Chapter 144: Twins

After dinner, Xu An found an excuse to go to the cow shed and shared what had happened during the check-up that day.

Everyone frowned upon hearing it.

After a moment of thought, Aunt Lu said to them, “How about this? Let’s prepare the necessary items for the delivery.

When Xiaotang returns, we can have him go to Qishi to check on the medical conditions there.

If things don’t look good, we can just deliver at home. You all can keep watch outside while I assist with the delivery for Xiao Ning. It’s definitely better than relying on those incompetent doctors.”

In fact, Uncle Lu shared the same opinion and looked at Father Xu and Mother Xu.

The two quickly nodded in agreement. They trusted their in-laws’ skills much more than the doctors in the hospital, especially since these two had previously been the heads of the military hospital in the capital city.

Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu wrote down the items they would need and said, “Xiao An, you should go to the city and see if you can buy all these things. If you can’t find everything, don’t worry; just bring back what you can. When your brother-in-law returns, he can figure out the rest.”

Xu An nodded and asked, “Uncle Lu, should I tell my sister about this?”

After a discussion among the four of them, they decided to inform Xu Ning.

Aunt Lu said, “Just tell her that I’ll be assisting with her delivery; don’t mention anything else.”

By the time Xu An returned, it was already getting late. He locked the back door and, as he walked into the house, he heard Xu Mo muttering.

“Sister, how long has it been since we just ate? Why are you hungry again? Ugh, just wait; I’ll go cook you two poached eggs.”

As he turned around, he spotted Xu An returning and happily exclaimed, “Second Brother, you’re back! Sister is hungry—hurry and cook! Make extra poached eggs; I’ll join her for a bite.”

Xu An shot a glance at this little brat, who was treating him as if it were only natural to order him around. He exchanged a knowing look with Xu Ning, who was sitting on the kang with a helpless expression. This really was a frustrating little brother.

Xu Mo noticed that Xu An was still standing there and urged, “Second Brother, why aren’t you going to cook? Hurry up! We can’t let our little nephew go hungry!”

Xu An cooked three poached eggs, serving two to Xu Ning and one to Xu Mo.

He placed the two bowls on the kang table and said to Xu Ning, “Sister, I went to the cow shed earlier and told Dad and the others about what happened at the hospital today.

They discussed it and decided to have Aunt Lu assist with your delivery. They want me to go to the city to buy the things we’ll need.”

Since the county hospital didn’t have much in the way of medical equipment, even going there would mean delivering the baby herself. Compared to the doctors in the hospital, she felt much more at ease with Aunt Lu helping her.

Xu Ning replied, “Alright, I understand. Let me see what those items are.”

Xu An handed her the piece of paper, which listed some common items needed for delivery. It wasn’t very complicated, and he was confident they would be able to gather everything.

“Xiao An, just go directly to the supply and marketing cooperative and ask Sister Hongying for help. It shouldn’t be difficult to buy these things.”

“Sister, I’ll go tomorrow.”

Xu Ning laughed and said, “There’s no need to rush; it’s still early. You can buy them whenever you go into town.”

But Xu An didn’t listen to her. The next morning, he rode his bicycle into the city.

When he returned, he had a beaming smile on his face, indicating that he had managed to buy everything he needed. He was also holding a letter and a package.

She asked, “Xiao An, who sent the package?”

Xu An replied with a grin, “It’s from Sister Xiaoran. I ran into the mailman on the way and brought it back with me.”

He parked his bicycle, took out a pair of scissors, and opened the package, revealing clothes and shoes for a child.

Xu Ning picked up the clothes and examined them. The stitching was tight and even, indicating that the craftsmanship was quite good; they were likely made by Xiaoran’s mother-in-law.

She neatly folded the clothes and placed them in the kang cabinet, which already contained the outfits and shoes made by Aunt Lu and Mother Xu for the children. With the addition of what Xiaoran had sent, there would be enough clothing for two kids for a year.

Meanwhile, Xu An was reading the letter. Xu Ning assumed it was from Lu Xiaoran and didn’t pay much attention.

After a while, he cleared his throat and said, “Sister, this is a letter from brother-in-law. You should take a look.”

With that, he stepped outside.

Xu Ning picked it up and realized that Xu An had opened the small envelope, making her feel a bit embarrassed.

The letter wasn’t overly sentimental; it was filled with playful remarks that seemed quite out of character for Lu Xiaotang, who usually appeared very stern.

As she continued reading, she saw that he had requested a forty-day leave and would be returning next month to take care of her during her confinement.

In the afternoon, after Xu Ning had just finished her meal, she was strolling in the yard when Aunt Dashuan and Aunt Si came to visit her.

Both women were surprised when they saw Xu Ning’s belly. Aunt Dashuan asked, “Xu Zhiqing, why is your belly so big? I heard from Xiao An that you’re only seven months along?”

Xu Ning welcomed them inside and smiled at the two of them. “Aunties, I am only a bit over seven months pregnant, but I’m carrying twins this time, so my belly looks larger.”

Aunt Si laughed and said, “Xu Zhiqing, you’re really blessed! Twins are quite rare. The last time we had a pair in our village was when Sanainai gave birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix twins. It’s been many years since we’ve had twins around here.”

Aunt Dashuan asked, “Xu Zhiqing, with such a big belly, is it uncomfortable to sleep at night?”

Xu Ning chuckled and replied, “It’s not exactly uncomfortable; I just have to sleep on my side, which makes it a bit tricky to turn over. Other than that, it’s fine.”

The two women took out a basket of eggs and said, “Xu Zhiqing, we’ve been wanting to visit you for a while, but we’ve been busy with spring planting. We’re just getting around to it now. These eggs are for you to help nourish your body.”

Xu Ning hurriedly accepted the eggs with a smile and said, “Aunties, you’re being too kind! I’m just pregnant; you really didn’t have to come all this way for me.”

The three of them sat in the house chatting for a while, but the two aunts were concerned that Xu Ning might be uncomfortable sitting for too long, so they encouraged her to take a walk in the yard.

Aunt Si looked at the vegetables in her garden and praised, “Xu Zhiqing, after a few years in the countryside, your vegetables are even better than ours!”

Aunt Dashuan added, “Both siblings are quite capable! Look how tidy this little courtyard is. Now you’ve even built up the courtyard walls; living in a standalone home is wonderful!”

After a moment, she recalled something and said to Xu Ning, “This morning, I heard from the village head that there are more educated youth coming to our village to help out. He asked Old Chen to go pick them up tomorrow. I heard they’re sending several this time.”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “With more people coming now, we’ll have extra hands during the autumn harvest.”

The two aunts chuckled at her words.

They hesitated to mention that, for some educated youth, instead of being helpful, they could often just create more chaos.

Aunt Dashuan whispered, “That educated youth named Jiaohua, the one who married into the neighboring brigade last year, is also pregnant now. She doesn’t do any work at all.

Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law have been quite critical of her. I heard they even got into a fight about it a while back.”

Aunt Si chimed in, “In our countryside, who doesn’t work in the fields until they’re about to give birth? But she’s different—she doesn’t even help with cooking.

I’ve heard she spends her days sleeping at home and insists on eating an egg every day. Her husband’s brothers are now all clamoring for a split of the family property.”

Xu Ning didn’t know what to say and could only laugh along with them.

After chatting for a while, the two aunts hurried back, needing to go to work in the afternoon.

Xu Ning glanced at the eggs on the table and sighed. They usually didn’t allow themselves to eat such treats, yet they were thoughtful enough to bring some for her.