Newborn 1927

The next day, Yang Jiefang and Jiang Xiaojun went out hand in hand, first visiting Gao Huilan and her granddaughter at the hospital. The Black Widow's work at the Civil Affairs Department was now running smoothly, and she wasn't too busy. She was happy to have some free time, taking care of Gao Huilan and her granddaughter at the hospital. After chatting casually for a few minutes, as they were leaving the ward, Jiang Xiaojun suddenly said, "Since we're at the hospital, I'd like to go see Dr. Sun for a pulse check." Yang Jiefang asked, "Are you feeling unwell?" Jiang Xiaojun replied, "Nothing's wrong, it's just that my period is late by many days. I don't know if I'm pregnant?" Yang Jiefang was delighted and said, "Then I'll go with you."

At that time, urine pregnancy tests hadn't been invented yet. Western medicine had no way to detect early pregnancy; traditional Chinese medicine, especially pulse diagnosis, was much more accurate. Yang Jiefang accompanied Jiang Xiaojun to the traditional Chinese medicine department. There were quite a few people seeing doctors, and Yang Jiefang wanted to wait in line, but the other patients wouldn't dare let them wait. Dr. Sun even personally came out and invited them in.

Yang Jiefang couldn't help but lament that once people have power, they inevitably enjoy the benefits that come with privileges. How difficult it is to truly achieve equality for all!

Dr. Sun carefully took Jiang Xiaojun's pulse and then smiled, "Congratulations, Commander! Congratulations, Madam Jiang! This is a pregnancy pulse." Jiang Xiaojun was overjoyed. She had previously held some prejudice against traditional Chinese medicine, but now she trusted it completely. Dr. Sun then mentioned some taboos for early pregnancy. Jiang Xiaojun carefully wrote them down. After they left the consultation room and seeing that no one was around, Jiang Xiaojun whispered, "The doctor said we should abstain from sexual activity. I can forgive you for not knowing last night, but don't come into my room again!" Yang Jiefang smiled wryly. Was he about to be relegated to the sidelines?

Just as Yang Jiefang was about to leave the hospital, he saw Liu Yamei returning with medical staff on rounds, so he waved to her. Liu Yamei came over and asked, "What's up? Speak quickly, I'm busy here." Before Yang Jiefang could answer, Jiang Xiaojun spoke first, "Dean Liu, I'm pregnant." Liu Yamei smiled and said, "Congratulations!" Then she glanced at Yang Jiefang, knowing that he wouldn't have come to see her specifically for this.

Yang Jiefang asked, "Sister Liu, what good methods do you Western medicine doctors have for early pregnancy testing?" Liu Yamei shook her head and said, "We can only estimate based on menstrual cycles; there's no way to confirm pregnancy." Yang Jiefang said, "I heard a story when I was little about a pregnant woman who urinated in a puddle. Coincidentally, there was a toad in that puddle, and the toad suddenly laid eggs. Isn't that strange?"

Liu Yamei clearly understood his implied meaning and said, "You mean to say that pregnant women's urine is different from normal people's, and that it can cause toads to lay eggs?" Yang Jiefang said, "That's just my guess. You're a professional gynecologist, and you're often in contact with pregnant women. My idea is, could we conduct specialized analysis and research on pregnant women's urine? Could we test for any components that are different from normal urine? If so, could we verify it using some special reagents or test strips?"

Without needing to be too technical, Liu Yamei understood his intention and smiled, "So you've provided another research direction, haven't you?" Yang Jiefang replied, "It's just a conjecture. Actually, many women want to know as soon as possible whether they're pregnant. If there were a scientific method for testing, wouldn't that solve a lot of women's worries?" Liu Yamei nodded, "This method can also be used to rule out menstrual irregularities, so they don't worry unnecessarily! Okay, leave this to me!"

For Yang Jiefang, this was just a casual remark; whether or not he could develop the testing stick was of little concern. After saying this, he was about to leave with Jiang Xiaojun when Liu Yamei continued, "The clinical trials of penicillin have yielded results. The efficacy is good, but some people experienced adverse reactions. This shows that the drug's efficacy is still difficult to control." Yang Jiefang naturally knew this was an allergic reaction. He then said, "That means it can be used on those who don't have adverse reactions!" Liu Yamei asked, "But how do we determine who can use it?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Before injection, we can try a small dose first. If there are no adverse reactions, then it can be used normally, right?" Liu Yamei nodded, "We can try it. I'll talk to Tang Feifan about it later. If it's feasible, we can mass-produce it." Yang Jiefang then reminded her, "Please ask him to apply for patents in Europe and America!" Liu Yamei responded, "Okay."

