Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 293 True or False First Love 93_1

Chapter 293: Chapter 293 True or False First Love 93_1

Having a doctor in the family, even if not an obstetrician, still meant she knew the basics.

Under Gu Wei’s safeguarding, Zhou Lina gave birth to the child smoothly.

When Zhou Lina woke up, the waiting Gu Kai exclaimed excitedly, "Xiao Na, you’re awake."

Zhang Shifen and Gu Wei, who had been discussing who the child resembled, stopped scrutinizing the baby and hurried over.

"Xiao Na, how do you feel?"

"Xiao Na, are you thirsty?"

"Xiao Na, do you want to eat something?"

The two of them inquired about her condition while deftly squeezing Gu Kai out of the way.

Gu Kai, seeing himself being pushed from the bedside to the edge of the bed, really wanted to ask why they were treating him this way, but looking at the two surrounding Zhou Lina...

Forget it, no matter who it was, he really wasn’t a match for them, and a resigned Gu Kai could only keep quiet.

Zhou Xuan, watching a dismayed Gu Kai, suddenly felt a lot better. He was clearly the child’s biological father, yet so far he had only held the baby once.

Now that Zhou Lina was awake and he had been squeezed aside, his status seemed even lower than Zhou Xuan’s.

An envious glance from Gu Kai, seeing his brother-in-law looking at him, he could guess what the other was thinking.

Hmph, no matter what, this was his wife and child. Even if he couldn’t hold the baby, he could still watch.

"My son."

"You’re still a child."

No matter what, it was his son, and Gu Kai was truly happy. He thought about how delighted his grandparents and parents would be once they heard the news.

Their communication had been restored, but they generally wouldn’t contact them unless it was something important.

Last time, it was about Zhou Lina being pregnant, and before that, his marriage. Now that he had become a father, of course, he had to notify them promptly.

At the same time, he would send them some things through the mail. Although they claimed they lacked nothing over in the Great Northwest, he had never been there. But looking at Zhou Juan and the others, he could tell life there wasn’t easy.

Even though the supplies here were not abundant, it was still much better than in the Northwest.

Due to the natural birth, they observed Zhou Lina in the hospital for half a day, and seeing that she was in good condition, they allowed her to be discharged and go home.

Zhou Lina was initially a bit uneasy. From admission to giving birth and being discharged, she had not even spent a night there.

In later generations, even if one had a natural birth, they would typically stay at least a day or two in the hospital.

However, being discharged to recuperate was also good. Surrounded by only mothers and their incessantly crying children, it was indeed impossible to rest well.

Although the temperature that day was not low, before discharging her, Zhang Shifen still wrapped her up tight, ensuring no skin was exposed, before allowing her to lie in the borrowed shuttle bus. Gu Kai pulled both her and the baby back home.

When they reached the building downstairs, Gu Kai continued to carry Zhou Lina up, and of course, Zhang Shifen held the baby, while Gu Wei had already gone to open the door.

As for the semi-adult laborer Zhou Xuan, he naturally went to return the borrowed handcart.

Taking advantage of Zhou Lina’s resting time, Zhang Shifen had already prepared the room, making sure Zhou Lina and her child could rest well.

Zhou Lina lay in bed, just preparing to enjoy three months of maternity leave. In an era with so few holidays, it wasn’t easy to get three months off for childbirth.

Zhang Shifen handed over the porridge she had prepared earlier to Zhou Lina, "You should start off with some porridge for the next couple of days, it needs to be on the lighter side at first."

"The day after tomorrow, we can have fish soup, drink that for a couple of days, and then it’ll be time for trotter soup."

Although she didn’t know exactly when Zhou Lina had given birth to her child, all the necessary preparations had been made—fish, trotters, and chicken were indispensable essences, absolutely irreplaceable.

"I feel my confinement is really blissful." It’s truly so blissful.

"Of course, you need to have a good confinement, and then just a few days after you’re out, you’ll have to go back to work."

"It’s a good thing we live in the steel factory residential area. If it were far from home, it would be really tough going to work." For instance, being able to go home midway to see the child and feed them—otherwise, ensuring the child is well-fed would be a problem.

What? Go back to work just a few days after the end of confinement? What’s all this about? Zhou Lina felt confused. This was just too exploitative.

"Mom, only thirty-some days off for maternity leave?" Wasn’t it supposed to be three months? But she was clever enough not to voice this question aloud.

"Forty days," Zhang Shifen replied with certainty.

What? Only forty days? Zhou Lina’s first reaction was, can a new mother really rest well in that time?

It was just because she was lucky, with her mother and aunt taking care of her, treating her very well. If she had been in a family that was unsympathetic, forcing a new mother to only rest for a few days before doing fieldwork—it wasn’t unheard of.

"Everyone does it this way," Zhang Shifen knew that informing Zhou Lina, who hadn’t yet recovered from childbirth, about this news was a bit cruel.

But wait, shouldn’t every new mother be aware of this timeframe? Zhang Shifen thought.

Zhou Lina suddenly looked embarrassed in response to Zhang Shifen’s question; it seemed that it might have been mentioned before, but at that time, she had paid no mind, thinking a three-month rest was perfectly ordinary.

As a result, she had neglected to inquire further, making such an oversight, but fortunately, it was all family at home now.

"I haven’t been inattentive, there’s just been so much to do."

"At least there will be some time to rest in between."

"Who knows if the workload will be reduced." Even though she was a new mother, if the holidays couldn’t be extended, at the very least, there should be some consideration on the workload.

Looking at Zhou Lina, who was still dreaming, Zhang Shifen didn’t speak up. Sometimes, it was necessary to give the child some hope.

Reading Zhang Shifen’s gaze, well, she knew her request was a bit much.

Even though there were many accountants specialized in cost management, what could she do as a minor leader? If she lightened her load, it meant the others’ would increase.

Hoping those people could take over, Zhou Lina might as well expect the Finance Department to hire a few more cost accountants.

Unfortunately, such wishes could only remain as such. Accountant Xiao had said that the current staffing was optimal; they did not want to make cuts or hire more.

Alas, truly the plight of a hardworking employee. What is there to do? One must go to work. Luckily, with Zhang Shifen and others taking care of her, she was bound to recover well.

At this thought, Zhou Lina breathed a sigh of relief and yawned, "Mom, I’m going to rest for a bit."

Although she had rested after leaving the delivery room, it wasn’t very peaceful; too many children were crying, and adults were arguing, as if a woman who had a difficult labor gave birth to a daughter and the in-laws refused to pay, insisting that her family should foot the bill.

Because of that dispute over money, the two families made a ruckus in the hospital, preventing both pregnant and postpartum women from resting.

That was another reason Zhou Lina was eager to be discharged, "Home is always best."