ALL NOVEL Chapter 10 - Young Men in Wet Blue Shirts
Chapter 10: Who Shed the Most Tears Among the Seated, Young Men in Wet Blue Shirts
In official documents, people often describe their relationships as “father and son,” “mother and daughter,” or “husband and wife” to convey their connection. However, in this particular scenario, a mistake was made when they filled in the relationship as “General.”
“Did you both obtain a marriage certificate?” Asked someone.
“Yes, we did,” came the reply.
Following the certificate, when asked how they would define their status, they hesitated and eventually responded, “We’re, um, husband and wife.”
It was then that Ma Yingshan realized the error and had a revelation, thanks to guidance from Lu Ming.
Lu Ming, shaking his head, handed Ma Yingshan another form for correction. Once everything was confirmed accurate, Ma Yingshan inquired about his wife’s condition.
“This being our first child, and given my wife’s age, everything should be alright, correct?”
Initially, Ma Yingshan and his wife, Luo Xiuhong, were a childless couple (DINK), having known each other since they were 16 and marrying after college. Not particularly fond of children, they had decided not to have any despite familial pressure. As they aged, a sense of emptiness and longing crept in whenever they saw parents at school gates.
After a thorough discussion, they decided to start a family and actively prepared for pregnancy. However, their previous indulgent lifestyle had taken a toll on their health, making conception challenging.
Despite failed attempts and consideration of in vitro fertilization, they unexpectedly became pregnant, bringing immense joy. But their happiness was short-lived. A prenatal checkup revealed high childbirth risks, potentially endangering both mother and child and the possibility of miscarriage.
Ma Yingshan contemplated giving up, considering his wife’s enduring companionship more precious than having children. But Luo Xiuhong was persistent about bringing their child into the world.
“Advanced maternal age always carries some risks,” the doctor explained, adding that the baby was in a breech position. These risks had been explained during the surgery consent.
Ma Yingshan, hoping for some reassurance, chuckled awkwardly.
The doctor assured them, “We’ll do everything possible to ensure your wife’s safe delivery, at the very least saving her life.”
It wasn’t an empty promise. In the hospital, the death of a pregnant woman was a significant event. It would be reported to higher medical authorities promptly, triggering an investigation.
This would have a tremendous adverse impact on the hospital. Consequently, the hospital and doctors were determined to do everything possible to save the life of a pregnant woman in case of any complications. To be direct, if during surgery, a pregnant woman faced the possibility of death due to organ failure, the hospital would immediately coordinate to obtain an organ for her transplant. There had been instances where some unscrupulous individuals intentionally became pregnant to pressure the hospital into giving them priority for organ transplants. These people used childbirth as a threatening tool, bringing disgrace to all women and making them unfit to be mothers.
Just as Lu Ming was explaining the status of pregnant women to Ma Yingshan, a nurse rushed over in a hurry and said, “Dr. Lu, the expectant mother, is in severe pain. Dr. Li asked you to come and see if surgery is needed immediately.”
Ma Yingshan’s eyes widened, and his face displayed signs of panic. He called out to his wife while rushing to her side. Lu Ming also hurriedly went to assess the situation. Upon arriving, he saw the expectant mother, Luo Xiuhong, writhing in pain, screaming in agony. Her toes were frantically curling, a clear sign of unbearable pain.
Lu Ming checked the data on the medical equipment and then grasped Luo Xiuhong’s hand, feeling her pulse.
Upon closer examination, one could notice that Luo Xiuhong was wearing an orange wristband. The different colors of wristbands represented the pregnancy risk level of expectant mothers, ranging from low to high: green, yellow, orange, and red.
Green indicated a normal pregnancy, yellow represented low-risk, orange indicated high-risk, and red signified the most dangerous situation, where both the mother and the baby were at risk of life-threatening complications. Additionally, there was another color of wristband, purple, which indicated that the expectant mother carried a contagious disease. Therefore, Luo Xiuhong’s orange wristband indicated that she was a high-risk expectant mother.
“Prepare the operating room immediately!” Lu Ming sensed that Luo Xiuhong’s condition was deteriorating rapidly, and surgery had to be performed without delay.
“Ah!”
“I can’t take it anymore. It hurts so much!”
“My head is spinning!”
After a few shouts, Luo Xiuhong suddenly slumped, her consciousness fading. This was a sign that she was about to lose consciousness.
“Wife!”
“Don’t faint, dear!”
“Quickly, tell me your bank card PIN!”
Ma Yingshan vigorously shook the nearly unconscious Luo Xiuhong, desperately trying to get her to reveal her bank card PIN.
“Hey! What’s wrong with you?”
“Your wife is in unbearable pain, and you’re still thinking about her money?”
A soon-to-be father in the adjacent bed couldn’t stand it any longer and scolded Ma Yingshan. Some of the nurses and doctors in the vicinity also cast disdainful glances at him, thinking, “What kind of man is he!”
The commotion on this side drew the attention of other expectant fathers waiting in the labor and delivery area. After understanding the situation, they shook their heads in disappointment, feeling embarrassed for their gender. However, Ma Yingshan’s next words left everyone in silence.
“If you don’t give me the PIN, I won’t have the money to pay the fees!”
“All my money is with you!”
In an instant, a group of grown men remembered the fear of having their salaries controlled by their wives. How they looked at Ma Yingshan changed from disdain and contempt to sympathy.
Who among them wasn’t a henpecked husband?