"Right, right, I'll go get Dad."
Snapping back to reality, Little Second Son didn’t waste time joking around and immediately dashed outside.
"Come back, come back!"
Hu Meili called him to a halt. Today, the military unit had issued two emergency notices in a row.
Old Xiao was undoubtedly swamped with work right now—there was no way they’d find him.
Besides, even if they did bring him back, could he give birth for her? Or endure the pain in her place?
At a time like this, they had to rely on the doctors.
"Eldest Boy, Little Second Son, don’t panic. Listen to me."
Having already given birth twice, Hu Meili was quite experienced when it came to labor.
And she had a feeling that this time, her cervix was dilating much faster than before.
That was why she hadn’t dared to move earlier.
She genuinely feared that if she wasn’t careful, the baby might just slip out.
But then again, her daughter was already so considerate.
She hadn’t even been born yet, and she already knew how to spare her mother some suffering.
After calming the two boys down, Hu Meili began giving firm instructions.
"Going to find your dad is pointless—he’s busy right now. You two should head straight to the military hospital and look for Doctor Jiang."
"Tell them my water broke, and I can’t move. Ask them to send two people over."
"Oh, and make sure they bring a stretcher."
"Got it, Mom!"
The brothers didn’t waste a second and immediately sprinted toward the military hospital.
As they passed Jiang Si’s house, Eldest Boy suddenly stopped.
Jiang Si had just lain down not long ago when she heard urgent knocking at the door. Her first thought was that Li Mei might still be lingering outside.
But when she opened the door, she was surprised to see Weidong and Weimin standing there, their eyes brimming with tears.
Seeing how frantic they looked, Jiang Si quickly asked, "What’s wrong? What happened?"
Eldest Boy said, "Auntie, Mom’s water broke—she’s still standing in the yard."
"We’re going to the hospital to get a doctor. Could you please go check on her? I—"
The moment she heard Teacher Hu was in labor, Jiang Si tensed up.
"Alright, I’ll go right now. You two be careful on the way—don’t rush too much."
"Thank you, Auntie."
Without another word, the brothers took off running again.
Jiang Si didn’t delay either. She hurried to the kitchen.
From the clay pot on the stove, she ladled out a large bowl of chicken soup, making sure to scoop up plenty of meaty pieces.
The soup had been simmered by Huo Tingzhou before he left in the morning.
After waking up, Jiang Si had added some spiritual spring water and a generous amount of morel mushrooms to it—the aroma alone was mouthwatering.
By the time she reached the Xiao household, Hu Meili had already shuffled her way to the doorway.
Jiang Si quickly set down what she was carrying and helped her onto the bed.
Seeing Teacher Hu’s pale face, she couldn’t help but worry.
"Sister-in-law, how are you feeling?"
"I’m fine." Hu Meili waved her hand dismissively.
Once she was lying down, she even muttered with a baffled expression,
"Maybe it’s because I’ve done this before, but the contractions don’t seem as painful this time around."
Jiang Si had never given birth herself, so she couldn’t answer that.
But back when she used to browse the internet, she’d seen plenty of videos.
Apparently, many expectant fathers had tried simulated labor pain, and hardly any of them could endure it to the end.
In short—it was excruciating.
Just then, Hu Meili rolled onto her side, and Jiang Si quickly asked, "Sister-in-law, what do you need? Let me get it for you."
"Alright, hand me those two pillows."
Even at this moment, Hu Meili didn’t forget to give Jiang Si some extra advice.
"If your water breaks, don’t move around recklessly."
"First, check the color. As long as the amniotic fluid isn’t black or red, it’s usually fine."
"At this point, you should lie down properly on the bed, like this—put two pillows under your hips."
"It’s best to lie on your left side. That’ll help your cervix dilate faster."
Jiang Si listened with an earnest expression.
So that’s how it worked.
She wanted to hear more about this.
But then, Hu Meili suddenly turned serious and looked at her.
"Still, now that you’re further along, you really need to be careful. Don’t end up like me."
"Like what?" Jiang Si was still a bit confused.
Hu Meili wore a pained expression. "Last night, I just… lost control for a moment. And now, look—my water broke today."
At that, Jiang Si’s eyes widened slightly.
What did she mean by "lost control for a moment"?
Was it… what she thought it was?
Hu Meili nodded, her face saying, Yes, exactly what you’re thinking.
"Luckily, Old Xiao refused to give in, or I’d really be in trouble."
He did refuse, stubbornly.
But she still managed to get a little something out of it.
Not that Hu Meili dwelled on it—she never tortured herself over these things.
As the saying goes, At thirty, a woman is like a wolf; at forty, a tiger.
She was right in between—so wasn’t she both wolf and tiger?
Still, Hu Meili felt the need to clarify.
"Anyway, my situation’s different from yours. I’ve got years of experience, but you’re carrying twins—you can’t afford to mess around."
Jiang Si gave her a look that wasn’t entirely innocent.
She hadn’t exactly messed around.
But occasionally, she did indulge in a little… harmless fun.
Fortunately, Hu Meili didn’t press the topic.
After a pause, she added, "Once you’ve given birth, I’ll teach you a recovery method for… you know. Trust me, the results are amazing—"
As Hu Meili went on enthusiastically, Jiang Si quickly cleared her throat.
"Sis, I brought you some chicken soup. Do you want some now?"
Hu Meili didn’t stand on ceremony—childbirth was hard work.
She needed to eat while she still could. Running out of energy mid-delivery would be disastrous.
"No need to feed me, I’ll do it myself."
Seeing that her spirits were high, Jiang Si nodded and handed her the spoon.
"Take your time, careful not to burn yourself."
They chatted a little longer.
About half an hour later, hurried footsteps echoed outside.
Jiang Si stood and looked out the window.
Through the glass, she saw Doctor Jiang rushing in with two young nurses, carrying a stretcher and panting heavily.
Behind them was Little Second Son, his eyes red from crying.
Before Jiang Si could speak, the boy sobbed,
"Doctor, please save my mom! She’s in the east room!"
"Don’t worry, your mother will be fine."
Doctor Jiang said it, but inwardly, he wasn’t so sure.
Then the door swung open.
Hu Meili was sitting there, devouring a chicken leg with gusto.
No sign of pain or distress.
When she saw them, she blinked in surprise.
"Doctor Jiang? You came all this way yourself?"
After speaking, she glanced at the tearful Little Second Son and asked, "Where's your brother?"
Little Second Son's eyes were red-rimmed as he replied, "Brother went to the military base to find Dad."
It turned out that while the two of them were on their way to the military hospital, Eldest Boy grew more and more uneasy.
Though he was only nine years old and had never witnessed a childbirth before, he had heard his father mention it many times.
When their mother gave birth to the two of them, Dad had been away on a mission. She had delivered them alone in the hospital.
During their birth, she had nearly suffered a difficult labor.
He didn’t fully understand what "difficult labor" meant.
All he knew was that whenever Dad spoke of it, his eyes would redden.
He also knew that whenever the topic came up, Dad would secretly wipe away tears when he thought they weren’t looking.
So something as important as their mother giving birth to their little sister—the three of them, father and sons, absolutely had to be there by her side.
Otherwise, Mom would surely be scared.
And their little sister wouldn’t be happy either.
So the two brothers split up.
One went to the hospital, while the other turned toward the military base to find their father.
