Volume 1, Chapter 8: Are You Going Into Labor?

Less than half an hour after parting ways with Zhuoma, and before she had even reached the bus stop, Xia Niannian found herself being tailed by seven or eight men who clearly were up to no good.

The bald man pointed at Xia Niannian, who was carrying a backpack, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Boss, that’s the brat. He’s the one who beat up Wang Liumazi."

The group followed the bald man’s gesture and saw Xia Niannian asking someone for directions. At a signal from the man they called "Boss," two thugs standing on the edge of the group began to stalk toward her, their strides so long they looked as if they were trying to step across the border.

As a special forces soldier, how could Xia Niannian fail to notice someone deliberately closing in on her? A faint smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. She pulled the brim of her cap lower, quickened her pace, and upon spotting an alleyway, turned sharply into it.

The two men didn't hesitate to follow, but they never expected to walk straight into an ambush at the very first corner.

Cries of pain and the sound of clubs striking flesh echoed through the narrow alley.

"Thank you for escorting me all the way from the train station; you’ve worked hard."

She spoke the gentlest words while landing the most vicious blows. She struck their legs, arms, and shoulders with the club, one blow after another, only stopping when the two men curled into a corner and begged for mercy in weak, trembling voices.

By the time the so-called "Boss" and his men caught up, they found their lackeys huddled against the wall, beaten black and blue. The small knives they had been carrying, along with Xia Niannian herself, were nowhere to be found.

The man’s face darkened as he turned to his subordinates and roared, "Whoever catches that person, I’ll cover your women for the next month!"

Hearing this, the dozen men behind him surged forward like they had been injected with adrenaline, racing in the direction Xia Niannian had fled. The spectacle was like a raid by enemy soldiers; the people in the alley were so terrified they didn't dare open their doors.

Just as Xia Niannian ran into a dead end and was preparing to scale a wall, a wooden door beside her suddenly opened from the inside. A pregnant woman gestured for her to hurry, whispering, "Quick, come in!"

Xia Niannian didn't hesitate for a second. She darted into the courtyard and bolted the door behind her. Listening to the curses echoing outside, the two women covered their mouths, not daring to even breathe loudly for fear of being heard.

They waited behind the door for a full twenty minutes. Once certain that the gang had moved on, Xia Niannian finally thanked the woman. But just as she turned to leave the courtyard and reached for the latch, a sound from behind the door forced her to turn back.

When she saw the woman sitting on the ground, even the unflappable Xia Niannian was stunned for a moment.

The woman was sitting on the floor, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, a patch of the ground already soaked beneath her.

"Are you going into labor?" Xia Niannian quickly crouched beside Wang Cui to check on her.

The woman nodded weakly, her grip tightening on Xia Niannian’s wrist. After a wave of contractions passed, she opened her eyes and looked at Xia Niannian with a pleading gaze. "My husband died half a year ago. This is our only child. Please, help me deliver the baby. Please, save my child."

Deliver a baby?

Xia Niannian looked around. This was a dilapidated, abandoned courtyard, completely unfit for childbirth. If something went wrong, both the mother and the child could lose their lives. Seeing the woman’s agony, Xia Niannian held her hand, her eyes falling on a wooden cart in the corner.

"Don't worry, the baby will be fine. I’m taking you to the hospital right now."

She helped the woman onto the wooden cart, exited through the back gate, and ran straight toward the hospital.

They reached the facility just in time, and the woman was rushed into the delivery room.

By the time the baby was born, it was already night. Xia Niannian had already purchased all the necessary supplies for the mother and infant from the supply and marketing cooperative. She claimed to be Wang Cui’s cousin and stayed at the hospital for a full week, caring for both mother and child. In her spare time, she even caught fish from the river to make crucian carp soup for Wang Cui to help with her lactation.

Under Xia Niannian’s care, Wang Cui’s milk supply was more than enough to nourish the baby. The mother in the next bed was so envious that she kept praising Wang Cui for having such a beautiful and capable cousin, even offering to set Xia Niannian up with a match.

Wang Cui smiled and brushed it off. Once that family was discharged, she finally poured out all her troubles to Xia Niannian, holding her quilt and sobbing.

She was from Yonghe Village. Half a year ago, her husband was killed by a wild boar while working in the mountains. Her mother-in-law, heartbroken by the loss of her son, passed away just two months later.

Left alone, the pregnant Wang Cui was bullied daily by her brother-in-law’s family. This time, her sister-in-law had spread rumors that the child wasn't her husband's. When Wang Cui went to confront her, the family beat her until she bled, forcing her to flee to the city hospital to save the pregnancy.

"Sister, I’m afraid I can't raise this child. Could you help me find a family without children and give the baby away?" Wang Cui hugged the infant, sobbing as she begged. She had no other choice; if the baby went back with her, it wouldn't have a good life and would eventually be killed by that family. It was better to find a good home for it early.

Seeing Wang Cui about to climb out of bed to kneel before her, Xia Niannian hurriedly held her back and took the baby to soothe it.

*Wait! Give the baby away?* How could that happen!

She suddenly realized that Wang Cui had mentioned Yonghe Village. She remembered that the address Xia Guo'an had given her mentioned a place called Yonghe Village, which meant Gu Nanzhou was stationed nearby.

With this thought, Xia Niannian turned to look at the weeping Wang Cui on the bed.

"You said it yourself, this is your husband's only child. If you give it away, wouldn't your family line be broken?" Xia Niannian placed the sleeping baby beside Wang Cui, pretended to think for a moment, then leaned close to her ear and whispered her plan.

She had no other options; she couldn't just watch this woman give her child away to strangers.

Xia Niannian’s earnest expression made Wang Cui skeptical. She even wondered if this girl was a secret agent or a spy. To put her mind at ease, Xia Niannian pulled her travel permit from her bag. It was for visiting relatives and bore an official government stamp.

Wang Cui had a primary school education and could read most of the characters, learning that the girl before her was named Xia Niannian.

"Is it really possible?" Wang Cui looked up, her eyes brimming with tears as she stared into Xia Niannian’s eyes.

Xia Niannian nodded solemnly, but she had one condition that Wang Cui had to agree to. After hearing it, Wang Cui nodded repeatedly, vowing never to reveal Xia Niannian’s true identity.

After all, this woman was the savior of her and her child—it was fate.

...

However, what Xia Niannian never expected was that the very next morning, as soon as she finished the discharge paperwork for Wang Cui and the baby, she turned around in the hospital lobby and saw Gu Nanzhou.

She wanted to step forward and thank him for his help on the train, where he had given her money and food coupons. But just as she took a step, someone bumped into her hard, causing her papers to scatter on the floor. Before she could react, she saw the nurse who had bumped into her running toward Gu Nanzhou, her face beaming with excitement.

"That must be Nurse Bai’s boyfriend, right? He’s a bit dark-skinned, but he’s really handsome and so tall."

"No wonder she was in such a good mood earlier; her beau is here!"

As the young nurses giggled, Xia Niannian wisely decided not to interrupt them. She picked up her papers and took a detour, walking quickly toward the ward.