How could an infertile hen lay an egg? What was going on?
The incident was a slap on Ye Jianguo’s face, a slap so hard it tore a layer of skin off his old face.
Meanwhile, in the hospital. An ultrasound machine had been set up beside Yan Huan. She was staying in a private room He Yibin had arranged for her. Unauthorized personnel weren’t allowed entry, and the whole thing had been done covertly.
He Yibin instructed her to stay still, since what was in her tummy was too precious for anything unfortunate to befall them. The hospital would move the machine into the room whenever any check-ups were necessary.
Yan Huan laid still as the obstetrician rubbed a layer of cool gel on her belly and hovered an apparatus above her belly.
“Mhm. The child’s doing good,” announced the obstetrician, punctilious in her work. And for good reason; she was the VIP patient.
“Huh?” exclaimed the obstetrician. She was scrutinizing the screen, as though something had happened. Yan Huan’s hand tightened around the blanket. Had something happened to her child?
What should I do? She thought on the brink of tears.
“Hold on. Let me see that again.”
The obstetrician began checking Yan Huan’s belly again, at length this time.
“So that’s what it was,” she nodded as she kept the machine. She gave Yan Huan a reassuring smile.
“Relax. Inside here,” she pointed to Yan Huan’s belly. “are two lives waiting to be born. You are carrying twins.”
Yan Huan’s hands tightened even more, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Twins?” She must have gotten it wrong. “Are you certain?”
“Absolutely,” the obstetrician said with a relaxed smile that bespoke her confidence. “There’s no mistaking it. I have been doing this for 20 years. A twin is all right, though we can’t tell their genders at this stage. That we will find out some time next month.”
Lu Yi returned from work carrying a few takeout containers. Yan Huan was very picky these days, so he always gave her a large selection to choose from.
“Oh, you are here,” said He Yibin when he bumped into him. He took the bags from his hand. “Got anything for me in there? The food here is terrible, if I were to be honest. Can’t be compared to the food you buy.”
“Here,” said Lu Yi, passing a bag to him.
“Thanks,” said He Yibin, taking it from him. Wow, he thought as he opened the containers, these are good stuff. To top it off, there was a hot, steaming bowl of rice. A lucky day for his stomach, no doubt. He pledged to luxuriate in the feast.
Just as he was about to leave, he remembered something. He retraced his steps and stopped before Lu Yi.
“Congratulations, by the way.”
“You’ve already congratulated me,” said Lu Yi. He fished out a meat bun from the bag and stuffed it into He Yibin’s mouth. “Half a million times already. I have to go feed Huanhuan now.”
“It’s worth congratulating, though,” said He Yibin. He took the bun out of his mouth and took a bite. “Your wife has a double-yolk egg in her belly.”
“A double-yolk egg?” The word caught his attention. “Explain yourself.”
“Idiot,” said He Yibin as he took another bite. “She’s carrying twins. We won’t find out their genders until next month, though. Congratulations, man. Lucky father of two.”
Lu Yi tightened his hands around the bags, then turned and continued towards the room. His gait was steady, but his breath was slightly flustered.
Even the calmest of man wouldn’t be able to stay calm in this situation. He Yibin took another bite out of the bun. It’s rare to see you so out of character, and whenever it happens it always has something to do with your wife.
God knows if she’s your blessing or your weakness. Tsk. He stuffed the last of the bun into his mouth. To think it was a double-yolk egg! You are one lucky bastard, Lu Yi, to turn from a father of none to a father of two in the blink of an eye.
He does deserve it though. He sighed softly. You both deserve a child for all the lives you saved. A buy one get one free deal, huh? Things are going to get interesting. He was in high spirits, as though the child had been his own. Wait, he remembered, I should leech a meal off Lu Yi for this.
“What, twins?” cried Ye Shuyun, astonished. How could that be?
At length, she ran to the phone and dialed Lu Jin’s number.
“It’s…it’s me, Lu Jin. I have good news for you, terribly good news…” She was so agitated that her words became incoherent.
“Take it easy. Just tell me slowly,” said Lu Jin nervously, afraid that Ye Shuyun will hyperventilate.
“Hold on. I need to catch my breath,” said Ye Shuyun, taking deep breaths. But who could blame her? Even now, she hadn’t fully recovered from the shock.
It took her about five minutes to calm down.
“Lu Jin, it’s like this…” Her voice sounded normal, but it was easy to tell that she was shaken. “Lu Yi told me that Huanhuan’s ultrasound results are out.”
“How was it?” asked Lu Jin, feeling nervous too. “Is the child alright? Is it a boy or a girl?”
Ye Shuyun’s eyes twitched. “How do you tell the gender of a two-month old?”
“Oh,” nodded Lu Jin. That was news to him. He had been in the army when Ye Shuyun was pregnant, and Lu Yi had already been born by the time he returned, so how would he know such things?
“What is it then?” asked Lu Jin, his heart tightening. “Is it the child? Did something happen to my grandson? Hurry, tell me.” His palms were sweating by now.
“Don’t overthink, the child is doing fine,”said Ye Shuyun. Her heart beat wildly. “Huanhuan is carrying twins! We are going to have two grandsons! If the gods are good, we might even have a grandson and a granddaughter! Our persistence paid off, don’t you think so?”
If they abandoned Yan Huan because of her infertility, they might never have gotten grandson–no, grandsons! Sometimes, being a good person really did pay off.
