Inside the delivery room.
Cheng Sujin lay limp on the bed, the bedding beneath her already soaked through a large area.
She felt completely weak, her eyelids heavy as lead. All she wanted was to drift into a deep, unconscious sleep.
In her daze, she felt something bitter and strangely fragrant being placed into her mouth.
She instinctively frowned, but the object gradually melted in her mouth, and in an instant, a sweet, refreshing flavor spread across her tongue. She barely needed to swallow before it slid down her throat and into her stomach.
What was this? It actually tasted pretty good.
Su Qingli carefully put away the chocolate wrapper and spoke gently.
“Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. I’ll press on your stomach in a moment. It will hurt a little, so bear with it.”
Cheng Sujin kept her eyes closed and thought to herself,
This new midwife is really young, and she even speaks so gently.
But…
Why is she calling me sister-in-law?
Before she could figure it out, a pair of hands suddenly pressed hard against her stomach.
The pain made her let out a muffled groan.
Su Qingli pressed through her abdomen, carefully trying to adjust the baby’s position.
The process left both of them covered in sweat.
“Sister-in-law, listen to my instructions later. Only push when I tell you to.”
“First, breathe in. Now breathe out. That’s right. Come on. One, two, three. Push…”
Cheng Sujin suddenly exerted all her strength.
By the time she realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
The contents of her bowels came rushing out.
Cheng Sujin’s face instantly turned bright red.
She had… pooped on the bed while giving birth?
She struggled to open her eyes a crack and saw the young midwife bending over and cleaning her up.
Oh my God!
How embarrassing!
If she weren’t in the middle of giving birth, Cheng Sujin really wanted to find a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
Then she thought about it from another perspective.
Even her own mother would probably be disgusted.
Yet this midwife hadn’t complained at all.
What a wonderful midwife.
Once she was out of danger, she would definitely give her some extra money for her hard work.
While Cheng Sujin was lost in these random thoughts, the midwife’s face came into view.
Cheng Sujin almost fainted from shock.
This… this…
How could this midwife possibly be her own infamous sister-in-law?!
Cheng Sujin immediately closed her eyes.
She must be hallucinating.
There was no way this could be Su Qingli, that little devil.
That girl had always hated her. It would already be a blessing if she didn’t curse her to be reborn somewhere else.
How could she possibly come here to help deliver her baby?
Besides, how old was she?
How could she possibly know how to deliver a baby?
It must simply be a midwife from another family who happened to look like her!
Yes.
That had to be it.
While she was lost in her thoughts, a porcelain bowl was placed against her lips.
“Sister-in-law, this is the sweet drink Big Brother bought for you. Drink it quickly and replenish your strength.”
Cheng Sujin was dazed but obediently swallowed it in one gulp.
She immediately frowned in pain.
It was so sweet!
How much sugar had this wasteful man put in it?
Seeing Cheng Sujin drink down a large bowl of glucose water, Su Qingli felt more confident.
“Sister-in-law, let’s continue. Let’s try to get the baby out as soon as possible.”
“One, two, three. Push…”
Cheng Sujin was about to cry.
Why had she pooped again?
“Sister-in-law, don’t be embarrassed. This is normal. Let’s continue. If we delay any longer, not only will we lose the baby, but you will die too!”
Su Qingli’s tone was serious.
When Cheng Sujin heard that something could happen to the baby, she no longer cared about her embarrassment.
There was only one thought in her mind:
Stay alive. Give birth to the baby.
“Very good. Again… Breathe… Push.”
Finally, Cheng Sujin felt her body suddenly become lighter.
It was almost as though she had pooped again, and her entire body instantly relaxed.
“Sister-in-law, congratulations. You’re a mother now. It’s a girl.”
A baby’s cry sounded right on cue beside her.
Her daughter’s cry sounded so beautiful.
She was a mother now.
Cheng Sujin smiled.
Her heart finally relaxed, and her consciousness began to fade.
She was so tired.
She wanted to sleep.
Maybe for ten days or half a month.
“Sister-in-law, don’t sleep. If you fall asleep, you won’t wake up.”
Cheng Sujin didn’t listen.
She was too exhausted.
Ever since she married into this family, she hadn’t had a single good night’s sleep.
This time, no one could stop her.
Just let her sleep.
Better yet, she never wanted to wake up again.
