Chapter 68.1

Did Xu Yuan really kick Meng Zhengrong in the groin?

When the door to the recovery room opened and Meng’s parents entered, Meng Zhengrong’s expression was serious. He slightly bent down, and Xu Yuan seemed to be in a bit less pain.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, but Xu Yuan was finally pushed into the delivery room.

Outside, both the Meng family and the Xu family were waiting, each with a serious expression.

Occasionally, passing nurses were startled by the sight of this group.

Xu Yuan felt like she had walked through the gates of hell again, and when she came back to life, she was utterly drained of energy, lacking even the strength to lift her arms and hold Baby Panda.

By now, it was evening. Baby Panda was next to her, wrapped snugly in a newborn blanket. She forced her eyes open to look at him.

Baby Panda’s skin was incredibly fair, unlike some newborns who looked like little monkeys. He had a few wrinkles on his forehead, but his cheeks were plump. His eyelids were a bit swollen, and he barely managed to open them just a crack, revealing the cutest little expression.

Meng’s mother was so overjoyed she didn’t know how to express it, her mouth agape in happiness. “Other babies can’t even open their eyes!”

This was true; many newborns kept their eyes tightly shut when they were born.

From the start, it was evident that Baby Panda would be a very stubborn baby. He didn’t want to sleep and was determined to open his eyes, even if just a tiny bit.

That little expression looked so pitiful. From Xu Yuan’s perspective, it seemed as if there was a faint glimmer of light. In that instant, she felt that the most important man in her life had truly been born.

Of course, Xu Yuan had no intention of sharing this with anyone. If Meng Zhengrong found out, who knew how long he would fuss about it?

Baby Panda was indeed the most important person in her life. This was the truth, even though just thinking about it felt cruel to Meng Zhengrong.

No, that wasn’t right. To be accurate, he should be considered one of the most important men in her life. Xu Yuan had to admit that she might be a bit more concerned about this little baby.

Xu’s mother was also very happy and wanted to hold Baby Panda. However, it had been many years since she had held a small baby, and she was afraid that her little grandson would feel uncomfortable, so she could only stand by with Meng’s mother to watch Baby Panda.

Meng’s father took out his phone and snapped a picture of Baby Panda. He looked at it and couldn’t help but smile, putting the phone away. Then he solemnly bowed to Xu Yuan, who was resting in bed. “Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Yuan.”

Xu Yuan felt her nose tingle and was a bit on the verge of tears.

She looked at the little Baby Panda wrapped in the blanket and thought, he needs to grow up well.

Meng’s father’s gesture made the Xu family feel at ease, but they were so focused on the baby that they overlooked how much their own daughter had suffered. Such a family was truly disheartening.

The more they reached this moment, the more it revealed what kind of family they really were.

Meng Zhengrong stood at the foot of the bed. The pain from the kick was slowly fading away. Was this considered sharing in his wife’s experience? No, that wasn’t right. He knew Xu Yuan was someone who could endure a lot. If she hadn’t been in excruciating pain, she wouldn’t have cried out like that.

He still didn’t understand how painful childbirth was, only grasping it at a shallow level.

He thought it must be really painful.

At that moment, a thought popped into Meng Zhengrong’s mind: those cheating men were truly the scum of the earth.

“This baby’s eyebrows are really well-shaped,” Meng’s mother said, her eyes turning red. She was naturally a very emotional person, and now that she saw her grandson, her feelings were overflowing.

Meng Zhengrong glanced over. Hmm, he couldn’t really see what was so special about the eyebrows. They were quite light in color and barely noticeable.

His mother had really good eyesight.

Xu’s mother also took a good look and couldn’t help but love what she saw. “Our baby looks so handsome! Oh dear, does he understand what Grandma is saying?”

Meng Zhengrong scoffed internally. His mother-in-law also had good eyesight. To him, Baby Panda was indeed adorable, and he loved him dearly, but how could a newborn baby be considered good-looking? As for understanding human speech, that was even more impossible.

However, he was indeed curious about what Baby Panda saw.

He sincerely hoped that the world he saw in the future would be a beautiful one.

Xu Yuan actually wanted to look at Baby Panda again, but she was too tired and in too much pain. Those who had gone through childbirth said that the pain would end as soon as the baby was born, but that was a lie.

It still hurts a lot. No matter how painful it was, she still wanted to smile and look at Baby Panda.

When Baby Panda was born, he weighed six pounds and seven ounces, with fair skin and a very cute gaze.

After Xu Yuan fell asleep, the nurse took Baby Panda away.

