When they first got married, Xia Liang wasn't used to it and stayed at her own home. Gu Yanxiao didn't force her to go back to the county government compound, but he went to Xia's house every day. The two of them were very affectionate when they were together, which made Zhao Danxiang feel uncomfortable. Whenever the two of them were together, she would either stay in the kitchen or in the room. Zhou Xiaohui was speechless, as if everyone had a boyfriend.
That day, the two were feeding the chickens in the yard, while Zhao Danxiang was preparing dinner in the kitchen. Suddenly, they heard a cry of pain coming from the main room. Xia Liang and Gu Yanxiao exchanged a glance and rushed into the room. They saw Zhou Xiaohui, who had been sitting in a chair watching TV, now lying on the ground struggling. Xia Liang said, "Quick, my sister-in-law is about to give birth!" Gu Yanxiao rushed forward and picked Zhou Xiaohui up in his arms. Xia Liang quickly went to push the tricycle that Xia Rong had specially prepared for his wife's childbirth. Zhao Danxiang ran into the house to get the maternity bag and also took a mattress to put in the tricycle basket. Gu Yanxiao and Xia Xiao put Zhou Xiaohui in the basket, and Zhao Danxiang and Xia Liang sat on either side of Zhou Xiaohui, holding her hands. Zhou Xiaohui was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face, and she kept moaning.
The journey to the hospital was smooth and uneventful. Xia Liang asked Gu Yanxiao to go to Zhou Xiaohui's house to call Zhou's mother and the others over. She and Xia's mother waited at the door of the ward. After Zhou Xiaohui was wheeled in, Xia's mother paced anxiously at the door. Although Xia Liang was anxious, she knew that her sister-in-law's due date was very soon, so she wasn't too worried. Hearing the heart-wrenching screams coming from inside, Zhao Danxiang became even more anxious and went forward to ask her daughter, "A-Liang, is your sister-in-law alright?" Xia Liang pressed her mother down into a chair and comforted her, "Mom, don't worry too much. My sister-in-law's due date is just around the corner, she'll be fine." Zhao Danxiang's legs went weak and her hands trembled as she said, "But your sister-in-law just fell off the chair." Just then, Zhou Xiaohui's mother arrived at the hospital. Hearing what her daughter-in-law's mother said, her face instantly darkened. She stepped forward and said in a harsh tone, "Daughter-in-law, how did Xiaohui fall off the chair? How are you taking care of my daughter?" Xia Liang saw that she was still wearing an apron and knew that she had been cooking. She probably rushed over without even taking it off when she heard that her daughter was about to give birth. Xia Liang sighed and said, "Aunt Zhou, my mother was cooking in the kitchen, and my sister-in-law was watching TV in the living room. We heard her voice and..." "We immediately took her to the hospital. As for your claim that we didn't take good care of my sister-in-law, we can't accept that. Ever since my sister-in-law married into our family, my mother has always cooked for her. After my sister-in-law became pregnant, my mother never complained about the several meals a day. Whenever she was hungry, a hot meal was immediately handed to her. Since she married into our family, my mother has washed everything except their own underwear. If that's not good enough, then I'd like to learn how Aunt Zhou treats her daughter-in-law." These words were quite harsh, and Aunt Zhou regretted it a bit, but the words were already out and couldn't be taken back. As for her daughter-in-law, she was the only one in her family who didn't work. Her daughter-in-law could eat dinner in the county town, but she still had to wash the family's clothes every night. Xia Liang's suggestion of learning how to treat her daughter-in-law was just to say that if you can't even clean up your own mess, don't worry about others. Zhao Danxiang was initially worried that her daughter's words were too harsh and might anger her mother-in-law, but seeing the regret on her mother-in-law's face, she didn't say anything and continued to wait anxiously. Xia Liang and Zhou Xiaohui had a good relationship, and Xia Liang was her sister-in-law, so she should have been very respectful to her mother. After Xia Rong returned from the Zhou family, she was particularly persistent in looking for a job, which made Xia Liang suspect that the Zhou family didn't approve of her brother. Although this was normal, and one's daughter would definitely choose a good son-in-law, it was still not comfortable for her to be in this situation. Today, Zhou's mother came over and spoke to her mother in a accusatory tone, which showed that she didn't usually take Xia's mother seriously and probably looked down on her family because they were from the countryside.
