The Unexpected Child

Yang Wuni also crawled back into her own bed and kicked Zhang Changyao.

Both of them covered their heads and sulked in bed.

"Changyao's wife, here's fifty cents for you. Your father shouldn't have taken fifty cents from your brother's family."

"When your family visits in the future, just tell your father, and he'll prepare some good food for you."

Zhang Kaiju took the 50 cents from his pocket on the dining table and threw it on Yang Wuni's quilt.

He saw that the couple had covered their heads and assumed they were arguing.

Yang Wuni blushed so badly that she didn't dare to show her face.

He reached out from the gap in the blanket and pulled the 50 cents into his own bed.

"Changyao's wife, don't blame your father. I'm just used to being meticulous in my daily life," Zhang Kaiju said again, as if apologizing.

Seeing that neither Zhang Changyao nor Yang Wuni showed themselves, they had no choice but to go to sleep, disappointed.

Only after Zhang Kaiju started snoring did Zhang Changyao and Yang Wuni peek out.

Zhang Changyao tiptoed sideways and slipped into Yang Wuni's quilt.

"Cough, cough, son, you have to be careful about everything, your wife is heavily pregnant."

Young people don't understand anything, so they do things without any sense of propriety.

If I have an abortion, I won't be able to have children in the future.

Zhang Kaiju spoke without turning around, and his few words of advice were deafening in the night.

Startled, Zhang Changyao shrank back and crawled into his bed.

"Changyao, Changyao, get up quickly and go to the Wild Buffalo Town Health Center to find the midwife."

"Your sister-in-law's baby is stuck somewhere and she can't give birth."

Before dawn, Zhang Shuhua banged on the window to call Zhang Changyao.

It turned out that Guan Shu's wife was having a difficult childbirth, and the midwife in the village couldn't pull her out.

Fearing someone might die, they ran away in terror.

Zhang Shuhua went to find her second son, Guan Lin, but Guan Lin was not home.

Out of desperation, she sought Zhang Changyao's help to go to Yeniu Town in Hebei Province to find a midwife there.

"Shuhua, Buffalo Town is so far away, is it still possible to make it back in time?"

When Zhang Kaiju heard Zhang Shuhua call out, he hurriedly got up, dressed, and wanted to go help.

"Fifth Brother, you're slow on your feet, let Changyao go. Whether he makes it in time or not, we have to try."

I'm going back now to see if the baby can be born.

Zhang Shuhua had lost her composure. She didn't even bother to wipe the blood off her hands before grabbing Zhang Kaiju and running back.

"Aunt, I'll go with you. My father is my maternal uncle, so he won't be of much help."

Yang Wuni also got dressed and followed closely behind the two.

"Go, go, see what you can do to help."

Zhang Shuhua didn't stop; she grabbed Yang Wuni with her other hand and continued running forward.

Zhang Changyao got dressed and started running. There was a 100-meter-wide river between Yeniu Town and Zhangzhuang.

It was run over by a car and is now in a state of being half ice and half water.

Since it was a matter of life and death, Zhang Changyao didn't care whether he was cold or not and went straight into the river.

The river water, reaching up to my thighs and mixed with ice, soaked through my cotton trousers, causing a sharp, piercing pain.

Once ashore, he was afraid that if he walked too slowly, his cotton-padded trousers would freeze, so he started running without stopping for a moment.

As soon as we entered the building of the Wild Buffalo Town Health Center, it was already dawn.

The doctor on night duty stretched and was about to go home.

Seeing Zhang Changyao covered in sweat, and then looking at his two legs with icicles hanging from them.

He couldn't help but gasp and exclaim, "Young man, are you out of your mind?"

"Doctor, my sister-in-law is having trouble giving birth, you...you need to go help her right away."

If you don't get there soon, she...she'll be in danger.

Zhang Changyao spoke breathlessly, completely oblivious to the fact that he had lost all feeling in his legs.

"Young man, quickly take off your cotton-padded trousers. I have a long gown here; you can cover yourself with it first."

"You're being reckless, child. How can you do this at such a young age?"

The doctor on duty, Dr. Wang, was over fifty years old and had very little hair left on his head.

The long hair on the side is pinned up on top of the head, a hairstyle that supports the central region.

With single eyelids, thin lips, and a flat nose, he looked at Zhang Changyao with a worried expression.

"Doctor, I'm alright. Please find a doctor to save my sister-in-law right away."

Zhang Changyao grabbed Dr. Wang's hand, looking at him with such anxiety that tears were about to fall.

"Young man, you'll freeze if you don't change your clothes."

I'm a surgeon, so I can deliver babies, but I couldn't handle crossing a river like that.

Dr. Wang packed up the surgical tools, thought for a moment, and then sat down in the chair again.

"Doctor, I promise I won't let you get a drop of water when we cross the river."

I'll carry you on my back, I'll hoist you on my shoulders, or you can ride on my shoulders.

Zhang Changyao stood by the stove in the house, drying his cotton trousers. He wanted to run back while they were still warm.

"Young man, I can ride my bike faster than you. You go ahead and wait for me by the river."

Dr. Wang got dressed and went to push his bicycle, an old, worn-out old-fashioned 28-inch model.

It wasn't that he didn't want to carry Zhang Changyao, but he was afraid his old car couldn't support the weight of two people.

When Doctor Wang arrived at the riverbank, Zhang Changyao was already waiting there.

Zhang Changyao carried the car across the river on his first trip, then came back and carried Doctor Wang across the river on his back.

After two trips, my cotton-padded coat was soaked through, and my trouser legs felt incredibly heavy.

Knowing his situation, he dared not stop for even a moment.

Only by constantly moving your cotton-padded pants will they not freeze into ice pops.

He ran faster than Dr. Wang's bicycle and led the way for him the whole time.

"Auntie, the midwife from town has arrived. Come out and greet her quickly."

Upon entering Zhang Shuhua's courtyard, Zhang Changyao didn't go inside. He let out a shout, turned around, and ran home.

Once inside, he threw off his cotton trousers and crawled into bed.

In a short while, a hot, burning sensation spread across both thighs.

Zhang Changyao had a bad feeling and immediately got off the ground to pour cold water into the water tank.

I dipped my hands in cold water and patted the numb muscles on my legs.

I don't know how long I patted myself before I gradually regained feeling in my legs.

He dared not stop and continued to rub every part of his legs.

He only managed to catch his breath after regaining feeling in his legs.

Zhang Shuhua's eldest son, Guan Shu, was holding his wife's head, completely dazed.

Five-year-old Guan Dou, lying on the ground, was wiping his snot and sobbing.

The adults didn't have time to look after him; he was only wearing one shoe.

One bare foot was cold and stepped on the other foot that was wearing a shoe.

Guan Shu's wife had run out of strength. Her eyes were closed, her lips were purple, and she could only breathe in but not out.

Between the legs under the blanket, only the shoulder of the unborn child could be seen.

Zhang Kaiju squatted on the floor of the outer room to help boil water, while Yang Wuni mixed warm water in a washbasin and soaked a towel in it.

It was waiting to be handed to Zhang Shuhua, who was on the kang (a heated brick bed) to help her daughter-in-law give birth.

"Guan Shu, you can't let your wife sleep. You have to wake her up."

I can only help her if she puts in the effort herself.

Zhang Shuhua tried to pull the baby out, mimicking the midwife's actions.

"Mother, Guimei is not awake. I pinched her but she didn't respond."

I doubt this mother and daughter will survive. What will happen to me and Xiao Douzi?