The doctor watched Lin Feng, whose face was blank with speechlessness, and chuckled.
"I’m just teasing you. You really are a first-time father, aren't you?"
"But getting vaccinated is for the baby’s own good, isn't it?"
"Hurry up now, don't just stand there."
Lin Feng had no choice but to bend over and gently pick up Xiao Ruyi. She was such a tiny little thing, so soft and squishy, that Lin Feng didn't dare use any force at all, terrified of hurting her.
Xiao Ruyi kicked her feet and wiggled her hands, grinning at Lin Feng and blowing bubbles one after another, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
The doctor picked up the syringe and, with a decisive prick, injected it into Xiao Ruyi’s tiny arm.
Xiao Ruyi stopped blowing bubbles, and immediately, a loud wail erupted.
"Waaaah!"
Lin Feng’s heart ached terribly. To land such a heavy blow on the little one just when she was at her happiest—wouldn't this leave her with some sort of psychological trauma? "Oh, oh, don't cry, don't cry. The pain is flying away, oh, oh..."
Seeing the sympathy practically spilling out of Lin Feng’s expression, the doctor shook his head. "Alright, next one. Wake the baby up; you shouldn't vaccinate a child while they're fast asleep."
Lin Feng looked at Xiao Ping'an, who was still sleeping like a little pig, and wished he could say they should skip it. However, reason prevailed, and he picked up Xiao Ping'an, gently rocking him.
"Ping'an, wake up~"
Hearing his father's call, Xiao Ping'an furrowed his brows, though his eyes remained firmly shut.
"Unh-huh~"
He tried his best to move his tiny hands, as if to express that he hadn't slept enough.
The doctor didn't care; with a swift, practiced motion, the needle went in.
Lin Feng’s heart jumped into his throat, waiting for the crying to start. The little guy paused for a moment, then clenched his tiny fists, his face gradually turning red as if he were trying to fight back against the syringe.
"Unh-huh~ Unh-unh~ Waaah!"
In the end, unable to withstand the pain, the little one burst into loud sobs.
Lin Feng hurriedly patted Xiao Ping'an’s little bottom. "Oh, oh, the pain is flying away. No more needles, no more needles. Don't cry, don't cry."
With Xiao Ruyi in his left arm and Xiao Ping'an in his right, Lin Feng paced back and forth, coaxing them, his heart aching more than he could put into words.
However, newborns have limited energy. Before long, the two little poor things fell asleep, their eyes still glistening with tears and their bodies still hiccuping.
A nurse handed their vaccination records to Lin Feng. "These are the vaccination booklets. You’ll need them until the babies start school, so make sure to keep them safe."
"It’s clearly marked what vaccine to get and when. Parents must follow the schedule."
"The vaccine they received today is for Hepatitis B. Do not get water on the injection site for 24 hours to avoid infection."
"Did you take note of all the doctor's orders?"
Lin Feng nodded, took the booklets, and wheeled the children back to the ward.
Lu Qingxue, being a postpartum mother, was physically exhausted and had drifted off into a hazy sleep again. Lin Feng settled the babies down, pulled up a chair, and sat silently beside her. Watching her long eyelashes flutter with her breathing, his heart turned to mush.
Just yesterday he was being pressured into a blind date, and today he was already a father of two—the twists and turns of life were truly unpredictable.
Sunlight streamed through the window, shining on Lin Feng and filling him with boundless warmth...
This peaceful atmosphere didn't last long, however, before Xiao Ping'an waved his little fists and let out an "Unh-unh~."
Lin Feng leaned in to check and saw the little guy was likely hungry; he was sniffing vigorously for his mother's scent, his little head straining toward her. Seeing that Lu Qingxue showed no signs of waking up, Lin Feng felt a bit stuck. After a moment of thought, he decided to get up and prepare some formula.
However, the sound of the water startled Lu Qingxue awake. She looked at Lin Feng, dazed. "Making... making formula? Why didn't you wake me up when the baby got hungry?"
