Chapter 59: Giving Birth

Jiang Miao used to conceal her various thoughts because she deeply understood the rules of this society. She knew that if she wanted to live easily, she couldn’t go against mainstream values and morals.

It wasn’t that she was afraid to speak up and face things.

At this moment, she looked at the man she liked so much and finally spoke up, asking, “Yan He, what would you think if I said ‘forever’?”

Her words were concise, but Yan He completely understood what she meant.

That’s why she had just asked him about his PTSD.

Yan He was completely different from when they first met, he was no longer distant and cold. Jiang Miao had unknowingly become accustomed to his gentle gaze and had taken it for granted.

His slender fingers smoothed Jiang Miao’s hairline, softly outlining it with his fingertips, and he said gently, “No one knows what the future holds. I don’t want to make promises beyond my capabilities, lest unexpected situations arise in the future and disappoint you.”

Jiang Miao didn’t need the future; she was disappointed now.

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Jwv Zyd Tl rywple yde pyke ytykd, “Tsolhla, R rasxkpl usw vbyv R okzz pvakhl vs xyjl lhlau eyu ol prlde vstlvbla osavbobkzl, vs ldpwal vbyv vsxsaaso nyd nsdvkdwl qasx vseyu.”

Kkydt Ykys’p blyav qzwvvlale, yde pbl ypjle vldvyvkhlzu, “Zyd Tl, oyp vblal psxlsdl obs xyel rasxkplp vs usw… yde ekpyrrskdvle usw?”

Zyd Tl eked’v ydpola. Jwv bkp pkzldnl prsjl hszwxlp.

Ebs oyp kv? Ebs bye zlqv pwnb y ellr, ellr kxrynv sd Zyd Tl’p blyav?

Gxsdt nszzlytwlp, nzyppxyvlp, yde qakldep, vblal olal sqvld vyzjp sq calyjkdt rasxkplp. Mbkp psnklvu oyp fwpv zkjl vbyv. Kkydt Ykys jdlo vbyv Zyd Tl bye xwnb xsal lmrlakldnl vbyd bla, cwv pbl bye dlhla ryke xwnb yvvldvksd vs kv.

Bdvkz vseyu.

Slyzkgkdt vbyv vblal oyp pwnb y rlapsd kd Zyd Tl’p zkql, Kkydt Ykys pvyavle vs nyal.

Mbkp jkde sq nyakdt oyp rascyczu pswa okvb ldhu, vkdtle okvb y bkdv sq flyzswpu, yde qykdvzu alpldvqwz vbyv pbl nswzed’v jllr rasxkplp yde vbwp nywpl Zyd Tl pwnb rykd.

How great must the disappointment be to affect a man as composed as Yan He to this extent?

“I…” Jiang Miao hesitated to ask, “Can I ask about her?”

Having known each other for half a year, Jiang Miao had never pressed Yan He about his “past,” and this was the first time she had asked such a question.

Yan He looked up and saw Jiang Miao’s deeply complex expression, suddenly realizing, and chuckled, “It’s not what you think. Although she is a woman, she and I are not in a romantic relationship.”

After laughing, his gaze drifted away as if he were reminiscing.

“She is a very elderly and respected woman. At that time, she was old enough to be our grandmother… I mean the generation of our parents’ parents.” He explained specially.

After all, in the Republic of Gita, terms like uncles, aunts, cousins, and the like had long disappeared. The concept of family lineage was something that might be briefly taught in elementary school textbooks. But even if they learned it, many people still had no impression of it at all, completely unable to distinguish between maternal and paternal relatives in terms of addressing them—because they simply didn’t need to.

I understand —— Jiang Miao’s inner monologue, no need for explanation.

“And I was just a child back then,” Yan He said. “The promises she made to me were too beautiful, they made me very happy at that time, full of expectations for the future…”

Jiang Miao found it strange that in the societal structure of Gita, how could there be any intersection between a young boy and a woman old enough to be his grandmother? But she didn’t dare interrupt at this moment, only blinked and listened.

Yan He’s voice, however, halted there, seeming to become difficult.

Jiang Miao waited for a moment but didn’t hear anything further, unable to hold back from asking, “Why didn’t she fulfill her promise?”

This woman, no matter how old or respected, just by not keeping her promise, had brought such a great inner shadow to the young Yan He, which already made Jiang Miao very angry.

If she knew who she was, Jiang Miao really wanted to talk to this woman face to face.

If you can’t do it, then don’t make empty promises!

But Yan He said softly, “She passed away.”

Jiang Miao was stunned.

