Chapter 11: Giving Birth (Part 2)

After cuddling with her precious baby Luzhu for a while and feeling fully recharged, Li Sanniang took Luzhu by the hand and walked outside.

It just so happened that today, Mother Li and Second Brother Li had been urgently summoned to the countryside, and in the afternoon, she had helped Eldest Sister-in-law assist Second Sister-in-law with the delivery. By the time the sky was turning dark, the Li family still hadn't sorted out dinner.

She handed little Luzhu over to Fourth Brother Li to watch for a while and went to the kitchen to help Eldest Sister-in-law prepare the evening meal. Looking at the situation, she figured they would have to save some food for Mother Li, Second Brother Li, and Eldest Brother Li—though she wasn't sure if Eldest Brother would make it back on time today.

In the kitchen, seeing that it was getting late, Eldest Sister-in-law used the three-grain flour Li Sanniang had bought a couple of days ago to make a pot of soup noodles. She made a sauce with green beans, scrambled a few eggs, and set aside a separate bowl, keeping it warm in the pot to take to Second Sister-in-law later.

Because little Wulang had been born today, Eldest Sister-in-law had been willing to use the three-grain flour for the noodles, but she couldn't bring herself to make enough to fill everyone up completely. So, she boiled another pot of sweet potatoes, which, paired with their homemade pickles, made for a decent meal.

By the time they served the food, it was already quite dark. Eldest Brother Li hadn't returned from picking up Mother Li and Second Brother Li yet, but Eldest Brother had finished his shift and returned. He found two lanterns and lit them, and the family relied on that dim light to avoid accidentally eating their soup noodles through their noses.

Eldest Sister-in-law helped feed little Wulang some rice oil again. Second Sister-in-law had woken up from a nap and finished the bowl of soup noodles with egg, yet Mother Li, Second Brother Li, and Eldest Brother Li still hadn't returned.

At this point, Li Sanniang quietly gave Second Sister-in-law two pieces of advice. First, the wound had to be cleaned daily; it was best to endure the pain and use the distilled spirits to wipe it down to prevent infection, and she could ask Second Brother Li to help with this every day. She would check on it later—if the catgut sutures were absorbed, that would be best, but if not, she would come back to remove them. Second, she had suffered greatly during this birth, so she must not engage in marital relations during the postpartum period—that is, for forty-two days—to avoid damaging her unrecovered body and developing "postpartum wind."

Second Sister-in-law listened carefully, her face turning red, and nodded.

Li Sanniang found her quite adorable; even after having three children, she was still so shy.

Later, Li Sanniang planned to tell Mother Li to let Second Sister-in-law have a "double month" of confinement to recover properly. Furthermore, since Second Brother Li and his wife already had three sons, they really shouldn't let her keep giving birth back-to-back. It would be best if they waited two years before having another child if they wanted one, and they could practice some form of contraception in the meantime.

As for methods of contraception, the ancients had actually known about them for a long time.

It was just that very few people knew the methods, because before the Empress ascended the throne, a woman's most important function was to bear offspring, especially sons.

But since the Empress ascended, although the population was still highly valued, some families couldn't afford to raise so many children and would drown them—even baby boys were sometimes drowned.

However, the Empress had issued an edict forbidding the drowning of infants, and the method for calculating the ovulation cycle had been disseminated from the Daming Palace through the Imperial Medical Bureau, spreading down to Chang'an and throughout the Great Tang.

Those who wanted children could use this method to increase their chances of pregnancy, while those who didn't—or felt they already had enough children—would use it to avoid intercourse during that time, lowering the chances of conception.

Wealthy families also used sheep intestines, but since a woman's status was still lower than a man's, another trick for the wealthy was to ask a trusted physician to prescribe medicine that could both nourish the body and prevent pregnancy, though it was usually the woman who drank it.

As for poor families, they had no such options. So, although the social climate wasn't overly strict—it was common for women from wealthy families to go out shopping or even play polo, and women from poor families often set up small stalls to sell their own produce—and women could even establish their own households and own property, they were still too shy to speak of matters of the bedchamber.

Although people wouldn't talk about it openly, they paid close attention to the section on "What Every Couple Must Know" in the *Essential Knowledge for Great Tang Citizens* issued by the Imperial Medical Bureau. Those who were literate read it themselves, and for those who were illiterate, the local branches of the Imperial Medical Bureau would work with local officials to disseminate the information.

For example: a woman's ovulation cycle, drinking boiled water, ginger soup for preventing colds, etc.

