"Your slippery pulse has just appeared and is relatively faint."
"The pulse on both sides is evident, with the chi pulse being even more slippery. It's likely not a single pregnancy."
Elder Li spoke as succinctly as ever, but his words left the four people in the room stunned.
Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, Elder Li frowned. "Don’t you understand?"
Before anyone could respond, he added, "One has just conceived, and the other is carrying more than one. Does that make it clearer?"
The group nodded blankly.
They understood, but it was just hard to believe!
Jiang Si hadn’t expected her words to come true—she really was carrying more than one!
But her joy was short-lived. If it wasn’t just one, then how many?
Though she had the spiritual spring, the risk of difficult labor was minimal.
But she really didn’t want to have multiple babies at once!
Just imagine waking up every day to several children calling her "Mom."
Wouldn’t that leave her with no time for herself?
No, no—that would ruin the joy of raising children!
And if she were carrying multiples, wouldn’t her belly stretch to the point of bursting?
Even if it didn’t, stretch marks were inevitable, right?
The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t help but sigh.
Huo Tingzhou wasn’t thrilled about the news either.
The reason was simple: his mother and aunt were twins.
According to Mother Huo, their maternal grandmother hadn’t slept well from the early stages of pregnancy, and when she went into labor prematurely, she suffered a life-threatening hemorrhage.
Fortunately, their maternal grandfather acted decisively and rushed her to the hospital overnight.
Medical conditions were much better now than in the past, but more babies meant more risks.
Realizing this, Huo Tingzhou frowned and looked over.
"Elder Li, can you tell how many she’s carrying from the pulse now?"
"No."
Elder Li never risked his reputation—he wouldn’t claim certainty where there was none.
Typically, a pregnancy pulse could only be detected around forty days, and diagnosing multiples was already remarkable.
But Elder Li was no ordinary physician. Seeing the couple’s lack of joy, he unexpectedly added,
"Based on my years of experience, she’s likely carrying two or three, no more than that."
"Two or three?"
"Right."
Elder Li glanced at Huo Tingzhou. "I said it’s possible, not guaranteed."
"But knowing the exact number now is pointless. Instead of overthinking, you should focus on how to take better care of her."
Huo Tingzhou nodded, accepting the advice.
Meanwhile, Jiang Si, after calming herself, reluctantly came to terms with the situation.
As Elder Li said, since multiples were confirmed, worrying wouldn’t help.
This era didn’t have fetal reduction procedures—it wasn’t like she could terminate all of them!
"Thank you, Elder Li."
Elder Li acknowledged her gratitude, then turned to Deputy Regiment Commander Lei and his wife. "Do you have any other questions?"
Xu Mingjuan was still reeling from the shock, so Deputy Regiment Commander Lei spoke instead.
"Elder Li, are you saying my wife is pregnant?"
"What, do you doubt my skills?"
"No, not at all!"
Deputy Regiment Commander Lei gave a bitter smile. He just couldn’t believe it—it felt like a dream.
Elder Li wasn’t entirely without curiosity either. The last time he checked Xu Mingjuan’s pulse, it had been weak and thin.
Yet in just a few months, her condition had improved so dramatically.
It was truly baffling.
But on second thought, perhaps it wasn’t so surprising. The arrest of Auntie Lei had spread like wildfire through the military district.
With the resentment in Xu Mingjuan’s heart finally dispelled, her body naturally recovered.
Glancing at the clock, Elder Li saw it was already half past noon and began ushering them out.
On the way downstairs, Huo Tingzhou carefully supported his wife.
"Darling, take it slow."
Jiang Si lightly swatted his arm. "I’m only a month along. If you’re already holding me like this, what will you do later?"
She meant to say she could still run, jump, eat, and sleep normally—no need for such exaggeration.
But Huo Tingzhou replied earnestly, "When you’re further along, I’ll carry you downstairs."
Jiang Si was speechless.
She was about to retort when she noticed Deputy Regiment Commander Lei supporting Xu Mingjuan in the same manner. That made her feel better.
Once outside the hospital, Jiang Si said, "Sister-in-law, don’t bother cooking lunch. Come to our place for a quick meal."
Xu Mingjuan’s mind was still in a daze—she had no energy for cooking.
She didn’t even fully register Jiang Si’s words, nodding mechanically.
Soon, they arrived home.
Third Granduncle and Uncle Zhong had already prepared lunch.
Seeing the couple return after two or three hours with solemn expressions, Third Granduncle’s heart sank.
Noticing the equally inscrutable looks on Deputy Regiment Commander Lei and his wife, he quickly asked, "What’s wrong?"
Had there been another false alarm?
He was about to console them—"You’re still young…"—when Jiang Si pulled out the medical report from her bag.
"It’s confirmed. I’m pregnant, just a month and a half along."
Third Granduncle took the report, overjoyed. "Ah Zhong, did you hear that? I’m going to be a great-grandfather!"
Uncle Zhong sniffled, grinning. "Yes, yes! In a few months, we’ll have a little miss or little master."
Jiang Si cleared her throat. "Or possibly two at once."
Third Granduncle and Uncle Zhong stared wide-eyed.
What did that mean?
Not wanting to scare them, Jiang Si avoided mentioning the possibility of triplets.
"The doctor said I’m carrying twins. Everything’s normal so far."
"What? Twins?!" Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
After the initial shock, Third Grandunche suddenly remembered something and suppressed his smile.
No wonder Deputy Regiment Commander Lei and his wife had seemed so distracted earlier.
After years of longing for a child, Jiang Si was now expecting two at once.
If they celebrated too enthusiastically, wouldn’t that rub salt in the wound?
Just as Third Granduncle sighed, Jiang Si added, "Sister-in-law Xu is also pregnant."
"Really?"
Jiang Si nodded emphatically. "Really."
"That’s wonderful, truly wonderful." Third Grandunche quickly invited everyone to sit down for lunch.
After the meal, it was already late.
They chatted for a while before Deputy Regiment Commander Lei and Xu Mingjuan excused themselves.
Normally, Jiang Si would nap at this hour, but today, whether from excitement or something else, she lay in bed for a long time without sleeping.
When Huo Tingzhou returned to the room after showering, he found her lying there, wide awake, and pulled her into his arms.
"What’s on your mind?"
"I’m thinking of names for the second baby."
They’d agreed earlier—a daughter would take her surname, a son his.
But back then, it was just speculation. Who knew she’d actually be carrying two?
Fortunately, the Huo family followed generational names from the ancestral records. The children would be of the "Jing" generation, making naming easier.
Jiang Si listed several options. "Which one do you like best?"
