Chapter 129: Sun Xiaojing’s Secret

“Deep breath! Jiang Yuan! Quick! Deep breath! Exhale... inhale... very good, again... exhale... inhale... excellent, excellent! I can see the baby’s head!”

At this moment, Jiang Yuan was in remarkably good condition, as if infused with immense strength. Each contraction matched perfectly, her efforts precise and timely.

Following the obstetrics director’s instructions, she maintained the rhythm of exhaling and inhaling. Though the pain below was still unbearable, Jiang Yuan gritted her teeth, silently repeating, “My child must be safe and healthy,” while continuing to breathe and push.

Zhong Xiao held Jiang Yuan’s hand tightly, seemingly offering moral support, but in truth, carefully channeling the essence of the Spirit Spring to aid her.

“The baby’s head is out! Keep going! One more push!”

Zuo Lan’s voice carried rare excitement. Everyone in the delivery room held their breath.

Jiang Yuan clenched her teeth and let out one final, all-out scream, accompanied by the piercing cry of a newborn—

“Waaah, waaah, waaah!”

The cry was loud and full of vitality, instantly dispelling the tension in the room.

“He’s born! He’s born! A big, healthy boy!”

The midwife happily announced the news, swiftly cutting the umbilical cord and bringing the little one, covered in vernix but full of life, to Jiang Yuan’s eyes.

Jiang Yuan was utterly exhausted, collapsing onto the delivery bed. She watched her son wave his tiny fists and cry with all his might, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

Outside the delivery room, Song Yanzhou, hearing the baby’s cry, felt his heart finally calm down. But the next moment, his anxiety deepened.

“When we came to the hospital, Zuo Lan said the baby was in the wrong position. Now that the baby is out, how is Jiang Yuan doing?”

Song Tingshen seemed to read his thoughts and patted his shoulder. “Brother, don’t worry. Your wife’s voice was strong just now, she must be fine.”

Sure enough, minutes later, Zuo Lan and Zhong Xiao emerged from the delivery room, their faces glowing with happiness and excitement.

“She’s delivered! Your wife had a big, healthy boy! Both mother and child are safe! The baby weighs over seven jin, almost eight! It was agony for your wife, she was in so much pain!”

Song Yanzhou, still basking in the joy of becoming a father, immediately sobered at Zhong Xiao’s words about Jiang Yuan’s pain and asked anxiously, “Is Jiang Yuan… is she okay?”

Zhong Xiao smiled. “Your wife is fine. She’s definitely in pain, but thankfully all her vital signs are normal. She’s getting stitches now—just a minor tear. It’s much better than we expected. Don’t worry yet.”

Song Yanzhou’s heart ached.

He knew Jiang Yuan was very sensitive to pain; even minor bumps could make her cry for several minutes.

But tonight, the pain she endured was the most extreme any human could foresee.

Soon after, a nurse came in carrying the swaddled infant.

The little fellow was red and wrinkled. After crying earlier, he was now unusually quiet, opening his bright black eyes, curiously taking in the world.

Song Yanzhou carefully cradled the soft new life in his arms.

His heart filled with infinite gratitude and emotion for the woman who had risked everything to bring their son into the world.

The nurse smiled. “This little guy is really sharp. I’ve delivered many babies, and most don’t open their eyes for hours. But this one? He opened them not long after crying. Look at those big eyes—he’s definitely going to be a handsome young man!”

Song Yanzhou looked at his son and whispered, “Just safe and healthy.”

Although the child was safely delivered, Jiang Yuan remained weak. Zuo Lan and the medical staff continued to monitor her condition.

Their son was held by Song Qingfeng, the usually stern and iron-willed commander. Yet when he saw his grandson, a rare tenderness and emotion shone in his eyes, unlike anything before.

Song Tingshen noticed his father’s expression and felt a stir in his heart.

He had always thought his father was an excellent commander but not a good father—otherwise, how could he have turned his guns on his own son?

But seeing this scene, he couldn’t help but feel moved. Perhaps... there was some hidden reason behind his father’s actions long ago. Yet over the years, he never asked, and his father never explained.

Perhaps sensing Song Tingshen’s gaze, Song Qingfeng looked over, but Song Tingshen quickly averted his eyes, as if the glance had never happened.

Zhong Xiao, unaware of the exchange between father and son, casually asked, “Brother, what happened to your wife today? Why did she suddenly go into labor?”

