Chapter 106.2

At 5 AM, in the North.

When Wen Nuan woke up, she immediately felt a wave of pain in her stomach. After a while, the pain subsided, but it returned again soon after.

She grabbed the sleeping Gu Qinglan beside her, her voice faint: “Qinglan, I think I’m going into labor…”

Gu Qinglan had been half-awake all night. Upon hearing Wen Nuan’s words, she suddenly jumped up from the bed: “What? You’re going into labor?”

For a moment, she was confused. In the darkness, she tried to make out Wen Nuan’s figure but couldn’t see anything clearly.

Gu Qinglan grabbed Wen Nuan’s hand and spoke rapidly: “Sister-in-law, don’t move too much, I’ll grab a flashlight first. Don’t worry, I’m here!”

Wen Nuan heard Gu Qinglan’s voice and nodded in the dark: “I’m not in a hurry, take your time.”

Since learning from the old master, Gu Qinglan had become much less flustered, and Wen Nuan still trusted her quite a bit.

However, the sharp pain in her abdomen made Wen Nuan involuntarily bite her lip, and suddenly, the image of a tall figure flashed in her mind.

The next second, the room was lit up, and her eyes had to adjust for a moment.

Gu Qinglan immediately shouted, “Aunt Chen, Aunt Chen, my sister-in-law is going into labor, come over here.”

It seemed that Aunt Chen had already heard the commotion. The next second, she pushed open the door, her hair still loose, hurriedly saying, “Xiao Nuan, don’t worry, I’m calling for a car to come over. You lie down first.”

“Qinglan, Eldest Brother told me before that if something urgent happens, I should call Erhu. I’ll stay with Xiao Nuan, you go ahead and make the call.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Qinglan ran into the living room to make the phone call, and Aunt Chen climbed onto the bed to perform a simple check on Wen Nuan.

Aunt Chen felt the bedding but didn’t find any wetness, so she comforted Wen Nuan, saying, “It’s okay, Xiao Nuan, don’t panic. Your amniotic fluid doesn’t seem to have ruptured yet. Just stay still, we’ll wait for them to come pick you up.”

Wen Nuan looked at the familiar ceiling, grabbed Aunt Chen’s hand, and nodded.

Seeing the sweat on Wen Nuan’s forehead, Aunt Chen felt heartbroken. She raised her voice and called out to the people in the living room: “Qinglan, did you get through on the phone?”

“Wait a minute!”

Gu Qinglan had dialed several times but couldn’t get through, likely due to the recent issues with enemy agents. Erhu and the others were also extremely busy.

Gu Qinglan pressed the hang-up button and muttered, “Forget it. Maybe I should call Sister Juxiang and ask Captain Zhao for help.”

Recently, many of the cadres in the family compound had been called away for meetings. Even Sister Guihua’s husband, Zhou Jianshe, like Gu Qinglan, had been away for several days and had not returned home.

Gu Qinglan was hoping that Sister Juxiang could help.

The internal phone in the family compound was fairly easy to get through, and after a few rings, Gu Qinglan heard Sister Juxiang answer the phone: “Who is it?”

“Sister Juxiang, it’s me, Qinglan.” Gu Qinglan paused for a moment and then asked, “My sister-in-law is going into labor. Can you ask Captain Zhao to help us find a car to come over?”

When Sister Juxiang heard this, the sleepiness instantly disappeared. She quickly replied, “Alright, alright, tell Xiao Nuan not to worry. I’ll find a car for you right now.”

After speaking, she immediately hung up the phone.

As soon as Gu Qinglan hung up, there was a knock on the door from outside. “Qinglan, open the door.”

The noise had woken Sister Guihua, who vaguely heard that Wen Nuan was about to give birth. She quickly put on a thin jacket and ran over.

When the door opened, Gu Qinglan saw Zhang Guihua and said, “Sister Guihua, you came? My sister-in-law is about to give birth.”

Zhang Guihua immediately entered and said, “I heard, so I came over right away to see if there’s anything I can help with.”

“Where’s your sister-in-law?”

“She’s in the room.” Gu Qinglan frowned and muttered to herself, “I don’t know where Eldest Brother is, and he didn’t leave a phone number. Eldest Brother, where are you? Sister-in-law is about to give birth…”

Zhang Guihua patted her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, have you contacted the car yet? It’s a bit far to walk to the military hospital.”

Even if the amniotic fluid hadn’t ruptured, it wasn’t possible to walk. Who knew when the contractions would come, and the pain might make it feel like her bones were breaking.

Gu Qinglan nodded. “I called Sister Juxiang. She’ll ask Captain Zhao to arrange for a car.”

