Chapter 10: In Production

Inside the room, Li Sanniang used the light filtering through the wooden window lattice to strain her eyes, trying to see if the baby’s head had emerged.

At this moment, as Li Sanniang listened to Li Er-sao’s muffled groans of pain, her mind wandered: Why didn't the Great Emperor Wu light up the engineering skill tree? If he had, burning glass would be so profitable. If the room could be fitted with full glass windows, not only would the lighting be better, but it would also be easier to observe the progress of the labor.

Right now, Li Sanniang was just grateful that the Li family was reasonably well-off. The wooden window wasn't too small, and the paper pasted over it was still fairly translucent. Furthermore, Li Er-sao had chosen to go into labor while it was still daylight. If this had happened in the middle of the night, with only that dim oil lamp, she really doubted she would have been able to see anything at all.

"Ah!"

"Er-sao, push a little harder! I can see the little nephew is almost out!"

Li Er-sao, who had a handkerchief bitten between her teeth and was drenched in sweat—droplets of which had soaked her entire neck—heard Li Sanniang’s words and exerted another burst of effort!

Observing the situation, Li Sanniang couldn't tell if it was because Li Er-sao had eaten well during her pregnancy or if the baby’s head was simply large, but it looked like there was going to be a tear.

Li Sanniang made a split-second decision. She grabbed the small scissors that had been boiled and washed on the white cloth on the table and said to Li Er-sao in a firm, decisive tone, "Er-sao, the baby is a bit large. I can see you’re about to tear, and the amniotic fluid is almost gone. I’m going to use these scissors to make an incision below so the baby can come out, and I’ll stitch you back up afterward. Trust me, Er-sao. Sanniang will make sure both you and my little nephew are safe and sound."

Li Er-sao paused for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded quickly. The child was the most important thing!

Seeing that Li Er-sao agreed, Li Sanniang chose the right angle and made the cut with the small scissors.

Li Da-sao, who was supporting Li Er-sao from the side, heard Li Sanniang’s plan and saw her pick up the scissors; she was terrified. How much would that hurt?

But in reality, when it actually came time for an episiotomy, the pain of childbirth had already eclipsed the pain of the incision; it wasn't as painful as one might imagine.

After all, giving birth was already one of the most painful limits of human endurance.

Sure enough, after the episiotomy, there was enough space for the baby’s head to emerge, and the last bit of amniotic fluid flowed out along with the newborn.

Li Sanniang quickly and gently used her fingers to clear the mucus from the baby’s mouth and nose. Seeing that he could breathe on his own, she had Li Da-sao wrap him in a clean, soft cloth. She then cleaned the scissors she had just used, helped cut the umbilical cord, tied it with thread, and took the baby. Only after she patted his back and heard a loud, wailing cry did she finally set her heart at ease.

After showing the baby to Li Er-sao, she let her lie back down to wait for the placenta to be delivered so she could stitch up the episiotomy wound.

Li Er-sao looked at her wailing little son—yes, it was a little young master—and finally let go of the heart that had been threatening to jump out of her chest, lying back to rest.

Li Sanniang saw that the placenta was delivered completely intact. She took the baby, whom Li Da-sao had wiped clean of vernix and other impurities with a warm, damp cloth, and who had just had his first bath and been wrapped in a small swaddling blanket. She placed the baby, Li Wulang, on Li Er-sao’s chest, then asked Li Da-sao to go inform Father Li and ask him to come to the door.

Although Father Li was primarily a physician who diagnosed patients and prescribed herbal decoctions, Li Sanniang remembered from her childhood that when her eldest brother first joined the City Guard, he had once returned covered in blood. No one knew why, but Sanniang had secretly hidden and watched Father Li use a needle to stitch up a long gash on her eldest brother’s back.

When her eldest brother had just married, he was washing himself with well water in the courtyard during the sweltering summer. Li Sanniang, then about six or seven, had seen that centipede-like scar on his back.

