037
As April arrived, Xiao Li began to count the days on his fingers.
Wang Xuemei's due date was in mid-May, and as the time drew closer, Xiao Li became increasingly anxious. Those around him could clearly sense his feelings. For example, Dong Shiyi, with whom he had a good relationship, would comfort him every time he saw him picking at his fingers, acting like a person who had experienced it before: "Relax, everyone has been there."
All the men in the army go home once every few years. During the war in the past few years, let alone writing letters home, some of them only realized they were fathers when their wives gave birth and the children grew up.
"I know." Xiao Li was pleasantly surprised and looking forward to the child, but what followed was anxiety. With the underdeveloped medical conditions nowadays, giving birth was really like walking through the gates of hell for women. He had heard too many cases of pregnant women dying in childbirth. All the negative examples were instilled into him, making Xiao Li more and more anxious.
It's like having prenatal depression.
He has a bad temper, like a moving active volcano that is ready to erupt at any time.
"I have to go home and take a look." Xiao Li thought to himself and trotted to Liu Shijun's office.
At this time, Liu Shijun was answering the phone. Xiao Li was waiting anxiously on the side. After he finally hung up the phone, he said anxiously: "Captain, I want to take a vacation."
"Xiao Li, you're becoming more and more unruly!" Liu Shijun slammed his hand on the table with a serious face, making a loud "bang" sound. "Who let you in? Get out!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Li turned around and went out, shouting again at the door: "Report!"
When he heard the word "come in" from inside, Xiao Li walked back in and said to Liu Shijun, "Captain, I want to take a vacation."
"No!" Liu Shijun looked unhappy at the moment and said firmly, "You've been here for less than a year, why are you taking a leave? Everyone else is lining up, but you're the only one who can't. As a leading cadre, if you don't set an example and take the lead in asking for leave, what will happen if everyone else follows your example in the future?"
Liu Shijun looked like he was trying to get rid of someone: "Go back here and write a 2,000-word self-criticism!"
"Captain, as long as you can approve my leave, I can write a 5,000-word self-criticism, let alone a 2,000-word one." Who is Xiao Li? He used to be a gangster with a thick skin. Even though he looks like a decent person in front of others now, he is still that reckless gangster at heart. He has nothing but a thick skin.
He smiled flatteringly, "Captain, please be kind and approve it for me. My wife is giving birth next month. This is my first time being a father, so I have to see the baby born."
"They say giving birth is difficult for women. They become extremely sensitive, fragile, and insecure. I couldn't be with her when she was pregnant, so I have to go back to be with her when she gives birth. Captain, you're also a father, so you should understand how I feel right now."
"Comrade Wang Xuemei and I have only been together for a short time after we got married. If I don't go back, I'm afraid she will forget what I look like. Commander, please approve it for me." Xiao Li looked at Liu Shijun pitifully, hoping to see a hint of relaxation on the other's face.
Liu Shijun's expression remained unchanged, still looking serious, and he uttered two words: "No!"
Damn! Ruthless...
"Captain..."
"Xiao Li, go back. This matter is non-negotiable." Xiao Li wanted to continue speaking, but was interrupted by Liu Shijun. "The superiors just issued a notice that the military ranks have been officially restored. Your name is on the list. After the rank is restored, I will leave the army and return to my hometown to take up a position at the Public Security Bureau. You can't leave at this critical juncture."
Liu Shijun's demobilization and return to his hometown means that Xiao Li will take over his position. The regiment commander is the highest leader in a regiment. It is not appropriate for Xiao Li, the deputy regiment commander, to leave the army during the transition between the old and the new. It was too coincidental that Xiao Li could only go back listlessly.
Feeling guilty towards Wang Xuemei, Xiao Li took out his own private money and spent a huge amount of money to go to the telegraph station to find a telegraph operator to send a telegram to Beijing.
Beijing City, Military Region General Hospital.
"Comrade Wang Xuemei, that's Comrade Wang Xuemei!" A staff member of the military region general hospital's telegraph station, wearing a military green work suit and carrying a small military green cloth bag with the words "Serve the People" written on it, shouted at the hospital front desk.
"Hey, wait a minute. Someone has been notified to call him." The nurse in the hospital said, "Doctor Wang is in poor health, so he might be slow to arrive."
