Chapter 183 - 180: Zhou Lian Is About to Give Birth

Chapter 183: Chapter 180: Zhou Lian Is About to Give Birth

After talking with He Ping, Ping’an officially moved into the Li family home. Li Xiu was ruthless. He took all the books he had brought from his hometown—works on political maneuvering, ancient emperors and generals, exposés on the lives of officials, and the like—and made Ping’an memorize and understand them all. He even had to learn to apply the principles to new situations. It drove Ping’an to the point of wishing for death, but when he thought of the uncertain road ahead, he forced himself to settle down and focus.

Watching the diligent and serious Ping’an, Zhou Lian smiled and said, "Jin Chen, do you... do you think Ping’an will make it?"

Her words were vague, but Li Xiu instantly understood what his wife meant. He looked at Zhou Lian gently and said, "Bao’er, you have to trust your husband’s judgment. That kid was just going through a rebellious phase before. The moment he understood his responsibilities, he began to grow up. He has a long road ahead of him!"

Zhou Lian nodded and said no more. ’It seems Li Xiu has high hopes for Ping’an, otherwise he wouldn’t have said he has a long road ahead of him.’ Thinking of her past life, Zhou Lian inwardly shook her head. ’Things are different now, so different. Ping’an himself was brought up with good discipline and is kind-hearted by nature. With Li Xiu’s guidance, his future is truly promising!’

Seeing that Zhou Lian understood, Li Xiu didn’t dwell on the topic. He looked at his wife’s large belly, unable to hide his concern. "Bao’er, you’re due soon. How are you feeling?" ’Even though he knew their son had been born safely and naturally in their past life, things had changed course in this one. Who knew what the future held?’ Li Xiu had been suffering from sleepless nights. ’Their son would be born any day now. He could only pray to the heavens to watch over them and grant his wife and child a safe delivery!’

Reaching out, she gently stroked the dark circles under Li Xiu’s eyes. Her heart ached for him as she said, "Jin Chen, don’t worry. I’m fine, and the baby is too. Look at you, you have dark circles under your eyes. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be all right. You’re too wonderful—I could never bear to let another woman have you!"

Hugging Zhou Lian tightly, Li Xiu suppressed his anxiety and teased, "Bao’er, you’d better be sure about that. From the highest heavens to the deepest earth, we’re in this together. So, you have to be okay. Or else you know the consequences!"

Resting in Li Xiu’s arms, Zhou Lian gently stroked his chest, feeling his rapid and unsteady heartbeat. "Jin Chen," she soothed, "rest assured, the baby and I will be fine. You are a wonderful father and a wonderful husband. Neither of us could bear to leave you, so please, don’t worry. Our family of four will live out this life in happiness together!"

Less than two days later, at the beginning of December, Wang Dongfang, Liu Qiang, Wei Guo, and Li Bao arrived together to report their accounts to Li Xiu. Gazing at the Northwest wind howling outside, Li Bao wheedled to Zhou Lian, "Sister-in-law, look, I’ve lost so much weight! It’s so cold today, I’m really craving some hot pot!"

Zhou Lian laughed and agreed, telling Sister Fang to get things ready. They had everything on hand at home: all sorts of vegetables in the kitchen and beef and mutton frozen in the courtyard. Only the soup base would require some effort. But Li Xiu mixed an incredible dipping sauce, and just the thought of it made Zhou Lian’s mouth water. She hurried him off to the kitchen to prepare it.

Seeing his wife was craving it, Li Xiu went straight to the kitchen without a word and started helping Sister Fang. The others sat on the heated kang bed, playing with Nuonuo. Zhou Lian looked at Li Bao’s beaming smile and said to him softly, "When you return to your hometown at the end of the month, please make it clear to the elders. I’m due any day now, so we won’t be able to come back for the New Year. Apologize to them for me. Also, have a good talk with your wife. Tell her that next year, after you sell the house, you can bring her and your daughter here to the Capital City." Li Bao’s wife had recently given birth to a little girl.