After leaving the hospital, Yang Jiefang and Jiang Xiaojun returned to their respective posts. Yang Jiefang had just arrived at his office when Aunt Chu walked in. She handed him a folder and said, "The organization and personnel structure of the garrison battalions in various regions. Take a look! If there are no problems, sign it!" Yang Jiefang casually opened the folder and said, "It's all organized so quickly?" Aunt Chu added, "I drafted it with Xiaolan last night."

Since it was drafted by Chu Gu and Gao Huilan together, Yang Jiefang didn't look at it carefully and signed it. Chu Gu then took out another document and said, "This is the conscription document for adding female soldiers. You should sign it too!" Yang Jiefang asked curiously, "Why add female soldiers?" Chu Gu rolled her eyes at him and said, "I can tell you didn't read the document carefully. Some female soldiers were transferred from the Women's Special Forces to local troops, and now there are vacancies. Can't we fill them?" Yang Jiefang was slightly taken aback and reopened the document to look at it carefully. Sure enough, there were quite a few women's names listed.

Aunt Chu explained, “In the past, Xiao Lan always wanted to lead female soldiers to the battlefield to fight the enemy. However, the sacrifice of Pang Ya in the last battle in Qingdao greatly affected her. She no longer plans to lead female soldiers to the front line. So she wants to arrange for the sisters of the Women's Special Forces to work in local areas one by one. Many jobs still need female soldiers, such as anti-prostitution operations. Women's prisons and other departments also need female soldiers. From now on, the Women's Special Forces will be used as a training camp for female officers. After training, they will be assigned to suitable positions.”

Yang Jiefang agreed, saying, "That's a good idea. The Japanese have planted female spies among us, so we can use female soldiers to counter-espionage. They're more meticulous and discreet than men." He then signed the document. Chu Gu nodded, "That's what I was thinking too. So, the requirements for recruiting female soldiers will be raised in the future." She took back the signed document, didn't linger, and got up to leave.

After Aunt Chu left, Zhang Wenqiu brought in a pile of documents that needed processing. It must be said that Zhang Wenqiu's work ability was quite good; she was already capable of replacing Master Kong. However, seeing her heavily pregnant belly, Yang Jiefang couldn't help but say, "Secretary Zhang, you should take maternity leave as soon as possible! Just find a suitable person to take over your work."

Zhang Wenqiu touched her belly and laughed, "I'm still a long way off. Those women in the countryside are still working in the fields the day before they give birth. Some even give birth in the field while they're working. I'm no more delicate than them. It's not too late to take leave when I'm about to give birth."

Yang Jiefang, thinking of the legal maternity leave for pregnant women in later generations, shook his head and said, "No. In order to better give birth to and raise the next generation, women's rights must be fully implemented. This is not just your personal issue, but also concerns the vast number of working women. Contact Principal Liu of the Political Science and Law School and ask him to come to my office." Zhang Wenqiu replied, "Okay. I really admire you. I'll select one or two suitable people to take over my work." After saying that, he left.

In the afternoon, Liu Qianchu came to the office at Yang Jiefang's invitation. Yang Jiefang said, "Secretary Zhang told you, right? I'm thinking of improving the welfare of working women. What do you think about this?" Liu Qianchu replied, "Commander, improving the welfare of working women can't just be done when they're pregnant. As far as I know, some factories have a high percentage of female workers. They do a lot of work, but their wages are much lower than their male counterparts in the same jobs, which is very unreasonable. It's necessary to appropriately improve their welfare. At the very least, they shouldn't be far worse off than their male counterparts in the same jobs."

Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "Equal pay for equal work, and no gender discrimination. Do you have any other ideas?" Liu Qianchu continued, "Besides female workers, male workers' welfare and benefits should also be improved. Currently, the overall wage level and welfare benefits of workers in China are still too low. Some unscrupulous capitalists, relying on their power and influence, oppress and exploit workers to the extreme. This is why worker strikes occur. If you want to develop industry, you can't let Shandong be like other places. You must raise the wage level and welfare benefits of the entire working class! This is much more effective in motivating workers than simply establishing a few model workers."

Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "Since you've brought up this issue, you must already have a plan! How about this, you organize the teachers and students of the political and legal school to discuss how to improve and protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers? It would be best to formulate an administrative regulation, which I will issue to all factories in the jurisdiction in the form of legal provisions for mandatory enforcement."

Liu Qianchu exclaimed happily, "In that case, it's truly a blessing for the working class! I will certainly formulate the relevant regulations as soon as possible." Yang Jiefang added, "When you are formulating the regulations, you can't just focus on the immediate wages and benefits; you should also look at the long term. For example, what if they get sick or injured and can't afford medical treatment? They've worked hard all their lives, and when they get old and can't work anymore, how will their livelihood be guaranteed?" Liu Qianchu immediately fell into deep thought and said, "I haven't thought about this issue carefully. Does the young commander have any suggestions?"

