. Lightning continued to fork across the sky outside, the wind howled fiercely, making the large window rattle, and the floor seemed to sway briefly as if in a minor tremor. The doctor and servants panicked momentarily, thinking it was an earthquake. As soon as the swaying stopped, they sighed in relief.
Then, another oddity filled the room: a soft, incredibly fragrant floral aroma. Auntie Li, who had finished cleaning the firstborn, stared at one of the vases in the room. She was certain those flowers had been half-wilted, but now they looked impossibly fresh and beautiful, more vibrant than when they were first cut. Her mistress loved flowers, so Auntie Li was always tasked with replacing them.
As Doctor Ang was about to hand the second newborn to a servant for cleaning, Auntie Li immediately intervened. "Let me clean this one," she said, taking the baby and handing the firstborn to another maid to finish up.
The doctor did as the head housekeeper asked and refocused on attending to Mrs. Huang. "You were incredible, Mrs. Huang. You delivered both babies without any major complications. Congratulations... congratulations..." Doctor Ang said sincerely.
"Thank you," Huang Jia Li replied, her voice hoarse and weak from all the screaming. She then turned towards the maid holding her first son and gestured for her to come closer. A radiant smile never left Huang Jia Li's face as she inspected her perfectly formed son, checking his ten tiny fingers and chuckling at his handsome features.
But her happiness lasted only a moment. A sharp, anxious gasp from Auntie Li, who was cleaning the second baby, shattered the calm.
"D-Doctor...?" Auntie Li called out, her voice thick with alarm.
Hearing the panic in her voice, Huang Jia Li's heart leaped into her throat. She tried to sit up and get off the bed to go to them. "Mistress, no!" a servant quickly moved to hold her back.
Huang Jia Li grabbed the servant's arm. "Auntie Li! Doctor Ang! What's wrong? My baby...!" she cried out in fear.
"M-Mrs. Huang, don't panic! Y-your baby is perfectly healthy!" Doctor Ang hurried to reassure her, though in her own heart, she was reeling with panic and bewilderment. This twin pregnancy had been full of mysteries from the start—from the sudden appearance of a second fetus at six months to the strange phenomena just now. The delicate floral scent still lingered in the room. And then there was the baby's appearance, which was extraordinarily different.
The infant's hair was a silvery white. His eyes were open, staring sharply at Doctor Ang who was holding him. The doctor could clearly see a pair of shockingly bright blue eyes that seemed capable of piercing one's soul. The baby's skin was extraordinarily pale and white.
"D-Doctor Ang... is this baby alright?" Auntie Li asked, unable to hide her anxiety at the baby's starkly different appearance from the first.
The doctor swallowed hard. She didn't believe in myths or fairy tales, but this baby looked like something out of one. 'Is this a child of the gods?' she thought, then immediately wanted to kick herself. She was a doctor; she needed to think medically.
"Auntie, there's no need to worry. I've checked; all the baby's organs are perfect and healthy. His appearance... perhaps it's a genetic variation," the doctor answered, trying to provide a calm, logical explanation.
"Doctor, bring my baby to me. Now," Huang Jia Li commanded, her voice firm. She was growing frantic listening to their tense exchange.
Finally, Doctor Ang walked over and carefully placed the baby on Huang Jia Li's lap.
Huang Jia Li gasped at the sight of her second son. Tears sprang to her eyes as she gently wiped his cheek. The baby stared unblinkingly up at her with those intense blue eyes. When Huang Jia Li moved to check his tiny fingers, the baby's hand suddenly closed tightly around her index finger, holding on as if he would never let go.