Night.
District First Hospital.
It’s late, and the hospital is quiet. Most of the patients and nurses sleep, but Dong Xuebing doesn’t feel sleepy. He laid on the bed, looking at the moon outside the window with a smile. He would look at his phone anxiously every few minutes.
Suddenly, the door opened.
The nurse entered the ward again and saw Dong Xuebing wake. She gave him a stare. “Director Dong!”
Dong Xuebing looks at her. “Why are you here again?”
“I am here to check if you are asleep.” The nurse smacked her lips. “Why are you not sleeping?!”
“I can’t sleep.” Dong Xuebing replied nonchalantly. “Go and sleep. You don’t need to worry about me. Just leave me alone.”
“How can I leave you alone? How are you going to go toilet or feed yourself?”
“Hey, I can still move my hands slightly.” Dong Xuebing showed the phone he was holding. “See…. I am fine. Go and rest.”
The nurse sat on a chair beside the bed. “Then I will sit here and watch you. I will rest after you sleep.”
Dong Xuebing is in a good mood and didn’t argue with her. “Oh, what is your name?”
The nurse replied warily. “What do you want?! Are you going to complain to the hospital Director about me!?”
Dong Xuebing is amused. “You are overthinking. Why should I complain about you? We got nothing to do here. Let’s chat.”
The nurse looked at Dong Xuebing. “I am Zhan Rourou.”
“Hmm… that’s a nice name. Where are you from?”
“The City.”
“What are your parents working as?”
“Are you checking my Hu Kuo?! My father is working in the City’s Commission for Discipline Inspection. He is also a civil servant.”
“The Commission for Discipline Inspection? That’s a good place.”
Zhan Rourou noticed Dong Xuebing seemed to be in a good mood after chatting. “Director Dong, did something good happen? Why do you seem so happy?”
Dong Xuebing cleared his throat. He is not married to Aunt Xuan, and they had an agreement with Sister Xie. He will marry Sister Xie for five years before divorcing her and marrying Aunt Xuan. He can’t tell others that he will be a father now. “No.”
“Absolutely no!”
“……”
“It must be something good. Tell me….”
“Why are you so interested in my business? Stop being so nosy.”
“You were the one who asked me so many questions earlier.” Zhan Rourou grumbled.
Dong Xuebing felt this nurse is amusing. Since they met, she has not been afraid of him, and he felt her father might be a leader in the City’s Commission for Discipline Inspection.
When is my phone going to ring?!
It’s been hours, and why Aunt Xuan hasn’t given birth?!
Dong Xuebing is having complicated feelings now. He would smile for a while and frown worryingly the next moment. He kept fidgeting uneasily.
Zhan Rourou looked at Dong Xuebing. “What are you doing?”
“…… I am lying on the bed.”
“You keep moving about. It is making me uncomfortable.” Zhan Rourou rolled her eyes.
“Hey, can I ask something?” Dong Xuebing asked. “Is it dangerous for a woman to give birth earlier than the due date?”
“Is someone in your family giving birth?”
“Yes…. A friend.”
Zhan Rourou smacked her lips. “Premature birth should be dangerous. But it will depend on how much earlier it is from the due date. It is fine for one to two days, but if it is earlier by one to two weeks, it will….”
Dong Xuebing asked nervously. “What will happen?”
“Hehe…. I don’t know either.”
“Aren’t you a nurse? How come you don’t know?”
“I am not an Obstetrics Department nurse.” Zhan Rourou retorted. “Furthermore, I am an intern and had only worked for a few months. I can be considered a nurse after I graduate and might be posted to a hospital in the City.”
“I had wasted my time.” Dong Xuebing regretted asking Zhan Rourou.
Aunt Xuan, you and my daughter, must be safe….
Suddenly, Dong Xuebing’s phone rang.
Dong Xuebing picks up his phone anxiously and hurts his arm. He saw the caller’s number, and it was Qu Yunxuan.
Zhan Rourou moved closer and tried to eavesdrop.
Dong Xuebing looks at her. “I am answering an important phone call. Ms. Zhan, you should go and rest.”
Zhan Rourou pouted and slowly walked out of the ward. Dong Xuebing could hear her grumbling under her breath. “Who wants to listen to your phone call?”
The door closed.
Dong Xuebing quickly answers his phone. “Hello?”
“Xiao Bing.” Aunt Xuan’s mother said. “Yunxuan had given birth!”
Dong Xuebing asked excitedly. “Is she and the baby safe?”
“They are fine. Can you hear the baby crying?” A baby is crying loudly in the background.
Dong Xuebing almost cried when he heard it. “Yes…. Yes….”
Aunt Xuan’s mother continued happily. “We cannot use the phone here, and I had to beg the hospital to make this call. I will pass the phone to Yunxuan now.”
Qu Yunxuan answered a few moments later. “Hello, Xiao Bing.” She sounds weak but happy.
Dong Xuebing thanked her. “Thank you, Yunxuan.”
“What are you talking about? It’s my baby too.”
“Is it a boy or girl?”
“It’s a girl, and she is beautiful.”
“Girl?! Terrific!”
“The doctor says our girl is very healthy. Her nose and mouth look like you, and the rest looks like me.”
“That’s great. She will be gorgeous when she grows up. Hahaha…. Oh, how are you feeling?”
“I am fine. I wanted a natural birth, but the doctor advised me to go for cesarean section because of my age and its premature birth.” Qu Yunxuan paused for a second and giggled. “We have a cute baby at home now. You should have seen my parents’ faces. They can’t stop smiling at her and had forgotten about me.”
Dong Xuebing replied excitedly. “I will visit you once I settled my work here.”
“Don’t rush. Our baby and I are not going anywhere. Just focus on your work and watch out for your safety.”
“I know.”
Translator’s notes:
Hu Kuo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hukou