Both sets of parents had been keeping vigil for a day and were already exhausted. After spending some time in the hospital, they went home to rest, promising to come back early the next morning.

Xu Yuan was in a private hospital suite, which had its own bathroom and even a small living room. Meng Zhengrong sat by the bed, staring at Xu Yuan for a long time, feeling a pang of heartache.

He also took photos of Baby Panda. There was a picture on his phone of three hands resting together: his, Xu Yuan’s, and Baby Panda’s. It was undeniably loving.

How amazing it was that he had become a father!

That little bundle was actually his son; it was simply incredible.

Meng Zhengrong was physically tired as well, but for some reason, he just couldn’t fall asleep.

He decided to take out his phone and choose a few photos to post on Moments.

[Mother and child are safe; wife, you’ve worked hard. I love you, my wife.]

Immediately, several people quickly liked and replied.

Song Yu: Baby Panda is here? Haha, I want to be the godfather! I’ve got the gifts all prepared!

Song Chaowen: It really is Baby Panda! He’s quite chubby. Wishing little Baby Panda a healthy growth!

Meng Pingting: Me me me! I want to buy a plane ticket to see my nephew!!!

Xu Yuan would never know how important that night was for Meng Zhengrong.

Some men change entirely after becoming fathers, as if they transform into heroes overnight. Some men, however, remain the same, not becoming more responsible just because a baby calls them “dad.”

Meng Zhengrong was definitely one of the former.

Baby Panda was perhaps the most challenging puzzle of his life, and raising him would become the most difficult task.

This baby was a blank slate; what he became would largely depend on his parents.

Ensuring that he grew up healthily until he became a strong and capable man was truly a huge pressure.

Meng Zhengrong had already started to worry about what university Baby Panda would attend in the future. He finally fell into a dazed sleep just before the sun began to rise.

After a few days in the hospital, Xu Yuan prepared to be discharged and go home. Although the hospital was convenient, no matter how complete the suite’s facilities were, it couldn’t compare to the comfort of home. After Baby Panda underwent a series of health checks and was confirmed to be a healthy baby, both mother and child were discharged.

For Xu Yuan, the first time breastfeeding was a painfully historic event, so painful that she inadvertently bit Meng Zhengrong’s hand, leaving a blood mark.

Everyone urged Xu Yuan to rest well. Baby Panda was quite sensible too. He would wake up at night, actually preferring breast milk, but he wouldn’t resist being fed formula either.

In the past, there had been a daughter-in-law in their circle who suffered from postpartum depression, and by the time her family found out, it was already too late. Now that man was raising his child alone and hadn’t remarried.

Many people praised that man for his deep feelings, but Meng Zhengrong felt that if he hadn’t even noticed his wife’s depression, what good was that depth of feeling later on?

All deep feelings are meaningless if they don’t make the person involved feel them; they aren’t meant for show.

Fortunately, both families were financially secure and had enough people to care for Baby Panda. Meng Zhengrong focused most of his attention on Xu Yuan.

Even though Meng Zhengrong was very busy, he made it a point to leave work on time every day to accompany Xu Yuan.

That afternoon, when Meng Zhengrong returned from work, Baby Panda had been brought to their bedroom. Xu Yuan sat on the bed, looking at Baby Panda sleeping soundly in the crib, with a worried expression as she propped her chin on her hand. “I just feel like he sleeps for twenty-two hours out of twenty-four. The remaining two hours are spent drinking milk. Is that really okay?”

Sometimes she thought this baby shouldn’t be called Baby Panda; he should be called Koala.

Meng’s mother and Xu’s mother, who had some experience, chuckled upon hearing this. “Many babies are like angels during the postpartum period; just wait a bit longer and see.”

Indeed, Baby Panda only seemed to know how to sleep every day, opening his eyes only when he was hungry.

So the babysitters and postpartum caretakers knew that when he opened his eyes, it was a signal that he was hungry.

“Isn’t the grandson of the Song family like this too? I heard that when he was a few months old, he slept all day and cried all night.”

Xu Yuan had already recovered quite a bit, and her family no longer prohibited her from washing her hair or bathing, though they advised her not to do it too frequently. They also urged her to be extra careful during each wash.

Neither Meng Zhengrong nor Xu Yuan would post clear photos of Baby Panda on Weibo; sometimes they would share pictures of his chubby little hands, and other times they would just post blurry photos.

Shen Li was due in a month or two, and now the netizens were all speculating about the baby’s gender, with everyone saying it had to be a girl. They imagined she would grow up to be childhood friends with Baby Panda.