When Su Xingran was five months pregnant, Gu Moli sent her back to Beijing. Gu Moli was reluctant to part with Su Xingran, but for her sake, he could only suppress his reluctance.
Gu Moli arranged for Su Xingran to stay in the house near the Huang family's residence. The Gu family's house was a small Western-style building, and their room was on the second floor. Gu Moli was worried that Su Xingran's belly was too big in the later stages of her pregnancy, and it wouldn't be safe for her to go up and down the two floors.
When Zeng Huilan learned that Su Xingran was pregnant with twins, she discussed it with Su Guomin. She would go to Beijing to take care of Su Xingran, while Su Guomin would stay home and take care of the work in the fields. The crops had already been planted; they couldn't just abandon them.
On the day Gu Moli was to return to his unit, his face was filled with reluctance and sadness. He was reluctant to part with Su Xingran, and he felt extremely sad that he could not stay by her side to take care of her.
Su Xingran touched Gu Moli's face and said, "It's okay. There are so many people at home taking care of me, so you don't need to worry. You're a soldier, and I'm a military wife. Besides, I'm a military doctor myself, so I'm mentally prepared. How many military wives out of thousands can have their husbands' company and care throughout their pregnancy?"
"Go back to your unit with peace of mind. If you have to go on a mission, be careful. Don't worry about me, it will distract you. I can take care of myself, so you should too."
Gu Moli, his eyes red-rimmed, let Su Xingran lean against him. He felt a pang of heartache at Su Xingran's calmness. From the day he met her until now, she had always been able to handle everything rationally. Gu Moli guessed that perhaps it was because of her past experiences.
Gu Moli returned to his unit, while Su Xingran was transferred back to her original hospital. She discussed it with Gu Moli; she would return to work at the hospital first, and then stop when her mobility became limited. Although Gu Moli was worried about Su Xingran's safety, he respected her choice. He even helped persuade several elders in her family.
Things are different now than during the Cultural Revolution. The country now allows private businesses. Private cars are no longer restricted, and it's normal to see them on the streets. The Gu family owns a car and now uses it to pick up and drop off Su Xingran at work.
It wasn't until her 35th week of pregnancy, when her belly was so large that she found it difficult to move around, that Su Xingran stopped working and went home to prepare for childbirth. At this stage, cesarean sections were not yet fully developed, and Su Xingran couldn't rely on that. Fortunately, all her prenatal checkups were normal, and aside from the difficulty in moving around in late pregnancy, Su Xingran didn't experience any other discomfort.
Zeng Huilan and Liang Yun stayed by Su Xingran's side every day, afraid that something might happen to her. Only Su Xingran herself maintained a very good attitude. In the morning, she could do some simple exercises in the yard, and in the afternoon, she would take a walk nearby, or walk to her master's house.
At 37 weeks of pregnancy, Su Xingran's contractions were more frequent than at 36 weeks. Both Su Xingran and her prenatal doctors agreed that she was about to give birth. Su Xingran was admitted to the hospital to await delivery. Her mothers, Liang Yun and Zeng Huilan, also stayed at the hospital to care for her.
Gu Moli returned from a mission in the army and immediately asked for leave to rush home. On the train, he was extremely anxious, worried that Su Xingran had given birth and that he wouldn't make it in time, leaving Su Xingran to face the situation alone.
On the third day of her hospital stay, Su Xingran began experiencing abdominal and back pain, and her contractions became more regular. She quickly asked Zeng Huilan and Liang Yun to help her wash her hair. After washing her hair, she also took a shower.
As Su Xingran finished all this, she suddenly started bleeding. Her abdomen and lower back were hurting more and more, and her contractions were becoming more frequent. Even though she had never given birth before, Su Xingran knew that she was probably about to give birth.
The head of the obstetrics department at the hospital examined Su Xingran and found that her cervix was already dilated to two centimeters. Liang Yun called home and asked them to cook chicken soup and some dumplings that Zeng Huilan had made in advance and frozen. Su Xingran loves boiled dumplings, and they were hoping she would eat as much as possible.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
