Chapter 64

Chapter 64

He Qiuxia had only been on the island for a few days before she had the rhythm of life in the family compound down pat.

She was the type of person who could hit the ground running wherever she went. After Ji Yunshu introduced her to several of the family members she knew well in the compound, He Qiuxia ran into Wang Yulan picking tomatoes at the supply co-op, and the two struck up a conversation, the topic naturally turning to Ji Yunshu's pregnancy.

Wang Yulan and He Qiuxia were about the same age, and they quickly discovered they were both cut from the same cloth—direct and no-nonsense. The next day, He Qiuxia brought a plate of her homemade fried radish balls over to Wang Yulan's place for a visit. Wang Yulan tasted one and exclaimed it was delicious, then brought out the steamed rice cakes she had just made for He Qiuxia to try. The two women, both past fifty, sat in Commander Lu's living room over a pot of tea, swapping all the local gossip—which co-op on the island had the softest fabric, which fishing village had the freshest eggs, which family members were easiest to get along with. Eventually, Wang Yulan took He Qiuxia to the Family Members Committee and introduced her to the family members on duty, saying, "This is Xiao Ji's mom, just in from the capital. Make sure you all look out for her."

He Qiuxia also hit it off with Huang Paimei, Li Shu, and Liu Aimin. Knowing Huang Paimei had her hands full raising three kids on her own, she always cooked a little extra and brought it over. When Li Shu came by and mentioned Niuniu was a picky eater who wouldn't go near vegetables, He Qiuxia brought over a plate of her homemade pickled radish the very next day, saying to let the kid try it—it'd help her appetite. Sure enough, Niuniu polished off an extra half bowl of rice after trying it, and Li Shu was so grateful she asked He Qiuxia to teach her the recipe. Liu Aimin, meanwhile, loved chatting with He Qiuxia, saying her Beijing accent sounded so warm and familiar.

Within two weeks, the courtyard of Ji Yunshu's house had become a gathering spot for the family members. Anyone who stopped by could grab a cup of the herbal tea He Qiuxia had brewed and a few pieces of the sesame candy she'd brought from the capital.

But the most important thing He Qiuxia did on the island was pamper Ji Yunshu to the point where Ji Yunshu herself felt embarrassed.

He Qiuxia discovered the egg supply at the island's co-op was unreliable—if you went late, they were usually sold out. So she traded her own cloth ration coupons with villagers from the fishing village behind the mountain for two laying hens. The two hens were kept in a bamboo-fenced coop in the corner of the courtyard, clucking away and producing two or three eggs a day, solving Ji Yunshu's egg supply problem for good.

Huajuan was fascinated by the two new family members. Every day she'd crouch outside the coop, staring at the hens through the bamboo fence, tail swishing back and forth. He Qiuxia shooed her away several times, but she never learned her lesson and looked ready to drool over the hens. Luckily, Huajuan and Shenshen were both obedient, clever cats—after Ji Yunshu warned Huajuan twice not to touch the chickens, she slunk off in defeat.

As the months went by, Ji Yunshu's belly swelled bigger and bigger. Bending over had become a struggle for her now. Bathing was still doable, but washing her hair had become a real chore.

Ji Yunshu hadn't cut her hair in four or five years. It was long and thick now, reaching down to her waist. With her heavy belly, every time she washed her hair she had to stand hunched over the washbasin for a while, and afterward her back ached so much she could barely straighten up. But the island was hot, and Ji Yunshu insisted on washing her hair every two or three days, no exceptions.

One evening after washing her hair, she leaned back on the sofa, rubbing her lower back with one hand and drying her hair with a towel. Pei Yufeng came out of the kitchen, saw her like that, and immediately realized he'd been overlooking a problem of hers.

The next evening, Pei Yufeng came home from work with an unpainted wooden frame strapped to the back of his bike. He carried the frame into the bathroom, adjusted its position, had Ji Yunshu try out the height, then went back to the courtyard to keep sanding down the edges.

"What's that for?" Ji Yunshu asked curiously.

"Since you can't wash your hair comfortably, I'm making a reclining chair. You lie on it, and I'll wash your hair." Pei Yufeng had used leftover pine from the military logistics carpentry shop—light but sturdy, and resistant to moisture and warping.

