Just as Madam Zhang was beginning to feel a little better, she suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out, “Husband, I—I suddenly have a terrible pain in my stomach…”
Qin Shiqian immediately panicked. “Tongyun, you—you’re not about to give birth, are you?”
“Lie down quickly. I—I’ll go boil some water right now!”
As he spoke, Qin Shiqian hurriedly cleared a space on the kang, helped Madam Zhang lie down, then ran outside again to fetch water and set it to boil.
After putting the water on, he paced around in a panic.
When he turned and saw that Xiaohua was still there, he hurriedly said, “Oh, right, Xiaohua, quickly go call your Grandma over to help.”
“I—I’ll go right away…”
Though Xiaohua agreed aloud, her mind was already rapidly calculating how she could use this opportunity—Madam Zhang giving birth—to kill her child.
Giving birth was already something that could easily end in death, and Madam Zhang had also suffered a pregnancy scare that day.
Even if the child died immediately after being born, no one should suspect anything, right?
She had to seize this opportunity!
Seeing Xiaohua go to call for help, Qin Shiqian hurried back inside to stay at Madam Zhang’s side. He kept comforting her and wiping the sweat from her face.
Who would have thought that before Xiaohua could even bring Old Madam Yu over, the child would already arrive, crying loudly.
Hearing the baby’s faint cries, Qin Shiqian and Madam Zhang were both dumbfounded.
Could giving birth really happen this quickly?
Why was it different from what they had heard?
But there was no time to think about it now.
Qin Shiqian hurried to the outer room to bring in hot water. He cleaned his daughter himself and personally cut her umbilical cord.
Xiaorenshen cried a few times before stopping. She opened a pair of bright, black eyes and looked around.
When she discovered that seeing things with her eyes felt completely different, she immediately began excitedly waving her little arms.
Madam Zhang lay on the kang, her face covered in sweat. When she could no longer hear the baby crying, she immediately asked anxiously, “Husband, how is the child? Why can’t I hear her crying anymore?”
Qin Shiqian quickly brought the baby over for her to see. “The child is fine! Look, isn’t our daughter beautiful?”
When Madam Zhang heard that it was a daughter, delight first flashed between her brows, but it was immediately followed by endless worry.
The Qin family had three brothers, and even the eldest and Second Brother had only sons. Originally, the entire family had been looking forward to Madam Zhang giving birth to a soft and sweet little girl.
Yet the precious daughter who should have grown up surrounded by the love of the whole family would instead have to suffer alongside the adults in a place like this.
The moment Madam Zhang thought of this, she felt that she had truly wronged her daughter. Two streams of tears slid from the corners of her eyes.
How could Qin Shiqian fail to understand what she was thinking? Afraid that crying would damage her eyes, he hurriedly comforted her. “A daughter is wonderful! A daughter is her mother’s little padded jacket!
“Look, the child came out so quickly and didn’t give you any trouble at all. She really is Papa and Mama’s Sweetie!”
At that moment, Xiaohua’s urging voice came from outside the door. “Grandma, Auntie is about to give birth! Hurry up!”
But the moment she thought of what Xiaohua had instructed her to do, Old Madam Yu felt as though her feet weighed a thousand catties. She could not move them at all.
“Uncle Qin, is Auntie all right? I brought Grandma…” Tongyun rushed into the room and happened to meet Xiaorenshen’s eyes as the baby lay in Qin Shiqian’s arms. She was so startled that she nearly fell flat on her face.
“Uncle Qin, this—this is… A-Auntie gave birth? When did this happen?”
Xiaohua was completely flustered.
That wasn’t right. Shouldn’t Madam Zhang’s child have been stillborn?
How had the child been born so smoothly—and why did she look so plump and fair?
Seeing that the baby had been born safely, Old Madam Yu had no time to think about anything else. She first let out a deep sigh of relief.
