novelraw Chapter 78: The Runaway Dad (3)
Chapter 78: The Runaway Dad (3)
Just like in the story, Yang Ting’s constitution was indeed unsuitable for fetal reduction.
When this news came out, Yang Ting couldn’t handle it and cried uncontrollably.
“Husband, wuwuwu… what are we going to do?”
Qi Sheng gently pulled her into his arms and comforted her softly, “It’s okay, I’m here, I’m here.”
“But there are so many…”
Yang Ting knew her husband was very motivated now, but living in such a big city with high living expenses, just the rent and daily costs already took up more than half of his salary. She couldn’t even imagine how they would afford raising four children.
She couldn’t help thinking: What kind of terrible things did I do in my past life, killing and arson, for heaven to punish me like this—forcing me to choose between four kids or none at all!
She still thought four was the limit, not knowing that there were actually five babies inside her.
“If worst comes to worst, we’ll just raise them frugally. It’s just a few little brats — we can handle it.”
Hearing her husband say that, and seeing his confident expression, Yang Ting felt a little less desperate. Just like he said, maybe they couldn’t provide the best life, but they could at least keep the kids fed and clothed. Compared to being robbed of the chance to be a mother, Yang Ting looked at her husband, so gentle and determined, and kept telling herself: Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, he’s here, everything will be okay.
After they gathered the examination results, they went home. Perhaps from the emotional exhaustion, Yang Ting fell asleep as soon as she lay down on the bed.
Qi Sheng, seeing her sleeping peacefully, finally relaxed. Remembering how his mother kept calling these days to ask about the checkup, he picked up his phone and called her back.
“Shengzi, are my two precious grandsons healthy? Your wife’s body is fine, right?”
“Everything’s fine, nothing to worry about.”
Qi Sheng didn’t plan to tell her the full situation yet, because he knew if he did, his parents would rush over immediately. Yang Ting’s morning sickness was still bad — the old couple coming over wouldn’t help, and might only upset her. So Qi Sheng brushed it off lightly, making sure his mother believed everything was fine before hanging up.
Maybe because of the sense of security Qi Sheng gave her, although Yang Ting still had obvious pregnancy symptoms and worries about raising four children, her emotions stabilized. After a few more checkups, her morning sickness finally disappeared, but by five months, her belly was already much bigger than an average pregnant woman’s.
So when Qi Sheng’s mother visited again, she was absolutely stunned at the size of Yang Ting’s belly.
“This… it’s only five months! Why is it so big?”
She had seen pregnant women with twins before, but never anything like this.
Qi Sheng, sitting nearby, explained, “A few days ago at the checkup, the doctor said it’s not twins… it’s quadruplets.”
“What did you say?!”
As expected, Qi Sheng heard another loud scream.
“I said you might have four grandsons and granddaughters.”
His mother was so shocked she couldn’t even speak. She stared at Yang Ting’s belly and didn’t even dare touch it.
After hearing there were four grandchildren, surprisingly, she didn’t immediately act excited and happy.
She swallowed hard, stared tremblingly at the belly, and said, “Son… you’re not joking with your mother, are you?”
“Of course not. Look, here’s the report.”
She took the report and read it carefully. Though she didn’t understand much, she had to accept the fact: in a few months, she would have four grandkids.
“This… this…”
She didn’t even know what to say. She had wanted grandchildren, yes, but wasn’t this a bit too many?
Even after dinner, she hadn’t recovered from the shock. While Yang Ting was walking around the living room after dinner, she saw the old lady sneak into the guest room to make a phone call.
Yang Ting rubbed her belly and raised an eyebrow: Didn’t you want grandchildren? Now you might have four at once.
By the time Yang Ting went to bed, the old lady still hadn’t recovered her color.
Qi Sheng teased her: “Mom, why aren’t you happy about four grandkids?”
She glared at him, too tired to speak, but after a while she seriously said, “Your father and I discussed it. We think… you should have them all. After all, they are the Qi family’s flesh and blood. If you two young ones can’t afford to raise them, your dad and I are still young enough. We can help raise them for a few years. If it really doesn’t work, we’ll bring them all back to our hometown. Life there isn’t as expensive as here.”
Seeing his mother so serious, Qi Sheng stopped joking and reassured her: “Don’t worry, your son is very capable — raising a few little ones is no big deal.”
But the old lady clearly didn’t think it would be that easy. She looked worriedly at Yang Ting’s big belly and secretly wished at least a few of them would be granddaughters.
A few days later, Qi Sheng’s father also came to visit. The old man, who had been so energetic and lively lately, was now dead silent, occasionally sneaking glances at Yang Ting’s belly, his face practically shouting immense pressure.
When he was about to sneak another look, Qi Sheng tactfully interrupted him.
“Dad, you must be exhausted after the long trip. Have some water, do you want to take a nap first?”
