Chapter 58 Chapter 58 What a heavy-meaning name...
As the father-in-law, Zhu Xinghua's family was much better off than his in-laws. His daughter-in-law's marriage was considered a high-class marriage.
If their son had not been away on a business trip, and their daughter-in-law had not insisted on running to Xinghai to find her parents despite her big belly, they would not have chased her.
Now my daughter-in-law is going to give birth directly in Xinghai, which is really unexpected.
Zhu Xinghua returned to the ward and took out his work ID from the pocket of his cadre uniform.
He was the workshop director of the Second Textile Factory in the provincial capital. There was a military representative stationed there, who was specifically responsible for receiving and inspecting quality issues of military textile fabrics. That military representative was not from any other unit, but from the Independent Division of the 014th Unit stationed in Xinghai.
If we have to establish some relationship, he should be considered the second cousin of the cousin of Zhu Xinghua's cousin's son.
"I'll ask the hospital leaders if military families can be given priority. After all, we have a nephew who is a battalion commander." Zhu Xinghua gained confidence after mentioning this.
They moved in yesterday. Zhu Xinghua was a sharp-eyed man. He took a quick look around and didn't find any cadres higher than the battalion commander.
Speaking of the position of Battalion Commander of 014, it is a very impressive one, and one can count the number of such people on one's fingers.
Not to mention that he was only a nodding acquaintance with the military representative, who held the same rank as the deputy director in the state-owned factory. The Second Textile Company had merged four or five small and medium-sized factories, with over three hundred workshops alone. The number of workshop directors and deputies was enormous.
Zhu Xinghua didn't care about all this. Things have their priorities, and no one was more anxious about the birth environment of his future grandson than him.
He first went to borrow the nurse's phone, but the nurse refused, saying that outsiders were not allowed to use the internal telephones in the military hospital.
Zhu Xinghua had no choice but to run to the guesthouse opposite the PLA Hospital late at night to make a phone call.
The duty room at the west gate of the Second Textile Factory is manned 24 hours a day. When they heard he was looking for the military representative, they politely said, "The military representative has gone back to rest. If you're not in a hurry, call his office tomorrow. I'm not easily contacted, and I don't have the authority to do so."
Zhu Xinghua was naturally anxious. He tried his best to ask the duty room to leave a message for the military representative, hoping that the other party would call him early the next morning. He also specifically told the people in the duty room that he was the military representative's third uncle from a distant place.
Upon hearing this, the duty officer perked up and spoke to him more politely, his words less awkward than before and more earnestly. "Since we're all family, the military representative can definitely make a call for you. Having a baby is a top priority, and I absolutely cannot delay you tomorrow."
Zhu Xinghua got the guarantee, as if he had obtained an imperial sword.
He knew that although the military representative was upright, he was kind and gentle, and was well-liked in the factory. He would generally help if he could, unless it was a matter of principle.
He had his daughter-in-law giving birth urgently, and he had a distant relative, so he made the necessary arrangements and could then go to the PLA Hospital to discuss arranging a single room for his future grandson with his superiors.
The chief doctor in the hospital's duty room was just about to close his eyes and go to sleep when he was disturbed by Zhu Xinghua knocking on the door.
After hearing Zhu Xinghua's purpose, Director Wang understood his concern but said he was powerless to help.
"We originally had four single wards. Unfortunately, one of them has a woman who's in labor who's not in good condition. She's bleeding heavily and needs to be put on a ventilator. Another one has an elderly woman with allergies and asthma, so she can't share the room with others. Another one has water leaking through the wall and is being repaired. We simply can't accommodate your daughter-in-law."
When Zhu Xinghua heard that the three rooms had been arranged, he immediately remembered that there was another one, so he knocked on the table and said rudely, "Isn't there another room?"
Director Wang said in surprise, "Don't you see that someone's already living there? Isn't it right next door to you?"
How come Zhu Xinghua didn’t see it? He was talking to the people in that room.
He approached Director Wang and said, "I see they are a young couple, and the family members in the ward also look like they are from the countryside. Why do we need them to occupy our ward? People like them—"
"Comrade Zhu Xinghua, I advise you not to speak like that. Our hospital has regulations that prohibit the disclosure of specific personal identities and family information, but I still want to tell you: don't look down on others just because you're from the provincial capital."
Zhu Xinghua had never expected to hear such serious words. His face darkened, and he straightened his back, acting like a cadre from a large state-owned factory in the provincial capital. He said to the doctor, "Who am I looking down on? I think you think we're from outside the province and are easy to bully, right? I know without you telling me that those two young people must be relatives of one of you, definitely relatives. I won't sue you, but you can change my ward right now. I'll keep this a secret, or I'll definitely file a complaint!"
