Chapter 15: Guo Daya

Old Lady Wang had given birth to eleven children in total; eight had died, leaving three alive. The survivors were Wang Dazhu, Wang Sizhu, and a daughter, Wang Shiniang.

Wang Shiniang was eighteen years old this year, several years younger than the old lady's eldest grandson. She was somewhat simple-minded and had only married last year.

The old lady could most stand the sight of laboring women wailing; she practically wanted to hire two or three midwives just to serve her.

A coldness flickered in Wang Daniang's eyes.

Because Old Lady Wang had such easy births, she refused to allow any of her daughters-in-law or granddaughters-in-law to hire midwives. She claimed it was a waste of money and said she could assist with the delivery herself.

She wouldn't even let them cry out; if they screamed too loudly, she would stand by and scold or pinch them.

It was pure misery.

When Wang Sizhu's first wife went into labor, she suffered a difficult birth, yet the old lady still refused to call a midwife, insisting on delivering the baby herself.

The woman suffered excruciating pain but could not deliver, resulting in both mother and child dying.

The old lady even claimed that the child was a "debt-collecting ghost" who had forcibly taken her mother away, saying even a midwife wouldn't have helped...

The villagers almost all detested this talkative and malicious old woman, and Feng Chuchen disliked her even more.

Due to physiological differences, this old lady belonged to the type who was insensitive to pain; combined with a wide pelvis, she had been lucky enough to have smooth deliveries.

Just because she didn't feel pain didn't mean others didn't. Her lack of empathy made her words incredibly harsh.

Furthermore, more than half of the children she bore had died—some a few days after birth, others when they were several years old. It was highly likely that this was related to her refusal to hire professional midwives.

In ancient times, many people like Old Lady Wang experienced continuous menstruation and incessant childbearing. It was common for women to bear six or seven children in a lifetime, and some even more than ten; it was simply that due to poor medical and living conditions, many children did not survive to adulthood.

Such people were mostly from impoverished families. They gained experience through childbirth, and if there were no complications, they would deliver at home to avoid the expense of a midwife.

However, one could hardly find anyone like Old Lady Wang, who wouldn't even allow a laboring woman to cry out in pain or refuse a midwife when a daughter-in-law was failing to deliver.

Old Lady Wang was in her sixties, one of the longest-lived elders in Baima Village.

Because she was thin, her cheekbones appeared higher and her cheeks were deeply sunken. Her body was relatively robust, though walking was somewhat strenuous, and her knees were slightly bent with her legs spread wide apart.

Perhaps due to excessive breastfeeding in the past, her two breasts were exceptionally long, hanging down toward her abdomen. In the summer, when clothes were thin, their outlines were clearly visible, making many young ladies feel embarrassed to look in that direction.

Judging by her walking posture and the fact that she had given birth to so many children and lived such a laborious, hard life, Feng Chuchen preliminarily concluded that she suffered from uterine prolapse.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this was called *Yin Tuo*.

It occurs when the uterus descends or protrudes along the vagina from its normal position, with the external os reaching the level of the ischial spines or even protruding entirely outside the vaginal opening.

Mild uterine prolapse generally has no obvious symptoms, but if the condition is more severe, symptoms such as aching in the sacral region, a sensation of heaviness or dragging, abnormal urination, abnormal bowel movements, and decreased libido or vaginal pain during intercourse may occur.

High-level TCM practitioners can treat these symptoms.

However, if the prolapse is very severe—for instance, if a mass of "flesh" suddenly drops out when standing but retracts when lying flat—TCM generally cannot treat it fundamentally. In her previous life, this could only be resolved through Western medical surgery.

Many women in ancient and old eras suffered from this condition, though the severity varied.

While the condition was not fatal, it caused immense suffering and was difficult to speak of.

Old Lady Wang likely belonged to the very severe category, where the uterus had likely descended outside the body and required something to support it.

To have lived to this age and still be so lively, Heaven must have been treating her kindly.

In her previous life, the Shui family had a method for treating this condition, and they had relieved the suffering of many women in the old era.

Feng Chuchen knew it too, though she had not encountered such a patient in her previous life and had never treated it.

However, Feng Chuchen would not take the initiative to treat Old Lady Wang. The old lady didn't even trust midwives, let alone a young girl like herself.

Feng Chuchen led her brother home.

As they passed the Jiang family's house, the shouting continued.

A figure ran out.

A curious villager asked, "Tieniu, how is your sister-in-law?"

Jiang Tieniu said, "She still can't deliver. My mother sent me to Wangshan Village to fetch a midwife."

With that, he bolted away.

Wangshan Village was in a neighboring township, over twenty *li* away.

By the time they reached home, Feng Buji was already very tired, a fine layer of sweat covering his forehead and the tip of his nose.

A little over fifteen minutes after giving him his herbal decoction, Banxia brought the midday meal to the table.

After eating, Feng Buji took a midday nap while Feng Chuchen continued reading.

At the end of the *Wei* hour, Feng Chuchen was reading intently when she heard the courtyard gate creak.

Banxia opened the door and said, "Miss, Brother Guo has arrived."

Looking through the small window, Feng Chuchen saw Guo Lei leading his eldest daughter, Guo Daya, inside.

Both had white cords tied around their waists, signifying they were in mourning for Aunt Feng.

Guo Lei was in his thirties, dark and sturdy, with a long scar on his face.

His family lived in the mountains; he was a very formidable hunter, rumored to have killed two wolves at once.

His wife had given birth to three daughters in a row, and when she was pregnant with the fourth, she suffered a difficult labor. She had been in labor for two days and two nights without success, forcing him to go down the mountain to fetch Midwife Feng.

Midwife Feng took the son, but the boy had no breath left.

Guo Lei and his three daughters knelt, begging Midwife Feng to save the child.

To ignite the "Life-Kindling Incense," Midwife Feng had used the *Taishang Divine Needle* without hesitation, and the child finally cried out.

Guo Lei had taken all his family's savings—eighteen strings of cash—sold their bear-skin mattress for eleven strings, and borrowed another three strings.

Guo Lei said very sheepishly, "Aunt, I can only pay you thirty-two strings right now. I will pay the rest slowly later; if I cannot finish paying, my son will."

Midwife Feng only took thirty strings and pushed the remaining two back to him.

"Ruer is weak. Give the mother more chicken and eggs to help with milk production. Your wife's body is damaged, and it will stay with her for a lifetime; your family will inevitably spend more money in the future. I will only take the payment once; you don't need to pay the rest..."

The remainder, she had used to pay off her grandmother's debts.

After Midwife Feng died, Guo Lei had brought his whole family to kneel for half a day. Upon hearing that Feng Qi had bullied the Feng siblings, he could not contain his anger and led several brothers to smash Feng Qi's house in Hekou Village.

Guo Daya was fourteen years old and looked very much like Guo Lei—dark and sturdy.

Guo Lei placed a basket of wood ear mushrooms and fungi on the table and said, "My Daya is like me; she is strong and healthy and knows a few martial arts. She can handle two grown men without a problem.

"Let her come work as a maid for Miss Feng and the young master. With her around, you won't be easily bullied, and my family will have one less mouth to feed."

Guo Daya knelt and said, "I beg you to accept me, Miss. If anyone dares to bully you or the young master again, I will slap them to death with my big palms. I don't just know how to fight; I can also cook, tend the fire, do laundry, and look after children.

"Later, if I learn waist-massaging from Auntie Wang, I can earn money too. I also want to learn midwifery, but my mother says I am clumsy and my hands are too big and heavy; she fears I won't control my strength and will accidentally squeeze Ruer to death..."