January 1988, Jiping City People's Hospital, Obstetrics Department. Not only were the couple nervous, but even Susan Morrow and John Yang sat upright and tense—every important family member was present. Across from them, Director Xu gave a helpless smile: "Come on, everyone, relax a little. You're making me nervous too!"
John Yang couldn't help but ask, "Director Xu, what's going on exactly?"
"Maybe it was because the babies were too small before, and I missed it. This time, I've checked over and over—no mistake, it's Dragon-Phoenix Twins." Director Xu reassured, "Don't be nervous, the babies are healthy, it's a good thing. But John, you'd better prepare double the diapers and formula, hahaha!"
Director Xu chuckled, and everyone felt relieved, joining in the laughter. Samuel Soo rubbed his hands, happily slapped John Yang on the shoulder, "Son-in-law, you did it! Two with one shot! Your aim is better than our company commander!" Susan Morrow immediately scolded, "What are you saying, always joking around."
The so-called Dragon and Phoenix bring prosperity—Chinese people love Dragon-Phoenix Twins. Especially in the era of the one-child policy, having a boy and a girl at once was a huge blessing. The whole family was overjoyed, marveling at their good luck.
Only Susan Morrow pulled Director Xu aside and quietly asked, "Director, why didn't you see this before?"
Director Xu glanced around, then lowered his voice, "Susan, you work in this field too, so I won't hide it from you. Your Dragon-Phoenix Twins are very special, very unusual. They share one umbilical cord."
"What?!" Susan Morrow's eyes widened, "That's impossible, right?" Dragon-Phoenix Twins are, of course, fraternal twins. Fraternal twins have separate placentas and umbilical cords—they're not even in the same amniotic sac. Each grows separately, like two people in two swimming pools. "Could it be the placentas grew together, so it looks like one?"
"Definitely not," Director Xu said firmly. "Same placenta, same amniotic sac, same umbilical cord. I looked for a long time—the end of the cord splits into two, each attached to a baby. These two babies share the same cord blood."
Hearing Director Xu's description, Susan Morrow suddenly muttered, "Twin lotus blossoms?"
"Exactly! Just like twin lotus blossoms!" Director Xu gave a look that said, "Susan, that's a perfect example," and continued, "And that's not all. I've double-checked many times—their fetal heartbeats are synchronized, completely in sync. If one's fast, both are fast; if one's slow, both are slow. No matter how I listen, it sounds like just one heartbeat. That's probably why I thought there was only one baby before."
Seeing Susan Morrow looking a bit dazed, Director Xu quickly reassured her, "Susan, don't worry. As I see it, although this situation is rare and amazing, nature is full of wonders. With so many people and pregnancies in China, it's not surprising that something special pops up occasionally. The important thing is that mother and babies are safe. Right now, the babies are healthy and all the indicators are stable, so don't overthink it."
Hearing Director Xu's reassurance, Susan Morrow relaxed and nodded, "Yeah, no matter how you look at it, having Dragon-Phoenix Twins is a blessing."
The crazy Taoist's ramblings were just a coincidence. As intellectuals, we're the vanguard against superstition, so of course we can't believe that stuff. Well, one person carrying the nutrition for three—I'm going home for a big meal today!
From that day on, the whole family was in high spirits. Not only was John Yang bursting with energy every day, even Samuel Soo walked with extra spring in his step. It wasn't time for a full-time caretaker yet, but the old folks still dropped by all the time. Neither the Soo nor the Yang family cared about having boys over girls, so whether it was grandson or granddaughter, both Grandpa Soo and Grandma Yang were over the moon.
Time flew by, and February arrived. Six months pregnant, Susan Morrow's belly was clearly showing. It was the end of the year—the Year of the Rabbit was ending, and the Year of the Dragon was coming. All across China, people were hanging lanterns and decorating. As the main characters of the moment, both sides of the family gathered at John Yang and Susan Morrow's place. John's younger brother Gabriel Yang, little sister Jill Young, Susan's younger brother Simon Soo, and of course the old folks—all came over, making for a lively crowd.
At this time, Gabriel Yang and Simon Soo were still just kids, about the same age, and they played together. Jill Young was still very young, so she was looked after by John Yang—who seemed more like a grandpa than a dad. On the 28th day of the lunar year, John Yang and Susan Morrow went out for a walk to soak up the holiday atmosphere.
Jiping City is a small city, but the smaller the city, the stronger the New Year's vibe. Plus, Jiping has plenty of old alleys and old buildings—enough sights to see. If locals wanted to stroll around, there were places to go.