Song Yanzhou replied, “She started feeling stomach pain during dinner. I wanted to take her to the hospital, but she said it was still early before her due date, and late pregnancy cramps are normal—she thought a good night’s sleep would help. But then the pain became unbearable, and her water broke. That’s when we rushed here.”

Zhong Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. “Luckily your parents were home to get her to the hospital; otherwise, today would have been dangerous.”

Song Qingfeng suddenly seemed to remember something. He looked up and said, “I was on duty at the office today. Your mother was probably still in surgery and only just got off the operating table. At home, it was just you two.”

Zhong Xiao sat upright and asked Song Yanzhou, “Was it the hospital nurses who brought your wife in?”

At that moment, Nurse Wang Xiaojuan said, “No, I think we picked up Comrade Jiang Yuan halfway here. At that time...”

Her voice trailed off as she looked fearfully at Song Yanzhou, who sat in a wheelchair.

She clearly remembered when they met Jiang Yuan on the way, Song Yanzhou was carrying her, rushing toward the hospital.

Yes, that was right—Song Yanzhou hadn’t been in a wheelchair but was running.

Song Tingshen and Zhong Xiao instantly sensed something amiss and stared in shock at Song Yanzhou. “Brother, your... your legs...”

Only then did Song Yanzhou seem to recall.

The situation had been so urgent he had almost forgotten.

He had indeed run here, carrying Jiang Yuan.

Upon hearing her water broke and that no one was home, he was frantic. He didn’t even know how he managed to stand, as if some primal force had propelled him out of bed and toward the hospital.

Only after handing Jiang Yuan to the nurses halfway did his body give out, collapsing to the ground.

The wheelchair had been fetched by a patrolling guard in the family quarters, who found him collapsed and helped him back to retrieve it.

Had Zhong Xiao not asked, he might have forgotten that he had stood up from the wheelchair to carry his pregnant wife to the hospital.

Song Qingfeng was visibly moved. “You... you stood up? Your legs are better?”

Song Yanzhou said nothing but tried to stand again from the wheelchair.

No matter how hard he tried, his legs remained weak. He couldn’t stand.

He sighed. “Maybe the urgency triggered my subconscious, letting me stand briefly. It was probably just a coincidence.”

The light in his eyes dimmed.

For a moment, he’d thought he might stand again.

But after trying for a while, he had to admit it was just his body’s desperate reaction in a crisis.

His legs were still not normal.

Only Zhong Xiao looked genuinely pleased.

She knew this wasn’t merely a matter of latent potential. It was partly thanks to the treatments she had been secretly administering to Song Yanzhou.

Otherwise, after years of paralysis, even with a surge of energy, his atrophied muscles could not have supported him to stand and carry a pregnant woman to the hospital.

This meant his muscles had largely recovered, and with her ongoing treatments to his nerves and spine, he was now able to stand.

The effect might only last a while, but as she continued, Song Yanzhou would one day stand again for good.

The Song family spent the entire night at the hospital.

The next day, Song Tingshen told Zhong Xiao to go rest.

Before leaving, Jiang Yuan suddenly opened her eyes and called Zhong Xiao back. Turning, Zhong Xiao saw Jiang Yuan weakly smiling. “Yanzhou, Tingshen, could you two step outside for a moment? I want to talk to Xiao Xiao.”

Once they left, Zhong Xiao sat by Jiang Yuan’s bedside and asked, “What’s wrong, sister-in-law?”

Jiang Yuan’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Zhong Xiao.

They shared a long gaze, filled with an unspoken understanding.

Softly, Jiang Yuan said, “Xiao Xiao, I was able to deliver safely because of you, right?”

No one else might know, but Jiang Yuan was certain everything had happened while Zhong Xiao was by her side, touching her belly.

Back then, overwhelmed by nerves and fear, she hadn’t noticed those subtle touches.

Now, fully conscious and reflecting on the delivery and the mysterious power she’d felt, Jiang Yuan refused to believe it was mere coincidence.

Hearing Jiang Yuan’s question, which was more of a statement, Zhong Xiao, now family, felt no need to keep secrets.

“Yes, sister-in-law. You might find this unbelievable, but I have a family heirloom with many inexplicable powers. I only recently discovered it myself. Simply put, I possess a mental space containing various items with different effects—some heal, some strengthen, and some... like today, helped you turn danger into safety. Only I can access and use what’s inside. Your situation was so urgent, I had to use the Spirit Spring inside to assist you.”

Zhong Xiao finished nervously, watching Jiang Yuan’s reaction.

Such a claim was extraordinary, especially in this materialistic age—it could lead to being branded crazy, or worse.

