"Of course it's true. You can go ask the midwife and nurse from yesterday — it was a nurse with glasses who told me personally, a boy."
Xiao Mandong remembered it vividly, because the woman had given birth so quickly, and in this day and age, a newborn weighing over seven jin was not common either.
When Lin Wenya heard about the nurse with glasses, she immediately ran out of the ward.
She grabbed a young nurse and pressed her: "Where's that nurse of yours — the one with glasses, a bit dark-skinned?"
"You're looking for Sister Zhao? She just got off the night shift. See, that's her over there, the one in the white polyester jacket." The young nurse pointed toward the hospital gate as she spoke.
Zhao Xiuxiu hadn't even made it out of the hospital gate when she heard someone calling her from behind.
She tightened her grip on her canvas satchel, pretended not to hear, and quickened her pace. She just wanted to leave fast.
Lin Wenya caught up in a few strides and grabbed her arm: "Hold on."
Zhao Xiuxiu turned around, pushed up the glasses that had slipped to the tip of her nose, a flicker of panic in her eyes, and stiffened her neck: "What do you want me for? I've been working all night, I just got off my shift, I need to go home and sleep."
By then Xiao Mandong had also caught up: "That Lin Wenhui from yesterday — did she give birth to a boy or a girl?"
"What boy or girl? There are so many mothers in labor, how would I know who's who?" She turned and started walking out of the hospital gate.
Lin Wenya pulled her back: "Come to the ward with me. Identify her."
The moment Zhao Xiuxiu felt Lin Wenya grab her arm, she jerked back in fright: "What are you doing? Let go of me. I need to go home."
Lin Wenya's hand was like a pair of iron pincers, gripping Zhao Xiuxiu's arm tightly. With Xiao Mandong's help, Zhao Xiuxiu was quickly dragged into the ward. Looking at the room full of people — department heads, even the hospital director — her legs were shaking.
"Zhao Xiuxiu, did Lin Wenhui give birth to a boy or a girl?"
Hearing the director's question, Zhao Xiuxiu's eyes darted away, and she stammered for a long while: "This... this child is the one she gave birth to. Is something wrong with that?"
The director could see her guilt plain as day. He stepped forward, pointing at the baby in swaddling clothes, then at Lin Wenhui, pale as a sheet. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried weight: "Zhao Xiuxiu, I'm going to give you one more chance. Tell me the truth — did this woman, Lin Wenhui, give birth to a boy or a girl? And whose child is this, really?"
Zhao Xiuxiu was so frightened she stumbled backward and hit the wall. Her face was ashen, and her lips were trembling.
Late last night, when the baby had been crying and she'd gone to check, she'd discovered the baby had been swapped. But she didn't dare say anything. At every meeting, they were sternly reminded, again and again, that babies had to be handed personally to the patient's family members. But she really hadn't done it on purpose yesterday — it really had been carelessness. And that family had already been discharged. She was afraid of being held responsible. She'd been terrified all night, and finally, before the morning rounds, while the office was empty, she'd secretly changed the newborn's gender entry she'd recorded. She'd thought that would be enough to slip through undetected. But she never expected to be found out. What should she do? If she admitted it, she'd definitely lose her job. But if she didn't admit it... would they believe her?
"Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you know you're harming an innocent child? What if that family isn't good people? Will they treat that child well?"
Xiao Mandong felt it as if it were happening to her. In her mind, she saw the daughter who had been swapped away in her previous life, saw Wang Xiumei beating and cursing her, saw the child drowning in the icy river.
Lin Wenhui couldn't stop crying. Watching Xiao Mandong press so relentlessly, Zhao Xiuxiu hated her to the bone. This woman was truly detestable — what business was it of hers?
After agonizing for a long time, Zhao Xiuxiu decided to gamble it all. Things had already come to this — if she didn't admit it, there was still a sliver of hope. If she did admit it, she'd definitely lose her job: "I already told you, this is the child. What do you want me to confess? How can you frame me like this just to curry favor with Director Lin's family?"
Xiao Mandong hadn't expected Zhao Xiuxiu to keep lying even under these circumstances. She really wouldn't shed a tear until she saw the coffin. If she'd cooperated with the investigation, and the child had been found safely, Director Lin wouldn't have come down too hard on her. But by refusing to confess, she'd changed the nature of the whole matter.
Just then, the midwife from yesterday was also called back. She lived in the staff housing behind the hospital.
Actually, that morning, when she'd passed the department office, she'd seen with her own eyes Zhao Xiuxiu altering the newborn registration form. But she was afraid that if the department was held responsible for a mix-up, her performance reviews, awards, and bonuses would all evaporate. Most importantly, this patient was Director Lin's own daughter. So she could only pretend she hadn't seen anything, thinking that even if it came to light, she'd just claim ignorance and tell the truth if asked. Before the director even questioned her, Liu Xiufang confessed on her own.
"I'm the one who delivered the baby yesterday. This mother gave birth to a boy, over seven jin."
The director was furious. He hurled the medical chart case directly at her: "Then why didn't you say something?"
"I didn't know anything. When I did my rounds, I had an upset stomach and went to the bathroom. I genuinely didn't know the baby had been swapped."
"You didn't know? Then how come, before we even asked you, you suddenly knew the baby had been swapped?"
The doctor's face turned deathly pale. She'd been too nervous just now, only thinking about shifting the blame — they hadn't even asked her, and she'd confessed on her own.
"I... I heard it from someone else..."
"Shut up. Start telling the truth, right now."
The doctor collapsed to the floor. She knew there was no turning back, so she choked out through tears: "I passed by and saw Zhao Xiuxiu altering something. After she left, I saw it was the gender entry, and then I..."
"You're lying. I didn't do anything." Zhao Xiuxiu tried to argue.
Lin's mother stepped forward and slapped Zhao Xiuxiu across the face: "Bitch. Shut up."
Zhao Xiuxiu looked at the Lin family's faces and didn't dare speak again.
The doctor kept sobbing: "This morning I didn't dare join the rounds. I lied and said I had an upset stomach. Wuwuwu... this has nothing to do with me. I really don't know where the baby went. She's the one who took it out." The doctor pointed at Zhao Xiuxiu.
Lin Wenhui leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, her gaze fixed fiercely on the baby in swaddling clothes. Her eyes were wide open, and for a long time, not a single tear fell.
Lin's mother was terrified: "Wenhui, what's wrong? Don't scare Mom. The child will definitely be found. Don't worry."
After a long moment, a faint, choking sob finally escaped Lin Wenhui's throat, followed by a piercing wail: "My child, give me back my child! I'll kill you!"
Lin Wenhui grabbed the thermos beside her and hurled it at Zhao Xiuxiu. Zhao Xiuxiu couldn't dodge in time and staggered backward, but luckily the flask had no hot water in it.
Then Lin Wenhui collapsed in a dead faint.
"Wenhui!"
"Sister!" The room erupted in crying and shouting.
Director Qi rushed forward and took her pulse: "She's overcome with grief and rage. She'll be fine. The most important thing now is finding the child."
Lin Huaiqing stared at Zhao Xiuxiu with murderous eyes: "Tell me. Where's the child?"
