Chapter 177 Production

Aunt Zhou patted Xiao Ruyi's head and praised her, "Our little Ruyi has such a good memory. You'll have to say this later: It's a good thing that Auntie has a little brother. Only a little brother can protect you, and you won't be bullied by your in-laws in the future..."

Sister-in-law Xue raised an eyebrow. She didn't take Zhou Ma's words seriously and didn't intend to instill such ideas in Xiao Ruyi. After all, her brothers had never stood up for her, even though they lived nearby. So having a younger brother didn't mean Xiao Ruyi could be protected.

But she couldn't argue with her mother-in-law in front of her, because she didn't want to be endlessly scolded by her mother-in-law in the days to come.

Holding Xiao Ruyi's hand, she interrupted Zhou Ma with a smile, "Mom, I'll take Xiao Ruyi to the restroom first, so she won't keep crying and demanding to go to the restroom on the bus."

Aunt Zhou waved her hand, "Go on! Come back soon, we're leaving soon."

"Okay, I'll be back as soon as possible," Sister-in-law Xue readily agreed.

After using the toilet, when no one was around, Sister-in-law Xue whispered, "If Grandma asks your aunt if the baby in her belly is a boy or a girl, remember to say it's a girl. Your aunt likes girls, and she'll be even happier to hear that it's a girl."

She didn't want Xiao Ruyi to be implicated because of her mother-in-law's affairs. She felt that Lin Yuanshu probably wouldn't want to see her mother-in-law hoping for her to give birth to a son.

Little Ruyi gave a bright smile and said earnestly, "I remember, I will make Auntie happy."

She liked her aunt very much because she could feel her aunt's affection for her.

“This is our secret. You can’t tell anyone. If you do, Mom will be very upset, and Grandma will scold you,” Sister-in-law Xue repeatedly warned.

Little Ruyi covered her mouth with a frightened look on her face and earnestly promised, "I won't tell anyone."

She was also afraid of her grandmother getting angry, because when her grandmother got angry, everyone would be unhappy.

Sister-in-law Xue led Xiao Ruyi back to the living room. After everyone was present, Zhou Ma did not linger at home. Everyone got up and left the living room, taking the bus to Lin Yuanshu's house.

As the sun set, Lin Yuanshu returned home from get off work. As soon as she entered the house, she saw Zhou Dafu and others sitting in her living room. Zhou Xiangyang and her mother were chatting with them. She greeted everyone very politely.

As Zhou Ma came over to help Lin Yuanshu with his handbag, she asked with concern, "How's your stomach today? Is anything bothering you? Don't suffer for work; your health is more important."

Lin Yuanshu shook his head and said with a smile, "I'm fine, there's nothing uncomfortable about it."

Looking at Lin Yuanshu's belly, Aunt Zhou praised him earnestly, "The baby in your belly is so sensible. He knows how to care for his mother even at such a young age. You can tell he's a filial and good child even before he's born..."

Lin Yuanshu smiled but didn't reply, because she didn't know how to respond; she felt that no matter what she said, it would be awkward.

Zhou Xiangyang stood up from his chair, pointed to the kitchen, and said, "You two can continue chatting. I'll go make dinner first."

He prefers cooking in the kitchen to chatting with his parents in the living room.

Zhou Xiangling quickly followed behind Zhou Xiangyang, smiling as she said, "Second brother, let me help you."

After spending so many years with Lin Yuanshu, she had come to understand one thing: Lin Yuanshu was as hard as iron and impervious to reason. It was better to please her second brother than to please her, since her second brother was soft-hearted and valued relationships.

After thinking for a moment, Lin's mother felt embarrassed to do nothing and leave her son-in-law and his sister to take care of dinner, so she also went to the kitchen.

Sister-in-law Xue originally wanted to go and help, but she was worried about her husband's work. After thinking it over, she decided to stay in the living room.

Lin Yuanshu chatted with Zhou Dafu and others for more than half an hour about work-related matters.

Zhou Dafu cleared his throat and got down to business. "As the saying goes, a hero needs three helpers. It's tough for you to work alone in the research institute. Those so-called subordinates are all about personal gain. When you're useful, they're your leaders; when you're not, they're your creditors. You need to find a way to put your own people in the research institute."

"One of our own?" Lin Yuanshu looked at Zhou Dafu with a puzzled expression.

Even though Chow Tai Fook was speaking Chinese, how come she couldn't understand him?

Zhou's mother couldn't hold back any longer and said loudly, "How can you not understand? You can arrange for Xiang Jun to work in the research institute! Xiang Jun is a college student, he won't make you lose face. I'm not bragging, Xiang Jun's work ability is very impressive. From childhood to adulthood, no matter what he learns, he learns it very quickly. My little sister was able to get into university thanks to Xiang Jun teaching her."

