1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

The sky was fully bright when the sun rose.

Lianhua lay on the straw and ash cloth bag at the head of the kang, her face flushed red, her eyes almost bulging out, and a coarse cloth towel between her teeth.

Following Granny Wang's instructions, she strained her stomach, her whole body trembling, and desperately pulled downwards.

Granny Wang and Mrs. Chen squatted by the kang (a heated brick bed), heads bowed, watching intently. After working for most of the day, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh dear! Look at her hair! A huge, dark clump!"

"This child is well-nourished and healthy! Other babies in the village are either born with a tuft of soft, yellowish hair or completely bald. Our child was strong from the womb! Lianhua, keep pushing, keep this up, push harder!"

Everything seemed to be going smoothly; the baby's head was already showing, but it just wouldn't come out. Lianhua strained and convulsed, her strength waning, a muffled groan escaping her throat; she was almost completely exhausted.

With blood on her hands, Granny Wang's face changed instantly. She went from clutching to pinching something to panicking. She wiped her hands, lifted the curtain, and rushed out, her steps faltering.

"No, this won't work! It's not going to do!"

Granny Wang was so anxious that she stamped her feet and shouted at Chen Laonian and Chen Gaoshan in the yard.

"The baby's head is too big, it's stuck, we can't deliver! Old Nian, Shan Xiaozi, hurry and fetch Doctor Zhou! This old woman is at her wit's end; if we delay any longer, both mother and child will be doomed!"

Chen Gaoshan immediately lost his composure, his mind went blank, and his legs started to cramp.

He had only one thought in his mind.

No matter what, Lotus must be safe and sound. We can give up the child, but Lotus must live!

He had anticipated this beforehand; if there was a difficult childbirth, the question would be whether to save the mother or the child. No matter what, he would save Lianhua!

"I'll go right now! I'll go and fetch Grandpa Zhou immediately!"

Chen Gaoshan turned around, picked up the bicycle from the wall of the yard, and ran outside. He didn't care about anything else; human life was at stake, and he didn't dare to waste a second.

Dr. Zhou's house was at the northernmost part of the village, quite a distance away. Chen Gaoshan hopped on his bicycle, stood up, and pedaled furiously, his body almost touching the handlebars.

I was riding the bike too fast, and the pedals flew off several times. The last time, the force was so great that I fell to the ground with the bike, scraping my arms and palms.

He got up without even taking a picture. Luckily, the chain hadn't come off. He picked up the bicycle, climbed back on, and continued pedaling desperately forward.

After finally riding to the door of Dr. Zhou's house, Chen Gaoshan threw his bicycle aside and started banging on the door.

Bang bang bang.

"Uncle Zhou! Uncle Zhou! Are you awake? Open the door quickly! My wife... is having a difficult childbirth and can't give birth! Help, Uncle Zhou!"

Zhou Wanshui, who was inside, had already gotten up and was packing his medicine box when he heard the urgent banging and crying outside the door. He immediately rushed over to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, Chen Gaoshan was seen sweating profusely, his hair was messy, his face was covered in sweat and dirt, he was out of breath, and he could barely speak.

"Uncle Zhou, my wife is having a difficult childbirth and can't give birth..."

Zhou Wanshui had very little hair left on her head, just a few long strands that she had deliberately tucked into the middle to create a sleek hairstyle. Upon hearing that she had experienced a difficult childbirth, she turned and ran into the house without a word to get the medicine box against the wall. As she ran, the few sparse strands of hair on her head flew up, and she didn't bother to fix them.

Chen Gaoshan paced anxiously at the door, stamping his feet incessantly. When he saw Doctor Zhou come out carrying a medicine box, he immediately rushed forward, snatched the medicine box, hung it around his neck, and reached out to grab Doctor Zhou's hand.

He carried him home on his back and rode furiously.

Running back into the house, Chen Gaoshan had just entered when he saw Lianhua lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), already exhausted, her eyes half-open, her face very pale.

Under the blanket, between Lotus's legs, you could clearly see the baby's dark head, stuck there, motionless.

Chen Gaoshan had long since abandoned the old rule that men couldn't enter the house when a woman was giving birth. He only had Lianhua in his heart. He rushed forward, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), reached out and hugged Lianhua's sweaty head, and pinched her arm hard.

"Lotus! Don't fall asleep! You mustn't fall asleep! I'm here, right beside you! Doctor Zhou is here, we're saved! You'll be alright, do you hear me! Wake up, look at me! Hold on!"

Without saying a word, Dr. Zhou quickly went to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), placed his hand on Lianhua's wrist to take her pulse, and gave instructions as he did so.

"Old Nian! Hurry up and make Lianhua a bowl of boiled egg water, with plenty of sugar! This woman has been working hard all day, she's exhausted. A little sweet water will give her some energy, otherwise she won't be able to keep going!"

"We need to get the baby out quickly. If we delay any longer, not only will the baby suffocate in the womb, but the adults will also be in grave danger!"

"Quickly bring over a basin of boiling water, I'll lend a hand to Granny Wang and pull the child out!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Liu's heart leaped into her throat, and she turned and rushed to the kitchen.

He took a porcelain bowl, cracked an egg into it, stirred it with chopsticks, scooped boiling water from the pot, and kept stirring while pouring it in. He then grabbed a handful of red peppers and sprinkled them in.

I pressed my lips to it, and it burned my mouth so badly I winced. I quickly grabbed an empty bowl and folded it back and forth several times, but it was too hot to drink from.

At that moment, I had no other thoughts but to keep the lotus flower.

If the child is gone, it's gone. She can get pregnant and give birth again. Such a sensible and hardworking daughter-in-law, if she were to be gone, it would be a catastrophe, and she would never be found again!

"Shanzi! Quickly take it and force it down your wife's throat!"

Chen Liushi brought the already warm egg water to her son.

Chen Gaoshan took the bowl.

"Lotus, open your mouth and drink this bowl of egg water. Drinking it will give you strength, and then we'll give birth to the baby!"

Lianhua was in so much pain that her whole body went limp, and she clenched her teeth so tightly that she couldn't open her mouth at all.

Chen Gaoshan could only pry open her chin and put it in his mouth.

Fortunately, Lianhua hadn't completely fainted from the pain and was still conscious. She swallowed slowly, managing to drink most of the bowl of egg water.

Lotus had recovered quite a bit by now, and her first words were about the baby in her belly.

"Mother, child...you're not holding it in, are you..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Liu's nose stung with tears. It is said that a child's life is a mother's death. In her life, she hated mothers-in-law who tormented their daughters-in-law the most. The old women in the village had suffered a lot from their mothers-in-law when they were young, and when they got old, they would mistreat their daughters-in-law.

She hates people like that the most.

"What time is it? You're still thinking about the baby!"

"You're still young. Take good care of yourself, and you can have another baby anytime! Right now, your mother doesn't care about anything else, as long as you survive. That's more important than anything else!"

Having said that, Chen Liu was completely reckless. She turned to look at Granny Wang and Doctor Zhou by the kang (a heated brick bed), gritted her teeth, and slammed her fist on the table, her voice cracking.

"Old Wang, Brother Zhou, I'm making the decision today! If all else fails, just take the scissors and cut this debt collector to pieces! Drag him out, as long as you can save my daughter-in-law!"

Doctor Zhou glanced at Madam Chen Liu. This old woman was indeed impatient. Like mother, like daughter.