"Congratulations, Comrade Jiang Si, you've given birth to a pair of twins—a boy and a girl!"
With that, Doctor Jiang swiftly retrieved a cotton cloth from the delivery bag prepared by Mother Huo.
In this era, newborns weren’t bathed on the day of birth. A simple wipe-down was all they needed.
Doctor Jiang worked with practiced gentleness, soon wrapping both babies snugly in swaddling blankets.
Then, she carried them to Jiang Si’s bedside, letting mother and children press their cheeks together briefly.
Jiang Si instinctively murmured, "Why… why are they so tiny?"
They were no bigger than kittens.
"Not tiny at all. One weighs four pounds and three ounces, the other four pounds and two ounces."
Doctor Jiang had over twenty years of experience in obstetrics and had delivered countless twins.
Generally, with twins, one tended to be of normal weight while the other was slightly smaller.
Cases like this, where both babies were nearly the same size, were quite rare.
Thinking this, Doctor Jiang added with a reassuring smile,
"The babies are perfectly healthy. We’ve already examined them—no issues at all."
In this field, Doctor Jiang was an authority. If she said everything was fine, then it surely was.
Jiang Si exhaled in relief, finally able to take a proper look at her children.
The little ones had their eyes closed, their cheeks flushed pink.
Perhaps still reacting to the slap on their bottoms moments earlier, they puckered their tiny lips, whimpering softly—a pitiful sight.
Jiang Si gazed at one, then the other.
Maybe it was a mother’s bias, but she thought they looked rather sweet.
Far more adorable than she’d imagined.
Assured of their health, the tension in Jiang Si’s chest eased.
She longed to keep watching them, but exhaustion soon overwhelmed her.
Within minutes, she drifted into a deep sleep.
Doctor Jiang seemed to remember something and whispered to the nurse beside her,
"The family has been waiting outside for hours. Take the babies out for them to see, then handle the paperwork."
The nurse nodded. "Understood, Doctor Jiang."
Just as Doctor Jiang expected, the group outside the delivery room was restless with anxiety.
Logically, they knew first births took time.
But knowing and enduring were two different things.
Especially in this era, where delivery room walls were thin—every cry of pain from inside sent them pacing like ants on a hot griddle.
Fretful as they were, no one dared make a sound, afraid of disturbing those inside.
Then, the delivery room door opened.
The nurse stepped out, cradling a baby in each arm.
Since Jiang Si was the only one delivering twins that day, the family needed no explanation—they immediately surrounded her.
Beaming, the nurse announced, "Double congratulations! Comrade Jiang Si has given birth to a healthy pair of twins—a boy and a girl!"
"The older brother weighs four pounds three ounces, the younger sister four pounds two ounces. Both are doing wonderfully."
Remembering Doctor Jiang’s instructions, she added quickly, "Comrade Jiang Si is also stable. No need to worry."
At this, the tension that had gripped them all night finally dissolved.
"Nurse, when can my wife come out?" Huo Tingzhou asked, his gaze darting past her toward the delivery room.
The nurse said, "Doctor Jiang is currently performing the cleanup procedure for her. After that, she’ll need to be observed in the delivery room for two hours to ensure everything is fine before being transferred back to the ward."
With that, she handed the baby over. "Take a look, and pay special attention to the fingers and toes."
"If everything checks out, just sign here."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhong and Mother Huo quickly stepped forward to take the baby.
The two swaddling blankets were the same color, making it impossible to tell who was the older brother and who was the younger sister.
Finally, the nurse clarified for them.
"Elder, the one you’re holding is the little sister."
Uncle Zhong’s eyes instantly reddened. "I thought so—this little one’s features look exactly like Jiang Si’s when she was a baby."
Mother Huo, hearing that her granddaughter resembled her daughter-in-law, smiled so warmly that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened.
"It’s wonderful that she takes after Jiang Si! Look at how long her eyelid creases are!"
"Her eyes will definitely be just like Jiang Si’s—big and round."
Just then, the tiny pink bundle in her arms unconsciously puckered her lips a couple of times.
Perhaps twins shared some kind of telepathy—because as soon as one did it, the other followed suit.
Mother Huo glanced down at the little grandson in her arms.
His face shape, eyebrows, and nose—there was no doubt about it, he took after Huo Tingzhou.
Not that Mother Huo minded.
After all, the saying "grandparents dote on their grandchildren" wasn’t just empty words.
She quickly counted the baby’s fingers and toes, confirmed everything was fine, and then signed the form.
Seeing that her son still looked completely dazed, Mother Huo unceremoniously placed the baby boy into his arms.
"Hold him."
Huo Tingzhou had practiced holding a baby at home many times—using a pillow.
