By the time they reached the hospital, An Lan had to be carried by Liu Bo. A nurse brought her a wheelchair, and she was taken for an ultrasound and an ECG, all while sitting in it.

Half an hour after the examinations, An Lan's contractions were no longer fifteen minutes apart; they were becoming more frequent, now arriving every ten minutes. The contractions were agonizing, and the pain was so intense that An Lan started to cry.

When Zhang Yuxi arrived, she heard the nurse speaking. The nurse was a seasoned professional. While examining An Lan, she said, "When the contractions are two minutes apart, then one minute apart, you'll be ready to give birth. Don't cry now. Save your strength for the delivery."

Tears streamed down An Lan's face as she looked pitifully at Zhang Yuxi, who soothed her, "It's okay. The pain will be over as soon as the baby is born."

Liu Bo ran up and down, collecting lab results and paying fees. Since it was inappropriate for An Lan's father to be present during some of the examinations, he could only wait outside while An Lan's mother and Zhang Yuxi comforted her.

This was a semi-private room. Less than a minute after An Lan lay down, a doctor came to check on the patient in the next bed and said she could be taken to the delivery room. Not even half an hour later, the woman's family brought her baby back.

An Lan was shocked. "She already gave birth?"

The family member was an elderly woman, either the paternal or maternal grandmother. She held her grandchild, beaming. "Yes, she was taken into the delivery room and gave birth just like that. You haven't delivered yet? It'll be soon. You'll be just as quick!"

An Lan thought she would probably be just as quick, too.

About twenty minutes later, the other mother returned, accompanied by her husband and a nurse, and lay back down on her bed. Meanwhile, An Lan's own contractions were now five minutes apart, and she was speechless.

Soon after, a doctor came to check on her and estimated she would probably give birth within an hour. The woman in the next bed, who was thin and didn't look particularly strong, was already preparing formula for her baby. An Lan felt her own sturdy physique was going to waste.

While chatting with the other new mother's family, An Lan's mother learned that the woman's labor had started, and she had been in the hospital for less than five minutes before being whisked into the delivery room. In other words, she had only been admitted a little earlier than An Lan.

Son, can I swear? An Lan thought.

An hour passed. The other mother had already started breastfeeding, and her baby had its first taste of breast milk, yet An Lan still hadn't given birth. It was so frustrating. Everyone tried to comfort her, but there was nothing to be done about her impatience.

Finally, the doctor administered an induction shot. The pain made An Lan curse, "Fuck!"

Less than ten minutes after the injection, she was taken to the delivery room.

Liu Bo's mother called to ask if her daughter-in-law had given birth yet.

"Not yet," Liu Bo answered. "She just went into the delivery room. I'll call you as soon as the baby's born."

Everyone waited and waited, along with the families of other expectant mothers. Finally, after nearly half an hour, a baby was brought out.

The nurse called out, "Who is with An Lan's family?"

Liu Bo stepped forward. "I'm An Lan's husband!"

The nurse smiled warmly and handed him the swaddled baby. "Congratulations. It's a boy, seven pounds, eight ounces."

The other families offered their congratulations as well. An Lan's mother suddenly remembered the red envelopes in her bag and handed one to each of them. "Congratulations to you all as well! Just spreading the joy!"

The baby was rosy-cheeked and fast asleep. Zhang Yuxi's heart melted at the sight, and she texted Lin Feng the good news.

Just then, An Lan emerged from the delivery room. She looked utterly weak, her face pale as she leaned against a nurse for support. Zhang Yuxi and Liu Bo rushed over and helped her back to the ward.

A family member from the other bed asked with a smile, "Congratulations! Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy!" An Lan's mother replied, smiling.

An Lan was settled onto the hospital bed, and the attending nurse gave them instructions. She told An Lan not to eat anything yet; she would have to wait until after she passed gas. Also, it was time to breastfeed, so a nurse would be back to help An Lan with lactation. In the meantime, the baby would be taken for some basic routine checks.

An Lan had eaten well throughout her pregnancy and was plump and fair-skinned, but when the nurse came to help her start lactating, all she felt was pure pain. After the baby's routine checks were finished, he was brought to An Lan for his first feeding.

"It will hurt a bit at first," the nurse said. "Just bear with it, and it will pass. He must feed. There's no machine better than the baby himself!"

Before leaving, the nurse reminded the family, "Tomorrow morning between 8:30 and 9:00, take the baby to the third floor for his bath. If you feel any discomfort, press the call bell. If you're hungry, you can drink some water, but you can't eat solid food. Remember, you must wait until you've passed gas before you can eat. Understood?"

Once everything was taken care of, they could finally rest. An Lan's mother decided to stay the night, as it was permitted, telling Liu Bo and the others to go home.

"A newborn is so delicate, with his tiny arms and legs. Let me take care of him for a few days," she said. "You can take over later. I won't fight you for it!"

Turning to Zhang Yuxi, she added, "Yu Xi, I'll have Uncle An drive you home. It's getting late."

Zhang Yuxi nodded. "Alright. I'll have Lin Feng make something to help with your milk tomorrow."

"Okay!" An Lan's mother agreed readily.

After they left, she looked at her daughter's exhausted face. "Go to sleep. Mom's here. Just tell me if you need anything."

An Lan shook her head. "I don't know why, but I'm not the least bit sleepy. In fact, I feel wide awake." Glancing at her son, she said proudly, "See? I told you I was having a boy. I saw it on the 4D ultrasound."

Her mother laughed. "Yes, yes, you're the cleverest one! By the way, Mom has already found a postpartum caregiver for you. It's my treat."

An Lan frowned. "Why? Your daughter has money. You don't have to pay."

Her mother gave her a sidelong glance. "It's only ten thousand or so." She couldn't help but start complaining again. "I told you to give birth at a maternity center—it would have only been a few hundred thousand—but you refused! What's wrong, feeling the pinch? I remember when you used to spend money without batting an eye."

An Lan smiled. "From pregnancy to birth, I've done everything at this hospital. It's just more convenient."

Her mother scoffed. "You're my daughter. I know you're just trying to save money." A married daughter is like spilled water, she sighed to herself. Seeing her daughter being so frugal made her feel both helpless and heartbroken. Her little girl had finally grown up.

An Lan's mother kept vigil by her side. In the other bed, the other new mother was also being watched over by her own mother, as the men had gone home to get some things.

As they talked, An Lan grew tired and drifted off to sleep. She didn't feel hungry, just completely exhausted.

In the middle of the night, around four or five in the morning, An Lan passed gas. The sensation woke her up, and she was suddenly starving.

"Mom, I'm hungry..." An Lan said pitifully.

Her mother's heart ached for her. "Where can I find food at this hour... I'll call Liu Bo and ask him to make something and bring it over." Then she couldn't help but complain again, "See? It would have been so much better at a maternity center."

An Lan pleaded, "Alright, Mom, stop. And don't say this in front of Liu Bo, ever. That maternity center you found charges ten thousand a day. That's six hundred thousand for two months. Liu Bo and his parents both agreed I should go, but I was the one who didn't want to."

When she was on her own, she had no qualms about spending lavishly. But now that she had a child, all she could think about was saving for his education and for when he got married. Raising a child costs a fortune, after all.

Her mother relented. "Alright, alright, I won't say it! Oh, Lin Feng is calling me..."

She answered the phone. It was Lin Feng. He said he had cooked some porridge and wanted to know if An Lan could eat.

An Lan's mother was moved to tears. "Such a good boy! An Lan is starving right now! Please bring it over."

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