Mother Huo moved quickly, her expression visibly flustered. Seeing this, the two women hurried after her.
As they drew closer, Jiang Si noticed the bag in her mother-in-law’s hand.
She had seen that bag at home a few days ago—it was filled with baby supplies.
A sudden realization dawned on Jiang Si. "Mom, is Fourth Sister-in-law going into labor?"
By her calculations, Guan Xue’s due date should be around this time.
Mother Huo nodded repeatedly, still shaken as she recounted the situation.
In truth, Guan Xue had already been feeling some discomfort in her abdomen that afternoon.
But she had stubbornly kept quiet, determined to finish her work.
It wasn’t until after dinner, when she came out of the shower, that she finally mentioned to Mother Huo that she had noticed spotting.
"Your fourth brother has already taken her to the hospital," Mother Huo said. "That girl is so tough. If I hadn’t noticed how pale she looked and asked, she would’ve waited until tomorrow to go."
Jiang Si stepped forward and took Mother Huo’s arm. "Mom, don’t worry. Fourth Sister-in-law has always been healthy. She’ll be fine."
Mother Huo nodded.
Logically, she knew there was no real cause for concern, but her heart still ached with worry.
"Mom, let me go with you," Jiang Si offered.
"No, no. She’s only spotted, and her cervix hasn’t dilated yet," Mother Huo said with the authority of experience. "First births usually take longer. I’d guess it won’t happen until tomorrow."
"There’s no point going now just to wait. You two stay home, and I’ll update you when there’s news."
"Be good and go back inside. It’s getting late." Mother Huo didn’t want to frighten her two precious grandchildren.
With that, Jiang Si had no choice but to agree.
As Mother Huo predicted, the next morning when Jiang Si came downstairs, she found her mother-in-law in the kitchen, simmering millet porridge.
From Mother Huo, Jiang Si learned that Guan Xue still hadn’t gone into labor.
It was understandable they hadn’t gone the night before, but now that it was daytime, it would be inconsiderate not to visit—especially since Jiang Si was genuinely concerned.
"Mom, let me go with you later to check on her."
"Alright." Mother Huo was pleased to see her daughters-in-law getting along so well, though she hesitated. "Won’t it interfere with your work?"
Jiang Si shook her head. "No, I’ll just stop by the construction site in the afternoon."
Her contract had specified she didn’t need to be in the office daily; they’d contact her if anything came up.
If not for the internal sabotage incident, she wouldn’t even need to visit the site every day.
"Mom, I’d like to go too," Yang Meina chimed in. She had already dropped her two children at school.
She’d even asked a colleague to cover her shift for half a day so she could visit Fourth Sister-in-law at the hospital.
She had already bought gifts.
Touched by her daughters-in-law’s thoughtfulness, Mother Huo smiled warmly.
"Alright then, just wait a moment while I pack a few things."
With that, she headed to her fourth son’s room.
While Mother Huo gathered her things, Jiang Si quietly poured the millet porridge into a thermos, adding a generous amount of spiritual spring water.
Soon, Mother Huo returned.
Seeing her mother-in-law carrying a thick stack of documents under one arm and a folding table under the other, Jiang Si quickly took them from her.
"Mom, why are you bringing these?"
Mother Huo adjusted the papers, her voice a mix of exasperation and fondness.
"Xue'er said there are still a few calculations left to verify, and she wants to get them done before the baby arrives. Otherwise, she won’t rest easy during her postpartum recovery."
Mother Huo felt heartache for her, but she respected the young couple’s decisions.
Yang Meina understood her sister-in-law’s temperament. "Better take it with us now, or we’ll have to come back for it later."
As they spoke, the preparations were nearly complete, and the group set off.
With their granddaughter-in-law in labor at the hospital, Grandpa Huo and the others were too worried to stay behind, so they naturally went along to check on her.
As a result, apart from Second Brother Huo, who had left on a business trip the night before, and Father Huo, who was tied up with work, everyone else in the family went.
There were too many of them to fit into one car.
Huo Tingzhou drove Grandpa Huo, Grandma Huo, and the two little ones to the hospital first.
The rest walked over.
The hospital was nearby, and taking a shortcut through the alley made the trip quick.
