Zhou Zhijun brought over a towel dampened with warm water, gently wiping the sweat from Chuntao's forehead, then tucked her stray hair behind her ear.
His eyes were full of tenderness, and his fingertips lightly brushed her forehead again.
Mother and children were safe, and his heart settled back into place.
Aunt Zhou and Second Aunt Zhou each cradled a tiny bundle wrapped in a new red cloth, tiptoeing over to the bedside so Chuntao could see.
Aunt Zhou softened her voice and called, "Tao, look—what fine babies!"
Chuntao's eyelids were heavy as lead, and she struggled to open them just a crack, her vision blurry and hazy.
She could only make out two little red-faced things, all wrinkled, like tiny sprouts just breaking through the soil.
The labor had gone on for hours, and her body was drained. Her breathing was still unsteady, and she didn't have the strength to speak.
She blinked, her damp lashes trembling, her eyes filled with both deep affection and undisguised joy.
"Zhijun, hurry and bring two bowls of egg tea!" Aunt Zhou called out to Zhou Zhijun, looking at Chuntao's weak state.
A woman who just gave birth needs egg tea to regain strength, and the midwife should get a bowl too.
It was for good luck and also as a thank-you for her hard work.
Earlier, while boiling mugwort water, Zhou Zhijun had already prepared a pot of egg tea on the small stove.
Zhou Zhijun was carrying the two bowls of egg tea to the north room door when he suddenly heard the midwife let out an "Ah!"
"I was so focused on saving lives that I forgot to check whether the twins are boys or girls!"
Just then, Aunt Zhou and Second Aunt Zhou were about to wipe the babies down with mugwort water, and everyone in the room froze at her words.
With everyone's mind focused on "save the mother" and "rescue the children," scrambling to snatch them from the jaws of death, no one had thought about it.
Aunt Zhou nodded in agreement. "That's right! Our hearts were in our throats just now—how could we think of that!"
The midwife smiled, carefully peeled back the cloth from the baby who had been born first, glanced down, and said, "This one's a girl! Look at those features—such a fine child, and tough as nails!"
Then she pointed to the one in Second Aunt Zhou's arms. "You all look at that one—did you hear how strong his cry was!"
Second Aunt Zhou quickly looked down, and the moment she lifted the corner of the cloth, the little boy kicked her hard, making her grin from ear to ear. "It's a boy! It's a boy!
Look at these little feet—what a kicker!"
As she spoke, she gently wiped the boy's face with a soft cloth dipped in mugwort water. "A girl first, then a boy—together they make the character for 'good.' What a blessing, having both a daughter and a son!"
Zhou Zhijun felt a jolt in his chest and hurried into the room, his gaze fixed on the two soft little creatures.
The panic and helplessness of moments before were washed away by this wave of joy.
Hearing his daughter's frail little whimpers and his son's sturdy kicks, his heart swelled with warmth and a bittersweet ache. His eyes grew hot, and he couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears.
Though Chuntao's face was still pale, she held on to her strength and turned her head to listen, a slow smile spreading across her lips.
Tears slid down the corners of her eyes into her temples—all sweet, overflowing joy. The ordeal of fighting death itself was cast aside in an instant.
Zhou Zhijun handed one bowl of brown sugar egg tea to the midwife, set the other on the cabinet by the bed, and bent down to carefully prop up Chuntao's head.
His voice trembled but was full of tenderness. "Tao, we have a daughter and a son. We have both now."
The smile on Chuntao's face grew wider, but her tears fell even harder.
"Tao, you've worked so hard!"
Zhou Zhijun gently wiped her tears with the towel. "Tao, eat something!"
He carefully fed her the poached eggs bit by bit—one bite of egg, one sip of sugar water—as if she were a baby herself, afraid she might choke.
Aunt Zhou and Second Aunt Zhou used soft cloths dipped in warm mugwort water to gently bathe the two babies.
Aunt Zhou looked at the two pink little dumplings, her eyes and brows all smiles. "My goodness, you two little rascals, you scared Grandma half to death!"
Second Aunt Zhou chimed in, "Isn't that right! These two babies are absolutely gorgeous. The boy takes after Zhijun, the girl takes after Chuntao—such fine features. If you took them out, everyone would be green with envy!"
The midwife, refreshed after drinking her bowl of egg tea, laughed and said, "Absolutely! Not only are they beautiful, but they're both strong. They'll grow up to amount to something!"
The babies' skin was so delicate that the blood vessels beneath were faintly visible, so Aunt Zhou and Second Aunt Zhou didn't dare use any force.
With one hand supporting the baby and the other carefully washing, they dried them off and then wrapped them snugly in the brand-new red cloths.
