When Mingzhu was in the boudoir, she heard her mothers say that giving birth would be particularly painful, but she didn't expect it to be so painful.
The clothes on her body were as wet as if they had just been fished out of the water, and a few strands of fine black hair were stuck to her cheeks. She was lying weakly on the bed, her face was pale, and her hands were tightly twisting the sheets underneath her, and she was in so much pain that she couldn't get out. The sound was like a freshly burned knife stirring her belly.
Wenpo was afraid that she would bite her tongue, so she opened her lips and stuffed a clean wet wipe into her mouth. Po Wen held her hand tightly and said, "Girl, if you bear it any longer, the cervix is not open yet."
Mingzhu is a person who is extremely afraid of pain, so it is remarkable that she can endure it for so long. She was tortured by the severe pain that came one after another and wanted to faint. She tried hard to open her moist eyelids. The ends of her eyes were red and her eyes looked pitiful. She was about to cry and she really couldn't bear it any longer.
Wen Po realized that she was really not feeling well, so she quickly found the ginseng that had been prepared earlier, carefully removed the wet towel from her mouth, and asked her to hold the ginseng in her mouth while holding her breath.
"Girl, it hurts so much for any woman to give birth. You have to endure it if you can't bear it. Even if you don't think about yourself, you still have to think about the child." Po Wen wiped the cold sweat from her face and continued to talk to her, no Let her pass out, "You must not sleep, the child will not come out if he sleeps."
Mingzhu wished she could fall asleep. Her chest rose and fell gently. If her eyes were not still open, it would be impossible to tell whether she was asleep or awake.
Mrs. Wen had never delivered a baby before, so she didn't panic at this scene. It was still early, and she had to wait for a few hours before the baby could land safely.
"Girl, do you want something to eat?"
Mingzhu couldn't eat anything now. She shook her head and said feebly: "No need."
Not only did she not want to eat, she was so tortured by the pain that she felt nauseated and wanted to vomit.
Po Wen said: "It's better to eat something. I'm afraid you will be hungry and unable to make a living."
Mingzhu replied with a pale face: "I want something sweet."
Po Wen didn't know where to find sweets for her at this time. She remembered that there was still a bowl of chicken soup left in the kitchen, so she could only heat the chicken soup and feed her a few sips.
Hong Ling took the doctor home by his collar. The doctor was speechless to this rude and unreasonable woman! How unreasonable!
He straightened out her wrinkled clothes, blew his beard and glared, "You are unreasonable!"
Hong Ling choked him: "My sister is almost dead, how can I explain to you? Besides, don't you doctors have to save lives and heal the wounded?"
The doctor couldn't help her, and he couldn't help her. His body was trembling, and he said angrily: "Didn't I tell you that I would go and treat other people's illnesses?"
Hongling frowned and said confidently: "I don't care, my sister is important."
In the drug store just now, the old man packed the medicine box slowly and leisurely, not in a hurry. Presumably the person he was going to check the pulse of did not have a serious illness. A carriage would be waiting at the door of the drug store to pick him up. The family must be either rich or noble, and there would be no shortage of such a doctor.
"Besides, there are priorities. This is two lives."
Now that the matter has come to this, the old doctor is too lazy to argue with her, lest he be killed by her.
Just as Hongling was about to push the old doctor into the room, screams were heard inside.
She had never heard Mingzhu scream so pitifully, and it hurt her to hear it.
"Hurry up and get in!"
The doctor was in a dilemma at the moment. The woman was giving birth. Unless her life was at stake, it was really inconvenient for him to go in.
Po Wen heard Hongling's voice and knew that she was coming with the doctor. She pressed Mingzhu's knees, turned around and said to the outside through the door: "Just wait, the baby will be born soon."
Fortunately, although this girl Ming was not in good health, the baby was born in the correct fetal position.
Po Wen took the trouble to tell Mingzhu, "Girl, please use a little more force."
Mingzhu was panting, numb from the pain, and her whole body had no consciousness. She was holding on with her last breath.
I don't know how much time passed, but Mingzhu felt like she was about to die, and finally heard a soft cry.
Po Wen wiped the little girl's body clean with warm water, wrapped the child in swaddling clothes, and held it in front of Mingzhu. She said, "Girl, you are a girl. She looks just like you."
Mingzhu took one look and fainted no longer.
Po Wen put the child in the cradle, poured some water and helped Mingzhu clean herself, washing away the blood all over her body, and also changed the sheets.
After finishing these things, she came out of the house, looked at Hongling and said, "The girl is fine."
Then the doctor said, "Please make this trip."
After that, he gave Hongling a look and asked her to pay some money.
