Chapter 51

Gu Qinghan and Gu Qingsong worked together to take the already leaking amniotic fluid Lin Meizhi to the hospital.

Originally, Gu Qingsong wanted to take her to the nearest health station near their family residence, but even with her face pale from the pain, Lin Meizhi insisted that Gu Qingsong take her to the district hospital.

When they arrived at the district hospital, a doctor who claimed to be Lin Meizhi’s aunt took her into the delivery room.

Gu Qingsong stood at the door of the delivery room, anxiously pacing back and forth, while Gu Qinghan leaned against the wall, thoughtfully gazing at the door of the room.

Before long, Zhao Wuzhu arrived with Lin Meizhi’s mother.

With a worried expression, Mother Lin asked, “What’s wrong with my Meizhi? Qingsong, what’s happened to Meizhi?”

Seeing his mother-in-law approach, Gu Qingsong wiped his face with his hand, looking concerned. “Mom, Meizhi… she might go into preterm labor. She’s already been taken into the delivery room.”

Before Mother Lin could respond, Zhao Wuzhu reacted with shock, “What? Preterm labor? It’s not even eight months yet! What are we going to do if it’s preterm?”

Zhao Wuzhu had never wanted Gu Qingsong to support Lin Meizhi during this pregnancy in the first place. Not only had she spent a lot of money on her in the past few months, but she also hadn’t received any help with household chores. If Lin Meizhi didn’t need Gu Qingsong to wash her feet and clothes, it would have been a miracle.

If they ended up with a preterm baby, how much would that cost?

If it were a son, it wouldn’t be so bad, but what if it were a financial burden? What then?

Zhao Wuzhu felt a silent anguish, her dissatisfaction with her son’s wife growing even more.

However, Gu Qingsong was unaware of Zhao Wuzhu’s inner thoughts and lamented, “Mom, I’m worried about Meizhi and the baby too. Everything was fine before; how did it come to this?”

Feeling a bit guilty, Gu Qingsong cradled his head and squatted down despondently.

Seeing this, Mother Lin pressed her lips together and said, “It’s okay. The doctor delivering the baby is Meizhi’s aunt. She’s very experienced, so you don’t have to worry.”

Previously, Mother Lin had doubted Gu Qingsong’s reliability due to the wedding expenses and the banquet, which had made their family feel ashamed in front of relatives. However, Lin Meizhi had told her that he was actually quite responsible and had treated her very well after they got married.

—o—o—o—

Inside the delivery room, Lin Meizhi’s anguished cries echoed out, making Gu Qingsong increasingly anxious. Finally, he stood up and kicked a nearby bench, gritting his teeth as he said, “It’s all Gu Qinglan’s fault! If it weren’t for her pushing Meizhi down the stairs, Meizhi wouldn’t be going into preterm labor now!”

As soon as Gu Qinglan’s name was mentioned, Gu Qinghan, who had been silent until then, finally lifted his head and looked at Gu Qingsong.

“Gu Qingsong, say that again if you dare.”

Gu Qingsong felt Gu Qinghan’s icy gaze directed at him. Perhaps the stress of Lin Meizhi’s preterm labor gave him unexpected courage. He straightened his back and said with conviction, “Big Brother, don’t listen to that cunning girl Gu Qinglan. You can see for yourself—ever since Meizhi was pushed down the stairs by her, the baby has been unstable, and now she’s going into preterm labor! If anything happens to Meizhi or the baby, I won’t let that girl Gu Qinglan off…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Qingsong felt a shadow flash before his eyes, followed by a sharp pain in his face. The force of the blow sent him crashing to the ground.

“Ah—” Gu Qingsong cried out in pain, lying on the floor, his mind blank and unaware of what had just happened.

“Eldest son, what are you doing? Why did you hit him?” Zhao Wuzhu rushed over to Gu Qingsong’s side, then turned to scold Gu Qinghan, “You heartless one, how can you hit your brother? Are you out of your mind?”

“Qingsong, what’s wrong? Let Mom take a look.” Zhao Wuzhu examined her beloved son’s injury. Gu Qinghan, who trained regularly, had hit Gu Qingsong so hard that blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, a shocking sight.

Mother Lin glanced at Gu Qinghan, who was slightly taller than Gu Qingsong and wore a cold expression. She immediately froze in place, sensing that he was not someone to be trifled with, and decided not to involve herself in their family matters.

Gu Qinghan flexed his slightly sore knuckles, his cold gaze fixed on the wincing Gu Qingsong. He said calmly, “That punch was for Qinglan.”

“You—” Zhao Wuzhu could hardly believe that at this moment, Gu Qinghan was still defending Gu Qinglan. Just as she was about to unleash her anger, the delivery room door swung open.

