Chapter 51: Mentioning the Past, Zhan Shao’s Heart Bleeds

But at the same time, Zhan Jingting was also shocked. She had bravely helped someone deliver a baby, and in such a harsh environment.

Though he wasn’t a doctor, he knew that in cases like umbilical cord around the neck, if the cervix was already dilated and the doctor wasn’t prepared, the baby could easily die in the womb, strangled.

Gazing at the girl’s serene and beautiful profile, Zhan Jingting asked her, “Have you ever delivered a baby before?”

“No.” Banxia a carefully washed the blood off her hands, smiling as she turned her head. “I just have experience giving birth.” Her eyes sparkled.

Just looking at her, he was reminded of the long scar on her abdomen. “You didn’t have a natural birth, where did you get the experience?”

She paused slightly, remembering the scene of him rushing into the bathroom that day. She awkwardly averted her gaze. “I did have a natural birth, but I couldn’t deliver, so I had a C-section.”

She masked the embarrassment of that day with a smile and a light tone. “It’s like I went through two painful experiences. The conditions were similar back then. I went into labor while escaping, and the little ones weren’t very cooperative.”

Hearing this, Zhan Jingting felt a chill run down his spine, his heart filled with shock.

Seeing his silence, she turned her head again, their eyes met, and she felt the tension and bewilderment in his eyes.

By this time, she had washed her hands and stepped back, wrapping herself in a towel, feeling less cold.

She lowered her eyes, wiping her hands and saying, “It was really timely for me to come up today. It’s like I’ve earned some good karma for the children.”

Zhan Jingting, however, kept his gaze fixed on her face, his thoughts still lingering on the previous topic. “I want to hear you… tell me about your childbirth experience.”

She was slightly taken aback, raising her eyes to look at him.

“I’m not trying to bring up your wounds. I just feel… you risked your life to give birth to two children for me. I have a responsibility to know, to experience this hardship, and therefore… to be a good husband, a good father.”

Hearing this, Lin Banxia a was momentarily stunned, but she quickly adjusted.

Standing beside him, she looked at the thick fog in front of them. Gusts of heavy rain swept in, pulling her memories back to the past—

“That child, that day, while I was taking a nap, someone secretly closed the windows and doors, placed a basin of charcoal fire under the bed, and he almost suffocated to death.”

Hearing this, Zhan Jingting’s chest tightened, a cold light flickering in his black eyes.

She spoke calmly. “Uncle Ming risked his life to get me to his brother’s taxi, so I could go to my grandparents.”

“As soon as I got in the car, I saw Uncle Ming being chased and beaten by a group of people.”

“I saw with my own eyes my grandparents perish in the fire. Yang Yiming not only wanted to kill me, but he didn’t even spare the elderly. The familiar old house, burned to ashes before my eyes.”

“I was so traumatized, I had signs of premature labor, my stomach was in so much pain. Uncle Ming’s younger brother, very decisively, drove me through a back road to escape. He said, we can’t let the people who care about me die in vain.”

“Finally, in a small town, I couldn’t hold on any longer, my water broke. He was afraid of a triple fatality, so he took me to a dilapidated clinic, the kind that couldn’t even handle a cold. The chairs were covered in dust, even the windows were broken.”

Zhan Jingting listened to these words, his gaze was terrifyingly deep, the coldness in his eyes made him seem completely different from his usual aloof self.

Banxia looked at the rain and fog, her lips whispered, “The doctor there had no experience, he wasn’t even professionally trained, but my water had already broken.”

“So, I could only give birth naturally there. I was in pain for two days and two nights, but the baby didn’t come out. Eventually, without any anesthesia, without any rescue measures, I had them directly cut open my stomach, I directed the depth myself, if something happened, they wouldn’t be responsible…”

Zhan Jingting looked at her profile, the bloodshot in his eyes was so heavy, the pain that flashed through his eyes was so obvious!

Her tone was still light, as if she was telling someone else’s story –

“It was painful, excruciating pain, but not as painful as the pain in my heart. I had only one belief at that time, that was to survive, the child must also survive, because they…would be my only relatives in this world.”

She had a smile on her face, but there was a layer of mist in her eyes.

“When I heard the children’s loud cries, I was really filled with both joy and sorrow.” As she finished speaking, remembering the feelings at that time, the tears in her eyes became even more overwhelming.

Zhan Jingting bent his noble body and hugged her tightly, silently.

At this moment, his expression had a slight crack, and a belief solidified in his heart, that was to avenge her!

Banxia was a little surprised by his actions, “You…you’re hurting me.”

The man finally loosened his grip a little.

Zhan Jingting was still holding her, his heart was extremely complex, he hadn’t recovered from her words just now.

She endured the pain of natural childbirth, and when she had a C-section, there was no anesthesia!

Because there was no professional doctor, so…when she was getting stitches, the technique was so rough, that even after six years, the scar was still so obvious? The wound must have been infected at that time, right?

“Banxia.” He called her name affectionately, his heart was both shocked and sad, “You are so brave, so kind.”

Lin Banxia, in his arms, sneezed.

“You’re cold?” He was nervous, quickly took off the bath towel from his shoulders and put it on her, “Let’s go down the mountain now? It’s warmer in the car, this rain doesn’t seem to be stopping.”

She didn’t look up at his eyes, for some reason, she was afraid she would cry.

Zhan Jingting’s eyes, when they fell upon her, held a slight daze, but it was only for a moment.

Then, he turned to take the medicinal herbs she had gathered, and then held up the large black umbrella, shielding her as they walked down the mountain. The torrential rain poured down, as if a hole had been torn in the sky, unleashing an endless deluge.

Raindrops hammered against the umbrella fabric, with a pitter-patter, and splashed on the ground, sending water flying. Everything on earth was ravaged by this downpour.

The trees were also blown to and fro.

On the way down the mountain, Lin Banxia’s shoes and socks were completely soaked, and the wound on her abdomen was starting to ache. This was a lingering effect from the Cesarean section, which hadn’t healed properly, and she hadn’t rested enough. The pain was especially noticeable on rainy days.

“Banxia, have you found any evidence of Yang Yiming setting fire to kill your grandparents?” Zhan Jingting decided to take action.

“Not yet.” She turned her head to look at him as they walked. “I’m still investigating, looking for the servants who managed to escape that day, to see if I can get any clues.”

“Does Uncle Ming’s brother still have contact with you?” He was also kind-hearted. “Get in touch with him, maybe it will help Uncle Ming recover.”

Banxia a shook her head. “No contact. He’s… probably dead or alive at this point. He’s a taxi driver. When Uncle Ming sent me off in his car, Yang Yiming’s men saw him, and they probably noted the license plate. He took me to the clinic and then left, afraid of implicating me.”

“What’s his name?”

Banxia a shook her head again. “I don’t know, but… I remember what he looks like. Can I try drawing him?”

“Sure.” Zhan Jingting felt this might be a breakthrough. “Once you’re done, I’ll go look for him.”

After they reached the bottom of the mountain, he took a clean set of clothes and a dry towel from the trunk and handed them to her.

Then, he sat in the driver’s seat and closed his eyes. “Change into these, otherwise you’ll catch a cold.”

Huh?

Change here? Banxia a was stunned. “…” It was like she’d been handed a hot potato.