Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 88 He Xiao's Birth

In late December, He Yuzhu took Lou Xiao'e to the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Qihelou.

This is the first specialized maternity hospital in New China, established on June 6th of this year. Its first president was Lin Qiaozhi, who was later hailed as the "Mother of Ten Thousand Babies." The hospital's maternity ward is spacious and bright, with snow-white bedding.

On her due date, Lou Xiao'e went into labor right on time. She leaned against the hospital bed, her belly as big as an inverted pot. He Yuzhu sat on a wooden stool by the bed, holding her slightly cold fingers in one hand and gently placing the other on the back of her hand.

"Don't be afraid, Dean Lin will personally deliver your baby. You won't find another person in all of China who knows how to give birth better than her."

Xiao'e gripped his fingers tightly, her cheeks flushed red in the sunlight streaming through the window. "I'm not scared, I'm just a little nervous. Brother He, do you think the child looks more like you or me?"

"Like you. You're good-looking."

"You know how to talk," Xiao'e smiled, her nervousness easing considerably.

In the corridor, Lou Bancheng sat on a bench, tapping his fingers on his knees. Tan Yali stood at the door of the delivery room, clutching a handkerchief, occasionally tiptoeing to peek inside, then stepping back to sit down, then standing up again to peek inside.

Master Luo and his wife arrived after receiving the call. Master Luo was carrying a thermos, which he shoved into He Yuzhu's arms, saying it was chicken soup for the leader, which had been simmering for two hours. He was taking it first so Xiao'e could drink it after giving birth.

At 3 p.m., Lou Xiao'e gave birth to a healthy baby boy. When the nurse brought the swaddled baby out, Tan Yali's eyes welled up with tears. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and took the baby into her arms.

Lou Bancheng stood up, gently parted the corner of the swaddling clothes, and looked at his grandson's face. He said to He Yuzhu, "Xiao'e, you've brought prosperity to the He family. Zhuzi, have you named the child yet?"

He Yuzhu took the swaddled baby and looked down at the wrinkled little face. The baby was asleep, its little fists clenched tightly, its breathing shallow and even.

This child is not the same person as He Xiao from the previous life. He owed He Xiao too much in the previous life, and he is making up for it to this child in this life.

He raised his head, his voice steady and clear, "His name will be He Xiao."

Two hours later, after confirming that the mother had not experienced postpartum hemorrhage, Lou Xiao'e was wheeled back to her ward. She turned her head to the side, looking at the baby in her husband's arms, a smile playing on her lips. "He Xiao," she murmured twice.

Lou Xiao'e was discharged from the hospital five days later.

He Yuzhu declined his mother-in-law's suggestion to have Xiao'e recuperate at the Lou Mansion. He felt that the Lou family's resources were not as abundant as those in his space, and he wanted to give Xiao'e more nourishment.

Tan Yali said she would move in for a while, since there were still empty rooms in the west wing of Yushui. That afternoon, she moved in with her change of clothes, and every day before dawn she would get up to stew soup, cook porridge, and boil brown sugar water, filling the courtyard with various aromas all day long.

Every day when He Yuzhu returned from the supply and marketing cooperative, he could smell the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen as soon as he entered the door. Ma Hua squatted by the stove, helping his mother-in-law tend the fire, while Ma Qiang peeled scallions beside him.

He washed his hands and took out his newly learned cooking skills: medicinal cuisine. For the first few days, he used Sheng Hua Tang (a traditional Chinese medicine formula), and on the eighth day postpartum, he began using mild medicinal cuisine for nourishment. These included chicken soup with astragalus and angelica, pigeon soup with codonopsis and red dates, and pork kidney soup with eucommia. Half a month postpartum, he ate stewed eggs with donkey-hide gelatin and goji berries, chicken soup with gastrodia elata, and a soup made with white fungus, lily bulbs, and lotus seeds.

Looking at the list arranged by her son-in-law, Tan Yali said to her daughter in private: Xiao'e, you are so lucky to have married Zhuzi.

The courtyard was bustling for the next few days. Li Huaide was the first to arrive, carrying two bottles of Moutai, and said with a forced smile that this was his god-nephew, and he wanted to become his god-nephew.

