Chapter 187: The Third Generation of the Deng Family, Born!
Chapter 187: The Third Generation of the Deng Family, Born!
At the courthouse gate.
Deng Shirong was smoking his pipe and chatting with the guard.
The guard was a man in his fifties. When Deng Shirong was renovating his house, he had asked this guard to help him find workers.
Back then, Deng Shirong had gotten to know the guard by coming over to share his pipe. He would visit a few times a day, and they gradually became familiar with each other.
Through their conversations, Deng Shirong learned that the guard's name was Zhang Guoan, and he was from Bobai New Village.
In his previous life, because his third son had worked in Bobai for over twenty years, Deng Shirong had lived there for a while and knew the area quite well. He was aware that people from New Village were highly respected in Bobai, and almost no one dared to provoke them.
Next year, his eldest son and daughter-in-law would be setting up their lives in Bobai, so he would need the help of Uncle Zhang. As a result, Deng Shirong started visiting more often.
Deng Shirong placed his pipe and asked, "Brother Zhang, how many children do you have?"
Zhang Guoan replied, "I have six children, three sons, and three daughters."
Deng Shirong said, "Are they all married?"
Zhang Guoan nodded, "Yes, they are all married."
Deng Shirong said, "You must be at ease. I have seven children. The oldest got married last year, and the other five are still in school!"
Zhang Guoan was surprised, "You have five children still in school? The oldest must be in college, right?"
Deng Shirong nodded, "Yes, he started college this year."
Zhang Guoan's eyes widened with admiration, "Uncle Nine, you are truly remarkable. To raise a child who can attend Beijing University, your future is set. You can enjoy the fruits of your labor with your son."
Deng Shirong smiled, "It's too early to talk about enjoying life. We have to wait until all our children are married and our parental duties are complete."
Zhang Guoan agreed, "That's true. As parents, we can't let down our guard until our children are settled."
Deng Shirong said, "So, I still have a long way to go, unlike you, Brother, who has no burdens."
They chatted for a while longer before Deng Shirong went back to have lunch.
...
After living in the county for two weeks, Zhang Xiuping finally went into labor.
The family brought the cloth diapers they had prepared and rushed Zhang Xiuping to the Maternal and Child Health Center.
In the early days of the People's Republic of China, the county's maternal and child health services were managed by the obstetrics department of the county hospital. It wasn't until May 1956 that the county Maternal and Child Health Center was established. Over the years, the new methods of childbirth had achieved excellent results.
In the present day, whether in rural areas or the county, 95% of people give birth in the county hospital. Therefore, the obstetrics departments of all county hospitals are always busy, especially the People's Hospital and the Maternal and Child Health Center, where a single midwife often has to attend to several mothers at once, leaving them overwhelmed.
Thus, when going to the hospital to give birth, it's essential to have a connection. Without a friend to help, the mother would suffer, as the midwives would be too busy to pay attention to her, focusing instead on the mothers introduced by their acquaintances.
However, it was 1981, and 99.9% of rural women gave birth at home. Only a few came to the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, so when Siuping Zhang arrived, the idle midwife welcomed her into the delivery room right away.
This made Shirong Deng marvel. In the future, women were only taken to the delivery room once their cervix had dilated. Before that, they didn’t have the privilege of occupying a spot. But in this era, they were welcomed into the delivery room as soon as they arrived.
The differences between eras were truly evident at every turn.
While waiting, Shirong Deng and Zhang's mother, both experienced, remained calm.
But for Yuntao Deng, it was his first time as a father, and without any experience, he couldn’t stay calm. His wife had only been in the delivery room for less than ten minutes, and he was already restless, pacing back and forth outside, his eyes fixed on the delivery room door, and his hands constantly rubbing together.
Shirong Deng couldn’t help but speak up, "Yuntao, don’t be nervous. The first childbirth usually takes a few hours, sometimes even until the next day."
Zhang's mother also chimed in with a smile, "Your father-in-law is right. When I gave birth to my eldest, I was in labor for over ten hours. Siuping just started having contractions, so it won’t be that quick."
Yuntao Deng was surprised, "It takes that long?"
Although he was about to become a father, no one had ever explained the process to him, and he truly knew nothing about it.
Compared to him, his sister, Yunzhen Deng, knew a bit more.
After all, Yunzhen Deng was friends with Evelyn Guan, who had shared some details about childbirth. So, she was more knowledgeable than her brother.
Shirong Deng said, "When your mother gave birth to you, she started having contractions after dinner and didn’t deliver until the next morning."
Yunzhen Deng added, "When Evelyn gave birth to her twins, she was in labor for over six hours."
Hearing this from his father, mother-in-law, and sister, Yuntao Deng realized it was true. With this reassurance, his anxiety eased a bit, and he sat down to wait patiently.
The wait lasted for several hours. They had arrived at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital around 2:30 PM, and it wasn’t until around 9:00 PM that they heard the cry of a newborn from inside the delivery room.
At the sound of the baby’s cry, Shirong Deng and the others stood up, overcome with excitement.
Soon, the delivery room door opened, and the midwife came out to announce, "Congratulations to all the family members. The mother has given birth to a daughter, and both mother and daughter are doing well."
As she spoke, the midwife worried that the family might be disappointed. Being from Baise, she understood the local preference for sons. In the past, when a daughter was born, the family’s reaction was often less than enthusiastic.
To her surprise, upon hearing the good news, the waiting family members all beamed with joy and thanked her.
This scene lifted the midwife’s spirits. She thought to herself, "This girl is truly blessed to be born into such a warm and welcoming family!"
...
On the 11th day of the 10th month of the lunar year 1981, it was the start of winter.
At 8:58 PM, the third generation of the Deng family was born!
Today, things have eased up a bit, and I got up early to write. I hope all my dear readers will continue to follow the updates. Thank you all!
(End of Chapter)
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