TTLJDLF Chapter 4

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The young "ge'er" who had been crying the most was named Xiao An.

He didn’t even know his own surname.

From as far back as he could remember, he had been sold from one place to another.

Fortunately, he had been too young at the time; otherwise, he might have been sold into a brothel.

Still, even though he had escaped that fate, marrying into a family as a concubine to a husband who didn’t love him wasn’t much better.

But that was simply the reality of this world.

Xiao An was a bit slow-witted. While others kept a slight distance from Qin Muwen, he would occasionally peek inside and say hello when passing by.

Today, he had been crying because he was genuinely worried that Qin Muwen would die in childbirth.

And yet, Qin Muwen’s husband was still out drinking, showing no concern at all.

Xiao An felt it was so unfair.

But then again, under the societal norms here, his own fate wasn’t much better.

If he didn’t have a child in the next few years, the Li family might kick him out. At that point, he wouldn’t even have a place to stay.

Even if he did have a child, the process of childbirth was something he would have to endure alone.

No one could help him.

It was all up to fate.

As he cried, Xiao An wasn’t sure whether he was mourning for Qin Muwen or lamenting his own future.

But no one expected that at this critical moment—

Li Jin actually came back.

And he even brought warm, fragrant egg custard.

Even though Xiao An was just a concubine in the Li family, the best he usually ate was thin porridge with pickled vegetables.

Li Jin thought that in the 1960s and 1970s of his previous life, rural families could only eat meat during the New Year and festivals. Let alone in ancient times, when resources were even scarcer—ordinary farmers lived on flatbreads, thin porridge, and pickled vegetables.

In the entire village, only Li Daniu and the village chief’s family were slightly better off.

Other households, even if they raised chickens and ducks, would never slaughter them for meat.

They relied on the chickens and ducks to lay eggs, which were reserved for the family members who did the most work.

This was considered fair—whoever worked the hardest got to eat an extra egg.

Some families spanned three generations, with the grandparents being the head of the household. As long as they were alive, the family could not be split.

So, an entire house of young adults lived together, and at this time, they were the main labor force.

Eggs, being precious, were either sold by the women at the market if they were intact, or if the shell was broken, they were cooked for the person who worked the most in the fields.

Sometimes, the young men would secretly keep the eggs for themselves, waiting until nighttime to give them to their children to nourish them.

So, for the young men in the house, they probably hadn’t eaten eggs in a long time.

They never even dreamed that Li Jin would make egg pancakes for them—and even sprinkled green onions on top. It was simply too delicious.

One of the older but thinner young men had a look of envy in his eyes.

"Awen, you're really lucky. When you were giving birth, your husband even made egg custard and chicken soup for you. And there was meat in the soup!"

Meat meant a chicken had been slaughtered.

In the village, people only killed chickens for New Year’s or other celebrations.

Or when a wealthy family had a baby boy…

In short, no one would slaughter a chicken just because their wife or husband was giving birth.

At this moment, Qin Muwen didn’t know how to respond. He had no idea why Li Jin was suddenly treating him so well.

Although he was Li Jin’s husband in name, Li Jin had never treated him as a person.

Qin Muwen was also very thin, but he was taller than most other young men. His legs were slim, and his arms were thin, which made his pregnant belly look even bigger.

The bedding under the bed had been removed, leaving only a clean coarse cloth sheet on the wooden planks.

That was because they were afraid he would stain the bedding during childbirth—bloodstained cotton was difficult to wash. So now, he was sitting directly on the hard, cold wooden bed.

Qin Muwen had been sitting like that all morning, his stomach contracting in pain over and over again.

But the baby still showed no signs of coming out.

Xiao An, seeing Qin Muwen’s increasingly sorrowful expression, quickly picked up the chicken soup and said, "Don't be afraid. The baby will come out, and both of you will be fine.

Did you not eat enough of the egg custard earlier? Have some more food, so you’ll have the strength."

In this era, pregnant women in the village didn’t have the concept of feeling nauseous from greasy food.

After all, how often did they even get to see a piece of meat?

But Li Jin had deliberately skimmed off the layer of fat and scum, leaving only the fresh taste of the chicken soup.

The pancakes had soaked up the soup, becoming soft, and when eaten, the aroma of green onions burst in the mouth.

Qin Muwen took a few more bites.

The rich scent of food gradually dispersed the oppressive atmosphere in the room.

If earlier everyone thought Qin Muwen wouldn’t survive, now that idea had completely flipped.

Li Jin took childbirth so seriously—if even the King of Hell came, Li Jin would block him at the door.

Qin Muwen and the baby would definitely be fine.

Meanwhile, Li Jin had quickly washed himself again. This time, he didn’t wash his hair, so it was faster.

Originally, he didn’t even want to put on his dusty outer robe and just wear his underclothes.

But then he remembered that there were three young men in the house. Since this was a world where even men could have children, if he walked out in just his underclothes, it might damage their reputations.

