298: Chapter 298 Twins + Duck and Phoenix Twins

The hallway fell silent for a moment, followed by a soft cheer from the living room.

Wang Xiulan's voice was the loudest: "Two boys! That's wonderful!" Li Ying's voice followed immediately: "Twin sons. Lingling is amazing."

Qin Lin stood in the hallway, the corners of his mouth lifting.

Twenty minutes later, the door to the Medical Room opened again.

This time, Li Ran didn't just peek out; she stood in the doorway, holding an infant in each arm.

Two swaddling bundles, one pink and one blue. Qin Lin couldn't tell which was which.

Behind her was Han Qing, her eyes weary, but she too held two infants in her arms.

Han Qing wore a smile, but her eyes were rimmed with red.

"Yueyue has also given birth. Also twins, a boy and a girl."

The living room went quiet for a second, then erupted into a clamor.

"Dragon-Phoenix twins!" Han Yurou's voice was the loudest. "Yueyue was carrying Dragon-Phoenix twins!"

"Oh my goodness, Dragon-Phoenix twins!" That was Lin Xiaoyue's voice.

"Two mothers, four children. Mother and children are all safe. Zhou Lingling has two sons. Zhou Yueyue has one son and one daughter." Han Qing's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly through the noise.

Qin Lin stood in the hallway, looking at the two infants in Han Qing's arms.

Both were very small, noticeably smaller than Qin An was at birth, but their cries were loud and clear. Crying together, they sounded like a duet.

"Aunt Qing, you've worked hard."

Han Qing looked at him, the corners of her mouth lifting. Without a word, she turned and went back into the Medical Room.

Han Qing placed the two babies on either side of Zhou Yueyue. Zhou Yueyue looked at them, tears silently streaming down her face.

She didn't cry out loud, just looked at those two wrinkled little beings, her lips trembling.

Zhou Lingling and Zhou Yueyue's deliveries went more smoothly than anyone had anticipated.

Qin Lin later asked the System and learned that pregnant women carrying twins received double the benefits in terms of Physique enhancement and health management.

The System understood better than anyone that the risks of carrying twins were higher than a single pregnancy, so it allocated resources accordingly.

Zhou Lingling lay on the hospital bed, her face pale but her spirits high.

Her two sons lay in incubators beside her, swaddled in white blankets.

She tilted her head to look at them, slipping her fingers through the opening of an incubator to gently touch one of their tiny hands.

"Sis," Zhou Yueyue lay on the adjacent bed. "Your two look so alike."

"Of course they do, they're twins," Zhou Lingling said.

"What about mine? Do they look alike?" Zhou Yueyue asked.

Zhou Lingling turned her head to look at the incubator beside Zhou Yueyue.

Inside lay two infants, one dressed in pink, the other in blue. Their facial features were indeed different.

"No," Zhou Lingling said. "Your two don't look alike."

"Good," Zhou Yueyue smiled. "It would be strange if Dragon-Phoenix twins looked exactly the same."

Standing at the doorway, Qin Lin overheard this exchange and couldn't help but smile.

Su Yuran stood beside him, also smiling.

"Lingling has named her two sons," Han Qing walked over, holding a record book. "The eldest is Qin Yao, the second is Qin Yang."

"Zhou Yueyue's Dragon-Phoenix twins: the son is Qin Xiaoxing, the daughter is Qin Xiaoyue."

Listening to these names, Qin Lin thought to himself that the two sisters had a very consistent style when it came to naming.

Regarding the matter of naming, Qin Lin had left it entirely up to them. After all, if he had to do it, how many names would he have to come up with?

After Zhou Lingling and Zhou Yueyue gave birth, Xia Qiuyan also entered the Medical Room.

Xia Qiuyan was the tallest woman on the The Ark, standing at 178 centimeters with particularly long legs.

During her pregnancy, her belly didn't appear as large as others' because her long torso provided more space for the fetus to stretch.

Her delivery was also very smooth.

