Summer arrived. The pretty clothes Jiang Hongguo had bought in the city could finally be worn. Once she switched to lighter outfits, the village aunties started whispering again—her belly didn’t look very big.
Hongguo simply took out her checkup report and showed them everything was normal.
Aunt Liu chimed in, “You’ve all seen Hongguo since she was little—she eats and eats but never gains weight. Back in the hard days she was like that. Now her family eats meat at every meal, but she still doesn’t put on flesh. The baby probably takes after her. That’s why her belly looks small.”
The city hospital report, along with Aunt Liu’s words, shut down quite a few rumors.
In early July, Aunt Liu’s youngest son took the college entrance exam. After estimating his score, he agonized over his applications. Aunt Liu wanted him to go to the capital—any school would do, as long as it was in the capital.
Uncle Yang hoped his son would apply to a teachers’ college. “Being a teacher is good.”
Xiao Yang listened to his teacher’s advice. Choosing a school mattered—but choosing a major mattered just as much. In the end, he picked the Provincial Industrial University, aiming to become an engineer.
Aunt Liu was reluctant at first, but when the admission letter arrived—confirming it was a key provincial university with a strong major—she was overjoyed. Business at the stall had brought in money, and she threw a grand celebration banquet at home.
If it had been before, she would definitely have asked Hongguo to cook. But now that Hongguo was nearly due, she was only responsible for eating.
Before the feast even ended, Aunt Liu dragged Hongguo into a room to complain about her youngest son’s lack of filial piety.
“He got into a good university, and half my worries were gone. I said we’d give him the other stall we’d rented to his sister. He actually said no! He even said the best way to help his sister was for me to raise her child, so she and her husband could go out and work. His sister’s been so good to him—how could he be so heartless?”
Jiang Hongguo asked, “Did Xiao Yang say why?”
“He did. Said if we give the stall to his sister, her mother-in-law will snatch it and turn it into her in-laws’ property. I don’t believe that. If I give it to my daughter and son-in-law, what right do they have to grab it?”
“Because she gave birth to your son-in-law,” Hongguo said gently. “Aunt Liu, even if you treat your future daughter-in-law like your own daughter, your daughter’s mother-in-law might not do the same. In her eyes, once your daughter married into their family, she belongs to them. The business would belong to them too.”
Aunt Liu refused to believe it. Unhappy with Hongguo’s words, she later grumbled to her husband, “Hongguo’s gotten rich and started showing off. The things she said—can’t even listen to them.”
The truth was, good advice rarely sounded pleasant. Old Yang agreed with his son. But since his wife wouldn’t listen, he stopped arguing. Hongguo knew persuasion wouldn’t work, so she had spoken bluntly. Better to be blamed now than blamed later. She had truly let go.
Since Aunt Liu couldn’t be convinced, Old Yang and his son, like Hongguo, said no more.
The second stall—along with all the equipment—was given to Aunt Liu’s daughter and son-in-law. Aunt Liu and Uncle Yang continued selling fried dough sticks and sesame pancakes at Hongguo’s old stall.
….
In early August, Jiang Hongguo reached her due date. After packing her delivery bag, she moved into the county hospital to wait for labor.
She could eat, she could sleep. Changzong stayed by her side day and night, running out every meal to buy her favorite foods—never repeating a dish.
Gu Changzong had spent money and called in favors to secure a private room. No one disturbed them. It was quite comfortable.
Last night, Hongguo said she was craving Aunt Liu’s fried dough sticks. Early that morning, Gu Changzong went out and returned with four.
“I can only eat one,” she said. “Why did you buy so many?”
He set down the bag in his left hand. “These are from Aunt Liu’s stall.”
Then he lifted the bag in his right. “These are from her daughter and son-in-law’s stall. Aunt Liu’s daughter is pregnant again and has hidden herself somewhere. The stall’s been taken over by her mother-in-law—they’re selling fried dough sticks too. Try them. See which tastes better.”
Hongguo tore off a piece from each. Aunt Liu’s were still crispier and more fragrant.
Back then, Xiao Yang had tried to warn his mother, but she wouldn’t listen. Now that Aunt Liu’s daughter was hiding her pregnancy, she had no choice but to hand over the stall. Why go through all that trouble?
“Money really can change people,” Hongguo said.
“Guoguo, you don’t need to change,” Gu Changzong replied. “However much money you want, I’ll earn it for you.”
Afraid he might take things to extremes, she hurriedly said, “Our family is already very well-off. I’m very satisfied.”
The moment Hongguo said she was satisfied, Gu Changzong beamed.
Today was her due date. They had barely finished breakfast when her stomach began tightening in waves. Just yesterday, there had been no signs at all. And now—she was going to give birth?
“Guoguo, does it hurt a lot?” Gu Changzong gripped her hand tightly, wishing he could suffer in her place—yet powerless to do so.
Honestly, Hongguo felt it was manageable. Maybe because her belly was small? She wasn’t sure.
The head nurse came to check her and exclaimed, “Already three centimeters? You don’t feel it? Get her to the delivery room, quickly!”
Gu Changzong scooped Jiang Hongguo into his arms and strode toward the delivery room so fast the nurses behind him struggled to keep up.
At the entrance, Hongguo felt a heavy dropping sensation, as if something were about to come out. Wait… is the baby coming right now?
Was the baby so small just so she could deliver quickly and suffer less?
Afraid she might give birth right there at the door, she told Changzong to put her down. “I’m going in to have the baby. Wait outside.”
