After a thorough examination, the doctor said to Li Xinru:
"It's probably impossible to save the pregnancy. Her cervix is fully dilated, and she's about to give birth."
Liu Aiguo didn't understand, nor did the other young educated youths, so they all waited outside the delivery room.
Yan Ci was about to leave first, but Li Damin asked him to wait, saying that they would go back after Li Zhiqing gave birth.
Yan Ci glanced at his watch; there was still time, so he agreed to wait a moment.
He sat on a wooden chair at the nurses' station, closing his eyes to rest.
Li Xinru gave birth quickly; soon after, the sound of a baby crying could be heard.
Liu Aiguo held his daughter with great joy.
When Li Xinru returned to the ward, Liu Aiguo went to buy brown sugar and eggs.
The educated youths saw that the baby had been born safely and that Li Xinru had eaten something.
Li Damin then told Liu Aiguo that the rest of them were going back to the village.
Liu Aiguo felt a little guilty that everyone had accompanied him and his wife to the hospital for the birth of their child on Lunar New Year's Eve, so he saw some of them out.
Before the group even reached the nurses' station, they heard the doctor instructing the nurses:
"Xiao Yang, please explain the precautions to the couple in detail, and make a few more trips to check on the child."
That young couple is so confused; they even got the due date wrong. She was clearly due at full term, but they insisted she was more than two months short and needed to be kept on bed rest.
The educated youth looked at each other after hearing the doctor's words. Liu Aiguo said awkwardly to everyone, "Thank you all for your help today. I will thank you later."
Then, he turned around and went back to the ward.
Seeing that everyone was standing still, Yan Ci asked, "What's wrong? Don't you want to go back?"
Li Damin quickly said, "We want to go back, we want to go back."
Yan Ci escorted the group back to the educated youth settlement, then drove the tractor back to the brigade headquarters and parked it before hurriedly returning home.
Bai Xiaoyue only took out the steamed dishes from the pot one by one after he returned.
This year we slaughtered a pig, so there are a lot of meat dishes: braised pork, braised pork with preserved mustard greens, twice-cooked pork, fried meatballs, chicken stew with mushrooms, and a big pork knuckle.
The staple foods are still rice and dumplings.
In these times, no one dares to talk about looking to the future; Bai Xiaoyue only hopes that everyone will be safe and sound.
After a lively New Year's Eve dinner, everyone gathered together to chat.
Yan Ruyi was like a busy little bee, bringing food and drinks to everyone.
Mother Bai was extremely pleased: "This girl is so diligent."
Bai Xiaoyue nodded and said, "Yes, Ruyi is my good helper."
Xiao Bai said, "I'm also Mom's little helper."
Everyone burst into laughter, even Yan Ci had a smile on his lips.
The four children went into the room to listen to the story.
Bai Xiaoyue asked Bai Wen'an, "Wen'an, how are you now?"
Bai Wen'an said, "It's the same as always. They focus on ideology, while we focus on production."
Secretary Du said, "The difficulties are temporary. We just need to do our jobs well and work for the benefit of the people."
Bai Xiaoyue instructed her younger brother:
"We still need to be cautious in our words and actions, and endure the hardship for a few years. Things will always get better."
Then I listened to Bai's mother tell interesting stories about the village and eat melon seeds.
Liu Aiguo was heartbroken and felt terrible after thinking it over and over until Li Xinru fell asleep.
He ran to ask the nurse:
"Is my baby really not premature?"
Nurse: "You'll have to ask yourselves that. All I know is that many full-term babies only weigh 5 pounds."
Your daughter is well-cared for; she was born more than two months premature and still weighed over 7 pounds.
Liu Aiguo recalled the old woman's words under the big locust tree that time.
At that time, he and Ruby Lin had only been in a relationship for a little over a month.
At the time, he thought it was impossible, but reality forced him to doubt it.
He planted a seed of doubt in his heart.
He began looking for clues, as if it was the first time the two had been intimate, and that Ruby Lin was being somewhat deliberate.
Liu Aiguo took good care of Li Xinru at the hospital. Because it was a natural birth, the two took their child home the next day.
Li Xinru was unaware of the complex emotions Liu Aiguo was feeling. She kept him busy, asking him to do this and that.
When Liu Aiguo served her brown sugar and eggs, she said she didn't want to eat them and wanted to drink chicken soup instead.
Liu Aiguo stared at her with a dark expression.
Li Xinru was unhappy. It had always been like this; Aiguo had never given her the cold shoulder before.
This baby was just born, and its nose doesn't look like a nose, and its eyes don't look like eyes.
She accused Liu Aiguo: "Aiguo, all I wanted was a sip of chicken soup, and you gave me the cold shoulder. You've gone too far!"
Liu Aiguo snorted coldly: "You still have the nerve to say I'm going too far?"
Li Xinru was furious: "I just gave birth to your child, and this is how you treat me? What kind of attitude is this?"
Liu Aiguo looked at her coldly and said, "Are you sure this child is for me?"
Li Xinru was startled, and her momentum immediately weakened.
Somewhat guiltily, she asked, "If it's not yours, whose is it?"
Seeing her appearance, Liu Aiguo was already certain in his heart.
Having shared a bed with Li Xinru for over half a year, he was quite familiar with some of her expressions.
Her appearance says it all.
Liu Aiguo said, "The doctor said the baby is full-term, and we only had sex seven months ago, so stop making excuses."
Li Xinru panicked and grabbed Liu Aiguo's hand, saying, "Aiguo, you have to believe me!"
Liu Aiguo shook off Li Xinru's hand and questioned:
"Were you already pregnant when we were by the river? Is that why you plotted against me?"
Li Xinru held Liu Aiguo tightly.
Although Liu Aiguo was a choice made out of necessity, since the two got married, this man has been very considerate and devoted to taking care of her.
I truly didn't want to break up with him, but now the facts are undeniable, so I have no choice but to confess.
She cried and said, "Patriotism, I'm sorry."
I didn't scheme against you. I didn't know I was pregnant when we were together.
I was raped.
Liu Aiguo asked in disbelief, "Really? You're not lying to me."
Li Xinru: "It's true, it's true, it was that time I went to the city and came back saying I had fallen and injured myself."
Patriot, believe me, I truly believed he was your child.
Coming from Beijing to this unfamiliar place, you've been helping me the whole time, and I've gradually come to like you.
I didn't have a chance to tell you how I felt before I ran into some villains that day. I was afraid you would look down on me, so I didn't tell you.
Later, I couldn't control myself. It's all my fault; I like you too much.
Liu Aiguo felt a pang of sympathy when he saw Li Xinru crying with tears streaming down her face.
He truly loved this woman; he cherished her dearly.
He was about to raise his hand when the child next to him burst into tears, and he snapped back to reality and lowered his hand again.
Li Xinru could sense Liu Aiguo's inner struggle. Since this child was a thorn between them, she decided to get rid of the child, since her father was a devil anyway.
The child's weight was too light, and Li Xinru said without thinking:
"Patriotism, since she's not your child, I don't want her either. Throw her away. I don't want to see her."
Liu Aiguo didn't know what to do with the child. He didn't want to raise someone else's child, but he also felt reluctant to abandon him.
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