Chapter 3: 3. Chapter 3: Helping Third Aunt Induce Labor

Chapter 3: Helping Third Aunt Induce Labor

A bit ugly!

Qin Liuxi: "..."

You might be beautiful, but can beauty be eaten? It won't save you from the fate of having your house confiscated!

Old Mrs. Qin gave a cough and cast a displeased glance at Concubine Wan. Was this the time for pleasantries?

So senseless!

Concubine Wan immediately cowed.

Only then did Old Mrs. Qin ask, "Where are the children?"

Lady Xie hurriedly replied, "Concubine Pan is leading them all to settle in. Mother, what about my third sister-in-law?"

She looked toward Gu, who was lying on the bed, her eyes filled with a hint of sympathy. Ordinarily, she looked down on Gu's lukewarm and peace-seeking demeanor, but now, as fellow women facing the same ordeal, she felt a sense of worry for her.

"She hasn't given birth yet," Lady Wang replied first, then turned to Old Mrs. Qin. "Mother, please go down to wash up and have a bowl of ginger soup first. We can handle things here."

"The Mistress and the Eldest Miss should go as well; they've both been caught in the rain. We have already had ours, so we can keep watch here for the time being," Concubine Wan added.

Old Mrs. Qin walked to her youngest daughter-in-law's bedside. Seeing her groaning in pain, she said, "Gu, don't scream so much. Save your strength; you have to deliver two."

Gu opened her eyes slightly, tears rolling down her face, her gaze filled with confusion and panic. "Mother, I..."

Old Mrs. Qin reached out and covered her mouth. "Don't be afraid, we are here." She then looked at Qin Liuxi. "Have someone prepare hot water, basins, scissors, bedding, and fabrics. If possible, invite a doctor to come and sit for a while. Add some brown sugar to that ginger soup and beat in two eggs to help your third aunt regain her strength. If there are ginseng slices, prepare those as well."

She was preparing for the worst; if a midwife couldn't be summoned, they would have to deliver the babies themselves.

Fortunately, although there had been a delay, the midwife was eventually brought in.

After an examination, the midwife's expression turned somewhat grim. She set down the quilt covering the parturient woman and walked toward Qin Liuxi.

Old Mrs. Qin was about to ask a question, but she froze when she saw the midwife bow to Qin Liuxi.

"Eldest Miss, this lady is not yet at full term, but she has experienced bleeding and her water has broken, yet the cervix has not dilated. I am afraid she will need to take labor-inducing medicine. Furthermore, certain preparations must be made. I await your instructions, Eldest Miss."

Qin Liuxi showed no reaction to these words, but the women present all underwent a sudden change in expression.

They were all experienced, most of them having been mothers themselves. They understood all too well that for a woman, childbirth was like passing through the Gates of Hell. And this particular gate was paved with blades and swords; if Third Mistress Qin lacked even a moment of strength, the outcome would be one corpse and three lives lost.

Realizing this, Old Mrs. Qin's legs went weak. She gripped her prayer beads tightly, her wrinkled face appearing even more withered and aged.

The two concubines began to sob quietly. Finding the sound unlucky, Old Mrs. Qin scolded them sternly, "What are you crying for? Get out."

The sobbing stopped abruptly.

Qin Liuxi then asked, "Old Madam, what do you think?"

Old Mrs. Qin glanced at her youngest daughter-in-law on the bed and said wearily, "Ask the doctor for a prescription and brew it to get her through this."

Qin Liuxi nodded, glanced at Qihuang, and the two of them walked out.

"Go to my small storeroom, pick out the medicinal herbs, and brew them yourself," Qin Liuxi whispered to Qihuang, naming a few specific ingredients.

Without a hint of objection, Qihuang hurried downstairs.

Watching the flickering shadows of the people in the room through the window, Qin Liuxi rubbed her brow and sighed. She took her medicine chest and went to a side room.

Opening the chest, she took out paper, a brush, and dark red cinnabar. Concentrating her breath slightly, she lifted the brush to draw a talisman.

Her strokes were steady and swift. As the sharp tip of the brush hit the paper, the force pierced through it, as if a flash of golden light had passed through. After the flash, the incomprehensible lines on the paper suddenly became vivid and lifelike.

(End of Chapter)