Chapter 27: A Big Name in the County Town

Huang Yuelan was already famous in her village by the time she was six months pregnant, because her belly was astonishingly large.

Now, at over eight months, her belly had doubled in size. No one in the village had ever seen such a large belly; it was truly eye-opening, and Huang Yuelan’s belly became the biggest news in the village.

“Jianguo, why is your wife’s belly so big? Could it be twins?”

Wang Jianguo was in a particularly good mood; after all, he was about to become a father. He patiently answered any question put to him: “Who knows? We’ll have to wait until the baby is born to find out.”

“How much longer until she gives birth?” The villagers seemed even more concerned than Wang Jianguo.

Wang Jianguo: “Soon, about a month or so.”

“A month or so?! Isn’t that almost time to give birth? You shouldn’t just focus on working; spend more time at home with your wife. With a belly that big, she’s not very mobile. What if she goes into premature labor and no one is around?” an aunt warned.

Wang Jianguo nodded. “Yes, thank you, Auntie, for reminding me.”

This aunt was clearly an experienced mother, having given birth to over ten children. She was very knowledgeable about childbirth.

Although they say pregnancy lasts ten months, many women don’t make it to full term; their babies arrive early, especially those who continue to work hard.

Wang Jianguo had been focused on earning work points, as more work points meant more grain and coupons.

But now he felt he needed to shift his priorities. Although there was still about a month left, strictly speaking, it was only about twenty days.

Before going home, Wang Jianguo went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought some of Huang Yuelan’s favorite snacks.

“Wife, should we pack up and go to the county hospital tomorrow? Don’t wait until your labor starts; that would be too late,” Wang Jianguo discussed with Huang Yuelan.

In rural areas, few women go to the hospital to give birth; most hire a midwife at home. There are three main reasons: First, and most importantly, poverty; they don’t have the money. Second, many obstetricians are male, and rural people are relatively conservative and feel embarrassed. Third, it’s inconvenient. There are no buses from their village to the county town; they can only take a farm vehicle, and the roads are terrible, bumpy and arduous. By the time they reach the county hospital, the baby might already be born.

Wang Jianguo had also considered hiring a midwife, but seeing his wife’s unusually large belly—twice the size of others—he was afraid the midwife wouldn’t be able to handle it, and a last-minute transfer to the hospital would be troublesome. It was safer to go directly to the hospital.

“It’s still about a month away. What’s the rush? You don’t need to be so anxious to see the baby. Besides, you have to work to earn money every day,” Huang Yuelan said to Wang Jianguo.

Wang Jianguo: “Nothing in this world is more important than you. I’ve seen pregnant women before, but none had a belly as big as yours. I’m worried about you, and for the sake of our baby’s safe arrival, let’s go early.”

After some thought, Huang Yuelan agreed with Wang Jianguo. Things have priorities. Money can be earned anytime, but childbirth is crucial, involving the lives of both mother and child. “Okay, then take my prepared maternity bag and other necessities. Let’s go to the county town tomorrow.”

“Okay, I’ll pack up now,” Wang Jianguo said and began packing.

Since learning she was pregnant, Huang Yuelan had been constantly preparing baby supplies and had almost everything ready, packed in a bundle—what would later be called a maternity bag.

It contained everything: baby clothes, diapers, hats, and blankets.

Huang Yuelan also suspected she might be carrying twins, given the size of her belly, so she prepared two sets of everything. Even if she only had one baby, there would be plenty, and it would be troublesome to buy more later if needed.

In addition to baby supplies, she also packed blankets, cups, a thermos, a basin, towels, and toilet paper.

Hospitals in those days were not like those of later generations, where everything was readily available. Hospitals didn’t provide bedding, so they had to bring their own.

Besides personal items, they also packed food, as they couldn’t eat at the hospital cafeteria.

After packing everything, they had four or five bundles plus rolled-up blankets, filling a small cart.

Wang Jianguo was preparing to take his wife to the county hospital early but also made arrangements for his two younger brothers-in-law, buying them enough rice, flour, oil, and leaving them enough money and coupons.

Although only seven or eight years old, the two boys were quite self-reliant, able to cook and help with farm work.

Before leaving, Huang Yuelan gave her brothers instructions: don’t get into trouble. If they encounter any problems they can’t solve, go to the team leader; if the team leader can’t solve it, take a vehicle to the hospital to find them.

“We know, sister. Don’t worry, we’ll study hard at home and stay out of trouble!”

The two brothers had behaved very well in the past year, studying diligently and learning to cook, so Huang Yuelan was relatively reassured.