Lin Feng said, "You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake you. I thought I’d use formula to tide them over."
Lu Qingxue turned to look at the fussing Xiao Ping'an and roused herself. "We agreed on breastfeeding. Put the formula away for now."
Lin Feng frowned. "The babies have small stomachs and eat frequently. I can't have you going without a full night's sleep, can I?"
"Forget about you being a new mother; even a grown man like me couldn't handle that for three days." Lu Qingxue was stunned. It had only just begun, and she could already clearly feel her energy failing. But formula really wasn't as good as breast milk...
After struggling with the thought for a moment, Lu Qingxue bit her lip and said in a low voice, "Actually... I can breastfeed even if I’m asleep..."
Lin Feng didn't quite understand what she meant and raised an eyebrow.
"It’s just that..." Lu Qingxue’s face flushed as she said, embarrassed, "You can undo my blouse and then hold the baby to feed."
By the time she finished, the redness had spread to the back of her neck.
Lin Feng felt a bit embarrassed himself. She was still half-asleep, and here he was, just reaching out to undo her buttons... Even if it was for the baby’s sake, he felt quite awkward.
Then, he felt a wave of self-reproach. Lu Qingxue was clearly doing this for the children's good; if she was brave enough to suggest it, why couldn't he do it? Lin Feng quickly steeled himself and nodded. "How about you lie back down, and I’ll try? Let’s treat it as a dry run."
"...Okay." Lu Qingxue lay back on her side.
Lin Feng held the fussing Xiao Ping'an with one hand while reaching to undo Lu Qingxue’s buttons with the other. He was a little nervous.
As the blouse opened, Lin Feng’s breath hitched slightly, and he guided Xiao Ping'an toward her.
"Smack, smack~"
Little Ping'an nudged and sucked vigorously at his meal. Even though his features hadn't fully developed yet, Lin Feng could still see the satisfaction on his face.
"Whew~"
Lin Feng let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't as awkward as he’d imagined! Once little Ping'an was full and satisfied, it was Xiao Ruyi’s turn.
Watching the little baby in her arms dancing with delight, Lu Qingxue’s shyness gradually faded away. It was all for the children... she let it go.
After feeding the two little ones, Lin Feng noticed Lu Qingxue wasn't sleepy anymore, so he brought up the important matter. "We need to give the babies their formal names, don't we? I’ve been thinking, how do you like 'Huai'an' and 'Jieyi'?"
Lu Qingxue looked at the two little treasures and savored the names. "Lin Huai'an, Lin Jieyi... You deliberately used the characters from my name, didn't you?"
Lin Feng nodded. Seeing his earnest expression, Lu Qingxue felt a tingle in her heart, as if a feather had lightly brushed against it.
"Ahem, I think they sound lovely." Lu Qingxue smiled.
She had thought that after giving birth, she would face the daunting challenge of raising children, and she had prepared herself for that. But she hadn't expected Lin Feng to appear, or for his motherly support to be there.
Huai'an, Jieyi...
With a father who was present and responsible, their journey through life should be safe and smooth.
"If you agree, I’ll go register them with the doctor, get their birth certificates, and update the vaccination booklets."
Lin Feng happily kissed Xiao Huai'an and Xiao Jieyi one by one before heading out. He was already quite familiar with how to handle these matters at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital.
Before long, Lin Feng had the birth certificates and the updated vaccination booklets in hand.
[Ding! Detected that the host has named the babies. Reward: 20,000 yuan!]
Hearing that familiar sound, Lin Feng was overjoyed. Since the children were born, he had received a total of 60,000 yuan in system rewards. He wouldn't have to worry about childcare funds for a while!
Lin Feng happily quickened his pace, wanting to share the news with Lu Qingxue. But as he pushed the door open, he found Lu Qingxue holding a diaper, looking at a loss. On the bed, Xiao Ping'an had already been stripped bare.
"Pfft~"
A small stream of liquid arced through the air and landed squarely on Lu Qingxue’s pajamas.