Xiao Ning’s heart tightened, he didn’t even have time to put on clothes and was already about to flip over and go out.
“I’ll go call someone over.”
Shen Guan grabbed his hand, shaking his head and saying, “Wait until dawn, it doesn’t matter for this little while.”
Xiao Ning held Shen Guan’s hand tight, gripping so hard his fingertips ached. Shen Guan almost wanted to laugh, but a sharp pain shot through his belly, cutting him off. His brows tightened and a low groan slipped out.
“What’s wrong!” Xiao Ning was already nervous, and Shen Guan’s commotion made his heart leap.
Shen Guan pressed one hand to his waist, eased for a while, and said, “It’s nothing, don’t worry.”
“You’re still saying things like that even now.” A few traces of anxiety emerged in Xiao Ning’s eyes, and he was sweating more profusely on his forehead than Shen Guan.
Shen Guan felt that Xiao Ning was a bit overly anxious and subconsciously wanted to comfort him. He gently pulled their tightly clasped hands to his eyes, rested them against the side of his face, and quietly looked at Xiao Ning.
“Does it hurt badly?” Xiao Ning wiped the sweat off Shen Guan’s head with his sleeve as he asked.
Shen Guan shook his head: “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt right now.” As he spoke, he clung to Xiao Ning’s arm, trying to sit up.
Xiao Ning quickly helped the person into his arms. Shen Guan’s narrow shoulders pressed lightly against his chest, making him seem especially fragile.
“I still have to go call Old Zhou over.” Xiao Ning couldn’t sit still anymore, his heart was racing.
Shen Guan couldn’t stop him and could only laboriously pull the outer robe over him: “Then I’ll wait for you.” Xiao Ning helped Shen Guan lean against the headboard, covered him well with the quilt before hurriedly pushed the door and left. The moment he stepped away, the pain hit Shen Guan again. He grabbed at the fabric around his waist, his teeth sinking hard into his lower lip.
Old Zhou was dragged in by Xiao Ning, stumbling, and he was still catching his breath when he sat down by Shen Guan’s bed. Seeing the blood seeping from Shen Guan’s lower lip, he hurriedly said, “Don’t bite, you’ll tear your lip open.”
Xiao Ning felt heartbroken and reached out to touch him but was pulled back by Old Zhou and pushed out the door: “Go, go, go, go boil water downstairs.”
Shen Guan was drenched in sweat, the bedding wrapped around him was stuffy and uncomfortable, he wanted to pull it off but had no strength in his hands and could only helplessly watch as Xiao Ning was pushed away.
“It’ll be soon, don’t be like a wife-waiting stone.” Old Zhou grabbed Shen Guan’s hand to take his pulse.
Shen Guan’s brows were tightly furrowed, his face pale, sweat covering him as he panted. One hand clenched into a fist pressed hard against his waist, his pain evident as he gripped his undergarment before slowly releasing it with effort. Old Zhou’s expression also looked slightly serious. Shen Guan’s health was not good, and he hadn’t shown improvement even after all this time of recuperation. Giving birth now was still somewhat taxing for him.
Xiao Ning hurried over, grasping Shen Guan’s hand with a touch of panic, his own face looking even more strained than Shen Guan’s.
Shen Guan couldn’t muster the strength to comfort him and could only bear it without a sound, lest Xiao Ning worry along with him. For a moment, the room was so quiet that only Shen Guan’s slightly heavy breathing could be heard.
“Don’t be like this, it’s not a big deal.” Old Zhou’s palms also started to sweat cold, but he had to force himself to cheer up and comfort the young couple.
“When will the baby come out?” Xiao Ning only hoped that little thing in Shen Guan’s belly wouldn’t stall.
How could Old Zhou know for sure? He vaguely said, “It’ll be fine after a few more hours.”
Forget a few hours, Xiao Ning didn’t want to wait even a moment longer. He took a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off Shen Guan; after wiping a few times, the handkerchief was soaked through. Shen Guan finally couldn’t help but let out a muffled groan, trembling all over with pain while nestled in Xiao Ning’s arms.
Old Zhou checked him twice, but it was still not time, he had to endure a little longer.
Shen Guan arched his body from time to time, his lips pale and streaked with blood, cold sweat coating his skin, looking especially fragile and pitiful. Seeing that the sky had also brightened and the two children were about to wake up, yet the little one in the belly still had no sign of movement.
