Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Wang Xiaomeng drove very slowly, afraid of encountering any problems, and chatted with Li Qiuge along the way.

"Qiuge, is this your first time spending a winter in Northeast China? How are you feeling? Are you adjusting well?"

Li Qiuge looked out the window and said:

"I'm so used to it. There's a heated kang bed, central heating, and underfloor heating in the house. I find it more comfortable than in the south. Besides, I only went to Shanghai when I was in high school. I'm a northerner, you know."

"Haha, you'll get used to it. I'm just worried you won't adapt and will have to go back to Shanghai. I'm counting on you to help me out."

"Don't worry, Xiao Meng, I'll definitely stay here and help you."

Wang Xiaomeng turned her head to the side, her eyes lighting up:

"Really, Qiuge?"

"Of course it's true! As long as headquarters doesn't let me go back, I'll stay here. If things go well, even if they let me go back, I won't!"

"That's great! Who is your boyfriend? I'll help you talk to him and win his heart completely."

Li Qiuge blinked her big eyes at Wang Xiaomeng:

"I'll really have to rely on you to put in a good word for me then, but things aren't going too smoothly right now, let's take it one step at a time."

Finally entering the city, Wang Xiaomeng passed the restaurant on North Street that had been open for over ten years, and pulled over to the side of the road.

"Let's go in and pack a few dishes. Xiaomei always craves their sweet and sour pork."

"Xiaomei is about to give birth, can she eat this greasy food?"

"Oh, it's okay. She just likes this. If she really can't eat it, we'll eat it."

She pushed open the door and got out of the car. A cold wind blew in, making her shrink her neck.

A moment later, she came out carrying a heavy load of food, and handed one to Li Qiuge:

"I brought out the things for Brother Chen and Yan Nan. People who are accompanying their husbands don't usually eat properly."

Li Qiuge, holding the warm meal, smiled and said:

"You're so thoughtful. I was only thinking about Sister Xiaomei."

The two arrived at the First People's Hospital in the city center. The obstetrics department was on the second floor, and the best private room was the one facing the sun, which Xiaomei's father had booked through an acquaintance.

It was very hot inside. You had to take off your cotton-padded coat as soon as you entered. There was a wide maternity bed against the wall, covered with a blue and white checkered sheet. Next to it was a folding bed for the mother. There was a thermos and all kinds of fruit on the bedside table.

There's even a small bathroom at the very back, making it much quieter than those large wards that house three or four people.

Wang Xiaomeng and Li Qiuge carried the food upstairs on the smooth terrazzo floor, past the nurses' station, and headed straight for the innermost room with the "Mother and Baby Ward" sign.

Wang Xiaomeng raised her hand and tapped twice lightly. Xie Xiaomei's deliberately lowered voice came from inside:

"Come in."

The two of them pushed the door open and went inside.

As soon as you enter, a wave of heat hits you, making your face burn.

Looking up, I saw Lin Chen sleeping soundly on the cot next to me, his head resting on the pillow and his mouth slightly open.

Xie Xiaomei, supporting her back, sat on a chair by the window. Chen Yannan, wearing a beige turtleneck sweater, was next to her, peeling orange segments for her. The two of them were whispering to each other, their voices barely audible.

Li Qiuge couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. She quickly covered her mouth and muttered to herself:

"Who's actually giving birth? Why is the person accompanying the patient asleep before the patient is even in bed?"

"Shh..."

Xie Xiaomei gestured for her to be quiet, and, suppressing a laugh, whispered:

"He stayed up all night watching over me, touching my belly for most of the night. He only managed to doze off around 10 a.m. Let him sleep a little longer."

Li Qiuge nodded, her eyes secretly glancing at Lin Chen on the bed. A thought flickered in her mind: if she were to have his child, would he be just as attentive, would he stay by her side all night?

Wang Xiaomeng gently placed the groceries on the bedside table, then leaned closer and whispered:

"Xiaomei, is your belly moving yet?"

No.

Xie Xiaomei touched her round belly, frowned, and said somewhat anxiously:

"It's strange, today is my due date, but I'm feeling so calm and steady. It's making me so anxious, I'm always afraid that I'll suddenly start having pains."

"Don't worry, it's normal."

Wang Xiaomeng lifted the lid of the lunchbox a crack, and the aroma of sweet and sour pork wafted out:

"Eat something to tide you over first. The doctor said I can eat this before giving birth?"

