Chapter 470 Zi Shao and Shang Shao Turn Against Each Other
Chen Tangtang didn't let Luo Xueli be there when she gave birth, for fear of scaring her, as this was her first child. But just hearing the sounds, she broke out in a sweat.
"Do I look fat? I'm worried I won't have an easy delivery when the time comes."
Bai Chufan looked at his wife, whose arms and legs were slender despite her large belly, and quickly shook his head.
"You're not fat at all. I think you're too thin. As long as you don't eat like Chen Tangtang, you'll be fine."
Although Luo Xueli understood the reassurances from others, her fear was still strong. She was only a little over a month behind Chen Tangtang, and she was also due soon. Moreover, she was giving birth on the mountain, and she felt her safety was not guaranteed.
"Chufan, can you take me to the hospital to give birth? I don't want to be in danger."
"How can that be? Not only do most people in the village give birth at home, but we also have two very skilled doctors here. Besides, your baby's position is very good. Just relax, and you'll give birth smoothly."
"But I just want to give birth in the hospital. I'm afraid of what might happen."
"You're over eight months pregnant. How can you go down the mountain in this situation? What if you fall on the way?"
"Then carry me down the mountain. I just want to go to the hospital."
Bai Chufan's face changed. He disliked unreasonable people. If his sister wasn't afraid of giving birth on the mountain, why was Luo Xueli so delicate? And didn't she know the current situation? If they could go to the hospital, he wouldn't want his wife to suffer.
"Luo Xueli, do you feel like we haven't treated you well enough? I know coming up the mountain is a hardship for you, but you knew the situation of our family from the day you married me. Now you're putting a group of people at risk. You're only thinking of yourself."
"I, I didn't. I just..."
"Just what? Just don't trust Elder Fan and the others? Let me tell you, they were national masters who couldn't be easily invited in the past. Why wasn't Chen Tangtang afraid? Why wasn't my sister afraid? Why are you so special!"
This was the first time Luo Xueli had argued with Bai Chufan, and even the first time she had been scolded. But she was just scared.
Bai Da Jiujiu heard the commotion from her son's side. Seeing her daughter-in-law crying, she quickly came over. After asking what happened, she sent her son away.
"Chufan was wrong to scold you. I'll stand up for you later. But Xueli, you really don't need to worry. Your grandmother alone gave birth to five children. Your Aunt Zhen and Grandma Wang have also delivered babies. And Elder Fan and Elder Dang. Even Shenggê can help you give birth smoothly. The more anxious you are now, the more detrimental it is to the baby."
Luo Xueli just kept crying. Bai Da Jiujiu really didn't know her daughter-in-law was someone who would cry.
Ye Shenggê felt that Luo Xueli might be suffering from prenatal depression. At this time, family support was especially important. Ye Shenggê didn't go to comfort Luo Xueli. Instead, she pulled her elder cousin aside and lectured him.
In fact, bringing a pregnant woman up the mountain was indeed a hardship for her. Her elder cousin was not a meticulous person and lacked patience.
Bai Chufan still had a strong sense of machismo. He felt that women could be pampered and loved, but they absolutely could not be unreasonable and pushy. In his opinion, Luo Xueli was being pushy now! However, thinking about the hardship his wife was going through during pregnancy and what his sister had said about prenatal depression, he could only swallow his displeasure and continue to comfort her, hoping his wife would quickly return to normal.
The cave was lively that night. The newborn wailed several times throughout the night. The older ones had already moved to the next cave, and even the two pregnant women and children were sent away. There were many people in the cave who could take care of the baby. With everyone lending a hand, Xia Hong, who was attending to the mother and child, was much more relaxed.
This time, Chen Tangtang's milk didn't come in for three days. Elder Fan said it was because Chen Tangtang had eaten too much. The baby had to be fed formula. This broke Chen Tangtang's heart, and she kept trying to hold her youngest son whenever she had the chance.
"I'm telling you, don't be biased. Even with formula, don't neglect the elder child."
Xia Hong was afraid that her daughter-in-law would only dote on the youngest grandson and neglect the eldest. She kept bringing the eldest grandson to Chen Tangtang.
"Oh, Mom, do you think I'm that kind of person? It's just that the youngest is still little, so I'm taking care of him more. Once he's older, it won't be like this."
"Hmph, in any case, the children of the Ouyang family must be treated equally."
"Don't worry, don't worry."
But Xia Hong didn't think it was the case at all. She doted on her eldest grandson immensely. This confirmed the old saying: the youngest son and the eldest grandson are the grandmother's treasures. One dotes on the youngest son, the other on the eldest grandson. Everyone has their reasons!
