Chapter 72

A few days later, Zhao Xin’s situation came to an end. She was dealt with in secret. Zhong Daren committed suicide by banging his head against the wall in prison, Zhao Xin’s husband was removed from his position, and others close to Zhao Xin faced varying degrees of negative consequences.

As a result, there were fewer gossipers in the compound, and the gossipy women avoided Lu Nong whenever they saw her. Sister Qin invited Li Lingyi over, and the three of them had a hearty laugh together.

Since Wang Hongmian had left with Ye Yiming, Li Lingyi and Sister Qin had started getting closer. This also led to Li Lingyi becoming more familiar with Lu Nong. After the three of them successfully thwarted Zhao Xin’s plot, their bond strengthened, and they began to meet regularly for chats.

As evening approached, Sister Qin and Li Lingyi had just left. Aunt Wu was busy preparing things for the hospital, while Lu Nong sat on the sofa, casually eating apples and snacks. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help, but she couldn’t, and sometimes her efforts would backfire. Aunt Wu had explicitly forbidden her from helping.

Little Huaihuai obediently sat beside Lu Nong, looking at picture books and trying to recognize words. His eyes frequently darted toward the plate of snacks on the table, and he swallowed hard, trying to resist the temptation.

A few days ago, Gu Xiaohuai was taken by his brother Pei Zheng to do bad things, including but not limited to stealing snacks from the kitchen; destroying his mother’s favorite cups and cosmetics; playing crazy all day and getting covered in yellow mud before going home…

Lu Nong decided to hold them accountable for their actions. The broken cup and cosmetics would be counted as a punishment, and the amount of snacks they had stolen would determine how many days they wouldn’t be allowed to have snacks.

Today marked the third day. Pei Zheng, a snack lover, had cracked under pressure by the second day, coming to Aunt Wu with a sorrowful face, begging for mercy.

This clever boy knew Lu Nong would not be lenient. He went to persuade Aunt Wu. In the past, every time Pei Zheng acted cute, Aunt Wu would give in to his demands, but this time, she thought he had gone too far and needed to learn a lesson, firmly resisting his attempts to charm her.

On the other hand, Huaihuai, though just a three-year-old, respected his mother’s rules. He longed for snacks but continued to hold back, occasionally swallowing his saliva.

Seeing Huaihuai struggle, Lu Nong stood up and took the snack plate into the kitchen, deciding not to have any herself.

When she was surfing the Internet, she saw a statement that said children should not be tempted to make mistakes. Since it is agreed that the punishment for children is not to allow them to eat snacks, snacks should not be put out to tempt children. Children will want to eat the snacks after seeing the snacks, and adults will soften their hearts and compromise when they see the children’s pitiful appearance.

Such behavior was not conducive to a child’s growth and represented a poor educational approach.

Just as she exited the kitchen, Lu Nong felt something was off. Looking down, she saw water trickling down her thigh. A shockwave hit her, and she stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

Fortunately, Aunt Wu came down from upstairs. Seeing Lu Nong standing in a daze at the kitchen door, she approached and exclaimed, “Oh no, your water broke! You need to lie down on the sofa. Hurry, call your husband! Oh dear, I can’t make calls either. There’s no one here to help. It’s almost mealtime. Why isn’t Pei Zheng back yet?”

Lu Nong took a deep breath and felt oddly calm. Following Aunt Wu’s advice, she moved to the sofa and said, “Don’t worry, Godmother. My belly doesn’t hurt. I think it’s not time yet. Just bring me the phone, I’ll call.”

Aunt Wu quickly handed the phone to Lu Nong. The call connected, but the office informed her that Pei Ji’an had already gone home.

After hanging up, Lu Nong felt an inexplicable sense of grievance wash over her, and tears nearly spilled from her eyes.

The adults’ anxiety had infected little Huaihuai. He clung to Lu Nong’s hand in terror, as if holding on would prevent his mother from disappearing. Lu Nong swallowed her tears and gently stroked his hair, reassuring him, “Don’t worry, Mama is fine.”

She tried to control her emotions and turned to Aunt Wu, saying, “Godmother, please go to Sister Qin’s house and ask for her help. She has given birth to four children and is very experienced. If we can’t make it to the hospital in time, we can only ask her to help with the birth at home.”

“Okay, I’ll go right now,” Aunt Wu said, hurrying out the door to Sister Qin’s house.

