I do not know how long I slept, but in my daze, I could only hear the sound of rain tapping against the gauze windows. Xia Qingyu opened her eyes, looked at the deep night, and then closed them again, secretly thinking that such a rainy night was conducive to a good sleep. Bai Kou and Bai Wei had been quite exhausted following her these past two days, so it would be better to let them rest for a day tomorrow.
As she thought this, her consciousness sank back into a sweet dream. Just then, a sudden, panicked, noisy sound erupted. Xia Qingyu opened her eyes abruptly, sat up to listen carefully, and then nudged Bai Wei, saying, "Get up, listen to what that sound is. Did something happen to someone's house?"
Bai Wei rubbed her eyes and sat up, but seeing that Xia Qingyu had already draped a garment over herself and gotten out of bed, she hurriedly grabbed her and said, "Madam, let me go. The rain outside is heavy, and your body is delicate; please don't catch a cold."
Xia Qingyu said, "It is fine. After all this time, no matter how delicate this body was, it has been tempered." After speaking, she went straight out the door. By then, Bai Kou had also woken up, draped a garment over herself, and rushed out with Bai Wei, only to see that Xia Qingyu had already charged into the curtain of rain. The two maids could not help but stomp their feet in anxiety, saying, "What is the meaning of this? Her temperament is too impatient." They then followed her out.
Madam Shi was elderly and hard of hearing, and with the sound of the rain masking it, she had not heard the increasingly loud noise. Since the three of them did not disturb her, once they stepped out of the courtyard gate, they felt the noise becoming clearer, mixed with some shouting and running sounds. After the three of them focused and listened for a while, Xia Qingyu said with doubt, "It seems like something happened at Sister-in-law Zhou's house. Let's go and take a look."
It was indeed the Zhou family that had an incident, enough to alarm even Xia Qingyu and the others. Lu Yunxiao, Sang Luzhi, and the others, who were staying in the old house next to the Zhou family, had naturally been woken up early as well. When they climbed out of bed, they saw the old man and old woman who had warmly hosted their dinner supporting each other as they walked out, so they hurriedly followed. Only then did they learn that the woman of the Zhou family was giving birth in the middle of the night. When the midwife was invited, it was discovered that the infant was too large and was stuck, unable to come out. The pregnant woman's birth canal had been torn, and if they were not careful, she would die from massive hemorrhaging.
The midwife was only responsible for delivering babies, and she had seen many women suffer from postpartum hemorrhaging in her life. Seeing this situation, she knew there was no way to save her. She could not help but sigh and explain to Old Madam Zhou, "Looking at your daughter-in-law's condition, I fear it is nine deaths and one life. If you ask me, since it is difficult to save her anyway, it would be better to prioritize the child and get that little pitiful one out. What do you think?"
Old Madam Zhou's heart sank instantly. She knew that her son and daughter-in-law were usually a loving husband and wife, and this decision was truly difficult to make. However, for a woman, childbirth is like having one foot in the gates of hell and one foot outside. At this moment, one had to make a prompt decision. Thinking that since her daughter-in-law was doomed, she probably would not want that little life to follow her to the underworld. It would be better to sacrifice the adult to save this child, which would also leave a bloodline for the Zhou family.
Once she thought of this, the old woman's lips trembled as she prepared to agree. However, she unexpectedly heard a grief-stricken voice behind her shout, "Save the adult! I want to save the adult! The child... the child can always be had later. Since this one has no fate with us, let it be."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Old Madam Zhou struck her cane and turned back to glare at her son, who had a look of determination on his face. The midwife also advised from the side, "Don't say silly things. Even if you don't get the child out now, the adult is hard to save. When the child was coming out earlier, the birth canal had already torn." These words should not have been said in front of a young man, but the midwife also sympathized with this couple, and at this juncture, she had to make things clear; she could not worry about anything else.
"Even so, we must save the adult..."
The sturdy man, seven feet tall, was now streaming with tears, squatting on the ground and pulling at his hair: "Wuwuwu, why did I insist on forcing her to take supplements in the past? It resulted in her becoming like this. This isn't helping her health; this is taking her life! Wuwuwu..."
Lu Yunxiao, Sang Luzhi, and the others stood at the entrance of the main room, silently watching the anxious midwife, Old Madam Zhou, and the man crying sadly on the ground. Lu Yunxiao thought of his own flesh and blood who had been killed before being born, and his usually cold and hard heart could not help but feel a few traces of sadness and grief.
Suddenly, he took a deep breath, turned his head, and said to Sang Luzhi, "Miss Sang, why don't you go in and take a look? If you can work a miracle and save that woman and child, it would be a deed of merit."
"Ah?"
Sang Luzhi never expected that Lu Yunxiao would make such a request. For a moment, she could not help but feel a bit shy and angry, secretly thinking, I am still an unmarried maiden; you want me to enter a place like a delivery room? What do you take me for?
Though she was angry in her heart, seeing the solemn look on Lu Yunxiao's face, Sang Luzhi knew that this man truly sympathized with the family before them. Although she did not know why these mud legs would receive the sympathy of the high-and-mighty Young Marquis Lu, she began to form an idea in her heart, secretly thinking that if she could really save that mother and child, would she have to worry about him not looking at her differently? Very well, a physician's heart is like a parent's; she could not worry about so much at this moment. Since he entrusted this to her, she figured he would not look down on her for it in the future, and perhaps he would even hold her in higher regard because of her benevolence and righteousness.
