Chapter 216: Qin Huairu Gives Birth

The water in the twelfth lunar month was ice-cold and piercing. Qin Huairu, her belly huge, bent at the waist and scrubbed the family's clothes at the courtyard washbasin.

Her fingers were already frozen red and numb, her waist aching as if it might break. She gritted her teeth, fine cold sweat beading on her forehead, enduring the discomfort, just wanting to finish this pile of work quickly.

Suddenly, a sharp, tearing pain shot from her lower abdomen, making her vision go dark and nearly causing her to collapse. The clothing in her hand plopped into the basin, splashing icy water.

"Ah!" she cried out in pain, gripping the edge of the washbasin, her face instantly turning ashen.

The few aunts who were sunbathing and doing needlework in the central courtyard heard the sound and gathered around.

"Huairu, what's wrong?" one aunt put down her work and hurried to support her.

"My… my stomach hurts terribly…" Qin Huairu's voice trembled, sweat instantly soaking her temples.

"Oh no! She's probably going into labor!" the third aunt exclaimed, "We need to get her to the hospital right away!"

"Right, right! Hurry, go find a cart!"

Several enthusiastic aunts immediately flustered, chattering as they scrambled to arrange a trip to the hospital.

"What hospital! Waste of money!" Jia Zhangshi burst out of the house like a gust, hands on hips, glaring with her triangular eyes, "Which woman doesn't give birth? Back in our day we all had babies at home! I've already sent for the midwife—she'll be here any minute!"

Her tone was firm and unquestionably domineering. In her view, going to the hospital was pure waste; the midwife was cheap and convenient, and whether the daughter-in-law might be in danger was not within her primary concerns.

Seeing Qin Huairu in pain, the first aunt felt sorry but still hurriedly sent someone to the steel rolling mill to call Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai back.

The Jia household instantly fell into chaos. Qin Huairu was helped onto the kang, and the midwife was quickly summoned. Everyone in the courtyard pricked up their ears to listen to the Jia household's commotion; the women, empathizing, felt tense and thought Qin Huairu had gotten a raw deal marrying into the Jia family.

When Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai hurried back, muffled cries of pain from Qin Huairu and the midwife's directions were coming from inside the Jia house. Jia Dongxu rubbed his hands, pacing outside, showing little joy at the prospect of becoming a father, more bewilderment and a hint of impatience.

Yi Zhonghai frowned, standing at the doorway, his mind on the work at the factory, yet feeling that as a master and the First Elder, he could not ignore it.

After a long ordeal, just as the sky was darkening, a loud infant wail rang out from the Jia household!

"Born! Born!" the midwife came out, sweat pouring down her face, announcing the joy, "It's a boy! Mother and child are safe!"

Upon hearing it was a grandson, Jia Zhangshi's sour face instantly broke into a chrysanthemum-like smile, her voice rising eight pitches, as if she wanted the whole courtyard to hear: "Oh my goodness! My big, fat grandson! Our old Jia line has an heir! He's a golden grandson!"

She rushed in without hesitation, clutching the wrinkled baby as if she held the world's most precious treasure; all her earlier anxiety and stinginess were flung to the clouds, leaving only pride and ecstatic joy.

Yi Zhonghai let out a breath, a faint smile appearing on his face, and told the first aunt: "Go, fetch our basket of eggs, and also slaughter the laying hen in the coop, to nourish Huairu."

The first aunt complied. Soon, the eggs and old hen sent by Yi Zhonghai's household were received by Jia Zhangshi, who said, "Oh, thank you, First Elder! This is truly a timely gift in the snow! Our Huairu is frail, so she really needs fortifying."

However, over the next few days, most of the chicken soup and eggs ended up in Jia Zhangshi's belly. She righteously complained to the occasional visiting aunt: "I've been caring for the grandson day and night, exhausted to the point I can't straighten my waist! If I don't fortify myself, where would I get the energy to wait on them mother and child?" As if she were the one who had done the hard work.

Qin Huairu lay on the kang, watching her mother-in-law gulp down the chicken soup she herself had barely tasted, hearing her coo to the child "Grandma's good boy," her heart turned icy. Her physical weakness and inner bitterness intertwined, leaving her unable to shed a tear.

Other households in the courtyard, out of politeness, also sent some eggs and brown sugar. Sha Zhu had Ma Dongmei bring over a dozen eggs; Ma Dongmei, seeing Qin Huairu's pale face, quietly sighed. Xu Damao also reluctantly sent a few eggs. Li Ping'an had his sister Li Ple also send eggs, lest anyone find fault, to avoid seeming antisocial.

Thanks to the new addition, the Jia household briefly became the courtyard's focus. Jia Zhangshi, holding the grandson, boasted to everyone she met, her pride nearly surpassing the showiness when Sha Zhu first took a wife.

Just as the Jia household celebrated its "great joy" and the courtyard buzzed with talk, the West Annex was unusually quiet.

Li Ping'an had been busier lately; although the Deaf Old Lady had been caught, the ensuing cleanup and preventive work were countless. He often returned home late, a subtle fatigue showing in his brow.

That evening, he returned home; Lin Xueqing, as usual, brought him hot food and dishes. While eating, she hesitated a moment, then spoke softly: "Ping'an, I… I might be pregnant."

Li Ping'an's chopsticks stalled midair. He lifted his gaze to his wife. In the lamplight, Lin Xueqing's face glowed with a soft sheen; her eyes held a hint of calm after confirmation, along with the subtle anticipation and barely perceptible nervousness of a first‑time mother.

In the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi's boasts about her grandson could be faintly heard; the central courtyard was filled with the clamor of new life… and some kind of stale calculation.

Meanwhile, in the West Annex, the air seemed to freeze for an instant.

Li Ping'an slowly set down his chopsticks; his eyes, usually sharp as a hawk's, now swirled with complex emotion—a flash of shock, great joy, but above all a weighty sense of responsibility and a suddenly heightened resolve to protect. He reached out and gently took Lin Xueqing's hand resting on the table; her hand was slightly cool.

"Are you sure?" his voice lower than usual, with a gritty texture.

"Mm." Lin Xueqing nodded, returning his warm, rough grip, "Almost two months."

The two fell silent for a moment. The clamor outside the window contrasted sharply with the stillness within. The Jia household's newborn brought continued joy, yet also reflected reality's helplessness and human selfishness.

He knew that from this moment on, what he protected was not only the courtyard's peace, nor only the safety of the steel rolling mill, but also his own fledgling, small family.

He tightened his grip on his wife's hand, his gaze firm and warm.

"Good." He uttered just one syllable, yet it weighed as much as a thousand catties.

Outside, the cold wind still blew, but the lights in the West Annex seemed brighter and warmer than ever. New life always brings new hope, and it also means that the road ahead will be filled with more vulnerabilities, as well as stronger, unbreakable armor.