The expectant mother, exhausted from the ordeal, finally gave birth around 8:30 a.m. on the 22nd.
When the baby's cries echoed throughout the delivery room, Zhai Sanhe, who had been waiting outside, nearly collapsed due to his weak legs.
"Brother-in-law, are you alright?"
Zhai Sanhe waved his hand weakly at them, "No, it's nothing, it's just that your sister is working too hard!"
"If you feel sorry for my sister, then don't make her have any more children."
Zhai Sanhe also felt that childbirth was as dangerous as a woman walking through the gates of hell.
"I'm not having any more children."
About half an hour later, the nurse came out to announce the good news.
"Congratulations! Tang Cuihua has given birth to a 6.6-pound baby girl. Both mother and daughter are safe and sound. The baby was born at 8:28."
Zhai Sanhe carefully took the small bundle of blankets. Looking at the tiny bundle of people, he felt his heart melt.
"This is my daughter with Cuihua! Look how much she looks like her!"
Cuifeng leaned over and took a look. Looking at the child's skin and the vernix caseosa on his body, she couldn't bear to look at him.
Cuilan bluntly stated, "This... how come he looks like a little old man! He's too ugly."
Zhai Sanhe glared at his sister-in-law, "What do you know? All newborns look like this. They'll look better as they grow."
"Once your sister is discharged from the hospital, we'll go back to live in the village. The houses there are more comfortable than this bungalow in the city."
Not only are there too many people and too much chatter in the courtyard, but it's also just single-story houses. Nothing compares to the spacious, comfortable mud-brick houses back home that are warm in winter and cool in summer!
Cui Feng and Cui Lan also felt that home was nice. They held their children and stood anxiously at the door waiting for Cui Hua.
Another half hour passed before Cuihua, who had safely passed the observation period, was finally wheeled out.
Seeing her covered in sweat, her hair soaked, and her limp and weak appearance, Zhai Sanhe felt extremely distressed.
"Flower, let's not have any more children, let's just have this one daughter,"
While some people in Northeast China do favor sons over daughters, others cherish their daughters dearly. When Cuihua came out, she saw her husband's behavior.
He silently breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he wasn't like his father, who would throw a girl away as soon as he saw she was born.
Based on the man's performance, Cuihua felt that as long as there was no problem with her body, she would want him again.
It wasn't that she favored boys over girls, but rather that she was heartbroken by her parents when she was young. Her initial intention in starting her own household and finding a son-in-law was to have a son.
Only if she gives birth to a son will her family's status be considered secure.
But for now, she didn't want to recall the pain of childbirth, and simply nodded weakly at Zhai Sanhe.
Cuihua was safely discharged from the delivery room. Cuilan quickly rode her bicycle home to pack the blood-nourishing "Four Red Soup" (red dates, goji berries, peanuts, red beans, and glutinous rice) that she had been slowly simmering on the stove into a lunchbox, and then hurriedly rushed back to the ward.
"I just drank a cup of instant soy milk powder and I'm not hungry yet. I'll let it sit for a while and drink it again before it cools down."
Cuihua's condition is not bad; she also did not have an episiotomy, but she did bleed quite a bit.
After three days of recuperation in the hospital, the three of them—the sisters, the husband, and the mother—took turns taking care of Cuihua until she was discharged. Then, after sunset, they took Cuihua back to the village to recuperate after childbirth.
In the past few days, many of Zhai Sanhe's colleagues have come to visit, bringing not only live chickens but also live fish and eggs. It's truly a good company; even the things his colleagues bring are extraordinary.
After Cuihua returned to her hometown from the county town, her colleagues waited for her to take leave for more than a week. After the most stressful first few days, they began to come to visit her, bringing gifts and inquiring about Xihe Village.
When Xiao Jiu received the news of Cui Sheng's daughter's birth, it was already early August. Because the child was born in the summer, she named her Tang Xia.
Now she not only has a nephew, but also a niece. As her aunt, she not only has to prepare gifts, but also feels particularly honored to have gained a seniority.
Niu Feng's son's nickname is Dun Dun, and his formal name, Xiao Jiu, has also been chosen: Niu Xiangyang.
It is derived from "following the light and growing towards the sun," which, in short, means following the sunlight, growing towards the sun, and living life.
On a deeper level, it means to face life with the same positivity and optimism as the sun, to shine brightly yourself and bring light and warmth to people.
If you want to live your best life, you must always maintain your best state, which means facing life with a smile, walking towards the light, and living towards the sun.
Most importantly, it conforms to the naming conventions of the 1960s and 70s, such as forward, eastward, southward, northward, and red.
Niu Xiangyang is a simple, easy-to-remember, and pleasant-sounding name. After giving the name to my brother-in-law, the couple was very satisfied.
Choosing a name for Tang Xia was even simpler. Born in summer, she was given the single character Xia, which sounds much better than names like Hong or Xia.
The school will only have a two-week break in mid-August, and will officially start school on September 1st.
Tao Zui Tao Ran is now no different from working, spending all his time in the research institute and only resting for half a day a week.
Due to time constraints, Xiao Jiu wasn't in a hurry to go home and told Yuan Yuan to go back to Luo City first.
"Go back early and see if my second sister has any lessons to catch up on. I need to stay with my fourth sister for a few days."
It wouldn't be a problem if Yuanyuan followed, but it would be inconvenient for her to take things out, so it would be better to let her go back first.
Yuan Yuan was indeed concerned about Tang Cuiju's studies. After all, it was because of this that she was able to stay. Now that she was reaping the rewards, she was naturally too embarrassed to slack off and obediently took the bus back to Luo City first.
Xiao Jiu took a car to a town near the military base. He didn't dare ride a bicycle, mainly because he was afraid that enemy agents might be lurking in the vicinity.
Although she had checked the bicycles of those enemy agents and found no difference, she still felt uneasy.
It's been almost ten months since last year's National Day holiday. Returning to the place where the incident happened, even sitting in a military supply vehicle, I still feel lingering fear.
I was lucky this time when I came to the military base. My brother-in-law was there. The guard called him, and he ran out. He was very happy to see her.
"Jiu'er, you're finally on vacation! How long are you staying? I'm leaving tomorrow."
Xiao Jiu's lips twitched: "You're really busy. I have to go home to see my little niece. I can only stay for two or three days at most."
"Two or three days? That's fine. I reckon I'll be back by then. Come on in, come on in. Why did you bring so much stuff?"
"These were all bought to help my fourth sister recover. Has Sister Zhou passed away?"
"Yes, she left in early June. She had to go home to harvest wheat, so she didn't stay long. Don't worry, your sister is recovering well."
The tall and short people walked for about twenty minutes before reaching the family compound in the corner.
"Jiu'er, you go ahead by yourself, I have to go back."
Xiao Jiu knew the rules of the military and that she couldn't wander around, so he took her to the family compound and immediately nodded.
"Okay, I'll cook something delicious for lunch. Brother-in-law, you have to come back for lunch!"
After seeing Niu Feng off, Xiao Jiu, carrying two large bags of things, saw her family members who were curiously looking at her and immediately greeted them politely.
Tang Cuihong was carrying her child and strolling around the yard when she suddenly saw her younger sister carrying large and small bags. She immediately went over to open the gate with delight.
"You're on vacation now? Why didn't you tell me so your brother-in-law could have picked you up?"
"There's no need for all that trouble. I know the way to the army base, and I even remember the return time of the supply trucks."
And look, it's perfectly timed! My brother-in-law just took me to the area near the family compound.
"Come on, let's go inside. I brought a gift for my nephew."
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