By the time Father Huo belatedly realized and called Huo's fourth uncle, an hour had already passed.
"Hey, Fourth Brother, are you still there?"
Huo's fourth uncle replied, "I'm here."
Father Huo said, "Well, I’m calling for no particular reason—just wanted to let you know that Third Brother’s family just welcomed a pair of twins, a boy and a girl!"
Huo's fourth uncle fell silent for a moment. How should he break it to his eldest brother?
This was already the third congratulatory call he’d received today.
"Big Brother, don’t worry, I understand."
Ever since receiving the first celebratory call from the old man, he and his wife had already discussed it.
In fact, the two of them planned to stop by the department store after work to buy some gifts for their niece-in-law and send them over.
"By the way, Big Brother, have they mentioned when they’ll be returning to Capital City this year?"
Father Huo immediately sensed something off in his tone.
"What’s the matter? Do you need my daughter-in-law’s help again?"
"Not at all, I was just asking."
Plans kept in secrecy succeed—this matter was still in the discussion phase.
Whether it would work out or not, Huo's fourth uncle couldn’t say for sure, so he didn’t give a definitive answer.
Still, he had a feeling it would likely come to fruition.
……
Jiang Si knew nothing about the matter Huo's fourth uncle referred to as "plans kept in secrecy." Her top priority now was recovering her health.
To be honest, apart from the first day of childbirth being particularly grueling, the following days had been quite relaxing and comfortable for her.
First, the two babies were incredibly well-behaved.
They spent most of their time eating and sleeping.
Whenever they soiled their diapers, they were promptly cleaned up.
Second, Mother Huo and Third Uncle were incredibly supportive.
Aside from breastfeeding the babies a few times during the day, Jiang Si didn’t have to worry about anything else.
She also noticed that Mother Huo had been deliberately training Huo Tingzhou these past few days.
Of course, she had eavesdropped a little herself.
She thought she’d picked things up pretty well, but Mother Huo didn’t seem to agree.
One moment, she’d say Jiang Si’s burping technique wasn’t quite right; the next, she’d claim the way she held the baby made them uncomfortable.
But when Huo Tingzhou performed the exact same actions,
Mother Huo would only say one thing: "Perfect!"
It made Jiang Si question her own competence.
Later, she realized Mother Huo might have been doing it on purpose.
After three days of "training," Huo Tingzhou had become remarkably adept at handling the babies.
Now, at the slightest sound from the children, he was the first to rush over.
He could even tell whether they were hungry or needed a diaper change just by their cries.
Three days passed in a flash. Since Jiang Si hadn’t needed an episiotomy or suffered any tearing,
Doctor Jiang informed them the previous evening that they could be discharged today.
Early in the morning, Mother Huo packed up their belongings and sent them home ahead of time.
All they needed now was Doctor Jiang’s signature on the discharge papers, and they could leave.
But after waiting nearly half an hour, Doctor Jiang still hadn’t arrived.
The babies seemed to be growing restless too, kicking and squirming in their bassinets after waking up.
Every now and then, they’d blow little spit bubbles.
Despite the fuss, neither of them cried.
Seeing this, Mother Huo couldn’t help but praise them again. "Look how well-behaved our babies are! They hardly fuss or cry at all, even in their first month."
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
Huo Tingzhou had booked this suite specifically so Jiang Si and the babies could rest comfortably during their stay.
But in reality, Jiang Si hadn’t found the hospital stay relaxing at all.
The nursery was also on the fourth floor, and even though it was five or six rooms away, the sound of crying babies often carried over.
Several times, the twins had just fallen asleep when sudden wails from outside startled them awake.
Mother Huo had even gone to the nursery to ask about it, but the staff’s response was straightforward:
There were too many babies, and they were understaffed—there was nothing they could do about the noise.
Thankfully, they’d be going home today.
Mother Huo cooed at the two babies.
"Once we’re home, our little Suisui and Zhaozhao can sleep as long as they want, isn’t that right?"
The words were spoken casually, but they sparked a thought in Jiang Si’s mind.