No one knew how Bai Chufan had comforted Luo Xueli. The next day, the two of them were as good as if nothing had happened, and their relationship seemed even more loving.
Life on the mountain had its minor disturbances, but Zi Yisheng and his companions in Ming City were in a state of utter panic.
"Young Master Zi, the first batch of official letters has been sent out. Soon, some old intellectuals will return to their original posts."
"Yes, continue to speed up the process. I hope they will all return within a year. Those who have been wronged must be compensated, and the confiscated property must be returned in full."
"But much of it has been destroyed and cannot be returned."
Zi Yisheng lit a cigarette, and the smoke made him squint.
"Then whoever took it and destroyed it will compensate. No one will get away with it."
Ouyang took the order and left. He knew that Young Master Zi had offended many, many people this time. The only good thing was the strong support from the Ye family father and son. As for the Shang family, Ouyang sneered. They were just asking for trouble!
After Ouyang finished his work, he looked at the calendar. His wife should be giving birth soon. He wondered how she was doing and whether it was a boy or a girl. Then he thought again that all of this was caused by the Shang family. They were really something. If he didn't cause some trouble for the Shang family, he would be letting them off easy, and even more so for his family suffering on the mountain.
Shang Shaoyan had aged a lot in the past year. He had lost his former gentle and elegant demeanor, and was full of hostility.
"Shaoyan, what does Zi Yisheng mean by this? The Shang family clearly helped him, but he's excluding us. Look how many people he's gotten rid of for us."
"Heh heh, he's venting. How can I let him stand by and watch forever? Dad, you don't need to worry about it. I'll go see him again tomorrow."
"Seeing him is useless. He won't even see us."
"What if I trade it for news about Ye Shenggê?"
Third Master Shang fell silent. He looked at his son in surprise. Shang Shaoyan smiled at his father's gaze.
"What are you thinking? I will never harm Ye Shenggê."
"That's right. She's your savior. We haven't had a chance to repay her yet."
"Yes, my savior!"
The next day, Zi Yisheng had just taken a moment of leisure and hadn't even had time to drink his tea when he heard that Shang Shaoyan had arrived.
"Young Master Zi, he brought up Madam."
"Heh heh, let him in. I also want to hear what he has to say."
When Shang Shaoyan entered the office, he saw Zi Yisheng as the aloof and powerful leader he had always been. It was impossible not to feel jealous. It was as if this person was favored by heaven. He was always at the top in his career, married a perfect woman, had a chubby son, and had the support of his father-in-law and brother-in-law. As for money, not to mention it, the Bai family alone could ensure his invincibility. What did Zi Yisheng lack?
"Young Master Zi seems to be very leisurely?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Everything is proceeding as you planned. It seems that all that's left is for the subordinates to handle it."
Zi Yisheng unbuttoned his shirt collar and said nothing more. He was waiting for Shang Shaoyan to speak.
"Young Master Zi, the Shang family contributed the most to the progress of this matter. Why are you crossing the river and tearing down the bridge? Aren't you afraid that people below will talk about you?"
"Heh heh, I'm really not afraid. If you, Shang Shaoyan, can make a mess, but can't fix it, and then try to pull me down with you, do you think people outside will mock your incompetence, or will they say I crossed the river and tore down the bridge?"
Shang Shaoyan hated seeing Zi Yisheng's confident demeanor the most. But changing his tone, he said,
"Young Master Zi, we weren't like this before. You could say you were a benefactor to the Shang family, but why have we become like this now?"
Zi Yisheng sneered. He hadn't expected the Shang family to act like this at first. The time when Elder Shang came to talk to him, Zi Yisheng knew they were no longer on the same path. After that, he reduced his contact with the Shang family and rarely spoke to them, even when they were in the same village.
"What do you think?"
"You don't want to delegate power. If we cooperate, we could have taken everything, but you're willing to settle for second best. Is that meaningful?"
"I never wanted to be in a high position. I just do what I should do and have a clear conscience."
"Hahahaha, a clear conscience. You feast while the hungry starve. I won't waste any more words. Give me back what belonged to the Shang family, and I'll leave Ming City immediately."
"There are already people in Huizhou Province, and they are doing very well, no worse than the Shang family."
"Then what about us? Are you still planning to leave us out in the cold?"
Zi Yisheng took out a prepared letter of appointment from his drawer and threw it on the table. Shang Shaoyan immediately grabbed it and looked it over. Zi Yisheng frowned. Such a proud and aloof person, he didn't expect to value power so much.
After reading it, Shang Shaoyan threw the letter of appointment back on the table, and in anger, kicked over the chair behind him.
"Zi Yisheng, you're doing this on purpose! You've assigned the Shang family to a godforsaken place and demoted us by three ranks. Do you just not want to see us do well!"