"No rush when eating."

Xie Xiaomei waved her hand, and slowly stood up while holding onto the chair, saying:

"It's perfect that you're here. Could you help me wash my hair? I can't wash it by myself. If I really give birth, I won't be able to wash my hair for a whole month during postpartum confinement. I can't stand that suffering. My hair will be so oily that I could fry a dish with it."

"Will it work?"

Wang Xiaomeng quickly reached out to support her, somewhat worried:

"The ground is slippery, don't slip again, it's no joke."

"It's alright, I'll just be careful." Xie Xiaomei said nonchalantly, "Have you forgotten? When my aunt gave birth, she was washing herself in the middle of the night, and nothing happened to her."

"Let's go, you've been dawdling with me all morning. I'll help you. There's hot water in the bathroom, and Xiaomei's short hair will be easy to wash."

The three of them surrounded Xie Xiaomei and tiptoed into the bathroom. The door was ajar, and soon the sound of running water could be heard. It was fortunate that the bathroom was relatively large.

Lin Chen, still half asleep on the bed, rolled over and reached out to touch the side, but found nothing.

He sat up abruptly, his eyes not fully open yet. He blinked a couple of times with difficulty. The ward was empty; he was the only one left.

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. It was already noon, and he had slept for more than two hours.

His heart tightened, and he almost broke out in a sweat.

Oh no! I can't have fallen asleep while Xiaomei is already in labor and being wheeled into the delivery room! I'm sleeping way too soundly.

He shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Xiaomei! Xie Xiaomei! Where are you?"

Her voice was quite loud; the sound of water in the bathroom stopped abruptly, and Xie Xiaomei's voice came through:

"Here I am! Here I am! What are you shouting for..."

Before she finished speaking, the bathroom door opened, and Xie Xiaomei came out with a towel wrapped around her head. Her hair was wet, and water was dripping from the ends.

Wang Xiaomeng and Chen Yannan followed behind, their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, their hands covered in shampoo foam, as if they had just finished some heavy work.

Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief, patted his chest, then frowned again, pointed at her helplessly, and said:

"You washed yourself in the bathroom?"

"Oh, what's wrong?"

Xie Xiaomei wiped the water droplets from her face:

"Giving them all to the three of them was exhausting. Yan Nan massaged my scalp until it felt sore."

"Oh my god."

Lin Chen silently pulled the hospital bed out a section, then bent down and took the plastic basin from under the bed.

"If you want to wash your hair, just call me. You can lie on this bed and wash it, just like in a hair salon. It's so much easier that way! Why do you have to be bent over in the bathroom? Isn't that tiring? What if you strain yourself?"

As he spoke, he took a dry towel, stood behind Xie Xiaomei, and gently dried her hair, as if afraid of hurting her.

"I was just thinking you were sleeping."

Xie Xiaomei muttered softly, but the corners of her mouth curled up:

"Staying up all night is quite tiring."

"It's not as tiring as giving birth."

Lin Chen sighed and dried her hair.

"Don't try to do things on your own anymore. Call me if you need anything, understand?"

Wang Xiaomeng and Chen Yannan exchanged a glance and covered their mouths to secretly laugh, while Li Qiuge's eyes were full of envy.

……

The snow piled up high next to Zhao Yutian's flowerbed, and the wind had blown it into jagged edges. The flowerbed was stuffy, and white steam billowed out as soon as the door was opened.

Zhao Si and his family of three were working in sweaters, and they were still sweating. Their hands and mouths were never idle.

Zhao Yutian straightened up, clenched his fist and pounded his back, his bones cracking. He let out a long breath and said with a smile:

"Dad, why are our lives so peaceful these days? The day Liu Ying went back to her parents' home, things were much quieter. Nobody complained or caused trouble. Everything went smoothly, and everyone was in a better mood. Maybe we should just not let her come back."

Zhao Si glanced up at him and continued working, mud falling from his hands.

"Don't talk nonsense! What if she doesn't let me come back? I'm still waiting to hold my grandson. How can I have a baby without her? You have one, then!"

Yutian's mother pushed a few potted plants over, frowned, sighed, and patted the mud off her hands:

"Hey dad, isn't this weird? The more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems."

Zhao Si hissed and pulled, looking at her as he said:

"Something feels off? You noticed it too?"