The doctor's trip was in vain, and there was nothing there. It was better to go well than not. He didn't take the money, but glared at Hong Ling, pointed at her and said, "Don't be so rude next time!"
Hong Ling was in a good mood so she didn't accuse anyone and just stood there and let him teach her.
The yard suddenly became lively. It turned out that the head catcher had received a complaint from the apprentice in the drug store, and he chased after him.
Hong Ling recognized the catcher at a glance as the one who knocked on the door to check her household registration. She felt inexplicably weak and lowered her head without thinking.
The catcher also recognized her, squinting his eyes and looking around the three of them, "What's going on?"
Hong Ling was afraid that Po Wen would spill the beans, so she preemptively said, "My sister has given birth."
"Didn't your sister go back to the countryside with your brother-in-law?"
"My sister dislikes being poor and loves being rich! Life in the country was difficult, so she came back."
"Really?" The head catcher was doubtful, "Then why did you hold the doctor hostage?"
"This is all a misunderstanding!"
The yard was in a mess, and Hong Ling managed to convince the catcher that everything she said was true and that she was innocent.
In the end, Hong Ling reluctantly took out the candy from her treasure box that she was reluctant to eat, and gave a few pieces to each catcher, saying that they were happy.
The catcher became a little curious about her sister who had never shown up, but he was not in a hurry, he could always see her later. In the middle of the night, these people were finally sent away.
The doctor is also tired, but he can't rest yet. He also had to go to the guest's house to diagnose his pulse and prescribe medicine.
Zhao Shi probably couldn't sleep at this hour. The candles in his study room were still lit by the servants below, and no one dared to disturb them.
There is only a woman who doesn't have a clear mind and doesn't think rightly.
She was the maid chosen by Song Huaiqing to give to Zhao Shi. She knew that this man had an unusual identity, so she found several opportunities to get close to him. Today she specially wore a coat and skirt with a tight waist and corset, with a large part of her collarbone exposed. Her figure was swaying, charming and coquettish. She was holding tea, her neck and ears were red, and she shyly poured tea for the man, "Young Master, drink tea."
Zhao Shi's long hair was tied up high with a jade crown. In the dim candlelight, his expression was gloomy, and the lines of his mandible were cold and sharp. He said softly the word "hmm".
The maid was unwilling to give up and raised her eyes. After just one glance, she lost her soul. She thought she was pretty, so climbing into bed shouldn't be difficult.
She pinched her throat and her voice sounded delicate and sweet, "Sir, the tea will get cold if you don't drink it."
Zhao Shi finally raised his face and glanced at her condescendingly. The look in the maid's eyes made her cheeks and ears feel hot. She was kneeling on the ground, wearing a thin dress. The gauze fabric clung to her waist and hips. Biting his lip, he hesitated to speak, "Master."
After a long time, Zhao Shi slowly raised his lips, and his cold eyes were dark, staring at her quietly.
The maid gradually became more courageous, and she boldly hooked his finger and used the same method she had used to deal with men since elementary school to deal with him, "Slave, I will feed you."
She stood up, and the incense on her body swayed with her movements.
Zhao Shi pushed her away with a palm and pulled her back. His cold eyes were like sharp arrows. He called his entourage in, "Drag her out."
As soon as the doctor entered the courtyard, he heard shrill cries. He couldn't help but look towards the place where the sound came from, and was reminded, "We're here."
The doctor looked away timidly, pretending not to hear and not meddling in other people's business.
He walked into the house and was about to check the man's pulse.
Zhao Shi frowned and said, "No need."
His face looked a little pale, "Prescribe me some soothing medicine."
The doctor didn't dare to ask more questions. Of course, he just took what he said and immediately wrote down the prescription with pen and paper. Zhao Shi took the eye medicine prescription and gave it back to him. He said expressionlessly: "Get another one, this one won't work."
There are only a few herbs to soothe the nerves.
The doctor rewrote several medicines, but the man in front of him said they didn't work. He was cornered and had no choice but to say nothing more.
"Young master, I think you are overthinking. If you don't think about it so much, you can have a good sleep at night."
Zhao Shi had no reaction after hearing this. He ordered someone to send the doctor away.
The doctor also wanted to leave quickly, so he rolled up his sleeves in a hurry, and the few candies Hongling gave him rolled around on the ground several times.
Embarrassed, he picked up the hawthorn candy and explained under the man's gaze: "A woman gave birth in the suburbs tonight. Her sister gave it to me, saying it makes us happy."
Zhao Shi hummed.
The doctor didn't like sweets either, so he put the candy on the table for him and said, "You are also very happy."
