Chapter 385: He Mei Gives Birth
“They just haven’t seen enough darkness. Once they leave, they’ll understand,” Zhuang Mingxu replied, experienced and unbothered by such petty matters. “Don’t waste time on them. Considering the crude oil and the size of the island, giving them a bit of food each is already more than kind.”
Then he called out toward the outside. “Wu Yue!”
“What’s up?” Wu Yue was munching on freshly cooked crawfish, holding half a can of beer in one hand. “Want some? Uncle’s arrival really paid off—I didn’t even know the captain had this stuff stashed.”
“No, thanks. I wanted to ask how the machinery on Petroleum Island is coming along.”
“Ninety percent restored,” Wu Yue laughed. “Han Jing told me those people were planning to ambush them the first night. Han and Lin Mo took a group and executed the six ringleaders on the spot. The rest, terrified, worked nonstop to fix the machines.”
“After our equipment inspectors checked it out, they said that once a few precise components are repaired, it’ll be fully operational. They asked me what power source we’d use to run it.”
Zhuang Mingxu smacked his forehead. “Electricity again? Is there no device that doesn’t require electricity?” The stockpiles of diesel and crude oil they’d collected over the past year barely covered even a single base’s needs. At this rate, they wouldn’t be able to afford electricity for daily use much longer.
Wu Yue just spread his hands—there was nothing he could do.
“Since the repairs are mostly done, have them count how many people are willing to leave. Tell them there’s a team heading to the Capital Base, and they can go back with Lin Mo. If they stay there unwillingly, it’ll just be a hidden danger for our members.”
“Alright, I’ll get on it as soon as possible.”
The two were chatting, not guarding their voices, so Lu Xiao heard it clearly and asked at the door, “You’re taking people back to the Capital Base?”
“Yes,” Wu Yue replied, closing the door for Zhuang Mingxu. “Previously, we discovered a small island with oil reserves. About 300 people lived there. Some of them want to go to Capital Base. We figured we’d let them tag along with you all—it’s like compensation for occupying that island.”
“Sure, if it’s on the way. But we’re not covering food on the road. And as for supplies for entering the Capital Base, we’re only responsible for getting them safely to the base entrance,” Lu Xiao said bluntly. A hundred people was no small burden—he wasn’t generous enough to foot the bill.
“Oh right, and the base fee—we’re not charging for that. I almost forgot,” Wu Yue added.
“Yeah, right. You think I haven’t seen your base contract? Not charging? It’s clearly just an IOU! Even the housing isn’t personally owned—it’s all rented. That means no matter how long they live there, they’re just tenants. What a generous guy you are,” Lu Xiao mocked them.
Wu Yue shrugged and pointed to the bedroom. “This is your nephew’s idea. He says it’s his private island. If you have a problem with it, why don’t you go talk to him? I’d like to buy some property in advance too—renting it out later could earn a little extra cash.”
“I’m in too…” Xu Sa immediately raised his hand.
Ning Yuan looked over eagerly and even nudged Antonio beside him.
“Hm? Me?” Antonio didn’t really blend in. “I like villas. Living on a private island is quite enjoyable.”
“Traitor,” Wu Yue muttered. Then he turned to Lu Xiao again.
Lu Xiao choked a bit, coughed lightly, and headed toward the kitchen. “Uncle Xi, is that spicy crab I’m smelling? Just the smell makes me hungry.”
“Yep. These chili peppers turned out really well. The marinated edamame and peanuts are perfectly seasoned too. Just brought out some good wine.”
“Those are must-have side dishes.”
Xi Shi brought out a small dish from the kitchen while chatting with Lu Xiao.
“Uncle, if you’re eating crab, don’t forget to drink some ginger tea—it’s not good for the stomach,” Zhuang Mingxu came out of the study, rolling his neck.
“Got it.”
He grabbed a pre-packed pouch of ginger tea from the storage cabinet. “I had a few truck containers set up on your trucks. Later, we’ll have water-type ability users freeze them into fridges and send a batch of seafood back for you all—should last a while.”
“That’s great. We’ll actually get to eat meat this winter.”
“Why do I feel like Mingxu’s entire vibe screams bootlicker?” Ning Yuan whispered, eyeing Zhuang Mingxu.
Lu Xiao looked over with a half-smile.
“Future father-in-law. If it were you, you’d do the same,” Wu Yue replied, then quickly added, “Keep your voice down, or else…”
Before he finished, Zhuang Mingxu—who had clearly overheard—smiled and said, “Ning Yuan, your power level is high. Can you help us thicken the ice layer? Much appreciated.”
A chill ran down Ning Yuan’s spine. Every time Zhuang Mingxu schemed something, he got this same feeling. He immediately straightened up. “Don’t worry, I’ll get it done.”
Dinner was set in the courtyard. They casually placed a variety of side dishes on the table, with beer and drinks available as they liked.
They’d barely started eating when Li Zhuang’s walkie-talkie crackled to life, followed by Dong Hongyuan’s voice: “Brother Zhuang, my daughter’s about to give birth. Can you help me call a doctor?”
