Lu Yunxiao frowned slightly, not because of Sang Luzhi's disheveled state at this moment, but out of regret for the woman giving birth in the room: no matter what was done, was it truly impossible to save her life? Could even the child not be saved? It seemed this was fate; even with his own noble status, and the rumored protective spirits like the night-wandering gods by his side, he ultimately could not reverse the will of heaven.
Just as he was feeling regret, he heard Xia Qingyu say angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? Shouting such things—if the pregnant woman hears you, won't she fall into despair? That would truly leave her with no chance of survival at all. Bai Wei, return and bring the needle and thread from the box."
Sang Luzhi’s status was considered noble; when had she ever heard such a reprimand? Especially in front of Xia Qingyu, she felt even more indignant and furious, so she sneered, "That’s an interesting thing to say. Does the pregnant woman living depend on her not feeling despair? If that were the case, how could there be any dead people in this world? If you..."
Before she could finish, she saw that Xia Qingyu ignored her entirely and hurried into the inner room, leaving her standing there. For a moment, Sang Luzhi’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open. She looked in disbelief at the figure that had disappeared behind the door. After a long while, her body suddenly began to tremble, and her small fists were clenched tightly.
However, she did not say anything. It was only after a long time that she put away the ferocious, grim look of embarrassment and anger on her face. She turned around calmly and said to Lu Yunxiao with a wry smile, "I haven't seen her in years, and she is still the same. No matter what, she first assigns a pile of faults to others to make herself appear very noble. That way, even if the matter doesn't succeed, everyone will naturally be grateful to her."
Lu Yunxiao did not speak, but Sang Luzhi knew that he would certainly agree with her words; otherwise, the Young Marquis would not have resolutely divorced that woman back then, despite the reputation of "favoring concubines and neglecting the wife." If she hadn't had this deduction, she naturally wouldn't have spoken these words so casually.
Bai Kou finally arrived at this moment, but seeing that Bai Wei was already gone, she couldn't help but look around anxiously and ask, "Where is Madam? Where is Bai Wei?"
Zhao Yun had been lost in thought, but hearing this, he leaned over and whispered, "Madam went into the inner room. Before going in, she instructed Bai Wei to return and get some needle and thread. I don't know what that is for. Why? You came from outside; didn't you run into Bai Wei?"
Bai Kou breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head, saying, "I see. It must be because of the heavy rain that I didn't notice who passed by me." After speaking, she nodded to thank Zhao Yun and carried the large paper bag containing the Hemostatic Powder into the inner room.
"Sister-in-law Zhou, don't lose heart. It's not the final moment yet. Put in some effort; the little one is pushing to come out now. If you push harder, mother and child will surely be safe."
Xia Qingyu stood beside Madam Zhou, constantly cheering her on, but she saw that the light in the woman's eyes was still fading. The woman said with difficulty, "Madam Xia, I... I know I won't make it. It's just the child... the child still has a breath left. As long as he can live, even if... even if I am torn in two, I... I have no complaints. I beg you... don't worry about me, let my... my child... be born safely and live..."
"The child can live, and you can live too."
Xia Qingyu held Madam Zhou’s hand while looking at the midwife, asking with her eyes.
The midwife was an old woman of over sixty who had been a midwife for more than forty years and had delivered countless babies. Among them, nearly one-third had died due to difficult childbirth. It could be said that she was an authority on childbirth, and even though this was considered a lowly profession, no one dared to question her judgment. The woman before her clearly had no chance of survival, and it would take a great deal of effort to deliver the child; that young lady was clearly talking nonsense. Under normal circumstances, she would have been sternly driven out long ago.
However, looking at Xia Qingyu’s firm gaze now, the midwife felt a sense of awe rise from within her heart for some reason. Seeing the other party ask with her eyes, she quickly shook her head and whispered, "The baby still won't come out, unless... unless..." She didn't finish her final words, believing that Xia Qingyu understood.
Xia Qingyu did indeed understand. After a moment of silence, she said decisively, "Let me do it." After speaking, she looked at the dejected Madam Zhou and said in a deep voice, "Sister-in-law Zhou, trust me. You will definitely survive; I can save you."
As she finished speaking, she let go of Madam Zhou’s hand. Seeing Bai Kou standing at the door and that Bai Wei had also arrived, she reached out to take the paper bag containing the Hemostatic Powder. She then went between Madam Zhou’s legs and saw that the infant’s head was already half-exposed from the birth canal; it looked as if it would be delivered naturally with just a little more effort. At this moment, however, one side of Madam Zhou’s birth canal had already been torn open in a horrific wound, and blood was gushing out continuously, soaking through the thick stack of white cloth.
"A decision must be made, or the child will suffocate," the midwife whispered in her ear, feeling very troubled. Earlier, when she went out to report the situation, that tall, strong man had looked as if he wanted to eat her alive. It was easy to imagine how furious he would be if the woman died; he might even beat her. Therefore, even though she saw no hope for Madam Zhou, she kept wanting to delay, hoping for a miracle.
