Chapter 105 Difficult Birth

Chapter 105: A Difficult Birth

"Little Sister, the people to see the house are here."

With the massive return of educated youths to the cities, the Xie family home was never left vacant.

Just as Eldest Sister's family had moved out, Auntie Shen brought several groups to view the house the very next day.

Influenced by Big Chen's mother last year, Eldest Sister's family had lived at her parents' home for over half a year. After the New Year, Big Chen spent two months buying a new house, renovating it, and moving in just before Eldest Sister was due to give birth.

The new home wasn’t far from Grandma Xie's place, just a ten-minute walk away. Big Chen had picked the spot carefully so that his wife would have someone to look after her after childbirth and to make it convenient for her to visit her family often. His requirements were simple, the scope was clear, and with insider information from Cui Jun’s sister, he quickly secured the house.

The house wasn’t large—a small courtyard with three rooms. Xie Xinyi helped redesign the layout, making the originally cramped space much more practical.

"Second Sister is my family’s benefactor."

Big Chen showered Xie Xinyi with praise, expressing immense gratitude for her efforts in bringing him and his wife together and for suggesting he buy a new house after his mother’s commotion.

On moving day, he personally cooked a full table of dishes to thank Xie Xinyi, the great benefactor, and his gratitude toward her never ceased throughout the meal.

Though Big Chen spoke with deep appreciation, he didn’t notice that someone nearby had momentarily drifted off when he mentioned Xie Xinyi’s early days at the workshop.

It was unclear what Gu Yu was thinking when he frowned. After dinner that evening, Xie Xinyi intended to find the right moment to ask, but before she could speak, Gu Yu asked, "Is Big Chen that 'big brother'?"

What "big brother"?

Xie Xinyi didn’t catch on at first, until she looked up and saw Gu Yu’s stern expression and that familiar look of jealousy.

She quickly racked her brain.

Uh… It seemed that back when she first realized Gu Yu had feelings for her, she had used a "big brother" from the workshop as an example to tease him.

At the time, eager to provoke a reaction, and assuming Gu Yu didn’t know anyone from her workshop, she had used Big Chen as the example.

She couldn’t quite remember what she had said, only vaguely recalling that she might have used… that term?

Xie Xinyi wasn’t sure. After thinking for a while, she could only reply, "When did I say that?"

"Then, I must have remembered wrong."

This time, Gu Yu’s tone was cooler. Xie Xinyi noticed that while his expression hadn’t changed, there was something odd about the way he looked at her.

Since starting his business, Gu Yu had become even sharper than before. His emotions were less overt, but his ability to see right through people had grown stronger.

When Ms. Liu, who hadn’t seen him in a long time, ran into him recently, she couldn’t help but turn back and ask Xie Xinyi, "Your Gu Yu has changed."

But she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how. "It’s just that when he looks at me, it feels like he’s interrogating a suspect."

Xie Xinyi hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now, under his gaze, she felt a bit uneasy.

Even though Gu Yu hadn’t said a word.

Xie Xinyi thought that it might not be wise to marry someone who’s too clever, especially one with a better memory than yours.

Otherwise, he might suddenly bring up something you can’t recall and hold it against you, just like now.

After saying he must have remembered wrong, Gu Yu glanced at Xie Xinyi a few more times.

This inexplicable jealousy directed at her own brother-in-law lingered even when they were heading back, and he kept looking at her even while holding Xiao Yueer.

It made her spend the entire journey trying to recall the past, and Xiao Yueer, noticing him looking at Xie Xinyi, also blinked her big eyes and stared at her.

"Is Daddy looking at Mommy because he wants to kiss her?"

Xie Xinyi: "…"

She shot Gu Yu an annoyed look and quickly changed the subject to Eldest Sister’s move.

"If you have time tomorrow, get a vehicle to move the furniture."

If they could manage it in one trip, Big Chen wouldn’t need to make multiple runs with his cart. Xie Xinyi asked for Gu Yu’s opinion.

She also asked him to inform the butcher renting Eldest Sister’s old house that if anyone else came by, he should continue saying the house was his.