Back then, most villagers favored boys over girls, and wrapping a baby had its rules.
Only boys were wrapped in red cloth; girls were usually wrapped in whatever old clothes were on hand.
But Aunt Zhou had prepared two brand-new red cloths. In her heart, whether Chuntao gave birth to a boy or girl, they were the treasures of the Zhou family—there was no cutting corners.
The two women gently laid the babies beside Chuntao, their movements soft as cotton.
The twins were unbelievably good. The girl breathed lightly and fell asleep the moment she was set down.
The boy squinted his eyes open every now and then, then dozed off again, but his little fist stayed clenched tight, carrying a stubborn newborn spirit.
With Chuntao's labor, Aunt Zhou and Second Aunt Zhou were also worn out, and Zhou Zhijun had made egg tea for them too.
Seeing them finish, he said, "Mother, Second Aunt, there's more egg tea in the pot in that room. Go have some, and pour a bowl for Aunty as well."
After the exhaustion and fright of half the day, both women were indeed tired and hungry.
Aunt Zhou picked up the midwife's empty bowl. "Aunty, let me pour you another bowl!"
The midwife smiled and waved her hand. "I'm full. You two have worked hard—go eat!"
But Aunt Zhou insisted and took the bowl anyway, refilling it for her, and this time the midwife didn't refuse.
Everyone stood there, bowls of egg tea in hand, but their eyes were glued to the two little bundles on the bed, unable to look away.
Chuntao turned her head to gaze at the two tiny ones beside her, slowly raised her hand, and lightly touched the boy's little fist.
As if sensing his mother's presence, that small fist uncurled and grasped Chuntao's pinky finger.
He held on tight, with surprising strength for a newborn.
Chuntao froze, but the light in her eyes turned soft and warm, and a faint smile tugged at her lips as tears welled up again.
She didn't dare use any force, letting the baby grip her pinky, her fingertip gently stroking his palm. In a hoarse voice, she whispered, "Baby… so good…"
Her eyes were red-rimmed but full of joy, and she barely dared to breathe, afraid of disturbing these hard-won little lives.
It was so miraculous—she had her own babies now. Chuntao felt as if she were dreaming.
Zhou Zhijun's eyes were full of deep affection as his gaze swept over the babies' soft pink faces and finally rested on Chuntao's face, which was finally showing a bit of color.
He said softly, "Tao, let Mother give the twins their names?"
Chuntao nodded and looked at Aunt Zhou, speaking softly, "Mother, you name them. You're the elder, so the names will bring good luck—the babies will be easier to raise."
Zhou Zhijun also looked at Aunt Zhou and echoed, "Mother, if you haven't thought of names yet, take your time!"
He understood what was on Chuntao's mind—she wanted both to make her mother happy and to pray for the baby's safety. He went along with his wife's wishes, which also fit the tradition of elders bestowing names.
But Aunt Zhou waved her hand with a smile. "All I know are those old-fashioned names from the older generation—they've long gone out of style."
She then looked at Chuntao, her tone earnest. "This child is one you brought into the world with your own life. It's only right that you, as the mother, choose the name. Call her whatever you like!"
Actually, Chuntao had already settled on a name for a girl, but out of respect for proper etiquette, she hadn't dared to speak up. Now, hearing Aunt Zhou say this, her face flushed slightly as she murmured timidly, "I was thinking... what about calling a girl Nuannuan? Zhou Nuannuan—hoping she'll be warm and cozy all her life, never having to suffer..."
Aunt Zhou's eyes lit up, and she burst into laughter right away. "Good! That's a wonderful name! It's soft and lucky—Nuannuan, Zhou Nuannuan! It's a hundred times better than any name I could think of. Nuannuan it is!"
Zhou Zhijun joined in with a laugh, his voice full of affection. "Nuannuan, my little Nuannuan—that name is so tender!"
Chuntao's pretty face turned rosy, her eyes curving into crescents as she turned to Zhou Zhijun and whispered, "As for a boy's name... I'm not good at picking those..."
Aunt Zhou immediately chimed in, "Let Zhijun do it! You're the father—you need to give the boy a strong, resounding name!"
Zhou Zhijun knitted his brows slightly, pondered for a moment, then spoke up. "How about Jianshe? Zhou Jianshe—when he grows up, he won't just be able to support our little family, but also contribute to building the nation!"
The moment he said this, Aunt Zhou slapped her thigh approvingly. "That's a great name! Strong and fitting for the times!"
Second Aunt Zhou and the midwife also nodded and praised it, saying the name was powerful and full of promise.
The room was filled with laughter and joy, but suddenly, from outside the courtyard, came Zhou Xiaowei's frantic shout: "Second Uncle! Something terrible has happened!"