However, it could not be delayed any longer. The midwife took a deep breath and was about to act when she saw Xia Qingyu, without a second thought, pick up the scissors that had been scorched by fire on the kang. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Sister-in-law Zhou, bear with the pain." Then, with a swift motion of the scissors, she instantly cut another opening on the other side of the birth canal.
A piercing scream echoed inside and outside the room. Even though Xia Qingyu had been prepared, her face turned pale. She secretly thought, if I had known this would happen, I should have prepared Mafeisan earlier. Oh my, is Sister-in-law Zhou going to be in agonizing pain? But in this situation, I have no other choice, do I? I have to be decisive, right?
Her heart was filled with regret for not being able to foresee the future. She did not notice that the midwife was looking at her with a gaze of profound respect, as if looking up at a high mountain. The midwife thought, "Good heavens, this Madam Xia is truly a cruel and ruthless person. Even I, an old woman who has been delivering babies for over forty years, could not have made that cut so cleanly. She, on the other hand, didn't even let her hand tremble. My goodness, is she a doctor or a demon? That cut could cost this woman her life; does she really not care at all?"
As the cut was made, Madam Zhou, under extreme pain, subconsciously contracted the strength of her entire body, finally squeezing the part of the infant’s large head that had been stuck out of the birth canal.
Blood gushed out like a fountain again. With this lubrication and the widened birth canal, the infant was finally delivered successfully. Xia Qingyu wiped the sweat from her forehead. Without even looking at the little troublemaker, she handed him directly to the midwife, then poured out the Hemostatic Powder from the paper bag and applied it to the two wounds that were blurred with blood.
The midwife held the infant who had been born after such hardship and gave his little bottom a slap. The next moment, the infant’s loud crying resounded inside and outside the room. Xia Qingyu looked up and smiled, "Sister-in-law Zhou, did you hear that? The little one is crying very loudly. He truly deserves to have such a big head; he will surely be brilliant in the future."
A glimmer of spirit suddenly ignited in Madam Zhou’s dim eyes. She turned her head with great effort. The midwife understood and hurriedly handed the baby over for her to see, while her own gaze remained fixed on Xia Qingyu. She knew better than anyone how large those lacerations and the cut from the scissors were. She did not believe there was any hemostatic medicine in this world that could stop such heavy bleeding. She had heard of highly skilled surgeons who could suture such terrifying wounds, but a woman’s chastity was as important as the heavens, and the delivery room was a filthy place. What woman would let a man see her private parts just to survive? And what doctor would be willing to step into this filthy place to suture a woman’s private parts? Not to mention that those highly skilled surgeons would never come to their small mountain village.
Although she thought this in her heart, looking at Xia Qingyu’s calm face and hearing her steady voice, the midwife couldn't help but wonder if a miracle would happen. Xia Qingyu, who was busy preparing between Madam Zhou’s legs, did not notice the midwife’s expectations. She carefully used cotton cloth to absorb the oozing blood, applied the hemostatic medicine layer by layer, and simultaneously checked the condition of the birth canal. Only after confirming there were no other factors causing the massive hemorrhage did she breathe a huge sigh of relief.
"Our family now has a truly noble guest. That young master staying at Master Zhou’s house is the Young Marquis of the Shouning Marquis Manor in the Capital City. He is a Third-place scholar and a Top Scholar of Martial Arts. Sister-in-law Zhou, you should know that, right? For this child to have such a noble person guarding the room when he is born, he will surely be protected by the gods. In the future, he will surely pass the imperial examinations and become a high official. Sister-in-law Zhou, don't be foolish. If you give up now, will you let the child’s stepmother wear the Phoenix Coronet and become an Imperial Lady in the future?"
Following Xia Qingyu’s words, Madam Zhou’s gaze shifted from shock to determination. She gripped the quilt tightly and gritted her teeth, saying, "That’s right, I must live. I cannot let this child fall into the hands of a stepmother... and suffer..."
Seeing that Madam Zhou’s tone suddenly had strength, Xia Qingyu finally let out a soft sigh of relief. In truth, Madam Zhou’s lacerations were nothing in her eyes, but the problem was that she had arrived too late. The previous massive blood loss had already left the woman’s body extremely weak. If she didn't ignite a strong will to live, even if the wounds could be sutured, it might not necessarily save her life. That was why she had offered the previous comfort and the beautiful fantasy of the future. To make Madam Zhou ignite a firm desire to live, Xia Qingyu even used the scumbag she hated most.
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Heh heh, the result doesn't need to be said; everyone should be able to guess it. Continuing to ask for Recommendation Tickets and Collection. (・_・;) Who could have imagined that the new book list would drop to third place? This is too deadly, OTZ.
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