Chapter 283 is missing.

The jeep sped toward the hospital. Nan Zhiyi gripped the fabric on her knees tightly, her eyes fixed on the road illuminated by the headlights, her lips pressed together until they turned white.

Gu Xiao kept one hand steady on the steering wheel, and with his free right hand, he reached over and placed it on the back of her cold hand, squeezing it firmly.

"Don't scare yourself. She'll be fine. There's life on the mountain, and there are doctors too."

Nan Zhiyi nodded, but couldn't say anything.

She just hoped the car could go faster, faster.

Upon arriving at the hospital, as soon as Gu Xiao parked the car, Nan Zhiyi hurriedly jumped out, almost tripping, but Gu Xiao caught her.

Nan Zhiyi then realized that her legs were extremely weak.

Then, Gu Xiao helped her walk towards the delivery room. The further they went, the louder the cries of the women in labor became. Nan Zhiyi became more and more nervous. Before she even saw Zhou Anping, tears started rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably.

When they arrived at the ward door, Gu Xiao took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. "Calm down, wife."

Nan Zhiyi nodded.

The two pushed open the ward door, and there were many figures inside.

Meng Qingshan paced anxiously around the bed, his hair disheveled and his forehead covered in sweat.

Aunt Meng and Zhou Anping's sister-in-law Lin Yaru stood on either side of the bed, offering words of advice.

"Anping, bear with it, every woman has to go through this..." Aunt Meng's voice carried her usual restraint, but also revealed a hint of impatience.

“Yes, Anping, take a deep breath and think about the child…” Lin Yaru’s tone was gentle yet helpless.

On the hospital bed, Zhou Anping was curled up, his hair soaked with sweat and plastered to his forehead, his face pale.

She sobbed and pleaded, "I can't take it anymore...it hurts too much...please cut my stomach open...please..."

Seeing Nan Zhiyi enter, Zhou Anping's tears flowed even more fiercely, and he weakly reached out his hand: "Zhiyi...it hurts so much..."

Nan Zhiyi didn't care about etiquette at this moment. She just nodded to Meng's mother and Lin Yaru and rushed to the bedside. She grabbed Zhou Anping's cold hand and said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here. I'm here."

She looked up at the distraught Meng Qingshan, "What did the doctor say?"

Meng Qingshan's eyes reddened as he wiped his face: "They checked and said it's not time yet, I have to wait a little longer... before I can go into the delivery room."

Seeing his wife's pained expression, he felt an overwhelming pang of heartache, yet he was powerless to help.

Gu Xiao had already briefly greeted Meng's mother and Sister-in-law Lin.

Meng's mother sighed and turned to Nan Zhiyi, as if explaining, "Gu Xiao, Zhiyi, you two should try to persuade her. Childbirth is always like this; just bear with it and it will pass. She's been crying since evening, and she's completely exhausted..."

Nan Zhiyi felt even more distressed upon hearing this. Childbirth is painful, so does that mean she should just silently endure it...?

She spoke up for Anping: "Auntie, everyone's perception of pain is different. Anping has been afraid of pain since she was little, and as people who have been through it, we should be more understanding of her..."

Gu Xiao frowned and spoke at the right moment, interrupting the potentially awkward atmosphere. He asked Meng Qingshan, "Have you had dinner yet?"

Seeing Meng Qingshan shake his head, he said, "Take your aunt and sister-in-law to get something to eat first, so they can have something to eat. We'll look after things here for now."

His gaze swept over his wife and Zhou Anping, and he understood immediately. The presence of the Meng family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was putting a lot of pressure on Anping, and she desperately needed Nan Zhiyi's comfort...

Meng Qingshan was not at ease leaving, and shook his head repeatedly. He then said to Lin Yaru, "Sister-in-law, could you please take Mom to get something to eat nearby? Your sister-in-law and fifth brother are here."

Lin Yaru was a sensible person and could see that Zhou Anping needed Nan Zhiyi's company more at this moment, so she took the opportunity to persuade Meng's mother, and the two left the ward first.

Nan Zhiyi held Zhou Anping's hand tightly, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead with a towel and comforting her.

Zhou Anping tried to say something, but the intense contractions made her gasp for breath, her teeth chattering, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Nan Zhiyi turned around anxiously, "Fifth Brother! Fifth Brother! Go and call the doctor! Anping is really in too much pain!"

Meng Qingshan was already in a state of panic, and upon hearing this, he immediately tried to rush out: "Anping, bear with it, I'll go get the doctor right away! Immediately!"

Gu Xiao pressed down on Meng Qingshan's shoulder, indicating that he would go, and then turned and quickly left the ward.

Not long after, Gu Xiao returned with an older female doctor.

The doctor quickly performed an examination and said calmly, "The cervix is ​​still not dilated enough. Let's wait a little longer. It's still too early to go into the delivery room."

"But doctor, she's in so much pain, is there any way to stop the pain?" Nan Zhiyi asked anxiously.

The doctor sighed, "Comrade, childbirth is never painless. There aren't any suitable painkillers available right now; it mainly depends on the mother's own perseverance. Her contractions are a bit frequent, but the baby's heartbeat is fine."

Zhou Anping pleaded, "Doctor, please... cut me open... I really..."

Looking at his wife's pale face, Meng Qingshan disregarded his mother's earlier advice to "try for a natural birth" and pleaded urgently, "Doctor, wouldn't a C-section be faster? Wouldn't she suffer less? Could you just do a C-section?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses. "Comrade, it's not that we don't want to perform surgery on her. Current examinations show the fetal heartbeat is good, the mother's pelvic condition is acceptable, and although contractions are frequent, labor is progressing. There are no indications that surgery is necessary."

Her gaze swept over the anxious family members, and she patiently explained, "A cesarean section is a major surgery, with significant trauma, a slow recovery, and a risk of infection afterward. If a woman can give birth naturally, we encourage her to do so, as it is the best option for both mother and child."

She looked at Zhou Anping, who was covered in sweat on the bed, and said, "Hang in there a little longer. Save up your strength and once your cervix is ​​fully dilated and you're on the delivery bed, you can push together and it will be over soon. You're shouting too much right now, and you're wasting your energy on crying. When it's time to really push, you won't have any strength left."

The doctor gave a few more instructions and then left.

But Zhou Anping felt wave after wave of tearing pain, seemingly without end, as if his body was being forcibly cleaved in two.

She felt she was going to die... If she really was going to die, there were many things she wanted to say to Zhiyi before she died.

"I'm sorry... Zhiyi... I'm sorry... I'm sorry too..."

Nan Zhiyi quickly shook her head, "No, I'm sorry. Anping, please don't say anything..."

“I’m just sorry…” Zhou Anping gripped Nan Zhiyi’s hand tightly, stubbornly repeating, “Back then, my brother… shouldn’t have… he’s always, always regretted it… and I shouldn’t have… treated you like that… forgive us… sob…”

Nan Zhiyi choked up as well, "What are you talking about forgiving or not forgiving? I've never blamed you, really, neither Zhengping nor you..."