Chapter 240: Three Sons
Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Three Sons
When the incision reached about three inches in length, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on what lay beneath: a tender, white arm. It was streaked with blood.
Wuyou continued to lengthen the incision. Once it was large enough for her to reach in and retrieve the baby, she handed the scalpel to Wuqing and quickly lifted out the first child.
“Wuqing, cut the umbilical cord quickly.”
With a swift motion, Wuqing severed the umbilical cord.
Ms. Su, standing by, immediately took the prepared cloth, received the child, and placed it on the table for cleaning.
Wuqing promptly went over to tie the baby’s umbilical cord. Gu Qingli had made her practice these procedures countless times using duck intestines, all in preparation for this very moment.
Just as the umbilical cord was tied, “WAAH, WAAH, WAAH…” A few loud cries echoed.
“This little stinker is only saying hello now,” Ms. Su said with a grin, gently poking the baby’s bottom. She also breathed a sigh of relief. It was a boy. For a woman, giving birth to a son meant life would be much easier.
Wuqing looked at the small, red, wrinkled face. How terribly ugly, she thought.
Hearing the cries, Xiao Yunjing was overcome with excitement. That was their child! It could cry, and so loudly! The baby must be healthy.
But no one relaxed their guard yet; there were still two more to be delivered.
Xiao Yunjing, having learned from Ms. Su’s example, now held a cloth, ready to receive the second child.
When Wuyou located the second baby, she called out, “Wuqing, come here.”
Wuqing immediately came over, scissors at the ready.
Wuyou quickly delivered the second baby.
Wuqing cut the umbilical cord at once, her movements fluid and practiced.
Xiao Yunjing caught the baby immediately.
“Young Master, be careful; the baby is very soft,” Wuyou quickly reminded.
“Alright.”
Xiao Yunjing had never held such a tiny infant before, though he had held Xiao Han and the others. He cradled the child in the crook of his arm, gently supporting its bottom, and gazed fondly at its face. The baby was tiny, only about a foot long as it lay in his arms.
Xiao Yunjing paid no mind to the vernix on the baby; he gently nuzzled the baby’s cheek before walking over to place it on the table.
On the table, the eldest child was already cleaned. Xiao Yunjing handed the second to Ms. Su and then moved to receive the third.
The moment the third baby emerged, it opened its mouth and cried. This one’s going to be a little crybaby, everyone thought.
After a few lusty wails, the little crybaby quieted down.
The subsequent cleaning process went smoothly, with no major hemorrhaging. This was also because Wuyou and Wuqing had used Spiritual Spring Water for everything during the surgery, from the gauze used to absorb blood to the cleaning itself.
Only after ensuring nothing had been overlooked did Wuyou begin to suture the incision. Meanwhile, Wuqing changed the soiled linens beneath Gu Qingli. The four of them worked together with practiced efficiency.
An hour later, Gu Qingli slowly regained consciousness. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Xiao Yunjing’s anxious face.
“Li’er.”
Seeing her awake, Xiao Yunjing pressed his face to hers, all the words he wanted to say condensing into that single, gentle call.
Gu Qingli felt something hot and wet fall onto her cheek.
Gu Qingli mentally rolled her eyes. Is this man crying from fear or from joy? she wondered.
“Where are the children?”
“Mother is looking after them. I’ll go get them.” Xiao Yunjing lifted his head, turned to quickly wipe away his tears, then smiled back at her. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before leaving the room.
He hadn’t been this nervous during the surgery itself. It was only afterward, while waiting for Li’er to wake up, that he became acutely aware of his heart pounding relentlessly in his chest. Only then did he truly realize how terrified he had been, and only then did he truly comprehend how arduous and perilous childbirth was for a woman. I’ll never let Li’er go through this again, he vowed silently.
When he returned, Xiao Yunjing, Ms. Su, and Wuqing each carried a baby. They carefully presented the infants to her.
Gu Qingli looked at the three tiny, wrinkled babies and, to be honest, couldn’t find much cuteness in them just yet. In her previous life, she had witnessed childbirth and knew that newborns often looked like this. They would fill out and become more beautiful with time.
Gu Qingli gently poked their faces with her finger. These were their children, precious gifts from heaven. Gazing at their identical, wrinkled ’old man’ faces, her heart melted completely.
“Are they boys or girls?”
She hadn’t tried to determine their gender during the pregnancy. Even if she had, it likely wouldn’t have been accurate with triplets; it wasn’t like diagnosing a single baby. She wasn’t yet skilled enough to make such a determination.
“Three little stinkers,” Ms. Su replied quickly.
“Hehe, then we’ll have our hands full in the future.” Gu Qingli’s eyes crinkled with her smile. Three little rascals. Who knows how much silver they’ll devour in the future?
But she wasn’t afraid or worried. With her and Xiao Yunjing’s capabilities, they could conquer the world for their three sons, let alone provide mere gold and silver.
“Indeed,” even Ms. Su agreed.
Wuqing declared boldly, “With us here, there’s nothing to fear.”
Xiao Yunjing’s eyes shone with even greater determination. If my children wanted the stars from the sky, I would pluck them down for them. Raising them? That’s a trivial matter!
“Hehe, with all of us together, there’s nothing to fear,” Gu Qingli laughed heartily.
After talking for a while, Gu Qingli felt a wave of exhaustion. She drank a large cup of Spiritual Spring Water, glanced at the triplets one last time, and drifted off to sleep.
When Gu Qingli woke again, it was the next day, and she found herself in their bed. The three little ones were nestled beside her.
“Wuqing.” Gu Qingli played with them for a short while, but soon felt an urgent need to use the washroom, so she called out.
Two figures rushed in swiftly.
“What’s wrong, Li’er?” Xiao Yunjing asked nervously.
“I need to use the washroom, and I’m hungry,” Gu Qingli said.
“Oh.”
Both Wuqing and Xiao Yunjing sighed in relief.
Since using the washroom outside was inconvenient, they all entered the Space.
Gu Qingli, along with Xiao Yunjing, the triplets, and Wuqing, entered the Space. After relieving herself, Gu Qingli examined her incision. Thanks to the nourishment of the Spiritual Spring Water, both applied externally and ingested, it was already beginning to heal.
“Are the babies taking to the cow’s milk alright?”
Xiao Yunjing smiled and said, “They are. We added a little Spiritual Spring Water to it, and they seem to like it very much.”
Fortunately, they had the baby bottles Li’er had stored in her Space. The three little ones figured out how to feed from them after just a few tries. Otherwise, they’d have been utterly flustered.
“That’s good.” Gu Qingli nodded. Luckily, she had been well-prepared; otherwise, hiring a wet nurse would have been her only option. Although her breasts had enlarged, they weren’t producing milk yet.
Seeing that her mistress and the Young Master were engrossed in conversation with no sign of leaving the Space, Wuqing said, “Miss, perhaps you could let me go out and bring in your meal?”
“Alright.” Gu Qingli immediately sent Wuqing out of the Space; she had completely forgotten about food while talking to Xiao Yunjing.
“The news of my giving birth hasn’t spread, has it?” Gu Qingli asked.
“No, Li’er, rest assured.” The safety of their three sons was paramount; he wouldn’t let joy cloud his judgment.
There could be enemy spies in the city, so he didn’t even want to hold the traditional three-day celebration feast. However, this decision required Li’er’s consent. “Li’er,” he asked, “I’m not planning to hold the three-day feast. Will you be angry?”