Suddenly, Mrs. Lv’s voice inside the room beca louder. Then the sound of a baby crying was heard, followed by Midwife Zhang’s joyful shout: "The baby is born, a big fat boy, both mother and child are safe!"
Mr. Gu heard this and bead with joy. At last, the baby was born, and it was a boy, just as the master had predicted.
When he turned his head to look, where was the master? The master was long gone unnoticed. And as for the second daughter-in-law who was in a daze, the cornbread and water in her hands were still there, indicating that the master was probably not there to beg for food, a truly remarkable person! It seems their youngest son is indeed soone with a significant background.
anwhile, the master, with his kind face, was already on the path outside the village, wiping sweat off his forehead. Ha! The jade has returned to its rightful owner; the task assigned by the master is finally complete.
When Gu Chengyu first arrived, she listened for quite a while before realizing she was in a pregnant woman’s belly, still figuring out what was happening.
She felt sothing was pushing her hard. Was she about to be born? But hearing the words of an elderly woman outside, it seed the pregnant woman had fallen, and the fetal position was sowhat misaligned.
First, the fetal position needed to be corrected before birth. This was a difficult task, and correcting the fetal position must be painful for the mother, right? Why not have a cesarean section? Why go through natural birth?
She heard the elderly woman shouting toward the door: "Why don’t you bring in more hot water quickly? And boil a bowl of brown sugar eggs? How can she have the strength to give birth without eating?"
After a while, soone ca in, presumably bringing hot water and food, which the elderly woman helped the pregnant woman consu.
Before long, she felt a pair of hands through the belly trying to shift her into position.
Gu Chengyu moved with the hand’s guidance, struggling for a long ti, until she finally heard people outside say it was correctly positioned, and she let out a sigh of relief.
Unable to stretch or exert strength inside the belly, this little body was extrely exhausted! The mother also experienced intense pain.
The woman outside instructed the mother to push now that she could. Desperate to be free, the little body pushed out with newfound strength, slipping smoothly until she breathed in fresh air, finally erging into the world.
Gu Chengyu was picked up; a light slap on her little bottom made her cry out with a "wah" sound.
Her body was then bathed in water quickly and wrapped in cloth before being set down.
Being newborn, vision was blurred, making it impossible to see clearly. Wanting to glimpse what her mother in this life looked like could only be a future intention now.
In ti, she would surely see her; whether her mother would love her or mind that she was a girl, she could only ponder later. Exhausted, Gu Chengyu didn’t bother to listen to what Midwife Zhang shouted about, too tired to care about the birth.
"Sister-in-law Zhang, is the baby alright?" This was undoubtedly the inquiry of the mother from the bed, who should be the mother in this life. The voice was still sowhat weak. Gu Chengyu could no longer resist falling asleep - child’s body so fragile.
"Changqing’s family, the baby is all fine! Let tidy you up a bit. Your fate is really good; the birth was a bit dangerous, but fortunately, both mother and child are safe."
Having helped Mrs. Lv tidy up, they brought Gu Chengyu outside; after all, the family must see the baby at least once, right?
As soon as the baby was brought out, Mr. Gu imdiately rushed forward in a few steps to take the child. Seeing the baby’s facial features resemble those of his wife’s, and being a child born in his latter years, he was overjoyed, recalling the monk’s favorable words, and clung to the baby tightly, embracing with joy.
Seeing the baby being presented, everyone gathered to look; the eldest, Gu Chengli, and his wife, Mrs. Fang, stepped up and were also delighted to see a brother even younger than their nieces and nephews.
The second daughter-in-law ca forward and noticed the baby’s beautiful features, feeling a slight pang of jealousy. A brother even younger than her son had been born, adding another mouth to feed in the household.
Being already a child born late in life, her in-laws’ favoritism was evident; the three younger ones above did nothing but eat. Yet here ca another one, resembling the mother-in-law closely, which tilted their partiality even more.
However, her surface bore a smile, while comnting: "Oh my! Mother-in-law is really fortunate; this baby looks exactly like her, and so good-looking!"
Saying so, she glanced at the Chengyi brothers, who were...really ordinary looking, not handso at all.
"Alright, newborns cannot be exposed to wind; let take him back inside. You all give Changqing’s family so food, and they need nourishnt. It is really dangerous this ti, delivering babies like this is rare; often unfortunate outcos occur. The birth went relatively smoothly, erging within hours; Changqing’s family is bound to have future blessings - the child cannot bear to have his mother suffer!"
