Just moments ago, Lin Zhilan was sitting on the bed, her eyes half-closed, and the sight of her had tugged at Su Lang’s heart.
Now, at least she was glaring at him, venting her anger—that made him feel a little better.
Su Lang opened the food container and fed Lin Zhilan some egg custard.
Bearing the pain, Lin Zhilan ate while scolding him.
Su Lang was so nervous his heart pounded wildly; he couldn’t even make out what she was saying, only nodding and murmuring in agreement.
After finishing the egg custard, she ate half a bowl of noodles, and the contractions grew more frequent.
Watching her expression shift, Su Lang’s heart tightened with every pang.
Lin Zhilan asked him to help her out of bed so she could walk slowly around the delivery room.
Sweat kept beading on Su Lang’s forehead. Lin Zhilan had been tense herself, but seeing him like this actually steadied her nerves.
“Don’t worry, I’ve brought life-saving pills. There won’t be any danger,” she said.
Su Lang lowered his head in silence, gazing into her eyes.
Lin Zhilan tickled his palm. “Better safe than sorry.”
Lin Zhilan went into labor at dusk.
The pain was excruciating, stealing her breath.
The doctors and nurses gathered around, guiding her to inhale and exhale in rhythm.
Su Lang supported her, his legs braced and arms wrapped around her, his lips pressed tight, his mind dizzy with anxiety.
“Captain Su,” a nurse exclaimed in surprise, “why are you still here? You need to leave now!”
Su Lang wiped the sweat from Lin Zhilan’s forehead with a handkerchief and insisted, “I’m staying here with her.”
The nurse wanted to argue, but the doctor interjected, “Alright, forget about him for now. Doctor Lin is about to give birth.”
In the hallway outside, Xu Yueyun gathered her young granddaughter and grandson close, quietly chanting prayers under her breath.
Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out from the delivery room.
Everyone in the corridor turned to stare at the door.
Jiang Chengzhou said, “That’s not my aunt.”
Linlin nodded too, gripping her grandmother’s hand. “It’s not Mom.”
Xu Yueyun sighed, forcing a smile to comfort the two children. “Giving birth is very hard. Even if she cries out, it’s nothing to worry about.”
Jiang Chengzhou grew instantly tense. “Then why isn’t my aunt screaming?”
Lin Zhilan wasn’t screaming because she was conserving her strength.
Her lips were already bitten through, and large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. The fine hairs at her temples were plastered to her cheeks, soaked through.
Su Lang had been supporting her from behind. Seeing this, he freed one hand and pressed it between her clenched teeth.
“Bite me.”
At that moment, Lin Zhilan had no room to hesitate and bit down hard.
Her sharp teeth pierced his palm instantly, and he tasted blood.
“Captain Su, you’re bleeding!” a nearby nurse gasped.
Su Lang shook his head. “Don’t worry about me.”
Another contraction struck. Lin Zhilan gritted her teeth, followed the doctor’s instructions—breathe out, push—sending all her strength down toward her lower abdomen. With one final effort, she pushed the baby out.
The doctor cut the umbilical cord, and the baby let out a wail.
Su Lang glanced up briefly, then kissed Lin Zhilan’s sweat-damp forehead.
The nurse watching blushed.
She had long heard about the deep love between Doctor Lin and Captain Su, but seeing their intimacy in person still made her heart race.
“Captain Su, it’s a boy, five pounds and six ounces.” The doctor came over with the baby to offer congratulations.
Su Lang gave a faint “hmm” in reply. “What does Zhilan need now? Are there any precautions? Can I help clean her up and change her clothes?”
The doctor sighed and smiled. “We’ll have to wait a bit longer, until the placenta is delivered.”
Lin Zhilan was too exhausted to speak. She took a look at her newly arrived “ugly baby.”
Maybe it was a mother’s instinct, but somehow her child seemed ugly in a way that was uniquely endearing.
