"Congratulations, brother-in-law, these are the pulses of twins." It seemed Lu Yu's intuition was correct; they were indeed twins.
"Really? Really!" Li Yan was overjoyed, jumping in place with excitement.
Wu Rong sat on the bed, stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief. He turned to Shen Xuan beside him, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"Xuan'er."
Shen Xuan sat by the bed again, taking Wu Rong's hand, which trembled slightly with emotion. He was genuinely happy for him.
"Brother-in-law, you must take good care of yourself now and deliver the little ones safely."
"Alright, brother-in-law will listen to you. I'll be very careful this time."
"Ayu, can his body handle it?" Despite his happiness, Li Yan's first thought upon receiving the news was his husband's health.
The chance of twins in this world was very small, and men had weaker bodies. Giving birth to twins was even more difficult, and many had lost their lives because of it.
If it meant losing his husband's life, then the twins would not matter. His husband's life was paramount.
"Brother-in-law's physical condition is not very good. He is weak, with liver stagnation, spleen dampness, and qi and blood deficiency. If he were to give birth now, it would likely be very difficult."
"Fortunately, brother-in-law is only eight months pregnant, so there is still time for conditioning. I will prescribe some tonic soup to help him recover, and he should feel much better."
Lu Yu knew what Li Yan was worried about, but even with worry, there was no better solution. He was already eight months pregnant, and the risk factor was equally high whether they induced labor or waited for a natural birth.
Wu Rong had been in low spirits recently, and his body had weakened daily. He would likely suffer greatly during childbirth. Now, they could only use the best medicinal soups for conditioning, hoping it would alleviate some of his pain.
As for whether the delivery would be difficult, he would discuss it privately with Sister Li later. It was best not to mention it in front of the expectant father to avoid increasing his psychological burden.
"Sister Li, tomorrow I will go to the clinic to prescribe some medicine for brother-in-law myself and have Wu Shao bring it back. I will tell you the precautions first."
Lu Yu called Li Yan aside, leaving Wu Rong and Shen Xuan alone in the room.
"Sister Li, there are some things I must make clear to you in advance so you can be mentally prepared."
Seeing Lu Yu's serious expression, Li Yan realized that her husband's childbirth might not be easy and quickly composed herself.
"Brother-in-law has been in low spirits throughout his pregnancy, with his emotions suppressed, and his body has weakened rapidly. Even with good conditioning now, this delivery will likely be difficult."
Li Yan gritted her teeth and listened carefully to Lu Yu's instructions. As she heard more, she nervously swallowed.
"There's no need to be so nervous. I'm only telling you about potential situations to prepare you. Brother-in-law may not experience these, but you must not neglect the precautions I've already mentioned."
After explaining the situation to Sister Li, the sun was already setting. "Sister Li, Xuan'er and I will head back now. Please take good care of brother-in-law and don't worry too much."
"Stay and have dinner with us. Don't leave." Sister Li grabbed Lu Yu's arm, sincerely inviting Lu Yu and his husband to stay for dinner. She was truly grateful to Lu Yu this time.
If Sister Lu Yu hadn't come, they might not have known about this until her husband gave birth, and it would have been uncertain whether her husband's life could be saved by then.
"No, the roads are difficult to travel at night. We'll bring our husband to visit you another day."
Since Lu Yu said so, Li Yan didn't insist further but insisted on giving them a basket of eggs as thanks.
Hearing the voices in the courtyard, Wu Rong came out with Shen Xuan's support. Seeing this, he also insisted that Shen Xuan accept the basket of eggs, otherwise, he wouldn't let them leave.
Unable to refuse and not wanting to slight Sister Li and her husband's kindness, they smiled, accepted, and bid farewell.
As they reached the village entrance, they coincidentally met Wu Shao returning from the clinic. Wu Shao saw the two about to leave and quickly ran over.
Wu Shao had been staying at the clinic these past few days and would return to visit Husband Li periodically.
"Master, Husband, why have you come?"
"I took your husband to pay respects to our mother, and on the way back, we visited your brother. We've just come from your sister-in-law's house."
Lu Yu had been helping Zheng Yu investigate a case these past few days, and the clinic matters were also quite demanding. Fortunately, Wu Shao had graduated and could handle more common illnesses, so most of the clinic's work was handed over to him.
If there were difficult cases that Wu Shao couldn't handle, Gu Yitong would send a clinic attendant to call Lu Yu back, as they couldn't delay a patient's treatment.
"Husband, you have a good relationship with my brother. Can you persuade him? His current state is truly worrying."
Wu Shao was also helpless with her own brother. Since returning from mourning their mother, her brother had been perpetually unhappy, and his body visibly weakened. If this continued, she was truly worried.
"Your brother has come to terms with things and won't trouble himself anymore. Don't worry."
"It's getting dark quickly now. Master, you and Husband should head back." Seeing that they hadn't taken a carriage, Wu Shao worried about their safety returning in the dark and didn't say more, happily going to visit Husband Li.
"Wife, will brother-in-law be in danger?" Shen Xuan was still somewhat worried. He suspected that the words Lu Yu had spoken to Sister Li earlier might have been inconvenient to say in front of brother-in-law.
"Why do you ask?"
"Brother-in-law has always been in poor health, and carrying twins is already dangerous. The delivery will likely be difficult, won't it?"
"Indeed, but it's not necessarily dangerous. A conclusion can only be made after the obstetrician's examination." Lu Yu didn't want to lie to Shen Xuan and didn't hide anything.
"Does Husband also understand medicine?" Thinking that these words came from his own husband, Lu Yu asked back in surprise.
"I've been following Wife around every day, absorbing knowledge, so naturally, I've learned a bit. However, it's only superficial knowledge, far inferior to Wife's. Wife is still the most amazing."
Lu Yu greatly enjoyed these flattering words, raising her chin proudly and winking at Shen Xuan.
In the past six months, Lu Yu's medical skills had saved many lives, and there were countless people who praised and flattered her. However, she never cared about others' opinions. But today, hearing her husband say, "Wife is the most amazing," she found it so pleasing. Those words were truly delightful.
No wonder ancient emperors always enjoyed listening to their concubines' praise; even if it was false, it made them feel good.
"No, Husband is the most amazing." She still needed to be humble.
"Wife is the most amazing."
"Husband is the most amazing!"
"Wife is the most... mmm..."
Before Shen Xuan could say another word, Lu Yu kissed him, sealing his constantly moving lips.
She had thought that by this time, the small path outside the village would be deserted, allowing Lu Yu to kiss her husband without restraint. She hadn't expected...
"Ouch!"
The moment she heard the sound, Lu Yu hadn't even had time to react. Shen Xuan had already jumped out of her embrace, hiding behind her, completely concealed, not a single strand of hair showing.