When the troops arrived, Xing Zhaozhao was inside the house making clothes for the little one about to be born in her womb.
“Hello, are you Comrade Xing Zhaozhao?”
Seeing the two soldiers suddenly appear before her, Xing Zhaozhao’s heart tightened, and a bad premonition washed over her.
Gao Mingcheng was currently at the front line.
She had originally been staying with the troops along with her two children.
Half a year ago, Gao Mingcheng suddenly received orders to go to the front line.
At that time, she had just discovered she was two months pregnant.
Considering that Gao Mingcheng’s deployment to the front line meant an uncertain return date, being alone at home heavily pregnant while caring for two mischievous boys—and soon to be three after the birth—would be overwhelming.
Her parents were no longer around. She did have an elder brother in the same military district as Gao Mingcheng, who was also heading to the front line, but her sister-in-law already had two boys of her own…
After much hesitation, Gao Mingcheng specifically took a few days’ leave to bring her and the two children back to his hometown. He made careful arrangements before returning to the troops with peace of mind.
Xing Zhaozhao slowly stood up, her voice trembling slightly. “Yes, that’s me. Has something happened to my Mingcheng…?”
The two soldiers glanced at her belly, exchanged looks, hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke. “Hello, sister-in-law. Battalion Commander Gao has gone missing at the front line. His current condition is unknown. However, there are accusations of treason against him. The commander sent us to gather some information from you.”
Before Xing Zhaozhao could process the news of Gao Mingcheng’s disappearance and uncertain fate, she heard the words “treason.” It felt like a bolt from the blue, her mind exploding in shock. “Treason? Impossible! My Mingcheng would never commit treason!”
As soon as she finished speaking, a sharp cry erupted from outside. “What? Treason?”
Her mother-in-law, Gao Old Lady, who had returned unnoticed, rushed in and grabbed the two soldiers. “Is what you said true? Has Gao Mingcheng committed treason?”
The soldiers quickly explained, “No, it’s still under investigation. Nothing has been confirmed yet.”
“So it’s still possible!” Gao Old Lady slapped her thigh and turned to Gao Old Man, who had followed her in. “Old man, did you hear that? Such a disgrace to our family! We’ve raised a scourge! From now on, people will point fingers and curse us behind our backs. No, we must divide the household!”
“That’s not it, ma’am,” the soldiers tried to explain again.
But Gao Old Lady wouldn’t listen. She beat her chest and wailed incessantly.
Xing Zhaozhao grew anxious too and stepped forward to explain to her mother-in-law. “No, Mom…”
She couldn’t let Mingcheng bear the charge of treason, nor could she agree to dividing the household. If they separated, how could she, a woman alone with three children and no support, possibly survive?
Amid the chaos, someone pushed her.
She fell heavily onto the ground, a sharp pain shooting through her belly. She cried out in agony, “Ah…!”
“Oh no, Mingcheng’s wife has fallen!”
“She’s going into labor! But it’s only been eight months!”
“Quick, take her to the hospital!”
“Mom, Mom…”
The pain overwhelmed Xing Zhaozhao, her consciousness blurring. In her daze, she felt someone lift her up, put her in a vehicle, and rush her straight to the town hospital, where she was taken into the delivery room.
“Push, harder…”
“I can see the head, keep going…”
“She’s born, it’s a girl…”
“Not good, the mother is hemorrhaging…”
In a daze, Xing Zhaozhao heard the baby’s cry. Before she could feel joy, she suddenly felt a chill throughout her body and wanted to sleep…
“Zhaozhao…”
A mournful cry suddenly sounded in her ears, it seemed to be Mingcheng’s voice.
Had Mingcheng returned?
Before Xing Zhaozhao could think further, a stream of unfamiliar memories suddenly flooded her mind.
The charge of treason against Gao Mingcheng ultimately hadn’t been confirmed, but in the eyes of the Gao family, their former pride had become a stain that needed to be erased.
They took the money and belongings from Xing Zhaozhao’s room and tried to drive out her family of four.
Xing Zhaozhao pleaded everywhere and eventually brought the brigade leader over. They were allowed to stay, but the stolen money and possessions were never returned, and she was left with endless work.
Xing Zhaozhao didn’t mind, as long as they had a place to live and she could raise her three children properly, that was enough.
Xing Zhaozhao possessed unnatural strength, inherited from her grandmother, who had inherited it from her own maternal grandmother. It was said this trait only passed through the female line.
Her mother, worried this unnatural strength would make it hard for her to find a husband, forbade her from using it publicly. Only family members knew about it, and later Gao Mingcheng found out too. Gao Mingcheng doted on her and handled all the heavy work himself, never letting her lift a finger, so the secret remained hidden.
After Gao Mingcheng was gone, Xing Zhaozhao had to support her two children alone and began using her strength. From then on, the Gao family treated her like a beast of burden, making her handle all household and field work. She never properly recovered from childbirth, and within a few years, she became ill from overwork.
If all three of her children could have grown up healthy, it might have been bearable, but none of them survived.
The first to go was the daughter she and Gao Mingcheng had long awaited.
Since Xing Zhaozhao had to work in the fields and couldn’t bring the child along, she left the baby with her grandmother. When the child cried from hunger, Gao Old Lady ignored her. The youngest son of Gao’s eldest brother, annoyed by the crying, went in and covered the baby’s face with a blanket.
By the time Xing Zhaozhao returned home, the child had stopped breathing.
Her little girl never lived to see her first birthday, never got to call her mother.
Next was the second child, Gao Hongyu, the most mischievous and energetic boy.
Although Gao Mingcheng’s charge wasn’t officially confirmed, many villagers gossiped privately. The children, influenced by what they heard, often called Gao Hongyu the son of a traitor. Unable to bear the insults, Gao Hongyu frequently got into fights. During one fight, he was accidentally pushed into the river. The other children scattered, leaving him to drown.
Already suffering from illnesses caused by overwork, and having lost two children in succession, Xing Zhaozhao finally couldn’t withstand the blows and fell seriously ill.
The eldest child, Gao Hongfei, wanting to get medicine for his mother, went to the Gao family to ask for money but was refused. He had to gather herbs from the mountains himself, where he accidentally stepped on an animal trap and lost a leg.
Xing Zhaozhao died on a winter night.
Before her death, her greatest worry was her eldest son – now he would be all alone, how would he survive?
In the middle of the night, Xing Zhaozhao woke once again from a nightmare, drenched in cold sweat.
She hurriedly looked beside her. In the small swaddling blanket, her newborn daughter Xiao Hongling, only seven days old, was sleeping soundly after having her fill of milk and food.
Although she was a premature baby, the little girl wasn’t particularly weak because she had been well nourished before birth.
Xing Zhaozhao leaned down to kiss the baby’s soft, tender cheek and murmured softly, “Don’t worry, my precious. In this lifetime, Mommy will definitely protect all of you.”