After sanding it three times, the wood was so smooth you couldn't feel a single splinter. Pei Yufeng then applied a coat of waterproof tung oil, and once it dried, it gave off a faint, pleasant wood scent.

The chair's surface was custom-sized to Ji Yunshu's height. The backrest was angled to support the curve of her lower back perfectly. The cleverest part was an arc-shaped notch cut into the front of the chair, with a low stool underneath to hold a basin of water. When Ji Yunshu lay on it, her head tilted back naturally through the notch, her hair hanging down into the basin. No bending needed—she didn't even have to use her neck muscles. She could just lie there while Pei Yufeng washed her hair.

The first time He Qiuxia saw the reclining chair, she circled it twice, clicking her tongue in admiration: "You've got real skill. Xiaoshu's too heavy to bend over and wash her hair. If you don't have time, I can do it."

"I've got it—no need to trouble you, Mom." Pei Yufeng carried the chair into the bathroom, placed the basin on the low stool, laid out the towel and shampoo, then walked to the living room and said to Ji Yunshu, who was leaning on the sofa reading, "Ready for your wash."

Ji Yunshu washed her hair every other night before bed—a habit she never broke. She was almost obsessive about her hair and had developed her own little rituals around it.

She lay down on the chair and instructed Pei Yufeng: "Use warm water—a bit warmer than feels comfortable on your hand, but not too hot. After washing, use a dry towel to soak up the excess water. Don't rub hard, or the hair will fall out. I've grown this hair out so nicely—I can't have it falling out."

Ji Yunshu had several thick towels just for drying her hair—softer and more absorbent than regular ones. Every time she dried her hair with these towels, it was completely dry in under half an hour.

"Okay," Pei Yufeng said.

"Also, you need to mix the shampoo with warm water first, work up a good lather in your hands, and then apply it to my hair. It cleans better that way." Ji Yunshu was very particular about her grooming routine—even Pei Yufeng had to follow her requirements.

"Okay." Pei Yufeng sat down on the low stool in front of Ji Yunshu, folded a towel and placed it on the headrest of the chair to prevent water from dripping down the back of her head and soaking her clothes. Then he tested the water temperature with his hand.

The basin held half a basin of warm water. Pei Yufeng first dampened the hair at Ji Yunshu's temples with a little water and asked, "Is this temperature okay?"

After receiving Ji Yunshu's affirmative answer, Pei Yufeng brushed all her hair back and used a comb to gently work through the slightly tangled ends.

Ji Yunshu lay on the chair, the back of her head resting against the arc-shaped notch that had been specially sanded three times for her. She felt her long hair hanging down into the warm water—the temperature was just right.

Pei Yufeng scooped up warm water with his hand and slowly poured it from her roots to her ends, the water flowing gently along the direction of her hair into the basin. He scooped out a dollop of shampoo, worked it into a lather in his palms, then slid his fingers into her hair, massaging slowly from roots to ends with his fingertips. His touch was incredibly light—so light it was like he was handling a precious piece of silk.

"It's a bit itchy here—scratch a couple more times." Ji Yunshu closed her eyes, feeling the position of Pei Yufeng's fingers, and the corners of her mouth curved up.

"Alright." Pei Yufeng's fingers pressed gently on the spot at the back of Ji Yunshu's head, then scratched lightly a few times. His fingers worked slowly from the roots down to the ends, then back up again. Ji Yunshu's hair spread out in the basin like a bolt of black satin, swaying gently with the ripples of the water. The bathroom was very quiet—only the faint sound of Pei Yufeng's fingers working the lather and the drip of water droplets from her hair could be heard.

"I'll go get fresh water." He took the basin away and replaced it with another basin of warm water he had prepared in advance. This time, no shampoo—just rinse after rinse with clean water until there was no trace of lather left in the water.

Pei Yufeng's fingers ran slowly down the strands of her wet hair, from roots to ends, attending to every single strand, not missing a single spot. After rinsing thoroughly, he gently wrapped the first thick towel around Ji Yunshu's hair, pressing the excess water into the towel. When that towel was sufficiently damp, he switched to a dry one and wrapped it around her hair.