But back then, there weren't many people out on the 28th of the lunar year. The couple strolled around, and as dusk approached, they started heading home. But as they passed an old plaza, Susan Morrow suddenly stopped, tugged John Yang's sleeve, and pointed. John looked up and saw a Great Immortal had set up a fortune-telling booth by the roadside.
John Yang instantly understood what his wife meant. Over the past two months, even though she hadn't shown it or mentioned it to anyone, John knew his wife was still thinking about that crazy Taoist's words. Because so far, everything he'd said had come true. If they'd seen a fortune teller before, they'd have just scoffed, but now, their feelings were a lot more complicated.
Susan Morrow was the first to approach the Great Immortal. Seeing someone come over, the Great Immortal perked up and greeted, "Madam, I see your forehead is full and your face is well-proportioned—clearly a person of great destiny! Would you like a fortune told?" Compared to the crazy Taoist at Moonview Peak, this Great Immortal was way more high-end. From his outfit to his props, everything was fancy and exquisite. With that three-foot-long white beard, he could play the Jade Emperor in China or Dumbledore in England.
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"Master, please tell me the fortune of the child in my womb," Susan Morrow asked, then squinted and added, "By the way, Master, can you tell if I'm having a boy or a girl?"
"Uh..." For fortune-tellers, nothing is scarier than an ultrasound! Face reading is mostly nonsense, but there's a bit of skill to it. You can analyze someone's personality, wealth, or job from their face, and keep the act going. But predicting a baby's gender? I'm not Superman with X-ray vision! "My powers are vast, so of course I can tell boy or girl. But my powers are too strong—if I force a look, I might disturb the babies' souls, so..."
"Alright, forget the face reading."
The Great Immortal secretly sighed in relief—thank goodness, I dodged that... Uh, did I really? Why do these two look so skeptical?
Susan Morrow didn't mind. "Then let's do a character reading. I'll write, you interpret. Sound good?"
"Perfect!" Character readings are the easiest to bluff! Once she writes the character, I can spin the meaning, the shape, the timing—whatever suits me. "Madam, please write. I'll divine your fortune!"
Susan Morrow picked up the brush, staring at the blank paper, and suddenly remembered the words of the crazy Taoist: Moon sets, sun rises; sun sets, moon shines. If that was true, she wrote the character "明" (bright). After finishing the last stroke, she hesitated, not putting the brush down.
Above the mortal world is the sky, above the sky are the sun and moon. The crazy Taoist's words echoed in Susan Morrow's mind, so she added the character "空" (sky) below "明" (bright), combining them into the rare character "曌".
"Alright, let's use this character for the reading." Susan Morrow put down the brush and looked up, only to see the Great Immortal stroking his long beard and chuckling, "Madam, you can only use one character for a reading—why did you write two?"
The scene fell silent for a moment.
Huh? Did I just say something stupid? Why are these two looking at me like that? Not good, I must've said something dumb—better backtrack fast! "Uh, haha, just kidding! Of course I know that's one character! Uh, this..." Oh no, I don't even know how to pronounce it! Didn't I pay attention in literacy class? Why haven't I seen this one before? Luckily, I have my secret weapon!
"Let me divine it." The Great Immortal, looking dignified, waved his sleeve and pulled out an ancient-looking book from his robe. Just the cover looked special—like some kind of magical tome. He flipped through the scripture at lightning speed, muttering, "Jade Emperor, hurry as the law commands..."
Smack! Suddenly, someone slapped the book onto the table—Susan Morrow. "Master," she said, eyebrows raised and glaring at the Great Immortal, clearly out of patience, "if you don't know how to read this character, just say so. Don't waste my time pretending. Do you think I'm an idiot?" She flipped the book open—it was just a disguised dictionary.
"Uh... haha..." The Great Immortal forced a weak laugh, finally bowing his hands, "It's the holidays, just trying to make a living—please go easy on me..." Damn, I'm too dumb for this. These two are obviously intellectuals, here to crush the class enemy! Better beg for mercy fast: "I have an eighty-year-old mother at home, and..."
"Enough, stop with the nonsense." Susan Morrow crossed her arms. "Just give me a straight answer—can you do a character reading or not?"
"Yes!" The Great Immortal replied decisively, then meekly added, "I really have studied this stuff, I know a little."
"Then get on with it!" Susan Morrow slapped the paper, "Remember, this character is pronounced 'zhao'!"
"Right away! Right away!" They say pregnant women are hard to handle—it's true! This lady is fierce; if I don't show some real skill, she'll probably wreck my booth. The Great Immortal studied Susan's character from every angle, then slapped the table, "This is a great character! Even though, uh, I didn't know how to pronounce it earlier, look: sun and moon in the sky—madam, you're clearly carrying Dragon-Phoenix Twins!"