"That's wrong. These are the results of discussions at the higher level. It's not my personal decision."
"So you're saying you're not going to help us anymore?"
"I'm powerless to do so."
"Fine, Zi Yisheng. Since you're playing hardball, I don't mind being an ungrateful wretch."
Zi Yisheng looked at Shang Shaoyan, who, as he left, didn't forget to take the letter of appointment with him, with a look of utter sarcasm.
"Ye Shenggê and the others should be hiding on the mountain! Hahahaha!"
Zi Yisheng immediately stood up and threw the chair behind him at Shang Shaoyan's back. Shang Shaoyan truly didn't expect Zi Yisheng to make a move on the spot. He stumbled and fell against the door. Zi Yisheng quickly walked to the door and locked it. Ouyang also heard the commotion and came to knock.
"Young Master Zi, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Wait outside for a moment."
Zi Yisheng kicked Shang Shaoyan in the stomach, and after knocking him down, picked up the chair and smashed it down, smashing it with all his might.
"How dare you threaten me, and even dare to use my wife to threaten me."
Shang Shaoyan was not weak in martial arts. He was just caught off guard at first. After being smashed a few times, he began to fight back. Zi Yisheng was no longer the Zi Yisheng of the past. Before, he was not much worse than Shang Shaoyan, and now he was even better. The two of them quickly overturned the entire office, and Shang Shaoyan's face was covered in blood. Zi Yisheng also took a few kicks, but he still had the upper hand over Shang Shaoyan. After Zi Yisheng kicked Shang Shaoyan a few more times, Zi Yisheng smoothed his slightly disheveled clothes.
"Shang Shaoyan, the last person who threatened me hasn't even reincarnated yet. You're very good. I'll see how the Shang family fights me."
Zi Yisheng tore up the letter of appointment on the floor and threw it at Shang Shaoyan's face.
"Shang Shaoyan, go back and wait for my revenge."
Shang Shaoyan's eyes were filled with hatred. A former acquaintance was now officially an enemy. Zi Yisheng opened the door and said to Ouyang and the guards who were trying to rush in.
"Shang Shaoyan attacked his superior. Now, take him away and conduct a thorough investigation."
"You, Zi Yisheng, you are despicable."
"Likewise."
Time passed quickly. It was time for Ah Can to go down the mountain to send letters to Chen Tangtang's and Luo Xueli's families again. This time, Ye Shenggê couldn't help but ask Ah Can to inquire about the news. In fact, Ye Shenggê was not as carefree as she appeared. Every night, she forced herself to sleep, so much so that she hadn't gained any weight even though she was almost eight months pregnant.
"Madam, don't worry. If Young Master Zi sends any news, the people down the mountain will tell me."
This time, Bai Chumo didn't mention going down the mountain at all. He still remembered the hardship of carrying two sacks up the mountain, and even more so, the severity of his grandmother hitting him with a ruler.
Just as Luo Xueli was waiting for Ah Can to bring back news from her father, her water broke. She was so scared that she stood frozen, only crying incessantly. Bai Da Jiujiu saw this and quickly called her son to carry her daughter-in-law to bed.
"Don't cry anymore, or you'll exhaust all your strength and be in trouble."
"Mm, mm, but I can't help it. The tears are flowing on their own."
"Then you have to hold them back!"
Bai Da Jiujiu was furious. She lost her composure at the first sign of trouble. How could she be the mistress of the Bai family in the future?
"Wife, don't cry anymore. You'll be able to see the baby soon."
Bai Chufan was sweating profusely, comforting his wife. Looking at her pitiful appearance, he felt heartbroken.
"Mom was very fierce just now."
"She was anxious, but it was all for your own good. If you keep crying, I won't be able to stop Mom from getting angry."
Luo Xueli was so wronged that she didn't dare to make another sound. She just felt scared. Her mother-in-law was really fierce.
Elder Fan and Elder Dang came in to feel their pulses and immediately went out to prepare medicine. This time, Wang Fengling personally took charge. She had a lot of experience in delivering babies. Last time, Xia Hong wanted to deliver the baby herself, so she didn't step in. Wang Fengling felt Luo Xueli's belly and saw that Luo Xueli was still trying hard to hold back her tears.
"You haven't started contracting yet, so don't exert yourself. If the amniotic fluid is gone, the baby will be in danger. Your baby's position is very good. As soon as you drink the medicine, you'll give birth soon."
Ye Shenggê was arranged to give Luo Xueli acupuncture first, which was also to promote contractions. Without contractions, the baby couldn't be born, which would be a difficult labor, so external intervention was necessary.