After Big Chen’s mother caused trouble, Xie Xinyi had asked Auntie Shen to find a more intimidating tenant for Eldest Sister’s family—preferably someone tall and imposing who could scare people off just by standing there.

So Auntie Shen found this butcher.

Butchers weren’t popular tenants, especially if they cut meat and bones at home.

Before renting Eldest Sister’s house, the butcher had been without a place for quite some time.

The butcher had previously rented from Auntie Shen, and when he asked her for help, Xie Xinyi had just mentioned the situation to her.

It was a perfect match. Big Chen agreed without hesitation.

When the butcher moved into Eldest Sister’s house with his intimidating tools, Big Chen was extremely satisfied.

Seeing the towering man and his blood-stained knives, Big Chen waived one month’s rent and told him that if anyone came by, he should claim the house as his own. If they didn’t believe him, he could just show them his tools.

Big Chen was determined, and after months of anxiety, he finally felt like a new man.

Since their move to Grandma Xie’s had been rushed, the new furniture made for Xie Xinyue’s wedding had been left locked in the old house.

They had initially thought they’d move back eventually, so they didn’t bother moving the furniture back and forth. Little did they expect that Big Chen would take the suggestion so seriously and buy a new house within just a few months.

After working hard for so many years, Big Chen never imagined he’d one day own two houses.

He was overjoyed. After settling into the new home and hosting a housewarming, he went back the next day to retrieve the furniture from the old house.

Following Xie Xinyi’s suggestion, Gu Yu borrowed a Dongfeng truck from a friend early in the morning and brought along a few workers to help.

The butcher assisted them in loading the furniture onto the truck. After Big Chen and the others left, he cleaned the house thoroughly and posted a "room for rent" notice on the front door.

On the day Eldest Sister’s new home was fully set up, Grandma Xie received that month’s rent.

With the two rooms rented out after Eldest Sister moved, the total came to 140 yuan—even higher than Xie Xinyi’s salary as the head of the R&D team.

Grandma Xie set aside 20 yuan for household expenses and deposited the rest, along with Xie Xinyi’s monthly salary, into Gu Yu’s bankbook.

"Paying off the loan with rent is quite effective. It won’t be long before we no longer owe Young Gu anything."

Grandma Xie marveled at her good fortune, which the youngest daughter, returning from work, overheard. She quickly added, "It’s not just good timing—you also raised three wonderful daughters, and those daughters found you two great sons-in-law."

"Yes, yes, that’s right. I’ve been blessed."

The youngest daughter was absolutely correct. Li Jiyun may not have had many talents, and in her life, having given birth to three daughters—often dismissed as "money-losers"—she had endured no small amount of bullying from Grandma Xie.

But so what? She could bear children, and her three daughters were obedient and capable.

Those who used to look down on her now all say she has a blessed life.

A family that once couldn’t even afford food has now not only moved to a big city but also raised three daughters, each more capable than the last.

The eldest daughter, after returning to the city as a Sent-Down Youth, joined a large factory and found a partner who was also a worker. Now she’s about to become a mother—her life is complete.

The second daughter, needless to say, was once quiet and reserved. After marrying into Beijing, she transformed completely. Not only did she marry well, but she also earned rapid promotions at her workplace, rising year by year. Rumor has it she’s now a key figure in her factory, leading the charge in new product development and supervising several researchers.

Then there’s the third Xie daughter, the only one from Guozi Alley to get into university. She’s also remarkable—excelling in her studies, she was selected for special training by her school, staying on to study and conduct research while receiving a stipend. She’s highly popular among students and quite famous in student circles.

Whenever people in Guozi Alley mention Third Xie’s family, their envious stares could practically burn Second Xie’s family to ashes.

Born from the same nest, Third Xie’s three daughters are thriving in the big city, but what about Second Xie’s family?

The eldest son, a few years back, relied on his father-in-law’s connections to move to Beijing. But he turned his back on them, abandoning his wife and cutting ties when his father-in-law came under investigation. He even took back the son they had raised in the Liu family.

Xie Jianjun’s heartless behavior soon faced consequences.