“Now? Are you sure?” Li Zhuang remembered the hospital said she was only about eight months pregnant during their initial checkup—not full-term yet.
“He Mei fell… Brother Zhuang…” Other than one on-duty surgeon, the hospital had no one available. Dong Hongyuan had no choice but to call Li Zhuang.
“I’ll contact someone right away.” Li Zhuang stood up and looked at Dean, who was already quick to react—though still holding a skewer dripping with sauce.
“I’ve contacted the on-duty police at the station and told them to immediately get the OB-GYN doctor back. The hospital equipment is sufficient for surgery if needed,” Zhuang Mingxu had already contacted the nearest on-duty officer and told them to bring the doctor directly from their residence.
“Thanks.” Li Zhuang ran to the electric scooter parked in the corner of the courtyard. Dean followed right behind, and Antonio trailed behind, casually picking up their table’s skewers in the same bowl.
As he jumped on the scooter, he called to Gu Qingyue at the table, “Qingyue, eat from the next table.”
Gu Qingyue was still holding a dripping skewer: “…”
The base hospital didn’t have an obstetrics department. After He Mei arrived, Li Zhuang had temporarily transferred Song Qin, Zhong Qi’s wife, from surgery to OB to care for her until the baby came.
Who would’ve thought it would be so soon.
By the time Li Zhuang arrived, Song Qin was already there, preparing instruments in the setup OR. He Mei was hooked up to various machines, a brocade scarf covering her face. It was infused with mutated climbing ivy flower extract as an anesthetic. Clear signs of amniotic fluid mixed with blood were visible on the operating table.
Seeing Dean enter, she looked at the tense Dong Hongyuan watching the monitor and said, “We’re starting surgery. Please wait outside. Also bring in the prepared baby supplies. Ask around to see if the base has an infant incubator to improve the survival rate of premature babies.”
“My daughter is going to die?” The usually dull Dong Hongyuan suddenly looked murderous, as if Song Qin gave the wrong answer he might attack.
Li Zhuang gave him a pat and said to Song Qin, “Got it. I’ll go look now.”
“You didn’t prepare baby blankets and such? What about formula and bottles?” Li Zhuang asked Dong Hongyuan.
Dong Hongyuan shook his head—how would he know? “Don’t women all have milk?”
“Tch.” Li Zhuang motioned for him to leave, then turned to Song Qin, “I’ll go get them now. Do your best to save the baby.”
Song Qin understood how important this child was—not just to Dong Hongyuan, but even to their entire base. She nodded at the reminder.
Although Dong Hongyuan appeared calm, he was actually at a total loss. Li Zhuang had Antonio, who was eating skewers outside the operating room, keep an eye on him while he returned to the central island.
He had Lu Weiyi bring a neonatal incubator from the lab, and borrowed a full set of baby supplies from Yin Jin. No one had really prepared for an infant, so Qin Nian, being the first baby around, had benefited—Xi Shi had already found a bunch of supplies for him in the warehouse.
When Li Zhuang returned to the operating room, a baby’s cries could already be heard from inside. He handed over the clothes, and soon enough, a red, wrinkly baby was carried out.
Dong Hongyuan’s hands were stiff like a robot’s. In the end, it was Li Zhuang who carried the child over to him. Of course, he wouldn’t admit that this technique was something he secretly learned from taking care of Qin Nian.
“She… she’s beautiful,” Dong Hongyuan said with a goofy smile.
Antonio leaned over to take a look, then gave Dong Hongyuan a pitying look, as if to say the man might have vision issues.
Li Zhuang had seen how much Qin Nian changed in just a month, so he said nothing. With help from the medical staff, he placed the baby into the pre-warmed incubator, then asked about the cause of the premature birth.
“Some woman from the island came to see her. I don’t know what she said, but He Mei was visibly shaken and ended up falling,” Dong Hongyuan explained. After confirming He Mei was emotionally stable, he had gone back to sea with the base’s fishing boat to catch seafood—never expecting something like this to happen.
“It’s probably about the team that’s leaving for Capital Base in the next few days. A few of the women want to go with them,” Antonio offered, having overheard Bai Miao complaining earlier.
“You really messed up. You knew how dangerous the final months of pregnancy are. Why did you still go out to sea? Didn’t I give you crystal cores? And the base provided a lot of extra food—it should’ve been enough for a while,” Li Zhuang criticized.
Dong Hongyuan pressed one large hand against the incubator, looking like a panicked gorilla. “I just wanted to save more for the baby.”
Li Zhuang didn’t say anything more. A couple of minutes later, Dean finished his task and left the hospital with Antonio, still eating skewers.
“I’ve had her injuries healed. The Capital Base convoy should be leaving in the next few days. What do you plan to do?” Li Zhuang asked Dong Hongyuan as they waited for He Mei to come out of surgery.
“I’ll leave it up to her,” Dong Hongyuan said, his expression giving away nothing about how he felt toward He Mei.
“Life outside… it’s not that easy.” Especially since He Mei, while unhappy with her current situation, was clearly being well cared for by Dong Hongyuan. A pretty woman without skills—her fate out there was easy to predict.
“Mm,” Dong Hongyuan responded with a grunt, saying no more.
