A Couple's Rebirth to 1977 Before Marriage

Chapter 184: Chapter 181: Giving Birth

Seeing Zhou Lian’s pale face, which still held a faint smile, Li Xiu suddenly composed himself. He gently cupped her face and said, "Bao’er, I’m going to get someone. I’ll be back soon." After kissing her sweat-dampened forehead, he wrapped her in the quilt and carried her, quilt and all, to the heated bed in the east wing. Noticing Sister Fang busying herself in an orderly fashion, Li Xiu called out to her and then hurried away.

Watching Li Xiu’s retreating figure, Sister Fang continued her work without pause, remarking to Zhou Lian, "So, Nuonuo’s father can get this flustered! You don’t see that every day."

A fine sheen of sweat coated Zhou Lian’s face from the pain. She managed a smile at the comment, but before she could reply, Ping’an’s voice came from outside the door. "Sister-in-law, are you okay?"

She shot Sister Fang a meaningful glance. When Sister Fang nodded in understanding, Zhou Lian raised her voice. "I’m fine, don’t worry. Just help watch Nuonuo for me!"

Sister Fang came to the door and spoke quietly to Ping’an. "She’s going into labor. This isn’t the best place for you to be. Li Xiu went to get the doctor and will be back soon. Just go back inside and look after Nuonuo. It’s only just started, and she’s been through this once before. She’ll be fine."

Ping’an nodded. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Okay, then. If you need anything, just call for me." Knowing he couldn’t be of any real help and would only get in the way, Ping’an went back inside. ’What are those two thinking?’ he wondered. ’Why not go to the hospital? Why insist on giving birth at home? It’s a good thing Li Jincheng managed to find a gynecologist living nearby. They plied her with money and gifts until she agreed to come deliver the baby for Zhou Lian.’

The doctor lived nearby and soon arrived with Li Xiu. She glanced at the preparations in the room, then at Zhou Lian on the heated bed. Without a word, she washed her hands with warm water in the basin Sister Fang had ready. She then went over to examine Zhou Lian carefully. After a moment, she smiled. "No need to worry, she’s in good shape. Already four fingers dilated. You should get her something to eat so she’ll have the energy to push later."

After thanking the doctor, Li Xiu went quietly to the bedside. He smoothed Zhou Lian’s sweaty hair back and asked tenderly, "Bao’er, is it hurting a lot? Is there anything you’d like to eat? I’ll make it for you."

Smiling at Li Xiu and seeing the ache in his eyes, Zhou Lian said weakly, "It’s okay, I can bear it. Could you make me a bowl of noodle soup in a clear broth? I don’t have an appetite for anything else."

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, his eyes practically overflowing with distress for her. "I’ll go make it right now," he whispered. "It won’t take long."

As she watched Li Xiu hurry off to the kitchen, the female doctor, a woman of about fifty, smiled at Zhou Lian. "Your husband really cherishes you. He’s a good man."

Sister Fang smiled at the doctor. "He’s always been this way. He certainly knows how to dote on his wife."

Zhou Lian could only manage a weak smile, not saying a word. Waves of contractions were crashing over her, and she could only grit her teeth and endure. Seeing how pale and drained she looked, Sister Fang pursed her lips, went to the kitchen, and sent Li Xiu back in. ’What she needs now is his company and encouragement,’ she thought.

Li Xiu leaned over the head of the bed, his heart aching to see her so weak. He wished he could take her place. "Bao’er," he said softly, "we’re never doing this again. No more babies after this one."

Looking at him, Zhou Lian felt a surge of misplaced anger. ’It’s a child we both made, so why do women have to be the only ones who suffer?’ she thought. She snapped at him, "Oh, I’d *love* to have more, but since you’ve already had a vasectomy, how the hell am I supposed to pop out another baby?"

Knowing she was just lashing out because of the pain, Li Xiu put on an appeasing smile. "Well, that was to answer the nation’s call, wasn’t it? They’re implementing family planning now. I was just trying to be a progressive model citizen!"

Listening to his earnest-sounding nonsense, Zhou Lian squeezed her eyes shut to ride out another contraction. When it passed, she found the strength to roar, "Like hell! Family planning doesn’t mean you have to get a vasectomy! Don’t talk to me. I can’t be bothered with you right now!"

Gently wiping the sweat from her face, Li Xiu murmured, "Okay, okay, ignore me. Just hang in there. When this baby is born, I’ll give them a good spanking to get back at them for you!"

The female doctor watched them and smiled to herself. ’How sweet,’ she thought. ’It’s a joy just to see such a loving young couple. It looks like the husband had a vasectomy for his wife’s sake, and she knows it. Even in so much pain, she’s grumbling at him out of love. It’s just so good to see. As a doctor who lived through the ten-year turmoil, I’ve seen far too many spouses and family members turn on one another. To see a couple like this now... it makes me so happy. It proves there’s still true feeling and this kind of beautiful, mutual devotion left in the world.’

Sister Fang came in with a bowl of noodles. Li Xiu gently helped Zhou Lian sit up, propping her carefully against a pillow. He took the bowl and tenderly began to feed her. Between the waves of contractions, it took nearly an hour for Zhou Lian to finish the small bowl of noodles. Watching her pale, sweat-drenched face, Li Xiu felt a sense of helplessness and asked, "Doctor, how much longer will it be?"

The doctor came forward to check her again. She let out a breath. "It’ll be soon. She’s at seven fingers. Do you want to step out for a bit?" Most men considered it bad luck or were simply squeamish and stayed away during childbirth. Given this couple’s bond, she doubted he would mind, but she offered the suggestion as a courtesy.

"No, I’m staying here with her," Li Xiu said without turning his head. ’Step out? Not a chance.’ There was no way he was leaving his wife’s side now.

Seeing his resolve, the doctor didn’t press the issue. ’Every woman has to go through this ordeal,’ she mused. ’The only difference is that some husbands ache for their wives, while others just see it as a woman’s duty. In over twenty years of practice, she’d seen all kinds of people and situations, but a husband who doted on his wife as much as Li Xiu was a rare sight indeed.’

After more than two hours of excruciating pain, Zhou Lian gave birth to a son. Li Xiu paid no mind to the whimpering newborn next to them. Instead, he carefully wiped the sweat from Zhou Lian’s face, combed through her hair with his fingers, and gently plaited it into a braid. He then tenderly changed her out of her sweat-soaked clothes and into a fresh set. Finally, he replaced all the soiled bedding, allowing her to rest on a clean, comfortable heated bed.

The doctor and Sister Fang had already cleaned the newborn, dressed him in the little clothes they had prepared in advance, and wrapped him snugly in a small blanket before laying him on the bed. Staring at the baby lying there, whimpering with his eyes closed, Li Xiu suddenly asked, "What did we have?"

The doctor and Sister Fang stared at him, speechless. ’It’s been nearly two hours since the birth, and the father doesn’t know what he had? And he’s been here the whole time!’ But then, they both glanced at Zhou Lian, who was resting with her eyes closed, and then at the bite marks on Li Xiu’s hand and wrist. It all clicked. The man had poured every ounce of his attention into his wife. Only after he had her all settled and comfortable did he finally remember the baby. The two women felt a pang of sympathy for the clueless infant on the bed. ’This kind of thing is probably going to happen a lot in the future,’ they thought.

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