Free Web NovelChapter 408: Chapter 406: You’re a Two
Gu’er watched Sun Jiaming listen intently to the doctor’s instructions, her heart filled with happiness, yet also a faint pang of sorrow.
She thought back to her past life. She had gotten pregnant not long after marrying Zhang Da. Back then, she’d been completely clueless; by the time she realized it, she was already over three months along.
No one knew how terrified she had been. She hadn’t known what to do. It was only when Li Hua came to visit and explained everything to her that she finally understood.
She had thought that having a child would make Zhang Da treat her a little better, but he didn’t change one bit. He beat her and cursed her all the same. Whenever the urge struck him, he would ignore her struggles, pin her down on the bed, and force himself on her.
Once, when she couldn’t bear his torment any longer, she fought back. Zhang Da beat her so badly she nearly had a miscarriage.
No one knew what a difficult pregnancy it was. She had almost lost the baby several times.
When she gave birth to Zhang Juan, Zhang Da was out gambling and hadn’t been home in two days. She suddenly went into labor, but it was too late to get help. She was all alone on the bed, trying to give birth by herself. Her desperate cries went unanswered. Eventually, a neighbor heard her agonized screams and came in. The neighbor was horrified by the sight and ran to get Li Hua. Li Hua rushed over, found someone to boil water, and helped deliver the baby.
The birth of Zhang Juan was difficult. She passed out before she could even get a single look at the baby. Afterward, she nearly bled to death. Though she survived, the ordeal left her with permanent health issues. After Zhang Juan, she was unable to have any more children. That was why, in an era with no family planning, she and Zhang Da had only one child. It was also why Zhang Da constantly cursed her, calling her a barren old hen who couldn’t lay eggs and accusing her of ending the Old Zhang Family’s bloodline.
’But perhaps the Zhang Family was simply fated to have their line die out.’ Zhang Da later found other women, telling them to bear him a son. She was powerless to stop him and could only weep in secret. But even though he found two other women, neither of them could give him a son. In the end, he died of illness, sonless. On the day he drew his last breath, he was still cursing her, blaming her for the fact that he had no one to perform his last rites.
’This life is completely different from my last. Sun Jiaming isn’t Zhang Da; he adores me to the core of his being. That’s why I have to treat him even better and cherish my relationship with him. I hope I can give Jia Ming a son.’
At this thought, Gu’er smiled sweetly. ’This one in my belly might be a girl, but it’s okay. This time, I’ll give birth in a hospital, so hopefully, it won’t be a difficult delivery. There’s no family planning to worry about, and we can afford to raise them. I can just have a daughter first, and then have a son.’
"Thank you, thank you, Doctor. We won’t keep you any longer. We’ll be on our way."
Sun Jiaming thanked the doctor, then reached out a hand to steady Gu’er.
Sun Jiaming was already extremely protective of Gu’er, but now he couldn’t take his eyes off her for a second. He treated her as if she were a fragile child, terrified she might get bumped or take a fall the moment he looked away.
After leaving the hospital, they got into Li Zhi’s car. Li Zhi, Dingzi, and Marina were all inside. They hadn’t accompanied them into the examination room, worried they might be in the way.
The moment they got in the car, three pairs of eyes turned to stare at Gu’er and Sun Jiaming in unison.
"Well?"
Li Zhi, the most impatient of the three, was the first to ask.
A blush crept up Gu’er’s cheeks, but her eyes shone brightly, and her face was alight with a happiness that radiated from within.
Sun Jiaming nodded. "She is. Gu’er’s pregnant. I’m going to be a father."
"Really? That’s fantastic! I call being the godfather! Nobody better try to steal it from me."
Li Zhi was overjoyed.
Gu’er glanced at him. ’At this point in time, the term ’godfather’ hasn’t taken on that other, more sordid meaning yet.’ She knew he was genuinely happy for them.
"Gu’er, I want to be the godmother!"
Marina was thrilled too, grabbing Gu’er’s hand and clamoring to be the godmother.
"I said I’m the godfather, and you want to be the godmother... what’s Dingzi supposed to do? Nope, you can’t have it. Don’t fight me on this," Li Zhi told Marina.
"Dingzi," Marina called out.
"I’ll be a godfather, too. What’s wrong with Marina being the godmother?"
Dingzi shot Li Zhi a cool look.
"You’re trying to steal this from me too? Aren’t you two just going to have your own baby next year anyway? I don’t care. I called it first."
Li Zhi glared at Dingzi, refusing to back down.
"Senior godfather and junior godfather," Marina offered a solution.
"I called it first, so I’m the senior godfather! Dingzi can be the junior one," Li Zhi scrambled to claim the senior title.
"You’re second," Dingzi said, giving him a look.
"I called it first!" Li Zhi protested.
"I’m older than you. Or we could get out of the car and fight over who’s the ’senior’ one?" Dingzi said unhurriedly.
"Fine, I’ll let you have it. You can be the senior one, and I’ll be the junior godfather. I’m definitely not being ’second’." Li Zhi knew he couldn’t beat Dingzi in a fight, so he wasn’t foolish enough to agree.
Dingzi nodded.
"Dingzi, you’re amazing," Marina said, her eyes full of undisguised admiration.
Sun Jiaming just watched them, smiling. His joy was beyond words. This was his child; of course, he was the happiest one of them all.
Gu’er’s eyes were also brimming with mirth. She didn’t even realize how soft her own expression had become. In the depths of her heart, she too had hoped for a child—a child born into a life completely different from her last.
When they got home, they told the two grandmothers about Gu’er’s pregnancy. Both women were overjoyed, holding Gu’er’s hands and reminding her to be careful about this and that.
Aunt Zhao was also delighted. She bustled downstairs, saying she was going to buy more groceries to help Gu’er stay nourished.
Meanwhile, Sun Jiaming called Cao Qiu to share the good news. Cao Qiu started shouting with delight over the phone; she was absolutely ecstatic.
He then called Chen Fengjiao, who was also overjoyed when she heard. She told Jia Ming to take extra good care of Gu’er.
After a moment’s thought, Sun Jiaming also tried calling Lin Shan, but he couldn’t be reached. The person on the other end said Lin Shan had gone out to do a site inspection.
Sun Jiaming was chatting with Li Zhi and Dingzi. Li Zhi was thinking to himself, ’I really need to find a girlfriend. Here Jia Ming’s about to be a dad, and I’m still single. No wonder Mom and Dad are on my case all the time.’
Over on the other side, Gu’er was getting a lecture from the two grandmothers. Marina listened in from the side. Even though she didn’t understand much, she paid close attention, occasionally asking a question. ’After all,’ she thought, ’Dingzi and I will have kids someday too. It’s good to learn a little more about this.’
An hour later, Cao Qiu arrived. In addition to being happy, she pulled Gu’er aside for another long lecture full of instructions.
Not long after, Chen Fengjiao arrived and, just like Cao Qiu, gave her plenty of advice.
Gu’er’s ears were ringing from all the advice, but she wasn’t the least bit annoyed. ’In my past life, I couldn’t find a single person who cared enough to lecture me like this. In this life, I have so many people looking out for me.’ She felt incredibly blessed.
Looking at Cao Qiu and Chen Fengjiao, she couldn’t help but think of Li Hua. ’In my past life, Li Hua was the only one who ever cared about me. She would be so happy if she knew I was pregnant... I wonder how she’s doing these days? I’ll have to ask Eldest Aunt about her tonight.’
