Extra Story 15
Outside the delivery room.
An Yuan was walking back and forth, looking very nervous. His eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and from time to time, he looked down at articles on his phone about how to take care of a newborn and help with recovery after birth.
But he couldn’t focus at all...
He had read online that some hospitals allow the husband to go in and be there during childbirth. But this hospital didn’t allow it at all.
“Stop walking around. You're making people nervous,” said Chen Cheng’s mother, knitting a sweater with an impatient tone. “It’s still going to take a few more hours. How long do you plan to keep walking?”
Before she even finished talking, An Yuan’s mother also stood up restlessly, taking small steps in place to calm her nerves.
“With how good medical technology is nowadays, what’s there to worry about?”
Chen Cheng’s mother tried to comfort them, then looked down at the baby sweater she was knitting, only to realize that her hands had messed up the pattern because she was so anxious.
Suddenly, quick footsteps came from the hallway. It was An Yuan’s father and Chen Cheng’s father, arriving together.
Even though Chen Cheng’s father and Chen Cheng’s mother had divorced long ago, since this was about Chen Cheng, he had put work aside and rushed to the hospital.
“How is it going?”
“No updates since she went in,” An Yuan said, his face full of worry. He turned and asked,
“Dad, do you have a cigarette? Give me one.”
In his past life, he had smoked often and was pretty addicted. But in this life, Chen Cheng hated the smell of smoke, and nothing had stressed him out enough to really need it. Usually, if he was a bit irritated outside, he’d forget all about it once he got home and started joking around with Chen Cheng.
This was the first time he truly needed a smoke.
His dad looked at him in surprise, it was the first time he’d realized that his son even smoked.
But seeing the situation, he understood. He took a cigarette and lighter from his pocket and handed them over.
“Try not to smoke too much.”
“Yeah.”
Chen Cheng’s mother saw this and frowned. “If Chengzi smells it on you, she’ll beat you up.”
An Yuan looked at the cigarette box in his hand, conflicted. In the end, he sighed and placed it on a chair in the hallway, then continued pacing back and forth, full of anxiety.
As time went by, the group, which had been a bit lively at first, slowly quieted down.
The earlier nervousness started to fade just a little. People played on their phones, whispered a few words to each other, and occasionally looked toward the delivery room door with worry.
An Yuan also got tired from walking. He sat down on a chair, closed his eyes, and tried to rest.
To be honest, right now he didn’t really agree with the idea of Chen Cheng having a baby, especially after seeing all the hardship during the pregnancy and the pain before giving birth. He didn’t think a stranger, even if it was their own child, was worth Chen Cheng suffering so much.
All these years, just seeing her in pain from her period made him feel awful. He always tried his best to make sure she didn’t suffer...
“She’s out! She’s out!”
Someone shouted with excitement, and An Yuan quickly stood up. A nurse had just come out of the delivery room holding a baby.
“Mother and baby are both safe,” the nurse announced.
All the family members rushed forward, gathering around the nurse, looking at the tiny new life that had just come into the world. They carefully tried to reach out to touch her, but didn’t dare to actually do it.
“It’s a girl!”
“Then let’s call her An Sicheng? It sounds nice for a girl too.”
An Yuan sat back down in disappointment. He glanced at his phone, it was already 5 PM, just like the doctor had estimated.
He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together, chin resting on his fists. His leg kept bouncing as he stared anxiously at the delivery room door.
“An Yuan, aren’t you going to take a look at your daughter?”
“I can see her later. Why isn’t Chengzi out yet?”
The nurse added, “It’ll be another half hour. You can look at your daughter first.”
“Fine...”
An Yuan stood up reluctantly and glanced at the baby. Her skin was all wrinkled and whose facial features were completely indistinguishable..
"That nose looks just like yours! And her eyes are exactly the same as Chen Cheng’s," Chen Cheng’s mother said happily.
"Really?"
An Yuan honestly didn’t see the resemblance at all.
Chen Cheng’s mother rolled her eyes at him. "Go hold her! You’re the dad, why don’t you look excited? At least show some care!"
An Yuan was still worried about his wife and didn’t feel much interest in the wrinkly baby. But he didn’t want to ruin the mood, so under the nurse’s guidance, he carefully held his daughter for a few minutes, supporting her by the bottom. Then he quickly handed her to the older relatives.
"Mom, you go take care of her. I’ll stay here and keep waiting for Chen Cheng."
"Alright then."
The group walked happily toward the room with the baby, chatting and smiling, while An Yuan stayed behind. Now that the nurse had told him both mother and baby were safe, he felt more at ease, but he still wanted to see Chen Cheng the moment she came out.
Less than ten minutes later, Chen Cheng’s father came back.
He saw An Yuan still standing there, waiting for his daughter, and quietly sat down on a bench nearby.
"Dad," An Yuan greeted him politely.
All these years, he hadn’t had much contact with his father-in-law. After all, he had “taken away” his daughter. Every time they met, it felt awkward, and the man had never really looked at him kindly.
"Hmm."
Chen Cheng’s dad pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one. An Yuan shook his head.
Even though he wanted one earlier, he hadn’t smoked in the hospital hallway. He just used it to start a conversation.
"You don’t smoke much?"
"No. Chengzi doesn’t like the smell, and it’s bad for your health anyway," An Yuan said casually.
"You should smoke less too, Dad."
"How’s work?"
"It’s okay. I make about five or six thousand yuan a month. It’s mostly enough."
His father-in-law frowned. He was surprised that An Yuan’s income was that low, even as a restaurant chef, he earned more.
"That might’ve been enough before, but now you have a daughter. Five or six thousand isn’t enough."
An Yuan was caught off guard and quickly explained, "I started doing investments in college. I was lucky and made some money, so don’t worry."
"How did you have money to invest in college?"
"Chengzi gave me quite a bit..."
Before he could finish, he saw his father-in-law giving him a look like he was ready to kill him, one more word and he might lose a leg.
So An Yuan quickly changed the subject. "Just from part-time jobs and stuff… Chengzi should be coming out soon, right?"
Her father sighed with a heavy heart.
No wonder Chen Cheng’s expenses were so high in college, even two to three thousand yuan a month wasn’t enough. She often asked him for more. Now he understood... it was to support her boyfriend?
Usually in relationships, it’s the guy who pays, or at least they split the costs. Only his daughter would be foolish enough to cover everything herself. Wasn’t she afraid that once An Yuan had enough money, he’d leave her?
But, well, that was in the past. Looking at things now, it seemed like Chen Cheng had chosen the right person.
Then, the delivery room doors opened again. Both men quickly stood up and walked over.
"Chengzi!"
"Cheng Cheng!"
Chen Cheng opened her eyes weakly. After resting for an hour, she had a bit of energy. She instinctively raised her hand to push away the hair sticking to her face, trying to look somewhat presentable and not too messy.
"An Yuan… Dad..."
When she saw An Yuan, a wave of emotion hit her. She felt a sudden rush of sadness, her lips pressed tightly together, and her eyes quickly filled with tears.
She hadn’t even cried like this during the worst of the pain.
"Did… did you see our daughter yet? She’s pretty cute, right?" she asked with a shaky voice, trying to calm down.
An Yuan quickly leaned over and gently touched her face, giving her cheek a soft pinch.
"I saw her. I even held her. She’s very cute."
"I’m amazing! I gave birth to a person!"
"You’re awesome!"
"But it hurt so much~ ugh~"