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Mrs. Wang smiled with joy, relieved that her daughter had safely given birth to two sons and pleased with her choice of son-in-law.
Hastily, she brought one of the children to Chen Feng, saying, “This is the elder brother. Our son-in-law mentioned he’s a bit heavier and has a louder cry, so we’ll call him Chu Siyu.”
Mama Li then brought the other child over, smiling, “This is the younger brother. The old Marquis mentioned he should be more refined, so we’ll name him Chu Siming.”
Both children seemed to catch a whiff of their mother’s scent, their previously closed eyes suddenly opening as they gazed in Chen Feng’s direction, leaving Mrs. Wang and others marveling at their actions.
Though still small and a bit wrinkled, their hair was glossy, they had double eyelids, a straight little nose, and well-defined lips that would occasionally purse, making them incredibly endearing.
Seeing them, Chen Feng’s heart melted, tears welling up in her eyes. After living two lives, she had finally become a true mother. Despite enduring great hardships, she felt content.
She first took Yu, the closer one, kissed his little face, and touched his small nose tip. His scent was sweet, his skin tender, utterly lovable.
Sensing neglect, Ming pouted and hummed softly. Chen Feng handed Yu back to Mrs. Wang, then cradled Ming in her arms, kissing and caressing him, saying, “Son, you’re mommy’s treasure!”
In her mind, the Golden Swallow’s voice echoed, “The little brother is also precious to me, the little brother is also precious to me. I want to see the little brothers, oh, I can’t wait…”
Autumn entered with a bowl of chicken soup, smiling, “Madam, are you hungry? Have some chicken soup first.”
Chen Feng had the soup, followed by two small buns and two boiled eggs, before nursing the babies. Knowing her unique constitution, she insisted on breastfeeding herself. Additionally, she had two wet nurses on standby in case her milk wasn’t enough.
According to Mrs. Wang, the wet nurses had already fed the children while she slept.
In the west wing, everyone was having their meal.
A quick-witted maid rushed in to report, “Masters, Madam have awakened, and Madam is currently breastfeeding the two sons. Both boys have their eyes wide open. They look absolutely beautiful!”
The old Marquis chuckled heartily, rewarding the maid with a couple of silver coins for her sweet words. He was so elated that he had already distributed plenty of money, giving double monthly wages to all the staff at the General’s Mansion and the servants at the Yongning Marquis’s residence and Tangyuan. The personal attendants serving Chen Feng in the main hall each received three months’ worth of wages…
Upon hearing that Chen Feng had awakened, Chu Lingxuan abandoned his meal and headed towards the main room. Seeing this, Chu Hanyan, Dabao, Li Xuan, Chu Lingzhi, and Chen Lu all followed suit.
Chen Shiying set down his wine glass and also left. Eager to catch another glimpse of his grandsons, he had taken the day off work to spend more time with them.
The old Marquis laughed heartily again, saying to Chen Ming, “Let’s go and see my chubby great-grandsons once more.”
If Chen Shiying wasn’t around, Chen Ming would naturally consider himself Chen Feng’s biological father and the children’s grandfather. However, in Chen Shiying’s presence, he felt somewhat inferior and unsure, feeling that he couldn’t compete with him. Especially when Chen Shiying and Mrs. Wang were crying and calling out “A’Feng” under the window, he felt even more inadequate. No matter how well he treated Feng or how much he loved her, he wasn’t her real father. So when Chen Shiying hurried to see his grandsons, he waited, until the old Marquis’s cue before joining him in the main room.
Chu Lingxuan and the three children went straight to the bedroom, while Chen Lu and Chu Lingzhi hesitated to enter, standing by the door and peering in. The grandfathers sat in the main room, waiting for the children to be brought out for them to see.
Chu Hanyan and Li Xuan eagerly surrounded the small bed to see their brother, especially Chu Hanyan, who couldn’t get enough of her little brother.
Chu Lingxuan and Dabao were eager to talk to Chen Feng, especially Dabao, whose eyes were red from crying, with many things he wanted to share with his mother.
Sitting by the bed, Chu Lingxuan began, “Feng, you’ve been through a lot, and I…”
Before he could finish his heartfelt words, Dabao squeezed in front of him, eager to speak to Chen Feng, “Mother, hearing you cry was painful and heartbreaking for me. I wanted to stay by your side, but they forced me to leave. Mother, I don’t want any more little brothers or sisters in the future. It’s so hard for you to give birth to them…”
Dabao’s tearful rambling made Chu Lingxuan smirk.
Chen Feng, touched by Dabao’s words, gently stroked his face and said, “Dabao, you care for me, and that makes me happy. Every mother goes through this when giving birth. Despite the hardships, the joy is eternal. Pain is temporary, but happiness lasts forever.”
Upon hearing this, Dabao fell into silence. Did his own birth cause his mother such agony? Why go through such hardship to bring him into the world, only to abandon him?
This child was too sensitive.
Observing his silence, Chen Feng sensed his thoughts and said with a smile, “Go and see your brothers. You are their big brother, and you must love and protect them in the future.”
Approaching the crib, Dabao saw his two tiny brothers, one with his left eye open, the other with his right eye open, both incredibly adorable. He gently touched each brother, smiled widely, and began to understand his mother’s words. For the sake of these delicate and lovable brothers, he was willing to endure any hardship.
Meanwhile, in the hall, the old Marquis was eager to see his great-grandsons. The wet nurses Mama Jiang and Mama Lin carried Yu and Ming to the hall. The old Marquis and Chen Shiying began to playfully argue about who the children resembled more, with the old Marquis claiming they took after him and Chen Shiying insisting they looked like him.
The two infants managed to draw the older children into the hall, leaving peace in the bedroom.
Chu Lingxuan reached out, gently touching Chen Feng’s cheek, and softly said, “Feng, those two days and nights were so long and terrifying… I have never been so afraid. I was scared, scared that if you were like…” He hesitated, wanting to say “like lady Ma”, but decided against it. Pausing for a moment, he continued, “If you were gone, how could I go on living?”
His voice choked towards the end. He truly feared that when Chen Feng began to scream in agony, he would lose her just like lady Ma. Even though lady Ma’s memory had faded, her image appeared vividly in his mind each time Chen Feng cried out in pain. He feared that lady Ma’s appearance meant she was coming to take Feng with her. This thought terrified him. After Chen Feng safely delivered their sons, he planned to take Hanyan to the temple to burn incense for lady Ma and pray for her soul.
Touched by Chu Lingxuan’s words, tears welled up in Chen Feng’s eyes. She held his hand against her face and said, “Every time I felt like I was dying, I could hear your cries and your choked sobs. I thought, if I died, how would you cope, and what would happen to the children… I even heard my parents crying, and I can’t bear to leave you all… In this lifetime, I have so many loved ones I can’t bear to part with. It’s truly wonderful…”