Qin Fang hadn’t celebrated his birthday for five or six years and had truly forgotten about it.

He was surprised that his wife remembered.

He accepted the cake and longevity noodles, asking, “How is everything at home?”

Uncle Hong replied, “All is well, but I came here today with a matter to discuss with Centurion Han.”

Instantly, Qin Fang turned to Han Zhen.

Han Zhen asked, “Did you come to deliver meals for my family?” That was the only thing he could think of.

Uncle Hong quickly clarified, “No, it’s not that. It’s about something that happened with Mrs. Han. I came to deliver the longevity noodles when…”

As Uncle Hong spoke, Han Zhen’s face darkened.

He never expected that someone from his hometown would reach here.

However, given his stepmother’s character, it was certainly possible.

Realizing this, Han Zhen said to Qin Fang, “Sir, I need to take a leave.”

Qin Fang nodded, “Take care of the arrangements below and have someone report who will take your shift.”

Han Zhen replied, “Understood.”

He arranged for someone to cover his shift, informed Qin Fang he was taking leave, and quickly headed back to the family quarters.

Upon returning home, Han Zhen saw his father and the others in the yard, along with Yang Haiyan standing at the door and the door shut tight.

His heart raced: “Thank you for your kindness; how is Dahua?”

Seeing his son, Old Man Han wanted to call out but couldn’t make a sound.

After six years apart, if they passed each other on the street, he wouldn’t even dare to recognize his son.

It was only now, as he stepped in here, that he felt he could.

Yang Haiyan said, “She was pushed to the ground and bled. Doctor Wang said the baby was premature, and although she is still bleeding, her cervix hasn’t opened, and the baby can’t come out. Right now, Dahua has taken some medicine, and her cervix is about to open; the midwife is inside, ready to assist.”

Han Zhen’s fists clenched so tightly that veins stood out: “Is she… is she in danger?”

Yang Haiyan comforted him, “For now, it’s uncertain. Doctor Wang said the baby is already nine months along; if everything goes smoothly, it won’t be too dangerous. But if the baby can’t be delivered, then Dahua and the baby will naturally be at risk.”

Hearing this, Han Zhen felt a surge of anxiety rising and swirling within him, taking a long time to suppress it.

He called out from outside, “Dahua, I’m here; don’t be afraid. I’m with you through everything.”

Hearing his voice, Yang Dahua weakly responded, “I’m not afraid.”

After that, Han Zhen fell silent, fearing that too many words would exhaust Dahua’s strength.

He turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over the four people in the yard.

Old Man Han awkwardly said, “Dog… dog…”

Yang Haiyan nearly burst out laughing upon hearing that.

She said, “Captain Han, I’ll leave Aunt Yu here to take care of things; I’ll head back now.”

They likely had family matters to address, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to stay.

Han Zhen pondered for a moment, then said, “Sister-in-law, can we talk privately?”

Yang Haiyan glanced at him and nodded, “Granny Lian, you come with me.”

Granny Lian followed closely behind Yang Haiyan.

They left the Han household and found a secluded spot.

Han Zhen first cupped his hands in respect, saying, “Sister-in-law, after Dahua gives birth, could she stay with you for a while? Once my father and stepmother leave, I’ll bring her back.”

He understood his stepmother’s nature well; she wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.

How could he, as her son, force his biological father to leave?

To prevent that woman from bullying Dahua in his absence, he entrusted her care to Yang Haiyan.

Yang Haiyan, having read about his stepmother in the novels, knew she was a difficult and clever person.

Thus, she wouldn’t refuse, “That’s fine.”

Han Zhen expressed his gratitude, “Thank you very much.”

If it weren’t for Yang Haiyan being there today, he would have been genuinely worried about what might happen.

Yang Haiyan left Aunt Yu to help and took Granny Lian, Aunt Fan, and the guards back with her.

She couldn’t help but feel curious about how Han Zhen would resolve matters with his family.

Life in ancient times was too lonely, and she wanted to hear some gossip.

Once home, Yang Haiyan said, “Granny, prepare two guest rooms in the west wing.”

Mama Lian replied, “Two?”

Yang Haiyan affirmed, “Yes, one for Dahua, and perhaps Mrs. Cui will come over as well.”

Granny Lian responded, “Yes.”

After Yang Haiyan left, the Han household remained relatively peaceful.

With Yang Dahua inside giving birth, Han Zhen had no heart to deal with family matters.

However, seeing that his son was ignoring them, Old Man Han, under the urging gaze of Han’s stepmother, finally spoke up, “Dogzi, we’ve traveled a long way and are tired. Can you find us a place to rest?”

Han Zhen hadn’t seen Old Man Han for five or six years.

If this visit had been under different circumstances, he might have felt a bit of joy at seeing his father.

But in this moment, with his wife inside undergoing a premature birth, he felt no happiness at all—especially since Old Man Han had the audacity to say such a thing.

Han Zhen turned around, his gaze sweeping over the four of them, and coldly asked, “Who pushed Dahua?”

Han’s stepmother was taken aback by his icy tone, especially the intensity in his eyes, as if he were ready to kill.

