Chapter 36: The Little Idiot

Feng Chuchen realized the truth and laughed, "No wonder. It screamed 'robbery' a few times, but we didn't know what it meant, and then it just flew off."

There had been a piece of meat in the last offering; it turned out the little fellow was just craving it.

The crowd burst into laughter again.

Perhaps A-Xuan understood what Second Master Wen said, as it flew back to his knee, staring wide-eyed and shrieking, "Robbery! Robbery!"

Second Master Wen laughed heartily, "There is no meat here, only melon seeds."

He peeled two seeds and fed it.

A-Xuan turned its head in disgust and cried out again, "Amitabha, Amitabha-shen!"

Second Master Wen said in surprise, "It actually knows how to chant Buddhist sutras? Did it just come from a temple?"

He then grabbed A-Xuan firmly. "I'll go to the Duke of Ding's manor to return it to General Ming. I heard General Ming is returning to Xiqing in a few days."

He had always wanted to make connections with Ming Shanyue, and this was a perfect opportunity.

A-Xuan tried to fly away but was held tightly in Second Master Wen's hand.

It grew angry, its little head bobbing up and down as it cursed, "Gua-wa-zi, gua-wa-zi, gua-wa-zi..."

It wasn't the Mandarin it had spoken before, but a heavy Southern accent.

"The little thing actually knows how to curse."

"Mhm, and it's a Sichuan accent, too."

The crowd erupted in laughter, and Madam Wen was so delighted that tears came to her eyes.

Second Master Wen smiled and said, "A-Xuan has been remembering that word; it hasn't stopped using it to scold Young Master Shangguan. According to Young Master Shangguan, A-Xuan was found by General Ming in Sichuan while he was pursuing the rebel Fang Xin across a thousand miles, and he has kept it by his side ever since."

The sound of A-Xuan's cursing and the footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The Eldest Young Mistress smiled and asked, "It has been over a year since the war ended. Are Second Master Ming and Eldest Young Master Ming still going to continue guarding the border?"

Madam Wen replied, "I heard from the Master that the Old Matriarch is aging daily, and Madam Ming is in poor health. They both hope the two of them can return to the capital to take up official posts.

"The Emperor's intention is that there is currently no candidate to succeed the Commander. Next year, Eldest Young Master Ming will be transferred back to the capital for duty, so Second Master Ming must guard Xiqing for a few more years."

...

Madam Wen had her wet nurse carry the child into the room, then pointed to the Eldest Young Mistress and said to Feng Chuchen, "My eldest daughter-in-law's due date is in the twelfth lunar month. I would like to invite Miss Feng and Midwife Wang to stay at the manor a month in advance. Do not worry about the expenses."

Although her family's status was high, it was impossible to have highly skilled imperial physicians and female doctors guarding the manor for an entire month.

Miss Feng's skills were truly excellent; having her come early to watch over the manor would ensure the safety of both the mother and the infant as much as possible.

As for Midwife Wang, she would serve as an assistant to the female doctor attending the birth.

Feng Chuchen knew that if she made such a request to her Eldest Aunt, her aunt would not agree. Her aunt would never waste a month waiting for and watching over a woman in labor; she wanted to deliver as many babies and save as many lives as possible.

Even if it meant being beaten, she would not yield.

That was her aunt's conviction.

Because of this conviction, she had offended many powerful people; even when she saved the lives of a noble family's mother and child, she was still treated with disdain.

Feng Chuchen was also unwilling to live in someone else's house waiting for a birth, but she was unwilling to offend these powerful forces, and besides, she wasn't as busy as her aunt.

She said hesitantly, "My brother has asthma and needs acupuncture every three days. I wouldn't feel at ease leaving him home alone. How about this: let Auntie Wang stay here, and I will come once every three days."

Madam Wen said, "Then bring your brother along. We will prepare a small courtyard in the manor for you to live in."

Since things had been put that way, Feng Chuchen had no choice but to agree.

She added, "Let me check the Eldest Young Mistress's pulse."

Since she was to be her healthcare provider, she had to master the lady's physical condition.

The Fourth Young Lady of the Wen family swapped seats with the Eldest Young Mistress.