That was why, after searching her memories, Li Sanniang felt that Father Li was a man with a story.

When Father Li knocked on the door and asked from outside, "Sanniang, why did you call for Father? How is Er-lang’s wife? Is anything the matter? Do you need me to prescribe a medicine?"

Li Sanniang walked to the door with her hands folded and said through the door, "Father, don't worry. Er-sao is fine, and Wulang is doing well. I saw signs that Er-sao was going to tear during labor, so I took the liberty of making an incision.

Now I need to wait for the placenta to be fully delivered so I can stitch Er-sao up. The needle in Mother’s basket used for piercing the fetal membrane can be used, but I lack thread.

If Father has any, please lend it to me. If not, please boil and wash some cotton thread, dry it over a fire, and bring it to me. Also, have Li Gui go buy a jug of distilled liquor immediately."

"I have some catgut. Wait there, I’ll go to my room and get it for you. Is one foot enough?"

Hearing Father Li’s question, Li Sanniang thought about stitching two layers. For a wound of this size, one foot—about thirty centimeters—was more than enough.

"Father, that is plenty."

"What do you need the distilled liquor for? Is it to wash the wound?"

"I guessed Father would understand. Yes, I intend to use it to clean the wound and the needle. I saw it in the new book from the Imperial Medical Bureau, *Essential Medical Techniques: A Must-Read for Surgeons*. Is that where you learned it too, Father?"

"We can discuss these things later. You focus on your Er-sao first."

Li Sanniang returned to check on Li Er-sao. Li Er-sao still had some energy; she held the little baby and said to Li Sanniang, "Sanniang, look, he’s hungry. His little mouth is puckering like that. I don't seem to have any milk this time; what should I do?"

Whether it was maternal instinct or hormones, Li Er-sao’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke.

"Er-sao, you mustn't cry during your confinement.

It’s fine. In a moment, I’ll have Da-sao boil some rice water, and then I’ll have Father prescribe a formula to help with lactation. By tomorrow, Wulang will have milk to drink.

Don't worry. I saw that the placenta was delivered, and it was very complete. I’ll bury it under the tree in your courtyard later.

Once Father brings the thread, I’ll stitch you up. It might be a little uncomfortable, so please bear with it, Er-sao."

"What is there that I can't bear? This time, I owe it all to you, Da-sao, and Father. My little bit of suffering is nothing."

"Don't say you aren't suffering. Watching Sanniang deliver your baby, I was breaking out in a cold sweat on the sidelines. You’ve really been through a lot.

Here, I’ll feed Wulang this small bowl of rice water. You drink this bowl of millet porridge first to regain some strength."

Li Da-sao was truly a wonderful sister-in-law. It was no wonder that in ancient times, one had to find a responsible person to be the eldest daughter-in-law. Li Da-sao was loved and valued by both Father and Mother Li, and no one else in the family dared to disrespect her. Her conduct and demeanor were the very definition of a refined lady.

Father Li passed a roll of catgut wrapped in cloth through the door. Li Sanniang took it and opened it; it was quite new, likely made within the last year.

The advantage of catgut was that it was easily absorbed, but the disadvantage was that it was prone to infection. That was why Li Sanniang needed the distilled liquor from Lu to disinfect it.

She didn't know if they had brewed any high-proof alcohol yet, like the "Burning Knife" sorghum liquor that was so popular in the Northeast in later generations, which could reach fifty or sixty percent alcohol. Although it couldn't compare to medical alcohol, it was still quite good.

Once the placenta was fully delivered, the distilled liquor arrived.

Li Sanniang warned that it would be painful, then had Li Da-sao place little Wulang on the bed and hold Li Er-sao down. She had Li Er-sao bite on a handkerchief, wiped the needle clean, dipped a clean cloth in the distilled liquor, and quickly wiped the wound. The pain made Li Er-sao clench her teeth and break into a sweat, and Li Da-sao, who was holding her down, was also covered in beads of sweat.