Wang Xuemei happened to have nothing to do at the moment. When she heard that the staff at the telegraph station was looking for her at the front desk with a telegram, she guessed that it must be Xiao Li who sent her the telegram. She held her belly and stood up carefully, nodded and thanked the nurse who came to deliver the message: "Thank you, I'll be right there."
Over the past year, Wang Xuemei hasn't changed much. Her belly is bulging, but aside from the enlargement of her abdomen, her figure hasn't changed much. Perhaps due to the pregnancy, a few small spots have appeared on her face, softening her once-romantic features and giving her a more maternal, gentle appearance.
Wang Xuemei walked slowly from her office to the hospital front desk. The journey, which should have taken seven or eight minutes, took her more than ten. Holding her waist and enduring the discomfort, she said apologetically to the staff at the telegraph station, "I'm sorry, this is really inconvenient for you. I'm sorry for taking up your time."
Telegrams, like letters, must be signed and confirmed by the person in charge before they can be received.
The staff at the telegraph station had initially expressed some dissatisfaction with the long wait, but upon seeing Wang Xuemei's cheerful attitude despite her large belly, they smiled and waved their hands, saying, "Hey, this is what we're supposed to do."
"This is your telegram," the telegraph station clerk handed the paper to Wang Xuemei. "It has quite a lot of words. This is the first time I've seen someone send a telegram with so many words."
Wang Xuemei took it and smiled tenderly, "It was sent by my husband."
The staff at the telegraph station had a look of astonishment on their faces. Sending a telegram was not cheap these days. When they were transcribing it, the scribes at their telegraph station were stunned and exclaimed, "What a waste!"
After all, the money from sending the telegram is enough to support a family of five for a month, which shows how much Xiao Li invested this time.
He said who would be willing to spend so much money to write so many words, especially if he is her husband.
After seeing the telegraph operator off, Wang Xuemei finally had some free time to read the contents of the telegram. There weren't actually many words on the telegram, but the high cost of sending telegrams nowadays made the staff at the telegraph station sigh.
The telegram read: "I was waiting for him to come with great anticipation. I wanted to go home, but was stopped. I have nightmares every day and feel guilty. I look forward to reuniting with him and making amends."
"That's irrelevant." Although she said this, she still folded the paper very carefully and put it in her pocket with a serious look on her face.
Wang Xuemei felt sorry that Xiao Li couldn't come back. Pregnant women always like to have wild thoughts. For a moment, she even thought that Xiao Li might have fallen for another female soldier in the regiment. She shook her head and said, "What are you thinking? We're both soldiers, so you should understand."
Understanding is understanding, but there will always be regrets. Wang Xuemei sighed and slowly left.
After she left, the nurses at the front desk gathered together and chatted about gossip: "That was the telegram that Dr. Wang's boyfriend sent her, right? I heard it had quite a few words in it, so it must have cost a lot of money."
"What's the point of writing more words? Just being able to meet people is so important. Who in our hospital didn't envy Dr. Wang for finding a gentle, considerate, and good-looking partner, and seeing her every day on the way to get off work? In the end, after getting married, the person never came back. I'm telling you, you're still young, so remember this when you're looking for a partner in the future: if you can avoid marrying someone who's been in the military, don't marry one. Being a soldier's wife is hard."
There are many soldiers in the Military Region General Hospital, and the young girls worship heroes. Many female doctors and nurses have married soldiers. The female nurse who is speaking is also a soldier. He is away from home all year round and they only see each other once in 860 years. She has to do all the big and small things at home by herself. Sometimes she feels that it is better not to get married.
"It's not that soldiers are bad, it's just that marrying one is really hard. It's better to find someone who is by your side and cares about you." She saw that some young nurses looked disapproving, so she said to the unmarried young nurses as a person who had experienced it, "Just look at Doctor Wang and you will understand."
There is a real example right next to her, and there is nothing she can do even if she doesn't believe it.
"Sister-in-law." Fifteen-year-old Xiao Ming has grown a few inches taller due to good nutrition. He is now about 1.75 meters tall. He no longer looks pale and fat as when Xiao Li first met him. His task after school every day now is to help Xiao Li pick up Wang Xuemei from the hospital with a group of friends, rain or shine.