Before she could dwell on it, though, the sound of voices interrupted her.
It wasn’t until Zhaozhao puckered her lips and let out a sleepy whimper that Jiang Si suddenly realized something.
Noticing her dazed expression,
Huo Tingzhou picked up their daughter, cradling her back with one hand as he gently rocked her to sleep.
He asked, "What’s wrong, sweetheart?"
Jiang Si replied, "Don’t you think it’s unusually quiet today?"
"You’re right," Mother Huo said, glancing toward the nursery. "Yesterday around this time, several babies were crying themselves hoarse. Why is it so silent now?"
Before they could figure it out, Doctor Jiang finally arrived.
Perhaps due to working nonstop these past few days, she looked visibly exhausted.
After signing the discharge papers, Doctor Jiang gave some final instructions.
"Make sure to rest well during your postpartum recovery. You might still experience some uterine cramping, especially while breastfeeding—that’s completely normal. Don’t worry too much. If anything comes up, have your husband come find me."
"Also, avoid staying up late during this period, and be mindful of eye strain. Keep the room properly ventilated."
"As long as you steer clear of cold water and drafts, there shouldn’t be any major issues."
Jiang Si listened attentively, nodding occasionally.
"Thank you, Doctor Jiang. I’ve caused you a lot of trouble throughout this pregnancy."
Doctor Jiang waved her off.
As a doctor, this was simply her duty.
There was no need for thanks.
"One last thing…"
This final note was directed at Huo Tingzhou. "New mothers often experience mood fluctuations after giving birth."
"If she seems upset, be patient and offer support."
Huo Tingzhou nodded solemnly. "I will, Doctor Jiang."
"Alright, that’s all for now."
Just as Doctor Jiang turned to leave, Jiang Si suddenly spoke up.
"Wait, Doctor Jiang."
"Hmm? Is there something else?" Doctor Jiang looked puzzled.
Jiang Si said, "No, I just wanted to ask—has the nursery hired any additional staff recently?"
Doctor Jiang paused, clearly not expecting the question.
"Not at the moment."
Then she asked, "Why? Has the noise been disturbing you?"
"Not today. It’s been unusually quiet."
Jiang Si wasn’t one to beat around the bush.
"That’s exactly why we find it strange."
Mother Huo chimed in, "That’s right. The past few days, we’d hear crying nonstop. But today, there hasn’t been a single sound."
Doctor Jiang’s brow furrowed slightly. "Not a single sound?"
"None. I thought maybe you’d brought in extra help."
Doctor Jiang fell silent, then gave Jiang Si a thoughtful look.
Normally, whenever she came by for rounds, the sound of crying was ever-present.
Today was indeed as quiet as Comrade Jiang had said—unusually so.
With these thoughts in mind, Doctor Jiang walked straight toward the nursery as soon as he left the ward.
The door opened, and the young nurse inside instantly widened her eyes in surprise.
Just as Doctor Jiang was about to speak, Tan Mingna, the head nurse, emerged from the inner room.
"Doctor Jiang, is something the matter?"
Doctor Jiang didn’t answer immediately, glancing instead toward the inner room.
"Are the children all asleep?"
"Yes."
Tan Mingna’s eyes flickered slightly. "We just fed them and finally managed to get them to sleep..."
"Alright, then I’ll go in and check."
"That won’t do! We worked so hard to get them to sleep. If you go in now and wake them, we’ll have to spend all that time soothing them again."
As she spoke, Tan Mingna’s voice noticeably rose in pitch.
Doctor Jiang was puzzled by her exaggerated reaction when suddenly, urgent shouts came from behind him.
"Doctor Jiang—"
"What is it?"
"The patient in Room 205 has fainted. You need to check on her right away."
"Understood."
As he spoke, Doctor Jiang quickly peeked through the door crack.
Seeing the children lying quietly in their cribs, he suppressed his unease for the moment.
Yet, the moment Doctor Jiang turned to head downstairs, the young nurse in the nursery gasped in panic.
"Head Nurse, something’s wrong!"