The next day, Wang Jianguo used a wheelbarrow to transport Huang Yuelan and her belongings to the county hospital.

“Jianguo, you have so many bags and bundles. What are you doing?” To avoid jarring Huang Yuelan, Wang Jianguo took the main road, where he would meet many acquaintances.

Wang Jianguo’s status had changed dramatically. No longer the outcast “wild man,” he was now a handsome hero in the eyes of many girls and young wives. People would look at him and chat with him.

Wang Jianguo replied, “My wife is about to give birth, so I’m taking her to the county hospital.”

“Isn’t it still about a month away? Why go so early?” Some villagers were puzzled. Going early would not only delay work but also cost money in the county town.

“I’m afraid of accidents, so I thought it’s better to go early,” Wang Jianguo continued pushing the wheelbarrow forward.

In those days, many women died in childbirth. Difficult deliveries could only be handled by experienced midwives; otherwise, it was a matter of fate, unlike later generations where cesarean sections were an option.

“Look at that husband, how kind he is to his wife!”

“Capable men know how to cherish their wives, while incompetent men complain about their wives.”

The men nearby turned green.

Why praise Wang Jianguo and put others down?

“Different people have different fates. Huang Yuelan, who loves to eat good food and doesn’t like to work, has a husband who loves her so much. She’s truly blessed.”

“That’s right. When I was pregnant, forget about snacks and sweets; I only got sugar water and eggs in the first few days of my confinement.”

“You got sugar water and eggs? When I gave birth to my daughter, I didn’t even see an eggshell. My in-laws didn’t care and continued to work as usual.”

Recalling the sad memories, they couldn’t help but feel envious of Huang Yuelan.

Her husband not only bought her snacks but also gave her sugar water and eggs. A month before her due date, he took her to the hospital.

Although everyone knew it was because of the size of her belly, they would never have received such treatment.

Previously, they thought Wang Jianguo, a “wild man,” was undesirable. Now they realized what was so bad about marrying him? He was handsome, kind to his wife, and without parents or siblings, there were no worries about mother-in-law conflicts, sister-in-law conflicts, or being bullied by his younger sister-in-law…

From the first production team to the county hospital, it would take over an hour by tractor, and naturally longer by wheelbarrow. Wang Jianguo didn’t dare push too fast, so it would take four or five hours.

Despite Wang Jianguo’s careful pushing and choosing smooth paths, the mountain road was bumpy, and Huang Yuelan felt dizzy.

“Wang Jianguo, I’ll walk myself,” Huang Yuelan called out to stop.

Wang Jianguo thought she was worried about him being tired. “Wife, it’s okay. I’m not tired at all. Just sit there, don’t worry about me.”

“I’m dizzy if I don’t walk. I feel more comfortable walking,” Huang Yuelan insisted.

Hearing his wife’s dizziness, Wang Jianguo quickly stopped the cart and helped her down.

“Wife, are you very dizzy? Should we rest by the roadside?” Wang Jianguo asked Huang Yuelan.

Huang Yuelan: “It’s okay, just a little dizzy.”

After saying that, Huang Yuelan walked forward, supporting her large belly. People around her were afraid she would lose her balance and her belly would fall to the ground. Everyone thought it must be twins or some kind of abnormality.

“I’ll push you when the road gets better,” Wang Jianguo said to Huang Yuelan.

“Okay.” Huang Yuelan saw the fine sweat on Wang Jianguo’s forehead, showing how tired he was from pushing her.

She wasn’t fat, but her weight had soared during pregnancy. She was now almost as wide as she was tall, weighing nearly 200 kilograms, making it very strenuous.

At noon, Wang Jianguo roasted some cured meat and glutinous rice cakes for Huang Yuelan by the roadside.

They walked on and off, and when they were half an hour from the county hospital, Huang Yuelan’s stomach suddenly ached.

“Wife, bear with it; we’re almost at the hospital,” Wang Jianguo quickened his pace when he saw his wife’s pain.

The pain came and went, with shorter intervals. Huang Yuelan knew it was the labor pains people talked about.

Upon reaching the hospital, Wang Jianguo found a nurse. “Doctor, my wife has stomach pains and is about to give birth. Please arrange for her.”

The nurse was stunned to see Wang Jianguo. He was so handsome! She looked again and recognized him—the champion of the Red Flag Commune militia competition. His picture had been posted at the commune entrance for a month.

Wang Jianguo was now famous not only in the first production team but also in the commune and county town.

He was not only the militia competition champion but also a pest control hero!

Knowing his glorious deeds, the nurse warmly greeted them: “Follow me; I’ll arrange a doctor for you right away.”