Li Bao looked at his very pregnant sister-in-law and nodded. ’The elders will definitely understand. Sister-in-law is due any day now. After giving birth, she’ll have to go through the postpartum confinement period. How could she possibly travel back to our hometown in this cold? Besides, knowing how much Big Brother dotes on her, he wouldn’t let her make the trip in this freezing weather even after her confinement was over!’

Watching Li Bao and Zhou Lian interact, Ping’an felt a swirl of emotions. ’Li Jincheng said he would treat me like a younger brother, and Zhou Lian does the same. She’s so caring in my daily life, but if I do something wrong, she has no problem calling me out or scolding me. So, what Li Jincheng said was true—they really are training me like one of their own. Even Zhou Lian. My mother once said that Li Jincheng is both the most ruthless and the most devoted of men. This must be what it’s like to be sheltered under their wing, just like Li Bao.’

"Oh, right, Sister-in-law," Li Bao suddenly remembered and quickly asked Zhou Lian, "the family planning policy has started. If I sell a house here in the Capital City, what do I do about my household registration? I want to have another child to keep my daughter company!"

"Don’t worry," Zhou Lian said after a moment’s thought. "Sell the house first, but don’t rush to transfer your household registration. After your wife has another baby... well, at worst, you can just sell another house. Besides, you two don’t work for state-owned enterprises or public institutions, so the rules aren’t as strict. But, to be seen as complying with the national call, you should only transfer your registration to the Capital City *after* your wife has the next baby." ’Li Bao is Third Uncle’s eldest son,’ she thought. ’With only a daughter, Third Uncle and Third Aunt would surely feel it’s not enough. But as long as he doesn’t move his household registration, it won’t be an issue. I remember the rules allowed people with rural registrations to have two kids. In my last life, Li Bao had one boy and one girl, a perfect pair.’

"Okay, I’ll do as you say, Sister-in-law," Li Bao said, nodding quietly.

After dinner, Li Bao left with Wang Dongfang and the others. Ping’an, complaining that it was too cold out, just slept over in the west room. Back in the summer, because of Zhou Lian’s pregnancy, Li Xiu had installed a type of modern underfloor heating in all the rooms. It was a homemade, coal-burning system, but it worked. With the room as warm as springtime, Ping’an ended up spending most of the winter at the Li family home, rarely returning to the Imperial Palace.

Around one or two in the morning, Zhou Lian was jolted awake by a sharp pain. She looked over and saw Li Xiu, who was already awake, his face etched with worry and distress. Gauging the frequency of her contractions, she said to him, her forehead beaded with sweat, "Jin Chen, I think I’m going into labor."

The color drained from Li Xiu’s face. He stammered, "Bao’er... Bao’er, I-I’m here! It’s okay, it’s going to be okay!"

Seeing him starting to panic, Zhou Lian squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I’m fine, don’t worry," she said softly. "Go call Sister Fang to come help."

Having completely lost his cool, Li Xiu stumbled back to the doorway and yelled for Sister Fang. A light quickly came on in the east wing, and Sister Fang emerged, wrapped in a thick cotton jacket. One look at Li Xiu’s state was all she needed to understand. Ignoring him, she hurried to the bedside in the main hall and asked Zhou Lian quietly, "How are you feeling?"

Zhou Lian looked at Sister Fang and gave a small smile. "It’s just the beginning. Sister Fang, please take Nuonuo to the west room and have Ping’an keep an eye on her. Then, please prepare the kang bed in the east wing. I’ll give birth there. I’ll have Jin Chen go get the doctor!"

Seeing Zhou Lian’s calm state, Sister Fang nodded and bustled into action. Ping’an, woken by the noise, stared dumbfounded at Nuonuo, who was now tucked into his bed. It took him a good long moment to process what was happening: Zhou Lian was about to have her baby!