Director Wang was completely speechless. She'd been busy all day, and only slept four or five hours last night because the woman was having a difficult labor. This job was already difficult enough, so why were there family members coming in to cause trouble?
She walked to the door, opened it, and let Zhu Xinghua leave. "Brother, I have something to say to you: there are always people who are better than you. Please leave. I need to rest."
Zhu Xinghua was furious. At the Second Textile Factory, no one called him Director. How could he have been kicked out? A Director in the provincial capital wasn't any more powerful than one in a second-tier city? And yet they were actually kicking him out.
He walked to the door, feeling a bit angry. After thinking about it for his grandson, he closed the door and took out a red envelope from his pocket.
Director Wang immediately opened the door and stood at the entrance, waving his hands frantically: "Don't give it to me, I can't take it. Everyone can see it. I don't accept red envelopes."
Zhu Xinghua saw the nurse on duty walking towards him in the corridor. He said anxiously, "Having a child is a happy occasion. This isn't a bribe. This is to let you share in the happiness."
Director Wang thought, this isn't a happy event, it's clearly a disaster! It's a sugar-coated bullet!
When she saw Zhu Xinghua open her pocket, she hurriedly grabbed the red envelope and stuffed it into Zhu Xinghua's hand, then pushed him out of the door and locked it from the inside with a click.
After going through the whole process, it’s so skillful that it makes people feel distressed.
Zhu Xinghua was so angry that he held the red envelope in his hand.
I've never seen a fool who refuses money.
He turned around and saw Gu Qingzhou strolling down the corridor with his young wife. Before he could say anything sarcastic, the couple quickly turned around and walked back.
“…”
Zhu Xinghua knew that they must have seen it, so he leaned against the wall and calmed down for a while.
He wanted to find the young couple to ask some questions, but after waiting for a long time, they were just wandering around the other end of the corridor. Hey, they didn't come over.
Zhu Xinghua could only shout, "Hey, I have something to discuss with you."
Qingmei held her waist and whispered to Gu Qingzhou, "You must switch wards with us. Let's go quickly."
Gu Qingzhou had traveled extensively and had met all sorts of people. Many had offered him bribes, but he had sternly refused them all. He didn't find it strange, but rather a bit irritated.
Qingmei, on the other hand, is now in good spirits and plump, concentrating on watching the fun. She feels cheerful and not angry at all.
What's there to be angry about?
It can’t be snatched away, and it can’t be moved away. She still lives in a single room, so that old comrade Zhu Xinghua will be angry when he sees her. But she won’t be angry, hehe.
Qingmei was tired from strolling in the corridor and went back to her single room to rest.
The single room is equipped with a bed, sofa, table and chairs, as well as a separate bathroom where adults and children can take a bath. There is 24-hour hot water, and the conditions are indeed first-class.
Zhao Xiaoxing helped Qingmei sit down and asked her how she felt. Qingmei really didn't feel any pain anymore.
As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach suddenly began to twist and ache, and her lower body felt like it was about to break apart.
Gu Qingzhou walked over quickly, carried her to the hospital bed, and watched his little wife rolling on the bed.
Zhao Xiaoxing said: "It's just labor pain, it must be labor pain, just bear with it."
Xiaoyan ran to the nurse's station to call for help. The nurse on duty came over, checked her, and said to Gu Qingzhou, "Family, please be prepared. The baby is about to be born."
Qingmei cried out in bed, her voice almost breaking: "Don't we have to wait until the second half of the night?!"
The nurse said, "Everyone's body is different, so you'll have an easier time than others. Don't be afraid. I'll be watching over you once you're inside."
She ran to the nurses' station, called another midwife to prepare, and then woke up Director Wang who had just lay down.
When Gu Qingzhou saw Director Wang, she had a face full of instructions but didn't say them out loud. She patted Gu Qingzhou on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, she's in good health and the baby is in the right position. She should be able to come out soon."
Gu Qingzhou followed her out of the delivery room. Seeing Qingmei being pushed to his side, he stretched out his hand and touched Qingmei briefly.
The touch was fleeting, and before his fingertips could feel the warmth of his little wife, she left him.
Everyone waited outside, and after an hour or two, there was still no movement inside.
Zhao Wuhe came over to comfort Gu Qingzhou who was pacing anxiously and said, "It's okay. Director Wang also said that she has good conditions and it should be easy for her to give birth-"
Gu Qingzhou said nothing and continued pacing back and forth.
After more than forty minutes, the sound of a baby crying was finally heard from inside.