The older brother nodded excitedly and said confidently, "Don't worry, once I'm in the research institute, I promise I'll follow your lead and won't betray you. After all, we're in a relationship where we share both glory and ruin. I'm definitely more reliable than those people who don't know my background."

Zhou Dafu and the others looked at Lin Yuanshu expectantly, waiting for his answer.

Lin Yuanshu refused without hesitation: "I don't need any help. I'm going to work at the research institute, not to form cliques. Besides, my brother knows nothing about medicine. Once he's in the institute, let alone help me, it's hard to say whether he can even stay!"

Even if she were just bored and had nothing better to do, she wouldn't create such a weakness for herself.

Aunt Zhou waved her hand dismissively, saying confidently, "How do you know he can't do it if you don't let your older brother try? What if he can stay?"

Lin Yuanshu sneered, "I don't own the research institute. Do you think he can just try it out whenever he wants? I wish I could fly to the moon! Can you arrange a rocket for me to try?"

Zhou's mother was speechless for a moment.

Zhou Dafu pursed his lips and said with a serious expression, "Second wife, we're doing this for your own good..."

Before Zhou Dafu could finish speaking, Lin Yuanshu interrupted him, saying, "If you keep talking, I'm going to get upset."

She didn't come home from get off work to hear things she didn't want to hear. If she couldn't do whatever she wanted at home even as the deputy director, then she had served as deputy director for nothing.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Dafu immediately shut his mouth. Although his eldest son was important, he was more important, and there was no need to offend Lin Yuanshu for the sake of his eldest son.

He glanced at his eldest son and gestured for him to speak, implying that since it was his eldest son's responsibility, he should let his eldest son handle it himself.

The older brother felt his heart sink. He had thought he would have a chance to enter the research institute, but Lin Yuanshu rejected him outright, not giving him any chance at all.

He hesitated, but ultimately said nothing. His father didn't want to offend Lin Yuanshu, and neither did he! The main problem was that Lin Yuanshu was ruthless. If he didn't offend her, he could remain a teacher without any trouble. He didn't want to end up losing more than he gained.

Although they were extremely disappointed, they had no choice but to accept the outcome and did not dare to confront Lin Yuanshu directly.

Seeing the tense atmosphere in the living room, Zhou Ma changed the subject to ease the tension: "I heard from others that children have 'spiritual intelligence' and can tell the condition of a pregnant woman's pregnancy. Little Ruyi, come and see if Auntie is carrying a little brother or a little sister?"

Xiao Ruyi glanced at Sister-in-law Xue subconsciously, then turned to look at Lin Yuanshu and whispered, "It's my sister."

Zhou Ma's smile vanished instantly. Suppressing her anger, she spoke softly, "Little Ruyi, did you not hear what Grandma asked? Grandma will ask again, is it a little brother or a little sister in Auntie's belly?"

Although Grandma didn't get angry, Xiao Ruyi still sensed the change in her grandmother's attitude. A little scared, she ran to Sister-in-law Xue's side and threw herself into her arms.

Seeing this, Lin Yuanshu stepped forward to defuse the situation, saying, "Mom, please don't ask Xiaoruyi about this anymore. Xiaoruyi is just a child. She doesn't understand anything. Whether it's a boy or a girl, it's still my and Zhou Xiangyang's child. To us, there's no difference."

Although she wants a baby girl, she would welcome a baby boy into their lives and would not treat him differently if it were a boy.

Zhou's mother smiled awkwardly, then said emphatically, "I knew they were talking nonsense. The idea that children have 'spiritual abilities' and can tell a pregnant woman's pregnancy status is utter nonsense, feudal thinking, and should be overthrown. We need to be scientific now..."

Lin Yuanshu: "..."

Her mother-in-law is as shameless as ever, only listening to what she wants to hear. Luckily, she moved out; otherwise, living together every day would have been exhausting for her.

Thanks to Zhou Ma's efforts, the already somewhat tense atmosphere became extremely tense.

Lin Yuanshu didn't want to chat with them aimlessly, so he made up an excuse and went back to his room to read, leaving the Zhou family members alone in the living room looking at each other.

Although Zhou Xiangyang and Lin Yuanshu didn't like the Zhou family, they still had to put on a show. The dinner was full of hearty dishes, including steamed buns made from two kinds of flour, braised pork, fried meatballs, and so on.

The Zhou family didn't stand on ceremony at all, eating the meat heartily without picking at any vegetables. Although everyone except the children had a job, they still couldn't eat meat as they pleased.

Since they didn't achieve their goal, at least they should eat their fill of meat! They can't have come all this way and gotten nothing in return!

