Yan Yan - Chapter 72

Chapter 72 – Extra 6

It seemed the baby wanted to come into this world as soon as possible. 

When Bai Xingfan took Su Yan to the hospital, she was already three fingers dilated. The doctor took one quick look at her and rushed her to the delivery room. 

They asked if she wanted pain relief. 

Su Yan and Bai Xingfan replied at the same time, “Absolutely.” 

Bai Xingfan knew that his wife was in a lot of pain, so he insisted on getting her an epidural. 

But it turned out that every mom experiences things differently. Su Yan didn’t feel much pain at all, and what she did feel was manageable. The main reason she wanted the painless option was that she was worried the pain might escalate. 

Once the anaesthesiologist administered the epidural, the labour pains, which weren’t too intense to start with, completely disappeared. 

Bai Xingfan noticed she was happily scrolling through her phone, so he stepped out to call her family. When he returned, the doctor told him it was time to head to the delivery room. 

He really didn’t see that coming so quickly. 

Su Yan was surprised too. 

She had been doing exercises during her pregnancy, not just out of habit but also because she heard it could make for an easier delivery.

‘I just didn’t expect it to have such a big effect.

Fitness is a good thing!’

Once they stepped into the delivery room, she had to put her phone away. Her focus was entirely on giving birth, with Bai Xingfan by her side the whole time. 

Everything went really well and fast, so even the doctors were relieved. 

The couple’s first child arrived, and it was the daughter they had hoped for. 

When Su Yan heard her baby girl’s loud wail, she couldn’t help but tear up. The joy of her daughter’s arrival hit her hard, and she felt a sense of wonder at having brought a new life into the world. 

After the nurse cleaned up the baby, she wrapped her snugly in a pink blanket and handed her to Bai Xingfan. 

He gazed down at his little girl, lost in thought for a while. His eyes sparkled with the joy and emotion of becoming a father for the first time, and they started to glisten with tears. 

Su Yan was initially crying, but when she saw her husband, her tears paused, lingering in her eyes. She was torn between wanting to cry more or comforting him first. 

‘Why does a guy get so emotional when he has a daughter?’

Bai Xingfan gently kissed his baby’s forehead, then pulled her close and leaned down to Su Yan. 

The scent of amniotic fluid filled the air. The little girl in the cradle looked red and wrinkled, resembling a tiny tomato. 

Not quite the cute doll she had imagined. 

But a mother didn’t care about her daughter’s looks. Su Yan immediately kissed her on the cheek and said, “Mom loves you.” 

After that, the nurse took the baby out of the delivery room and handed her over to the family members who were eagerly waiting outside. 

The Bai and Su families were already hanging out outside the delivery room, anxiously waiting. When the nurse finally showed up, Jiang Lin and Liu Xiang rushed to her side. 

The nurse handed the baby to Jiang Lin. “She weighs 6.6 pounds, and both mom and baby are doing well.” 

Jiang Lin took the baby gently but immediately asked, “How’s the mom? When can she come out?” 

The nurse replied, “She’ll be fine once the placenta is delivered.” 

Jiang Lin let out a sigh of relief, saying, “Thanks!” 

Liu Xiang just looked at Jiang Lin, a bit speechless. And she felt that her daughter was lucky to have such a mother-in-law.

After the placenta was delivered without a hitch, Su Yan was moved to a private room. This fancy hospital had a one-bedroom, one-living-room setup. Su Yan rested in the bedroom while the whole family gathered in the living room to keep an eye on the baby. 

Bai Xingfan stayed by Su Yan’s side the whole time. 

“Why aren’t you going to see the baby?” she muttered. 

Bai Xingfan replied, “There are too many people around; it’s fine if I don’t go. I just can’t leave my wife.” 

Su Yan felt a warm rush in her heart, and all the loneliness and disappointment from feeling ignored by her family faded away. Even though that little one stole some of her spotlight, she still had her husband! 

The little girl was named by her great-grandfather, Bai Huaijin, and her parents called her Bai Qiqi since she was born on Chinese Valentine’s Day. After losing a child before, Bai Qiqi’s parents cherished her deeply and were ready to do anything for her.

Before having kids, Su Yan was convinced she would never breastfeed because she thought it was exhausting and just plain torture. But everything changed once Qiqi arrived. 

She learnt that breast milk boosts a baby’s immunity, which made her rethink her stance. She decided to go for it and breastfeed, even though it was tough. The effort felt worthwhile to her, especially knowing that she was doing it for her daughter’s health and safety. She felt ready to give everything for that.

Plus, she realised she was pretty fortunate compared to many others, having a loving husband and supportive in-laws. After the baby was born, her only focus was on breastfeeding.

Just three days after leaving the hospital, she moved to a fancy confinement centre where professional carers and nannies helped with the baby. With some free time on her hands, she could join yoga classes or enjoy beauty treatments.

Even though the centre provided meals, her mom, Liu Xiang, made it a point to bring her food every day. The usual dishes were crucian carp soup and pig’s trotter soup, both known to help with milk production.

One day during lunch, it was just Su Yan and her mom in the room, while little Bai Qiqi was peacefully napping after a meal. 

Liu Xiang looked at Su Yan and said, “Your mother-in-law really takes good care of you, way better than my own. You’re lucky.”

Su Yan paused for a moment before admitting, “Honestly, I think 80% of mothers-in-law are better than my grandma.” 

Liu Xiang scoffed, “Exactly. When you were born, your grandma didn’t even glance at you because you were a girl. She just walked away. She didn’t help me at all during my recovery; it was your dad who took care of everything.” She reminisced about Su Yan’s delivery day, contrasting it with her own experience. “When the nurse brought Qiqi out, your mother-in-law didn’t even look at the baby first. She asked about you instead. I felt relieved then, knowing you wouldn’t have the same issues with her that I did.” 

