When Xiao Chenghe saw Xu Meifeng standing at the entrance, his heart began to pound wildly. He quickly glanced around, and only after confirming no one was nearby did he pull her into a side alley.
“What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you not to come to my workplace? What if someone sees you?”
Xu Meifeng was instantly furious when she heard that. “Xiao Chenghe, am I that shameful to you? Are you really that afraid of being seen with me? What do you mean by that? If you don’t want to be with me, then forget it.”
Seeing her anger, Xiao Chenghe hurriedly forced a smile and coaxed her, “Why are you getting angry? Haven’t I told you this is a critical period? I’m about to get promoted. Don’t you want your man to do better? If I succeed, our lives will improve too. I’ve told you before, I’ll definitely give you a proper status.”
“Xiao Chenghe, you always say that, but you never actually do anything. Let me tell you, I need money right now. My brother is preparing to start a business and needs 5,000 yuan.”
Hearing this, Xiao Chenghe’s face darkened. The Xu family was like a bottomless pit. Since he met Xu Meifeng, he had already poured several thousand yuan into that household. Her younger brother, in particular, was insatiably greedy.
“Where would I get money right now? You know very well all my money is with you. You want me to take out 5,000 yuan—what am I supposed to use?”
Xu Meifeng trembled with anger. “What do you mean? Are you looking down on my family? If you don’t want to give my brother the money, fine. I’ll get rid of this child right now, and we’ll go our separate ways.”
She turned and walked away decisively.
Xiao Chenghe hurriedly grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. After checking that no one was around, he lowered his voice and snapped, “Look at your temper. You get angry so quickly. I never said I wouldn’t give it.”
“But this is 5,000 yuan, not 50 yuan. You have to give me time to figure something out. Besides, what is your brother trying to pull this time?”
“I don’t earn money easily. It doesn’t just fall from the sky. Today it’s 5,000, tomorrow it’s 2,000. When will it ever end?”
Xu Meifeng explained her brother’s plan in detail.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Chenghe fell into deep thought after hearing it. “This electronic watch business could actually work. You don’t know—right now, not just in our county, but even in the city and surrounding areas, it’s incredibly popular. These watches are hard to get. They’re practically impossible to find.”
“I’ve heard that anyone who has access to this kind of supply can make a fortune. I didn’t expect your brother to have such ability. If he’s doing electronic watch business, then fine, I’ll help him.”
He continued decisively, “I won’t just get him 5,000 yuan. I’ll get him 10,000 yuan. The extra 5,000 yuan will count as my investment.”
Hearing this, Xu Meifeng instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Child’s father, you’re the best.”
Her soft, intoxicating voice stirred Xiao Chenghe’s heart. He wanted to pull her closer and kiss her again, but hearing voices in the alley, the two quickly separated.
“Hurry back. I’ll get the money tonight and bring it to you,” Xiao Chenghe said in a low voice before leaving the alley in a hurry.
Xu Meifeng pressed a hand to her chest and waited until the sounds outside faded before quietly slipping away. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
The next evening, Xu Baoguo boarded the train.
Xu Meifeng waited anxiously. In this era, very few families could produce 10,000 yuan, and this money was tied directly to her future happiness.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiuyun went into labor.
At the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, the pain twisted her face. She had originally planned for others to escort her to the County People’s Hospital, but as soon as she stepped outside, she ran into Xiao Chenghe.
At that moment, Jiang Xiuyun knew her plan to go to the County People’s Hospital would likely change.
She grabbed Xiao Liu and whispered urgently, “Quick, go to the county high school and find my brother Jiang Lin. Tell him to inform my parents to come to the hospital.”
Jiang Xiuyun hadn’t expected this at all. She was going into labor a full half month early.
She had originally planned to act later, but the child couldn’t wait to enter the world, disrupting everything.
Jiang Xiuyun was rushed to the hospital.
Xiao Chenghe grew anxious. Why was she going into labor so early? Wasn’t there still more than half a month left?
Xu Meifeng’s due date was originally half a month later than Jiang Xiuyun’s. The plan had been for Jiang Xiuyun to go into labor first, then have Xu Meifeng undergo a cesarean section so both children would be born around the same time.
Based on the original schedule, the difference between the two births would only have been half a month.
But now, Xu Meifeng’s child would have to be born a full month early.
Would that even work?
Xiao Chenghe hurriedly sent Jiang Xiuyun into the delivery room, then immediately had someone notify Xu Meifeng’s side, urging her parents to bring her to the hospital as soon as possible.
He had already arranged everything with the head of obstetrics, who was also his old classmate. With him personally handling the delivery, it would be easy to switch the babies at any moment.
Just as Jiang Xiuyun was taken into the delivery room, Jiang Lin arrived.
Seeing his brother-in-law appear, Xiao Chenghe’s face turned pale. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Dalinzi, why are you here?”
“Brother-in-law, how could I not come for something as important as my sister giving birth?”
“What’s the point of you being here? You’re still a student. You’re about to take the college entrance exam. If this delays your studies, what then? Hurry back to class. I’m here for your sister, don’t worry.”
Jiang Lin let out a cold laugh. It was precisely because you’re here that I can’t feel at ease.
“Brother-in-law, since I’m here, I’ll stay. Don’t worry, I’ve already informed our parents. They should be here soon.”
Xiao Chenghe’s expression changed drastically. “What? Our parents are coming too?”
The more people from Jiang Xiuyun’s side present, the easier it would be for something to go wrong. Too many eyes, too many mouths—if someone noticed something, everything would be exposed.
He hadn’t expected the Jiang family to learn about this so quickly.
Xiao Chenghe paced anxiously, but there was nothing he could do now. Meanwhile, Xu Meifeng had already been hurriedly helped into the hospital.
At this moment, Jiang’s father, Jiang’s mother, and Jiang Lin were all waiting outside the delivery room. No one could enter.
Inside, Jiang Xiuyun was in intense pain.
The doctor said to her, “The twins are not positioned well. We should perform a cesarean section. Otherwise, it will be dangerous for both you and the children.”
Jiang Xiuyun gritted her teeth and said, “No, I want a natural birth.”
If she underwent a cesarean section, she would lose consciousness. Then she wouldn’t know whether she had given birth to one child or two.
At this point, how could she not realize this was Xiao Chenghe’s plan?
If it hadn’t been absolutely unavoidable, and if Xiao Chenghe hadn’t arrived early, Jiang Xiuyun would never have come to the workers’ hospital.
:::writing end