◎Third update◎
The clock had just struck midnight, and Liang Baozhen gave birth to a baby girl weighing 5.32 kilograms at 00:03 on May 5, 1978.
Xu Shengjie felt heartbroken as he looked at his wife, who was sleeping with her eyes closed and her hair wet with sweat.
"Nurse, my wife..."
"You've been in pain for a while. Push him back to the ward to rest." The nurse was holding the child to show the family, "Congratulations, you have a daughter."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at the faces of the family in front of her, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that everyone looked happy.
Yesterday she was also babysitting for a woman's family who was giving birth. When they saw that the child was a young lady, the family's faces fell, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.
The child was not hers, so why did she look so unhappy? The nurse handed the child to Zhou Yun and asked them to go back to the ward.
Liang Baozhen woke up the next afternoon. She opened her eyes drowsily and the first thing that caught her eye was the white wall. The lower part of the wall was painted dark green, which was the standard decoration of a hospital.
Giving birth is time-consuming and laborious. Liang Baozhen was still a little weak at the moment, especially with the pain in her body. The slightest movement was uncomfortable. The only thing she was thankful for was that she finally didn't have a big belly.
Shui Ling's eyes looked around and happened to meet Xu Shengjie's.
"You're awake!" Xu Shengjie took a day off today and has been staying by the bedside.
Zhou Yungang brought some boiled brown sugar eggs from home. The two eggs, accompanied by brown sugar water, were sweet and delicious. Xu Shengwei and Xu Shengya originally wanted to stay in the hospital. They stared at their little niece for a long time, reluctant to take their eyes off her, but they had to go to school today, so they could only yawn and go to school.
"Hmm." Liang Baozhen screamed so many times last night, and could only groan in pain. Her voice was still a little hoarse. "Where's the child?"
"My lady is sleeping." Xu Shengjie picked up the little lady. He moved very gently, holding the little lady in his hand like a weightless baby with extra care, "Take a look."
Liang Baozhen stretched her neck and saw that the person in Xu Shengjie's hand was her baby.
The newborn baby was red and a little wrinkled, with eyes tightly closed and tail slightly open, and was sleeping soundly. When Liang Baozhen thought that this baby came out of her belly, her eyes became hot, "Put it back, don't disturb the baby's sleep."
"Um."
"Be gentle with your movements." As Liang Baozhen spoke, her eyes followed the little creature.
Xu Shengjie had never been so cautious in his life. He held the baby gently and put him down with care. This posture and movements were just taught to him by his grandmother. He almost didn't dare to do it at first.
"How do you feel now?" Xu Shengjie sat back beside his wife's bed. Seeing her frail appearance, he felt distressed. "The nurse said that if the pain is severe, you can take painkillers."
"Forget it, I don't want to take medicine." Liang Baozhen felt that she could still bear it, so she just shook her head.
"Then eat first." Xu Shengjie helped his wife up and leaned her against the head of the bed, then he brought her brown sugar and egg water and fed her one spoonful at a time.
When Zhou Yun entered the room, Liang Baozhen had just finished eating.
"Is Baozhen awake?" Zhou Yun went outside to get some water. He was relieved to see his grandson's wife finally awake. "Are you feeling better? If you feel unwell, remember to tell me."
"Yeah, I know, grandma." Liang Baozhen didn't say a few words and fell asleep again because she was tired and exhausted.
When I woke up again, the moon was already high in the sky, and this time, my family members actually showed up in the ward.
Liang Baozhen saw her mother Song Chunhua almost couldn't hold back her tears, and she called out slowly, "Mom!"
After experiencing childbirth, she finally understood the difficulties and hardships of being a mother. Especially now is the time when she is at her most vulnerable and she misses her mother especially.
"Finally, the baby is born! My dear daughter, you have suffered so much."
Song Chunhua and Liang Zhigao received a call from their son-in-law who called the commune from the post office at noon, and only then did they learn that their daughter had given birth. The two of them quickly found the team leader to get a letter of introduction and hurried into the city.
Liang Baoying's siblings were unable to come because the team leader felt that there were too many people entering the city, so he only opened two tickets.
The two of them set off immediately without any delay, but before leaving they took away an old hen that they had just raised, and asked Liang Baojun to look around to see if he could get a few chickens to feed Liang Baozhen during her confinement.
"Baby, have a good rest." Liang Zhigao was in a good mood as a grandmother again, but he felt a little sorry for his daughter, who needed to have a good rest after the confinement period.