Although it was awkward for a sister-in-law to interfere in her brother's private affairs, as an OB-GYN, she had to say something.

However, she could only hint at it to Mother Li. Mother Li wasn't a cruel person; she would likely pass the message on to Second Brother Li and his wife.

Eldest Brother Li wasn't idle either. Since the main water-carrier, Eldest Brother Li, was away, Eldest Brother took Second Brother Li and Third Brother Li to do the chores.

Father Li set up two small stoves at the kitchen door to brew medicine: one for Second Sister-in-law to promote lactation and nourish her, and one for Li Sanniang to replenish her blood and energy after her miscarriage.

Eldest Sister-in-law was in Second Sister-in-law's room helping with the baby, while Li Sanniang, mindful of preventing infection, wiped the wound with the spirits one more time.

Finally, just as Second Sister-in-law and Li Sanniang were drinking their medicinal soups, Mother Li, Second Brother Li, and Eldest Brother Li returned.

Fortunately, it was summer and not cold at night; in fact, it was a bit muggy. Seeing them return, Eldest Sister-in-law wanted to go out and get their food. She had anticipated they would be late and had already set their portions aside in the pot to keep warm.

Li Sanniang waved her hand, signaling that she would go get it and that Eldest Sister-in-law should rest.

Mother Li and Second Brother Li were truly surprised—the kind of surprise mixed with joy.

Having gone to the countryside and returning to the surprise of a big grandson and a little son was truly hard to describe.

Li Sanniang told Second Brother Li to be careful when moving Second Sister-in-law to the bed to rest. If he wanted to hold little Wulang, he should change his clothes and wash his hands and face first—this was written in the medical books recently released by the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Second Brother Li was very obedient; he washed his hands and face in the courtyard with water poured by his nephews and son before going into the room to see Second Sister-in-law.

After eight or nine hours, Second Sister-in-law was finally moved from the floor to the bed.

Eldest Sister-in-law wanted to help clean up the pile of blood-stained bedding and straw, but Second Brother Li waved his hand and said, "Today, we owe it all to Eldest Sister-in-law and Sanniang. Don't trouble yourself with these small things. You've been busy all afternoon and half the night; you should rest. I'll clean it up later."

Mother Li, who was holding little Wulang nearby, agreed. Second Sister-in-law had given birth to another son for Second Brother Li and had suffered greatly; it was only right that he should clean up.

After watching little Wulang for a while, everyone dispersed.

Li Sanniang asked Eldest Brother Li to help carry two large buckets of hot water. She spent the evening playing in the water with little Luzhu to wash away the smell of blood and the stickiness, and only after drying her hair thoroughly did she coax Luzhu to sleep.

If there was one more miserable thing about ancient women, it was that everyone except young children had to keep their hair long—this was truly a great hardship.

Keeping long hair was one thing, but the key was that it was impossible to keep it clean; the frequency of washing couldn't keep up!

First, it was too long and troublesome to wash. Second, fuel in ancient times cost money; washing hair required boiling water, which wasted firewood. Third, it was too long and there were no hair dryers; the time it took to wring it out and let it air-dry completely was too long and interfered with other tasks.

Therefore, they couldn't wash it often, so it just stayed dirty. Wealthy families could buy scented hair oil to apply, otherwise, one was just waiting to get lice.

Li Sanniang even envied little Luzhu. Although her hair had been shaved off in the middle, leaving only two short tufts on the sides that couldn't even be tied into a proper bun, it was convenient and cool.

With an excited heart and trembling hands, Li Sanniang opened the task system and claimed the reward for the second task: "One-time use of a sterile operating room." Her hundred-slot backpack now had a second icon.

She probably wouldn't need this reward for now, but she believed there would be opportunities in the future.

Having gained experience, seeing the "①" on the task bar, Li Sanniang was no longer excited. With a calm heart, she clicked on the interface to see what the third task was.

"Successfully establish a female-headed household to receive one cesarean section kit."

Looking at this reward, and then thinking about the "one-time use of a sterile operating room" she had received today, combined with the requirements of the three tasks, Li Sanniang pondered for a moment. She thought, is this task system here to help her step out of the inner chambers, promote OB-GYN knowledge and technology, and help the women of the Great Tang?!

That flag is a bit lofty!

Don't think about it, don't think about it, take it one step at a time. What if the reward for task four is a superpower? Li Sanniang cleared the miscellaneous thoughts from her mind and fell asleep in the sound of cicadas, hugging her precious baby.

