Chapter 199: Chapter 197: Wang Xinxin Gives Birth

Wang Xinxin’s words left Su Tang at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. She hadn’t even done anything, but both Xinxin and Lu Xiao were a nervous wreck, each one more so than the other.

But Su Tang was happy. It meant they cared deeply for her.

It was only here that Su Tang truly felt what it was like to be cherished by others.

After all, her parents had passed away long ago. For all those years, back in that other place, she had always been alone.

"Alright, the things are delivered. I should get going now."

As Wang Xinxin got up to leave, Su Tang reached out to help her, but then Xinxin cried out.

"What’s wrong, Xinxin?"

Wang Xinxin clutched her stomach, groaning over and over.

"Is the baby coming?"

Su Tang made a snap decision. She had only been in the real world for about half a month, but here, several months had passed.

Wang Xinxin’s belly had grown large; it must be time for her to give birth.

"Lu Xiao, carry Xinxin to the hospital! I’ll go tell Mom and Dad, and the Chen Family."

The moment Lu Xiao heard the words "the baby’s coming," the relaxed expression on his face instantly tightened.

He bent down almost instantly, carefully sweeping Wang Xinxin up into his arms.

Wang Xinxin’s hand gripped his sleeve tightly, and a fine sheen of sweat had already beaded on her forehead. Her voice was laced with pain, but she was still trying to put on a brave face.

"Don’t... don’t panic. I’ve read up on it. The first baby doesn’t come that fast..."

She couldn’t finish her sentence before another sudden wave of pain in her belly cut her off.

Seeing this, Su Tang immediately turned to grab the satchel and a padded coat from behind the door.

She helped Wang Xinxin into the coat while giving instructions. "Lu Xiao, be careful riding the bike with Xinxin. Don’t let her fall! I’m going to get Mom and Dad, then I’ll find the Chen Family. When you get to the commune health center, remember to leave a sign at the entrance."

Lu Xiao nodded and headed for the hospital with Wang Xinxin.

Su Tang found Mr. Lu, Mrs. Lu, and Nanny Wang out shopping.

The three of them had been planning to buy some things for Wang Xinxin, so they had coincidentally arrived just in time for this.

"Mom, Dad, Auntie! Xinxin’s having the baby! Lu Xiao is taking her to the commune health center on his bike. You guys should hurry over!"

Hearing this, Nanny Wang exclaimed, "Oh my! So soon?"

"You all should head over now. I’m going to find Chen Zhengnian and his family."

With that, Su Tang left to find Chen Zhengnian.

The Chen Family didn’t live too far away, so Su Tang found Chen Zhengnian quickly.

"Brother Chen, Xinxin’s in labor! You need to get to the hospital, quickly."

The people inside the house rushed out when they heard this, followed by a flurry of CLANGING and BANGING.

It sounded like they were rummaging for things. Fortunately, the hospital bag had already been packed, so they could just grab it and go.

The whole family rushed to the commune hospital. When they arrived, Wang Xinxin was lying on a bed, groaning in pain.

The nurses were all colleagues Su Tang knew well.

They spoke to Wang Xinxin in gentle tones, telling her to breathe rhythmically to save her strength so she wouldn’t be exhausted when it was time to push.

Wang Xinxin followed the nurse’s instructions, breathing in and out.

’Giving birth is a killer,’ she thought. ’I haven’t even gone into the delivery room, and I already feel like I’m going to die from exhaustion.’

Su Tang shooed the men aside, letting only the mothers stay.

She went to change into a white coat and asked Nanny Wang and Mrs. Chen to prepare some food for Wang Xinxin.

"Liquid food is best—something easy to swallow and digest. Not too much. And if you have brown sugar, make her some brown sugar water."

After receiving the instructions, the three mothers sprang into action.

Wang Xinxin clutched Su Tang’s hand for dear life.

"Cousin-in-law, will I be okay? I’ve heard people say giving birth is a life-or-death struggle."

Su Tang squeezed Wang Xinxin’s hand and said in a low voice.

"It’ll be fine. Your circumstances are much better than mine were. Trust the doctors, and try not to be too nervous."

After she spoke, Wang Xinxin’s breathing became much steadier, and she wasn’t as tense as before.

The warm brown sugar water was brought to Wang Xinxin’s lips. She took small sips as Mrs. Chen gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with a clean cloth.

"Oh, Xinxin, just hang in there a little longer," Mrs. Chen soothed. "Our Chen family’s little boy will surely take pity on his mommy and won’t make you suffer too much."

Nanny Wang comforted her in a low voice from the side, continuously rubbing her lower back to try and ease the pain.

Su Tang checked Wang Xinxin’s dilation, keeping a gentle smile on her face.

"You’re dilating smoothly. You’re already at six centimeters. Just hang on a little longer, and you’ll be able to see the baby soon."

She knew that what a woman in labor needed most was confidence, so she tried to make every word sound both reassuring and strong.

Outside the delivery room, the men paced back and forth in the hallway, the atmosphere even more fraught with anxiety than it was inside.

Mr. Chen paced with his hands clasped behind his back, his brow deeply furrowed. He kept glancing at the delivery room door, terrified of missing the slightest sound from within.

Chen Zhengnian was even more restless, unable to sit or stand still. The cigarette in his hand was nearly crushed, but he had forgotten to light it.

Mr. Lu clapped him on the shoulder. "Don’t panic. Su Tang is in there, and she knows what she’s doing. Xinxin will be fine."

Despite his words, Mr. Lu was a little nervous himself.

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream of pain from Wang Xinxin echoed from the delivery room, and the men outside instantly froze in place.

Chen Zhengnian lunged for the door, about to push it open, but Lu Xiao grabbed him. "Don’t be reckless! The doctors and nurses are in there. We’ll only get in the way."

Chen Zhengnian gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with anguish for his wife.

Inside the delivery room, Wang Xinxin’s strength was nearly gone. Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and her grip on Su Tang’s hand grew tighter and tighter, her nails nearly digging into Su Tang’s skin.

Su Tang paid it no mind, instead squeezing her hand back even more firmly.

"Xinxin, listen to me! Take a deep breath, and then push! Again! The baby’s head is almost out!"

A nurse at her side worked in tandem with Su Tang, constantly encouraging Wang Xinxin. "That’s it, just like that! Push a little harder! You’re almost there!"

Wang Xinxin gave it one last push with all her might. A loud cry from a newborn baby suddenly cut through the air, and the delivery room fell silent for a moment before being filled with overwhelming joy.

The nurse carefully brought the cleaned baby over to Wang Xinxin. "He’s a healthy baby boy! Seven pounds, eight ounces!"

Wang Xinxin weakly opened her eyes. Looking at the wrinkly little life before her, tears instantly streamed down her face.

"He’s so ugly."

Su Tang let out a sigh of relief and comforted her with a smile, "That’s wonderful—mother and son are both safe. He’ll grow into his looks later. He’s not ugly at all."

Wang Xinxin didn’t want to look at the baby anymore. He was so ugly she felt like crying every time she glanced at him.

Su Tang gently tucked the covers around Wang Xinxin. "You get some rest now. I’ll go out and tell them the good news."

When the baby was brought out, everyone immediately gathered around to get a look.

Chen Zhengnian rushed over excitedly, grabbing Su Tang’s arm and asking repeatedly, "How’s Xinxin? Is she okay?"

"Xinxin’s doing great. She’s just tired and sleeping now. You’ll be able to go in and see them in a little while."