Xiao Ming no longer hates his elder brother's sister-in-law. In the past, he always thought that his brother was perfect in every way and that the strong and older Wang Xuemei was not worthy of his elder brother. After a year of contact, he has completely changed his original idea and feels fortunate that his elder brother's sister-in-law married his brother.
During the year, Wang Xuemei, as the eldest grandson's wife, had to go to work during the day, and when she got home she had to help Wang Han take care of her elderly grandparents and her younger brother Xiaoming. Her husband was not at home, and she lived alone in a completely unfamiliar family, and she also had to keep the house in order. It is conceivable how difficult it was for her at the beginning.
Wang Han is different from Wang Xuemei. She has an easy job and can visit her husband in the Beijing Military Region once a week. However, every time Wang Xuemei thinks of Xiao Li, she can only silently take out the photo under her pillow and take a look at it.
Xiao Ming is no longer a child. He sees everything. Sometimes he even wonders in his heart that if his brother marries those delicate girls in the compound, will those girls do as well as his sister-in-law? The answer is no.
Seeing Wang Xuemei's widow-like marriage, he silently vowed that he would never join the army when he grew up. He even informed the old man about it. Old man Xiao had no intention of letting him join the army in the first place, and was even more happy with his decision, saying that he could do whatever he wanted in the future.
A group of half-grown children surrounded Wang Xuemei, chattering, fearing that she would accidentally fall because of her big belly and couldn't see the road clearly. Every time they came to pick her up, there would be an unprecedented seriousness on the face of each teenager.
They all received orders from the big devil: to protect their sister-in-law well and not let her get into any trouble, otherwise they would be punished by having their heads shaved.
"Don't always look like you're facing a great enemy. The due date is still more than a month away." Wang Xuemei found it funny every time she saw these young and fair faces with serious expressions.
But this time, just after she said this to comfort him, she suddenly felt a slight pain in her stomach. Although she was not an obstetrician and gynecologist, Wang Xuemei could still tell her current situation. She turned around calmly and clumsily and walked back, "It seems we have to go to the hospital."
"Sister-in-law, did you forget to take something?" Xiao Ming glanced at her big belly and said worriedly, "Tell me, I'll go get it for you."
Wang Xuemei was afraid that the group of half-grown children would be frightened, so she didn't want to tell them. But seeing Xiao Ming's expression, she could only say, "The little guy received a telegram from his father today, and he's so happy now. It seems like he can't wait to come out."
As the words fell, a group of children looked at Wang Xuemei's belly in disbelief. "No... didn't they say it would be over a month away? How come it's so early?"
If anything happens to my sister-in-law and the child, the devil will definitely skin them alive!
"You guys hurry back to the compound and tell my mom and the others that my sister-in-law is about to give birth." Xiao Ming remained relatively calm. He pointed at a few of his friends who were still in a state of confusion and said, "Follow me and escort my sister-in-law back to the hospital."
After receiving the order, everyone went their separate ways. Fortunately, they didn't go too far and returned to the hospital in a short while.
Xiao Ming ran around looking for a doctor for Wang Xuemei. Although the young men accompanying Wang Xuemei still looked nervous, each of them racked their brains to tell jokes, trying to divert her attention and distract from the pain.
The half-grown children had a clear division of labor and arranged things in an orderly manner, so Wang Xuemei didn't have to worry at all.
Even the doctors and nurses at the hospital came over and gave Wang Xuemei a thumbs-up: "Your brothers are so sensible. They are much better than our brothers."
The contractions became more and more severe. Wang Xuemei's face turned pale and sweat broke out on her forehead due to the pain. In order not to worry the young men around her, she could only endure the pain and grit her teeth to prevent herself from screaming.
She gasped a little and said, "Xiao Ming... go tell the doctor and nurse on duty and tell them that my sister-in-law is about to give birth."
The doctor came over and rushed the children out of the ward. After checking, he found that she was really about to give birth, so he quickly carried her to the simple operating room. "This child is really sensible. She understands her mother's hardship. She will be out of the belly soon. You will enjoy happiness in the future."
Although it was her first child, Wang Xuemei's delivery was extremely smooth, taking less than an hour. When Wang Han brought the two elderly people to the hospital, they just heard the loud cry of a baby.
