Chapter 63: Going into Labor
The closer Zhou Lian’s due date drew, the more anxious Li Xiu became. Zhou Lian was rather exasperated. If anyone should be nervous, it was her, the one actually giving birth. ’What’s a grown man like him getting so worked up for?’
In the middle of the night, Zhou Lian was jolted awake by a crushing embrace. She pushed at Li Xiu, who was holding her tightly, and felt his body trembling violently. ’He must be having a nightmare!’ she thought, shoving him again, this time with more force.
He shot bolt upright on the kang bed, but his grip on Zhou Lian didn’t loosen in the slightest. Hearing his ragged gasps, Zhou Lian reached out to touch his face and her hand came away slick with sweat. In the dead of winter, Li Xiu was somehow drenched in a cold sweat.
"What’s wrong?"
Zhou Lian’s voice snapped Li Xiu out of his daze. ’That chaotic nightmare had scared him half to death.’
Clutching Zhou Lian tightly, Li Xiu slowly calmed his racing heart. ’He kept telling himself that his wife had given birth safely in their last life, but childbirth was still a life-or-death gamble. What if something went wrong? No, nothing would go wrong. It couldn’t.’ As this thought crossed his mind, a crazed glint flashed in his eyes.
"It’s nothing, Bao’er, don’t worry. I just had a nightmare," Li Xiu said soothingly, gently patting Zhou Lian’s back. "Did I wake you?"
Hearing Li Xiu’s gentle voice, Zhou Lian yawned. "No, you were holding me so tight you woke me up."
"Oh. Let me help you get back to sleep, then. Is your stomach feeling okay?" Li Xiu asked softly, patting her gently.
"It’s fine. Let’s get back to sleep."
Hearing the drowsy edge to Zhou Lian’s voice, Li Xiu gently kissed her and smiled. ’Thank goodness it was just a dream.’
Seeing the dark circles under Li Xiu’s eyes, Zhou Lian, who was propped up against the head of the kang bed, considered for a moment before speaking. "After breakfast, why don’t you go ask Grandma Li to come stay for a few days? I’m getting a little nervous."
Li Xiu, who was in the middle of preparing a basin of warm water for her to wash her face, whipped his head around to look at her. His heart completely melted. ’Oh, his wife...’ He turned back, blinking away the moisture gathering in his eyes, and said softly, "Okay. I’ll go right after we eat."
After watching Li Xiu tidy up and head out, Zhou Lian was lost in thought. ’Li Xiu is a little *too* anxious, isn’t he? In her previous life, she had given birth at home twice without any issues. This time, she’d even had a check-up at the hospital. Of course, Li Xiu doesn’t know about her past life, so it’s normal for him to be nervous, but this was excessive. He was even having recurring nightmares. Is it because he’s so worried about the baby, or about me?’
She shook her head, dismissing the pointless thoughts. Gently stroking her belly, Zhou Lian smiled in contentment. ’Her daughter was born this afternoon in her past life, and it was a very smooth delivery. Labor started right after lunch, and the baby arrived before three. The distant second-aunt who acted as midwife had even said the child knew how to be considerate, arriving without much of a struggle.’
"Lian, are you alright?" Grandma Li called out from the courtyard before she even stepped inside.
"Grandma, I’m fine," Zhou Lian answered, puzzled.
Grandma Li came inside, plopped down on the edge of the kang bed, and glared at Li Xiu as he followed her in. "This boy came and got me in such a mad rush, then didn’t say a word the whole way here. I thought something terrible had happened!"
Li Xiu rubbed his nose sheepishly and offered an apologetic smile. "Grandma, I was just worried about her being here all by herself. I didn’t even hear you."
He had arrived at his uncle’s house, charged straight into his grandmother’s room, and said, ’Grandma, you need to come to my place now.’ Then he’d turned and started walking back. Not knowing what was wrong, Grandma Li had hurried after him, asking questions the whole way. But he wouldn’t say a word, which had naturally worried her sick.
"Grandma, it’s just that it’s due any day now," Zhou Lian explained with a smile. "I don’t really know what to expect, so I wanted you to be here to guide us."
"Hah, you gave me a fright! Well, as long as everything’s alright. Get the baby’s things ready, and a set of clean clothes for yourself to change into afterward. Also, prepare a pair of scissors. By the way, are you delivering on the kang bed?" Grandma Li asked in an unhurried, systematic manner.
"On the kang bed. It’s too cold, she’ll freeze otherwise," Li Xiu said quickly. ’Are you kidding? The whole reason they weren’t going to the county hospital was because it was too cold there. He knew what his grandmother was getting at—she was worried about messing up the kang bed—but he had already made preparations. Besides, as long as his wife didn’t have to suffer, who cared if it got a little dirty!’