“You go check on Xiao Yuan and Niannian…” Shen Guan released Xiao Ning’s hand and wiped the sweat from his face himself, feeling somewhat groggy from the pain.
Xiao Ning fed him half a cup of warm water, then went to wake up the two children. Xiao Yuan and Niannian wanted to see their father, but Xiao Ning blocked them. After settling the two children, when Xiao Ning returned, Shen Guan was already tossing and turning in bed from the pain.
Old Zhou was also helpless; this kind of thing couldn’t be rushed to get a result. Xiao Ning felt blocked up inside, his face was heavy as he sat beside Shen Guan, faintly regretting that he shouldn’t have kept this child then, letting Shen Guan suffer this ordeal. Shen Guan endured the pain and comforted him: “Little girls are just slower.”
Xiao Ning used his fingertip to wipe away the tear track on Shen Guan’s eyelid and said, “How do you know it’s a little girl?”
“I’m guessing.” Shen Guan gave a weak smile, then, wincing from pain, lowered his head and let out a low groan.
Xiao Ning leaned over and kissed his tightly furrowed brow, saying, “Don’t guess, when she’s born, I’ll take a look. If it’s not a little girl, I will definitely give him a beating.”
“En.” Shen Guan agreed, then groaned again from the pain, tightly closing his sore eyes. The sudden sharp pain in his belly came fiercely and showed no sign of stopping. Shen Guan endured it for half a day, and it was nearly noon when he vaguely heard Old Zhou telling Xiao Ning, “It’s too slow…” “If we drag it out any longer, I’m afraid there will be danger…”
The weather outside was not good, it was overcast, and the wind had picked up.
In a small building across the way, a figure stood, his dark outer robe fluttering in the wind. He just quietly watched the movements in the cake shop, without moving from dawn until dusk.
Just before the cooking smoke began to rise everywhere, the leisurely little one finally stirred. Shen Guan was also in extreme pain, pinching Xiao Ning’s hand until there were finger marks all over it. He desperately arched his body before a hoarse cry of pain coming from his throat. Xiao Ning’s back was wet with sweat, and his ears were ringing.
After a long time, the faint cry of an infant was finally heard, followed by Old Zhou’s sigh of relief: “Oh, it really is a little girl.”
“Ah Yun…” A warmth welled in Xiao Ning’s eyes as he pressed his forehead against Shen Guan’s palm, marked with scratches.
Shen Guan had worked hard for a day and a night; knowing the child was safe, his heart relaxed, and he fell into a deep sleep. Old Zhou helped to wipe and clean the newborn infant and wrap her up, then took Shen Guan’s pulse again, instructing Xiao Ning not to idle and to go prepare medicine for Shen Guan. The ingredients for the medicine were all at Old Zhou’s house, so Xiao Ning asked Old Zhou to help watch over Shen Guan while he went to fetch the medicine himself.
The newborn infant cried for a while and then stopped. Held in Old Zhou’s arms, she looked soft and docile no matter how one looked at her.
The door suddenly flew open, and a draft from the corridor blew in. Old Zhou asked in surprise, “You are back so fast?” Before he could turn his head, his shoulder and back tightened; several of his major acupuncture points were sealed, leaving him unable to move.
Jiang Lingxin, clad in a black robe patterned with dark clouds, took the child from Old Zhou’s arms, his expression icy.
Old Zhou gritted his teeth and looked at the person in front of him, saying, “Jiang Lingxin, what are you doing?”
Jiang Lingxin lowered his eyes to look at the infant sleeping soundly in his arms, then looked at Shen Guan, who was sound asleep on the bed, then said, “I want this child.”
Old Zhou angrily said, “What do you want her for? To raise her to continue risking her life for your Tianyi Division?”
Jiang Lingxin gently hugged the infant tighter in his arms and no longer paying attention to Old Zhou before turning to leave.
Seeing that he was serious, Old Zhou said in exasperation, “Jiang Lingxin! You’re sick, if you want a child, go have one yourself. What is the point of snatching someone else’s!”
“Zhou Yan.” Jiang Lingxin stood outside the door, turned sideways, and coldly spoke Old Zhou’s name.
Old Zhou could tell that Jiang Lingxin was angry.
A moment later, the space outside the door was empty, only the corridor wind was left whimpering.
