Chapter 92.1

It was noon, and there weren’t too many people at the hospital.

However, several family members were waiting outside the delivery room.

As soon as Zhou Jianshe arrived, he tried to rush into the delivery room, but Gu Qinghan caught him by the collar just in time: “Old Zhou, don’t rush in; you can’t just go inside the delivery room.”

Zhou Jianshe had probably run over from the brigade, as his face and forehead were covered in beads of sweat, and he was panting heavily.

He raised his hand to wipe his face and, after catching his breath for a few seconds, replied, “But my wife…”

Wen Nuan could see that Zhou Jianshe was anxious, so she walked over to him and said, “Colonel Zhou, don’t worry. The doctors in the obstetrics department and Qinglan are inside helping out. Just a moment ago, I saw Sister Guihua in good spirits. Wait a little while; if a nurse comes out, you can ask for updates.”

Upon hearing Wen Nuan’s reassurance, Zhou Jianshe remembered that his wife had been brought here by Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan. He turned to them and said, “Comrade Wen Nuan, Old Gu, it’s a good thing you were here. Thank you.”

“Not at all,” Wen Nuan replied with a smile, but then she recalled that Aunt Liang was still at the family compound, and they hadn’t brought any of the supplies for the mother and children.

She turned to Gu Qinghan and said, “Qinghan, can you go back to the family compound and check if Aunt Liang returned? We still need to get Sister Guihua’s daily necessities and the baby’s things.”

Gu Qinghan nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll go back and bring Aunt Liang over. You all stay here.”

Wen Nuan then walked over to Gu Qinghan and asked, “Where’s Lele? Wasn’t she with you just now?”

Since Wen Nuan had accompanied Sister Guihua to the delivery room, she had let Lele stay with Gu Qinghan, fearing she couldn’t manage the child.

But now, the child was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing Wen Nuan’s growing anxiety, Gu Qinghan quickly said, “Qinglan asked a nurse to take care of her; she should be at the nurse’s station now.”

Wen Nuan let out a sigh of relief and reminded him, “Make sure Aunt Liang has everything packed up.”

Zhou Jianshe, feeling anxious, realized that Aunt Liang hadn’t arrived yet. However, before he could thank Gu Qinghan, he had already turned to leave.

Wen Nuan called out to him, “Aunt Liang left for the Supply and Marketing Cooperative just when Sister Guihua had fallen asleep. Sister Guihua said she woke up feeling thirsty, and just as she finished drinking tea, her water broke.”

Zhou Jianshe nodded after listening; he certainly did not intend to blame his mother-in-law. No one could have anticipated such a coincidence.

However, after a few minutes, Gu Qinghan returned, carrying two large bags of items. She was almost at the delivery room when Aunt Liang, panting heavily, caught up to her.

Aunt Liang seemed to have hurried a bit too much; she was out of breath and could hardly speak, continuously patting her chest.

What surprised Wen Nuan was that Huang Yueying followed Aunt Liang, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath.

When Huang Yueying met Wen Nuan’s gaze, she smiled and said, “I was afraid Aunt Liang wouldn’t remember the way to the hospital, so I brought her along.”

Then, Huang Yueying glanced around the delivery room and asked, “How is Sister Guihua? Is she doing well?”

Although Wen Nuan lived nearby, she was not very familiar with Huang Yueying. However, hearing her ask such a question, she replied, “We still don’t know the situation; everyone is still waiting.”

Just when Wen Nuan thought Huang Yueying would return to the family compound, she instead sat down on a nearby bench and said, “Then I will wait with you.”

Wen Nuan pressed her lips together and remained silent.

She could only consider her relationship with Huang Yueying as merely acquaintances. Previously, when Li Qiuyan had spread rumors about her in the family compound, Huang Yueying had been involved as well.

Later, when Li Qiuyan was expelled from the family compound, Huang Yueying had deliberately sent her gifts, hoping to cultivate a relationship, but after Wen Nuan refused her, she had kept her distance intentionally.

Even though they lived in the same row of red-brick houses, Wen Nuan would not engage with her too closely.

