Zhao Shi saw Jiang Yinbao on the ground and rushed over, cradling her husband in her arms as tears streamed down uncontrollably.
"Husband… husband, wake up!"
Jiang Liuli also approached, crouching down to carefully examine Jiang Yinbao's injuries.
His already disabled right leg had been fractured again, three ribs were broken, and aside from that, his entire body was covered with bruises from the beating. He had vomited blood, and in all likelihood, had sustained severe internal injuries.
If not for encountering her, who possessed the Spirit Spring, he would undoubtedly have died in this era of backward medical knowledge.
Seeing her mother and eldest sister return, Jiang Xiaoni cried even more pitifully:
"Mom… Sis… Dad was beaten terribly by them! Sister-in-law also went into premature labor and still hasn't given birth…"
Zhao Shi looked up toward her eldest daughter-in-law's room, where flickering candlelight cast the shadows of her second daughter-in-law Wang Shi and the midwife.
She couldn't see her eldest daughter-in-law, but from her cries of pain, she could tell she was experiencing a difficult labor.
In the past, Zhao Shi would only cry when faced with such situations, but thinking of her eldest daughter who had narrowly escaped death, her husband hovering between life and death, and her eldest daughter-in-law crying out in the room yet unable to deliver, she hardened her heart.
She stood up and strode over to Jiang Qianshi, extending her hand.
"Give me the money!"
Watching Zhao Shi, clearly terrified yet forcing herself to stand strong for her family, Jiang Liuli curled the corners of her lips slightly. It seemed Zhao Shi could still be saved!
She lowered her head and began carefully examining Jiang Yinbao's injuries.
"Eldest Sister, will Dad die?"
Jiang Xiaoni's voice was terribly hoarse, her eyes swollen—clearly, she had been crying for a long time.
"With me here, Dad will be fine. Xiaoni, help your eldest sister fetch a bowl of clean water."
Jiang Liuli spoke without looking up.
"Okay! I'll go right away!"
Jiang Xiaoni finally had someone to rely on. She wiped her face with her dirty sleeve and ran toward the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qianshi was stunned by Zhao Shi's sudden assertiveness. She widened her eyes, her withered fingers trembling as she pointed at Zhao Shi: "You… have you been possessed? How dare you speak to me like that?"
Though fearful inside, Zhao Shi straightened her back:
"Mother, I only need ten taels of silver to save Yinbao and my eldest daughter-in-law! That's money earned with my daughter's life!"
Jiang Qianshi naturally refused and began loudly scolding Zhao Shi for being unfilial.
But Zhao Shi didn't retreat as she usually would, instead standing firm and confronting Jiang Qianshi.
Her arguments were halting, but for Zhao Shi, this was already significant progress…
Just then, Jiang Xiaoni brought a bowl of water to Jiang Liuli, who took it and, with a thought, silently replaced the plain water with Spirit Spring Water.
As she fed her father the water, Jiang Liuli secretly observed Zhao Shi's behavior.
As long as Zhao Shi wasn't beaten to death, she had no intention of intervening.
After all, she would be living with the Jiang family long-term and couldn't protect Zhao Shi every moment.
Some growth had to be achieved by Zhao Shi herself.
After Jiang Yinbao drank the water, his complexion improved slightly.
She instructed Jiang Xiaoni to look after Jiang Yinbao, then went to the kitchen to fetch another bowl of water before entering the delivery room.
As Jiang Liuli stepped into the delivery room, a thick, metallic scent of blood assaulted her senses.
Xu Shi's face was as pale as paper, her forehead beaded with sweat the size of beans, her entire body looking as if she had been fished out of water.
The midwife stood by, her face full of anxiety, urging from time to time:
"Push harder! If you don't push, the baby will suffocate! If the baby dies, you won't survive either!"
However, due to long-term malnutrition, Xu Shi was naturally weak. Combined with the prolonged labor, she had no strength left.
Xu Shi's eyes began to lose focus, and she collapsed heavily onto the makeshift bed made of broken wooden planks, producing a loud "thud!"
"Sister-in-law!" Liu Shi, the wife of the second son from the second branch, had been standing by the bed wiping Xu Shi's sweat. Seeing this, she panicked and dropped the cloth.