She swallowed hard, stammering, “Dog… Dogzi, I didn’t mean to. I tripped over a stone and accidentally bumped into her.”

She couldn’t play the victim here, especially with Mrs. Cui present, so she had to alter her story.

Han Zhen knew this woman was scheming and wouldn’t engage in a debate with her.

He simply stated, “If anything happens to Dahua or the baby, I’ll take your life.”

Old Man Han took a few steps back in fear, while Madam Han sat on the ground and cried out loudly, “Han Dogzi, you unfilial son! You’ve been away from home for so many years without a word, and now your father and I come to find you, and you threaten me… You unfilial son!”

Her wails echoed through the street, drawing the attention of the neighbors in the family quarters, many of whom came out to see what was happening.

Han Zhen watched her cry with a cold, unmoved expression.

When he was younger, this woman often cried like this, and his father would think he had caused trouble again and would chase him around to beat him.

Before he turned ten, he yearned for his father’s affection and care, so he wouldn’t run away when he was hit.

After he turned ten, he learned to run all over the village to escape.

Han Zhen didn’t care about losing face and was indifferent to the onlookers; he stood at the door with a blank expression, waiting for Yang Dahua to give birth.

Yang Dahua was a strong woman; only those who had experienced childbirth could truly understand the pain involved, especially for someone like her who was experiencing a premature birth due to being pushed.

She endured the pain in her abdomen, biting her lip to keep silent, fearing that Han Zhen outside would worry.

Inside, the midwife encouraged her, “The cervix is opening, the baby is coming; don’t lose heart…”

---

Qin’s Residence

Yang Haiyan looked up at the sky.

The once clear sky was now clouded over, and the darkness descended rapidly, indicating an impending rain.

Granny Lian noticed Yang Haiyan’s pensive expression, asking, “Madam, are you worried about something?”

Yang Haiyan shook her head, “What worries could I have in this life? I just suddenly remembered that it seldom rains at the border, but the people here don’t lack for water.”

Granny Lian replied, “That’s because of the Yong River.”

Suddenly, a rumble of thunder echoed through the air, causing Yang Haiyan to flinch.

She wasn’t afraid of thunder, but the suddenness of the sound was startling.

Putting down the cloth she had been working on, she lost interest in her embroidery that was meant to pass the time. “Granny Lian, how do you think the rich and noble live? Every day, it’s just waking up to wait for night, then waiting for morning again, without finding anything meaningful to do.”

She thought if only they could bring out a generator or a television, watching two or three movies a day would add some flair to life.

Granny Lian thought for a moment, “Some girls from wealthy families pass their time with painting books.”

Yang Haiyan thought that ancient painting books were boring; they couldn’t compare to modern novels.

With that in mind, she waved her hand and asked Granny Lian to leave while she searched for novels on the platform.

There were indeed many novels available. Although they were in book form, they could still be a way to pass the time.

For example, when Qin Fang was on night duty, she could hide away and read.

Suddenly, she remembered a novel titled The General’s Wife, which was quite famous on the J Literature website. Yang Haiyan searched for it but was disappointed not to find it.

“Madam… Madam…” While Yang Haiyan was trying to kill time, Aunt Yu arrived. “Madam, Captain Han is here carrying Mrs. Han.”

Yang Haiyan hurriedly instructed, “Go to the west wing.” Saying that, she rushed outside as well.

Aunt Yu had come to deliver the news first.

Yang Haiyan followed her out of the main courtyard and saw Han Zhen carrying Yang Da Hua as they entered, with Mrs. Cui beside them holding a baby.

Yang Haiyan said, “Come this way.”

The guest rooms had been tidied up nicely, with a faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the air.

Han Zhen gently placed Yang Dahua down.

Inside, Mrs. Cui had already cleaned everything up for Yang Dahua.

Her face looked pale, and she weakly said, “Haiyan, I’ve caused you trouble.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “We’re sisters; how could this be a trouble? Don’t be so polite with me.”

Yang Dahua smiled faintly.

Yang Haiyan continued, “Aunt Fan has already warmed the red date and sugar-filled eggs for you; you should drink some later.” Red dates help replenish blood, and sugar-filled eggs are good for women who have just given birth, helping restore the strength lost during childbirth.

Yang Dahua remarked, “You’re so thoughtful.”

Yang Haiyan smiled, “Don’t overthink it; just relax here and recover.”

Yang Dahua nodded, taking out a couple of silver coins from her pouch. “Haiyan, please have Aunt Fan prepare the meals for me during this time. If I run out of silver, just let me know.”

Yang Haiyan accepted the coins without hesitation, “I’ll take one or two for now; we can settle up later.”

Yang Dahua felt relieved, “Okay.”

If Haiyan hadn’t accepted, she would have felt awkward, thinking that the other was pitying her.

With Haiyan accepting, it made her feel they were equals, and that pleased her.

Han Zhen thanked Yang Haiyan again, sincerely saying, “Sister-in-law, I’ll head back now. Once I’ve taken care of things at home, I’ll return to the barracks. During this time, please take care of Dahua and the baby.”