But holding a pillow and holding an actual baby were nothing alike.
Perhaps his posture was too stiff, because the moment the baby was in his arms, he started fussing softly.
Huo Tingzhou froze even more.
Mother Huo was exasperated.
This wasn’t how you held a baby—anyone watching would think he was cradling a bomb!
"Relax first. Don’t keep your arms so tense."
She patted his arm, then adjusted his right hand.
"Support the baby’s bottom and lower back first."
"Bend your other arm a little more—the baby needs to rest comfortably here."
"Bring him closer. He’s still tiny—he needs to hear your heartbeat, or he won’t feel secure."
When Huo Tingzhou instinctively started to rock, Mother Huo smacked him lightly.
"Don’t shake him like that. If he gets used to it, he’ll demand it all the time."
After Mother Huo’s patient guidance, Huo Tingzhou finally managed to hold the baby properly.
Once he’d gotten the hang of holding his son, he took his daughter into his arms next.
Though his movements were still a bit stiff, he was clearly improving.
Mother Huo didn’t dwell on it—she simply showered him with praise.
She needed to teach him quickly.
That way, all the baby-related tasks—holding, feeding, soothing—could be handed over to him.
It would give her daughter-in-law some much-needed rest.
Just then, another nurse approached. "Are you done? If so, hand the babies back to me."
The group frowned at her tone.
Whether she was exhausted or simply had a brusque personality, it was obvious she wasn’t in the best mood.
The young nurse from earlier looked somewhat awkward now. "This is the head nurse of our nursery..."
Before she could finish, the other woman cut her off impatiently. "Can we hurry this up? I’m busy over there. Just send a family member to the nursery with me to handle the paperwork."
In the 1970s, hospital nurseries were the norm—newborns were placed there under the care of nurses.
First, it was for infection control.
Second, it allowed new mothers to rest properly.
Doctor Jiang had already discussed this with Huo Tingzhou earlier.
He hadn’t been keen on the idea from the start.
Now, he didn’t even need to think before refusing outright.
With so many babies in the nursery, identification relied solely on wristbands.
That alone was a huge risk.
Huo Tingzhou wasn’t worried about recognizing his own child.
But as his wife had said, there was no need to take such a risk.
Besides, the babies were still so small—he couldn’t bear to leave them in someone else’s care.
And most importantly, his wife had reminded him repeatedly: during their stay at the hospital, the children must be watched closely.
If he couldn’t even manage this small task, how could he face her afterward?
With that in mind, Huo Tingzhou said firmly, "We’ll take care of the children ourselves. There’s no need for the nursery."
Mother Huo and Third Uncle nodded in agreement.
"That’s right, we can handle it."
Even putting aside everything else, the nurse’s attitude alone made them reluctant to entrust the babies to her.
"Fine, suit yourselves." Fewer babies to worry about—less work for her.
With that thought, the nurse added, "If you refuse, that’s your choice. But if anything happens to the children, don’t come blaming—"
"Watch your words!"
Mother Huo considered herself patient, but this was too much.
"I didn’t mean it like that. Just a reminder. If you don’t want to hear it, forget I said anything."
With that, the nurse turned and walked away.
"What kind of person is that? Who does she think she is, scowling like that first thing in the morning?" Mother Huo was exasperated.
"I’m sorry about that," the young nurse murmured, though she swallowed the rest of her words.
The head nurse was the hospital director’s niece—her temper was nothing new.
And lately, with the nursery overcrowded and understaffed, complaints had been piling up among the junior staff.
"It’s fine, this isn’t your fault," Mother Huo waved it off.
Checking the time, she added, "Jiang Si only had a few bites of egg custard last night. I’ll go home and prepare something for her."
She then turned to Third Uncle and Uncle Zhong. "You’ve been up all night too. Take the children back to rest for a while—Tingzhou can stay here."
No one objected to the arrangement.
Once they left, Huo Tingzhou fixed his gaze on the delivery room door again, staring intently, unwilling to miss a single movement from inside.
Over an hour later, Mother Huo returned.
She had originally planned to come back after the chicken soup was ready, but time was tight.
Instead, she made a light red date and yam porridge, easy on the stomach, and brought some food for Third Uncle and Uncle Zhong as well.
As for her son—he probably had no appetite right now, so she didn’t bother him.
Her mind was now completely occupied with thoughts of her grandchildren and daughter-in-law.
"Oh, I made some chicken soup for Jiang Si. The stove is on the lowest simmer—don’t forget to go back and fetch it at noon," Mother Huo reminded her, worried she might forget once she got busy.
"Got it," Huo Tingzhou replied.
Just as his voice faded, a sharp click echoed through the hallway—the delivery room door finally swung open.