From the onset of contractions to the birth of her child, it only took a little over three hours.

Han Qing said this was due to her excellent physical condition: wide pelvis, favorable birth canal, combined with the effects of the The Ark's Physique enhancement.

Xia Qiuyan gave birth to a daughter.

Six pounds and two ounces. Her cry wasn't loud, but soft and thin, like a kitten's mewl.

Xia Qiuyan held her, looking at her for a long time without speaking.

Qin Lin stood by the bedside, waiting for her to speak.

After a long while, she looked up at Qin Lin, a light in her eyes.

"Let's call her Qin Xia."

Qin Lin nodded. He didn't comment on whether it was good or not, because the name itself was perfect.

Han Qing stood at the doorway, listening to this exchange. The corners of her mouth lifted, and she turned and left.

Xia Qiuyan held Qin Xia, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. She lowered her head and kissed her daughter's forehead.

Lin Xiaoyue was the ninth.

She was young, only twenty-three, but in excellent health.

Although Lin Fang was also nearing her due date, she stayed by Lin Xiaoyue's side throughout, from the start of contractions to the birth of the child, not leaving for a moment.

When the pain hit, Lin Xiaoyue gripped Lin Fang's hand, her nails digging into the back of Lin Fang's hand. Lin Fang didn't pull away, just said softly, "It's okay, your sister-in-law is here."

Lin Xiaoyue gave birth to a boy.

Six pounds and eight ounces. His cries were robust and loud, as lively as his mother.

Lin Xiaoyue held him, her eyes curved into crescents from smiling. She turned to look at Lin Fang. "Sister-in-law, look at him. Does he look like me?"

Lin Fang looked at her, her eyes reddening, and nodded. "He does."

"What should we name him?" Lin Xiaoyue tilted her head in thought, then suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Let's call him Qin Yi. Yi as in 'free and unfettered.' I hope he can live a life of freedom in this lifetime, going wherever he wishes."

Standing by the bed, Qin Lin listened. He thought the phrase "free and unfettered" sounded a bit extravagant in the apocalypse, but he didn't voice it.

Because he knew that on this The Ark, within this Peach Blossom Spring, freedom was not an unattainable dream.

Lin Fang was the tenth.

Her delivery was the most heart-wrenching to watch.

Not because anything went wrong, but because she was too quiet.

From the onset of contractions to the birth of her child, she barely made a sound.

When Han Qing told her to push, she pushed. When told to breathe, she breathed. She followed every instruction perfectly, but she made no sound.

Qin Lin stood at the Medical Room door, watching Lin Fang lying on the delivery bed, her face pale, her lips bitten white, her forehead covered in sweat.

Her hands gripped the sheets tightly, her knuckles white.

Lin Xiaoyue stood beside Qin Lin, her hand covering her mouth, tears continuously streaming down.

She wanted to go in, but Han Qing stopped her.

"She'll be fine. Don't go in and cause a disturbance."

Lin Xiaoyue stood in the hallway, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Finally, a baby's cry came from the Medical Room.

Not very loud, but clear.

Lin Fang gave birth to a daughter.

Exactly six pounds. Her cry was soft and thin, as quiet as her mother.

When Han Qing placed the baby beside Lin Fang's pillow, Lin Fang turned her head to look at her, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.

Lin Xiaoyue rushed in, knelt by the bed, and grasped Lin Fang's hand.

"Sister-in-law, does it hurt?"

Lin Fang looked at her, forcing a smile at the corner of her mouth. "It doesn't hurt."

"You're lying," Lin Xiaoyue cried out.

Lin Fang raised her hand, gently wiping the tears from Lin Xiaoyue's face, and said nothing.

Watching this scene, Qin Lin recalled what Lin Xiaoyue had once said.

Her sister-in-law was her only family in this world.

In this apocalypse, they had survived by clinging to each other. And now, a new life had joined them.

"What's her name?" Qin Lin asked from the doorway.