"Alright then. But we need to put something down to protect it. The bedding will be hard to wash if it gets soiled," Grandma Li continued.
"We can put a waterproof tarp down underneath, and spread a couple of old cloths on top of that. What do you think, Grandma?" Zhou Lian asked.
"That’ll work. That way you won’t ruin the bedding," Grandma Li said with approval.
Li Xiu sat to one side, silent, quietly watching his wife and grandmother speak. A profound sense of peace washed over him, a feeling that the rest of his life would be tranquil and good.
After lunch, Zhou Lian felt a faint discomfort in her abdomen. Having given birth twice in her previous life, she knew exactly what this meant. ’It’s starting. My daughter is arriving at the very same time as she did before.’
"Li Xiu, I think it’s starting. Go get Second Aunt," Zhou Lian said as she stood up.
"It’s starting? Bao’er, is your belly hurting yet?" Li Xiu asked, his voice catching. Seeing her rise, he rushed to support her.
"Go get help! I’m here with her!" Grandma Li shoved him aside and began helping Zhou Lian walk back and forth. Seeing her grandson still standing there like a fool, she commanded, "Go!"
"Oh, right, get help. I’ll go get help," Li Xiu muttered incoherently, stumbling out the door.
Once Li Xiu was gone, Grandma Li said to Zhou Lian, "The pain is just starting, right? Walk around a bit more. It’ll help things go faster."
Zhou Lian held her lower back and nodded.
Before long, the two midwives they had arranged for arrived. Seeing Zhou Lian pacing around the room, one of them smiled and asked, "How long have you been in pain? Go lie down on the kang bed so we can take a look."
Grandma Li and the now-returned Li Xiu immediately prepared the kang bed. Li Xiu carefully lifted Zhou Lian onto it. After the midwives took turns examining her, one said with a smile, "The baby’s in a good position and isn’t too big. This should be a smooth delivery."
Li Xiu breathed a sigh of relief at her words. But seeing Zhou Lian sweating from the pain, his heart ached for her. He took a towel and began wiping her face. Grandma Li watched them with a small smile before going to boil some water.
Following their instructions, Li Xiu found the scissors and other instruments, sterilized them in boiling water, and set them aside. He then leaned over the edge of the kang bed to comfort Zhou Lian. Seeing the look on his face, as if he would trade places with her in a heartbeat, the two midwives couldn’t help but chuckle. Everyone in the village said Li Xiu doted on his wife, but now they could see it was far more than that. He cherished her so much it was as if he was afraid she might melt on his tongue.
Remembering that in his past life, his daughter wasn’t born for another hour or so, Li Xiu felt his own heart clench in distress. He saw how red his wife’s eyes were from the pain, the veins on her hands standing out in sharp relief. Unable to stop himself, he gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Bao’er, let’s not do this again, okay? No more babies after this one."
Grandma Li, who had been watching from the side, heard him and slapped him on the back in exasperation. "What nonsense are you spouting? What woman doesn’t go through this? If you feel so bad for your wife, then just make sure you treat her well from now on!"
Even Zhou Lian, who was lying on the kang bed in agony, couldn’t help but crack a smile. ’They say childbirth is like a trip through the gates of hell. With a dependable man by your side, it’s bearable. But if you end up with an unreliable one, it truly becomes a matter of life and death. Thankfully, in both of her lives, Li Xiu has been nothing but devoted.’
The midwives were thoroughly amused. ’This Li Xiu is really one of a kind,’ they thought. ’He treats his wife like she’s his own daughter. We’ve never even seen anyone dote on their actual daughter this much. Back when he first split from the main family, everyone in the village praised him for being filial and honest, but no one thought he’d amount to much. Well, they must be eating their words now! He has good character, earns good money, is handsome, and dotes on his wife. In all their years, they’d never seen a man who loved his wife as much as he did!’
Zhou Lian couldn’t stop a cry of pain from escaping her lips. The gut-wrenching agony was more than most people could bear. Li Xiu gently stroked her hair, turning in a panic to shout at his grandmother, "Grandma, what do we do? Bao’er’s in so much pain! Can’t we do something to make it hurt less?"
The midwives exchanged a smile and shook their heads. They stepped forward to check if the baby was coming soon. Seeing Li Xiu clinging to his wife and refusing to let go, one of them had no choice but to say to Grandma Li, "Fourth Aunt, get your grand-nephew out of here. Don’t let him get in the way!"
At this, Li Xiu shot his head up and looked at them. "Third Aunt, Second Aunt, I won’t get in the way! I’m not leaving!" With that, he scrambled to the far side of the kang bed, knelt beside Zhou Lian, and gripped her hand, striking a pose that clearly said he wouldn’t leave even if they beat him.