After checking the pulse, Feng Chuchen said, "The Eldest Young Mistress is experiencing frequent fetal movement..."

She also knew that the Eldest Young Mistress was carrying a girl.

Feng Chuchen had known how to determine gender through pulse reading in her previous life, as did her aunt. Her aunt had only told Auntie Wang and the original owner of this body, saying she would teach the original owner once her pulse diagnosis skills reached a certain level.

This skill could not be leaked; it would invite trouble.

The Eldest Young Mistress's expression turned distressed. "The imperial physicians also said the fetal movement is frequent, and they fear the umbilical cord is wrapped around the neck..."

That was why they wanted to invite Feng Chuchen to stay in the manor early.

Feng Chuchen said, "Frequent fetal movement does not necessarily mean the cord is wrapped around the neck. The Eldest Young Mistress should try to rest on her left side as much as possible in the future. You should engage in moderate exercise, but avoid strenuous activity.

"I will teach you a set of exercises. They can not only potentially correct a wrapped umbilical cord but also correct the fetal position. Do not be too nervous; try to keep a pleasant mood. I will return to the manor in ten days to check your pulse again."

By then, the simple stethoscope would be finished, allowing her to listen to the fetal heartbeat.

The Eldest Young Mistress hurriedly asked, "Alright, how should I exercise?"

Since Feng Chuchen could even perform the Yin-Spirit Needle technique, she trusted her absolutely.

Feng Chuchen invited the Eldest Young Mistress and a maid to the southern room to teach them the movements.

She only had the maid perform the awkward-looking movements while the Eldest Young Mistress watched. When no one else was around, the Eldest Young Mistress would do them alone in her room.

The maid's face was bright red, but she followed the instructions nonetheless.

Once they had learned, Feng Chuchen was invited into the northern room to check the pulse of the Second Young Mistress, who was still sleeping soundly.

Although the labor had lasted two days and two nights, it did not affect her future fertility. This was partly due to the experienced midwife and partly due to her own good physical constitution.

With an imperial physician helping her recover, Feng Chuchen did not prescribe medicine but instead handed a box of ointment to the elderly servant nearby.

The Sophora Flavescens Repair Ointment was a formula Feng Chuchen knew how to make in her previous life, used for repairing the birth canal. Due to a different process, it was pale yellow, aesthetically pleasing, and carried a slight fragrance.

This era had similar ointments, but they were all dark brown and had a very strong medicinal smell.

The young ladies of wealthy families would certainly prefer this kind of ointment.

"This is Sophora Flavescens Repair Ointment; it is highly effective for wounds in the lower body."

The box was somewhat old, clearly once used for face powder. The elderly servant was unimpressed and took it reluctantly.

Declining the Wen family's carriage, Feng Chuchen and the other lady hired a donkey cart at the intersection.

They did not go straight home but took a detour to look around North Fortune Street.

Second Master Wen arrived at the Ming family's Sand Courtyard, where Shangguan Ruyu was also present.

Ming Shanyue took A-Xuan from him, gave it a flick on the head, and scolded, "You're getting wilder and wilder; you've actually been gone for six days without returning home."

He put it in a large cage, locked the small door, and handed the key to his personal guard, Guo Hei.

"Until he returns to Xiqing, he is not allowed to go out to play."

Guo Hei tucked the key into his robe. "Yes, sir."

A-Xuan was furious, jumping up and down in the cage, its mouth never resting: "Little Yue-yue, gua-wa-zi, Little Yue-yue, gua-wa-zi..."

Guo Hei hurried to carry the birdcage outside.

Shangguan Ruyu laughed heartily, "A-Xuan is truly a clever bird. After being taught 'Little Yue-yue' a few times, it remembered it, and it even knows that Little Yue-yue is a 'gua-wa-zi.' Haha..."

Ming Shanyue ignored him and said to Second Master Wen, "Thank you, Young General Wen. I am about to enter the palace to see the Emperor. I will invite you for drinks another day."

Second Master Wen greatly disliked Shangguan Ruyu's way of speaking. How could a man address another man like that, especially in front of his future brother-in-law?

Even as a joke, it was in poor taste.