Chapter 1 — My Mother-in-Law Forced Me to Give Birth at Home

The red streak on the bedsheets pierced my eyes like a dagger. I froze for a few long seconds, my fingers slowly tightening into fists. I had returned. I had truly returned. The freezing numbness of death from my previous life seemed still to linger deep within my bones. My child was gone. I had perished as well. Yet now, I could still hear the steady rhythm of my own heartbeat. Outside, footsteps sounded. Zhao Chunping pushed the door open, carrying a bowl of dark brown herbal medicine. A pungent, bitter odor instantly filled the air.

“You’ve spotted blood, haven’t you? Don’t panic, first-time labors never progress that quickly.”

She placed the bowl on the bedside table with the practiced, assured tone of an experienced physician.

“I just brewed some labor-inducing decoction. Drink it, and your cervix will dilate quickly so you won’t have to suffer.”

I did not touch the bowl. Reaching under my pillow, I grabbed my phone and immediately dialed the emergency services. Zhao Chunping’s expression shifted abruptly.

“What are you doing?”

The call connected, and I turned on the speakerphone.

“Hello, I am thirty-nine weeks pregnant. My prenatal checkups indicated a transverse lie and umbilical cord complications. I have just experienced bloody show along with contractions, and I need an ambulance.”

Zhao Chunping lunged forward to snatch my phone. Anticipating her move, I leaned away and casually hit record on the video camera. The lens pointed squarely at her face.

“Mother, if you grab for it again, the emergency dispatcher will hear everything.”

Her hand froze mid-air. The operator on the other end requested our address. I quickly provided the name of the residential complex, building number, and apartment unit, then added a crucial sentence:

“My family members are actively preventing me from seeking medical attention. Please make a note of this.”

Zhao Chunping’s eyes instantly turned red.

“Wen Tang! Do you guard against me as if I were a common thief?”

I hung up the emergency call and immediately initiated a video chat with my husband, Tan Yanzhou. When the connection established, he had clearly just concluded a meeting. A hotel corridor was visible behind him, his suit jacket draped over his arm.

“Tang Tang?”

I looked at him, my voice completely calm.

“I’ve had my bloody show. The doctor explicitly stated that my condition cannot be delayed. I’ve already called an ambulance; you need to come back right now.”

Tan Yanzhou’s face drained of color.

“I am booking a car immediately. Don’t be afraid, and don’t hang up.”

Hearing this, Zhao Chunping shouldered her way in front of the screen.

“Yanzhou, don’t listen to her scare tactics! Spotting blood is completely normal. She’s just frightened by the hospital.”

Tan Yanzhou frowned deeply.

“Mother, didn’t Dr. Luo make it clear? She cannot afford to wait at home.”

“You believe whatever a doctor tells you? Is a doctor your own mother?”

Zhao Chunping’s voice shot up in pitch.

“When I gave birth to you, there was nobody to rush me to the hospital, and didn’t I deliver you just fine? Young people nowadays are truly fragile; the moment they feel a tiny cramp, they want the whole household in an uproar.”

I pulled back the blanket, preparing to get out of bed. My abdomen felt overwhelmingly heavy, a suffocating tightness radiating through my lower back and stomach as wave after wave of contractions rolled over me. Zhao Chunping blocked my path.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To wait for the ambulance downstairs.”

“Even if the ambulance arrives, you aren’t going anywhere.”

She turned toward the door, and with a sharp click, she locked the bedroom door from the outside. I stared at her.

“You locked the door?”

“I am afraid you will run around aimlessly.”

Clutching the key tightly, she spoke with an air of absolute righteousness.

“Your pregnancy is too advanced now, and your emotions are unstable. I will make this decision on your behalf.”

In my past life, she had done the exact same thing. First, she claimed she would decide for me, and then she insisted that everything was for my own good. Ultimately, she used my life to prove her so-called experience. Tan Yanzhou roared through the video call:

“Mother! Unlock the door!”

Zhao Chunping’s expression darkened.

“You work hard to earn money outside, and I am simply trying to save you from running back and forth. Yet instead of thanking me, you turn around and scold me?”

As she spoke, she picked up the bowl of medicine once more.

“Tang Tang, drink it. Mother guarantees you will have a smooth delivery.”

I stared fixedly at the bowl.

“What is inside this?”

“Brown sugar, ginger, motherwort, and some traditional herbs from an old family remedy.”

Tan Yanzhou’s voice altered instantly.

“Motherwort? She is in no condition to casually consume anything that promotes blood circulation!”

Zhao Chunping laughed coldly.

“What does a man like you know? The online childbirth experts all say that taking a little right before labor helps tremendously.”

I stopped arguing with her. I quickly sent my prenatal reports, ultrasound images of the fetal position, and the doctor’s strict instructions to both Tan Yanzhou and my best friend, Su Le, along with our precise location. The moment the messages went through, Zhao Chunping noticed. She lunged forward to snatch my phone. I pressed the device against my chest while using my other hand to protect my abdomen.

“If you dare touch me, I will immediately scream for help.”

She lowered her voice, her gaze venomous.

“Don’t push your luck. This house is not a place where you can cause scenes as you please.”

My abdomen suddenly hardened. The pain hit me so violently that I doubled over, my breathing instantly turning chaotic. Upon seeing this, far from panicking, Zhao Chunping wore an expression of profound satisfaction.

