Grandma Sang settled into the family compound just like that.
She was naturally sociable, and within just a few days of arriving, she had made quite a few friends in the compound—some around her age, others younger.
Gu Jianing returned to work at the Traditional Chinese Medicine department.
As soon as she arrived, patients swarmed to seek her treatment.
In contrast, the other two doctors in the department, Dr. Zhou and Dr. Lu, seemed much less busy.
However, they didn’t feel jealous—after all, Gu Jianing’s skills spoke for themselves.
Especially now that Gu Jianing held a professorship, while they were still just physicians.
They understood why patients all wanted her.
If it were them, they’d also want the most skilled doctor when they fell ill.
They weren’t envious.
They were just worried that Gu Jianing, with her big belly, might overexert herself.
Old Man Chen shared the same concern. As soon as he arrived and saw the long line of patients, while the other two doctors—even other departments—were practically empty, he immediately felt this wasn’t right.
Soon, he made adjustments.
Unless it was an emergency or a severe condition, patients would see Gu Jianing. For everything else, they’d go to the other doctors.
Though the patients weren’t happy about it, they genuinely didn’t want to exhaust Gu Jianing either.
In the end, they cooperated with the new arrangement.
And just like that, the pressure on Gu Jianing eased significantly.
“Master, thank you,” Gu Jianing took a moment to express her gratitude to Old Man Chen.
“Silly girl, I’m your master, after all.”
Since Gu Jianing had returned to work, Grandma Sang would often bring freshly made snacks to the office for her to eat—sort of like an afternoon tea.
“Grandma, thank you. I’ve been getting hungry so easily lately.”
Perhaps because the twins in her belly needed more nutrients, Gu Jianing had been feeling hungry all the time recently.
No matter how much she ate, it never felt like enough.
Lately, she’d been eating a lot more.
Despite the increased intake, aside from her belly, the rest of her body remained slender.
She had worried whether eating so much would make the babies too large.
Fortunately, the system assured her that due to the medicinal pills she’d taken earlier, there was absolutely no risk of that happening.
It told her to eat as much as she could to provide ample nutrition for the babies in her womb.
Gu Jianing had also scanned her belly and confirmed everything was within a safe range.
So she stopped worrying too much about it.
Thus, Gu Jianing had been eating a lot lately, and Grandma Sang made sure to keep her well-fed.
As she nibbled on her snacks, Gu Jianing thought that her sister-in-law back home was probably due to give birth soon.
Perhaps news would arrive any day now.
But before any updates came from her hometown, something happened in her own home.
Of course, it wasn’t about her.
It was Amber!
Late one night, as Gu Jianing was asleep, she suddenly heard Amber’s cries from outside.
After listening carefully, she immediately woke up and got out of bed.
“What’s wrong?” The moment she moved, Sheng Zexi, lying beside her, also woke up.
“Amber might be going into labor. I need to check on her.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Okay.”
Sheng Zexi got up first, casually threw on a coat, then hurriedly fetched clothes for Gu Jianing, wrapped a scarf around her, and helped her put on her shoes.
“It’s the middle of the night, and the temperature is low. You need to stay warm so you don’t catch a cold,” he reminded her as he dressed her.
“Mm, I know.”
Soon, they were both ready, and the couple left the room, heading straight to where Amber was.
In the courtyard, Sheng Zexi had built a doghouse for Amber.
Worried she might get cold, Gu Jianing had also padded it with plenty of soft cotton fabric.
“Sister…”
As soon as Gu Jianing stepped out, Amber, who had been pacing restlessly in the yard, called out to her.
It was normal for a mother dog to become anxious and pace frequently before giving birth.
But when Gu Jianing appeared, Amber walked over to her.
Gu Jianing, with her large belly, couldn’t bend over easily. Fortunately, Amber was big enough that she could still reach her by leaning slightly.
She gently stroked Amber’s back.
“Amber, how are you feeling? Don’t worry, I’ll stay here with you.”
“Sister, thank you. I’m okay for now.”
“Do you want something to eat?” Gu Jianing asked.
“I think I can eat a little.”
“Okay.”
Gu Jianing immediately asked Sheng Zexi to prepare some food.
Amber had been restless earlier, but under Gu Jianing’s soothing, she gradually calmed down.
It seemed that just being near Gu Jianing gave her a sense of security.
Gu Jianing knew that when mother dogs give birth, some might become aggressive, while others might cling to their owners. Amber seemed to be the latter.
Sheng Zexi had some basic knowledge about this too.
At first, he had been a little worried.
But seeing how attached Amber was to Gu Jianing, he felt reassured and went to prepare food for her.
By the time Amber finished eating what Sheng Zexi had prepared, she had urinated several times, and the contractions in her lower body became more frequent.
Gu Jianing knew that Amber’s puppies were about to be born.
This time, Amber returned to her doghouse and began gathering her strength.
Hearing the commotion, Grandma Sang also woke up.
But Sheng Zexi told her to go back to sleep.
After all, she was elderly, and it was best not to disturb her in the middle of the night.
Amber’s delivery was relatively quick.
Within half an hour, she had given birth to four puppies.
Two were orange and white, one was pure white, and the last one was also white but with orange paws—the youngest and the prettiest of the litter.
“Amber, you’ve worked hard. Rest now.” Since her belly made it difficult for her to move around, Gu Jianing directed Sheng Zexi to clean up Amber and the four puppies.
Feeling refreshed, Amber, utterly exhausted, fed her four little ones and then fell into a deep sleep.
It was at this moment that the system’s voice rang out in Gu Jianing’s mind.
**[Congratulations, Host, for successfully assisting Amber in giving birth. Reward: 100 points, 10 Animal Vitality and Intelligence Pills.]**
Huh?
There was actually a reward!
By now, Gu Jianing already had several thousand points. As she treated more and more patients, her points increased daily.
At this point, she had grown accustomed to the steady rise in points.
But these pills…
Were they specifically for animals?
To boost their intelligence and vitality?
Gu Jianing thought for a moment, then, while Sheng Zexi was away fetching water, took out five of the pills.
She gave one to each dog, slipping it into their mouths.
“I hope these pills make you healthier, stronger, and smarter.”
According to Amber, her puppies were meant to protect Gu Jianing’s future children.
Gu Jianing knew that, given her highly fertile constitution, she would likely have many more children in the future.
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