"Got it, Dad."
The baby, who had slept for a whole day, woke up and looked up with his eyes as bright as gemstones washed by water.
"Oh, Shanshan is awake too." Zhou Yun held the child and handed it to Song Chunhua, letting her see her granddaughter.
Last month, the family decided on a name for the child. Since they didn't know whether it was a boy or a girl, they gave each a name. If it was a girl, she would be named Xu Yunshan, with the nickname Shanshan.
Song Chunhua held her granddaughter in her arms and teased her, then sat next to her daughter-in-law and asked her to look at the child. "Look, this child looks exactly like you when you were a child."
Looking at this tiny creature, Song Chunhua remembered that Liang Baozhen was also such a tiny ball when she was just born. In the blink of an eye, the child was also born.
Liang Baozhen looked down at Shanshan who was lying on her bed. The little baby seemed to have had enough sleep and was awake for a rare moment. Her big eyes looked as if they had been washed by a clear spring and were very watery. She was looking at her mother motionlessly, her little body twisting slightly, her mouth open to breathe, making a grunting sound.
Reaching out to touch the child's face, Liang Baozhen felt a delicate and tender touch, the tenderness that only children have. She didn't dare to use any strength for fear of hurting the child.
We bought meals in the hospital and each of us sat in the ward with a lunch box to eat. We were lucky today because there was an empty bed next to us and no one was already there, so we could move around.
"While you were still asleep in the morning, Master Wei, Madam Li, Caili's family, and Nianhua all came over, but you didn't wake up, so they looked at the child before leaving."
Liang Baozhen’s top priority recently is to rest and feed her baby. She doesn’t have to worry about anything else. She nodded and continued to tease Xiao Shanshan.
The house was bustling with activity. Xu Shengwei and Xu Shengya rushed to the hospital right after school. The two families stayed in the hospital until around nine o'clock in the evening before leaving.
Xu Shengjie will stay in the hospital tonight, and Song Chunhua and Liang Zhigao will stay at Xu's house. The letter of introduction they wrote says they will be back tomorrow, so they won't be blind migrants.
Only after everyone had left did the ward become quiet.
"It's better now." Liang Baozhen's pain was gradually numbed and covered by the warmth of her child, especially when she touched the child's little hands and feet. She always felt that her heart was healed.
"Look at her hands. They're so small."
Xu Shengjie was sitting next to her and put his hand on hers as well. Shanshan didn't know what mom and dad were yet. She just looked at the two people in front of her and actually smiled when she saw her little hand touching theirs.
"Sheng Jie, she smiled."
"Yes." Xu Shengjie's heart melted by the sweet smile of the lady.
As a result, the next second, Shanshan tilted her head and fell asleep.
Liang Baozhen looked at the lady and then at Xu Shengjie, and concluded, "I learned it from you."
Xu Shengjie tapped the tip of the lady's nose and said, "You did learn this from me. You can fall asleep in one second, right?"
Liang Baozhen was discharged from the hospital on the evening of the third day to go home to recuperate after giving birth, and Xu Shengjie's three-day maternity leave also ended, so he had to go back to work.
As soon as they returned to the big compound, the mother and daughter were put to bed. Neighbors came to Xu's house one by one to see them, say a few auspicious words, and those who had a better relationship with them gave them some eggs and candies.
When Cheng Caili learned that Liang Baozhen gave birth to a daughter, she felt a moment of regret. What happened to the promised marriage? It was ruined!
But the little girl is adorable, and it's nice for her to keep company with my daughter. "Chu Chu, look at your sister Shan Shan. We can play shuttlecock and skipping rope together in the future."
Liang Baozhen was in better spirits on the third day and gradually recovered. She was happy to see Chuchu, who was almost a year older than Shanshan. "It will be great when the two children can walk and go out together."
"Baozhen." Liu Nianhua also came over with Xiaolong and Xiaohu. After get off work, she learned that Liang Baozhen had been discharged from the hospital and went home to recuperate after giving birth, so she hurried over to see her. "You haven't gained much weight since giving birth to a child. Your face is still so small. You need to eat more to make up for it."
"No, I want to eat a lot right now."
"Mom, Aunt Baozhen's daughter is spitting bubbles when she's asleep." Zhou Hu didn't understand. He looked at Xu Yunshan sleeping soundly with her eyes closed and a few saliva bubbles at the corners of her mouth. He pointed at her little mouth in surprise.