Zhou's mother felt a pang of regret; in her haste, she hadn't been able to hold back her criticism of Zhao Danxiang. Indeed, she held a certain contempt for her in-laws. Even though their family now lived in the county town, the stain on their reputation couldn't be washed away. She had always looked down on Zhao Danxiang with an air of superiority.
The ward door opened, and the nurse asked her to pass in the small blanket for holding the baby. Zhao Danxiang, her hands trembling, opened her bag, rummaged through the prepared blanket, and handed it in. The ward door closed again, and she stood at the door looking around. Xia Liang then instructed Gu Yanxiao, who was standing nearby, "Go back and bring the chicken soup from the stove, and also get a bowl of noodles from the state-run restaurant." Gu Yanxiao nodded, turned around, and left. Seeing her mother looking around, Xia Liang pulled her to a seat; there was nothing she could do anyway. A moment later, the ward door opened again, and a nurse came out carrying a small swaddle blanket, calling out, "Are Zhou Xiaohui's family members here?" Zhou's mother, who was standing closest to the door, was the first to run to the nurse, take the baby, and ask, "Nurse, how is my daughter?" The nurse replied, "She's fine, she'll be out soon after a little treatment." Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou's mother lifted the blanket to see if it was a boy or a girl, and Zhao Danxiang also happily joined in. Seeing that it was a little girl, Zhou's mother was still a little worried. Although she loved her daughter, she knew very well that only sons would take care of her in her old age, and she was afraid that her daughter would be disliked by her in-laws if she gave birth to a girl. Zhao Danxiang, on the other hand, didn't have such thoughts. This was her family's first grandchild, and she loved her whether it was a boy or a girl. She happily took her little granddaughter from her mother-in-law's arms, looking at her with a face full of affection.
The ward door opened again, and Zhou Xiaohui was moved to a regular ward. The group followed her there. Zhou Xiaohui's eyes were pale, and she weakly asked, "Mom, is it a boy or a girl?" Zhou's mother and Zhao Danxiang said in unison, "It's a girl." They exchanged a glance but didn't speak. Zhou Xiaohui was too weak to notice anything amiss. At this moment, Gu Yanxiao returned, carrying chicken soup in one hand and noodles in the other. Xia Liang took the things from him and went to ask Zhou Xiaohui if she was hungry. Zhou Xiaohui whispered, "I'm very hungry, but I can't eat anything right now." Xia Liang said softly, "Would you like some soup? Mom made chicken soup during the day, and I just had Gu Yanxiao go back and get it." Zhou Xiaohui said, "Then help me up." Xia Liang didn't help her up but used a small spoon to feed her the soup little by little. Zhou's mother also came forward to check on her daughter.
A nurse came over to inform them, "Does Zhou Xiaohui's family want to be discharged today, or stay for three days?" Medical resources weren't as good as in later years. Although it was a county hospital, it only had two floors and a dozen or so rooms in total, with even fewer in the obstetrics and gynecology department. Plus, there were no birth restrictions, so many families had multiple births, making the rooms even more insufficient. Many people figured they were just lying in bed either way, and since lying in the hospital cost money, they might as well go home. Therefore, some were discharged on the same day they gave birth. Xia Liang said, "Comrade, we'll stay for three days. Please help my sister-in-law and my niece with their checkups." The nurse nodded and left. Xia Liang remembered that Zhou's mother hadn't eaten dinner yet, and everyone had arrived, so she said to her mother, "Mom, you and Aunt Zhou stay here to take care of my sister-in-law. Gu Yanxiao and I will go to the state-run restaurant and get some food. We'll eat together when my brother and dad arrive at the hospital." She glanced at her watch and said, "They should be home by now. When they see the tricycle isn't there, they'll probably know my sister-in-law is giving birth and come to the hospital."
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