Then, with extremely gentle movements, he transferred the four sleeping children from the bed to the cradle.
The cradle was right beside the bed; An Jing only had to turn her head to see the four children lying inside.
However, at this moment, An Jing wasn’t looking at the children but was smiling tenderly at her husband’s soft and skillful actions, whispering happily, "Husband, I never knew you were so good with children."
Xiao Changyi paused in his movements of moving the children to the cradle, then said softly, "I didn’t know how to, but I am willing to learn, and I will eventually."
Taking care of children is hard work. He didn’t want his wife to do it alone, nor would he allow her to.
An Jing understood the deep meaning behind his words and was very touched.
Soon, Meng Zhuqing brought over the noodle soup with egg. Xiao Changyi took the bowl, then closed the room door again. After that, Xiao Changyi sat down by the bed, intending to feed An Jing the noodles.
But An Jing didn’t feel hungry and didn’t want to eat.
Yet Xiao Changyi insisted, "You’ve slept for so long without eating anything; eat at least a little bit."
Only then did An Jing open her mouth, allowing Xiao Changyi to feed her the egg noodles.
While feeding An Jing, Xiao Changyi also made sure to carefully give her sips of the soup from time to time.
Suddenly, An Jing chuckled and said, "Husband, it’s lucky we prepared so many clothes for the children. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had enough. And the cradle you made and the professional midwife, just perfect. Husband, you really do have foresight, huh?"
The last sentence was clearly meant in jest.
But Xiao Changyi remained quite composed and corrected her, "It was a fluke."
"Yes, yes, a fluke," An Jing laughed along, keeping her voice especially low because of the four children, but her restrained laughter conveyed how truly happy she was at the moment.
Seeing how An Jing laughed, Xiao Changyi, worried she might choke, stopped feeding her the noodles. He waited until her laughter subsided and her breathing was even again before he continued to feed her.
Because the delivery was natural, An Jing didn’t feel much pain now, just a sense of weakness throughout her body. Luckily, her husband was taking care of the children, so she didn’t need to worry at all. Even more, her husband was taking very good care of her too.
Thinking about this, An Jing’s eyes filled with deep affection. She watched Xiao Changyi for a while, and then said, "Husband, you are a father now."
"Hmm," Xiao Changyi responded softly. After a pause, he added, "And you are a mother."
An Jing immediately nodded, "Hmm!"
Xiao Changyi leaned down, and after an affectionate exchange of a gentle kiss, he continued feeding An Jing.
An Jing laughed, "I can’t eat anymore." She had already unknowingly eaten half a bowl of noodles.
"One more bite," Xiao Changyi urged, his handsome face expressionless but his voice as gentle as a feather brushing over the heart.
"Alright." An Jing felt sweet inside and, complying with his request, really took another bite of the noodles Xiao Changyi offered to her lips.
Noticing some abrasions on Xiao Changyi’s left wrist, An Jing was immediately filled with concern, "I must have hurt you."
At that time, she had been in such excruciating pain giving birth that she subconsciously grabbed his hand too tightly, causing injuries to his skin.
Xiao Changyi shook his head. After a moment, he said softly, "What’s this compared to your pain during childbirth?"
An Jing immediately smiled, "It must have hurt you terribly, right?" She had been in such pain then, and he, staying beside her, witnessing her agony, must have felt incredibly pained too.
Xiao Changyi nodded and softly agreed, "Hmm."