295: Chapter 295 Lin Wanwan Arrives on Time

Once, when Qin Lin passed by the Ecological Plantation, he saw how they looked sitting on the bench.

Xu Xue was leaning against the back of the chair, her hand resting on her stomach, eyes closed. Sunlight spilled down from the projection System, casting a layer of pale golden light on her face.

Xia Qiuyan sat next to her, her body slightly turned toward Xu Xue, her shoulder almost touching Xu Xue's.

She didn't lean in, but from where she sat, she could reach out and support Xu Xue at any moment.

Qin Lin did not disturb them and quietly walked away.

The sisters, Zhou Lingling and Zhou Yueyue, had recently been studying how to raise children.

It was a bit funny to talk about, because they themselves still looked like children.

Zhou Lingling was twenty-two, and Zhou Yueyue was twenty-two; their combined actual mental age was probably less than thirty.

But they were earnestly and diligently learning how to be mothers.

Various parenting books could be bought in the System Store.

Zhou Lingling arranged the parenting books on the shelf by publication order, starting from the newest ones. She read them one by one, very carefully, folding the corners of the pages she had read to mark them.

Zhou Yueyue read slower than her, but she would search the System for all the knowledge points mentioned in the books. After finishing her searches, she would summarize them in her own words and tell them to Zhou Lingling.

The book spines were colorful, some thick and some thin.

"Yueyue, a newborn baby can't eat yet; it's too early for you to be reading books on complementary foods," Zhou Lingling said.

"I'm learning in advance so I'll know when he grows up." Zhou Yueyue turned a page and saw a recipe for complementary food. "Sister, look at this, carrot puree, it's so simple."

Zhou Lingling leaned over and took a look: "You can't even cut a carrot, yet you want to make carrot puree."

"I can learn," Zhou Yueyue said, unconvinced. "By the time the baby can eat complementary foods, I'll definitely have learned how."

"Sister, the book says newborns need to sleep sixteen to twenty hours a day, but they can only sleep for two to three hours at a time because their stomachs are too small and they get hungry every two or three hours," Zhou Yueyue said, flipping through the book.

Zhou Lingling nodded: "Hmm, so we have to get up at night to feed them, and we have to feed four at a time."

"Then who gets up to feed them?" Zhou Yueyue asked.

Zhou Lingling looked at her: "Take turns."

Zhou Yueyue thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are you; Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are me; Sunday we play rock-paper-scissors."

Zhou Lingling smiled: "Okay."

Zhou Lingling looked at her and shook her head helplessly, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

...

Lin Wanwan's due date was in two weeks.

Her movements were becoming increasingly sluggish. She walked like a slowly moving penguin, one step at a time, holding onto walls, handrails, or anything she could grab.

Wang Xiulan followed her everywhere, never leaving her side. Sometimes she helped her walk, sometimes she helped her put on her shoes, and sometimes she just sat quietly beside her, doing nothing.

Li Ying's due date was in four weeks.

She remained as carefree as ever, lying on the massage chair every day with her big belly, eating and drinking as she pleased, not nervous at all.

But Qin Lin noticed that she often zoned out recently, her hand resting on her belly, eyes looking out the window, remaining motionless for a long time.

Once, he walked over and asked her: "What are you thinking about?"

Li Ying snapped out of it, glanced at him, and said two words: "Nothing much."

Then she added: "Actually, I was also wondering if I can be a good mother after this child is born."

Qin Lin looked at her and said nothing.

Li Ying pulled her hand out from under Qin Lin's and placed it back on her belly.

Days passed one by one.

The The Ark continued to fly north. The harvest of crystal stones was accumulating, the pregnant women's bellies were growing, and Qin An's weight was increasing.

Everyone was waiting.

...

On the tenth day of the The Ark's flight north, the System detected a new reaction from high-grade crystals.

This time it wasn't a moving glacier or a sea of magma, but a stretch of frozen earth.

The surface of the frozen earth was covered with a thick layer of ice, and beneath the ice was soil that had been frozen for who knew how many years.

The high-grade crystals were located about sixty meters below the permafrost. There was no risk of movement and no threat of high temperatures; it was the easiest mineral vein to mine so far.

Qin Lin hovered the The Ark over the mineral vein and activated the automatic extraction.

It was estimated to take thirty hours.

The number of crystal stones was slowly increasing. Qin Lin watched that number grow day by day, and he felt very reassured.

Although it was still a long way from one thousand pieces, at this rate, it wouldn't take long to save up enough.

When he returned to the living room, the atmosphere in the living room was different.

Lin Wanwan's due date was in five days, but her belly had already dropped.

Han Qing knew at a glance that the baby had engaged.

"It's soon; she could give birth at any time."

Lin Wanwan sat on the sofa, clutching a pillow. Her face was slightly pale, but she didn't speak.

Wang Xiulan sat beside her, her hand on her back, stroking it rhythmically.

Qin Lin walked over and sat down opposite Lin Wanwan.

"Wanwan, are you okay?"

Lin Wanwan looked up at him and forced a smile: "I'm okay, just a little nervous."

Qin Lin looked at her: "Yuran has already given birth, and she said it wasn't as scary as she imagined."

Lin Wanwan nodded: "I know, but I'm still nervous."

Wang Xiulan added from the side: "It's normal to be nervous. What woman isn't nervous when giving birth?"

Lin Wanwan bit her lip, unsure if she believed it or not.

When Lin Wanwan's due date was two days away, Qin Lin made a decision:

The The Ark would pause its flight until all the children were born.

No one objected.

...

On the eighteenth day after Qin An was born, the second child was born.

It was Lin Wanwan's.

That evening, the setting sun was dyeing the entire meadow a golden yellow.

Lin Wanwan was taking a walk by the Flower Garden, with Wang Xiulan accompanying her.

She walked a few steps, then stopped, holding her waist, and frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" Wang Xiulan asked.

"My stomach hurts a little, but it's not regular," Lin Wanwan said, her tone very calm.

Wang Xiulan helped her back to the The Ark. Just as they reached the living room, Lin Wanwan couldn't stand anymore. She bent over, hands supporting herself on the sofa armrest, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

Han Qing ran over from the kitchen, felt her belly, and checked the time.

"Get ready to go into the Medical Room."

Wang Xiulan's face turned pale instantly, even paler than Lin Wanwan's.

She helped Lin Wanwan walk toward the Medical Room. Her hands were shaking, but her steps were steady.

When Qin Lin ran out from the Bridge, Lin Wanwan had already been helped into the Medical Room.

He stood at the door and heard Lin Wanwan's low moans from inside, along with Han Qing's steady, unhurried voice.

"Take deep breaths, don't push yet, it's not time."

Wang Xiulan was sent out because Han Qing said she was too emotional and would affect the laboring mother.

Wang Xiulan stood at the door of the Medical Room, covering her mouth with her hand. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she was trying hard to control herself.

Qin Lin walked over and stood beside her.

"Sister Xiulan, it'll be okay."

Wang Xiulan nodded, her shoulders shaking, unable to speak.

The door to the Medical Room opened and closed, then closed and opened again.

Mechanical arms moved in and out, and Han Qing's voice drifted from inside, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, making it hard to hear clearly.

Qin Lin stood at the door and saw Lin Wanwan lying on the delivery bed, her face pale, her lips bitten purple.