The jeep arrived at the hospital, and Zhou Jinshan jumped out and ran all the way to the delivery room. He then heard the doctor shouting from inside: "Comrade, wake up! You can't sleep! The baby hasn't come out yet!"

Zhou Jinshan's expression changed, and he burst into the delivery room.

"Who are you? How did you get in here? Get out!" the nurse immediately shouted.

“I am the pregnant woman’s husband.” Zhou Jinshan’s voice was hoarse as he stepped to the side of the delivery bed.

The nurse tried to shoo him away, but the doctor raised his hand to stop her and said urgently to Zhou Jinshan, "Commander Zhou, your wife is currently in a coma. You need to find a way to wake her up. If it goes on for too long, both mother and child may not survive."

Zhou Jinshan knelt down and held his wife's hand, which was trembling, and his voice was also trembling: "Mingshu, wake up. As soon as you wake up, I will take leave immediately and go with you to the Northeast to visit your mother and Xiaoyu and Xiaoxue..."

Feng Mingshu, who was working under the scorching sun, vaguely heard someone calling her name. She straightened up, supporting herself with her hoe, and turned her head in the direction of the sound. She saw a farm caretaker striding towards her.

His body tensed instantly, his hands went into his pockets, and he gripped a sharp stone, staring nervously at the newcomer.

The guard stopped a few steps away from her, his tone tinged with impatience: "Didn't you hear me when I called you? Go to your dorm and pack your things!"

Feng Mingshu gripped the hoe tightly: "Why are you packing things?"

"The order from above is that our cadre school is going to be disbanded. You can pack your things and leave now," the guard explained patiently, a rare occurrence for him.

Feng Mingshu slammed the hoe in her hand to the ground with a thud. She felt no joy, only bewilderment: "Where will I go if I get out of here?"

"Go anywhere, find your friends, find your family."

"I have no friends, I don't know where my family is, where should I go?"

"That's none of my business. My job is to tell you to pack your things. Hurry up and don't waste my time," the guard urged again.

Feng Mingshu was filled with anxiety. Urged on, she returned to her dormitory, packed her only set of clothes, toothbrush, towel, and bowl and chopsticks, and was then taken to the office of the cadre school leader to collect her materials. She was also told that she could return to Bincheng and was given some travel expenses.

Carrying these things, Feng Mingshu walked out of the cadre school gate under the scorching sun, but he was at a loss as to where to go.

She has no family left in Bincheng.

A military green jeep drove up, and Feng Mingshu panicked and backed away to avoid it. The car suddenly braked and stopped right in front of her.

A young guard jumped out of the car, called out to Feng Mingshu who was about to run away, identified himself, and said, "Our leader is also going to Bincheng. He can give you a ride, comrade."

Feng Mingshu was taken aback and nervous. She didn't know any leader and dared not get on the car.

At this moment, the leaders of the cadre school came out, confirmed that the other party's identity was not in question, and impatiently urged her to get into the car and leave.

Her experiences over the past decade or so instilled in her a fear of her superiors, and she hurriedly got into the passenger seat of the military vehicle.

As soon as she got into the car, she sensed the powerful aura of the leader in the back seat, which made her even more nervous. She didn't dare to turn around or make the slightest movement.

It wasn't until she saw her thin, sallow, rough, and scarred face in the rearview mirror that she realized there was nothing about her that anyone could take advantage of. The commander's offer to give her a ride was simply out of kindness.

Her panicked heart calmed down a little, and after a long pause, she mustered up her courage and decided to thank the leader.

But just as she was about to turn to face the leader, something happened ahead, and the car suddenly braked. Startled, she closed her eyes and was uncontrollably thrown forward—

"Mingshu, Mingshu, wake up!"

Hearing the urgent calls, Feng Mingshu opened her eyes abruptly and saw the man beside her with bloodshot eyes. She was stunned for a moment and asked, "Where is this?"

"Comrade Feng, you're finally awake! Quick, push! The baby will be out soon!"

The doctor's urgent calls and the pain in her body instantly brought Feng Mingshu back to reality: she was in the delivery room, and she was giving birth!

Immediately putting aside all distractions, Feng Mingshu followed the doctor's instructions and gave birth with all her might. She was completely unaware that she had grabbed the hand of the person next to her, her fingernails digging into his palm, drawing blood...

"They're out! They're out!"

The nurse called out and slapped the newborn's bottom again. A not-so-loud cry rang out, but it was like a spring thunderclap splitting the night, making everyone jubilant.

Feng Mingshu's strength quickly dissipated, and she only had time to glance at the ugly red-skinned child before falling into a deep sleep.

Perhaps the ordeal had passed, for she slept very soundly and lost track of time.

When I woke up again, I found myself lying in a hospital bed, with an ugly doll sleeping next to my pillow.

However, it looks better than it did at first glance.

Even if it's ugly, it's still your own child, and besides, there's a chance it might grow up to be beautiful.

Feng Mingshu couldn't resist touching him, but as soon as her hand came out from under the covers, it was grabbed by a large hand. She looked up and met Zhou Jinshan's bloodshot eyes.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" Zhou Jinshan asked her, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn't drunk water for days and nights.

Her body was still in pain, but seeing Zhou Jinshan's condition, she didn't say anything else, only saying, "I'm fine."

Zhou Jinshan seemed unconvinced, but didn't press for details. He stood up and said, "I'll go get the doctor."

Feng Mingshu called out to him, "Wait, I'm a little thirsty, can you test the water temperature for me first?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jinshan immediately picked up the thermos, poured water, tested the temperature by touching the inside of the cup with his hand, and then helped her up, saying, "You can drink it now."

Feng Mingshu said, "Drink some water first, and then pour me more after you've finished one cup."

Zhou Jinshan was stunned for a moment. Looking at his wife's tightly pursed lips, he suddenly understood. Without saying anything more, he tilted his head back and gulped down the whole tub of water.

"Mingshu is awake? Mother made you some chicken soup, drink it while it's hot."

Just then, the old lady came in carrying a food box, her face beaming with joy.

The ugly baby on the bed was awakened by the noise and started crying. The old lady immediately put down the food box, pushed her son aside, picked up her grandson, and ordered, "Fourth son, quickly make some milk powder for our Mao Mao."

Zhou Jinshan nodded, immediately opened the drawer, took out the milk powder and bottle, and skillfully prepared the milk.

Seeing their practiced coordination, Feng Mingshu was taken aback: "Is it because I don't have enough breast milk that Mao Mao is drinking formula?"

She readily accepted the nickname the old lady had given the ugly doll.

The old lady looked at her with pity and said, "Mingshu, you really went through a life-or-death experience giving birth this time. You even fell into a coma after giving birth. We can't just wake you up again just to let Mao Mao have a sip of milk."

Feng Mingshu was somewhat dazed after hearing this. Perhaps it was because the labor was too arduous and her memories were a bit blurry, but the dream about her past life was so clear.

She vaguely saw the face of the leader in the back seat.

She looked up at the man feeding the child with a bottle.