CH 85

Then she told Li Shi who was standing there stupidly, “Hurry up and go boil hot water, and disinfect the new scissors you prepared.”

Li Shi knew that something was wrong, and her excitement had already turned into anxiety, and she stuttered, “Yeah, Got it.”

Zhulan helped spread the straw mat that had been prepared earlier, let Xuehan take Yushuang to the main room, and finally took out the quilt and cotton cloth prepared for the newborn, all washed.

As Zhulan listened to Zhao Shi’s cries, she forced herself to stay calm, reassuring Zhao Shi while recalling that she had prepared everything and nothing was left behind. She didn’t have much experience herself, but she knew that the maternal mortality rate was particularly high in ancient times. Fortunately, Zhao Shi wasn’t having her first child. Zhulan consciously encouraged Zhao Shi to move around more since her belly wasn’t excessively large. The remaining factor was the position of the fetus, and Zhulan felt powerless in this regard. “Qiu-Niang, endure a little longer. Wait until it’s time to give birth before screaming. Save some energy so that it won’t be all exhausted.”

Zhao Shi bit her lip, Zhulan was afraid of biting her tongue, so she hurriedly took a cloth for Zhao Shi to bite. Zhulan felt that time passed very slowly, even if she had the memory of her original body, her legs were shaking. Terrified, she cursed the ancient times, there was no difference between giving birth and fighting for life.

Boss Zhou finally came back, “Mother, Grandma Xu is here.”

Xu shi was a famous midwife in the surrounding villages and Zhulan called her Shěn Niang (1). Zhulan quickly went up to help her clear the snow. “Auntie, thank you for your hard work. I will give you a generous red envelope as a token of appreciation when this is over.”

Xu shi was cheerful, the Zhou family’s red envelope has always been the first in the village, “I’ll wash my hands and go in.”

Zhulan had already prepared alcohol for the midwife to wash her hands. In order to obtain high-proof alcohol, Zhulan had asked for help from her maternal family. She managed to acquire two jin (a Chinese unit of weight) of high-proof liquor. It was not easy to find high-proof alcohol in ancient times. Although Zhulan couldn’t be of much assistance during Zhao Shi’s delivery, she was confident in handling the sterilization and other details.

Xu shi was stunned for a while but didn’t say much, washed her hands, and went in.

Li shi came in with hot water. Zhulan had already sterilized the scissors, and said to Li shi, “Boil the red eggs, kill a hen, and make soup for your dìmèi to drink.”

Zhulan was unaware of what should be eaten as the first meal after a normal delivery. Having never given birth herself, she lacked knowledge in this area. In her memories, drinking chicken soup was considered a top-notch choice in ancient times. However, she didn’t want to go for something unconventional and decided to prepare a traditional chicken soup instead.

Li Shi’s heart sank as she noticed her mother’s persistent pale complexion. She quickly left the room, not daring to even touch the sour soup prepared by Zhulan.

Zhulan continued to assist Xu Shi, but the sight of blood made her lose her appetite for pig blood in the future. As time passed, her legs became numb from standing for so long. Finally, the baby was born, and his cry filled the room with a loud sound.

Xu shi weighed it, “It’s heavy enough when holding in hands, and it’s a healthy fat boy who cries loudly.”

With joy filling her heart, Zhulan witnessed the significance of the child’s birth first-hand. She grinned and exclaimed, “Good, good!”

Xu Shi gently washed the baby with warm water, and Zhulan quickly fetched the ointment prescribed by the doctor at the medical clinic for applying to the baby’s umbilical cord. She didn’t trust using ashes from plants and trees. Xu Shi smiled happily and said, “This little one is born with good fortune. Look how much Grandma dotes on you. Using this good ointment from birth will ensure you’ll be filial to your grandmother in the future.”

In Xu Shi’s heart, she made a resolution that if anyone ever said that Yang Shi was a wicked mother-in-law in the future, she would retort. She thought, “Which mother-in-law takes such meticulous care of her daughter-in-law during childbirth? Not only are the baby’s blankets brand new, but she also softly comforts her daughter-in-law. If I didn’t know that Zhao Shi is my daughter-in-law, I would have thought of her as my own daughter.”

With a joyful smile, Zhulan held the baby in her arms. Although the little one appeared wrinkled, due to sufficient nutrition, his fair complexion made it clear that he would grow up to be a beautiful and talented young man, inheriting the best qualities from both parents.

Xu Shi helped Zhao Shi with the postpartum discharge, and Zhao Shi couldn’t help but cry out in pain. Zhulan trembled, realizing how incredible women were. With her experienced hands, Xu Shi skillfully took care of Zhao Shi and even changed her padding. When Xu Shi saw that Zhulan had prepared a thick padding made of coarse cloth for Zhao Shi, she gave her a thumbs up in admiration.

“You are as good-hearted as your mother-in-law.”

Zhulan smiled, “I learned everything from my mother-in-law.”

Xu Shi tidied up the kang bed, and although the scent of blood still lingered in the room, she cleaned her hands and smiled contentedly. “I’ll be going now,” she said with a cheerful smile.

Zhulan put the child next to Zhao shi and took out a prepared red envelope of thirty Wen from her purse. In the past, the Zhou family gave twenty Wen, but now Zhulan put an extra ten Wen in the big red envelope. She took out the thank you gift she had prepared, a piece of muslin cloth. The Xu family also had a newborn child, fine cotton was most suitable for making clothes for the child and filled it with ten boiled red eggs. Zhulan personally sent Xu Shi to the door and asked her eldest to carefully support and send her back.