Thinking of this, Li Jin couldn’t help but curse in his heart—what a bizarre world.

Not long after he finished washing, he suddenly heard a heart-wrenching scream.

Li Jin's heart clenched.

As a doctor, he had seen countless births. Many women who couldn’t give birth naturally had to undergo C-sections.

Even when seeing a bloody abdominal cavity during surgery, his heart remained calm.

Because he was used to it.

He could even discuss the procedure with the anesthetist and head nurse afterward, analyzing ways to improve.

But this time was different—his heart was pounding violently.

A vision of the thin, pale young man flashed before his eyes. Li Jin thought he even saw a red mole at the end of the boy’s eyebrow…

Li Jin wasn’t sure if this was just sympathy or something else.

But one thing was certain—he was genuinely concerned about this boy.

After all, Li Jin wasn’t stupid. From the person he met in the ox cart to the way the villagers treated him, it wasn’t hard to guess that the original owner of this body hadn’t been a good person.

Otherwise, the villagers wouldn’t dislike him so much.

If an entire village disliked someone, it meant that person’s character was truly terrible.

And the boy giving birth was so unlucky—he actually married someone like the original owner.

The screams from inside the house grew more and more agonizing.

Li Jin paced back and forth in the courtyard like an anxious husband.

Several times, he wanted to push the door open and rush in, but he was afraid of interrupting the delivery.

So, he forced himself to wait quietly outside.

After about another half-hour, the screams gradually weakened.

Li Jin thought, this must be because the boy wasn’t breathing properly while screaming—he was exhausted now.

He felt that he really couldn’t wait any longer—he had to go in himself.

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Xiao An ran out crying, "Li Jin, Awen can't hold on anymore. Go talk to him a few more times before it's too late..."

The other two ge’ers were also worried that the young man would die in bed—they didn’t want to stay in the same room with a corpse.

So, one after another, they all left.

Li Jin left Xiao An outside as well and went in alone, bolting the door behind him.

On the old, rickety wooden bed lay a young man, his state of life or death uncertain. Li Jin had no time to take a good look at his appearance. He quickly took off his outer coat, leaving only his middle garments, to avoid getting dust on them.

But Li Jin knew the young man wasn’t dead—he was just too weak. His chest, beneath the thin sheet covering him, was still rising and falling.

Li Jin walked to the bedside and frowned. Why was this bed so hard?

He noticed a pile of quilts on a low cabinet nearby, so he grabbed one, spread it out on the bed, and then lifted the young man, placing him on top of the soft padding.

During these movements, the young man's consciousness gradually returned. He saw Li Jin, his gaze dull and lifeless like burnt-out ashes.

"Am I dying?"

Li Jin sat on the edge of the bed, letting him rest his head on his lap. He gently brushed aside the strands of hair damp with sweat and said, "No, with me here, you won’t die."

That was the absolute truth.

Although he had never dealt with Qin Muwen before, he had encountered at least eighty, if not a hundred, similar cases. He was confident that this young man, Awen, wouldn’t die.

Qin Muwen looked up at Li Jin, tears glistening in his eyes. He truly didn’t understand—why had this man changed so suddenly?

Not long ago, he would hit him at the slightest provocation, telling him to hurry up and die so that he could remarry.

And now, he was saying with certainty that he wouldn’t die.

Li Jin quietly observed Qin Muwen as well, feeling a deep sense of guilt.

The young man looked so youthful, barely eighteen at most...

If this were modern times, a boy like him would probably be dominating the basketball court or immersed in gaming.

But in this era, a boy like him was lying in bed, heavily pregnant, asking him, "Am I dying?"

His voice was calm, with no visible attachment to life.

But Li Jin knew—deep down, he must desperately want to live. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have held on until now.

As for why he was so indifferent now... perhaps he had simply accepted his fate.

Honestly, if it were anyone else, they would have hated him to the core by now. But this young man had a kind of resigned acceptance, a quiet submission.

Li Jin felt a pang of sorrow. He gently tidied the young man’s hair and took his hand into his own.

"Don’t rush—giving birth is something that can’t be hurried. Just hold my hand. When I tell you to push, you push. It’s okay if you grip me hard or even dig your nails in—it’ll help you use your strength properly."

Li Jin’s voice no longer carried the usual teasing tone but instead had a calming, reassuring quality.

Qin Muwen held onto Li Jin’s hand with both of his own, clinging to it like a lifeline.

His hands were icy cold, but Li Jin’s were warm. Qin Muwen accidentally touched a blister in his palm.

He remembered Xiao An mentioning that earlier, Li Jin had been worried about the egg custard getting cold, so he had kept his hands wrapped around the bowl to warm it—until he had burned himself.

The blister had burst. It must have hurt.

But when Li Jin met his gaze, he merely smiled and said, "I’m fine, don’t worry."

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