All her conjectures dispersed, she felt a slight sweat on her nose, feeling ashamed for her complaints against that person just now.

Yan He seemed to be stirred up by many memories, his eyes becoming indifferent again. Slowly, as if talking about someone and something irrelevant to himself.

“She was really old,” he said. “She had a beloved partner, who passed away first. She followed soon after.”

He spaced out for a moment, saying, “It’s quite mysterious, but in just a few months, she was gone. It’s as if, both her life and soul were taken away with that person.”

Jiang Miao asked, “They’ve been together for a long time, right?”

Yan He recalled, “Probably… more than seventy years.”

Jiang Miao was stunned again.

On ancient Earth, people’s lifespans were around seventy to eighty years old. Environmental degradation, pollution, and all kinds of haze. If Jiang Miao hadn’t died prematurely due to an unexpected explosion, even if she lived seriously, she didn’t know if she could live to be seventy.

So in the interstellar era, people’s lifespans have become longer, and the concept of time really can change.

“Miao Miao, two people together for seventy years, does that count as forever?” Yan He suddenly asked.

Jiang Miao sighed, “If this doesn’t count, I don’t even know what forever means.”

Yan He touched her cheek, “Is this the kind of forever you want?”

Jiang Miao nodded, “Probably.”

“I dare not promise,” Yan He said.

“I fear you’ll experience the same disappointment as I did.”

“All hopes, all happiness, suddenly vanish like a mirage, disappearing in an instant.”

“That feeling is too heartbreaking.”

Jiang Miao felt sad listening to all this.

Is this why Yan He dares not hope for ‘tomorrow’?

What exactly did that lady promise Yan He?

She couldn’t help but ask, “Can I ask who exactly she is?”

Yan He was silent for a moment, then said, “Let me tell you when there’s a suitable opportunity in the future, okay?”

Though Jiang Miao wondered what hidden circumstances might be preventing him from revealing it now.

But this was Yan He’s pain. Though she didn’t know how old he was at the time, if he said he was a “child,” he was probably really young, and for him, it could be considered a childhood trauma.

Unfortunate childhoods often take a lifetime to heal from.

Jiang Miao didn’t know if she could heal Yan He, but she thought she would try, just as Yan He promised, to live each “today” to the fullest.

If she lived today well, tomorrow would naturally follow, wouldn’t it?

But life often doesn’t go as expected.

Jiang Miao worked hard, lived hard, and tried her best to take care of the pregnant Yan He, treating him like a precious egg to protect. Yet, despite her efforts, an accident still occurred.

When Jiang Miao received a communication from Xiaona saying “Major Yan He is undergoing a cesarean section surgery,” she was dumbfounded!

It was still a week away from the due date! They had just started maternity leave!

Jiang Miao’s voice raised, firing off a series of questions, “Where is he now? Is he in the hospital? Is Dr. Li there? Is Dr. Li performing the surgery? How is he now? What’s happening? Tell me! You have to tell me!”

Xiaona’s response was even more worrying: “No, Major Yan is currently undergoing a cesarean section surgery in the medical cabin at home.”

“What?!” Jiang Miao immediately grabbed her hair, “What’s going on? Explain it clearly! What exactly happened?”

“Major Yan exerted too much force on his waist and abdomen while exercising, which led to the rupture of the amniotic fluid. Worried about the baby, Major Yan decided to undergo self-surgery immediately in the medical cabin and asked me to inform Dr. Li.” Xiaona explained the logic clearly, summarizing the situation in a few words.

Jiang Miao didn’t know whether to be grateful that they had a medical cabin at home, allowing for immediate surgery in case of accidents, or regretful for having the cabin because there wasn’t much time left on the way to the hospital, and the baby could have held out. Regardless, Jiang Miao still felt reassured knowing that there was a qualified doctor controlling the surgery.

“Tanaka! You watch over the progress of the experiment! I’m leaving!” Jiang Miao rushed out hurriedly.

“Hey, hey! Aren’t you personally overseeing such an important step today?” Tanaka was surprised.

“Yan He is giving birth!” Jiang Miao threw out these words and ran off.

“What?” Tanaka was surprised and delighted, then suddenly shouted, “Remember to comfort the dad more! People who’ve just given birth are emotionally fragile!”

“As if—” Jiang Miao’s voice disappeared into the distance.

Well, Jiang Miao treasures Yan He so much, she doesn’t need reminders from him, Tanaka chuckled.

Jiang Miao rushed back home in a flurry, bursting into the living room to find Yan He, dressed in a maternity robe but with his belly gone, sitting on the sofa, cradling a swaddle as if it were a precious treasure.