“Wow wow—”
The delivery room suddenly became busy. Zhao Wuhe looked at Gu Qingzhou in surprise and said, "Is it born?"
Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan hugged each other nervously. When they heard the baby crying from inside, they said, "Our niece is out?"
They stood there stunned, while Qingmei, inside, was sweating profusely, nearly fainting from the pain. If she hadn't experienced suffering in her past life, she certainly wouldn't have been able to endure such bone-scratching pain. Fortunately, the moment the baby came out, the pain subsided considerably. She was breathing rapidly, her face pale.
Gu Qingzhou saw the door of the delivery room being pushed open. A nurse came over with a wrapped baby in her arms and asked, "Where are Comrade Qingmei's family members?"
Gu Qingzhou swallowed, his throat was dry, and he stretched out his hands stiffly, ready to pick up the child.
The nurse smiled at the young, inexperienced husband. Everyone could see how much he cared for and doted on his wife. As a nurse, she had seen too many incompetent men, so she couldn't help but soften her tone when facing Gu Qingzhou: "Congratulations, you're a father now."
Gu Qingzhou excitedly looked at the baby whose eyes had not yet opened. His skin was white and tender with a pinkish hue, and his small nose and mouth were adorable. Needless to say, he must be a big...
"Son!" The nurse smiled and held the child in front of Gu Qingzhou. Seeing his face, which was filled with his father's loving smile, droop, she said in a tone that was about to collapse: "What did you say? A girl?!"
"What do you mean by recruiting girls? I think you're recruiting a fight!"
Zhao Wuhe wanted to beat him to death, so she elbowed him hard, picked up her eldest grandson and looked at him carefully: "If you don't give the child a name, I'll ask your father to give him one later."
Gu Qingzhou certainly loves his child, regardless of whether it's a boy or a girl, because it's the fruit of his love with his childhood sweetheart. Even if the fruit isn't sweet candy but salt...
Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan looked at the child for a long time, and they both felt that the child would grow up to be a handsome boy like Gu Qingzhou.
Although Zhao Wuhe also wanted a granddaughter, a grandson would be fine too. After all, boys are a bit rougher, and when they grow up, they can be thrown into the army. If the grades are good, they can go to military school and join the army. If the grades are not good, they can be conscripted into the army. Anyway, there is only one path...
Gu Qingzhou quickly took his eyes off the child and continued to stare at the door of the delivery room, hoping to see his precious baby soon.
The nurse handed the baby to Zhao Wuhe to hold. When she met her colleagues in the delivery room, she whispered, "This is the first time I've seen a family that doesn't like sons. It's the leaders who are more qualified and know the benefits of daughters."
"Really?"
"You didn't see it. When the chief heard it was a son, his face fell so dark. He even asked the child to find a sister."
"Ahem..." Director Wang supported Qingmei and walked outside step by step. After a while, Qingmei was able to walk a few steps on her own.
She heard what the nurses said and realized that the child's health was the most important thing. Then she felt angry and amused at the same time.
Just now, when she was lying there, feeling worse than death, she did think that having only one child in this life would be enough. However... she knew how much Gu Qingzhou wanted a sweet and soft little girl, so if that didn't work, she would just have a daughter.
After going out, Qingmei saw Gu Qingzhou pretending to be cheerful. Before she could say anything, Gu Qingzhou hugged her tightly in his arms in front of everyone.
A moment later, Qingmei heard his voice: "Can you give me the right to name it?"
"no!"
Never name your child "Zhao Mei"!
Fortunately, she heard what the nurse said, otherwise she would have been deceived by his aggrieved tone.
Gu Qingzhou let go of Qingmei and lowered his eyes, his expression filled with heartache. Qingmei touched his face with one hand... and pulled it aside.
Oh, the child’s father is so handsome that she can’t help but want to kiss him.
She didn't have the nerve to do that in front of others, so she could only let him down.
Director Wang sent them to the ward with a smile, and gave them medical instructions and explained some precautions.
After she left, Zhu Xinghua, who was watching from the door of the six-person room next door, said to his wife, "I think the person living over there has connections. No wonder Director Wang didn't tell me whose connection it is. I think it's her own."
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, so everyone living in the six-person room could hear it. It was almost dawn, and he was still not sleeping and disturbing everyone else's rest just for a single room.
If everyone didn't have a curtain covering their eyes, he would have been kicked out immediately.
Qingmei didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up, she found Gu Qingzhou imitating some movements with the nurse by the bed.
When she found out, her face turned red with shame and she almost didn't want to live anymore.
Zhao Wuhe carried her grandson to Qingmei. She stayed up all night without sleeping and finally waited for Qingmei to wake up and feed her grandson.