“Are Lin Meizhi’s family members here?” A nurse appeared, holding a small baby wrapped in a blanket, who was crying loudly. She repeated, “Family of Lin Meizhi, please come forward.”

Gu Qingsong couldn’t care less about the pain on his face; he quickly scrambled to his feet and rushed in front of the nurse. “Yes, yes, I’m Lin Meizhi’s husband!”

Noticing Gu Qingsong’s disheveled appearance, the nurse felt a bit uneasy. However, Mother Lin came over and said, “I’m Lin Meizhi’s mother.”

The nurse replied, “Both mother and child are safe. It’s a boy. Congratulations!”

The nurse smiled, then prepared to hand the baby to Gu Qingsong. But seeing the blood on his face, she hesitated for a moment. At that time, Mother Lin had already taken the baby into her arms. “Come here, Grandma will hold you.”

Overwhelmed with the joy of becoming a father, Gu Qingsong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, beaming as he exclaimed, “Son, it’s a son! Mom, I have a son now!”

“Son, I’m your dad. Call me Dad!”

Zhao Wuzhu let out a huge sigh of relief as she watched Gu Qingsong’s ecstatic demeanor. She said, “Well, he just got here; how could he call you? He’ll probably scare the poor thing!”

Gu Qingsong laughed like a fool, patting the back of his head. He then turned to the nurse and asked, “By the way, nurse, is my child alright? Is there anything wrong with his health?”

Seeing Gu Qingsong’s anxiousness, the nurse patiently replied, “Don’t worry; the baby’s health is good—he weighs six catties and two taels, which is comparable to a full-term baby.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingsong and Zhao Wuzhu both let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you, comrade! What about my wife? Is she okay?” Gu Qingsong asked.

The nurse said, “She’s fine; she’s still in there getting stitches. One of you should stay here and wait.”

Zhao Wuzhu smiled, “Just like when you were a kid, so sturdy!”

“Of course! My son takes after me!” Gu Qingsong exclaimed, overjoyed. “Thank goodness, thank goodness. The baby is safe and healthy.” After saying this, he caught Gu Qinghan’s cold gaze but quickly shrank back, seemingly dismissing the earlier incident of being hit.

He understood that going head-to-head with Gu Qinghan would never end well for him. He was just grateful that the baby was fine; otherwise, he would never settle the score with Gu Qinglan!

Everyone was caught up in the joy of welcoming the newborn, except for Gu Qinghan, who wore a serious expression as he stared at the door of the delivery room.

He remembered that Gu Qingsong had told him back in late January of the previous year that Lin Meizhi was pregnant, and now it was only May. The child had been born at just over seven months.

Although they all said that it was Gu Qinglan who had pushed Lin Meizhi down the stairs, causing her preterm labor, Gu Qinghan couldn’t shake the worry that something else might have been at play.

Gu Qinghan was willing to believe Gu Qinglan’s words; she could not possibly have pushed a woman in labor down the stairs. There were too many mysteries surrounding the situation.

While she was lost in thought, Lin Meizhi was pushed out. Seeing everyone busy, Gu Qinghan went to the office of the attending physician, who was Lin Meizhi’s aunt.

After leaving the office, Gu Qinghan went to the hospital room.

When Lin Meizhi met Gu Qinghan’s gaze, she instinctively flinched. For some reason, she felt that this uncle’s eyes were unsettling.

Moreover, she had just asked Gu Qingsong about the scars on his face, which he revealed were inflicted by Gu Qinghan. He said it was due to the incident when Gu Qinglan had pushed her down the stairs.

Recalling that incident, Lin Meizhi instinctively tightened the quilt around her.

Suddenly, Gu Qingsong leaned closer and asked, “Wife, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should I call a doctor?”

Lin Meizhi shook her head. Watching Gu Qinghan’s retreating figure, she suddenly asked, “Qingsong, why did your brother come back?”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingsong shook his head. “I don’t know either.”

Lin Meizhi pressed further, “How long will your elder brother stay at home? When is he leaving?”

Gu Qingsong frowned. “I don’t know either. Why are you so concerned about him? Meizhi, let me tell you, ever since my elder brother went to the Northern City with that woman, he has changed completely; he’s not the same brother anymore.”

“I am really disappointed in him now. Clearly, it was her fault regarding Qingshan, yet my brother still supports her! Who knows, maybe that woman has been whispering in his ear!”

Lin Meizhi didn’t want to dwell on that and asked again, “So how long will he be at home?”

“I don’t know. Probably just two days? Why? Don’t you want him here?” Gu Qingsong knew that Lin Meizhi still cared about the betrothal gifts from their wedding and was likely resentful of his brother’s indifference back then.

He then added, “I will make sure he goes back to the Northern City as soon as possible.”