Yet Jiang Yuan, tears in her eyes, grasped Zhong Xiao’s hand.

She said, “Xiao Xiao, I don’t care whether it’s gods or this space. I only know you saved me and my child today. And I also know, these past months, you’ve been secretly helping your brother with his leg, haven’t you?”

While getting stitches, Jiang Yuan overheard Zhong Xiao and Song Yanzhou talking outside and recalled how Song Yanzhou had stood from his wheelchair to carry her to the hospital. It all made sense now, combined with Zhong Xiao’s explanation. Jiang Yuan’s decision was clear—it was all thanks to Zhong Xiao.

Zhong Xiao smiled. “Sister-in-law, you see right through me.”

Jiang Yuan was at a loss for words. Her husband’s legs, her health, and her baby’s safety—all owed to this woman.

She didn’t even know that without Zhong Xiao, it might have been a tragedy.

Jiang Yuan promised, “Xiao Xiao, don’t worry. Whatever you’ve told me today, as long as you don’t say a word, I won’t tell anyone. Not even your brother. I’ll keep your secret.”

Though not clever, Jiang Yuan understood that if others knew of Zhong Xiao’s abilities, she might be accused of superstition or sorcery, causing trouble.

So she vowed to protect Zhong Xiao’s secret.

Time passed swiftly, and soon Jiang Yuan left confinement.

Their son’s nickname was Song Manman; his formal name had yet to be chosen.

Jiang Yuan insisted that Zhong Xiao pick a beautiful name later, and everyone agreed.

Everyone seemed to silently acknowledge that if Zhong Xiao hadn’t stayed by Jiang Yuan’s side during delivery, the child might not have been born so safely.

Zhong Xiao herself was unsure what name to give and said there was no rush; whenever inspiration came, she would choose one.

In the meantime, aside from cooking at home, Zhong Xiao devoted her time to a plot of land she had applied for.

She planned to use the Spirit Spring from her mental space to revitalize the soil, planting vegetables and grains.

This way, they wouldn’t need to buy produce daily from the market, and she could sell surplus crops to the wives in the family quarters, sharing the nourishing food grown with the Spirit Spring, improving everyone’s health and spreading blessings.

It was another way to accumulate merit points.

Since helping Jiang Yuan deliver safely, Zhong Xiao’s merit points had already surpassed ten thousand.

After all, she hadn’t just saved a life; she had welcomed a new one.

Bringing new life was worth more than a thousand merits.

But Zhong Xiao hadn’t expected that one day, after sowing seeds and resting beneath a large tree, she would suddenly hear a familiar female voice nearby:

“System, what is going on? You have to give me an explanation!”

Startled, Zhong Xiao turned to see Sun Xiaojing standing on a ridge not far off.

This was a remote area, the northernmost part of the family quarters, mostly barren land, with Baiyun Mountain just beyond—rarely visited.

If Zhong Xiao hadn’t taken this parcel for farming, she wouldn’t have come here either.

Unexpectedly, she found Sun Xiaojing speaking aloud to herself.

Sun Xiaojing’s tone was sharp. “System, you brought me to this world. The novel’s heroine is supposed to be me, but now it’s Zhong Xiao. Everyone in the Song family treats her so well, and I can’t even find a chance to stir trouble or cause divisions. Today, I just mentioned to Commander Song that Zhong Xiao keeps calling Song Tingshen home for meals, affecting his work, and I got scolded for it. They said marital stability is crucial not only for the country but also the military district, and that I should mind my place and not overstep.”

“If this keeps up, how can I complete my storyline and tasks from the book? How can I get my rewards? I’m living alone in this unfamiliar era, and I’m going crazy! Either send me back to my original time or make Zhong Xiao disappear! In the original story, she was just a disposable fiancée who abandoned Song Tingshen for a scumbag and ended up with no place to rest in death. Why is she living so well now?”

Sun Xiaojing’s words instantly answered Zhong Xiao’s earlier doubts about her.

She had found Sun Xiaojing’s gaze strange, unlike that of someone her age in this era, but had dismissed it as overthinking.

Now she understood it all had a traceable cause.

She realized Sun Xiaojing wasn’t from this era; her entire life seemed scripted from a book, like a serialized novel.

And Zhong Xiao’s role was, in fact, the disposable fiancée Sun Xiaojing mentioned.

Hearing that Sun Xiaojing was supposed to abandon Song Tingshen for a scoundrel and end up dead and forgotten, Zhong Xiao’s heart jolted—

That was her past life.