Because the child was born suddenly, the Xiao family had not yet brought the things they had prepared, so the midwife could only wrap the child in a sheet from the hospital. The midwife came out holding a child wrapped in a sheet prepared by the hospital, "Come, Xiaoming, your sister-in-law has given birth, you come and see the baby."
"Eh~ so ugly!"
The child in the nurse's arms looked red and wrinkled, like a little old man.
Xiao Ming found it hard to accept. How could his sister-in-law and brother, who were so beautiful, give birth to such an ugly child? "This child is definitely from my sister-in-law. Could you have taken the wrong one? How could our Xiao family give birth to such an ugly child?"
"Xiao Ming, how can you talk like that! Our little darling is much prettier than when you were just born!" A powerful voice came from behind. Old Man Xiao rushed over and snatched the child from the nurse's hands. He smiled brightly and said with a flick of his tongue, "Darling, I'm your great-grandfather."
Xiao Ming: ...Impossible, I can't be uglier than her!
Li Cuihua took the small floral quilt handed to her by Wang Han with dissatisfaction and hit Old Man Xiao's arm: "Hurry and give the child to me. Why is he wrapped in a hospital sheet all the time? I think this child is much smaller than the other children. I hope he doesn't get sick."
Old Master Xiao reluctantly gave the child to Li Cuihua and asked her to change the child's quilt.
The baby was born prematurely and was much smaller than a normal full-term baby. Wang Han watched worriedly as Li Cuihua put a diaper on the baby and wrapped it in a small quilt, fearing that the baby would not survive.
Before she could say anything, Wang Xuemei was also taken out of the operating room.
Wang Xuemei was in good health and was still conscious. Li Cuihua brought the child to her and showed her, gently patting her forehead. "Granddaughter-in-law, thank you for your hard work. You are a great contributor to our Xiao family. Thank you."
Wang Xuemei, who hadn't thought much of it, suddenly had tears in her eyes. "Grandma."
Wang Xuemei knew she was giving birth to a girl when she was in the operating room. As a woman herself, she did not think about what would happen if she gave birth to a girl. However, the doctor who delivered her baby kept comforting and enlightening her, saying things like flowers bloom first and then bear fruit, and that old people all like to have grandchildren.
I originally didn't think it was a big deal, but then I became nervous, fearing that the kind old people would suddenly change their attitude after I came out and say they didn't want a girl but a boy.
Perhaps seeing through her thoughts, Li Cuihua, also a woman, spoke up, "Don't overthink it. Our family doesn't care about these things. When your mother found out she had two sons, she almost got sick from postpartum confinement. It took your father a long time to comfort her."
"Mom~" Wang Han felt a little embarrassed after his past was exposed.
When she was young, she liked soft and tender girls, and was afraid of giving birth to a bad boy with a bandit-like temperament like Xiao Xinghua. As a result, she gave birth to two sons in her life, and she was so angry that she never gave birth again.
Now that her daughter-in-law has given birth to a girl, she is so happy that she cannot bear to be disgusted.
Old Master Xiao had a rough temper. After listening for a while, he realized what his grandson's wife was worried about and said directly, "We in the Xiao family don't care about this. Whether it blooms and bears fruit is irrelevant. If you want to have children in the future, you can have them. If you don't want to have children, you can just keep one."
Old Man Xiao was born a bandit. In the past, there were many women in their stronghold who beat men until they cried for their parents. So he never cared about gender, nor did he think that women were inferior to men. After saying this, he even secretly glanced at Li Cuihua beside him.
This woman beat herself a lot when she was young.
Wang Xuemei could tell they were telling the truth, and her anxious heart completely relaxed. She looked at the child sleeping soundly on the bed and said, "Thank you..."
Outside the door, Dr. Liu, who delivered Wang Xuemei, happened to hear it and lamented that people with the same fate had different destinies.
Her first child was also a daughter, but unfortunately her mother-in-law and husband, like most people, favored boys over girls and believed that only boys could carry on the family line. They prioritized their sons in everything and never treated their daughters as well as their sons.
I thought Wang Xuemei would have the same experience as her, so I gave her a heads-up in advance, but I didn't expect her in-laws didn't care.
"Dr. Wang really married the right person!" Not only the person, but also the family.
It's really enviable.
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