Chapter 9: Notebook

After hearing about this, Master Hu specifically sought out the County Magistrate to plead on behalf of the Feng woman.

He said, "When the government sentenced the descendants of the Fan family to three generations of exclusion from officialdom, it did not state that they were forbidden from midwifery or practicing medicine. Therefore, the Feng woman’s midwifery is not against the law.

"Moreover, saving women in labor and infants in critical danger is a virtuous act for the world, an atonement for the Fan family. Human life is of the utmost importance, worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. To save one life is a virtue that transcends all else..."

The County Magistrate was left speechless.

The Feng woman finally obtained the qualifications to practice midwifery.

Midwife Feng’s reputation grew increasingly prominent, and more and more people sought her out for deliveries and acupuncture. It was not just the common folk, but many high-ranking officials and nobles as well.

She was officially recorded by the Imperial Hospital and became a government-recognized midwife.

The "Yin Divine Needle" treatment was also priced by the Imperial Hospital at eighty taels of silver per session.

She not only delivered babies in villages, marketplaces, and private residences, but occasionally served imperial concubines and members of the royal clan.

Some people would force Midwife Feng to use the Yin Divine Needle on dying infants.

If the "Life Incense" did not ignite, the Yin Divine Needle could not be used. Using it would not only fail to save the child, but the practitioner would also suffer a backlash.

Therefore, as long as the Life Incense did not ignite, Midwife Feng would refuse to use the Yin Divine Needle.

There were wicked people who beat the Feng woman; even when she was beaten until her head was bloodied, she remained resolute and refused.

Others reported her to the government, claiming she stood by and watched people die, unworthy of being a midwife.

Midwife Feng was dragged to the county office by bailiffs and beaten with ten bamboo staves.

Because she refused to use the Yin Divine Needle, she was beaten privately over a dozen times and punished by the yamen three times.

But she persisted, and eventually, people believed her words; no one forced her to use the Yin Divine Needle again.

After her fame soared, Midwife Feng’s delivery fees rose to the highest tier among midwives: one tael of silver for a smooth delivery, and three taels for a difficult one.

Wealthy families would pay the full amount, sometimes even offering extra rewards.

If she encountered families in dire poverty, she would not force them to pay for the delivery. If they could provide two or three strings of cash for the Yin Divine Needle, that was already good enough—it wasn't even enough to cover the cost of the raw materials for the Life Incense.

To atone for the Fan family, the Feng woman not only provided medical care and medicine but also performed two free deliveries every month. As long as the Life Incense could be lit, she would use the Yin Divine Needle regardless of how poor the family was.

The Feng family’s life gradually improved; they renovated their courtyard, bought fields one after another, used tonics to prolong Feng Qiu'en’s life, and even spent money to find him a wife...

Because she delivered so many babies, saved so many mothers and infants, and was so charitable, the Feng woman was revered as the "Child-Bestowing Guanyin," and Midwife Feng became "Doctor Feng."

The number of poor families who had received her kindness was countless.

Some were grateful and would come to help carry water, water the vegetables, or deliver firewood. Others, however, liked to take advantage; knowing Doctor Feng’s character, even if they had the means, they were unwilling to pay the full amount, believing that they were giving Doctor Feng an opportunity to atone for her sins, and thus, they shouldn't have to pay...

Kind people are always let down. From the moment she began practicing midwifery, Doctor Feng suffered too much and shed too many tears.

Thinking of the beatings she had endured, Feng Chuchen’s heart tightened.

However, there were also many good people who remembered her kindness.

For instance, Master Hu, who had pleaded for her aunt. Over the past twenty-some years, he had risen from a seventh-rank official to his current position as a fourth-rank official, the Vice Prefect of Jingzhao.

When Lady Hu later gave birth, and when their son’s wife gave birth, they both invited Doctor Feng to deliver the babies.

But Doctor Feng’s relationship with them remained distant; unless she was delivering a baby, she would never take the initiative to visit the Hu residence.

The only family she frequented was the Yao family, her uncle’s house...

In her previous life, Feng Chuchen had also been somewhat aloof. Having lived another life, she had come to understand many things.

She felt that since her family consisted of orphans, if they wanted to open a medical clinic, they would surely encounter all sorts of trouble in the future. She very much wanted to visit Master Hu at his residence to build a connection.

