“It’s not that, I don’t think her mother-in-law is the type to only like boys…”
The woman was speaking when suddenly she heard Li Chunhua’s anxious voice outside, shouting, “Nurse! Doctor! My daughter-in-law is having stomach pains! Is she going into labor? Doctor!”
She jolted at the sound, recognizing the voice of the mother-in-law from bed eight, and quickly got up to peek outside. “It seems like the woman from bed eight is going into labor… really, the doctor has gone over.”
Zhou Qianqian furrowed her brows, feeling that the voice was very familiar. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, and she asked, “What is the name of the pregnant woman in bed eight?”
“I think she’s called Xue Zhu; that’s what her husband and mother-in-law call her.”
It turned out to be He Xue Zhu…
What a coincidence.
Suppressing the pain in her abdomen, Zhou Qianqian threw off the covers and was about to head outside when a nurse walked in and was startled to see her. “Hey, bed fifteen, didn’t the doctor tell you to stay in bed and rest?”
“You need to rest well now; the fetal position isn’t stable.”
Zhou Qianqian didn’t listen at all. She was eager to know whether He Xue Zhu was having a boy or a girl.
“It’s fine, it’s fine; my stomach feels okay, and I’m just going to sit outside.”
“Hey, hey!”
The nurse couldn’t stop her and turned around, somewhat exasperated, to call for the doctor.
As Zhou Qianqian went outside, she caught sight of He Xue Zhu lying pale on the bed, being pushed out. Beside her were the familiar figures of Li Chunhua and Lin Shiheng.
At that moment, the handsome man was tightly holding his wife’s hand, constantly encouraging her, “Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon. I’ll be here with you.”
He Xue Zhu winced in pain, letting out soft sounds but still forced a smile, saying, “It’s nothing; it doesn’t hurt much.”
“Xue Zhu, don’t be afraid; mom is waiting outside for you…” Li Chunhua looked at her daughter-in-law in such pain and felt a bit flustered. She hurriedly asked the doctor in front, “Doctor, how is my daughter-in-law doing? If it’s not going well, we should perform a cesarean section; I don’t want her to be in pain and cause problems.”
“Please don’t worry; everything appears normal for now.”
The doctor had only heard mothers-in-law insisting that their daughters-in-law endure pain for the sake of a smart child being born and had never seen one so anxious for her daughter-in-law to avoid pain with a cesarean. After gently responding, he pushed He Xue Zhu inside.
Lin Shiheng had already gotten permission to go in and followed behind.
Li Chunhua was extremely anxious, pacing around outside, occasionally clasping her hands together and muttering prayers for good fortune.
Zhou Qianqian watched her and couldn’t help but think about her own mother-in-law, who had heard she was bleeding and hadn’t even lifted her eyelids. Her heart grew more and more unbalanced.
If only He Xue Zhu encountered difficulties inside, and could not save both mother and child.
He Xue Zhu’s labor progressed faster than anyone expected; just over an hour had passed when the door opened.
The nurse came out holding a softly crying baby and approached the anxiously waiting Li Chunhua. “Congratulations, it’s a girl, and she’s very healthy.”
Li Chunhua stared blankly for a moment, not quite comprehending.
Zhou Qianqian felt a surge of joy in her heart.
Indeed, He Xue Zhu’s mother-in-law was biased towards boys!
The nurse, noticing the grandmother was not pleased with the girl, gently advised, “Girls and boys are equally precious; they’ll be just as filial when they grow up.”
“Uh, uh, I know.”
Li Chunhua trembled as she took the baby, gazing at her with closed eyes, her small nose and mouth, and her eyes glistening.
“I’m just so happy.”
From the moment she learned her son could no longer have children to finding out her daughter-in-law was pregnant, she had been on edge, fearful of the child encountering difficulties at birth.
But now, Shiheng’s child, her granddaughter, was healthily born.
So small, yet this was Shiheng’s only child in the future.
Li Chunhua carefully cradled the child, saying, “Good girl, grandma loves you and will take good care of you.”
“Nurse, how is my daughter-in-law? Can I go in to see her now?”
Zhou Qianqian sat rigidly on the bench, watching He Xue Zhu’s mother-in-law cradling the child as though it were a precious treasure, inquiring about He Xue Zhu’s condition.
She couldn’t hear the nurse’s response anymore; her mind was filled with confusion.
Why did it turn out this way? Why?
He Xue Zhu had really given birth to a daughter, but why was her mother-in-law not resentful at all, but so loving instead…
Could it be that she truly cared for He Xue Zhu, truly liked girls?
What about her?
Comparing herself to this, who was she?
All along, Zhou Qianqian had thought that He Xue Zhu would be treated coldly by her mother-in-law for having a daughter, but now she felt entirely lost.
Her emotions surged, and the dull ache in her abdomen suddenly turned sharp.
Zhou Qianqian looked down blankly and saw blood slowly seeping out from under the chair she was sitting on.
***
After He Xue Zhu gave birth, she fell into a blank state, dripping with sweat, taking some time to finally hear her husband’s voice beside her encouraging her. “Is it a son or a daughter?”
“It’s a girl.”
Lin Shiheng gently held her hand, his tone tender.
“Thank you for bringing this precious life into the world.”
“I swear to always ensure her happiness along with yours.”
Chapter 20: The Ex-Wife and the Soldier (End)
Lin Shiheng was always attentive to his promises.
He dedicated the second half of his life to ensuring the happiness of his wife and daughter.
He Xue Zhu’s confinement went splendidly; this was unrelated to Li Chunhua, as her husband received a promotion, advancing two levels, both in salary and resources beyond what they had before.