When the police came to Second Xie’s home to arrest him, Xie Jianjun was clutching the embezzled money, ready to flee.

Caught red-handed embezzling public funds, he was sentenced to prison that same year.

With the eldest son behind bars, the younger son proved no less troublesome.

Second Xie managed to find a temporary job for his recently released younger son, but Xie Jianmin, accustomed to idleness, skipped work frequently and picked fights. He ruined a perfectly good job and ended up living off his parents.

Second Xie, in his fifties, watched as his peers enjoyed happy lives. Only he was stuck caring for his elderly mother while his sons and grandchildren became dependent on him. Frustrated, he lost focus at work, fell from a work vehicle, and hit his head. Delayed medical treatment left him partially disabled.

Xu Wenxia, who had spent a lifetime being competitive and taking advantage of others, now found herself caring for the whole family while working to make ends meet. At fifty, life had worn her down to resemble a seventy-year-old woman. Her temper grew increasingly foul—she’d curse everyone, offending nearly everyone in Guozi Alley.

Thinking of how Li Jiyun’s family was thriving in Beijing while hers had become the neighborhood pariah, Xu Wenxia seethed with hatred. She took a knife and hacked deep marks into the door Xie Xinyi had locked with a heavy padlock.

When Xie Xinyi and Gu Yu returned to Guozi Alley to retrieve some old belongings, they saw the damage. They didn’t confront Xu Wenxia or demand an explanation. Instead, before leaving, they had all the doors replaced with iron ones.

Yes, all the doors—even the windows—were fitted with iron bars on the outside.

Let Xu Wenxia hack away now. Xie Xinyi wanted to see whether her iron doors would hold up or Xu Wenxia’s knife would wear out first.

The troubles of Second Xie’s family didn’t weigh heavily on Xie Xinyi’s mind. After returning from Guozi Alley, she threw herself fully into that year’s R&D work.

At the end of the previous year, Old Liu had been hospitalized for high blood pressure. Now, the veteran master rarely came to the factory, and the R&D Team was entirely in Xie Xinyi’s hands.

With greater responsibility, Xie Xinyi didn’t dare slack off. Though she had trained over ten capable assistants, every new product still had to pass through her hands.

“Last year’s new ice cream was a hit. I wonder what Little Xie will come up with this year.”

In the Frozen Products Workshop, Cui Jun helped Ms. Liu wind yarn while guessing with Xiao Jiang and others what new product Xie Xinyi might create this time.

When Old Liu had previously delegated R&D authority, it boosted employee enthusiasm. But developing new products was time-consuming and mentally taxing. After two years of enjoyment, the factory staff grew discouraged and gave up.

Specialized tasks should be left to professionals.

With employees no longer engaged in the mentally demanding R&D work, Fang Mingan centralized authority under Xie Xinyi, establishing an independent R&D department solely managed by her.

After going full circle, Xie Xinyi was back to her original role.

Fortunately, unlike others, she enjoyed thinking and experimenting with new ideas.

Over the past two years, she had not only developed many popular new ice cream products but also created snacks that gained popularity after the Reform and Opening-Up.

The new products performed well in the market, and Guohui Food Factory was recognized as a model factory annually due to its strong revenue growth. Xie Xinyi, as the key contributor, naturally became a key asset at the factory.

“You’re the only one still calling her ‘Little Xie’.”

Ms. Liu touched the salary she’d just received that day. “Xinyi has developed so many new products for the factory. The leaders have earned respect at the Commercial Bureau, and employees’ salaries have increased year after year. Nowadays, when the big contributor walks by, everyone calls her ‘Master Xie’. Only you, you, and you still call her ‘Little Xie’ every day, as if afraid people don’t know how close you are.”

She scolded Cui Jun, Sister Guo, and Big Chen, but instead of getting angry, they laughed.

“Well, we are close with Little Xie.”

Sister Guo brushed it off. “I even joined the R&D Team with her. How could others compare to that?”

Cui Jun nodded and added, not to be outdone, “She was trained by me. Others don’t have that privilege, so they can only watch me call her ‘Little Xie’.”