Zhang Guihua entered Wen Nuan’s room and saw her lying on the bed with a pale face. Her swollen belly looked like a small hill. Even though Zhang Guihua had been pregnant before, seeing this made her feel a little anxious.

Zhang Guihua quickly walked over, grabbed Wen Nuan’s hand, and comforted her: “Xiao Nuan, don’t worry, we’re all here.”

When Aunt Chen saw Zhang Guihua had arrived, she said, “Guihua, you watch over Xiao Nuan for me. I’ll go make some wild ginseng tea for her to drink.”

Earlier, Li Yunhua had come over and reminded Wen Nuan that the wild ginseng still had some use, and she could drink a little on the day of delivery.

Aunt Chen had already prepared it and stored it in the chest of drawers. Now, while waiting for the car to arrive, she quickly made some tea for Wen Nuan.

As soon as Aunt Chen left, Lele woke up. Seeing her Auntie and Aunt Guihua surrounding her mom, she rubbed her eyes and asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

She slowly crawled over to Wen Nuan’s side and lay down next to her.

Wen Nuan reached out and gently held her small child, softly explaining, “The baby is coming, Lele. Be good, and wait here. Mom has to go to the hospital.”

She stroked her child’s long hair, winced in pain, and then added, “Later, you’ll stay with Aunt Guihua, okay?”

Lele sat up and, half understanding, looked at Wen Nuan and said, “Mom, don’t worry. Lele will stay with you.”

“Good child, Mom loves you.” Wen Nuan caressed the child’s face, let out a long sigh, and began biting her lip.

Lele hugged Wen Nuan’s arm and sweetly said, “I love you too, Mom.”

Zhang Guihua anxiously glanced outside at the dark window, “Why hasn’t the car arrived yet?”

As she spoke, a beam of light shone through the window, and the sound of a car engine roared from a distance, getting louder. Zhang Guihua’s eyes lit up. “The car’s here, Xiao Nuan, let me help you get up.”

Wen Nuan, hearing the sound of the car, had a brief moment of confusion—could it be that Gu Qinghan had returned?

Gu Qinglan stepped forward and asked, “Sister-in-law, can you still walk? How about we carry you out?”

Wen Nuan smiled weakly, “I can.”

After all, she was carrying two children now, and Gu Qinglan wouldn’t be able to carry her.

Just as Gu Qinglan and Zhang Guihua worked together to help Wen Nuan get up from the bed, Wen Nuan suddenly felt a warm fluid flow down between her legs.

Gu Qinglan looked down and panicked, “No, you need to lie down. Sister-in-law, don’t stand up yet. Your amniotic fluid has broken.”

Zhang Guihua quickly helped Wen Nuan back to the bed, making her lie down again. “Stay lying down, don’t worry. The car is here, and soon we’ll be at the hospital.”

Afterward, Zhang Guihua grabbed a pillow and placed it under Wen Nuan’s head for support.

Wen Nuan listened to the sound of the car outside, and soon, footsteps approached. She instinctively looked toward the door of the room…

However, the person who appeared wasn’t him.

She had already mentally prepared for this. As a military wife, these kinds of things were part of daily life.

But the person who arrived still moved her deeply, and in a way, this was a relief.

Quartermaster Luo and Old Zhong from the Kitchen Unit entered and called out, “Where’s Wen Nuan? Is she about to give birth? We’ve prepared the car, quick, let’s get her into the car.”

Behind them was Sister Juxiang, who had rushed over as well, heading straight for Wen Nuan’s room.

Zhang Guihua looked at the puddle of water on the floor and urgently said, “No, Xiao Nuan’s water has broken. She can’t walk like this. Someone, carry her to the car.”

Old Zhong and Quartermaster Luo exchanged a look. “Then…”

They both knew that Gu Qinghan was still in Beijing. Now, with only the two of them, there was no need for hesitation.

So they moved forward and said, “We’ll do it. No need to worry about such formalities at this point.”

Sister Juxiang rolled up her sleeves and said loudly, “Let me do it!”

She walked over to the bed, ready to lift Wen Nuan up.

Zhang Guihua frowned. “Juxiang, can you handle it? These two children are still a bit heavy.”

“Don’t worry. At the factory, I lift things weighing over a hundred pounds every day.” Deng Juxiang had already bent down and lifted Wen Nuan, then said to Zhang Guihua, “Guihua, help support her from the other side. Let’s get her to the car now.”

This time, Zhang Guihua and Gu Qinglan also moved into action. The three women helped lift Wen Nuan, carefully carrying her toward the waiting car.

Quartermaster Luo, seeing that the women had safely placed Wen Nuan in the car, couldn’t help but give a thumbs up. “Women can hold up half the sky. Comrades, I admire you.”

