“Please wait a moment. I’ll check what’s going on,” said the relay station on the other end.
Meanwhile, Yao Chunhua and Old Man Gu grew increasingly anxious.
“Why can’t we get through?”
“Could something have happened on the island?”
The elderly couple paced back and forth in the village committee office, their brows tightly furrowed with worry.
Waiting always felt agonizingly long.
Yet, in what seemed like no time at all, the relay station responded with an explanation.
“What? A severe typhoon?!”
“The communication lines are down!”
Upon hearing this news, Old Man Gu and Yao Chunhua’s hearts sank.
“How could a severe typhoon suddenly hit? And why did the communication have to go down right at this time? We still can’t get in touch with them!”
A severe typhoon—though Huaihua Village, due to its geographical location, had never experienced one before, they still knew just how destructive such a storm could be.
A severe typhoon was powerful enough to sweep grown adults off their feet.
“Why did it have to strike right when Ningning is about to give birth?”
“I wonder how Ningning and the others are doing?” Yao Chunhua muttered under her breath, her face etched with concern.
Old Man Gu, however, was the first to regain his composure.
“Don’t worry,” he reassured.
“Even if Ningning’s due date is around now, her mother-in-law is there to take care of her.”
“Besides, they’re in a military zone.”
“The military zone is definitely a safer place to be.”
His reasoning gradually calmed Yao Chunhua down.
But with the communication lines down and no way to get in touch, she couldn’t fully ease her worries.
What they didn’t know was that Grandma Sang hadn’t gone to the island due to a leg injury.
If they had known, their anxiety would have been even greater.
To avoid adding to their concerns, Gu Jianing had deliberately kept this from them.
“Let’s head back for now. With the communication lines down, we won’t be able to reach them anytime soon,” Old Man Gu said.
“Mm,” Yao Chunhua agreed. Though they returned home, the elderly couple decided they would come to the village committee every day to try calling until they finally got through.
When they arrived home, Gu Yunnan and Su Miao—who had just given birth and was still in confinement—also learned about the severe typhoon on Huansha Island.
The couple couldn’t help but worry as well.
“I hope Little Sister and the others are safe.”
“And I hope we can get through to them soon,” Su Miao said.
Su Miao felt deep gratitude toward her sister-in-law.
In a way, she owed her life to her.
She never expected that, even with it being her second childbirth, she would face such a life-threatening complication.
When the doctor said she was suffering from dystocia, Su Miao had been utterly despairing.
She knew that whether it was the doctor, her husband, or her in-laws, they would undoubtedly prioritize saving her.
But that also meant she would lose her child.
And in the worst-case scenario, both she and the baby could perish.
The baby’s life was almost certainly unsalvageable.
Only hers might still have a chance.
Just as she teetered on the edge of despair, her mother-in-law stepped forward with the smooth delivery pill her sister-in-law had specifically entrusted to her.
She didn’t know whether her sister-in-law had foreseen this situation, but thanks to that pill, she regained her strength and safely delivered her child.
Both mother and daughter were safe and sound.
It could be said that her sister-in-law had saved both her and her daughter’s lives.
Even the doctor at the time had marveled at the miracle, exclaiming in admiration, “As expected of Dr. Gu! Even a single medicinal pill is so incredibly effective.”
Su Miao also knew that her mother-in-law had originally planned to help her sister-in-law during her postpartum confinement.
But because their due dates were so close, her mother-in-law had ultimately chosen to stay and care for her instead.
This filled Su Miao with guilt.
So, right after giving birth, she had urged her mother-in-law to go and share the happy news with her sister-in-law.
Yet, who could have predicted that a severe typhoon would strike Huansha Island at this very moment?
Su Miao couldn’t help but feel deeply unsettled.
All she could do now was pray silently—
pray that her sister-in-law’s family remained safe and unharmed.
…
Huansha Island, County Hospital
After a long, deep sleep, Gu Jianing finally woke up.
She had slept for so long that it was already night by the time she opened her eyes.
Beside her, Sheng Zexi, who had been dozing lightly, stirred awake at the sound of her movement.
“Ningning, you’re awake.”
“Mmm.”
Seeing the exhaustion etched into the man’s features—the weariness in his eyes and the faint shadows beneath them—Gu Jianing felt a pang of heartache. “I’m fine now. You should get some more rest.”
“It’s alright.”
Since he insisted on staying awake, Gu Jianing could only sigh helplessly.
She knew better than anyone how hard Sheng Zexi had been working lately.
Not only had he been on the front lines, directing defenses against the typhoon and organizing rescue efforts, but he was also now taking care of her and Tuantuan in the hospital.
Her gaze drifted to the crib beside the bed, where Tuantuan was sleeping soundly.
Just by looking, she could tell that Sheng Zexi had taken excellent care of their son.
“By the way, where are Xingxing and Yueyue?”
“Sister-in-law Zhao took them back to the military zone.”
That afternoon, Zhao Goudan had woken up.
His condition wasn’t serious, so he was quickly discharged.
When Huijuan came to check on Gu Jianing before leaving, Sheng Zexi had asked if she could continue looking after Xingxing and Yueyue for a while.
Huijuan had been stunned—after her mistake in trusting a stranger had nearly led to disaster for Xingxing, Yueyue, and her own son, she never expected Sheng Zexi would still entrust the twins to her care.
Deeply moved, she silently vowed to be more vigilant in the future and never let harm come to the children again.
As for Xingxing and Yueyue, they had initially wanted to stay at the hospital with their mother and newborn brother.
But they also understood that they were still too young to be of much help.
The best thing they could do was return to the safety of the military zone, take care of themselves, and stay out of trouble—that way, their parents could focus on what needed to be done without worry.
So, with Amber in tow, Xingxing and Yueyue had obediently gone back with Sister-in-law Zhao.
Before leaving, however, they had insisted on escorting Lin Shu home first.
Sheng Zexi had accompanied them to Qianye Village to drop her off.
The villagers had been frantically searching for Lin Shu, terrified that she had wandered off during the typhoon and gotten herself hurt.
When they saw her return safely, their relief was palpable.
The only thing was—
Lin Shu kept gazing at Yueyue with reluctance, murmuring “Tian Tian, Tian Tian” over and over.
In the end, Yueyue had hugged her tightly, promising to visit again soon and urging her not to run off but to wait patiently at home.
Only then did Lin Shu finally agree to stay.
After sending the children back to the military zone, Sheng Zexi had returned to the hospital.
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