CHAPTER 61: 061 ENTER THE CONFINEMENT ROOM

Du Jiang’s home was bustling with excitement. The light drizzle falling from the sky did nothing to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm.

Du Heng led the two of them into the courtyard, only then noticing that Du Jiang had erected two large tents over it.

Several chefs in tall white hats stood by a stove built from packed earth, skillfully stir-frying dishes in their woks. Friends and relatives sat at tables arranged in the yard, feasting heartily.

"Damn, I thought you weren’t coming!" Du Jiang, busy greeting his guests, spotted Du Heng leading two people in and approached with a cigarette. "Hello, Dr. Wu, have a smoke."

Wu Buwei smiled and declined. "I don’t smoke, thank you."

Du Jiang then offered the cigarette to Ma Zichen, who also declined with a smile.

Du Heng laughingly intercepted Du Jiang’s hand. "Don’t bother, they don’t smoke. By the way, you don’t mind that I brought them, do you?"

Du Jiang took the hint, put the cigarettes away, and shot Du Heng a side-eye. "What kind of person do you take me for? If you all can make it, you’re my honored guests."

"I hope you mean that. Anyway, I don’t care. We’re already here, so I’ll eat and drink as I please."

"Eat all you want, just don’t leave any for me!" Du Jiang retorted. Then, stepping aside, he smiled and said, "Hurry into the house, have some tea, and rest a bit. Wait for this round of guests to finish eating, then you can take their seats."

Chatting, Du Jiang led Du Heng and the other two into the living room.

The living room was crowded. Du Heng glanced around but didn’t recognize anyone. They’re probably all from Du Jiang’s wife’s maternal family, he guessed.

"Come, come, Dr. Wu, and you too, Doctor, please sit down."

Du Jiang enthusiastically invited Wu Buwei and Ma Zichen to sit. The guests already in the room were also very welcoming, fetching cups and tea leaves, helping Du Jiang play host.

Du Heng was about to sit down too when Du Jiang unexpectedly pulled him aside and whispered, "Come here a second, I need to ask you something."

Seeing Du Jiang’s secretive air, Du Heng also whispered, "What is it?"

Du Jiang pulled Du Heng towards the outside, his voice even lower. "Yan Ting isn’t feeling well. Can you take a look at her?"

Du Heng followed Du Jiang out, giving him a strange look. This guy is being ridiculous, Du Heng thought. If she’s not feeling well, she’s not feeling well. Why act like it’s some shameful secret?

However, Du Heng himself wanted to laugh. His last system reward was Gynecology and Pediatrics. He’d thought he would at most treat common women’s ailments, but he never expected to actually have the opportunity to treat a woman who had just given birth.

The confinement room was right next to the living room; it was only a few steps to the door.

Unless absolutely necessary, Du Heng generally avoided entering a confinement room.

It wasn’t that he was superstitious; he just didn’t know how to explain it.

When he was young, he had gone into a confinement room with his Sister-in-law once. He had barely been inside for a minute when blisters instantly covered the corners of his mouth, burning and stinging painfully. Since then, he had learned his lesson and never entered a confinement room again.

Mainly, he never had the chance.

Last year, his best college friend became a father, and Du Heng went with other classmates to visit. The moment he stepped into the bedroom, just as he saw his friend’s wife and child, blisters reappeared at the corners of his mouth.

He could feel the entire process of the blisters swelling up.

On New Year’s Eve last year, Du Heng was on the night shift. Wang Lili and her husband came late at night to bring him dumplings. The instant he opened his dormitory door and saw Wang Lili and her husband, blisters rose again at the corners of his mouth.

A fortune teller had once told him that he was born with weak "fire" and qi deficiency, making him easily affected by such things.

Now, standing at the door of the confinement room before even entering, Du Heng felt his mouth already becoming particularly uncomfortable. He sensed that if he dared to step inside, his mouth would be full of blisters in the next second.

Damn it! This experience had clearly traumatized him.

Du Heng took a deep breath. He looked at the already parted door curtain. Today is the Baby Steps celebration, meaning she’s out of confinement, he thought. It should be fine. So, he steeled himself and walked in.

The room was full of female relatives. Some were chatting, while others were gathered around the bed, cooing over the baby and playing with him.

When they saw Du Jiang lead a man in, they all looked surprised.

Du Jiang greeted them with a smile. "This is the doctor from the Health Clinic. I asked him to examine Tingting." As he spoke, he stepped aside to make way.

Du Jiang’s meaning was clear: he had brought a doctor to examine Yan Ting, so everyone else should leave.

Some people, being perceptive, walked out directly. Others, however, were simply clueless and stayed put, even saying, "Well, go ahead and look then."

Du Jiang, left with no choice, had to state it plainly. "It’s a bit inconvenient. Could everyone please wait outside for a moment?"

Only after he said this did those few reluctantly leave.

However, two people remained in the room: Du Jiang’s mother and his mother-in-law.

Seeing that they weren’t moving, Du Jiang had to speak again. "Mom, you two should step out for a bit too."

Du Jiang’s mother said nothing, simply rising from the edge of the bed and walking out. His mother-in-law, however, was not pleased. Her eyes widened as she retorted, "I can’t stay while my own daughter is being examined?"

Du Heng stood to one side, saying nothing. He only felt the familiar discomfort at the corners of his mouth. He wanted to touch it but felt it wasn’t the right place, and the action would be improper, so he forcefully suppressed the urge.

Still, he was curious about what was wrong with Yan Ting that even her own mother had to be asked to leave.

Du Jiang hesitated for a moment, not speaking, but his gaze shifted to Yan Ting.

Yan Ting understood. Seeing her mother still sitting cross-legged on the bed, she spoke up. "Mom, Du Jiang is here too. It’s not convenient for you to stay."

"I’m your mother! What’s inconvenient about me being here?"

"Mom~~~"

"Alright, alright, I’ll go."

Du Jiang’s mother-in-law couldn’t win against her daughter. She got off the bed, put on her shoes, and glanced at Du Heng and Du Jiang once more before leaving.

Once everyone had left, Du Heng finally greeted Yan Ting with a smile. "Long time no see. The next time I see you, you’re already a mom."

Yan Ting shifted slightly on the bedside and said with a smile, "You’re working for the government now. I’m surprised you still associate with us farmer folk."

"Oh, go on, make fun of me then," Du Heng chuckled. He then took out a pair of silver bracelets he had prepared beforehand and gently placed them beside the baby’s pillow.

"Little one, this is a gift from your Uncle Du Heng. When you grow up, you can bring these to find me," Du Heng said, gently poking the baby’s cheek and teasing with a smile.

Du Jiang looked disdainful. "If you want a son so badly, hurry up and get married. Stop using my son for your amusement."

Yan Ting also chuckled, not minding Du Heng’s teasing at all.

The three of them had been classmates since kindergarten and remained so all the way through high school.

Du Jiang and Yan Ting had started dating in middle school and stayed together throughout high school.

After the college entrance examination, Du Heng was admitted to Jinzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine University, and Du Jiang went to Jinzhou Normal University. Only Yan Ting hadn’t scored well enough and ended up attending a vocational college.

However, this didn’t affect their relationship, and they eventually got married, their relationship coming to fruition.

After the lighthearted banter, Du Heng got down to business. He looked at the couple and asked, "Alright, tell me now. What exactly is wrong with you, making everything so secretive?"