Once she thought of this, she made up her mind, sighed, and shook her head, saying, "Logically, how could a girl like me enter such a place? However, since the Young Marquis has entrusted me, and furthermore, a physician has a benevolent heart, I cannot be too rigid at this moment. Very well, I will go in and take a look."
As she spoke, she moved her figure lightly toward the inner room. By this time, the midwife had already returned to the room, and Zhou Yulang was struggling with his parents for that slim hope of his wife's survival. As for the child, he had no time to consider that at this moment.
Seeing Sang Luzhi about to enter the room, Zhou Yulang felt a chill in his heart. He did not know what this girl dressed in men's clothing wanted to do, so he hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, only to hear Lu Yunxiao say calmly from behind, "That is the daughter of the Director of the Imperial Hospital. Let her go in and take a look; perhaps your wife can still find a glimmer of hope."
In the hearts of these simple villagers, let alone the Imperial Hospital, even a doctor who treated the county magistrate was considered the equivalent of Hua Tuo or Bian Que. Therefore, upon hearing that Sang Luzhi was the daughter of the Director, the mother and son knelt down abruptly, their pleas for help coming from the bottom of their hearts, incomparably sincere.
After Sang Luzhi indifferently indicated that she would do her best, she drifted into the room. Here, Zhao Yun and Mu Yun huddled together, their gazes glancing toward the direction of the iron-faced man and the little maid Sang Luzhi, before walking away two steps. Zhao Yun then asked Mu Yun, "What do you think of this woman?"
Mu Yun shook his head and said honestly, "Not good."
"At least you have some insight." Zhao Yun patted Mu Yun's shoulder with satisfaction, then said with disdain, "Pah! Going into the room to save someone, and at such a life-or-death moment, she still doesn't forget to sway her waist and move with lotus steps to show off her so-called graceful figure in front of the Master. And she talks about a physician's benevolent heart—where is there any benevolence in her? This kind of affectation is even less likable than the arrogance and domineering nature of our Eldest Madam back then."
Mu Yun looked at his impatient appearance, could not help but smile slightly, and said indifferently, "What are you worrying about? Do you think our Master would be so shallow as to let such a woman tie up his heart and mind?"
"Hmm, you are right. Actually, I am not worrying. Don't I understand our Master's temperament? I just despise this woman too much..."
His words stopped abruptly. Mu Yun looked over in doubt, only to see him staring at the doorway, as if he had seen something extremely incredible. His heart could not help but be startled, and he hurriedly turned his head to look, seeing Xia Qingyu, Bai Kou, and Bai Wei rushing into the room. They were only wearing clothes draped over them, clearly having come in a great hurry. As soon as she entered, she asked, "What happened? I heard everyone shouting about a 'blood mountain collapse' earlier. Is it that Sister-in-law Zhou is having a difficult childbirth with massive hemorrhaging?"
Compared to Lu Yunxiao and Sang Luzhi, the Zhou family was more familiar with Xia Qingyu and knew that she was also a female doctor. Old Madam Zhou nodded with tears in her eyes and said, "Isn't that so? Now we don't know if we can save the lives of both mother and child. Amitabha, I beg the Buddha to look at the fact that this old woman has always been sincere in her worship and save my pitiful daughter-in-law and grandchild."
"Is it really a difficult childbirth with massive hemorrhaging? Is it a malpresentation or some other reason?"
While Xia Qingyu asked, she said to Bai Kou, "Didn't we prepare some Hemostatic Powder a few days ago? You know where it is; go and get it."
Bai Kou agreed and left. Here, Lu Yunxiao watched Xia Qingyu silently. Seeing that this woman seemed to want to intervene in the treatment, his eyebrows could not help but slowly arch. Before he could speak, he heard Old Madam Zhou say, "Many thanks, Madam Xia. The midwife said the child is too large, so... my daughter-in-law's birth canal tore, which led to the blood mountain collapse. Fortunately, there is that young lady in the room helping with the diagnosis. I heard she is the daughter of the Director of the Imperial Hospital; I imagine her medical skill must be brilliant."
"Miss Sang?"
Xia Qingyu also arched her eyebrows, her gaze subconsciously looking at Lu Yunxiao, only to see him looking at her indifferently, his eyes seemingly holding a faint sense of mockery. She shrugged, not caring about this man's provocative attitude, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Even so, more people mean more strength. I will go in and take a look as well." It was not that she was arrogant or did not put Sang Luzhi in her eyes, but because if Madam Zhou was truly suffering from massive hemorrhaging due to a birth canal tear, she believed her suturing technique might be better than that of a daughter of an Imperial Hospital Director in ancient times.
Lu Yunxiao gave a cold snort, but it was clear that the Young Marquis was not very certain about Sang Luzhi's medical skills either, so the mocking words that rolled around in his throat were ultimately not easily spoken.
The next moment, the facts proved how wise Lu Yunxiao's move was. They saw Sang Luzhi running out of the inner room in a panic, even forgetting to maintain her maidenly demeanor in front of the man she loved, only shouting repeatedly, "It's no use, she can't be saved! Torn to that extent, how could a person possibly survive? Being able to save the child is already a stroke of extreme luck."
✦✦✦
Guys, a new week has arrived. Ben Jiu must continue to fight for the new book list. I ask for your support with Recommendation Tickets and Collections—Ao wu!
✦✦✦