The next day, perhaps because she was tired from yesterday, Li Sanniang was woken up by Luzhu's little hands poking her.

After playing a little tickle game with Luzhu before getting up, Li Sanniang wondered if she should get a puppy or a kitten for Luzhu to keep her company.

Among the four little ones, only Fourth Brother Li was just six years apart from Luzhu. As they grew older, the differences between boys and girls would likely make it harder for them to play together.

The newborn little Wulang was still a nursing baby; it would be at least two or three years before he could talk, run, jump, and play with Luzhu.

Therefore, Li Sanniang considered getting a puppy or kitten for Luzhu as a companion. After all, who doesn't love something fluffy!

Alright, it was Li Sanniang herself who especially loved fluffy things! Cat or dog, she loved anything with long fur!

She would look around the alley later to see whose family had a new litter so she could trade for one to raise.

Once she was up, she happened to run into the four little ones heading to school. It seemed she and Luzhu had missed breakfast with everyone else.

Sure enough, in the kitchen steamer, there was food Eldest Sister-in-law had left for the mother and daughter: millet porridge, pickles, and eggs. It was likely extra food made for Second Sister-in-law, and she and Luzhu had benefited from it.

After filling her stomach, just as she was about to take Luzhu to Second Sister-in-law's room to check on her, Li Gui, the clerk from the pharmacy, led Chen the broker inside.

It turned out there was news about the house Li Sanniang had asked Chen the broker to look for a couple of days ago.

Chen the broker didn't stand on ceremony; after thanking her for the tea, he began to speak to Li Sanniang.

One had to thank the Empress for this. After the Empress ascended the throne, she expanded Chang'an City three times, and each time many people moved out, leaving many houses in the inner city vacant.

But no matter how vacant they were, the housing prices in the center of politics, economy, and culture could never be cheap. It was truly not easy to buy a house; even seventh or eighth-rank officials lived in the suburbs because they couldn't afford to rent in the city.

Chen the broker introduced three places this time

The first was in Fengyi Ward, next to Changshou Ward. Although not inside Changshou Ward, it was a good place to live. It had three rooms and a well in the courtyard, making it convenient for water. The surrounding neighbors were all well-off families, so safety was guaranteed. The asking price was higher, 1,600 taels. The owner had moved out of the inner city, but there were documents at the official registry, and the registry could handle the procedures, which was very convenient.

The second was in Changshou Ward, inside Blacksmith Alley. It had two small rooms, and there was no well in the courtyard, so they would have to buy water. Because there was a blacksmith shop two houses away, it was noisy with all the hammering, so this house was cheaper—700 taels, non-negotiable.

The last place was Four Seasons Alley. Yes, the same Four Seasons Alley where the Qinglian Academy, where the four little ones attended school, was located.

It had been bought by a wealthy family from the south for their family members who came to the capital to study. A family member had been living there, but his grandfather had suddenly passed away, and he had just prepared to return south two days ago.

The owner only intended to rent it out, not sell it. Because the original owner ate out, there was no well in the house, but there were two large jujube trees and a flower garden with many flowers and plants. There were only two rooms, or perhaps three, and a small room had been added at the entrance for a servant to live in.

Because it was close to Qinglian Academy, it was also a good place. If Chen the broker hadn't been quick and sharp, they might not have been able to get it.

The original owner's asking price wasn't expensive—it was market rate, five taels of silver a month—but they could only sign a six-month contract because another young master from the family would be coming to the capital next year and would need to live there.

The original owner only asked that they take good care of the two jujube trees, keep them free of pests, and maintain the flower garden so it wouldn't go to waste.

After listening to Chen the broker's introduction, Li Sanniang thought about her wallet and wavered between the second and third options.

First, to establish a female-headed household, one had to have a property deed. Of these three properties, only the second one was something Li Sanniang could afford with the silver she had on hand.

Second, if she bought the second house, she wouldn't have much spare money left, and there would be many places where she would need money in the future. What should she do?

So, how should she choose this house?

(The prices here are definitely much lower than in ancient times; it's mostly a fictional setting, considering the results of the three city expansions.)

(I went for a nucleic acid test today, and the auntie standing behind me was really too talkative...)

(Thanks to Huai Xun 1 for the 7th time for casting 5 recommendation votes, thank you.)

(Thanks to Shechu Bushi Gou Xu Fang Lian Yang for casting 1 recommendation vote, thank you.)

(End of chapter)