“Exactly.”

Big Chen set the manual on the table and took over the conversation. “Her eldest sister and I usually call her ‘Second Sister’. At the factory, I call her ‘Little Xie’, and her sister scolded me for it last time.”

“Fine, you’re all close with her, alright?”

Ms. Liu couldn’t be bothered to compete with them. She recalled how Xie Xinyi had approached her a few days ago, asking her to knit a sweater for her daughter.

She hadn’t told Cui Jun and the others yet, and here they were, boasting about their connection.

Unimpressed, Ms. Liu started arguing light-heartedly with Cui Jun and the others about who was closer to Xie Xinyi.

As they bickered without resolution, Xie Xinyi had already finalized that year’s new ice cream product and went to the office to seek approval from Fang Mingan and the others.

“Three new ice cream products will launch this year, with one backup. You and Deputy Factory Manager Yuan set the pricing. The cost breakdown is held by Zhang Chao.”

As in previous years, Xie Xinyi prepared three products for launch and one backup.

After the Liu Zhenzhu incident, she always developed an extra product as a backup—a rule she and Old Liu had established, which she still followed.

Fang Mingan glanced at the freshly made ice cream samples on the table, picked one up to taste, and Yuan Kang followed suit.

This wasn’t a rule but a habit they’d developed over the years—to brag to their families.

When their families later tasted the newly launched ice cream, they could proudly say, “I tried it long ago.”

“Hmm, tasty. Feels like another hit.”

Yuan Kang finished his in a few bites, too overwhelmed to describe his feelings, and simply said, “It’s delicious.”

It truly was—a crunchy coating on the outside, a mouthful of creamy and smooth goodness with every bite.

The contrast between the frozen shell and the soft ice cream was a novelty Xie Xinyi had perfected.

After finishing his, Fang Mingan glanced appreciatively at the samples meant for pricing and asked Xie Xinyi, “Have you decided on a name?”

“Let’s call it ‘Good Mood’.”

The name means 'Good Mood' and also reflects people's current state of mind.

"Alright!"

When it came to naming, Fang Mingan completely trusted Xie Xinyi's judgment. He had Yuan Kang send the new product to the Commercial Bureau while he turned to another matter with Xie Xinyi.

"Now that the new ice cream is developed, what have you decided about what I brought up last time?"

"I haven’t talked to my family yet."

Xie Xinyi smiled apologetically. Regarding the new factory assignment, she still hadn’t figured out how to discuss it with Gu Yu.

To meet market demand, their factory had scouted locations in other cities earlier this year.

Land was affordable and workers were easy to find. They'd secured funding to establish a new factory in a coastal area, and Fang Mingan wanted Xie Xinyi to pioneer the effort there.

On the day the plan was finalized, he had asked for Xie Xinyi’s opinion. At the time, she promised to think it over carefully, but that had taken much longer than expected.

Fang Mingan was anxious. He had asked several times, but Xie Xinyi kept putting him off by saying the R&D department was too busy.

Now, with the new factory’s launch imminent, he had no choice but to ask again. To his surprise, Xie Xinyi still hadn’t discussed it with her family.

This girl—why wasn't she more like her mentor?

Fang Mingan sighed helplessly. Thinking that the new factory couldn’t afford to be without a head technician, he fell silent for a long moment before tentatively asking, "So, when do you plan to talk to your family?"

"Once things calm down a bit."

Gu Yu had gone south at the beginning of the month to look into establishing the factory. It wasn’t something that could be explained clearly over the phone, so Xie Xinyi wanted to wait until he returned to discuss it face-to-face.

No fixed timeline, no clear answer—Fang Mingan had no choice but to urge Xie Xinyi to hurry.

Hurry? That might be difficult.

Because her eldest sister was about to give birth, and as one of the only two experienced people in the family, she had to stay behind to pass on her experience.

Outside the delivery room, Big Chen was noticeably calmer than Gu Yu had been during her delivery.

He sat on the bench in the hallway, neither peeking through the small window in the door nor repeating what others were saying. Instead, he sat perfectly still, hands on his knees, back straight, eyes fixed ahead.