After finishing their meal, Zhou Dafu and the others patted their round bellies, perked up, and chatted with Lin Yuanshu for more than half an hour before reluctantly leaving Lin Yuanshu's house.

It wasn't that they wanted to leave quickly, but if they didn't leave soon, it would get darker and darker, and if they missed the last bus, they would have to walk home.

Lin Yuanshu and Zhou Xiangyang escorted the Zhou family to the bus stop. They mainly wanted to take a walk to digest their food and also drop them off, showing their filial piety to outsiders.

When Zhou Dafu and his group arrived at the bus stop, Zhou's mother casually said, "You don't need to see us off anymore. We've walked this road many times and know it like the back of our hand. Especially for the second daughter-in-law, who is heavily pregnant, walking is not convenient for her. Go back!"

Lin Yuanshu and Zhou Xiangyang exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Okay."

Although they said that, they didn't leave immediately. Instead, they waited until Zhou Dafu and his group boarded the bus before leisurely strolling home.

They've already received most of the people they needed to, and there shouldn't be anyone else coming to disturb their peaceful lives.

As Zhou Ma watched the two figures leave, she sighed, "If only they were really that filial."

Zhou Dafu complained, "This is the good son you raised, and the good daughter-in-law you chose."

Aunt Zhou retorted, "That's true, but the reason they've become like this is because you, as the head of the family, neglect your duties and only think about getting promoted."

“If I don’t get promoted, you’ll all starve,” Zhou Dafu said matter-of-factly.

Unable to win an argument with Zhou Dafu, Zhou's mother turned her head to the other side, no longer wanting to pay attention to him.

Sister-in-law Xue noticed Zhou Ma's gaze and subconsciously pulled Xiao Ruyi closer to her.

Aunt Zhou stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, "Little Ruyi, how could you say that your aunt is carrying a little sister? If it's a little sister, no one will be able to protect you, and you'll be bullied by outsiders in the future. You should say it's a little brother."

Little Ruyi was confused. "Mom will protect me, and Auntie will protect me too."

“But they are not younger brothers. Only a younger brother can protect you for a lifetime,” Aunt Zhou said firmly.

Sister-in-law Xue retorted softly, "Mom, your brother didn't protect you either, how can you expect Xiao Ruyi's brother to protect her!"

Despite her unease, Zhou's mother retorted defiantly, "If they lived in Beijing, they would definitely protect me. It's the distance that's the problem, not that they didn't want to protect me."

Sister-in-law Xue recalled what Lin Yuanshu had told her before and said confidently, "I don't care about the process, I only care about the result."

With her hands on her hips, Aunt Zhou grumbled, "Who told you to talk to me like that? Little Ruyi messed things up today, she must have learned it from you. She's so unreliable. I told her repeatedly before we left, but she always messes things up at crucial moments..."

Sister-in-law Xue took a deep breath and forced herself to hold back. If she argued with her mother-in-law now, it would only make her mother-in-law yell more and more. It was better to scold her than to scold Xiao Ruyi.

What goes around comes around. After her father-in-law passes away, her mother-in-law will fall into her hands. She will make her mother-in-law taste what she is going through now. She is not the kind of person who repays evil with kindness. She only knows that a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years.

Zhou Ma was cursing Xue Da Sao, while Xue Da Sao was cursing Zhou Ma in her heart; they arrived at the same conclusion by different paths.

Time passed day by day, and before they knew it, it was Lin Yuanshu's due date. Zhou Xiangyang seemed even more anxious than Lin Yuanshu, fearing that Lin Yuanshu might experience contractions while working and he wouldn't be able to help her immediately.

He couldn't even concentrate on his work; all he wanted to do was stay by Lin Yuanshu's side every day.

Lin Yuanshu herself was also a little anxious. After all, this was her first time giving birth, both in her past and present lives. She couldn't help but worry that something might go wrong during childbirth, and she didn't like this feeling of being out of control.

That noon, Zhou Xiangyang got his food at the cafeteria and brought it to Lin Yuanshu. Lin Yuanshu had just taken the lunchbox and hadn't even had a chance to open it when she felt a strong contraction and pain.

She clutched the lunchbox, her face pale, and said with difficulty, "I think I'm going into labor."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiangyang's face turned deathly pale, even more so than Lin Yuanshu's. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "I'll take you to the staff hospital right away."

Although he tried to remain calm, his voice trembled uncontrollably.

Lin Yuanshu nodded and tried to relieve the pain using Lamaze breathing techniques. She gritted her teeth and said, "Don't forget to bring your lunchbox. I'll have something to eat when I get hungry later."

"good."