Trembling, she reached her fingers toward Xu Shi's nose—her breathing was already faint and barely perceptible.
"Midwife Zhang, I… my sister-in-law… is she…?" Liu Shi's eyes were red, her voice trembling violently.
The midwife hurried forward, pinching Xu Shi's philtrum and lifting her eyelids in a flustered manner.
"Your sister-in-law is probably beyond help. You should…"
"Step aside!"
Before the midwife could finish, Jiang Liuli quickly stepped forward, pushed aside the midwife and Liu Shi, lifted Xu Shi's body, and forcibly poured the Spirit Spring Water from the bowl into her mouth.
Fortunately, although Xu Shi was nearly unconscious, her strong will to survive made her swallow the Spirit Spring Water instinctively.
"Da Ni! I know you're anxious! But giving Sister-in-law water won't help in her current state! Come! Let's go help Mother demand the money. For Sister-in-law and Father-in-law…"
Liu Shi knew that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law had returned alive, but she had been tied up with Xu Shi's labor and hadn't gone out.
Now, seeing her sister-in-law feeding water to Xu Shi without a word, she quickly spoke up, wanting to join her in helping their mother-in-law confront the old witch for money. If they were lucky enough to get it, perhaps Sister-in-law could still survive.
But before Liu Shi could finish speaking, she saw that after drinking the water, Xu Shi slowly opened her eyes.
Moreover, she seemed to have regained some vitality.
Liu Shi froze on the spot, unable to understand how her sister-in-law, who had seemed on the verge of death moments ago, had revived after drinking a little water.
Had she fainted from thirst?
She glanced at Midwife Zhang, who also looked puzzled. She, too, had thought Xu Shi was about to die—how could she no longer appear deathly after drinking some water?
"I… I'm still alive?" Xu Shi weakly opened her eyes, the pain in her abdomen making her voice tremble.
Jiang Liuli did not answer but placed her hand on Xu Shi's swollen belly, feeling for the baby's movements.
She frowned slightly—the baby was in a transverse position, a critical situation.
"Second Sister-in-law, go boil some water," Jiang Liuli commanded without looking up.
Only then did Liu Shi snap out of her daze, stumbling as she rushed outside.
Liu Shi didn't believe Jiang Liuli knew how to deliver a baby, but Jiang Liuli's composure made her obey instinctively.
Just as she reached the doorway, she heard Zhao Shi's voice from the courtyard, tearful yet resolute:
"Mother! Those ten taels of silver were earned by Da Ni at the cost of her life! Now, Yinbao and my eldest daughter-in-law are in critical condition. If you continue to withhold the money, are you trying to drive our entire family to death?"
Liu Shi stared in disbelief at her mother-in-law. In the past, her mother-in-law had always been submissive in front of the old woman.
Never had she imagined that her mother-in-law would dare to demand money from the old woman and even question her. It was truly an eye-opener.
She had no time now—if she did, she would have stood behind her mother-in-law and cursed that old woman until she was drenched in abuse!
Ignoring her mother-in-law, Liu Shi hurried into the kitchen. Saving her sister-in-law’s life was the most urgent matter.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Jiang Liuli secretly retrieved another bowl of Spirit Spring Water from her dimension and helped Xu Shi drink it slowly.
"Da Ni!" Xu Shi’s complexion visibly improved after drinking the water. She tightly grasped Jiang Liuli’s hand. "You know how to deliver a baby, don’t you?"
"Yes! When Li Chunhua’s mother was giving birth to her youngest brother, she had a difficult labor. I saw the midwife help reposition the fetus. But that midwife lives in the county town, and it’s too late to fetch her now. Fortunately, I was worried that my elder or second sister-in-law might face danger during childbirth, so I observed carefully back then. Still, I can’t guarantee success—we’ll just have to try our best with what we have."
Jiang Liuli’s words were true…
In her memories, Li Chunhua’s mother had struggled through a day of labor without success. Luckily, Li Chunhua’s father had a cousin in the county town who was an experienced midwife. They called her over, and she used a special technique to reposition the fetus, saving Li Chunhua’s mother.
The original host had indeed watched carefully back then… but she hadn’t remembered the details…