Jiang Miao froze in place.

“Did you… did you give birth?” she asked, feeling exhausted.

Yan He smiled, “Yes, it was quick. Come and see.”

With ‘he’ and ‘she’ sounding the same, Jiang Miao didn’t know which ‘ta’ he was referring to. But she cautiously said, “Let me change clothes and wash my hands first!”

As she walked away, she deliberately took a detour, staying away from Yan He, afraid of bringing any bacteria near them.

Yan He watched her disappear down the hallway, then looked down at the baby’s rosy cheeks, chuckling softly, “Look how nervous Mom is, all sweaty, as if she just gave birth to you!”

Jiang Miao really felt a sense of postpartum exhaustion. Clearly, it was Yan He who had given birth!

She quickly washed her hands and face, brushed her teeth, and changed into clean home clothes before returning to the living room. She sat down next to Yan He carefully, asking, “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Yan He’s eyes were smiling, “Guess!”

Jiang Miao felt relieved that Yan He didn’t seem to be suffering from postpartum depression or anything like that. Look how happy he was!

Her nervousness dissipated a lot, and she scolded, “You’re annoying!”

Yan He handed her the swaddle with a smile.

As prospective parents who had undergone prenatal training months ago, they were already proficient in holding a baby. Jiang Miao took the swaddle and stared excitedly at the baby’s rosy cheeks for a while before saying, “Looks like me!”

Yan He gently said, “Yes, just like you!”

The child really resembled Jiang Miao, with similar features. After carrying the baby for ten months, Yan He didn’t have any resemblance to him at all. Those features not resembling Jiang Miao were also nothing like Yan He. Jiang Miao wondered which generation’s DNA had been passed down.

Jiang Miao felt delighted that the child resembled her, but she didn’t want to provoke Yan He, so she suppressed her pride and didn’t say anything.

She just said, “It’s quite heavy.”

But Yan He was very proud, “Twenty-seven pounds.”

Jiang Miao said, “That’s a bit heavier than the monitoring from four days ago!”

Yan He said, “That was four days ago, the baby will still grow.”

In ancient Earth times, most babies weighed between 5 to 10 pounds at birth.

In the interstellar era, the combination of two people from high-gravity planets, coupled with the baby’s continuous growth in a high-gravity environment, resulted in such a weight at birth, which was truly satisfying.

“The ratio of weight, height, and bone density is the same as newborns born on high-gravity planets, even surpassing seventy-nine percent of native newborns on high-gravity planets,” Yan He’s eyes were full of smiles.

Because this meant the child’s physique would be excellent. What parents wouldn’t want a healthy baby?

Having seen enough, appreciated enough, and felt proud enough, Jiang Miao finally took a peek under the swaddle.

At first glance, she suddenly felt disappointed, “Ah, it’s a boy.”

The disappointment in her tone was too evident, causing Yan He’s previously smiling face to freeze.

“Jiang Miao, what do you mean?” His face tightened, his tone noticeably displeased.

“Oh, nothing,” Jiang Miao said foolishly, “I just actually kind of wanted a daughter, to buy her little dresses, dress her up every day. Sigh, this lifestyle is gone now.”

Although gender equality had been achieved, and genetic optimization was reducing the differences between boys and girls, some things were inherent.

For example, most girls naturally liked dressing up and shopping, while most boys were quite impatient with that.

Although Jiang Miao didn’t choose the gender when selecting the embryo, she realized she actually had a desire for a daughter deep in her heart when she saw what was born.

In this era, being a girl was very fortunate!

Yan He’s face completely darkened, even a hint of frost appearing.

He reached out and took the baby from Jiang Miao’s arms, his face solemn as he declared to Jiang Miao, “Jiang Miao! Regardless of what’s born, whether it’s the one you were hoping for, you must remember that he is the fruit of both of us!”

“I don’t care about anything else, but in this household, as long as I’m here, I will never allow favoritism based on gender!”

“Jiang Miao, did you hear me?”

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Sansukini: Awww.. the baby is out. Wouldn’t it be nice if childbirth is so easy. I also went through c-section twice, the process is easy but afterwards, it really hurts. But I feel like it’s easier than giving birth naturally. My sister-in-law was in labor for a very long time without anesthesia because it was Christmas eve and no anesthesiologist available. But still, childbirth is so precious and nothing beats the feeling of motherhood. The original chapter title is ‘Production’, but it sounds weird so I changed it to ‘Giving Birth.’

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