As soon as Zhou Xiangyang helped Lin Yuanshu out of the office building, some comrades noticed Lin Yuanshu's unusual condition. After learning that Lin Yuanshu's water had broken, they helped Zhou Xiangyang take Lin Yuanshu to the hospital.

Although the staff hospital wasn't far, Lin Yuanshu still got into driver Xiao Li's car.

When Zhou Dafu and the others learned that Lin Yuanshu was about to give birth, they rushed to the staff hospital. Zhou's mother prayed to the gods all the way, not for Lin Yuanshu's safety, but for a healthy baby boy so that the Zhou family line would not end.

As soon as Zhou's mother arrived at the hospital, she anxiously asked Lin's mother, "In-law, how is it? Has the baby been born? Is it a boy or a girl?"

Lin's mother sighed, "This is Xiaoshu's first pregnancy, it won't happen that quickly."

Zhou's mother sat down in a corner, muttering to herself, "It's a boy, it's a boy..."

Zhou Xiangyang stood anxiously at the entrance of the delivery room, praying to all the gods and Buddhas to bless his wife with safety. Although he didn't usually believe in such things, he was willing to believe for his wife's sake.

Lin Yuanshu watched helplessly as the sky outside turned from light to darkness. She hadn't given birth yet, but thankfully she only planned to have one child, so this painful ordeal wouldn't happen again.

"Push harder, you can almost see the head!" the nurse encouraged from the side.

Lin Yuanshu took a deep breath and held it, then pushed down. She felt the baby slide out of her body, and she felt much lighter.

The nurse gave the baby some basic first aid, then carried her to Lin Yuanshu, pressed the baby against his cheek, and said with a smile, "She's a very pretty girl."

Lin Yuanshu gently touched the child's little hand and couldn't help but shed tears. She would never have another child; childbirth was just too hard.

Although the baby was red and didn't look very good, she probably thought the baby was quite cute because she had gone through so much hardship to give birth to it, even if it was a bit ugly-cute.

The nurse carried the baby to share the good news with the people outside.

Zhou's mother was the first to rush to the nurse, excitedly asking, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

The nurse smiled and said, "Congratulations, it's a beautiful little girl."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ma took several steps back, her head hanging low in dejection. She didn't know what was so joyful about it. She had worked hard to serve Lin Yuanshu for several months, only to have him give birth to a girl who was just as useless as her eldest daughter-in-law.

Although Zhou Dafu was also very disappointed, he couldn't show it too obviously in front of his in-laws.

Zhou Xiangyang was completely unaware of his mother's distress. He asked in a trembling voice, "Is my wife alright?"

Lin's mother also came to her senses and quickly asked, "How is my daughter's health?"

The nurse replied seriously, "The mother is in good health, you can go see her in a little while."

When Zhou Xiangyang heard the nurse say that, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. His wife was alright, which was really great.

Lin's mother took the child from the nurse's hands and looked at the child, saying, "This child is so cute. Have you decided on a name for the child yet?"

Just as Zhou Dafu was about to speak, Zhou Xiangyang spoke up first: "Her nickname is Wenwen. We hope she will have a peaceful and worry-free life."

Lin's mother smiled and said, "Wenwen, I'm your maternal grandmother, this is your father, and the nurse is going to take you to see your mother."

After she finished speaking, she handed the baby to the nurse and asked the nurse to take the baby into the delivery room.

Lin's mother and Zhou Xiangyang were in a good mood, but Zhou Dafu and his mother couldn't smile. They were very heavy-hearted. They had always hoped that Lin Yuanshu would have a son, but it turned out to be another girl.

They worried that Lin Yuanshu, like Sister-in-law Xue, would have no further pregnancies after giving birth to a girl.

The two of them sighed in unison.

Seeing this, Sister-in-law Xue remained silent, trying her best to minimize her presence so as not to let her father-in-law and mother-in-law vent their anger on her.

Lin Yuanshu stayed in the staff hospital for three days before going home to recuperate after childbirth. Her driver, Xiao Li, still took her home. She said that having a good relationship with the driver was helpful, and sure enough, without her having to ask, Xiao Li took the initiative to pick her up.

Of course, it could also be because she is the deputy director.

Lin Yuanshu's home welcomed wave after wave of guests. The eggs and brown sugar they brought were far more than they could eat. To prevent the eggs from spoiling, Lin's mother made a batch of preserved eggs and salted eggs for them to eat slowly.

In Lin Yuanshu's room, while comforting Wenwen, Lin's mother complained, "I thought your mother-in-law was a good person. She took great care of you during your pregnancy and often brought chickens and ducks over. But after you gave birth, she disappeared. She only came to the hospital on the day you gave birth, and I haven't seen her since. I don't know what they're busy with all day! Even the national leaders aren't as busy as them!"