Two hundred and forty-two were born.
Throughout August, Li Wei swelled up like an inflating balloon, resembling an upright little turtle.
Every day, Da Luo was terrified, and he would take him to see a doctor whenever he had free time, so he was under constant mental stress.
Aunt Gao kept a close eye on her, nagging about everything from her clothes to her shoes.
Seeing their reactions, Li Wei calmed down. She figured it was all the same whether she faced the danger or not; she'd already decided on a C-section. Apparently, the anesthesia would be painless, except for the injection itself…
Sigh, I'm going to take the plunge.
Li Lin and Ding Anni stayed for a week, then went out for a few days with some of Da Luo's roommates before returning home. Li Wei was worried and asked Li Lianhui to accompany them. Less than three days later, Li Lianhui returned with his school bag and their acceptance letters, having been accepted into the universities they had applied to. Li Lin narrowly escaped being admitted to the International Trade Department of the University of Finance and Economics. Ding Anni didn't reach the cutoff score for her first choice and was admitted to the Fashion Design Department of a second-tier textile college. Zhou Xiaoyan was admitted to the Chemistry Department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Cai Lianhua underperformed this time and only got into a local teachers' college, not far from the No. 1 High School; she could go directly there after leaving the No. 1 High School.
As for the others, Li Lianhui, being a boy, didn't care at all. The fact that he brought them this information was already because he inquired a lot out of respect for Li Wei.
Later, Li Wei called Li Lin. Although Li Lin didn't score well, her father had also sent her to Cai Lianhua's school. As for the other classmates in their class, it's estimated that apart from asking Cai Lianhua, no one else would know.
But now Li Wei's body is getting heavier and heavier, and she can't sleep at night. Her legs are a little swollen and sometimes cramp. Da Luo keeps an eye on her, massaging her legs and helping her to take a slow walk. Aunt Gao also makes fresh bone broth every day and carefully prepares her diet.
The Luo and Li families were receiving at least three or five phone calls a day, creating a tense atmosphere.
As the month drew to a close, Li Wei woke up one morning to find herself bleeding. Terrified, she immediately called for Da Luo, as she was finding it difficult to move. She was incredibly worried.
The man, who hadn't slept well all night, jumped up and ran into the bathroom with Aunt Gao, who was cooking in the kitchen. Li Wei had already gotten up and tidied up. Pointing to the bright red stain on the toilet bowl, she was on the verge of tears: "What should I do? My stomach hurts. Should we go to the hospital?"
Da Luo glanced at it. He said decisively, "Yes. Go right now. Aunt Gao, go pack your things." He then helped Li Wei out the door. The car had recently been cleaned and repaired, just in case they needed it urgently. It was parked in front of the door, ready to go at any time.
Actually, there was something else Da Luo hadn't told Li Wei. A few days ago, the doctor had instructed him that because their situation was special, for the safety of both mother and child, they needed to be constantly monitored. If anything seemed amiss, they should be prepared for surgery immediately. Although he was mentally prepared, Da Luo still felt a little weak in the knees. Sitting in the driver's seat, he comforted Li Wei while trying to reassure her. "Hang in there, hang in there. The whole family is counting on you. You have to hold on." He rubbed his slightly numb arms, saw Aunt Gao get into the car, calmed himself down, started the car, and drove to the hospital.
It just so happened that the doctor they had booked in advance had just started work. Upon hearing the situation, he immediately organized a team to examine the patient. This doctor was also very experienced and quickly came to a conclusion: it was likely placental abruption caused by umbilical cord entanglement. He recommended immediate surgery.
Da Luo has recently been studying these terms. He suddenly felt a bit weak and asked the doctor, "Is it dangerous?"
The doctor examined him: "Her condition is mild. Because it was discovered early and her health is good, she should be fine. Go and complete the necessary procedures. For the sake of both mother and child, immediate surgery is the safest option."
Da Luo nodded, turned around and gave Aunt Gao a few words of advice, and then told Li Wei that it was just an early surgery, and that once they got through it, everything would be fine, so there was no need to be afraid.
Despite saying she wasn't afraid, Li Wei also felt uneasy at this moment. Thinking about how hard she had worked and how desperately she wanted her child to be healthy, she calmed down. These days, medical care is very advanced, and a simple C-section is nothing to worry about.
Seeing how nervous Da Luo was, his face changed, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Li Wei reached out to wipe his face and comforted him, saying, "I'm fine, don't worry. Do you want me to call my mom?" Da Luo nodded, "I'll call her, and my mom and the others too. Don't worry, I'll be waiting for you outside." Then he whispered to Li Wei, "It's okay. I secretly gave the doctor a big red envelope beforehand, he'll do his best. And the anesthesiologist, the head nurse, and the nurses, I gave them all red envelopes too, so don't worry."
It's unclear whether he was saying this to Li Wei or to himself, but he did everything he could to find some comfort.
Especially when he was signing the surgical consent form, his hand was shaking so badly that his handwriting was crooked and messy, worse than a primary school student's. The nurse looked at him several times, saying she had never seen such an agitated family member before. It's just having a baby, is it really that big of a deal?
