"... It's a girl, mother and daughter are safe!"
The nurse emerged from the delivery room with a swaddled infant, addressing the man waiting outside.
The new millennium had arrived, and it seemed people's mindsets had changed, but in their small county, there were still numerous families who favored boys over girls.
Today was rather odd; one after the other, the two or three women who went into labor all gave birth to daughters.
The husbands of the first two women, one with a dark face throughout, disdainfully took the baby girl, the other simply grabbed an old lady and left, not even caring about the woman in the delivery room.
With such bad precedents, the nurse holding the third baby girl didn't even dare say "Congratulations," fearing the family would become furious and take their anger out on her.
The tiny infant in the nurse's arms seemed to sense her emotions and suddenly burst into loud cries.
He Tiantian really wanted to cry. Ah, after time-traveling through childbirth, how could she be a girl again?
In her previous life, He Tiantian was abandoned just because she was a girl.
Her parents didn't directly throw her out on the streets; both were civil servants and still had some conscience and bottom line.
But wanting to try for a son, they simply sent the newborn He Tiantian back to their hometown.
Her parents favored boys over girls, and her grandparents were no different; they simply didn't want to raise a loss-making investment.
It just so happened that at that time, He Tiantian's aunt, He Shengnan, couldn't have children and was being forced by her in-laws to get a divorce, so He Tiantian's grandparents simply gave He Tiantian to He Shengnan for adoption.
Because she was the biological aunt, the elders and relatives in her hometown did not deliberately conceal this.
Thus, from a young age, He Tiantian knew she was abandoned by her parents, and the woman who raised her was not her mother, but her biological aunt!
The experience of being abandoned made He Tiantian feel very insecure and led her to develop an inferior and sensitive personality.
Her aunt was a "celebrity" in the small town, and by association, she became known as the "Little Fox Spirit" by the gossipy aunties.
The idle chatter of those around her made He Tiantian become even more introverted.
She walked with her head down, chest retracted, afraid to speak to others, wearing oversized school uniforms, with thick bangs, and clumsy, heavy black-framed glasses, she was shy and timid, her academic performance mediocre at best... she was the classically vulnerable girl that every class seems to have.
In fact, He Tiantian indeed suffered from passive bullying.
Starting from elementary school, no one wanted to play with He Tiantian.
When He Tiantian tried to speak to others, those kids acted as if they hadn't heard her voice, intentionally ignoring her.
The hand that He Tiantian extended was also directly overlooked.
That awkwardness, that sense of shame, made He Tiantian increasingly insecure.
All the way through high school, He Tiantian was always alone, without even a friend to go to the restroom with or walk home from school!
Whenever she was bullied, whenever she was laughed at, He Tiantian would especially think of her biological parents.
But they didn't want her.
"If I were a boy, would my dad and mom like me?"
"If there really is time-traveling and rebirth, then let me be a boy."
Having been poisoned by the preference for sons since childhood, He Tiantian believed herself that "being a girl was a sin"; she didn't believe there were many more parents who wouldn't discriminate against their own flesh and blood because of gender.
All she could do was humbly fantasize about being a boy loved by everyone in her next life.
And then, she really did get reborn, but still, she was a girl.
"Honey, you've given birth to a baby girl, listen to how loud our little girl's voice is, huh, just like me!"
He Hongtu was clueless that He Tiantian was wallowing in self-pity. Brimming with joy, he cradled the swaddled baby near the delivery room door, waiting for his wife who had just undergone a caesarean section to be wheeled out. He presented the baby swaddle to his wife like a treasured offering as soon as she arrived.
"I knew it was a girl! Hmph, my own child, how could I not know whether it's a boy or a girl?" Tian Zhenzhen hadn't yet recovered from the anesthesia, her mind a bit groggy, as she playfully scolded her husband.
"Hehe, I'm just so happy," He Hongtu said, looking at his darling daughter. The little one didn't look like many newborns who are red and wrinkled but rather clean and white.
Ah, that little face is so white, it's practically glowing.
"It's no wonder she's my daughter; she looks just like me!" He Hongtu became more and more delighted the longer he looked. Holding the baby in one arm and supporting the cart with the other, he escorted his wife back to their hospital room.
He Tiantian was busy crying her eyes out, completely missing He Hongtu's soft mutterings.
Back in the room, Tiantian, now tired from crying and also hungry, smacked her lips voraciously.
As a first-time dad, He Hongtu naturally lacked experience and couldn't stop praising how beautiful his daughter's mouth was.
The old lady, who was keeping them company, couldn't stand by any longer and hurriedly suggested, "The child must be hungry. Hurry up and have your wife feed her!"
"Ah? She's hungry ?" He Hongtu finally realized, but rather than instantly passing the baby to his wife, he turned to the old lady with a goofy smile and said, "Oh my, Aunt Xu, I really can't thank you enough!"
"See, this is why they say 'having an elder at home is like having a treasure.' You must be the precious gem that protects your household!"
He Hongtu was quite young, only in his twenties or so. He wasn't very handsome, but he had a pleasant appearance.
A square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes; when he cracked a smile, there was an undeniable sincerity. His words were especially endearing to the elderly.
The old lady was so amused that she burst into hearty laughter, "Aunt Xu? Young man, I'm almost seventy, and my grandson is about your age. It would be more fitting if you called me 'grandma'!"
Though she said this, the old lady was clearly pleased.
After all, even an eighty-year-old woman would wish to be told she looks younger.
"Almost seventy? That doesn't seem right; you look to me to be at most fifty!"
While fervently flattering the old lady, He Hongtu brought the baby over to his wife's side, not forgetting to whisper to her, "Zhenzhen, take a look, does Aunt Xu look like she's seventy?"
Having rested for a while and feeling more lucid, Tian Zhenzhen played along perfectly with He Hongtu's words and pretended to be startled, "Seventy? That really doesn't look to be the case. Aunt Xu, you appear younger than my own mother."
"I told you, Aunt Xu, you must take very good care of yourself. The children and grandchildren in your family must be very filial!"
"You're right, my husband. People who live a comfortable life stay young at heart. Aunt Xu, I truly envy you. You're sure to be a person blessed with both happiness and longevity!"
The young husband and wife went back and forth, quickly bringing smiles to the old lady's face.
The old lady even neglected her own grandchildren and daughter-in-law to make her way to Tian Zhenzhen's bedside, patiently instructing her how to breastfeed and burp the baby, even demonstrating hands-on how He Hongtu should change and clean the diapers.
"Little He, let me tell you something. When dealing with these diaper pants, apply a layer of soap first, then scald them with boiling water. All the poop and pee will wash right out, as good as new!"
The old lady shared her tips with He Hongtu in a hushed tone.
"Wow, Aunt Xu, you're so knowledgeable. I'll give that a try when my little girl does her business," He Hongtu said eagerly.
In just a short conversation, He Hongtu had learned the old lady's name, age, her job before retirement, and more.
He also discovered how many children and grandchildren she had, that her husband had passed away a couple of years ago, and although her sons wanted to take her in, she chose to live alone in her ancestral home – He Hongtu learned all these details in no time at all.
As for Tian Zhenzhen, she was in perfect sync with her husband, a match made in heaven.
By the time Tian Zhenzhen completed her seventh day of hospitalization and was preparing to leave with the baby, the couple had managed to obtain the old lady's contact information and home address. They promised, "Aunt Xu, when we have time, we'll come to visit you!"