Give Lu Qingxue a hot compress on her breasts?! Lin Feng froze in place instantly! Is this... the sort of thing I'm supposed to do??
"Family member? Family member!"
The nurse's voice went up an octave.
"Did you hear me?"
"Uh! Heard you!"
Lin Feng gave a start and walked into the hospital room with a trace of hesitation.
At the moment, the privacy curtain was still drawn, enclosing the nurse and Lu Qingxue inside.
Having no idea what the situation was like on the other side, Lin Feng tentatively opened his mouth: "I just need to prepare the hot towel?"
Behind the curtain, Lu Qingxue's face turned beet red. Cradling the baby, she stammered, "Um, get a basin of hot water, and... and help me apply a compress. My milk isn't coming in."
As soon as she said this, Lu Qingxue felt so embarrassed her toes were practically digging a hole through the sheets.
Although the two of them had already done the most intimate things, that had been when she was half-conscious.
Now, having to bare her chest and accept Lin Feng's gaze and touch...
It was just too mortifying!!
But she had no choice. She couldn't let the babies go without milk just because she was shy, could she?
The nurse had said that colostrum had the highest nutritional value and was best for boosting the babies' immunity.
Clueless about the situation, Lin Feng looked awkward. "Um, can't you apply it yourself? I'll get the hot water?"
Nearby, the busy nurse couldn't bear to watch any longer and chimed straight in: "The new mother has to support the baby while nursing, how is she supposed to have a free hand for a hot compress? A father shouldn't be this lazy, should he? Giving birth is hard work!"
"Hurry up, Dad! Once I'm done instructing your family, I still have other rooms to check on!"
Left with no choice, Lin Feng braced himself to fetch a basin of hot water and brought it to the outside of the curtain.
"I—I'm coming in."
After saying this in a low voice, Lin Feng parted the curtain and handed the hot towel inside.
Even though Lu Qingxue had given herself a mental pep talk eight hundred times, she still couldn't fight off the embarrassment the moment the curtain opened.
Yet, the next second, she burst out laughing.
Lin Feng had his eyes squeezed tightly shut and his head turned stubbornly to the side.
If not for the physical limitations of the human body, he would have loved to rotate it 180 degrees!
"Where is it?"
"A step forward... a bit lower... mhm, ah, gentle!"
"Oh, ah, is this right?"
Feeling that soft texture, Lin Feng's face turned scarlet.
He had to hand it to himself—why did not being able to see always stimulate his imagination to such extremes?!
Lu Qingxue's pretty face was also flushed red, and she felt utterly uncomfortable.
This left the nurse on the side completely dumbfounded.
"You two... don't know each other well?? A pair of mismatched strangers??"
Pausing for a moment, she shook her head. "You haven't had enough kids yet. Have a few more and you'll get used to it."
Lin Feng: "..."
Lu Qingxue: "..."
Boosted by the hot towel, the older baby sucking with all his might finally welcomed his first mouthful of nourishment.
*Gulp, gulp~*
Lin Feng couldn't see, but he could imagine the little fellow's satisfied look, and a smile crept onto the corner of his mouth.
Meanwhile, the baby girl on the other side was raising her hands and kicking her legs in dissatisfaction.
*Hmph-hmph, mm-mh~*
Even a maternity nurse accustomed to newborns was struck by how cute this was and quickly said, "Don't let the other side go to waste either, you can nurse on both sides at the same time. Dad, help support her."
By now, Lin Feng had gotten used to what he was doing and groped blindly like an elephant in the dark until he touched the other breast.
Lu Qingxue: "..."
Even though she knew Lin Feng's actions were normal, she still couldn't help feeling shy.
The nurse, however, slowly grew a question mark on her forehead.
"Dad, I told you to support the *baby*, what are you grabbing the breast for??"
"Huh?!"
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Both Lin Feng and Lu Qingxue turned as red as tomatoes.
"Why don't you open your eyes, Lin Feng? With you groping around like this..." Lu Qingxue bit her lip. "I mean, we can't have you touching the baby's mouth or poking my... bumping into each other, can we?"
Lin Feng: "..."
Actually, I wasn't planning on doing that.
"So I should open my eyes?"