He Qiuxia stood at the bathroom door, holding a cup of freshly brewed red date tea she had just made, intending to bring it in for her daughter. But she saw Pei Yufeng sitting on the low stool, carefully drying his daughter's hair with a dry towel. His movements were earnest and gentle, as if he had already become completely familiar with this routine. Ji Yunshu lay on the chair Pei Yufeng had made with his own hands, eyes closed, a contented and peaceful smile curving at the corners of her mouth.

He Qiuxia stood at the doorway with the enamel cup for a moment, said nothing, and quietly retreated back to the kitchen. She set the enamel cup on the stove and thought to herself, this son-in-law was even better than she had imagined.

Entering the final month of her pregnancy, Ji Yunshu's movements became slower and slower. Her belly rose like a small mountain. Just walking from the living room to the kitchen required her to steady herself against the wall as she shuffled along. At night, turning over in bed required Pei Yufeng to support her waist and shoulders.

Director Jiang said at the last prenatal checkup that both babies were in the head-down position, perfectly positioned, and told her to relax. He Qiuxia had prepared the hospital bag in advance, placed on the sofa on the first floor. Inside were clean towels, a change of clothes, two hundred-family quilts, and a packet of brown sugar—ready to grab and go.

One early morning at the end of July, Ji Yunshu sat on a bamboo chair under the eaves, eating lychees. Huajuan lay beside her knee, her tail draped over Ji Yunshu's wrist, purring softly. Shenshen crouched on the courtyard wall, her green eyes fixed unblinkingly on the rising sun over the distant sea.

"Huajuan, you've gotten so fat lately. Have you been sneaking Shenshen's cat food again?" Ji Yunshu pulled a small handful of dried shrimp from her pocket and spread them in her palm. Huajuan immediately perked up her ears, nudged Ji Yunshu's palm with her nose, and picked off the shrimp one by one.

After finishing the shrimp, Huajuan circled contentedly around Ji Yunshu's legs twice, then carefully hopped onto Ji Yunshu's lap, sidled up to her swollen belly, and extended her front paw—claws retracted, using only her soft pads to gently press against Ji Yunshu's belly, purring as if trying to greet the babies inside.

"How many times have I told you—don't let the cat step on your belly." He Qiuxia came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of freshly made red date and white fungus soup. Seeing Huajuan's paw pressed against Ji Yunshu's belly, she was so flustered she forgot to put down the bowl before shooing the cat away. Her voice was loud, but her movements were gentle—clearly she had grown accustomed to Huajuan's obsession with Ji Yunshu's belly.

"It's fine, she doesn't extend her claws. Look how curious she is—she always comes over to listen to the babies. Does she think of herself as their big sister? She probably thinks my children are her little siblings." Ji Yunshu stroked Huajuan's back, and Huajuan's tail stuck straight up.

"A cat can't be a child's big sister. What nonsense you talk." He Qiuxia was exasperated. "You can say whatever you want at home, but once the babies are born, they'll be the oldest and second-oldest in the family. We still don't know if they'll be two boys or two girls."

"Okay, okay." Ji Yunshu sighed helplessly. She and Pei Yufeng had already settled on names for the other two children as well. If they were two girls, they would be called Pei Nianan and Pei Nianxin. If two boys, Pei Yansheng and Pei Yannian. If one of each, then Pei Nianan and Pei Yansheng.

But Huajuan seemed to understand He Qiuxia's words. She let out a very dissatisfied "mrow" at He Qiuxia, then couldn't resist pressing her paw against Ji Yunshu's belly again, as if to say, "These are my little siblings, hmph!"

Then Ji Yunshu's expression suddenly changed.

A sudden pain spread from her abdomen, more intense than any fetal movement before—like something had slammed hard against her from deep inside. Ji Yunshu looked down and saw a warm stream of fluid running down her thigh, soaking the hem of her skirt and the cushion of the bamboo chair. The pain left her momentarily unable to speak. Her face grew paler and paler, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down her forehead.

