Cheng Dan's hysteria was unknown to everyone else once the door was closed.
Xu Ruantang returned from the hospital and waited for Ye Lan and Chen Lin at the Chen family home.
Chen Lin went directly to the military base.
Ye Lan returned alone; her eyes were swollen, clearly from crying.
"Mom, have some water."
Xu Ruantang poured a cup of hot tea, handed it to Ye Lan, and comforted her for a long time.
Having no one to confide in, Ye Lan told Xu Ruantang many stories from the past.
After she finished speaking, she visibly relaxed.
Xu Ruantang waited at home specifically because she was afraid that she would feel stifled.
After this incident, Cheng Dan didn't go to the hospital for a long time.
Since Xu Ruantang couldn't see her, the search for the truth had to be temporarily put on hold.
Chen Ji didn't get any leads either.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, everyone was in low spirits because the old lady was still in a coma.
Li Shuhe, on the other hand, was so pregnant that she could barely walk, yet she still came to see Xu Ruantang from time to time.
That day, the two were sunbathing in the yard, and Li Shuhe was showing her the little sweater she had knitted.
"Ruan Ruan, look at my needlework skills, they're just as good as the ones sold outside, aren't they?"
Xu Ruantang looked over and said, "Hmm, you could go out and set up a stall now."
Seeing Li Shuhe knitting a sweater, Xu Ruantang also got the itch to try it out a while ago and followed suit.
As a result, she couldn't even knit a scarf properly.
At first, he was very confident that he would give Chen Jizhi a way to make others envious of him.
The more he knitted, the more he felt something was wrong.
Li Shuhe almost ended up in the hospital because she laughed at her. "Ruan Ruan, your scarf is so loose, it could be used as a fence for a football field! And to make matters worse, it looks so ugly!"
Xu Ruantang has a good attitude; even after being criticized, she still resolutely finished knitting one.
She didn't know how to reel in the last bit of yarn, so her godmother helped her knit it.
What was originally a scarf that could be wrapped around one neck, she knitted so that it could be wrapped around the neck three times with some left over.
"Tsk tsk, even though it's fenced off, it's still drafty all around."
Li Shuhe mercilessly criticized.
Xu Ruantang herself couldn't stand it anymore and casually tossed it onto the sofa.
The next day, Chen Ji took it out, looking completely calm. If anyone asked, he would even boast that it was knitted by his wife.
In less than a day, the whole compound knew that Deputy Brigade Commander Chen's wife was all show and no substance, unable to even knit a scarf properly.
When he met a military wife, he would smile at Xu Ruantang and say, "Ruantang, you draw with your hands, write articles with your hands, and you can even bake cakes. How can you knit such a simple scarf like that?"
Xu Ruantang shrugged.
She herself didn't know why.
Before the New Year was even over, Li Shuhe was admitted to the hospital; she was about to give birth.
The Li family went to the hospital early and took good care of Li Shuhe.
Originally, the family wanted to wait until labor started before going to the hospital, but Xu Ruantang said that her belly was big and it would be better to go to the hospital sooner, so the Li family went directly.
Fortunately, they went early. Li Shuhe's baby weighed over eight pounds at birth; otherwise, it would have been dangerous if they hadn't gone to the hospital.
Xu Ruantang's belly is also big, and Chen Ji is now not allowing her to drive, saying that there is something to do and she should wait for him to get off work.
She couldn't wait any longer. When she heard that Li Shuhe had given birth, she couldn't wait to go and see her.
Fortunately, Wang Xiuxiu arrived in time and drove with them.
On the way, they went to a department store.
"I need four sets of baby clothes, in pink and red!"
Wang Xiuxiu said to the sales clerk with a happy expression, "I also want baby bottles and formula, as well as a hat for pregnant women and a thick scarf."
The two bought these items, along with eggs and malted milk powder, and then went to the hospital.
Wang Xiuxiu and Xu Ruantang split the money spent on buying things to visit Li Shuhe.
When Li's mother saw the two of them, she greeted them warmly.
She busied herself making two cups of malted milk powder for the two of them. "Quick, drink these to warm yourselves up. Ruan Tang, your belly isn't small, so don't run around like that in the future."
Li's mother now treats Xu Ruantang as half a daughter.
She saw it all. When they came to the hospital, they brought things not only for the child but also for Li Shuhe.
Few people would have thought of this.
People often think that what is given to the child is given to the mother, but in fact, mothers also want to receive attention and love from everyone.
Xu Ruantang took the brown sugar water and said with a smile, "Okay, Auntie, I understand."
She warmed her hands with the bowl and ran to Li Shuhe's side. "How are you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Li Shuhe looked pretty good, and her whole spirits were high.
She lay on the bed and chuckled softly, "It hurt, it hurt like hell. Ruan Ruan, I cried from the pain, I didn't even want to give birth anymore."
Upon hearing Li Shuhe's words, Li's mother, fearing it would frighten Xu Ruantang, quickly came over.
"Oh dear, don't listen to Shuhe's nonsense. Every woman has to go through childbirth. Just grit your teeth and you'll get through it."
Mother Li tucked the blanket around her and continued, "Shuhe has never suffered much since she was little, and she can't tolerate pain at all. You don't know, before she gave birth, she beat and scolded Qingwen so much that I couldn't bear to watch it."
Mother Li recounted, little by little, what had happened before Li Shuhe's water broke.
She was only dilated to two centimeters when she started moaning in pain on the bed. Shen Qingwen stayed with her, but didn't know what to do.
After a while, Li Shuhe would tell him to go see a doctor and ask if he could give birth.
Shen Qingwen went twice, and the doctor said it was still early.
As a result, Li Shuhe was unhappy, feeling that he hadn't asked properly, hadn't given the doctor a red envelope, and thought he hadn't taken good care of things.
In short, he criticized Shen Qingwen in various ways.
Shen Qingwen was sweating profusely because of her, but he couldn't say a single word.
Li Shuhe was crying and shouting in the ward.
Whether Shen Qingwen is standing, sitting, or even lying down, it's all wrong.
At this point, Li's mother chuckled and said, "This is a matter between the couple. I knew Shuhe was being unreasonable, so I left early on."
Li Shuhe wanted to laugh but didn't dare, lying on the bed whimpering, "Mom, is this how you treat me? It really hurts, what can I do?"
She said to Xu Ruantang and Wang Xiuxiu, "I've had menstrual cramps before, but I've never had cramps like this before. Xiuxiu, you've had children, so you should know what I mean, right?"
Wang Xiuxiu was eating a banana when she heard this and paused for a moment. "I know, I know."
Her answer was very perfunctory.
The truth is, she only has memories; the original owner was the one who gave birth to Lu Xiaozhao, so she cannot truly empathize with her.
Wang Xiuxiu secretly rejoiced, realizing she had truly gained a son for free.
As Xu Ruantang listened to what Li Shuhe said, she unconsciously touched her stomach, and her expression changed.
She could even vaguely feel a throbbing pain in her stomach at that moment.
"Alright, don't scare yourself before you've even given birth yet."
Wang Xiuxiu patted Xu Ruantang on the shoulder, "You can also choose a C-section. Our military hospital is experienced, so don't worry!"
Li Shuhe chuckled secretly in bed.
I laughed for a moment, then gasped for breath, tears welling up in my eyes. It really hurts!
"What are you talking about? Why are you laughing so happily?"
A familiar voice sounded from outside the door.
As soon as the person entered, their gaze fell on Xu Ruantang's stomach, and a dark glint flashed in their eyes.
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