Just as her consciousness was drifting away, her sister-in-law’s voice suddenly rang out like a demon.
“Sister-in-law, after you die, I’ll sell the useless little thing you gave birth to and arrange a ghost marriage for you. You can go in peace!”
Cheng Sujin suddenly jolted awake and forcefully drew another breath.
What? Sell her daughter?
No!
She absolutely could not let that wicked girl, Su Qingli, get her way!
A dazzling light returned to her previously unfocused eyes.
Su Qingli secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She took silver acupuncture needles from the laboratory and skillfully inserted them into Cheng Sujin’s body to stop the bleeding.
Outside the room, Jiang Susu was holding a basin of hot water.
When she heard the baby’s cries coming from inside, she was both shocked and delighted.
“She gave birth! She gave birth!”
“Li’er, how is your sister-in-law?”
“Open the door quickly and let Mother go in to take a look!”
Su Qingli wasn’t in a hurry.
After inserting the final acupuncture needle, she put the needles away and only then opened the door.
“Mother, Sister-in-law is fine. She gave birth to a daughter. Go cook something hot for her. Where’s Big Brother? Tell him to go get some medicine.”
She quickly listed several names of medicines.
Then she took the hot water and scissors Jiang Susu was carrying and went back into the room.
She placed everything aside and directly used the sterile scissors and gauze from her space.
Outside the room—
“She’s fine? Sujin is really fine?”
Jiang Susu was so happy that she didn’t know what to do.
She grabbed Su Changle’s arm.
“Second Brother, you heard that, right? Your sister-in-law survived! The child… the child survived too!”
Su Changle opened his mouth.
He was just about to sarcastically mock Su Qingli as usual, but after pursing his lips, he only managed to squeeze out one sentence.
“Hmph. At least she finally did one decent thing. I suppose she’s made up for some of her mistakes.”
“Enough. It’s a joyous day. Don’t say too much.”
Jiang Susu glared at him.
“Did you remember the medicines your sister just mentioned?”
“There are still five qian of silver hidden in the mouse hole underneath my bed board. Go tell your eldest brother and hurry to get the medicine.”
“Mother, you really believe the prescription she gave? What if it kills someone—ow!”
Su Changle’s mouth moved faster than his brain.
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Susu slapped him across the mouth.
“You little brat! Who are you cursing?! Spit, spit, spit!”
After scolding him, Jiang Susu bowed toward several directions.
“Gods above, this boy just doesn’t know how to control his mouth. Please don’t take his words seriously. Please bless my Sujin and her child and keep them safe and sound…”
Su Changle continued muttering,
“The books say that Confucius didn’t discuss strange forces and supernatural things. Mother, you’re being superstitious…”
“You little rascal!”
Jiang Susu was just about to scold him again when the corner of her eye suddenly caught sight of a figure staggering into the courtyard.
It was Su Changqing.
His face was deathly pale, his clothes were dirty and disheveled, and there were pieces of dried grass stuck to his head.
He looked as though he had rolled around in the mud.
“Eldest Son, what happened to you?” Jiang Susu hurried over to him, her voice full of concern.
“Mother, I couldn’t get any ginseng for Sujin.”
Su Changqing looked at his mother, and his eyes instantly turned red.
“I kowtowed to Doctor Liu until my head was bleeding, but he still wouldn’t give in…”
“Forget it. That man surnamed Liu isn’t a good person anyway.”
“That piece of ginseng had already been half eaten by rats, yet he still treated it like some priceless treasure. Who wants it?”
“Go inside and take a look at Sujin and the child first. Then go under Mother’s bed, get the money, and go to town to buy the medicine.”
“Your sister said Sujin has suffered terribly this time and needs to rest and recover properly.”
Jiang Susu rambled on for quite a while.
It wasn’t until she reached the latter part that Su Changqing realized something was wrong.
“Mother, what did you say? Sujin… she’s fine?”
Jiang Susu was just about to answer when the soft, delicate cry of a baby suddenly floated over.
Su Changqing instantly froze.
A tear fell to the ground with a soft plop.
“Mother… Mother, did you hear that? The child… that’s the child’s voice…”
He was so happy that he could barely form coherent words, afraid that the sound might simply be an illusion.
“I heard it! It’s a girl! You’re a father now!”
Seeing her eldest son like this, Jiang Susu smiled through her tears.
“Your wife is fine too. Don’t worry.”