"Second Sister, why don’t you check on Big Chen? He’s been like this for two hours. Tell him to change his position—it’s uncomfortable to watch."

Xie Xinyi also felt uneasy, though her discomfort was for Big Chen, not herself. Besides, this was still better than when she was giving birth and Gu Yu kept repeating others’ words.

She didn’t go to talk to him and told her younger sister not to bother either.

Their most important task now was to stay there, prepare the flowers and applause, and make sure their eldest sister would feel their support the moment she came out.

As for Big Chen—he could sit however he wanted. Childbirth doesn't usually take that long anyway.

Xie Xinyi assured her younger sister, but five hours later...

"Second Sister, why hasn’t Eldest Sister come out yet? Could it be... mmm..."

"Don't even say that!" Xie Xinyi covered her younger sister’s mouth, comforting her with actions while looking through the small window.

"Childbirth takes time—it’s normal, totally normal."

She repeated their mother's reassurances to reassure herself, but despite her efforts to stay calm, her trembling hands gave away her anxiety.

"Second Sister, stop shaking—you’re scaring me."

"What are you afraid of?" Xie Xinyi said sharply. "I've done this before—it’s fine, it’s fine."

"Right, Second Sister, you’ve given birth—you have experience."

Xie Xinhuan held her second sister’s trembling hand, comforting herself while glancing at the man on the bench who was like a statue.

In the hospital hallway, the three figures were cast long shadows in the dim yellow light. Xie Xinyi felt as though an eternity had passed—so long that she had relived her own delivery eight times, and still, her eldest sister hadn’t emerged from the delivery room.

Could it be... could it really be that unlucky? Could Eldest Sister be... experiencing complications, amniotic fluid embolism, complications from positioning, or... massive bleeding?

The more Xie Xinyi worried, the more chilled she felt, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

She stared at the motionless door, hesitating whether to go ask, but before she could move, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

"Xie Xinyue's family!"

"We're here!"

Behind her, Big Chen stood up immediately to respond. Then Xie Xinyi heard the nurse call to him, "Come sign this. The baby isn't positioned correctly and can’t be delivered vaginally. We need to do a cesarean section immediately."

"Cut what?!"

Hearing that his wife couldn’t deliver naturally, Big Chen exclaimed in shock.

As someone born in the late 1940s, he clearly had no idea that childbirth required surgery.

He glanced at the nurse incredulously, and she explained again: "The baby can't descend properly, so we have to do a C-section. It's a safe procedure, don't worry."

Safe? Was it really safe?

Big Chen didn’t trust the nurse, but she said the baby wasn't positioned correctly and couldn’t be delivered vaginally. It seemed like a C-section was the only option.

Unsure what to do, he hesitated until Xie Xinyi stepped forward and made the decision: "I’m the patient’s sister. Go ahead with the C-section."

Xie Xinyi confirmed with the nurse, while the younger sister pulled Big Chen aside to explain.

The two sisters seemed familiar with C-sections and assured him that Xie Xinyue would be fine.

Though Big Chen still didn’t fully understand what a C-section was, since both sisters agreed, he didn't want to cause trouble.

Nodding in acknowledgment, he returned to his spot and resumed his statue-like stillness. This time, however, he didn’t remain completely still—from the moment he sat down, he kept his eyes glued to the delivery room, not daring to miss a thing.

Fortunately, things went smoothly this time. Not long after the nurse went back in, a nurse emerged with the baby.

"Xie Xinyue's family, congratulations! It’s a boy, eight jin exactly (about eight pounds)."

"Thank you, thank you."

Big Chen hurried forward to thank them, while Xie Xinyi and her younger sister went to take a look at their nephew in the blanket he was wrapped in.

Wow, so big—no wonder Eldest Sister couldn’t deliver naturally.

The two sisters exchanged a glance, looking at the child who had tormented their eldest sister for so long. Then, to the nurse’s shock and Big Chen’s gasp, each lightly tapped the baby’s rosy cheeks.

"Waa~ waa~ waa..."