After giving the child to Qingmei, she wisely took Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan out of the single room and walked around in the corridor.
As luck would have it, I ran into Zhu Xinghua who was carrying breakfast.
"Sister, have you eaten yet? Here are some buns. Can I give you some?"
Zhao Wuhe didn't know Zhu Xinghua's true nature and actually thought he was sending her some buns. She said with a smile, "No need, old comrade, just give them to your family."
Yesterday, Zhu Xinghua didn't hear clearly whether Qingmei gave birth to a boy or a girl. He heard "son" and "sister" at times, which was strange. When he walked up to Zhao Wuhe, he casually asked, "Did my sister give birth to a granddaughter?"
Zhao Wuhe said with regret: "He's very handsome, but it's a pity that he has a fat grandson."
Zhu Xinghua's face suddenly turned unhappy. What did he mean? What a pity that he was a fat grandson? Was he showing off to him?
Zhu Xinghua said, "Could it be that your family prefers daughters over sons?"
Zhao Wuhe said, "Yes, I have two sons myself, and each one makes me angrier than the other. Ultimately, my daughter-in-law is the sweet and caring little cotton-padded jacket. I'm not greedy enough, I want a sweet and caring little cotton-padded jacket too."
Two sons? That's so easy to say.
Zhu Xinghua had a son in his old age, the only child in three generations. To have this son, his wife took many traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, and he also suffered a lot, and spent most of the family's savings.
Seeing Zhao Wuhe casually talking about having two sons, and now a grandson, whom she didn't want, she sneered and said, "Sister, don't be so ungrateful. How did you get the single ward? My daughter-in-law is due in the next two days, and I don't think your husband is suffering much. Why don't you be discharged tonight and give us the ward?"
Zhao Wuhe was stunned for a moment, then asked him, "How dare you ask my daughter-in-law to make room for your family?"
Zhu Xinghua said, "I tried to persuade you kindly, but you refused to listen. This is a PLA hospital, and the patients are all from the army. Especially in the single wards, only those with a name in the independent division can stay there. Your family is a relative, so even if you enjoy the same treatment as others, you should be content. Be careful not to be reported, or your family's happy occasion will turn sour."
Zhao Wuhe chuckled, walked up to Zhu Xinghua and said, "Does your family have a name?"
Zhu Xinghua said: "They are not very prestigious, just the family of the battalion commander of 014."
Zhao Wuhe understood: "Are you bullying others by taking advantage of your power?"
Zhu Xinghua particularly likes others to think that he has "power". As he gets older, he becomes more and more stubborn and more and more difficult to get along with, all because of his "power".
As a director in the factory, he had to act like a director, but he didn't have many opportunities to do so. There were countless leaders higher up than him in the factory, and with nearly 100,000 people working there, including large and small factories and branches, he was the boss.
But it’s different here. How many battalion commanders can 014 have?
If he doesn't show off his style this rare time, then when will he show off?
After his daughter-in-law gave birth, he'd have something to talk about when he returned to the factory. He wanted to enjoy every detail of the room's furnishings and special treatment, and he had to memorize them all. When his grandson was born, he could tell him he was born in such a first-class environment.
When his grandson was one month old, he could show his relatives and friends the superb treatment his daughter-in-law enjoyed in Xinghai City. He wanted to let others know that he was powerful after leaving the provincial capital and arriving in Xinghai.
You can also take this opportunity to express your gratitude to the military representatives. The interactions between you may make your relationship even closer.
When Zhao Wuhe saw the strange and satisfied smile on his face, she shook her head and thought that this man was crazy.
Like everyone else, Zhao Wuhe didn't give Zhu Xinghua any face. Zhu Xinghua returned to the ward and looked through the phone book, preparing to call the Second Textile Industry duty room again.
This morning he went to the guesthouse and waited for a call but didn't get one. He could wait, but his grandson couldn't. The doctor said the baby might be due tonight.
He picked up the phone book, found the number of the military representative's office, and thought about words that would be polite but not unfamiliar, and prepared to call the military representative's office directly.
When we arrived at the guesthouse, someone answered the phone at the military representative's office, but it wasn't the military representative.
"What? Captain Lu is going to report back to 014 before National Day? That's great, that's really great."
Zhu Xinghua breathed a sigh of relief, realizing it wasn't that they didn't want to contact him, but rather that it was inconvenient for them to contact him on the way to Xinghai. Coming to Xinghai would be great; it would be best if they could come to the hospital. If Captain Lu showed up, they could definitely secure a private room for his grandson.
He thanked the soldiers who stayed behind profusely on the phone, and said that he would bring them local specialties when he returned to the provincial capital. He was not discouraged by the rejection, and thanked them again, asked for Captain Lu's external communication phone number at 014, and then hung up.