"Mom—" Ji Yunshu could barely raise her voice, but He Qiuxia, standing at the kitchen door, heard it. He Qiuxia looked up and saw her daughter sitting under the eaves, face pale, the hem of her skirt soaked. Huajuan was circling her anxiously, meowing. Shenshen had also jumped down from the courtyard wall, as if to check on Ji Yunshu.

"Her water broke!" He Qiuxia set the bowl down on the table, rushed over in three quick steps, bent down to check the situation, and her voice carried a note of urgency. "Don't panic, don't panic—Mom has experience. Let me help you up. Shenshen, go call Huang Paimei!"

Shenshen seemed to understand. She immediately jumped down from the doorstep and landed in the neighboring courtyard in two leaps, scratching at Huang Paimei's screen door with her paw. He Qiuxia helped Ji Yunshu up to take her to the hospital, and as she headed out, she called loudly toward the neighboring courtyard, "Xiao Huang! Xiao Huang! Xiaoshu is about to give birth! Please go to the camp and call Xiao Pei back!"

Huang Paimei was drawing water in the backyard. Hearing the shout, she set down her wooden bucket and ran out. Shenshen immediately tugged at her clothes when she saw her.

Huang Paimei took one look at Ji Yunshu's condition, nodded, and said, "Auntie He, don't worry—I'm going right now." Then she called into the house, "Xiaogong, watch your little brother and sister!" and took off running toward the camp.

Then He Qiuxia ran to Wang Yulan's house—Wang Yulan had a stretcher at home. When Wang Yulan heard that Ji Yunshu's water had broken, she set down her work, and the two of them carried Ji Yunshu to the military hospital together.

When Huang Paimei reached the camp, Pei Yufeng was leading his unit in routine drills on the training ground. She couldn't get in, so she stood at the edge of the training field, hands on her knees, gasping for breath. She didn't care about anything else and shouted as loudly as she could toward the field: "Deputy Regiment Commander Pei! Comrade Xiao Ji is about to give birth!"

When Pei Yufeng heard this, he handed his whistle to the deputy company commander beside him, said only "Continue the drills," and strode quickly toward Huang Paimei.

After hearing the situation from Huang Paimei, Pei Yufeng looked as if he were facing a major crisis and immediately ran toward the commander's office. Within three or four minutes, Pei Yufeng was standing at the door, saluting, his voice short and forceful: "Reporting to the Commander—my wife is in labor. Requesting temporary leave!"

Commander Lu looked up from his papers, saw the taut expression on Pei Yufeng's face, and immediately said, "Approved for three days. Go now."

Pei Yufeng was already running back down the corridor.

By the time Pei Yufeng arrived at the hospital, Ji Yunshu had already been taken into the delivery room. The corridor was very quiet—only the faint sound of voices from the obstetrics doctors and nurses could be heard in the distance.

He Qiuxia and Wang Yulan sat on the bench outside the delivery room. Wang Yulan was still comforting He Qiuxia, saying everything would be fine—Director Jiang had said all the prenatal checkups were normal. But He Qiuxia was still so anxious she wanted to stand up and see what was happening in the delivery room. She couldn't see anything from outside, and she was worried sick.

He Qiuxia saw Pei Yufeng running over, stood up and patted his arm to comfort him, saying, "It's fine, it's fine, she just went in, the doctor said she's doing well," but her own eyes were already red.

The delivery room wasn't well soundproofed, and Pei Yufeng could faintly hear Ji Yunshu's pained moans and the midwife's commands of "take a deep breath—push—" from inside. He paced back and forth in the corridor, then forced himself to sit down, elbows resting on his knees, fingers laced together, his hands shaking.

Pei Yufeng had never seen Ji Yunshu in such pain. Usually, even a needle prick would make her pout and hold up her finger for him to look at for ages, but now she was lying alone in the delivery room, using all her strength to bring two lives into this world. Though he couldn't see her, Ji Yunshu's faint, agonized moans struck his heart like a hammer. Every few minutes he would stand up to look toward the delivery room, then force himself to sit back down, then stand again, thinking that when the doctor came out he could rush over immediately.