But thinking of her aunt’s personality and instructions, she could not be too proactive.

As for high-ranking households like the Princess Yanghe Mansion, the Bo of Wuyi Mansion, or Doctor Huang, she could go even less.

Feng Chuchen went to flip through the manuscripts in the chest. There were twenty-five volumes in total, all recorded in the form of a diary. On the cover of the top volume, four large characters were written vertically: *Three Thousand Floating Lives*.

She first flipped through them generally. Most were insights from her aunt’s deliveries, how to handle emergencies, and some difficult problems and doubts she couldn't resolve.

There were also records of her daily life, though very few.

The handwriting was delicate and small, a pleasure to behold.

Feng Chuchen treasured these manuscripts even more than those medical books.

She sat down, opened the first entry, and began to read carefully.

*The 21st day of the first lunar month, the 10th year of Taishuo. The cold wind howls, and the red plum blossoms stand proud against the snow.*

*I have set up a sign in front of the courtyard gate: Swift Horses and Light Carriages, Feng Family Midwifery.*

*From this day on, I will deliver babies for mothers just like my grandmother did. I will spend my whole life atoning for her sins.*

*I hereby swear to hold a compassionate heart, to save all living beings, regardless of status, wealth, or poverty. I will devote myself to saving lives, never avoiding hardship...*

The 10th year of Taishuo?

This year is the 19th year of Jianzhang...

Feng Chuchen searched the original owner’s memories and remembered that Taishuo was the era name of the previous emperor.

So long ago.

Feng Chuchen continued to flip through...

*The 20th day of the fourth lunar month, the 10th year of Taishuo. The sky is clear and the air is crisp, and the flowers are in full bloom.*

*Li Bing’s wife had a difficult labor. They couldn't find a midwife, so they had to call me. The infant was in a breech position. I had the mother lie down, corrected the position, and then let her stand up to give birth.*

*Both mother and daughter are safe.*

*Although I only earned ten wen, Qiu'en and I were still overjoyed.*

*Finally, we are in business...*

*The 14th day of the eighth lunar month, the 10th year of Taishuo. The osmanthus flowers are blooming, and the autumn colors are fragrant.*

*My back hurts terribly.*

*When I was being whipped, I didn't scream out loud; I bit my teeth until they bled. But no matter how much it hurts now, it is not as painful or humiliating as being inspected by others earlier.*

*This step is necessary, and it is what I must endure. Only after suffering can things get better.*

*Qiu'en held me and cried...*

*The 9th day of the first lunar month, the 11th year of Taishuo. The cold wind howls, and snowflakes fill the sky.*

*The fourth daughter-in-law of the Qin family gave birth; it took only three hours. Auntie Qin was overjoyed; not only did she give me twenty wen, but she also sent four red eggs.*

*Qiu'en ate the eggs, his eyes crinkling with a smile...*

*The 12th day of the second lunar month, the 11th year of Taishuo. The swallows fly north, and the winter jasmine begins to bloom.*

*The second daughter-in-law of the Ji family gave birth. After working for two days and one night, both were safe, but the Ji family only gave me three wen—not even enough to buy the labor-inducing medicine...*

The later entries were mainly insights and difficult problems encountered. Feng Chuchen switched to another manuscript to look for daily trivialities.

*The 30th day of the third lunar month, the 12th year of Taishuo. The rain is drizzling, and the crabapple blossoms fall and are trampled into mud.*

*After working for a day and a night, the infant still died in the mother’s womb.*

*Amitabha. This is the first stillborn I have delivered since returning to Baima Village, and the second since I began practicing midwifery.*

*Old Man Ding breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that a dead child was better than a half-dead one, as there was no need to spend extra money on medical treatment. Five wen was enough to dismiss me.*

*He had his son wrap the dead child in hay and take him to the mountains to bury him.*

*Seeing the pale, small body without even a cloth to cover his shame, I could not bear it.*

*I said, "Let me bury him. I will wrap him in this cloth I brought, and I will recite the Rebirth Sutra for him, hoping he will see the light of day in his next life."*

*Old Man Ding did not hesitate to let me take the child.*

*Earlier, I found a secluded place north of Miaoqing Mountain to serve as a graveyard for stillborns. I cannot let them go without seeing the light of day in this life and then have their funeral rites handled so sloppily.*

*That place is Qingwei Pond...*

(End of chapter)