Deng Juxiang clicked her tongue. “Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and drive!”

After Wen Nuan was settled in the car, Gu Qinglan and Zhang Guihua were already seated. Qinglan said, “What about Aunt Chen? Sister-in-law and the babies’ things still haven’t been taken. Two big men, hurry and help.”

Unity is strength.

As everyone worked together, things moved quickly, and all the necessary items were loaded into the car.

Since this was the Kitchen Unit’s transport vehicle, which had a few seats and a cargo bed, they quickly managed to fit everyone in and head toward the hospital.

Gu Qinglan noticed that Wen Nuan’s face was growing paler and asked Aunt Chen, “Aunt Chen, didn’t you bring the wild ginseng soup you made?”

“I brought it, I brought it. It’s still too hot, but it’ll be ready soon.”

“Don’t rush it. If it spills, that’ll be a problem. Quartermaster Luo, please drive carefully. The most important thing is safety.”

“We’ll be there soon. I’ve already contacted the hospital, and someone will come out to meet us.”

Wen Nuan listened to everyone’s voices. Although her belly hurt, her heart felt warm.

The family compound wasn’t far from the military hospital, and they arrived in just a few minutes.

There were already people waiting outside the hospital. Gu Qinglan called out, “Everyone, stay in the car. We’ll leave the rest to the medical staff.”

Under the guidance of the professionals, Wen Nuan was carefully lifted onto a stretcher.

The next moment, Li Yunhua and Elder Zhao came out to meet them.

Li Yunhua took Wen Nuan’s hand and said gently, “You can relax now. I’m here.”

Wen Nuan looked at her, and her heart felt much calmer. “Doctor Li, how did you…”

Li Yunhua patted her hand and smiled. “I delivered you before. Now that I have the chance to assist you again, of course, I’m coming.”

Besides, Wen Nuan and General Lu had helped a lot in getting Zhao Qinyuan’s case cleared, so she definitely wanted to do something for them in return.

Elder Zhao looked at Wen Nuan and said, “Yunhua’s skills are far better than mine. You can rest assured. Also, Captain Gu is on his way back, so you’ll see him soon.”

He had just called Beijing and confirmed that Gu Qinghan had left in the evening and would definitely make it in time.

Wen Nuan nodded. Though there was a slight sense of regret, her heart felt warm, surrounded by a group of caring comrades.

Gu Qinghan had driven his car back to the unit, but as he reached an intersection, a sudden thought flashed in his mind. He quickly turned the steering wheel toward the hospital.

In the delivery room, there were two or three other female comrades waiting to give birth, each one groaning in pain.

After drinking the wild ginseng soup that Aunt Chen had prepared, Wen Nuan’s complexion finally returned to a less pale state, though she was still tormented by waves of pain, causing her to cry out.

“It’s almost time. You’re at six centimeters now. It won’t be long before you can go into the delivery room.”

Old Zhong had gone back to the Kitchen Unit to make some brown sugar water for Wen Nuan and had Aunt Chen give her a bit to help replenish her strength.

Little Zhu, knowing that Wen Nuan was about to give birth, had also made some porridge and brought it over, hoping to see if there was anything else she could help with.

Aunt Chen looked at all the people gathered around and said, “It’s obvious that Xiao Nuan is well-liked in the family compound. Our General can rest easy.”

“Xiao Nuan, hang in there. Qinghan will be back soon.”

Wen Nuan looked at Aunt Chen and nodded obediently, but she still dared not hope too much.

She had known this from the beginning.

And what’s more, this time they were dealing with such a serious incident.

Lele looked at Wen Nuan lying on the bed and suddenly began to cry, “Wuwuwu, I don’t want the baby anymore, I want Mom to get up…”

Gu Qinglan gently picked the child up into her arms and coaxed, “Silly child, Mom will be fine soon. You should kiss her, hug her.”

Lele leaned her small, cool hand on Wen Nuan’s face, saying, “Hug Mom, Mom needs to be okay.”

Wen Nuan stroked the child’s face, forcing a smile, “Thank you, Lele.”

Half an hour passed.

Aunt Chen and Sister Guihua, Sister Juxiang, took turns giving Wen Nuan some food and drink, but Wen Nuan shook her head. “I can’t eat anymore. It hurts so much…”

Wen Nuan’s fingers clenched the mattress, her fingertips turning white.

She stared at the ceiling and weakly called out, “Gu Qinghan, why aren’t you back yet…”

“Coming, coming…”

Wen Nuan curled up on the bed, thinking she had imagined the voice. But the next second, she saw a familiar figure rushing toward her.