"Hahaha, you kid." Liu Nianhua was amused by his son's words, "The little sister is sleeping, and you are drooling even when you sleep!"
"I didn't!" Zhou Hu firmly denied it. How could he drool? Even if he did, his mother couldn't tell others about it. It was too embarrassing!
"Okay, you're not drooling." Liang Baozhen smiled and extended her index finger to wipe the white saliva foam from the corners of her lips. Seeing her sleeping soundly, she felt relieved.
The neighbors did not disturb the mother and daughter for long. They talked for a while and then left. Cheng Caili and Liu Nianhua walked out of Xu's house one after another and met Zhou Qingdang who was coming back from outside. Xiaolong and Xiaohu reacted the fastest and called out "Uncle Zhou" in a loud voice.
Liu Nianhua didn't even look over there. He just told the two children to go home and do their homework and stop thinking about playing all day long. Then he led the two of them away.
Zhou Qingdang followed silently behind him and also walked towards his home.
Xu Shengjie was a little absent-minded on his first day back to work after taking leave. He was thinking about his wife and daughter-in-law. When the workers in the workshop learned that his wife had given birth, they all congratulated him.
"Xiao Xu, you're going to be a father this time."
"Is it a son or a daughter?"
"Oh, a lady, a lady is also good."
Hong Saner watched his good brother get married and have children, and suddenly felt a little jealous. Did he lose too badly?
"My mother specially thought of the ten egg tickets to send you. They are just right for your brother and sister-in-law to use during their confinement period." Hong Saner's mother had thought of this specially. It is still practical to eat during the confinement period.
"Thank you." Xu Shengjie put the egg ticket in his pocket, preparing to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy eggs another day. Although his mother-in-law brought the eggs up, this was the time to replenish his wife's body, so more was never too much.
When it was time to get off work, Xu Shengjie returned home as if on a roller coaster. He parked his bike in the yard and went to see Liang Baozhen and her daughter as soon as he entered the house. This time he finally understood what it meant to be worried about someone.
Shanshan had a sound sleep, but now she has woken up and is being held in her mother's arms, drinking milk. Her little mouth is sucking, and the cheeks on both sides are bulging with the movement. She is enjoying it very much.
When Xu Shengjie entered the room, he happened to see his daughter-in-law breastfeeding. Her snow-white breasts came into view, and he subconsciously wanted to leave. But then he thought, why should he leave when his own daughter-in-law is breastfeeding?
"Are you breastfeeding?"
Liang Baozhen heard the door open and knew he was back. She looked over and smiled, "Look at her. She's eating so hard. She must be hungry."
The little girl in her arms seemed to understand what her mother said. She sucked milk more attentively, her little hands waving unconsciously, with her four fingers clasped together in her palms as if she wanted to grab something.
After drinking milk, Liang Baozhen handed the child to Xu Shengjie and put on her clothes. In order to breastfeed, she unbuttoned her clothes to expose half of her chest. Now that the child was taken away, she suddenly felt a little shy.
It wasn't even dark yet, and I was already like this. I felt a little uncomfortable even though I was at home, so I asked grandma to go out first.
Who knew Xu Shengjie would come back suddenly.
"You pat her to burp the milk." Liang Baozhen felt something was wrong as soon as she said this. This man's hands were too strong. Shanshan was so small that she couldn't withstand his patting! "Forget it, let me do it. Give Shanshan to me."
"No, I have to learn it anyway." Xu Shengjie also wanted to do it himself and didn't want to let his wife do everything. On the one hand, this was his daughter-in-law, and on the other hand, he also wanted his wife to have a good rest.
"Your hands are so strong, please don't hurt Shanshan." Liang Baozhen was still a little worried.
But Xu Shengjie knew in his heart that this was just a baby who was only a few days old. He patted the girl's back lightly with his big hand, relieving himself of some strength. He thought of his wife's bad words and his brother's wailing, and was worried about hurting the child. He always felt that he did not use enough strength.
Little Shanshan seemed to be enjoying herself in her father's arms. Her belly was bloated after drinking the milk, and her father patted her again and again. Soon she burped and then fell asleep with her eyes closed.
"Asleep." Xu Shengjie smiled unconsciously as he looked at his daughter-in-law. When he saw her sleeping, she raised her head and looked at his wife, asking for credit. "How was it? Did you complete the task well?"
Liang Baozhen buttoned up her clothes, looked at Xu Shengjie, who was beaming with joy, and praised him, "Well done, Comrade Xu Shengjie."
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