Zhang Shuwan wasn’t someone who disliked girls. She cherished Guoguo as if she were a precious jewel.
She could swear that even if she had a son in the future, her love for Guoguo would remain unchanged.
But Zhang Shuwan knew all too well that in her and Lin Xing’s situation, they desperately needed a son.
She didn’t want Guoguo to endure the same hardships she once had—constantly targeted by so-called relatives who were, in truth, wolves and tigers scheming to take advantage of a family with no male heir.
She had suffered through that kind of struggle and never wanted Guoguo to experience it.
If Guoguo had a younger brother to stand up for her, such a situation would never arise.
Zhang Shuwan thought that once her son was born and old enough to understand, she would teach him to always protect his older sister.
Gu Jianing watched Zhang Shuwan’s tears with deep emotion.
She understood Zhang Shuwan’s feelings. Though in modern times, it was common for some families to have only one daughter—some even had capable daughters who took in a son-in-law to continue the family line—just because a family was fine with it didn’t mean there weren’t vile people with ulterior motives.
Even in modern times, there were plenty who sought to exploit families without male heirs.
And in this era, such situations were even more common.
That was why she sympathized with Zhang Shuwan’s mindset—one of the reasons she had agreed to help her. Of course, the biggest reason was that Zhang Shuwan truly adored Guoguo. If Zhang Shuwan had favored sons over daughters, Gu Jianing wouldn’t have helped her. After all, Guoguo was a wonderful child too.
When she heard Zhang Shuwan say she would teach her unborn son to protect Guoguo, Gu Jianing smiled and said, “It’s two younger brothers, not just one.”
“Right, two younger brothers, not just one… Wait, what?!” Zhang Shuwan suddenly looked up at Gu Jianing, her eyes widening. “Jianing, y-you mean, my belly has…”
She pointed at her stomach, momentarily speechless.
Gu Jianing grinned and confirmed it again. “That’s right, Sister Shuwan. You’re carrying two boys—both very healthy. Looks like Battalion Commander Lin will have to work extra hard to earn enough to raise them.”
Zhang Shuwan covered her mouth in shock. She didn’t doubt Gu Jianing’s words. She never expected that when her son came, he’d come in pairs.
This… was truly an enormous surprise.
Both Zhang Shuwan and Jiang Baihe thanked Gu Jianing profusely.
And their pregnancies—especially Jiang Baihe’s—sent waves through the military family compound.
Since Zhang Shuwan had only arrived at the Northwest Military District late last year, people weren’t as familiar with her. But they knew Jiang Baihe well.
Jiang Baihe and Battalion Commander Chai had been married for four years without conceiving a child. There had even been whispers from Jiang Baihe’s mother-in-law that she was infertile.
Now that Jiang Baihe was finally pregnant, everyone was naturally curious—how had it happened?
Jiang Baihe didn’t hold back. She admitted that she had indeed had some health issues preventing pregnancy before, but Gu Jianing had treated her, allowing her to conceive and become a mother.
Jiang Baihe thought that if Gu Jianing passed the medical training program assessment, she would become a doctor at the military hospital.
So she decided to use this opportunity to spread the word about Gu Jianing’s skills—a way to repay her for her kindness.
Not only Jiang Baihe, but Zhang Shuwan also became a topic of discussion—especially since she was pregnant with twins.
Previously, Gu Jianing had gained fame in the Northwest Military District for her beauty and as Sheng Zexi’s wife. Even earlier, she had become known for performing surgery to save Battalion Commander Cui’s leg. But now, she was famous for helping Jiang Baihe and Zhang Shuwu conceive.
Having a child—in this era, for women, pregnancy and childbirth were extremely important matters, often determining their status in their husband’s family and even the quality of their marital relationship.
At this time, it wasn’t uncommon for families to have five, six, seven, or even eight children. But there were also many who struggled to conceive at all.
Even in modern times, decades later, with advanced technology and medicine, infertility remained a widespread issue.
So, when those who had been unable to conceive heard that Gu Jianing had such abilities, their hearts stirred with hope.
They also knew that Gu Jianing had previously participated in the military district’s medical training program and was now in the examination phase. If she passed, she would soon start working at the military hospital.
They thought to themselves: once Gu Jianing begins working at the hospital, they would make appointments to see her.
Meanwhile, Gu Jianing, who was on her way to check the exam results, had no idea that after she started working at the military hospital, a wave of people would seek her out specifically for infertility treatment.
If she had known, she probably would have felt both pleased and troubled.
The joy would come from the fact that more patients meant more opportunities to earn points and rewards through successful treatments.
The worry? Well, she was naturally a bit lazy. She preferred a more relaxed lifestyle and wasn’t particularly fond of being constantly busy.
Soon, Gu Jianing arrived at the notice board displaying the exam results. Sure enough, she saw her name listed. Afterward, she met with the training program instructors and received her medical license.
Holding the license in her hand, Gu Jianing was delighted. With this, she was no longer practicing medicine without proper credentials.
No matter the era, official certification was always important.
“Jianing, don’t leave yet! I’d like to discuss some questions about fallopian tube blockages with you.”
Peng Wenjing walked in just in time to see this scene: Gu Jianing surrounded by the training program’s instructors, deep in discussion—with Gu Jianing subtly taking the lead.
Peng Wenjing had also participated in the medical training program.
At first, she had hoped to outshine Gu Jianing, the “country girl.” But to her surprise, not only did Gu Jianing consistently rank first in every assessment, sometimes even the instructors sought her advice.
It was then that Peng Wenjing finally gave up. She stopped seeing Gu Jianing as a rival and abandoned any thoughts of surpassing her.
Because Gu Jianing was simply too strong.
If the gap had been smaller, Peng Wenjing might have still felt competitive.
But Gu Jianing was on a completely different level, making Peng Wenjing’s previous attempts to outdo her seem futile and almost laughable.
Today, Peng Wenjing had come to check the results. Over the past two months in the training program, she had studied diligently.
Unsurprisingly, she had passed the assessment and would also receive her medical license, allowing her to work at the military hospital.
When she glanced at the results posted outside, Peng Wenjing immediately spotted Gu Jianing’s name, feeling a sense of inevitability.
Now, seeing Gu Jianing surrounded by instructors only reinforced that feeling.
As for Sheng Zexi, Peng Wenjing had long since moved on. Moreover, she had heard many stories about how attentive Sheng Zexi was to Gu Jianing.
At this point, she felt no jealousy toward Gu Jianing—only perhaps a bit of envy.
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