Lin Meizhi smiled. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that the baby has just been born, and there isn’t enough space for everyone to sleep. I feel bad for making your brother uncomfortable. He must have a lot to handle in the army, and there’s no need for him to stay here for so long because of us.”

Gu Qingsong gently touched Lin Meizhi’s hair and said, “Meizhi, you’re always so considerate.”

In the past couple of days, everyone had been busy coming and going for the newborn’s arrival. Gu Qinghan took the opportunity to call Wen Nuan.

When Wen Nuan received Gu Qinghan’s call, she felt a bit puzzled and directly asked, “Is something holding you up? Are you going to stay for a few more days?”

During their last phone conversation, Gu Qinghan had said he would return in two days, but now it was the third day, and he was still calling her.

On the phone, Gu Qinghan replied with an “Mm,” and then spoke with a serious tone. “Qingsong’s wife has given birth.”

“What?” Wen Nuan counted on her fingers and asked, “Wasn’t she only seven months along? How could she give birth so early? Is it a premature baby?”

Gu Qinghan confirmed, “Yes, it’s a premature baby, a boy, weighing 6.2 kg.”

Wen Nuan was taken aback. “A premature baby born at seven months is still 6.2 kg? When Lele was born, she weighed 6.3 kg!”

Gu Qinghan pressed his lips together and continued, “Both Qingsong and my mother believe that Comrade Lin’s early labor was due to Qinglan pushing her down the stairs.”

Wen Nuan felt a bit annoyed upon hearing this. “I believe Qinglan; she would never push a pregnant woman down the stairs. If she were truly that cold-hearted, she wouldn’t have bothered to inform Sister Juxiang that Chen Meijao is being abused!”

Although Gu Qinglan usually appeared carefree and didn’t always have enough to eat, there were times when she had gone with Wen Nuan to the neighboring village and fed some stray cats and dogs.

While these actions didn’t prove much, after spending several months together, Wen Nuan felt that Gu Qinglan was a kind-hearted girl.

Lin Meizhi must have lied.

And not just once.

Gu Qinghan had heard a little about Chen Meijiao’s domestic violence situation before, so he asked Wen Nuan, “Has that been resolved?”

Having been away from the Northern City for over half a month, he was unaware of most matters in the family compound, except for occasionally dealing with more significant issues.

Wen Nuan recounted the incident of Chen Meijiao’s family coming to the compound to seek justice for her.

Finally, Wen Nuan said, “Now that Zhang Zhibin has returned from his leave, I heard from Sister Juxiang that Meijiao is already in the process of filing for divorce. During this time, Zhang Zhibin has been using the situation to his advantage. He not only went to the Political Commissar and the General to apologize but also wrote numerous self-criticism letters, which he posted on the bulletin board in the family compound.”

One couldn’t deny that Zhang Zhibin’s tactic seemed effective; the public sentiment in the compound was gradually shifting. People tended to sympathize with the “wronged person,” and some felt that Chen Meijiao was making a big deal out of leaving with her daughter and filing for divorce over such a trivial matter.

Gu Qinghan scoffed. “Don’t worry; he won’t be able to dance for long. The Political Commissar and the General won’t fall for his tricks. It’s very likely that Zhang Zhibin will use this opportunity to apply for a transfer out of the Air Force. In a new environment where no one knows him, he could start fresh.”

Wen Nuan looked worried. “What should we do then?”

Gu Qinghan chuckled, not wanting his wife to know too many details about the complicated situation. “Zhang Zhibin has always been one to aim high without real ability. He’s had twisted thoughts because he couldn’t find promotion opportunities. Moreover, Chen Meijiao’s brothers and sisters are not easy to deal with. Right now, we just need to wait for Zhang Zhibin to fall into his own trap.”

By that time, not only would promotions be a dream for him, but even a transfer would be a luxury.

The Chen family would definitely not let Zhang Zhibin off so easily.

Wen Nuan chuckled after hearing this. “That’s good.”

Then she asked, “So when will you be back?”

Gu Qinghan pressed his lips together, his eyes glinting with a cold light. “I plan to investigate Lin Meizhi.”

Wen Nuan was taken aback. “Do you think she has a problem?”

“Yes, I suspect that Qingsong might have been deceived by her.” Gu Qinghan hadn’t planned to stay away for long, but the circumstances surrounding Lin Meizhi’s premature labor were indeed suspicious.

Moreover, considering Qinglan’s previous incident, logically speaking, the two of them had no conflicts; Qinglan would never harm someone else.

So why did Lin Meizhi accuse Qinglan?

It was likely connected to the child.

Wen Nuan touched the phone line and said, “You should stay out of this. Otherwise, your brother and your mother might say that you’re jealous they had a son and that you are meddling, trying to sabotage their relationship.”

Gu Qinghan nodded. “Alright, I understand.”