Of course, Wen Nuan also understood that Sister Guihua definitely did not share a close and friendly relationship with Huang Yueying.

But now that Huang Yueying kindly wanted to wait with them, Wen Nuan felt it would be inappropriate to say anything.

Zhou Jianshe, although anxious in his heart, saw his mother-in-law gasping for breath and poured her some water, saying, “Mother, don’t worry. Guihua has already been taken to the delivery room. Comrade Wen Nuan just said her water broke, and fortunately, she arrived in time. She is probably going to give birth soon.”

Aunt Liang sighed, “It’s my fault; if I hadn’t insisted on going to buy that… thing, Guihua wouldn’t have been left without anyone to look after her.”

Just after those words were spoken, Sister Guihua’s painful cries echoed from the delivery room, causing Aunt Liang and Zhou Jianshe to become tense immediately.

Compared to others, Zhang Guihua was indeed older for her first pregnancy, which made her more anxious.

Especially Zhou Jianshe; he had just managed to comfort Aunt Liang, but upon hearing Zhang Guihua’s shout, he began to lose his composure again.

His legs weakened, and he nearly collapsed against the wall in front of the delivery room.

“Wife…”

Gu Qinghan was quick to support him, saying, “Old Zhou, pull yourself together. Let’s see what the nurse says when she comes out.”

Zhou Jianshe’s face turned pale as he gripped Gu Qinghan’s arm tightly, trembling as he said, “My wife is older; I’m worried—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Gu Qinglan pushed open the delivery room door and walked over to Zhou Jianshe when she saw him. “Colonel Zhou, have you brought Sister Guihua and the baby’s clothes? Sister Guihua is about to give birth; hurry up and give me the things!”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liang hurriedly carried the two large bags over, exclaiming, “They’re here, they’re here! I’ve brought everything!”

“Comrade Qinglan, is my Guihua okay?” Zhou Jianshe stepped forward again, asking, “Can you tell my wife that I’m here and to not be nervous?”

Gu Qinglan took a few items from Aunt Liang’s bags and replied as she walked back, “Okay, I’ll tell Sister Guihua. Don’t worry; she’s doing well. Just wait a bit longer.”

—o—o—o—

This waiting lasted for three hours.

Gu Qinghan had to return to the Flight Team to return the car and attend a meeting, so she left first.

During this time, Zhou Jianshe wanted to enter and talk to Sister Guihua, but the nurses in the delivery room did not allow it and only conveyed his messages.

However, the sound insulation of the delivery room was not very good. When Zhou Jianshe became anxious, he shouted a few words loudly toward the delivery room, prompting Sister Guihua to scold him twice.

After this little episode, Zhou Jianshe felt less anxious than when he first arrived, although he still couldn’t help but pace back and forth.

The other family members waiting nearby had already brought the newborn to the hospital room, leaving only them at the delivery room door.

After Zhou Jianshe had paced back and forth countless times, the sound of a baby’s cries finally echoed from inside, causing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later, Gu Qinglan emerged, holding a small baby wrapped in a blue floral blanket. She wore a joyful expression and playfully looked at Zhou Jianshe as she handed the child to him. “Colonel Zhou, your little treasure is here.”

Zhou Jianshe and Aunt Liang both stepped forward, surrounding Gu Qinglan, while Zhou Jianshe held the baby tightly in his arms.

Just as he was about to check whether the baby was a boy or a girl, Gu Qinglan smiled and said, “Congratulations, it’s a boy.”

Aunt Liang beamed even brighter, murmuring, “I told Guihua it must be a boy, but she insisted it would be a girl. See? It’s a boy!”

“Oh, let Grandma hold him, my dear grandson!” she exclaimed as she took the baby from Zhou Jianshe, fearing that he might not handle the newborn carefully, given how fragile they were.

Wen Nuan also approached to take a look at the baby. Since he had just been born, he was still wrinkled and hard to tell who he resembled.

However, Aunt Liang smiled and said, “He has Guihua’s mouth and Jian She’s nose.”

Wen Nuan agreed with a smile, “He really does resemble them. He’s so cute.”

Suddenly, Huang Yueying, who had been dozing off, walked over, smiling, “He really looks like Sister Guihua, so handsome!”