Lin Feng looked toward the bed and picked up the second baby. Then, feeling rather awkward, he cradled her little head and placed it right beneath the source of nourishment.
Oddly enough, when his eyes had been closed, his mind was filled with romantic daydreams.
Yet now that his eyes were open, Lin Feng felt that Lu Qingxue nursing the baby was nothing short of sacred.
The milky little girl caught her mother's scent, her little nose twitching slightly as her hands clawed at the air.
Lin Feng quickly guided the baby's mouth onto the nipple.
"Ah!"
Lu Qingxue let out a cry of surprise, startling Lin Feng so much his hand shook.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Qingxue shook her head slightly, looking at the little girl with amused exasperation. "The little one doesn't know how to nurse yet, she bit me."
Of course, a newly born baby had no teeth and couldn't really bite.
Still, lacking any experience, the baby could only instinctively suck with great force, causing her mother quite a bit of pain.
Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief, gazing tenderly at the two children as he said, "Colostrum helps build their immunity. Once she finishes drinking this, if you're still uncomfortable, we can switch to formula."
Lu Qingxue shook her head in a hurry. "That won't do! Breast milk is the most nutritious. No matter how much it hurts, I'm going to breastfeed."
Pausing for a second, she added, "Besides, formula is so expensive. We should save wherever we can."
Hearing this, Lin Feng felt a pang in his heart.
Under so much pressure from raising a child, this silly woman had wanted to shoulder it all by herself before.
"I couldn't share the ten months of pregnancy, but I can definitely share the financial pressure of raising a child."
Looking at Lu Qingxue earnestly, Lin Feng promised, "I will definitely make money. Even if we don't get super rich, at least you won't have to stress over the cost of formula."
Lu Qingxue was stunned at first, and then her expression softened.
She suddenly felt she had been a bit foolish.
"Hey, Lin Feng."
"Hmm?"
"I feel like I might have made a wrong decision before..."
"About what?"
"Ah, the baby spat it out!"
Flustered for a moment, Lu Qingxue looked toward the nurse for help.
The nurse: "..."
"Don't get nervous. A newborn's stomach is barely bigger than a glass marble—they're full after just a few gulps."
"Once they're full, of course they'll spit out the nipple."
The nurse smiled and instructed Lin Feng, "Today's business is pretty much wrapped up. Tomorrow morning, you'll need to take the kids to get their baths."
"Also, you need to pick names for them. Once you've chosen the names, go to the nurse's station to register and process their birth certificates."
"Alright, you two should know how to feed the babies by now. I'm off to check the other rooms."
Lin Feng quickly thanked the nurse, then changed into a basin of fresh water and said to Lu Qingxue, "I noticed you worked up quite a sweat just now. Let me help you wipe down?"
Lu Qingxue felt that damning shyness creeping up on her again.
Why couldn't she be as calm and collected as Lin Feng?
"Wring out the towel and hand it to me, I'll do it myself."
"Oh!"
With Lin Feng's help, Lu Qingxue cleaned her body and felt much more comfortable.
Today's labor had consumed too much of her vital energy, and she was already nodding off.
Looking at the little ones who had just finished feeding and were still somewhat energetic, Lin Feng smiled. "You're tired, go to sleep first. Leave the kids to me."
After going through this whole series of events, Lu Qingxue felt much more at ease with Lin Feng. She nodded and pulled the blanket up over herself.
Soon, she drifted off to dreamland...
With the older baby in his left arm and the younger in his right, Lin Feng tiptoed out to the hallway to lull them to sleep.
Fragrant, soft little dumplings, tiny human beings connected to his very blood...
He simply couldn't get enough of looking at them.
However, a newborn's energy is ultimately limited, and before long, the two little ones were yawning and falling asleep.
Only then did Lin Feng tiptoe back inside and place the babies gently beside Lu Qingxue.
Looking at the one large and two small figures on the bed, Lin Feng inexplicably felt a stinging sensation in his nose.
"Maybe... this is what happiness feels like."
That night, Lin Feng didn't remember when he finally fell asleep.
The next day, however, he was woken up by his mother's booming voice:
"Son! I've arrived at the hospital, is it a good time to come up yet?!"