Yang Jiefang said, “Everyone knows I come from Qinglong Village. Before I took charge of Qinglong Village, the chief was in charge. There’s a reason why she, a woman, could lead Qinglong Village. Whenever someone who joined Qinglong Village fell ill or faced financial difficulties, the chief would use the village’s and her personal savings to help the brothers in need. If someone wanted to quit and left the village, the chief would also provide them with some money based on their contributions to the village so they could settle down and live out their old age in peace. I think these practices are worth learning from.”

Liu Qianchu nodded and said, "No wonder Qinglong Village has grown so powerful. There's a reason for it. I'll tell everyone about these things as a reference for formulating relevant regulations. Commander, by protecting the legitimate interests of the workers, you can gain the support of the broad working class. This will be very beneficial to your future development. However, you must also withstand external pressure!" Yang Jiefang said, "This isn't my personal matter; it's everyone's common cause. As long as everyone supports me, I won't fear any external pressure." Liu Qianchu replied, "We will fully support you." His words had a double meaning, which Yang Jiefang naturally understood.

After finishing his official duties, Yang Jiefang left work early and, as usual, went to the hospital to visit Gao Huilan and her daughter. However, he found them empty; Gao Huilan had already been discharged and gone home. So, Yang Jiefang turned around and went home. The living room was crowded with people, all of whom stood up to greet him. These people weren't there to give gifts; they were there on business.

Because of her bound feet since childhood, Mu Yanshu already had difficulty walking; after becoming pregnant, she stopped going to work. This didn't mean she abandoned her work at the Food Security Bureau. She brought her work home, working in a side room of the living room. As the year drew to a close, it was time for grain warehouses across the country to be inventoried and accounts reconciled, and the living room was crowded with officials from various regions.

Yang Jiefang didn't disturb the people working and went into the inner courtyard first. Gao Huilan had indeed returned, and Zhao Xiaohui was also in her room holding the baby. Yang Jiefang went in and said, "Why didn't you stay in the hospital for a few more days?" Gao Huilan replied, "I didn't feel comfortable there, so I came back. It's a good opportunity to learn how to breastfeed from Xiaohui." Yang Jiefang went closer and looked at Xiaomengshu again. He felt that she was much more pleasing to the eye than when she was first born, so he picked her up and played with her for a while.

Not long after, Mu Yanshu walked in, holding an account book in her hand, and said, "The husband is back a little early today! Did you follow in the footsteps of the eldest sister?" Yang Jiefang turned around and asked, "Have you finished all the work?" Mu Yanshu replied, "Yes. I was just about to report to Chairman Yang."

Yang Jiefang handed his daughter back to Gao Huilan, then turned and helped Mu Yanshu sit down, saying, "I won't look at the account books in detail. Just tell me the approximate data. How much grain did Shandong produce this year? How much surplus do we have?" Mu Yanshu replied, "According to the statistics, Shandong currently has 150 million mu of arable land and a population of over 38 million. On average, each person owns less than four mu of arable land. Of this, 70% of the arable land is used to grow wheat and millet as staple grains, with an average yield of over 220 jin per mu. This year, the average grain production per person is 616 jin. Assuming each person's annual ration is 400 jin, the province can have a surplus of 4 million tons of grain. Our Food Security Department's granaries across the province have a total grain storage of over 6 million tons."

Yang Jiefang said, "The grain yield per mu is still too low! If it could be increased to 300 jin, there would be more surplus grain." Mu Yanshu said, "In the Jiaodong region, new seeds and fertilizers have been used, and the yield per mu has already exceeded 300 jin. When the newly cultivated seeds and fertilizers are promoted throughout the province, a yield of 300 jin per mu will be no problem. Don't rush! Take it slow."

Yang Jiefang knew he couldn't rush things, so he changed the subject and asked, "How much grain has been transported to Shaanxi this year?" Mu Yanshu replied, "More than 30 tons. After the start of winter, it snowed there, so the drought should be somewhat relieved. Should we continue disaster relief next year?"

Yang Jiefang knew that the Central Plains War would break out next year, and the transportation on the Longhai Railway would definitely be interrupted. So he said, "We've already missed the season for planting winter wheat. Even if the drought eases, Shaanxi will have to wait until after the autumn harvest to be self-sufficient. Grain transportation must not be interrupted! Arrange for more grain to be transported there in advance for storage. Whether the railway should continue to be built depends on the situation!"

Mu Yanshu nodded and said, "Okay! As long as there are no problems with transportation, I can supply enough grain."