For some reason, Su Yan felt a wave of sadness for her mom. “You’ve made it through, and now your good times are just starting.” 

Liu Xiang smiled back, “Exactly! Nothing beats the joy of growing old. As long as you and your brother are happy, I’ll be happy.” 

Most of the time during her recovery, Su Yan felt happy, but there were moments when she got a bit down because Bai Qiqi was such a hungry little one, needing to be fed every couple of hours. 

One day, while Bai Xingfan was at work, Su Yan tried to catch up on some sleep. Suddenly, the baby woke up and started crying. She quickly held her up and started feeding her.

After the little girl had her fill of food, she drifted back into a blissful dream, but her mother was feeling quite the opposite. 

She was super tired but couldn’t seem to fall asleep. She lay on the bed like a zombie, just staring at the ceiling. Out of nowhere, a wave of sadness hit her, and she started thinking about how tough it was to be a mom.

Suddenly the phone beeped, and Su Yan grabbed it from under the pillow and saw it was a call from Yao Anan. 

“Did you hear that Jiang Qi got married?” Yao Anan’s loud voice came from the other side of the phone.

Hearing that, she suddenly woke up. All that sleepiness, tiredness, and sadness vanished in an instant. “What?” 

Yao Anan continued, “I saw her post a wedding invite on her WeChat Moments.” 

Su Yan couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Yao Anan was definitely someone who was all about the drama. No matter how much she disliked someone, she’d never block them or miss a chance to gossip. 

“Who did she marry?” Su Yan was curious. “Is it Xie Yu?” 

Yao Anan replied, “Nope! He’s a rich second-generation guy from Dongfu. It sounds like a whirlwind romance—they tied the knot after just three months of knowing each other.” 

Su Yan: “That’s just wild.” 

Who would’ve thought that a woman who was so head over heels for Xie Yu would suddenly marry someone else? 

Yao Anan added, “And there’s even more juicy stuff!”

Su Yan: “Just spill it already; no need for a heads-up!” 

Yao Anan: “I think she might be pregnant. She got on the bus first and bought her ticket afterwards.” 

Su Yan: “…” 

Yao Anan: “I really can’t figure out what Xie Yu would feel after skiing this.” 

Su Yan: “He’s got nothing going on in that department.” 

Yao Anan: “But Jiang Qi is so into him. Doesn’t she feel even a little bad about letting him go?” 

Su Yan replied firmly, “Not a chance. Xie Yu only cares about himself, never about anyone else!” She added, “Guys like him should just be alone forever!” 

She probably wouldn’t forgive Xie Yu in this lifetime. 

Yao Anan: “Looks like he really has no romantic drama anymore, and he doesn’t even post about it on WeChat anymore.” 

Su Yan said, “That’s a relief. At least he’s not messing with other girls.” 

After hanging up, she sat by the bed, watching her daughter sleep. For the first time, she found herself agreeing with Bai Xingfan’s whispering. “Sweetie, listen to your dad and don’t rush into love.” 

****

Once the confinement period was over, Su Yan and Bai Xingfan brought their daughter home. 

To help with the baby, they hired a skilled confinement nanny. 

The little girl grew day by day, transforming from a wrinkly little tomato into a chubby dough ball. 

By the time she was three months old, she learnt to roll over with her dad’s help. Her mom was thrilled and invited her best friend over to witness the big event: rolling over.

The baby rolled around a few times, got tired, and started crying to her mom. Su Yan quickly scooped her up and began feeding her while chatting with Yao Anan. 

Yao Anan: “I have a cousin who moved to Dongfu right after college. He’s been working there for a few years now and is looking to buy a house, but the prices are insane. He says it’s impossible for regular people to afford a place in Dongfu.” 

Su Yan sighed and replied, “These days, in any big city, the wealthy are mostly locals, and it’s like they’re keeping it all in the family.” 

Yao Anan agreed. “Exactly. Even the locals I know who only own one house aren’t doing great.” 

Su Yan added, “The housing market is really bleak right now.” 

Yao Anan replied, “It’s been especially grim these last couple of years.” 

Su Yan nodded. “Yeah, ever since I got married, the housing market hasn’t looked good at all.” 

Just then, Bai Xingfan walked by the living room and caught Su Yan’s words. His expression tightened. ‘Things aren’t looking good for housing? And it’s been like this since they got married?’

After dinner, Su Yan had the driver drop Yao Anan off at home, then headed back to the bedroom to spend some time with her daughter. Once she got her little one to sleep, she was about to head to the bathroom for a shower when her husband stopped her. 

Bai Xingfan looked at her with a serious expression and said, “I think we need to have a serious talk.” 

Su Yan was a bit confused and wondered what was up with him since he seemed a bit on edge all night. “What’s going on?” she asked. 

Bai Xingfan replied, “What exactly is bothering you?” 

Su Yan was taken aback. “Huh? What do you mean?” 

He maintained his serious tone. “Didn’t you mention that since we got married, things with the house haven’t been great?” 

Su Yan was speechless. That wasn’t true at all! She was perfectly happy! But before she could clarify, Bai Xingfan scooped her up and carried her toward the bed. “Looks like we need to have a detailed discussion.” 

Su Yan protested, “No! It’s not what you think!” 

But her protests fell on deaf ears as she was gently laid down on the bed, and they ended up having a long “chat” that lasted all night.

End of chapter 72

Have a nice day!