“Look, it has started.”

“Listen to Mother, don’t go to the hospital anymore.”

Ten minutes later, intense banging echoed from the front door.

“Wen Tang! Open the door!”

It was Su Le. Tears nearly sprang to my eyes. I screamed toward the door:

“My mother-in-law locked the bedroom door from the outside!”

Zhao Chunping’s face stiffened, and she immediately shrieked back:

“Who are you, an outsider, coming to my home? Banging on someone else’s door in the middle of the night, do you have any manners at all?”

Su Le’s voice was icy.

“I have already called the police and notified building management. You had better open this door right this second.”

Zhao Chunping’s face turned pale. She hurried out of the bedroom and peered through the security screen of the front door. I heard her lower her voice to a venomous hiss in the living room:

“Su Le, do not meddle in other people’s business. Wen Tang is my daughter-in-law; family matters are not your place to interfere.”

Su Le did not back down.

“She sent me her location and medical reports. She needs to get to a hospital immediately.”

“What hospital? Have you ever given birth? What do you know about it?”

Before Zhao Chunping could finish, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed in the hallway. My heart sank. Moments later, several women crowded into the living room. Some wore loose linen dresses, others carried large tote bags, and one even hauled a large thermos and plastic containers. In my past life, I had met every single one of them. They were the “midwifery sisterhood” from Zhao Chunping’s short-video circle. They all claimed to be experienced mothers, seasoned mothers-in-law, and advocates for natural home births. In my previous life, they had sat in front of their screens directing Zhao Chunping:

“Don’t rush her to the hospital.”

“When the parturient cries out in pain, it’s just normal detoxification.”

“If the baby is stuck, just change her position.”

And when I ultimately died, they commented in their group chat:

“Everyone’s physical constitution is different; you can’t blame experience.”

The woman in the lead was named Liu Fengchi. The moment she entered, she looked Su Le up and down, her tone dismissive.

“Young lady, another family is welcoming a baby, why are you sticking your nose in?”

Su Le stood her ground before the bedroom door.

“She has an abnormal fetal presentation, and she has already called for an ambulance.”

Liu Fengchi chuckled.

“Young people these days are easily frightened by doctors. So what if the presentation isn’t favorable? I’ve seen countless babies turn themselves around naturally.”

Another stout woman chimed in.

“Hospitals love using the word ‘danger’ to scare people. In the end, they force a C-section just to line their own pockets.”

Su Le immediately pulled out her phone.

“I have already called the police, so the lot of you can keep running your mouths.”

Hearing the word police, Zhao Chunping immediately burst into tears.

“Everyone look at this! My daughter-in-law’s best friend is bullying an old woman! I had kind intentions to care for an expectant mother, and she insists on accusing me of trying to harm someone!”

Liu Fengchi patted her shoulder.

“Chunping, don’t be afraid. We are all here.”

She turned her head and shouted toward the bedroom:

“Are you Wen Tang? For a woman giving birth, a calm mindset is paramount. Being this high-strung is bad for the baby.”

I said coldly:

“My doctor instructed me to be hospitalized immediately.”

“If the doctor tells you to get a C-section, you just blindly follow? Aren’t you thinking of your child?”

Liu Fengchi frowned.

“Babies born naturally have stronger lungs and higher intelligence. C-section babies miss the compression through the birth canal, and their constitutions are weaker afterward.”

Cold sweat poured continuously down my face from the agonizing pain, but I kept my phone’s audio recorder running.

“Do you possess a medical license?”

Her expression darkened.

“What kind of tone is that? We came here out of pure kindness to help you.”

Su Le laughed coldly.

“Kind enough to drag a whole group storming into someone’s home in the middle of the night and block emergency services?”

Zhao Chunping immediately shrieked:

“I invited them here! Is there anything wrong with inviting experienced people to help?”

Just as Su Le opened her mouth to retort, Zhao Chunping suddenly rushed forward and shoved her.

“Get out of here!”

Su Le stumbled backward, her back crashing hard against the shoe cabinet. My heart clenched.

“Su Le!”

Another contraction wracked my body. It was far heavier than the previous one, feeling as though a giant hand inside me was violently twisting my insides. Clutching the headboard, the pain made my vision go completely black. Zhao Chunping acted as though she had finally secured her proof, immediately declaring:

“Look at that! The contractions have arrived! Going to the hospital now would actually be dangerous. What if she delivers halfway there?”

Liu Fengchi immediately clapped her hands.

“That’s right, handle things at home first. Wait until the cervix is dilated enough before considering anything else.”

I gritted my teeth.

“No, I have to go to the hospital.”

Zhao Chunping walked over to the bed, her expression turning abruptly cold and unyielding.

“Labor has already commenced, stop making a scene.”

Su Le rushed over to support me.

“Wen Tang, don’t be afraid. The police and the ambulance are both on their way.”

Liu Fengchi blocked her path, a malicious glint in her eyes.

“Young lady, if you truly wish her well, stop agitating the laboring mother.”

Zhao Chunping raised the bowl of medicine once more.

“Tang Tang, drink it.”

I stared at her, chilled to the bone. In this life, she was still determined to drive me to my grave.

The waves of pain struck with increasing frequency and ferocity.