Chapter 566: Fight – Daily Life of the Delicate Aunt in the Courtyard

Chapter 566: Fighting—The Sickly Young Aunt’s Daily Drama in the Compound

Lin Qing didn’t learn about Lin Shu having the baby the previous night until she returned the next afternoon and heard it from her mother. It was a baby girl.

“She had the baby already?” Lin Qing remembered her belly was only eight months along.

“She must have gone into labor when she went to the hospital last night,” Mother Lin said, drawing from her own childbirth experience.

“Oh! I thought she’d stay in the hospital for bed rest to prevent early labor. I didn’t expect her to deliver directly.”

“Ah, that child has always had a short fuse since she was little. Maybe the family’s property split yesterday didn’t sit well with her.”

Lin Qing wasn’t sure, but it was true that Lin Shu had always been stubborn, always demanding her way. Back then, Zhang Mei was quite happy with her daughter being like that because it meant their family wouldn’t get shortchanged.

Lin Qing hadn’t wanted to argue much at the time, and over the years, that’s probably how Lin Shu ended up the way she is now.

“So the baby is premature, right? That wouldn’t…” Lin Qing trailed off, but her meaning was clear.

Mother Lin’s mood darkened at the memory. “That child is luckier than you were. I heard she was born as big as a full-term baby, weighing six and a half pounds—a healthy, chubby girl.”

“That’s really not light!” Lin Qing was shocked. Though she had never given birth herself, she had heard plenty of neighborhood women gossiping about births. With food rations so tight these days, many pregnant women couldn’t get enough nutrition, so their babies were often born underweight. Few hit six pounds, let alone a premature baby like Lin Shu’s, who weighed six and a half pounds. That was truly rare.

“Right. Last night…” Mother Lin was about to mention how much Lin Shu had suffered during the birth but stopped herself.

She still wasn’t sure what her daughter’s plans were.

Though Lin Qing’s health had improved, pregnancy and childbirth were no simple matters. Giving birth was like cheating death, so it was better not to bring up such dangers to her daughter.

“Mom? What about last night?”

“N-Nothing, nothing.”

“Oh.” Lin Qing had a feeling her mother was hiding something.

Mother Lin dodged, changing the subject. “I heard Mother Jiang refused to take care of Lin Shu during her postpartum month. She wants Zhang Mei to come and do it instead!”

“What?” Lin Qing’s jaw dropped.

“Seriously? Isn’t Mother Jiang afraid of what people will say? The mother-in-law lives right there but won’t help her daughter-in-law during confinement? Since when does that make sense?”

Mother Lin scoffed. “Mother Jiang is already infamous around here. Do you think she cares about that?”

“Uh…”

“Besides, Lin Shu probably doesn’t dare to ask for her help. She’d rather have her mom anyway.”

“Ah! That’s…” Lin Qing was suddenly speechless.

“Is Mother Jiang pulling this because Lin Shu had a girl?”

Mother Lin thought back to what she’d heard earlier. “Fifty-fifty.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mother Jiang prefers sons over daughters is one thing, but the other reason is that she just doesn’t like this daughter-in-law.”

“If Zhang Mei comes to take care of Lin Shu’s confinement, won’t she and Mother Jiang start fighting again?”

“…” This time, it was Mother Lin’s turn to go quiet.

Last night, after Lin Shu was given oxytocin, she went through hell and back to deliver a baby girl.

As soon as the nurse came out to announce the happy news, Mother Jiang's face instantly darkened.

She didn’t even wait for Lin Shu to come out of the delivery room before she decided to leave.

Father Jiang also felt a little disappointed, but since he already had several grandsons, having another granddaughter didn’t bother him much—though his enthusiasm noticeably waned.

Jiang Hai, on the other hand, was completely indifferent. After all, whether it was a boy or a girl, it was just a niece or nephew—why should he care?

Jiang Yang, too, felt a fleeting moment of disappointment, but since he already had two sons, having a daughter suited him just fine.

"Hey! Family members, you can prepare the baby’s clothes and swaddling blankets now."

"Huh?" Jiang Yang drew a blank. With his first two children, Mother Jiang had busied herself preparing everything—he had no idea about any of it.

But when it came to Lin Shu, he hadn’t paid attention to whether she had prepared these things.

From his peripheral vision, he noticed Mother Lin was about to leave, so he quickly called out to her, "Mom, did you prepare the things for the birth?"

Mother Jiang glared with fury. "Prepare? Prepare what? A good-for-nothing girl isn’t worth my preparation!"

"Mom—" Jiang Yang felt a pang of displeasure. After all, this was his daughter—how could his mother say such a thing?

Mother Jiang didn’t say anything else, simply stating, "No. Besides, we’ve already split the household. Shouldn’t your wife have prepared these things? Go ask her yourself."

Jiang Yang suddenly didn’t know what to say. They had only split the household yesterday—shouldn’t the baby’s things have been prepared long ago? How could there be nothing?

The nurse observed them impassively. Honestly, they’d dealt with every type of relative imaginable—this wasn’t the first time they’d encountered such behavior, though it was relatively rare.

"Family members, remember to bring the items as soon as possible."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Yang could only keep agreeing. Even if they didn’t have anything, he had to say they did!

"We’ll bring them over soon, we’ll bring them over soon."

"Alright." The nurse went back into the delivery room.

"What about the clothes and blankets?"

"The family members didn’t prepare them in time." The nurse’s calm remark instantly drew the attention of the other nurses in the delivery room.

The nurse blinked.

Oh, they understood—another complicated family situation.

After the nurse left, Jiang Yang turned to Mother Jiang again, only to see her about to walk away. He blurted out, "Mom, can you go back and help us prepare those things?"

Mother Jiang, still stewing over the day’s events, snapped, "We’ve already split the household. If you need something prepared, have your daughter-in-law handle it herself."

Jiang Yang stared at Mother Jiang dumbfounded. "Mom—"

"What? Am I wrong?"

"Mom, I’m your son, and the baby in that delivery room is your granddaughter. How can you say such things? Besides, asking Lin Shu to prepare—she’s still bedridden and can’t even get up. How is she supposed to prepare anything?"

"Well, there’s still you!"

"What do I know about this stuff?"

Seeing that Jiang Yang was truly angry, Old Man Jiang quickly stepped in to stop the argument between mother and son. After all, Jiang Yang was his most accomplished son, and he couldn’t afford to alienate him.

"Old woman, no matter what, our second son's wife is still our daughter-in-law. We've got to prepare what’s needed. Go home now and bring over the necessary items," Old Man Jiang said, giving Old Lady Jiang a meaningful look.

"What stuff? We don't have anything!"

"You…" Why are you so stubborn, woman? he said.

"Then just clean up the baby blankets from when Da Hu and Er Hu were little and bring them over."

"Those things are ancient! And now I have to wash them too?"

Seeing Old Lady Jiang’s ungrateful attitude, Old Man Jiang also lost his temper. "I told you to prepare them. Can’t you understand?"

Old Lady Jiang shrank back nervously, finally realizing her husband was furious. She mumbled a few times, not daring to argue further.

"Alright then!"

Old Man Jiang then turned and patted Jiang Yang’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, your mother will get everything ready for you."

"Thanks, Dad!" Jiang Yang said before turning to Old Lady Jiang. "And thank you, Mom!"

Old Lady Jiang muttered under her breath, "Hmph! You’d better remember this next time."