Ruan Liuzheng quickly walked into the room.
On the bed, the tiny child was violently trembling. His face was flushed red, his lips had turned purple, his teeth were tightly clenched, and his eyes were rolled upward.
Sister-in-law Chen’s shaking hands didn’t know what to do. Tears poured down her face as she panicked, wanting to hold the child but too afraid to move him.
The moment she saw Ruan Liuzheng enter, she dropped to her knees with a thud.
“Sister… please save Zhuangzhuang.”
Ruan Liuzheng quickly helped her up.
“Sister-in-law, let me take a look first. Don’t panic.”
“Don’t cry, don’t panic.”
Zhang Xiaoquan hurried over to support Chen Yuanxiang, though his own hands and feet were trembling.
Ruan Liuzheng took two quick steps to the bedside.
She pressed her index and middle fingers together and accurately checked the child’s carotid artery, feeling the rapid pulse.
Then she gently supported the child’s head with her left hand, tilting it slightly to keep the airway open.
After that, she leaned in close to the child’s chest, listening intently to his heartbeat.
“Give me a needle.”
“I—I’ll get it.” Zhang Xiaoquan slipped and nearly fell, then scrambled up and ran to fetch the sewing kit.
Ruan Liuzheng took the needle he brought and said calmly,
“Don’t be afraid.”
She quickly and precisely performed a lancet puncture to release blood, helping clear internal heat and open the orifices.
Then she turned to Zhang Xiaoquan and Chen Yuanxiang.
“I need a basin of warm water.”
“I-I’ll go.”
“Sister-in-law, I’ll go with you.”
Once the two of them left, Ruan Liuzheng quickly took a fever-reducing injection from her space.
With steady, gentle but swift movements, she administered the injection.
Then she tossed the syringe back into her space.
At that moment, Xie Jinghuai and Jia Weihua walked in.
They saw her carefully holding the child in her arms, softly humming a gentle, soothing tune.
Zhuangzhuang gave weak, faint whimpers.
“How is it?”
Xie Jinghuai bent slightly and touched the child’s forehead.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already used acupuncture and pressure techniques. The fever will go down soon.”
After a while, Sister-in-law Chen came back with a basin of water.
Ruan Liuzheng placed the child back on the bed.
“Don’t cry, sister-in-law. Crying during the postpartum period can leave lasting health problems.”
Chen Yuanxiang repeatedly thanked her through tears.
Only then did Ruan Liuzheng take a closer look at her. Her complexion was poor, and dark circles hung under her eyes.
She couldn’t help frowning.
“Sister-in-law, have you not been sleeping well lately?”
Chen Yuanxiang looked at the child with a low, sorrowful expression.
“Yes… taking care of the baby is too exhausting.”
Watching her distracted, disoriented behavior, Ruan Liuzheng pulled Zhang Xiaoquan aside and asked quietly,
“How long has Sister-in-law Chen been like this?”
Zhang Xiaoquan scratched the back of his head.
“Not long after she came back, she started acting like this. Lately I’ve even heard her crying secretly at night. My mother says it’s because she’s too heartbroken over my brother.”
“I didn’t dare ask her either. Is something wrong?”
A flicker passed through Ruan Liuzheng’s expression.
Good thing it was caught early. If it went on longer, it could have caused serious problems.
But in this era, there was no such thing as postpartum depression.
People would only think she had a mental illness.
In stricter households, she might even get slapped and scolded—“You useless woman, what’s all this trouble after just giving birth?”
So Ruan Liuzheng waved her hand.
“It’s fine. The baby is sweating—quickly change into clean clothes.”
With that, she turned and walked out.
Xie Jinghuai and Jia Weihua were murmuring about something when they saw her come out looking a little off.
“What’s wrong?”
Ruan Liuzheng looked a little troubled. After thinking for a moment, she raised her head and said to them,
“I think Sister Chen might be ill.”
“Hmm?”
Her dark eyes were filled with concern.
“I think she may be suffering from postpartum emotional illness.”
“Emotional illness?” Jia Weihua asked. As someone who worked in ideological and political work, he often helped guide soldiers through emotional issues, but this was the first time he had heard of a woman developing emotional illness after childbirth.
Still, he wasn’t rigid-minded.
“Dr. Ruan, what do you mean by postpartum emotional illness?”
Xie Jinghuai looked at her trembling eyelashes—she seemed very conflicted.
“Just tell us directly. We promised Old Zhang we would take good care of his wife and child.”
Ruan Liuzheng let out a soft sigh.
“Postpartum emotional illness refers to mood instability caused by a sudden change in hormone levels after childbirth.”
“On top of that, exhaustion, lack of sleep, and the huge blow of Comrade Zhang’s sacrifice all combine together. Sister Chen is now showing symptoms like insomnia, depression, and frequent crying.”
“This condition may improve with time, but if not handled properly, I worry she might reach a breaking point… and do something irreversible.”
The more they listened, the tighter their brows furrowed.
Jia Weihua suddenly thought of something and muttered,
“Old Xie, wasn’t there a case in the Third Regiment? Old Chen’s wife seemed to have jumped into the river and died right after giving birth. Old Chen was even punished because of it… Could that also have been this emotional illness?”
Ruan Liuzheng nodded seriously, her expression heavy.
“Although I can’t be completely certain, it’s very likely related. If there are intense conflicts with in-laws, it can become a major trigger.”
“That’s right,” Jia Weihua said, suddenly realizing. “In Old Chen’s family, his wife and mother-in-law never got along.”
Xie Jinghuai’s expression turned serious.
“How should we deal with this? Does she need medication?”
Ruan Liuzheng’s brows knit slightly.
“It’s not severe enough for medication yet, but it will take time for Sister Chen to recover emotionally.”
“For example—more encouragement, more listening, more care, and helping her relieve pressure. But her biggest pain comes from Comrade Zhang’s sacrifice.”
“So I was thinking, if we could find others with similar experiences, it might help her regain confidence faster.”
“After all, no matter how much we say, we can’t truly understand her pain.”
The two men fell silent.
Indeed, no amount of financial or material support could replace Old Zhang.
Jia Weihua lowered his voice.
“Old Xie, what Dr. Ruan said makes sense.”
Then he hesitated.
“But wouldn’t this also be like reopening someone’s old wounds?”
Ruan Liuzheng quietly raised her hand.
“I have a solution.”
Her voice, slightly squeezed and soft, sounded oddly cute.
“Go on.”
Ruan Liuzheng squinted at Xie Jinghuai and puffed her cheeks slightly.
“Actually, we could set up a special support group for military families, similar to how educated youths have groups.”
“We don’t need to deliberately gather people with the same situation. As long as such an organization exists, people with similar experiences will naturally find each other.”
“Even writing letters could help them encourage one another.”
Xie Jinghuai smiled faintly.
“That does make sense. The only issue is who will take the lead…”
Almost simultaneously, both he and Ruan Liuzheng turned their gaze toward Jia Weihua.
The meaning was obvious: you’re the professional.
Jia Weihua: “??”
Are you two sure you’re not dogs?