Before long, Sister Qin and Aunt Wu returned, both panting as they rushed back.

Sister Qin, still catching her breath, entered and lifted Lu Nong’s skirt to check. After putting it down, she said, “It’s not bad, it’s not bad, the cervix isn’t dilated yet, there’s still time to go to the hospital.”

Lu Nong breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this and was no longer nervous. Perhaps it was because she was in a relaxed mood, or perhaps it was because she was lying flat, the amniotic fluid flowing under her body gradually slowed down.

“But how are we going to the hospital?” Aunt Wu asked, her face filled with worry. This was the most pressing issue. Pei Ji’an was on his way back, and there was no one to drive Lu Nong to the hospital.

“Old Zhang’s car is at home. He left this morning with Old Zhao from the logistics department, taking Old Zhao’s car. The car is available, but there’s no one to drive it,” Sister Qin said.

Sister Qin frowned. Those boys were not at home. Zhang Kaiping had enlisted in the army a couple of days ago, and Pei Zheng, Shen Jiming, and Jiang Yu were still at school.

“If it comes down to it, we’ll have to deliver the baby at home,” Sister Qin said through gritted teeth.

As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Zheng walked in and froze upon seeing the scene. “What… happened?”

Aunt Wu felt a surge of joy. Pei Zheng had often stolen Pei Ji’an’s car. Now that the driver had arrived and Sister Qin had a car at home, they could finally send Lu Nong to the hospital.

“Lu Nong is about to give birth! Quickly, go to my house and drive your Uncle Zhang’s car. We need to take Lu Nong to the hospital,” Sister Qin urged, pushing Pei Zheng toward the door. Realizing the urgency, Pei Zheng took off running.

“Aunt Wu, hurry and pack some clothes for Lu Nong and some blankets and diapers for the baby. Also, we might need to stay at the hospital for a few days, so bring a basin and a lunchbox…”

Aunt Wu perked up. “It’s all packed. I’ll go up and get it right away.”

“Oh, and don’t forget Huaihuai,” Sister Qin said, turning to Lu Nong. “Shall we send him to my house to play with Niuniu?”

Lu Nong turned to Huaihuai. “Baby, do you want to go to Aunt Qin’s house? There are big sisters there. You can take Xiao Bai to play hide-and-seek with them.”

Huaihuai shook his head vigorously, gripping Lu Nong’s arm tightly. “I want to stay with Mama.”

It was hard to refuse such a sincere request from Huaihuai, and even Sister Qin was touched. Lu Nong, being his mother, held Huaihuai’s little hand and said, “Okay, we’ll all go to the hospital. You can see your little sister right away.”

Aunt Wu came downstairs carrying a large wicker basket, her right hand holding a nylon bag filled with a basin, towels, toothbrushes, and other necessities.

Pei Zheng drove the car straight into the yard. After leaving a note for Pei Ji’an, Sister Qin helped Lu Nong into the back seat of the car. Aunt Wu sat in the passenger seat with Huaihuai, while Sister Qin sat beside Lu Nong to take care of her.

In the car, Lu Nong’s lower abdomen began to cramp painfully, and she let out soft groans. Sister Qin wiped the sweat from Lu Nong’s forehead and reassured her, “It’s okay, it’s just the cervix opening. We’ll make it in time.”

The car sped toward the hospital, and Pei Zheng carried Lu Nong inside as soon as they arrived. Sister Qin struggled to keep up as she hurried to grab a doctor in a white coat, saying, “Doctor, my sister is about to give birth. Please help us!”

The doctor immediately summoned a nurse to call the obstetrician and requested a gurney. She stopped Pei Zheng and instructed him to put Lu Nong on it, telling him to handle her admission paperwork.

The obstetrician arrived quickly, lifted Lu Nong’s dress, examined her, and then lowered it again. “The cervix is three centimeters dilated. Let’s take her to the delivery room.”

Lu Nong was wheeled into the delivery room, and the pain in her stomach intensified; it felt as if a small hammer was pounding against her. Every now and then, the doctor would come to reassure her, letting her know how much progress she was making. Lu Nong had always thought menstrual cramps were the worst pain in the world, but now she realized that childbirth was on a completely different level.

She vowed never to have a second child.

Outside the delivery room, Aunt Wu paced nervously. Unable to calm her worries, she approached the door and pressed her ear against it, trying to hear any sounds from inside. “Why is it so quiet?” she wondered.