He Yuzhu took the bottle and handed it to Ma Hua, telling him to keep it safe. He smiled and replied, "We'll talk about it when the child turns one."

Li Huaide wasn't annoyed. He sat under the pomegranate tree, drinking tea, and chatted with He Yuzhu about factory matters for a long time. He mentioned that Yang Honglin had been picking on him again recently, but luckily he had the pork and mutton that He Yuzhu had provided to support him.

Chen Xiangqian and his wife also arrived. Chen Xiangqian carried two cans of malted milk powder, while his wife carried a basket of eggs, which were wrapped tightly in cotton cloth.

Aunt Chen went inside to talk to Xiao'e. Chen Xiangqian sat in the armchair in the main room, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Zhuzi, you didn't even bother to call and let me know. I only found out when I ran into Director Zhou from the supply and marketing cooperative. Were you going to wait until the baby's one-month celebration to tell me?"

He Yuzhu apologized with a forced smile, saying that the full moon celebration would be canceled. "These are difficult times; it doesn't sound good."

The high-ranking leader's wife also brought baby formula. She sat on the edge of the bed, held Xiao'e's hand, and asked how she was feeling and if she had enough breast milk. Her eyes were a little red as she spoke, and she blamed He Yuzhu for not informing her sooner.

Lou Xiao'e said with a smile, "Now that you know, eldest sister, Brother He said he won't be having a full-month celebration, so don't bother notifying him. We'll take He Xiao to pay New Year's respects to Uncle Bi."

The older woman pulled a pair of tiger-head shoes from her pocket. "You're right, don't bring the children during the New Year, it's too cold. I made these myself, the stitches are a little crooked, Xiao'e, please don't mind."

Xu Damao arrived carrying two boxes of health supplements. He pulled He Yuzhu aside, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Brother Zhu, I've found a girlfriend. She's an accountant at the steel rolling mill, introduced by Director Li. Her name is Li Hongmei. I've been seeing her these past few days, that's why I'm late."

He Yuzhu smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said to talk things out properly and not let him down. In his past life, Xu Damao used underhanded tactics to climb the social ladder, ultimately ending up in a miserable state. In this life, he sincerely hoped that his childhood friend could have a child and a peaceful old age.

Every day after school, the first thing Yu Shui does is rush to the main room. She drops her schoolbag, washes her hands, carefully picks up her little nephew, and gently pokes He Xiao's cheek with her finger, asking as she does so, "Sister-in-law, when do you think he'll call me 'Auntie'?"

He Yuzhu poked his head out from the kitchen and said, "Finish your homework first, then I'll call you." Yushuichao stuck out his tongue, hugged He Xiao in his arms and gently rocked him, saying, "Nephew, grow up quickly, Auntie will buy you candy. If your dad won't buy it for you, I'll secretly buy it for you."

Lou Xiao'e leaned against the headboard and laughed until her stomach hurt.

For several days in a row, several colleagues from the supply and marketing cooperative, several old acquaintances from the post office, Xiao Wang from the street office, and even several soldiers from the military control committee who had dealt with He Yuzhu back then all came to visit him, bringing eggs, brown sugar, and malted milk powder.

The gifts filled half of the south room, including over a hundred eggs and several kilograms of brown sugar. He Yuzhu asked Ma Hua to deliver the brown sugar and eggs to Old Li's family and his parents' family, giving each family three kilograms of brown sugar and a basket of eggs.

Late at night, all the guests had left, and the courtyard fell silent. Ma Hua and Ma Qiang whispered in the east wing, "Master is truly amazing, knowing so many people." The light in the west wing also went out.

He Yuzhu sat in the armchair in the main room, lighting a Zhonghua cigarette. The bare branches of the pomegranate tree swayed gently in the moonlight, and from the bedroom came the sound of Xiao'e humming a lullaby to lull He Xiao to sleep.

He closed his eyes and remembered He Xiao returning to Beijing from Hong Kong in his previous life. He took He Xiao out for a nice meal, but he didn't have much money in his pocket, so He Xiao ended up paying for it.

He opened his eyes and looked at the moon outside the window. This life was all about making amends. He would raise He Xiao to be healthy and well-fed, teach him Xingyi Quan, teach him to read, and teach him how to be a good person, making up for everything he owed in his past life.