Pei Yufeng remembered how this morning before leaving, she had leaned against the sofa, taking his hand and placing it on her belly to feel the babies' movements; he remembered how yesterday during dinner she had suddenly craved steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers, and he said he'd buy the fish tomorrow; he remembered when she was three months pregnant, lying with him on the terrace rocking chair, imagining what the children would be like... These images played over and over in Pei Yufeng's mind, each one crystal clear, so clear that it made him even more restless—the corridor was filled with the smell of disinfectant, the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, the veins on the backs of his hands stood out faintly, yet he couldn't stop the trembling that surged from deep within his bones.

When had he ever been this nervous... so nervous that he could barely breathe? Pei Yufeng had faced countless life-and-death moments in his life, but never had he felt so useless as now—he could shield Ji Yunshu from bullets with his body on the battlefield, could endure any physical pain in her place, but he couldn't give birth for her. All he could do was sit there and listen to her in pain.

After three agonizing hours of this torment, the delivery room door finally opened. The nurse came out first, holding two babies wrapped in clean cotton cloth, one on each arm, smiling at Pei Yufeng and He Qiuxia waiting in the corridor: "Congratulations to the family, Comrade Ji has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Mother and children are safe. The older brother came out first, the younger sister followed. The brother weighs about five pounds five ounces, the sister about five pounds one ounce, both very healthy."

He Qiuxia took one of the babies, her hands trembling, tears streaming down her face as she muttered, "As long as they're safe." Pei Yufeng glanced down at the child in the nurse's arms—two wrinkled little faces, eyes still closed, lips pressed tightly together.

But Pei Yufeng only looked for a moment before shifting his gaze away, turning urgently to the nurse: "Where's my wife?"

The nurse said, "She'll be out in a moment. Comrade Ji is a bit exhausted after delivery, but she'll be fine soon."

"Can I go in to see her?" Pei Yufeng asked immediately.

"Not right now. We need to observe her for a while to confirm she's okay, then she'll come out," the nurse said.

So Pei Yufeng could only continue waiting anxiously. The children were taken by He Qiuxia to be registered, and when the delivery room door opened again, Ji Yunshu was wheeled out by the nurse. She lay on the hospital bed, her face as pale as paper, hair completely soaked with sweat, plastered wetly against her forehead and cheeks, lips cracked and peeling, eye sockets slightly sunken.

Ji Yunshu spotted Pei Yufeng standing in the corridor at once, and she gave him a faint smile—very weak, as if using the last bit of strength she had.

The moment Pei Yufeng saw the delivery room door open, he rushed forward. He had never seen Ji Yunshu so weak—like a gust of wind could blow her away and take her from him forever.

Seeing Ji Yunshu still forcing a smile at him, Pei Yufeng could no longer hold back. He reached out, brushed her soaked hair from her forehead, and gently touched her temple with his fingertip. His fingers trembled. He opened his mouth, wanting to say so much, but in the end only managed to choke out: "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore," Ji Yunshu said, her voice so soft that Pei Yufeng could barely hear it.

Then Pei Yufeng suddenly cried. He made no sound, just lowered his head, shoulders trembling slightly, tears falling one by one, dripping onto the clean white sheet beneath her, soaking into dark round spots.

Ji Yunshu had never seen Pei Yufeng like this. After his father's sacrifice, she had almost never seen him shed tears again. Not when all the pressure rested on his shoulders, not even when he was seriously injured... But now Pei Yufeng stood by her hospital bed, tears silently streaming down his face—a man of steel, brought to tears by his wife's childbirth.

Ji Yunshu looked at the red rims of Pei Yufeng's eyes, raised her hand with effort, wanting to wipe the tears from his face with her fingers. But as soon as her hand lifted, Pei Yufeng caught it: "Don't move. You just gave birth; you can't catch a chill."

"Don't cry. Look at the children. The nurse said the boy looks like you, and the girl looks like me," Ji Yunshu said, her voice holding a faint, weak smile as her hand was held tightly in Pei Yufeng's, pressed against his cheek.

"I saw them," Pei Yufeng said, holding Ji Yunshu's hand in his palm, pressing it to his lips. He kept his head lowered for a long moment before he could bring himself to speak again: "No more kids. We're never having more."