Indeed, what Midwife Zhang said was true; giving birth at this ti was really risky, and with the added fall and misaligned fetal position, most unborn children were not like the pretending little child that Gu Chengyu represented. If uncorrected, it would be a difficult birth, likely leading to hemorrhage.
The infant mortality rate was also high in this era, so the eventual safe and smooth delivery was a great fortune.
Midwife Zhang appeared calm during the process, but internally felt the pressure, though it remained unexpressed, showing her experience and composure as a seasoned midwife.
"Sister-in-law Zhang, it was all thanks to you this ti. You are a well-known midwife in the region; without you, the baby’s mother would have been in real danger. We should have you be the baby’s godmother in a few days."
Midwife Zhang, feeling acknowledged for her skills, smiled pleasantly.
Then Mr. Gu pulled out over ten copper coins from his pocket and placed them into Midwife Zhang’s hands.
At a glance, there were about fifteen coins, and Midwife Zhang’s smile grew wider; it was quite generous! Normally attending births, she would get, at most, ten coins; less fortunate families offered five, and if families were indeed hard-pressed, she accepted farm products or eggs instead, without insisting on money.
Everyone had it tough; she accepted what was given, as people always offered a bit, since birth was considered a great joyful event. This lack of greed ant her business was better than others.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I truly feel a connection with this child, when I look at him, I liked him. I’ll definitely co that day."
Saying so, she took the child back to the delivery room from Mr. Gu’s hands; after all, the newborn could not catch a chill. Gu Chengyu remained asleep, unaware that his father and the whole family had seen him.
The copper coins were prepared by Mr. Gu in advance; whether male or female, the sa amount was to be given.
He already had four sons, and another son would be perfect; even if a daughter, she would be adored. Moreover, he believed in the monk’s prognostication, and rather than there for alms, they received a piece of jade free of charge, suggesting a story behind it all.
One side, Mrs. He noticed the large amount given, estimating it to be around ten coins or more. The father-in-law was generous, yet the whole family was not even fully fed!
Giving so much for a baby’s birth seed excessively partial. When giving birth, she and the eldest daughter-in-law only asked the third aunt from the clan to help! There were no coins given, only a few red eggs to thank her; what kind of golden egg was laid this ti?
"Brother Gu, congratulations! Another big fat boy added to the family." Hearing this, Mr. Gu was reminded that Doctor Li was still in the courtyard!
He quickly apologized: "Oh, look at that, I completely forgot about Brother Li, pardon , we originally asked you to check on the child’s mother, but everything went smoothly, it turned out to be a futile trip for you."
Initially, Doctor Li felt a bit aggrieved; summoned before dawn to assist, now having no role, they forgot about him.
However, upon hearing Mr. Gu’s apology, much of his frustration dissipated. Earlier, there were indeed many things not given attention; besides, regarding the monk’s earlier words, he figured building rapport with the Gu Family could be beneficial, as the child may achieve sothing significant in the future!
"Brother Gu, no need to fret! Earlier there were many affairs; it’s all good if your wife is fine. If there’s any need in the future, don’t hesitate to contact again."
Mr. Gu hurriedly pulled out five copper coins from his bosom, trying to hand them to Doctor Li.
"Couldn’t let you make the trip for nothing, right? Moreover, it’s so early; don’t mind if it’s not much; please take this as a hard-earned fee."
"Brother Gu, what’s this? We are all from the sa village! I hardly even helped, how can I accept this?" Stubbornly refusing, Doctor Li’s annoyance had dissipated. He realized the Gu family had it rough, why harbor resentnt? Besides, Gu Changqing was a well-mannered man; his prior vexation seed petty now.
Doctor Li hoisted his dicine box to leave, but Mr. Gu, witnessing his resistance, quickly summoned his eldest son to escort Doctor Li ho. The doctor declined again, prompting another round of friendly refusals.
Only after ensuring the ssage had been passed was the important task rembered by Mr. Gu.
He then directed his eldest daughter-in-law and second daughter-in-law to boil so red eggs, so that when his eldest returned, he and the second son could take these eggs to close relatives’ hos to announce the good news. For distant relatives, they would ask familiar folks to pass the ssage along.
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