Chapter 148: Triplets

Lu Xiaotang entered with a bowl of food and saw Xu An staring at the three little babies. When Xu An noticed him, she asked, “Brother-in-law, why are these kids so small?”

Lu Xiaotang replied, “The doctor said it’s normal for triplets to be this size. Your sister took great care of them. Some twins are born even smaller than them.”

He set the food down on the table and added, “Xiao An, you must be hungry, right? I bought you some steamed buns and congee; you should eat a little.”

“Brother-in-law, have you eaten?”

Lu Xiaotang smiled and said, “I’m not hungry yet. You go ahead! After you eat, you can sleep for a bit. It’s been a long journey, and you must be tired.”

When Xu An woke up in the middle of the night, he found Lu Xiaotang still sitting there. He glanced at the clock; it was already four in the morning.

Xu An hurriedly said, “Brother-in-law, you should sleep for a while. I’ll keep an eye on my sister and the kids.”

Lu Xiaotang chuckled, “Xiao An, I’m not sleepy. You should sleep a bit more. I can take a nap during the day.”

“Brother-in-law, how can you not be sleepy? Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them.”

Seeing that Xu An was really awake, Lu Xiaotang settled down in a chair and closed his eyes for a moment.

By the time Xu Ning woke up, it was already the next morning.

Lu Xiaotang noticed she was awake and quickly helped her wash up, then served her the food Xu An had brought earlier.

Xu Ning first looked at the children and asked, “What did the kids eat?”

Lu Xiaotang smiled and replied, “I prepared some milk formula for them. I just fed them a little while ago. The two boys can eat quite a bit, and the little girl has eaten a fair amount too. Don’t worry, you should hurry up and eat your meal.”

Xu Ning glanced at the three little ones sleeping side by side and thought to herself, She sure can give birth. Most people have one at a time, but she managed to have three in one go.

She laughed and said, “I felt relieved after having the second one. Then, Dr. Huang told me there was still one more in there, and I was quite surprised.”

Lu Xiaotang chuckled, “Actually, Mom and Dad noticed it early on. They were afraid you might feel pressured, so they didn’t dare to tell you.”

“Good thing they didn’t tell me. I already found it hard to believe that I was having two; if I had known it was three, I would have been even more nervous. Did Dr. Huang say when I can be discharged?”

“It may take a couple more days here. Our little girl was a bit weak when she was born, and Dr. Huang said they want to keep her under observation,” Lu Xiaotang explained.

Xu Ning quickly asked, “How could she be weak? Didn’t you just say the kids could eat well?”

Lu Xiaotang hurried to reassure her, “It’s nothing serious; she’s just a little lighter than the two boys. As long as we take good care of her, she’ll be fine.”

Xu Ning still felt a bit concerned and said, “Could you send a telegram later? We’ve been away for several days, and our families back home must be worried.”

“Have Xiao An come over too. It’s too exhausting for you to take care of all four of us by yourself,” she added.

Lu Xiaotang chuckled and said, “Xiao An came by yesterday. He just went to the post office to send the telegram.”

“If Xiao An has already come over. Who is he sending the telegram to?” Xu Ning asked.

Lu Xiaotang replied with a smile, “I told him to send it to the village chief, saying we won’t be back for a few more days, and to ask him to give us a little more time off. Once the telegram reaches the village, many people will know. Xiao Mo has so many brothers in the village, and they’re very well-informed. It won’t be long before the news reaches him.”

Xu Ning smiled as well and said, “That’s a good idea.”

When Xu An returned from sending the telegram and saw that Xu Ning was already awake, he hurried over to ask, “Sister, are you feeling any better?”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “I’m fine. How is everyone at home?”

“Everyone is doing well. They’re just worried about you, so they sent me up to check on you.”

She nodded, feeling a bit tired.

Lu Xiaotang quickly said, “You should sleep a little longer. The kids are with me and Xiao An, so you don’t have to worry. Just rest peacefully.”

The postman delivered the telegram directly to the village committee. When the village chief read the content, he smiled and said, “Xu Zhiqing is truly fortunate—she gave birth to three at once: two boys and a girl.”

The accountant and several team leaders also took a look at the telegram.

Before long, everyone in the village knew that Xu Ning had given birth to triplets.

Xu Mo was playing with a few of his brothers after school when he overheard the nearby aunts discussing that his sister had given birth to two sons and one daughter.

Hearing this made him extremely happy, and he said to San Dan and Xiao Wang, “You two keep playing here; I’m going back home.”

Xiao Wang said, “Brother Mo, let’s play for a while longer. It’s still early for lunch.”

Xu Mo patted his backside and replied, “I need to go home to use the toilet. I’ll play with you guys in the afternoon,” and then he ran off.

San Dan muttered, “Why does he need to go home just to use the toilet? He could just find a place to go.”

Xiao Wang, seeing him run so fast, commented, “He must be going for a big one. My grandpa says you have to do that at home; we rely on those fertilizers for our vegetable patch.”

When Xu Mo returned to the cow shed, he excitedly pulled a few people into the room and said, “My sister had a baby! Two nephews and one niece!”

Everyone exclaimed in unison, “Really? Are they back yet?”

“Not yet. It was my second brother who sent the telegram to the village chief. Now everyone in the village knows.”

Mother Xu and Aunt Lu both had red-rimmed eyes as they said, “Good, good, good! As long as they are safe.”

Father Xu and Uncle Lu also let out a sigh of relief.

When the group returned from the hospital, it was still Xiao Li who drove to pick them up.

As soon as the car stopped outside the youth camp, Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei rushed out. Seeing the three children made them incredibly envious.

Lu Xiaotang, worried that Xu Ning might catch a chill, apologized to the two, saying, “It’s quite windy here. We should head back now. If you have time, come over to our place to play.”

The two quickly replied, “Yes, yes! Go home and rest. We’ll come see you in a little while.”