Su Lang stayed by his wife’s side. After the placenta was taken care of, he wiped the sweat from her face and neck, then helped her change into a fresh set of pajamas.
Exhausted, Lin Zhilan fell asleep quickly.
When she woke up, she had been moved to a recovery room.
Opening her eyes, she found the two children leaning over her bedside.
Lin Zhilan couldn’t help but smile.
“Mom…”
“Baby,” Lin Zhilan reached out to touch her daughter’s head, “Mommy’s fine, don’t worry.”
Seeing his aunt awake, Jiang Chengzhou’s eyes lit up with a flash of joy, though he tried to act indifferent. “Childbirth hurts, doesn’t it?”
Lin Zhilan grimaced painfully and nodded. “It hurts, so much!”
Jiang Chengzhou raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to have another?”
“No, I swear I won’t!”
The corner of Jiang Chengzhou’s mouth lifted. He patted Lin Zhilan’s head gently, as if soothing a child. “Learn from this. Don’t do it again, alright?”
Lin Zhilan was speechless.
“Ahem.” Su Lang stood behind the children, holding a cup of brown sugar water, a hint of jealousy on his face.
Lin Zhilan looked at his hand.
It was wrapped in gauze, the wound no longer visible.
Su Lang helped her sit up. “Drink some brown sugar water. Slowly, take small sips.”
Feeling parched, Lin Zhilan obeyed and took a couple of sips.
After finishing the sugar water, she suddenly remembered. “Where’s the baby?”
“Your parents took him over,” Su Lang replied.
Just then, Xu Yueyun walked in carrying the swaddled infant.
Seeing Lin Zhilan awake, her face lit up with joy as she brought the baby closer. “Awake? Look, here’s the child you went through so much to bring into the world.”
Lin Zhilan had only caught a blurry glimpse of him earlier and thought he looked odd.
Now, looking more closely, he still seemed odd.
His skin was bright red, his eyes bulging like a frog’s, and his body was coated in a thin layer of vernix—nothing about him came close to cute or handsome.
Lin Zhilan brought her daughter over to look at her little brother, then called out to Jiang Chengzhou, who had been avoiding the baby. “Chengzhou, come take a look. Does he look like your uncle?”
Only then did Jiang Chengzhou glance at the baby, lying through his teeth. “Yeah, totally, he looks exactly like Uncle.”
Xu Yueyun laughed. “Your uncle wasn’t this cute when he was little. Look at those big eyes and that straight nose—he’ll definitely grow up to look like his mom.”
Jiang Chengzhou gave his grandmother an exasperated look.
She was an even bigger liar than he was.
The baby was so ugly, and his aunt was so beautiful—how were they alike?
Linlin leaned on her mother’s hand and pointed at the swaddled baby. “Frog brother.”
Lin Zhilan burst out laughing, which sent a pang of pain through her abdomen.
Su Lang picked up his daughter. “Be good, sweetheart. Mommy needs rest. Daddy’s got you.”
Xu Yueyun suddenly remembered something. “Oh, by the way, what name have you two chosen for this child?”
“Su Li.”
“Which li?” Su Bingcheng asked.
“‘Yuan you zhi xi li you lan’—the li from the Li River,” Su Lang explained.
It was a reference to how orchids and angelica grow along the Yuan and Li Rivers, meaning this child would always accompany Zhilan.
“Li Li—that’s a beautiful name,” Xu Yueyun praised.
The little one kept his eyes closed, his lips gently twitching.
Xu Yueyun hesitated for a moment. “Zhilan, it’s time to feed the baby.”
Su Lang held Linlin in his arms. “We have powdered milk at home. How much should he have each time? I’ll go make it.”
Lin Zhilan said, “Let’s save the formula for later. The baby is too small and his resistance is weak. I plan to breastfeed for a while.”
In those days, there were no proper infant formulas, and their nutrition wasn’t comprehensive.
