Chapter 30

With several days left until her due date, Jiang Yu felt her mother was overly anxious and couldn’t help but complain, “Mom, I still have some time before I give birth. You really shouldn’t be this nervous.”

Mother Jiang glared at her, “How can I not be nervous at such an important time? Don’t think giving birth is an easy thing. Although the mortality rate is low nowadays, it doesn’t mean there won’t be any complications.”

Jiang Yu: !

Right after saying that, a look of horror appeared on Jiang Yu’s face, “Mom, can I not give birth now?”

Mother Jiang: “It’s too late.”

Jiang Yu was only a little frightened, but Jiang Zhe’s brows furrowed deeply. He took out his phone and started searching online. Initially, he thought things were manageable, but reading about the potential dangers made him consider if it was worth the risk.

Jiang Yu, having heard women elders discuss such topics before, joked, “If something goes wrong, will you save me or the baby?”

Jiang Zhe replied seriously, “Of course, you.”

He was so earnest in saying he would save her that Jiang Yu burst into laughter, “Mom, Jiang Zhe says he would save me.”

Mother Jiang, seeing her daughter laughing, shook her head with a smile, “Don’t talk about such unlucky things. Hospitals won’t give you a choice nowadays. If the baby hasn’t been born yet, the priority is naturally the mother.”

Jiang Yu knew this, so she just wanted to tease them. She didn’t expect him to answer so straightforwardly without hesitation, making him seem adorably earnest.

Jiang Zhe, seeing her bright smile, didn’t think his answer was strange at all. If he had to choose, he would always choose her without hesitation. Meeting her was the best luck he had, and he would never risk losing her.

Jiang Yu moved into the hospital two days before her due date, staying in a VIP room. The doctor responsible for her delivery was a highly experienced obstetrician with many successful emergency deliveries under her belt.

Jiang Zhe had prepared everything he could for her, consulting Mother Jiang and his mother for things he might have missed. Over the past few days, Jiang Yu’s parents and Jiang Zhe’s mother all visited, filled with a mix of joy and concern as the baby’s birth approached.

Jiang Yu gave birth three days after her due date. The night before the delivery, seeing that nothing had happened yet, she worriedly asked her mother, “Mom, it’s taking so long. Is something wrong?”

Mother Jiang, seeing her daughter seriously asking this, couldn’t help but gently scold her, “There’s nothing wrong. It’s normal to be early or late by a few days.”

With her mother’s reassurance, Jiang Yu felt more at ease. Sure enough, the next evening, labor pains began. Feeling the pain, Jiang Yu called out to Jiang Zhe, “I think… it’s time.”

Knowing their daughter was about to give birth, Father and Mother Jiang couldn’t rest easy. As soon as Jiang Zhe called, they rushed over, having been on standby even while sleeping in regular clothes.

The doctor, after a brief examination, said, “It’s still early. We’ll wait a bit longer.”

Jiang Yu, feeling already uncomfortable, was disheartened to hear they had to wait. “We still have to wait?”

Jiang Zhe, unable to share her pain, felt anxious. He brought her a cup of warm water and, seeing her increasingly pained and pale face, offered his hand, “If it hurts too much, you can bite me.”

Jiang Yu didn’t bite him but held his hand instead, smiling weakly, “It’s okay. I can bear it.”

When she was dilated to three centimeters, she was taken to the delivery room. The hospital allowed one female elder to accompany her, so Mother Jiang went in with her.

Before going in, Jiang Zhe held Jiang Yu’s hand and said, “Don’t be afraid. We’re all here waiting for you.”

Jiang Yu glanced at her mother not far away, smiled softly, “I know, I’m not afraid. Mom will be with me.”

As the doctor urged them in, Jiang Zhe released her hand, and they entered the delivery room. Jiang Zhe waited outside, plunged into a seemingly endless wait.

Though it was only a few hours, it felt like an eternity. Waiting outside, Jiang Zhe’s heart was restless, unable to focus on anything else, just hoping for their safe delivery.

“Push a little harder, just a bit more, and the baby will be out,” the doctor encouraged.

Jiang Yu felt nothing but pain, so intense it made her spasm. She wanted to cry, to call for her mother, but she could only grit her teeth and persevere. As the doctor urged her on, Jiang Yu felt her consciousness slipping. She sensed her soul drifting away, leaving her body behind. She floated for what seemed like two hours, listening to the doctors’ excited exclamations announcing the birth of a beautiful baby girl. Throughout it all, Mother Jiang held her daughter’s hand. The woman on the bed, drenched in sweat and weak, turned to her mother and said, “Mom, it hurts so much.”

Jiang Yu watched this scene from above, feeling a strange detachment. The woman looked like her, yet not quite her. She drifted off into unconsciousness, and the doctors reassured, “She’s fine, just exhausted. She just needs rest.”

As they wheeled the weak Jiang Yu and the baby out, her soul floated along. Suddenly, the scene changed to a familiar city and the front of her old home. Hearing the laughter of children from the nearby kindergarten, she happily ran towards her home and rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a woman she didn’t recognize. Excitedly, she called out, “Mom!”

But the middle-aged woman who answered was a stranger. Jiang Yu froze. She looked at the door number to make sure it was her home. The woman, noticing her confusion, asked, “Did you knock on the wrong door?”

Jiang Yu asked, “Is this your home?”

“Of course, we’ve lived here for over ten years,” the woman replied.