He then called Captain Lu at the 014th Unit, but the soldier from the telephone operation squad told him that no one answered the call and asked him to leave a message if he had any questions.
Zhu Xinghua didn't know that the 014th unit had strict management, and it was impossible for him to easily call and find a unit cadre without any relatives or friends.
He happily left a message for Captain Lu, explaining that he was Director Zhu of the Second Textile Factory, his distant third uncle, and that he was at the PLA Hospital awaiting the birth of his daughter-in-law. He hoped Captain Lu would remember their distant relationship and come visit, and he would be grateful. If not, please call back, so he wouldn't have to worry about seeing him day and night...
While he was on the phone, Zhao Wuhe returned to the ward and saw Qingmei's blushing face. She asked, "Hello? Is there enough milk?"
Before Qingmei could speak, Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "It's fine. The nurse even praised it, saying that our family took good care of it."
The nurse had seen many pregnant women, and when she saw Qingmei's rosy face and the halo of happiness surrounding her when she entered the ward, she knew that she was enjoying a good life at her husband's home.
Qingmei said shyly, "I wanted to add some milk powder, but the nurse said it's not necessary."
Zhao Wuhe swept away the bad mood just now and said with a smile: "You should take good care of yourself during the confinement period. Don't wash your hair. Mom will help you take care of the baby. You just need to recuperate well."
Qingmei pouted her little mouth and looked at Gu Qingzhou.
Gu Qingzhou also felt that it was a bit too much not to wash hair and take a bath during the confinement period, but then he thought about what if he really got sick?
He didn't dare to gamble.
If he didn't want to wash it, he would have to cooperate with Zhao Wuhe to watch over his little wife. lest he collude with Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan, and in the blink of an eye, his head would bubble.
Those two are my wife's lackeys through and through.
Zhao Wuhe waited for Qingmei to rest, called Gu Qingzhou outside and told him what had just happened.
Gu Qingzhou stood against the wall and recalled, "The provincial military representative? From Erfang, I know his name is Lu Qianghua. He's an upright man who values his reputation and wouldn't let anyone flaunt his power. I think there must be a misunderstanding."
"What misunderstanding?" Zhao Wuhe said angrily, "He's about to kick my daughter out of the hospital. Didn't you see how proud he was? Xinghai is a small city, so it's not worth being looked down upon like this. And you can't say that all the cities in the country are big cities, right? Compared to Beijing and Shanghai, what are the provincial capitals?"
Gu Qingzhou said with a forced smile: "The military representative stationed in the provincial capital is going back to the army to report to me recently. It's a good opportunity for me to ask him in person what's going on."
Zhao Wuhe said, "It's better this way, otherwise I will hold you accountable."
Gu Qingzhou smiled and returned to the single room after speaking.
Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan stood on either side of the baby, guarding it like two gatekeepers. They had heard from somewhere that there was a child stealer, and they stared at the baby without blinking.
Gu Qingzhou came to the crib, lowered his head, and tickled his son's cheek with his index finger. Seven pounds and seven ounces was within normal weight, and the burden on the mother was within the limit.
"He's a sensible boy." Gu Qingzhou pinched his son's tender little face again.
The child was a simpleton. The nurse said he was born to repay his father's kindness. He ate first, slept second, slept then ate, and never fussed or bothered anyone. This brought a small comfort to his father's broken heart.
Zhao Xiaoxing asked, "Have you chosen a name for my eldest nephew?"
Gu Qingzhou restrained his smile, and it flashed through his mind that several pages of names he had given to his good daughter were all invalid.
The little heart that the old father had just put back together was torn again.
Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan were still looking at him. He said calmly, "Since you're not allowed to call her Zhaomei, let's call her Panpan."
Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan said in unison: "Why is it called Panpan?"
Xiaoyan asked, "Where does this come from? What does it mean?"
Children are often named to represent family prosperity, success, or health and happiness. Some people would spend days researching or even seek out a reputable scholar to come up with a name, unlike her brother-in-law who just casually came up with one.
But Xiaoyan knew Gu Qingzhou was a military academy graduate who had studied in the Soviet Union. A serious intellectual, well-versed in both civil and military matters, he wouldn't be so casual. His background was clear.
Gu Qingzhou silently glanced back at his sleeping wife, then at his mother standing at the door chatting with someone, and whispered, "It's taken from the heavy meaning of 'looking forward to my sister's arrival'."
It turns out that the full version is "Pan Mei".
Zhao Xiaoxing and Xiaoyan: “…” Wow, he knows how to save the country in a roundabout way.
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