These words delighted Aunt Liang, and she started discussing the baby with Huang Yueying, making Aunt Liang laugh heartily, clearly overjoyed.

Zhou Jianshe didn’t say much. After glancing at the baby a few times, he asked Gu Qinglan, “Qinglan, where’s my wife? Why hasn’t she come out yet?”

He peered into the delivery room but couldn’t see anything.

Gu Qinglan smiled and said, “Just wait a little longer. She should be out in about ten minutes.”

Zhou Jianshe quickly replied, “Alright, thank you. I appreciate it.”

After quite some time, Sister Guihua finally emerged. Upon seeing everyone, her nose turned slightly sour, but she didn’t say anything—she was probably too exhausted.

Zhou Jianshe, upon seeing Sister Guihua, pulled her aside and began to ask her all sorts of questions.

Sister Guihua grew impatient, snorting a couple of times. Although she was already very tired, she still weakly pinched Zhou Jianshe’s arm and said, “Didn’t you just say I was getting old?”

Zhou Jianshe replied, “Oh no, my dear! I didn’t mean it. You’re the youngest. I’m the one who’s old. I’m just so happy to have a child at my age…”

Zhang Guihua couldn’t bear to look at him, turning her face away, feeling utterly embarrassed.

—o—o—o—

Once they reached the hospital room, the doctor came over to explain some postpartum care and how to take care of the baby.

After Sister Guihua rested for a while, she noticed Wen Nuan had been there all along. She smiled at her and softly said, “Xiao Nuan, thank you.”

If it hadn’t been for Wen Nuan and the others arriving in time, Sister Guihua didn’t know how much more she would have had to endure.

Although the military hospital wasn’t far from the family compound, as a pregnant woman in her late 30s, she still felt a bit uneasy inside.

Thankfully, Wen Nuan returned just in time.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t touched.

From her pregnancy to giving birth, Wen Nuan had provided her with a lot of help, and Sister Guihua silently kept that gratitude in her heart.

Hearing Sister Guihua’s words, Wen Nuan smiled and replied, “Do we still need to be polite? It’s said that distant relatives are not as helpful as close neighbors. When I first came to the North, you helped me a lot; you’re like a sister to me.”

Sister Guihua smiled and nodded, “My good sister, you’ve been busy for quite a while now. Go check on Lele.”

She had just learned that Lele was still in the hospital, and she was probably anxious to see her.

Wen Nuan chuckled and said, “Lele is over by the nurses’ station. There’s a slide for her to play on. I went to see her while you were still inside and bought her some snacks. She’s probably enjoying her afternoon tea right now.”

“She just asked me if the baby was out yet.”

Upon hearing this, Sister Guihua said, “Then when we return to the family compound, let’s have Lele come over to see her little brother.”

Then, Sister Guihua quietly added, “I thought it would be a girl too. How nice it would have been if she could have been as cute as Lele…”

Wen Nuan chuckled and handed her a cup of warm water, saying, “Sons and daughters are both beloved. Your main task now is to rest well and regain your strength.”

Sister Guihua took the water and nodded, “Alright, you should also go back and rest a bit. Old Zhou and my mother are here with me, so you don’t need to worry.”

Wen Nuan replied, “I’ll make you some nourishing soup to help with breastfeeding and bring it over later.”

After a moment’s thought, she reminded, “Make sure Colonel Zhou and Aunt Liang keep an eye on the baby. Don’t let anyone take him away or switch him.”

Just then, Zhou Jianshe, who had just approached, immediately asked, “Is there such a thing?”

Having lived in the military camp for many years, Zhou Jianshe was aware that many children of martyrs in the family compound had not been adopted. How could someone just take a baby?

Moreover, in those times, every household had several children, and many people struggled to support themselves. Children were abundant in that era.

Wen Nuan pursed her lips and replied earnestly, “Better safe than sorry. It’s best to be cautious.”

Zhou Jianshe thought that Wen Nuan’s words made sense. After all, the baby was their own, so it was certainly wise to be cautious. He nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll keep an eye on it.”

—o—o—o—