Jiang Yu’s mind went blank. Her family had vanished from this world. Panicked, she apologized, “I’m sorry, I must have the wrong address,” and left.

She wandered aimlessly, the familiar surroundings now alien without her family. Looking at her reflection in a glass door, she saw her face was unchanged, but her life was turned upside down. She thought of Jiang Zhe and wondered if everything she experienced was a dream.

＊＊

Jiang Yu finally came out of the operating room. The doctor reassured Jiang Zhe that both mother and daughter were safe, and Jiang Yu was just exhausted and would wake up soon. Relieved, Jiang Zhe prepared formula for the baby with the help of both mothers. The confinement nanny also arrived to guide him on caring for the baby. Jiang Zhe learned quickly, though awkwardly at first, and soon became adept.

However, Jiang Yu remained unconscious for several days. Despite all her vitals being normal, she didn’t wake up. A week passed, and just as Jiang Zhe was about to transfer her to a better hospital, she woke up. But her gaze held a trace of unfamiliarity. She glanced at the baby, now cleaner and whiter, and chuckled softly.

“I thought I’d never wake up,” she murmured.

Jiang Zhe’s initial joy turned to suspicion. This wasn’t Jiang Yu. Alone in the room, Jiang Yu blinked at him, “Why that face? Don’t you like her? I’m a part of her. Shouldn’t you like me too? Or do you only love the good parts of her and reject the bad?”

Jiang Zhe’s eyes turned cold, “Where is she?”

“She left during childbirth, when her soul was weak,” the other Jiang Yu replied.

Jiang Zhe’s heart sank.

Jiang Yu, now a stranger, looked at him playfully. As he was about to leave with the baby, she said, “Don’t worry, she’ll be back.”

Jiang Zhe turned sharply, “When?”

“Hard to say. Could be a month, two months, a year, or even ten years.”

She reached out, “Let me see the baby.”

Reluctantly, Jiang Zhe brought the baby closer. Jiang Yu looked briefly and commented, “Cute, but I don’t like children. Take her away. I’m feeling very uncomfortable, and I don’t want the child to disturb me.”

She complained, “She left me with all this pain. How could I have let such a weak part of myself take over?”

Seeing Jiang Zhe’s icy stare, she continued, “What are you glaring at? I’m helping you. If I didn’t wake up, her body would’ve had issues. It’s okay if you don’t like me. When she returns, I’ll disappear. Unless she faces severe illness or an accident, she won’t be in this situation again.”

“Giving birth is like crossing the ghost gate. Do you men even understand?”

“She will return, but it will take a trigger.”

“For now, you need to take good care of me, oh, her body.”

‘Jiang Yu’ presented one face to Jiang Zhe and another to her parents. When Father and Mother Jiang came to visit, she acted like a sweet, delicate daughter, complaining about her discomfort. Jiang Zhe, juggling the care of their newborn and his observations of her behavior, maintained a cold, watchful eye but didn’t neglect her care.

After a few more days in the hospital, ‘Jiang Yu’ moved to a postpartum care center where professionals took care of her. This new version of Jiang Yu was less aggressive than before. Although she occasionally made biting remarks at Jiang Zhe, she didn’t lash out or curse. Sometimes, Jiang Zhe could even see a peaceful loneliness in her.

Meanwhile, the real Jiang Yu wandered the familiar yet strange city for several days. Luckily, she had a bank card with some money and her ID, so she managed to find a place to stay. Unsure if she could return to Jiang Zhe and the baby, she didn’t think too far ahead. She checked online for any information about herself but found nothing. To sustain herself, she took a part-time job at a convenience store.

After more than a month of working at the store, she ran into an acquaintance. In a world where she no longer existed, she didn’t expect anyone to recognize her, but this person called her name immediately.

They arranged to meet outside, where Jiang Yu learned that the woman’s family had some ties to the mystical world. Her family knew everything about Jiang Yu, and the woman had specifically come to find her. She said, “My uncle can help you. Come with me.”

Jiang Yu followed her to a large courtyard filled with various flowers. The woman’s uncle, a middle-aged man with a scholarly air and a small mustache, exuded an aura of mysticism. He calculated Jiang Yu’s situation and said, “It will take some time to send you back. I need to prepare. Meanwhile, you can help tend to the flowers in my courtyard. If you do well, I can send you back in about a year.”

Jiang Yu was incredulous. “A year?”

Seeing her reaction, the uncle said, “You think a year is long? Do you know why you returned? Your soul is too weak. If I send you back now, you’ll dissipate before you reach your body. Be patient, young one.”

This uncle, a kind of folk shaman, had many visitors seeking his advice. Sometimes, he traveled to exorcize evil spirits or receive gratitude from people he had helped, giving him an air of importance.

Jiang Yu wasn’t sure if he could truly help, but the people didn’t seem harmful. So, she settled down to take care of the flowers. The uncle had a detailed manual on flower care, and she followed it meticulously, from fertilizing to watering.

One day, the uncle went on a trip for about half a month. Upon his return, he found a third of his precious flowers dead. Infuriated, he checked the garden’s surveillance and saw that Jiang Yu had followed his instructions precisely. Yet, the flowers still died. How could someone be so incapable? Fearing for his remaining flowers, the uncle decided it was better to expedite sending her back, despite the personal cost.

These flowers weren’t ordinary; they were his treasures!

Initially, he thought her soul’s attributes suited flower care, but clearly, he was mistaken. The whole situation was infuriating!