As Li Wei was wheeled into the operating room, the door slowly closed. Someone peered through the crack in the door, but a screen blocked the view, so he straightened up and started circling the door.
Aunt Gao, who was sitting on a chair, was about to ask him to sit down and wait a while when Li Lianhui ran over.
Aunt Gao, carrying a bag filled with baby supplies, hurriedly told Li Lianhui, who was sleeping, that they were going to the hospital and asked him to watch the house.
Li Lianhui was a little dazed at first, still half asleep. A few minutes later, he got up and realized that everyone was gone. Only then did he remember what had happened. He quickly washed his face, put on his clothes, ran out, and took a taxi straight here.
Li Lianhui glanced at the operating room floor light and exclaimed, "My sister's gone in! What happened? Did she go in early?"
The man was extremely anxious and didn't know what to say. Aunt Gao pulled Li Lianhui aside and said, "It's alright, the surgery was done ahead of schedule. Just sit and wait a while, it'll be over soon."
Of these people, Aunt Gao was the only one who had seen this kind of storm before. She remained relatively calm. Women, what woman doesn't give birth? Li Wei has been getting so many checkups, and the hospital is good; the technicians must be highly skilled. What could possibly go wrong?
Meanwhile, Da Luo felt a burning sensation all over his body, a constant unease running through his mind. He desperately wanted to break down the door and go in to check on things, but reason told him it would be pointless. This urge to go in, even if it was pointless, was driving him almost insane. He couldn't help but let his mind wander, wondering if...
When Aunt Gao saw that he was in a bad mood, she quickly comforted him: "Don't worry, Xiaoming is such a good person, he'll be fine. You should still call home and ask the elders to come over, this is a big deal."
Da Luo felt he needed to leave for a while, otherwise he would really break down, but he didn't dare to go too far. He saw a phone at the nurses' station not far ahead and went there without saying a word.
There are public phones in the hospital corridor, but in the entire obstetrics and gynecology ward, it's estimated that only the cleaning staff, like Luo, haven't been bribed. So, when he mentioned making a phone call, none of the nurses objected; they readily brought it to the service desk and smiled, inviting him to use it.
He called each family one by one, including the Luo and Li families. He also needed to inform his aunt, Cheng Fei, whom he had already instructed him to do. He didn't dare forget that his aunt was much more loyal to Li Wei than her own mother.
While he was on the phone, he overheard the nurses gossiping. Ding said, "...This is my classmate's sister's third abortion. The first time was by accident, the second time the condom leaked, and the third time is this time, the IUD failed. Tell me, what a mess this is."
Yi said, "You're new to our department and don't know the situation. Let me tell you, there are plenty of cases where IUDs malfunction and people get pregnant. It's not strange at all. I've even met two people who got pregnant after using emergency contraception. You'll understand once you've been in our department for a while. Anything is possible."
Ding sighed, "In this world, besides cucumbers, who else can we trust?"
While making cotton balls, A scoffed, "Cucumbers? Cucumbers aren't reliable either. We've even seen cucumbers with half a broken piece inside used for surgery! Tch!"
Yi was extremely frustrated: "I was planning to get married at the end of the year. This is just too terrible. Do I really have to wait until I have children to have a tubal ligation?"
A, who seemed experienced and knowledgeable, said: "My mom and the others were forced to have that surgery back then, and many of them had side effects, such as backaches, stomach aches, and difficulty with stitches. My mom said it damaged their vital energy, so it's best not to have that surgery."
Ding was getting anxious: "This won't work, that won't work, are women even allowed to live anymore? God, I want to be a man in my next life, being a woman is too painful." She deftly stuck cotton together, sending cotton balls flying one after another: "Actually, there really is a simple and permanent solution, but I've been in gynecology for years and I've never heard of it being done..."
The woman, who was about to get married, couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Tell me, what's the plan? Tell me quickly!"
A: "Vaginal ligation for men is simple and convenient, and it's not much of a surgery. Unfortunately, not many men are willing to do it. Don't you think it's a one-time solution and can also prevent illegitimate children?"
After making the call, Da Luo looked thoughtfully at the nurses.
He had seen it mentioned briefly in the pregnancy and baby care books he bought, without any detailed explanation. Thinking about Xiaoming's situation, the feeling of being anxious, fearful, and helpless was too unbearable. He didn't want to go through that again. He decided then and there that once Xiaoming was born and both mother and child were safe, he would go and ask.
Anyway, he's been injured countless times since he was a child, so he doesn't care about having surgery or anything like that. Physical pain is always better than emotional pain.
After being given anesthesia, Li Wei was initially still conscious, clearly feeling a chill on her abdomen, followed by a gradual sensation of someone searching for something inside her.
Soon after, the sound of a child crying was heard, and a doctor said...
Soon after, the sound of a child crying was heard again, and a doctor said...
After a long time, I heard the faint sound of a child crying again. A doctor said... three...
Li Wei felt like she was dreaming and fainted.
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