Chapter 6 — My Mother-in-Law Forced Me to Give Birth at Home

Given her current condition, lingering at home any longer posed an extraordinarily high risk. Last night, the two of you gambled with two human lives.

Chunbin Zhao muttered in a low, resentful voice, How could things possibly be such a coincidence...

Yanzhou Qin heavily slammed his phone down onto the tabletop.

Enough.

From this moment onward, mother no longer holds any right to speak regarding the medical decisions for Tang Wen and the child.

Chunbin snapped her head up.

I am your mother!

You nearly killed her!

This single sentence utterly shattered the aggrieved facade on Chunbin’s face. Her gaze shifted instantly from shock to venomous hatred.

Tang Wen, are you satisfied now?

I looked at her with calm detachment.

Not yet satisfied.

I still want her to delete the video, issue a public apology, pay compensation, and face formal investigation.

She burst out into a harsh laugh.

You are merely a daughter-in-law, yet you wish to drive your mother-in-law to her death?

Right at that moment, Doctor Luo walked in holding the latest test results.

The fetal heart rate is fluctuating more violently than yesterday, and the uterine contractions are growing progressively stronger. My recommendation is to proceed with the surgery as soon as possible.

Yanzhou immediately looked at me. He did not make the decision for me, nor did he refuse on my behalf. He simply reached out and firmly grasped my hand.

You decide.

I drew a deep, steady breath.

I consent to the surgery.

As if she had been stepped on the tail, Chunbin sprang up violently.

Absolutely not!

Everyone turned to stare at her. She pointed a trembling finger at me and shrieked hysterically.

A C-section will leave scars, damage your fundamental constitution, and make the child weak! What will you do if you want to have a second child in the future?

I stared straight into her eyes, articulating each word with chilling clarity:

My body is not yours to arrange.

She attempted to lunge forward, but the security guards swiftly intercepted her. I picked up the pen and signed my name on the surgical consent form.

The surgery was scheduled for ten o’clock in the morning. At half-past nine, the corridor outside the treatment ward suddenly grew noisy. Barred from entering the inpatient rooms, Chunbin had somehow summoned a horde of distant relatives. She stood right in the middle of the hallway, wearing a paper sign hung around her neck. Written upon it were the words:

I was wrong, please give your mother-in-law a chance.

With a heavy thud, she dropped directly to her knees. A crowd immediately gathered around them.

What is going on here?

The mother-in-law has already knelt down, yet the daughter-in-law still refuses to come out?

Chunbin wept until her voice grew hoarse and cracked.

Tang, I was wrong. I should not have been so impatient, nor should I have made arbitrary decisions for you.

But you cannot let your resentment drive you into stubbornly choosing a C-section out of spite.

She pulled a folded sheet of paper from her chest and held it up with both hands.

Sign this, and I will stay right by your side to help you through a natural birth. I swear I will not cause any more trouble.

Yanzhou snatched the paper from her hands. Scrawled across it were the words:

I myself voluntarily prioritize a natural birth, refuse any unnecessary surgical intervention, and assume full personal responsibility for all ensuing consequences.

At the bottom, my full name and ID number had even been pre-printed. Only my signature was missing. Looking at that paper, I nearly laughed aloud. She was offering no apology whatsoever. She was merely devising a new method to shift all liability onto me. Once I signed, any disaster that befell me would be officially classified as my own voluntary choice. Le was so furious she began to curse aloud:

Chunbin Zhao, you truly are utterly shameless. Even kneeling on the ground, you still do not forget to dig a grave for others.

Onlookers began to murmur among themselves in low tones.

A C-section is indeed something that requires careful consideration.

An elderly person has already lowered herself to this extent, there is no need to be so heartless.

After all, family members only ever want what is best for the child.

I pulled out my phone and switched on the voice recorder.

Chunbin Zhao, are you now demanding that a parturient woman with a transverse lie, already in active labor, defy medical advice and sign a waiver forcing a natural birth?

Chunbin’s weeping abruptly halted.

I am not demanding anything, I am merely begging her to trust me one more time.

I refuse to trust you.

Her tears flowed even more profusely.

I have already knelt down before you!

You are not kneeling for me; you are kneeling to gamble with my life.

Doctor Luo hurried over, snatched the paper from Yanzhou’s hand, scanned it, and instantly tore it into shreds.

Who gave you the authorization to write such trash?

Chunbin choked out a sob.

I only wanted her to consider things carefully...

Doctor Luo replied with freezing severity:

She is listening to the professional evaluation of the obstetrics department and signing the surgical consent form—that is what is truly called careful consideration.

A transverse lie cannot be delivered naturally simply through sheer willpower. By forcing her to sign this, are you trying to delay her treatment, or are you simply attempting to shirk responsibility?

Chunbin’s face turned thoroughly ashen. The wheeled stretcher was pushed forward by the nurses. I was transferred onto it and wheeled toward the surgical wing. Yanzhou leaned down closely, looking into my eyes.

I will wait for you outside.

I nodded. Just before the elevator doors slid shut, I caught sight of Chunbin standing behind the crowd, her head bowed as her fingers danced frantically across her phone screen. A chilling sense of foreboding crept up the length of my spine. Chunbin still had not given up. She dragged over a woman dressed in a white lab coat, charging straight toward the entrance of the treatment ward while broadcasting live on her phone.

Everyone, we are currently live from the hospital. A young mother is being forcefully pushed into the operating room right now. We must help her protect her fundamental right to a natural childbirth!

Le stepped forward, blocking the doorway.

Do you even possess a medical license?

The woman shoved her phone closer, thrusting it into Le’s face.

I have spent ten years providing guidance for home births. The number of pregnant women I have assisted far exceeds the amount of salt you have ever consumed.

Doctor Luo locked eyes with the security guards and gave a sharp, decisive nod.