Pei Zheng sat on a chair, holding Huaihuai. The little one, not fully aware of what was happening, was not too frightened. It was Pei Zheng who felt scared. He had never imagined that childbirth could be so terrifying.

Sister Qin pulled Aunt Wu down into a seat. “Please sit still. Your pacing gives me a headache. I’ll go to the entrance to meet Old Pei. If he sees the note we left at home, he should come to the hospital soon.”

At the hospital entrance, as soon as Pei Ji’an parked the jeep and turned off the engine, he threw open the door and rushed toward the hospital, completely unlike his usual calm demeanor.

As he entered the hospital, he ran straight into Sister Qin, who was coming out to meet him. Pei Ji’an helped her up and asked anxiously, “Sister-in-law, where’s Lu Nong? Is she okay?”

“You finally made it! Hurry, she’s in labor,” Sister Qin said, leading Pei Ji’an to the delivery room.

“Uncle.”

“Dad.”

Seeing Pei Ji’an, Aunt Wu and Pei Zheng both stood up from their chairs.

Pei Ji’an said nothing, his eyes fixated on the red letters that read “In Surgery.” If it weren’t for Pei Zheng noticing his father’s trembling fingers, he might have thought Pei Ji’an was calm.

Giving birth is like going through the gates of hell for a woman. Pei Ji’an closed his eyes and clenched his fists to stop his hands from shaking. When he was young in the village, he had witnessed Gu Weiguo’s sister-in-law struggle to give birth. Buckets of blood were brought out, and the people in the room went from screaming to silence. In the end, both mother and child were lost.

Inside the delivery room, Lu Nong was fully dilated. A young nurse entered and said, “Lu Nong, your husband is here. He’s waiting outside for you. Just focus on your delivery, and once the baby is born, the whole family will be reunited.”

Upon hearing that Pei Ji’an had arrived, Lu Nong immediately burst into tears. “Why isn’t he coming in? I’m in so much pain giving birth. Why can’t he come in?”

The nurse was taken aback, realizing that Lu Nong hadn’t cried despite the pain, but was now crying upon hearing her husband was outside. Flustered, she said, “Please don’t cry. He really wants to come in, but hospital rules prevent family from entering the delivery room. I had to stop him.”

The doctor nearby said, “Let’s focus on what’s important now. Just listen to me and breathe. Yes, push.”

The pain was unbearable. Lu Nong screamed in agony, and her cries echoed out of the delivery room. Aunt Wu jumped up, exclaiming, “She’s starting to give birth! She’s starting to give birth!”

Pei Ji’an could no longer hold back. He pushed open the delivery room door and walked in. The nurse immediately spotted him and exclaimed, “Hey, hey, Comrade, how did you get in here? Even if…”

Before she could finish, she fell silent under Pei Ji’an’s icy glare.

Pei Ji’an moved to Lu Nong’s side, leaned down, and took her hand. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here,” he reassured her.

Lu Nong pouted in distress, “Why did it take you so long to get here? It hurts so much.”

Pei Ji’an replied, “I know, it’s all my fault. I should have come in earlier.”

Another wave of intense pain hit Lu Nong. Following the doctor’s instructions, she pushed with all her might. Halfway through, she shook her head, gasping for breath. “It hurts too much, I don’t want to give birth anymore.”

The doctor turned to Pei Ji’an and said, “The mother doesn’t have any strength left. Comrade, you need to encourage her. The baby is almost here. If this drags on, it could lead to complications, putting both mother and child in danger.”

Pei Ji’an squeezed Lu Nong’s hand tightly. “Alright, no more babies after this. Just focus and pull through. Our little Ah Xia will be here soon.”

…Please.”

Pei Ji’an took a silver ring from his pocket and slid it onto Lu Nong’s ring finger. He kissed her hand and rested his forehead against the ring.

Lu Nong felt her fingers, which Pei Ji’an was gripping tightly, start to ache. She heard him say those two words, though softly; she still managed to catch them—”Please.”

In a daze, Lu Nong felt as if divine courage had been granted to her. Following the doctor’s repeated encouragement, she summoned the last of her strength. Finally, just as she was about to lose consciousness, she heard the doctor’s joyful voice exclaim, “It’s a girl, it’s a girl!”

Lu Nong thought to herself, yes, Pei Ji’an was right. Our little Ah Xia has arrived.