The old man grabbed the water and took a big gulp. Then he seemed to remember something, looked around, and started inspecting each room one by one. When he realized there was even a housekeeper, his face darkened even more.
But to save his son’s face, the old man pulled Qi Sheng aside into the guest room for a private talk.
“How much are you paying for this rental? It’s so big! And you even hired a housekeeper! At a time like this, you’re still wasting money!”
Qi Sheng tried to soothe him: “The rent isn’t that much. Plus, the babies will be born in a few months. We need to have space for them.”
“I’m usually busy with work, and Tingting’s heavily pregnant — she needs someone to take care of her.”
“Then why didn’t you just ask your mother to come? Instead of wasting money on a housekeeper!”
Qi Sheng patiently explained again and again until the old man’s pained expression finally softened a little.
The old man then asked, “Tell me the truth — how much do you make each month?”
Qi Sheng replied proudly, “Around sixty to seventy thousand a month, and I get an annual bonus worth four to five months’ salary during the New Year.”
The old man’s eyes widened in disbelief. It took him a while to fully process it, and when he did, he couldn’t stop grinning: “Not bad, you brat. You’ve really made something of yourself!”
Learning that his son earned far more than he had expected, the old man’s gloomy mood completely vanished. Thinking about the soon-to-arrive quadruplets, he clearly cheered up even more.
Still, before leaving the room, the old man advised, “Now that you’re making more, you must save properly. Raising kids isn’t as easy as you think…”
“I know. I’m saving up.”
After months of mental preparation, Yang Ting had gradually come to accept the reality of having multiple babies. So during the sixth-month checkup, when the doctor said it was actually quintuplets, Yang Ting was just numb.
“Doctor, can you please give a definitive answer? I don’t want another surprise during delivery.”
“Don’t worry this time. It’s five. We’re certain.”
Yang Ting numbly stroked her belly and looked at her husband with a blank face: “Hubby, I think we’re kinda awesome.”
Qi Sheng also placed his hand on her belly and nodded: “Yeah, very awesome. The odds of this happening are like one in sixty million. Winning the first prize lottery doesn’t even compare.”
Yang Ting stared blankly at her belly and sighed, “If only it was a lottery jackpot instead…”
Because her belly was so large, it was inevitable the babies would be born prematurely. After holding on until almost eight months, Yang Ting couldn’t take it anymore and was rushed into surgery.
Qi Sheng had already made all the arrangements, booking the best incubators and a top-tier postpartum recovery center. Waiting outside the operating room now felt like he was awaiting a sentence.
All four grandparents had arrived. Yang Ting’s parents were especially nervous. Unfortunately, because it was a C-section, they couldn’t even hear any noises from inside.
Nobody knew how long the excruciating wait lasted. Qi Sheng’s legs were going numb when they finally heard the doctor announce: “Mother and babies are safe.”
The four elders bombarded the doctor with questions, but Qi Sheng slipped away into the room to check on his wife. Seeing her in better condition than he had feared, he finally felt relieved.
“You did great. Get some rest.”
Because of the anesthesia, Yang Ting didn’t feel much pain yet. Staying awake, she curiously asked Qi Sheng, “Hubby, how many boys and how many girls?”
Qi Sheng hesitated, worried the truth might hit her too hard. But seeing how curious she was, he decided to tell her: “Um… all boys.”
Yang Ting: …
At that moment, Yang Ting almost fainted — and then she actually did faint. Her last thought before losing consciousness was: Why are they all boys?!
With Qi Sheng’s care, Yang Ting recovered relatively well. After a few days in the hospital, she was transferred to a postpartum recovery center.
Ever since she found out her daughter-in-law wasn’t going home to recover but instead was spending money at a recovery center, Qi Sheng’s mother had been very unhappy. Even when she saw her son, she didn’t bother hiding her displeasure.
“Tell me the truth — how much is that recovery center per month?”
Qi Sheng thought for a second and said, “Not expensive, around ten to twenty thousand.”
Upon hearing that, the old lady instantly exploded: “That expensive?! What a waste of money! What, are you afraid I’d bully your wife if she stayed home?”
Qi Sheng said, “Mom, don’t think like that. I just couldn’t bear to see you having to personally take care of everything. And besides, think about it: Tingting gave you five grandkids in one shot. If you divide the cost, it’s actually not much per kid.”
The old lady was speechless at his “averaging” argument and muttered under her breath, “I never asked her to have five at once…”
Qi Sheng overheard and wasn’t happy: “Mom, that’s not fair. If you hadn’t kept nagging us to have kids, we might have waited a couple more years, and none of this would’ve happened.”
The old lady huffed — she never imagined her constant pressure for grandchildren would result in five at once!
Qi Sheng added: “You kept chanting about carrying on the family line. Well, now you’ve got three generations at once.”
The old lady: …
She was so frustrated she pounded her chest and even smacked her own son: “You brat! Always finding ways to get under my skin!”