Taking advantage of the burning sensation, Li Sanniang quickly stitched the wound. Without a needle holder, hemostats, or curved needles, she had to make do with a sewing needle to pierce and tie knots.

Without anesthesia, none of the four people present—except for the little baby—were without a face full of sweat. It was summer, and to avoid gossip, they had only left a crack in the door and kept the windows closed, making the air stagnant and the room even hotter.

After quickly finishing the stitches, she used a cloth dipped in distilled liquor to wipe the surface of the wound one last time, and it was done.

She helped Li Er-sao find the menstrual pads she had complained about earlier. Li Sanniang said she would take them to the kitchen to bake them, but Li Er-sao didn't care and used them directly.

Sigh, Li Sanniang thought that if she had the chance in the future, she would definitely make some disposable menstrual pads, at least out of cotton!

Li Da-sao held little Wulang, and Li Sanniang hurried to help Li Er-sao clean up the blood, change her clothes, and adjust her pillows, letting her rest on the quilt spread on the floor for now.

Once the second brother returned, he could carry her to the bed. Li Da-sao and Li Sanniang couldn't lift Li Er-sao together, and they were afraid of bumping the wound, so they had to wait for him.

Li Wulang, having drunk the rice water, was easy to care for and was already fast asleep; he was a good baby.

By the time Li Sanniang finished digging a hole under the pomegranate tree in the courtyard to bury the placenta, the four little ones had returned from school.

When the four little ones heard that Li Er-sao had given birth to a little young master, they were all overjoyed. Being able to have a little brother as soon as they got home from school was something anyone would be happy about.

They begged Li Da-sao at the door to let them see little Wulang. Li Silang, that mischievous child, couldn't keep his mouth shut and blurted out, "Why does he look like a little old man? He’s so ugly."

Father Li tapped him on the head and said, "You were even uglier than this when you were born. All babies are like this; he’ll look better in a couple of days."

"Haha, I remember that when Silang was born, he wasn't as good-looking as Wulang. At least Wulang has a good head of hair; Silang didn't have any hair back then." Li Sanlang, standing by, couldn't resist teasing Li Silang, and the two brothers started scuffling in the courtyard.

Father Li told them to be quiet so as not to disturb Li Er-sao’s rest. He turned to Li Dalang and instructed, "Go to the street corner and call a donkey cart to the city gate to pick up your grandmother and second uncle. I’ll give you the household registration paper in a moment; if you happen to return after the curfew, you can use it as proof at the ward gate."

With that, Father Li went back to his room to get the registration paper, gave Li Dalang a piece of silver, and gave him a few more instructions before letting him leave.

Taking advantage of the fact that Mother Li and the second brother hadn't returned from the countryside yet, Li Sanniang used the remaining warm water from the large pot Father Li had boiled to wash her face, head, and arms, and changed into a new set of clothes. To get truly clean, she would have to ask her eldest brother to help carry two buckets of water into the room tonight.

Just as she finished tidying up, Luzhu-er struggled to step over the threshold, threw herself at Li Sanniang’s shins, and reached out her little hands to be held.

Sure enough, moments of exhaustion required a big hug from a precious baby to relieve the fatigue.

Li Sanniang held Luzhu-er’s little body and nuzzled her, the breath from her nose tickling Luzhu-er’s neck, making the child laugh out loud.

"Mother, brother, Zhu-er big."

"Haha, that’s right, it’s Luzhu-er’s little brother. Luzhu-er is a big sister now, are you happy?"

"Happy, Zhu-er happy! Play! Brother!"

Haha, the innocent words of a child always make one smile.

Friends, you don't know how hot it is here—34°C. It’s truly painful without a fan or air conditioning.

He’s born, it’s a little young master, and Luzhu-er is a big sister now~

Thanks to Huai Xun 1 for the 6th time for casting 5 recommendation votes, thank you.

Thanks to Xue Sha Xi Ye Nan Chuang Ge for casting 3 recommendation votes, thank you.

(End of chapter)