I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

When Yang Tongchuan received the news that Xiangxi was about to give birth, he was patrolling the market in the west of the city, carrying mung bean cakes he had bought for Xiangxi.

Without having time to go back to the yamen to ask for leave, he told his colleagues on patrol and then rushed home without stopping.

They left the swallow that came to deliver the message far behind.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw Yang's father standing in the yard.

"Dad, how are you?" Yang Tongchuan was sweating profusely despite the freezing winter weather.

"Don't rush, the midwife just went in."

Yang Tongchuan knew that he could not enter the delivery room at this time.

"Tongchuan, come here," his sister-in-law Mingle called to him from the kitchen.

"Yanzi hasn't returned yet. You stay in the kitchen and boil some more hot water." After saying that, Mingle carried a large bucket of hot water into the west wing.

Yang Tongchuan's hands were numb at this moment, and he couldn't even align the firewood with the stove when adding it.

As soon as Yanzi arrived home, Yang Tongchuan came out of the kitchen and stood in the yard, waiting expectantly.

Soon after, snowflakes began to fall from the sky; this was the first snowfall of the winter.

The delivery room door was tightly closed, and only a few scattered sounds could be heard, namely Xiangxi's cries of pain.

"Young man, don't be nervous, it's still early. Close your eyes and rest for a while, so you'll have more energy later," the midwife comforted the young man who was giving birth for the first time.

[What the heck? It hasn't even started yet.] Xiangxi, whose back was already soaked with sweat, thought she was about to give birth. How come she'd been in pain for so long and it still hadn't started?

"Don't be afraid, Xi-ge'er, your mother is here. This is the best midwife in our town. She will definitely protect you and the baby." Mother Yang placed a slice of ginseng under Xiang-xi's tongue.

"Mmm." Xiangxi was in so much pain that she couldn't speak.

The snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier.

"Tongchuan, come inside." Yang's father invited Yang Tongchuan to sit in the main hall.

Just then, Yang Tongshan returned home. Upon seeing the situation at home, Yang Tongshan suggested that they not cook dinner that night, but instead order some food from a restaurant and have it delivered to their home.

Yang Tongchuan couldn't eat, but he remembered to ask his older brother to order a pot of chicken soup to keep warm until Xiangxi gave birth.

Inside the delivery room, candlelight flickered. Ming Le had lit many candles, trying to make the room brighter.

As the contractions intensified, Xiangxi felt someone violently twisting a knife in his abdomen. His body tensed, and he couldn't help but let out a piercing scream.

"Hmm, that's about it." The midwife knelt by the bed to check and felt that the time was up.

"Come on, young man, listen to me, take a deep breath, don't close your legs, open them up, and push with this force." The midwife placed a thick cushion under Xiangxi's waist.

Xiangxi gritted his teeth, his neck veins bulging, and sweat dripping from his brow.

A childhood memory suddenly flashed through his mind: the embarrassment of his brother leading him as they fled, followed by the cautiousness he felt after settling down at his sister-in-law's house.

Until she married Yang Tongchuan, the warmth of being cherished became the strength that supported her.

"Yes, that's it, very good, push with this force." The midwife was already able to touch the baby's head.

A thin layer of snow had already accumulated in the courtyard. Yang Tongchuan ran out of the main room as soon as Xiangxi started screaming, and pressed his ear against the door of the delivery room to listen inside.

Suddenly, the cry of a baby broke the silence of the night.

"He's born! Congratulations! It's a healthy baby boy."

Amitabha! Yang Tongchuan thanked all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens; he had finally given birth.

The delivery room door opened, and Ming Le came out carrying a bucket of water, which had been stained red with blood.

"Congratulations, second brother, it's a baby boy weighing over seven pounds. The midwife said it's the heaviest baby boy she's ever delivered." Mingle's face beamed with joy.

The little boy was small in stature and lighter than a boy from birth.

A normal newborn baby weighs around six pounds, and seven pounds is rare, let alone more than seven pounds.

"Thank you for your help, sister-in-law. May I go in now?"

"Wait a little longer, I'll call you after the child finishes his bath."

When Yang Tongshan saw Ming Le come out, he came over to help, took the bucket, and poured out the water.

Yang Tongchuan stood at the door waiting, rubbing his hands together, afraid that the baby would get cold when he held him.

"Tongchuan, come in."

Yang's mother's voice finally rang out.

Yang Tongchuan strode into the house, where there was still a lingering smell of blood.

He first saw Xiangxi lying on the bed.

Xiangxi lay half-reclined on the bed, looking somewhat haggard, but her arms holding the child were unusually strong.

"Husband, look." Yang Tongchuan stepped forward quickly and carefully took the child from Xiangxi's arms, his movements clumsy yet gentle.

The young man, freshly washed and wrinkled, looked nothing like anyone.

"Why does he look like a little old man?" Yang Tongchuan had never seen such a young child before; he was quite different from what he had imagined.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You'll grow up soon." Yang's mother patted Yang Tongchuan on the back. This silly son of hers has no sense of propriety when it comes to his mouth, just like his dead father.

"If you don't care, give it back to me. I won't let you hold it anymore." Xiangxi pretended to be angry and tried to take the child back.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, let me hug you a little longer, just a little longer."

Yang Tongchuan thought to himself: I'm telling the truth, he just looks like a little old man, not handsome at all.

The midwife sipped her tea, watching the family with a smile but saying nothing.

Yang's mother handed over the red envelope she had prepared beforehand, and then arranged for Yang Tongshan to send the midwife back.

Then he asked Mingle to go to the backyard to squeeze some goat milk, bring it over, boil it, and let it cool.

"Feed her some goat milk tonight, and bring the wet nurse over first thing tomorrow morning." Looking at the child in Yang Tongchuan's arms, Yang's mother finally felt relieved.

Although it's not a boy, it's still a child.

"Okay, I'll go pick her up at dawn." Yang Tongchuan was still thinking about bringing the news of Xiangxi giving birth to Xiangqiang the next morning.

The child's arrival was sudden, and the country roads were difficult to navigate at night, especially with the snow falling. We really didn't dare to rush on our way.

It's been a long time since the Yang family's nights have been this lively.

Yang's mother was worried that the young couple wouldn't be able to take good care of the child, so she wanted to take the child to her own room tonight.

Yang Tongchuan did not agree.

The little bed that Bao'er slept in when she came to stay for a while was brought out again.

However, Yang Tongchuan couldn't bear to put the child inside, so he held him like that, not caring that his arms were getting sore.

Yang's mother taught him how to feed the baby goat milk. Before he had even drunk a few sips, Yang Tongchuan felt a warm current in his arms.

The dark meconium terrified Yang Tongchuan, who thought the child was sick.

"It's alright, kids are like that, it'll be fine in a few days." Yang's mother skillfully washed the child's bottom clean and put on a clean diaper.

"I'll go wash up, you watch the child."

"No, Mother, let me go. You rest."

Yang Tongchuan handed the child to his mother and went out to wash the diaper.