Song Wei asked with concern, “Doctor, are you okay?”
She then glanced at the man and said, “Oh no, I kicked again in panic. Sorry, I just can’t seem to control my feet when I get flustered.”
The family glared at Song Wei with resentment, but there was nothing they could do. This girl was just too good at fighting.
The doctor gave the family a sharp look.
“I’m fine. He seems fine too—just some superficial injuries.”
He was blatantly siding with Song Wei, and he didn’t care if anyone had a problem with it.
Just as he finished speaking, the pregnant woman suddenly clutched her belly and cried out.
“I… I think I’m about to give birth!”
The old woman immediately turned her attention to her unborn “grandson.”
“Doctor, doctor, hurry! My grandson is about to be born!”
The doctor looked annoyed. “Get some staff here to take her to the delivery room. And ma’am, how many times have I told you that the baby’s gender isn’t something you can decide? Stop shouting nonsense.”
He was tired of dealing with these patriarchal people who were obsessed with having boys. They kept having children they couldn’t care for properly. Those three little girls from this family were already pitifully thin—it was heartbreaking.
After a chaotic scene, the pregnant woman was wheeled into the delivery room, and the old lady followed.
The man, meanwhile, held his bleeding nose, glared at Song Wei, and quickly left.
Having been beaten twice, he had realized that Song Wei was no pushover and decided he didn’t want to get hit again. In truth, as some onlookers had said, he was nothing but a bully who preyed on the weak.
Once the family left, the room was finally quiet.
Song Wei stretched lazily, unaffected, and pulled out a handful of nuts from her pocket to snack on.
Noticing two children in the room eyeing her nuts longingly, she shared some with them.
Her generosity earned her the goodwill of the children’s parents, and before long, she had joined the group of onlookers gossiping about various topics.
Su Fang watched Song Wei with admiration. If only she could be as strong and confident as Song Wei.
While her personality remained soft, seeing Song Wei’s actions had given her courage.
She resolved to escape the nightmare of her current life.
In the hospital, people came from all sorts of places, and the gossip here was far juicier than in the village.
“Let me tell you about a divorcee in our courtyard,” an older woman began. “That woman is something else. The moment her husband became crippled, she abandoned him and their two children, even bringing her family to demand a large sum of money.”
Her audience leaned in eagerly as they munched on the nuts Song Wei had shared.
“Her husband used to be a truck driver—very well off. He got injured in a work accident, and the company paid him significant compensation. Well, she took half of it when she left.”
Song Wei contributed the nuts, and everyone became more excited while eating the nuts, and their eyes looked at Song Wei in a particularly kind manner.
“And then what happened?”
Others in the group didn’t even wait for Song Wei to ask—they were just as curious.
“She’s pregnant now. I have sharp eyes, and I can tell she’s at least four months along. But her ex-husband’s accident happened five months ago.”
“So, how could he have had the energy for that kind of thing after getting hurt?” someone chimed in.
“Exactly! That child isn’t her ex-husband’s. She must’ve been messing around before the divorce. She started running back to her mother’s house all the time after his injury, and they only divorced three months ago. Do the math.”
“Wow, so she got pregnant by someone else before the divorce?”
“Not surprising. I once saw her with a man I didn’t recognize. They looked very close. That guy seemed to be a factory worker.”
Song Wei paused mid-chew. This story felt oddly familiar.
“Aunty, what’s the woman’s name?” she asked.
“Her name’s Liu Chunyan.”
Song Wei’s eyes widened. She knew it—it was Lin Dahai’s mistress.
Who would’ve thought she’d hear gossip about those two even at the hospital?
“Recently, it seems like the two of them have been fighting over something. I once saw that man, Lin Dahai, confront Liu Chunyan. They didn’t seem to be on good terms, but I don’t know why they were arguing.”
Everyone seemed a bit disappointed that the story didn’t have more details, but they quickly moved on to other gossip.
Song Wei, however, rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She decided to ask Lin Zhen about it when she returned—she wanted the full story.
The pregnant woman gave birth at around 4 PM.
An old lady who loved to gossip plopped herself next to Song Wei.
“Young lady, do you know what she had?”
Song Wei held back an eye roll, thinking to herself, What else could it be? A human, of course.
But seeing the mischievous gleam in the old lady’s eyes, Song Wei decided to humor her.
“What did she have?”
The old lady slapped her thigh and laughed. “Another girl! The moment that family heard it was a girl, their faces immediately fell. They looked like they wished they could shove the baby back inside her.”
She continued with a snort. “They even accused the hospital of switching their baby!”
The old lady sneered. “As if the hospital would care enough to swap babies for their family. Those poor little girls, though. They’re going to have a tough life with that family.”
Song Wei sighed. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Exactly. They were just born into the wrong family. I bet that household has done so many bad things that they’re cursed to never have a son!”
When the family returned, they were accompanied by the police.
Before, they were shouting outside the delivery room that the hospital had replaced their child, but now they dare not say a word under the gaze of the police.
Carrying the crying newborn, they quickly packed up their belongings to leave.
The doctor frowned. “The mother just gave birth, and you’re leaving already?”
The old lady snapped, “It’s another useless girl. Do you think I, an old woman, am going to take care of her? What a dream! My son has to go back and earn work points—he doesn’t have time to look after them.”
She turned to the bedridden daughter-in-law and spat, “Be back home first thing tomorrow. You’re lucky I even let you come to the hospital to give birth. How many mothers-in-law would be this generous? Don’t think you can stay here longer. Every extra day costs money—do you and that useless girl deserve it?”
The daughter-in-law, having just given birth to another girl, lacked the courage to argue. She meekly nodded in agreement.
The family left in a whirlwind, not daring to look at Song Wei, let alone cause trouble. After all, her strength had already silenced them.
Once they were gone, the new mother was left on the bed, crying.
At first, the others in the room felt a bit sorry for her. But then they saw her pinch the crying baby.
“Why are you so useless? Why couldn’t you be a boy? Why is my life so hard?”
Song Wei was speechless.
Truly, pitiable people often have something detestable about them.
That night, the baby cried nonstop. Whether from hunger or something else, it wailed and wailed.
The noise annoyed everyone in the room.
The mother, frustrated and muttering curses, made no effort to soothe the baby. When others suggested she try harder, she snapped back, “I don’t have milk, and the baby’s hungry. If you’re so bothered, why don’t you figure something out?”
The others could only roll their eyes at her audacity. Your child is your responsibility. Why should we take care of it?
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