She stepped forward and helped Madam Zhang take care of everything afterward. Then she taught her how to breastfeed the baby and burp her before pulling Xiaohua away and hurrying out.
Qin Shiqian had no idea what Old Madam Yu and Xiaohua were each thinking. He was already completely immersed in the joy of becoming a father for the first time.
He mixed warm water and wiped the mother and daughter clean, then tidied up both the kang and the floor.
Xiaorenshen was placed back into Madam Zhang’s arms, fresh and clean from head to toe. She waved her little hands comfortably.
Qin Shiqian’s gloomy mood of the past several days was instantly healed. From beginning to end, he stared at his daughter with a foolish grin.
“Xiaohua, you and the child rest well. I’ll go make you something to eat.”
Though he said he was going to make something to eat, there was actually nothing in the house except some coarse flour ground from sorghum.
Usually, Madam Zhang mixed it with some wild greens and steamed it into corn-like buns. Qin Shiqian did not know how to make those, so he could only add some water and planned to boil it into a gruel.
Inside the room, Madam Zhang began trying to breastfeed the baby.
It was Xiaorenshen’s first time eating something through her mouth, and she found the sensation quite novel.
The milk was warm and sweet as it entered her mouth, like a gentle stream replenishing the spiritual power she had been lacking for so long.
Although it was extremely slow, it still allowed Xiaorenshen to see hope.
She smacked her lips and began eating with even greater effort.
Just as Xiaorenshen was eating with enthusiasm, the milk suddenly stopped flowing.
【Why is there no more? I’m not full yet!】
Xiaorenshen sucked hard twice, but there was still nothing. She immediately felt an urge to cry.
Madam Zhang gasped in pain and quickly switched sides, putting the other breast into her daughter’s mouth.
Ever since the family had been sentenced to exile the previous year, it had taken them more than half a year to finally reach this place.
Along the way, they had lacked both clothing and food. Madam Zhang had grown so thin that she hardly looked pregnant at all. Unless she wore especially loose clothes, one could not see her belly in the slightest.
Most of the other pregnant women traveling with them had been unable to withstand such hardship. One after another, they had miscarried along the way, and two mothers had even lost their lives.
Fortunately, her own daughter had a powerful life force. Not only had she survived, she had also been born so smoothly.
At this thought, the look Madam Zhang gave Xiaorenshen grew gentler and gentler. The more she looked at her, the more she adored her, unable to tear her eyes away.
It was not merely that she was a mother who thought her own child was perfect. Madam Zhang swore that she had truly never seen a baby prettier than her own daughter.
The moment she was born, her daughter’s skin was already fair and delicate, and her eyes were exceptionally clear and lively. Even her fine hair was darker and thicker than that of other children.
“You really are just as your father said—a true Sweetie!
“Although our circumstances are extremely difficult now, Papa and Mama will work hard to protect you and help you grow up safely.
“With such a pretty face, our Sweetie will definitely grow up to be a great beauty!”
After saying this, Madam Zhang could not help sighing again.
In a place like this, having a daughter who was too beautiful—who knew whether that would be a blessing or a disaster?
Xiaorenshen did not notice Madam Zhang’s complicated feelings. She sucked all the milk dry in one go, yet was still only seven or eight parts full.
She pursed her lips in slight grievance. When she looked up, she happened to see Madam Zhang frowning with her willow-leaf brows as she sighed softly.
【Why is my beautiful Mama worrying? Just give me a little more milk. Once my spiritual power recovers, I’ll be able to protect you!】
Xiaorenshen raised her hand to touch Madam Zhang’s brow, wanting to smooth away her sorrow. Her little mouth opened and closed along with the movement.
Unfortunately, she still could not speak and could only make ah-ah sounds.
Then a crystal-clear drop of drool slipped from her mouth.
The drool drew out a thin, string-like strand in the air. It trembled once before finally falling.
Xiaorenshen’s entire body stiffened. Wasn’t she supposed to protect Mama? This was far too embarrassing!