About ten minutes later, they arrived at the hospital one after another.
The two children were still young, and with the occasional cries of laboring mothers in the maternity ward, Huo Tingzhou took them downstairs for a stroll to avoid frightening them.
The others followed Mother Huo upstairs.
When they entered the ward, Guan Xue was sitting up in bed.
Her face was pale, but her spirits were good.
In contrast, her husband, Huo Tinghan, was visibly more nervous, his voice trembling slightly as he greeted everyone.
"How are you feeling?" Jiang Si set down the fruit and thermos she had brought, her tone full of concern.
"Not too bad. Just a heavy feeling in my stomach and a sore back. It’s bearable for now."
"That’s normal," Yang Meina said with a smile. "Did the doctor say how many centimeters dilated you are?"
Speak of the devil.
No sooner had Yang Meina finished speaking than the doctor knocked and entered.
Huo Tinghan quickly helped Grandpa Huo out into the hallway to give them privacy.
After the examination, the doctor said, "Everything looks fine. The baby’s position is good, but the cervix is dilating slowly—only one centimeter so far."
"Just one centimeter?" Mother Huo was surprised. "That is quite slow."
At this hospital, mothers weren’t usually moved to the delivery room until they were at least five centimeters dilated.
The doctor nodded. "She shouldn’t stay lying down like this. It’s best if she walks around the hallway a bit."
This advice had been given the night before, but Guan Xue had her own way of doing things.
After the doctor left, at her signal, Huo Tinghan deftly set up a small table, securing it firmly between her legs.
"Eat something first," Mother Huo urged, worried she wouldn’t have the strength once labor progressed.
"Mom, I’ll take care of it." Huo Tinghan, knowing his wife’s habits, took the bowl from her.
He didn’t dare interrupt her while she was working, but whenever she paused to think, he would spoon-feed her a bite of warm porridge.
This went on until the bowl was empty—a process that took nearly an hour.
"Oh, Tinghan," Mother Huo suddenly remembered something and called her son into the hallway. "Have you notified Father Guan and Guan’s Mother yet?"
Huo Tinghan froze. He hadn’t.
From last night until now, his mind had been in complete disarray.
"I haven’t had the chance..."
Hearing this, Mother Huo was beside herself.
Fortunately, the post office was right next door, so Mother Huo didn’t have time to scold her son and hurried downstairs to call the in-laws.
Father Guan and Guan's Mother arrived quickly, showing up less than half an hour after receiving the call.
Guan's Mother was a woman of quick temper. The moment she stepped inside and saw her daughter, heavily pregnant, still hunched over writing and calculating, her anger flared.
“Honestly, you bury yourself in the lab day and night—fine, I’ll let that slide! But now? At a time like this, can’t you just focus on having the baby first before diving back into this?”
“Mom, just give me the pen—I’m almost done.”
“No!”
Seeing the fine beads of sweat on her daughter’s forehead, Guan's Mother was both furious and heartbroken.
“Look at how much pain you’re in, and you’re still doing this? Are you trying to kill me?”
Guan Xue: “Mom, it’s not that bad…”
She then shot a pleading glance at her father.
Catching his daughter’s silent plea, Father Guan said, “Just give it to her. You know exactly how stubborn she is.”
After a pause, he added, “And mark my words—if you don’t give it to her now, she’ll get up right after giving birth and demand that pen from you.”
“She wouldn’t dare!”
Father Guan gave Guan's Mother a look that said, Oh, she would.
Guan's Mother deflated instantly.
How could she not know her own daughter?
Just like her father—stubborn as a mule! Once she set her mind to something, nothing could drag her back.
But with the in-laws present, along with the Huo family’s sisters-in-law, Guan's Mother couldn’t make too big of a scene.
She glared at Father Guan, then at her daughter.
After a few deep breaths, she finally relented.
With a huff, she shoved the pen back into Guan Xue’s hand. “Fine, I’ll let you have your way this time. But we’re setting a rule—no more of this during your postpartum recovery! You’ll ruin your eyes!”
“You’re already nearsighted at four or five hundred degrees. If it gets any worse, it’ll affect the baby’s eyes too…”