He tried to follow, but a nurse shot him a glare and blocked the doorway.
Inside the delivery room, several other women were waiting for full dilation, all crying out in pain. Hongguo almost felt embarrassed—she could endure it. But she also knew childbirth was supposed to be excruciating. My situation is different from theirs…
After barely ten minutes, she felt something sliding out.
“Doctor—I’m giving birth!”
“That’s impossible. You were only three centimeters before coming in. It’s your first baby—how could it be that fast—”
“It’s true. The baby feels like he’s coming out on his own!” she cried, suddenly overwhelmed by pain.
The midwife rushed over, then laughed in surprise. “The head’s already out! That fast? What a considerate baby—not making his mama suffer.”
The midwife applied a little traction and told her to push. Hongguo pushed—and just like unloading cargo from her belly, the baby was born.
“This baby’s so small, but look how clear and pretty he is. Not wrinkly at all. Your pregnancy was quite something.”
After cleaning and weighing him, the nurse wrapped him in a small quilt and brought him to Hongguo.
“Three jin two liang—a little boy. Quite handsome.”
Three jin two liang was indeed small. But size didn’t matter. The nurse had patted his back and bathed him; his expression hadn’t changed. Other than being tiny, everything seemed normal. Hongguo felt relieved.
While she recovered in the delivery room, the baby was taken outside to Changzong. Before long, the nurse brought him back, smiling helplessly.
“Your baby starts crying the moment he’s in his father’s arms. And your husband doesn’t even crack a smile looking at him. Are they really related?”
“Of course he’s his,” Hongguo said.
The former Gu Educated Youth could never have fathered a baby who controlled his own birth weight at will. This child had clearly inherited Changzong’s blood—extraordinary from the start.
After resting a bit, Hongguo regained her strength. When she stood up, she felt light as a swallow. Probably because she had “unloaded the cargo”—her whole body felt freed.
Without asking for help, she changed into her hospital gown, padded herself with paper for postpartum bleeding, cradled her baby, and walked out.
Recovering this quickly wasn’t common—but the hospital delivered so many babies a day that even uncommon cases showed up a few times a month. The staff weren’t surprised.
All of Gu Changzong’s tension centered on Hongguo. He immediately scooped her up.
“Don’t walk. I’ll carry you back.”
Hongguo held the baby while being carried herself, too embarrassed to lift her head. “Changzong, put me down. You carry the baby.”
“I’ll hold him after we get back to the room.”
For once, he didn’t listen to her. Ignoring all the curious stares, he carried her straight back to their private room and gently placed her on the pillow-propped hospital bed. Only then did he take the baby from her arms.
The newborn frowned slightly, on the verge of tears—but then continued sleeping.
“Guoguo, the first time I held this little thing, he cried like he was picking a fight with me. I wasn’t going to coax him. But now you’re beside him—he can feel your presence, so he’s behaving. This little guy knows who treats him well.”
Hongguo teased the tiny, fascinating baby. He remained quiet and obedient.
The head nurse came in and shooed Gu Changzong outside, then began teaching the new mother how to feed the baby.
Gu Changzong pointed to the two tins of formula he had prepared in advance. “We bought formula. The little one can drink that. Hongguo can eat and sleep properly.”
“You plan to take care of the baby during the entire confinement month? Aren’t you going out to earn money?”
With a hint of pride, he replied, “I already earned enough ahead of time. Guoguo gives birth; I raise the child. I won’t let this little one tire her out.”
The head nurse suddenly felt envious of Jiang Hongguo. Where did she find a man like this? A little foolish—but adorably so.
“Fine. Feed him every two hours. If he cries, he’s either hungry or wet. Remember to change his diapers.”
Gu Changzong stepped out for a while. Soon, everyone on the floor knew that the male family member in Room 301 had gone around asking multiple people how to mix formula properly, watching how others changed newborn diapers, learning what posture to hold a baby in and how much to rock when soothing.
He asked with astonishing seriousness—every detail, nothing overlooked.
Soon, quite a few family members from the ward came to Room 301 just to gawk.
Every time they came, Jiang Hongguo was either eating, sleeping, or having her legs and arms massaged by Gu Changzong. As for mixing formula and changing diapers—Changzong handled it all with surprising skill.
When Uncle Chen and Aunt Zhao came to visit, this was the scene they saw.
Chen Minyi felt deeply relieved. The son-in-law Hongguo’s father had chosen—he hadn’t made a mistake. Changzong was truly a good one.
He chuckled. “Your aunt and I were talking about bringing you to our place for your confinement month. But looking at this… seems unnecessary.”
Jiang Hongguo’s mother had been as close to Aunt Zhao as sisters. Because of her parents’ connection, Uncle Chen and Aunt Zhao had found each other. Hongguo treated Aunt Zhao like her own aunt.
Their home was comfortable, but Hongguo only wanted to return to her little family with Changzong.
“See?” she smiled. “Changzong can take good care of me.”
When it was time to leave the hospital, Aunt Liu came. She wrapped Hongguo tightly in a thin quilt, cradled the little one in her arms, and Gu Changzong drove the borrowed village tractor back home.
Though the baby was small, Aunt Liu said he was good-looking. She carried him around for neighbors to admire—Hongguo and Changzong’s child.
Back in the delivery room, Hongguo had already thought he was beautiful. By the time they were discharged, he weighed three jin six liang—he’d gained four liang.