327: Chapter 327 Born

He stood on the platform, and the energy circuits lit up from beneath his feet, golden light washing over his body.

He felt a surge of warm energy pour from the platform into his body, flowing through his Meridians to every corner of his being.

It wasn't pain or discomfort, but rather like soaking in warm water, where every cell was stretching and relaxing.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness gradually blurring as he fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes.

The light on the platform had dissipated, and the door to the Transformation Room was open. Su Yuling stood at the entrance, her belly protruding, holding a cup of hot milk.

"Brother Qin Lin, you're awake?"

Qin Lin stepped off the platform, took the milk, and took a sip.

The milk was hot, the temperature just right.

He opened the System panel to take a look at his data.

Over three hundred blessing points had been exchanged for three years of cultivation.

Qin Lin returned the cup to Su Yuling and took her hand as they walked out of the Transformation Room.

In the hallway, Li Ran was coming over from the Flower Garden, holding a bunch of freshly cut chinese roses.

When she saw Qin Lin, the corner of her mouth curled up slightly, and she handed the chinese roses to him.

"The flowers in the Flower Garden were blooming too densely, so I trimmed some."

Qin Lin took the flowers and lowered his head to sniff them; they were very fragrant.

He looked up at Li Ran; her belly was already very prominent, yet she still walked steadily with her back straight.

Seeing the milk cup in Qin Lin's hand, Li Ran remarked, "You should be drinking milk too? Why are you mooching off something meant for pregnant women?"

Qin Lin smiled and said, "Su Yuling gave it to me. It would be a waste not to drink it."

Li Ran didn't reply. She took the bouquet of chinese roses back from his hand, turned, and walked away.

After a few steps, she stopped and, without looking back, said:

"Come to my room tonight. I've planted a new chinese rose; come take a look."

Qin Lin said okay.

Li Ran walked away at a steady pace.

Su Yuling stood to the side, watching her mother's retreating back with a smile.

"Brother Qin Lin, isn't my mom even more beautiful now than when she was young?"

Qin Lin thought for a moment. "I didn't see her when she was young."

Su Yuling tilted her head in thought and said, "I haven't seen her then either, but I guess she's more beautiful now because she has you."

Qin Lin looked at her and reached out to pat her head.

Su Yuling smiled.

The The Ark continued its flight through deep space. Outside the window was always the same starry sky—a black background dotted with colorful stars.

The days passed one by one like turning the pages of a book; the content was much the same, yet someone was there to turn every page.

Qin Lin's daily life became very regular: he would wake up in the morning, go to the Bridge to check the flight path, and after confirming everything was normal, go to eat breakfast.

During the day, he would walk around the The Ark, visiting the Flower Garden to see Li Ran's chinese roses, the Ecological Plantation to check on the Spirit Tree seedlings planted by Xu Xue, the Medical Room to look over the health records updated by Han Qing, and the living room to see the children.

At night, he would rotate between the rooms of the three pregnant women.

Su Yuling, Li Ran, and Han Qing—one day for each, fair and just, with no one getting more or less than the others.

Su Yuling's belly grew larger and larger. When she walked, she would hold her waist with one hand and rest the other on her stomach.

Sometimes Qin Lin would accompany her for walks in the hallway, walking from one end to the other and back again.

She walked very slowly but steadily. She said she didn't want to become someone who needed help to walk just because she was pregnant.

Qin Lin told her, "You don't need someone to help you walk; you just have someone to walk with you."

Su Yuling thought about it, found it reasonable, and reached her hand out to him.

Li Ran's belly was larger than Su Yuling's because her due date was closer.

She hadn't been going to the Flower Garden much lately—not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't bend down.

Qin Lin helped her install an automatic watering System in the Flower Garden, setting a timer to water the plants every day.

Li Ran stood nearby watching him install it. She didn't help or speak; she just watched.

Han Qing's belly was the smallest because she had conceived the latest.

She still went to the Medical Room every day to perform check-ups, update records, and organize medical equipment.

Qin Lin told her to rest more, but she replied, "I've been sitting all day; standing up is my rest." Qin Lin couldn't win an argument with her, so he let her be.

Three months later, Su Yuling's daughter was born.

It wasn't in a hospital or at home, but in the Medical Center of the The Ark.

Han Qing performed the delivery herself with Li Ran assisting, while Qin Lin waited at the door holding Qin An.

Qin An didn't know what was happening and was busy chewing on the plushie in his hand.

The cry of a baby came from the delivery room—not a loud sound, but thin and delicate, like the meow of a kitten.

Hearing the cry, Qin An paused, took the plushie out of his mouth, and turned to look at the delivery room door.

Han Qing poked her head out with a smile on her face. "Both mother and daughter are safe."

Qin Lin walked in carrying Qin An.

Su Yuling lay on the bed, her face pale and her hair soaked with sweat, clinging to her forehead.

She held a tiny infant in her arms, wrapped in a light pink swaddle; the baby's face was red and wrinkled.

Su Yuling looked at her daughter, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes. She looked up at Qin Lin and smiled beautifully.

"Brother Qin Lin, her name is Qin Nian, the 'Nian' from 'missing someone'."

Qin Lin walked to the bedside and looked down at the tiny infant.

Qin Nian's eyes were closed, her little mouth opening and closing as she breathed softly.

"Why the name Qin Nian?"

Su Yuling looked at her daughter's face and said softly, "Because I waited for you for so long, and missed you for so long. From the day you called from downstairs, to when I got into the RV, to when we came to this world together, I have always been missing you."

Qin Lin leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Su Yuling closed her eyes as tears fell.

Li Ran stood at the door watching this scene, her eyes turning red. She touched her own belly but didn't say a word.

Han Qing walked over, helped Su Yuling adjust her pillow, placed a hand on her shoulder, and whispered, "You've worked hard."

Su Yuling looked at her and smiled. "Aunt Qing, you're next."

Han Qing didn't say anything, but the corner of her mouth curled up.

After Su Yuling's daughter was born, there was one more infant on the The Ark.

The number of cribs in the corner of the living room went from thirteen to fourteen, all lined up neatly.

Besides her own recovery, Su Yuling spent every day holding Qin Nian and watching Qin An crawl on the play mat.

Qin An was very curious about this little cousin; he would crawl over to touch her face, and after touching, he'd put his hand in his mouth to have a taste. Finding no flavor, he would crawl away again.

Su Yuling laughed out loud at his antics.

Han Yurou's daughter, Qin Yue, was already over a year old and could walk, run, and call for her mother.

She was also very interested in this new little sister. She squatted by the crib watching Qin Nian for a long time, then turned to Han Yurou and said, "Sister."

Han Yurou was stunned. She squatted down and asked, "What did you just say?"

Qin Yue pointed at Qin Nian and said it again, "Sister."

Han Yurou's eyes reddened as she pulled Qin Yue into a hug and kissed her face several times.

Li Ran's due date was in one month.