The candle burned darker and darker, and he could hardly see the joy and anger on the man's face. He only felt that he seemed very lonely. Zhao Shi lowered his eyes and looked at the hawthorn candies with childish packaging on the table, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes. , and made a soft sound.
He couldn't tolerate happy events in his eyes now, so he threw these candies away casually.
He came to the temple in Yangzhou to light the lantern for the children. What does the birth of other people's children have to do with him? Instead, it stabbed him in the chest.
…
Mingzhu took a long nap and woke up at noon the next day.
She was awakened by a burst of baby crying. Hongling's movements in holding the baby were quite unfamiliar, and she was not good at coaxing the baby, "Don't cry."
The more she coaxed, the louder the child cried.
The fine morning sky shone into the house. Mingzhu opened her eyelids little by little and watched Hongling busy taking care of her children. She couldn't help but smile. She opened her mouth and her voice sounded extremely hoarse. She said: "Hongling, take care of the child." Bring the child over here."
Hongling looked at her in surprise, "You're awake!"
Mingzhu slowly sat up with her arms supported and leaned against the bed pillow. Apart from her pale skin, she didn't look too haggard. "The child must be hungry."
Hong Ling gently placed the child in her arms.
Mingzhu unbuttoned her clothes and fed the baby. Sure enough, there was enough to eat, and the child stopped crying.
She looked down at the child in her arms, and a few rays of gorgeous sunlight shone through the cracks in the window, making her look particularly gentle.
The fussy Hong Ling didn't dare to move, and spoke much softer, for fear of disturbing the child. She said: "This child's eyebrows really look like yours."
Delicate, beautiful.
Mingzhu also felt the same way, "She looks like me."
Hong Ling suddenly felt disappointed again and curled her lips and said: "I don't follow you at all in other places."
She must have followed her biological father, but the only saving grace of her biological father was his good looks.
The child fell asleep after eating. Mingzhu looked at her white and tender little chubby face, which turned into a puddle of water, and couldn't bear to look away from her.
Hong Ling asked: "Have you decided what the child's name will be?"
Mingzhu smiled and nodded to her, "I've thought about it, I'll call her Xiaoman."
Xiaoman is a nickname, and she hopes that her daughter will be happy throughout her life. As for a famous name, she cannot be vague and must choose one well.
Hong Ling had never read a book, so she couldn't help her with the naming issue. She read the nickname several times and said, "It sounds nice."
Mingzhu found that Xiaoman was a good-tempered little girl who rarely cried unless she was hungry. As long as she is full, she will happily kiss her and smile at her.
On the little girl's full moon day, Wei Chiyu had someone send her a set of exquisite silver jewelry. He was tripped and couldn't move away. He knew that her small yard was not safe, so he sent someone to keep an eye on her in the dark.
Mingzhu knew nothing about these things. She stayed in her small yard every day, never went anywhere, and coaxed Xiaoman to play every day.
However, the business of the pastry shop has not been put on hold. Hongling has managed the shop in a presentable manner because the taste is good and there are many regular customers. But people who come to the pastry shop always ask where her sister went. That incredible woman who is beautiful even in a veil.
Hong Ling fooled them with random excuses, and gradually no one asked anymore.
Time passed slowly, and in a blink of an eye, Xiaoman was half a year old.
Not only can she crawl now, she can also turn over on her own. A pair of fleshy calves are very powerful when kicking. Mingzhu made the little girl fat and fat, and couldn't bear to make her cry.
Hong Ling felt that Mingzhu really doted on her children, "They say that when a child cries, you can't hug her immediately, otherwise you'll be too lazy to do so!"
The neighbors in the alley have several children at home. When chatting with Hongling on weekdays, they often talk about how to raise children, and most of them sound reasonable.
Mingzhu helped the child put on the newly made clothes and said with a smile: "But Xiaoman is not a crybaby girl, she is very well-behaved."
Hong Ling snorted, "I cry twice a day."
"That's because she's hungry."
"You've spoiled her so much that you won't let anyone else hold her."
Xiaoman looked cute and cute, but she was actually very temperamental. When Hongling wanted to hug her, she would crawl around on the bed with her butt sticking out, and would only give her a hug when she was full.
The little girl was so soft and fragrant with milk that even a big and tall person like Hong Ling couldn't bear to let go of her and wanted to hold her for a while longer.
"She even let Wei Chi hug her. Are you too cruel to her?" Mingzhu asked with a smile.
Hong Ling was furious and defended loudly, "Master Wei used things to bribe her, how can I compete with him?"
Wei Chiyu was really nice to Xiaoman. He didn't seem to regard her as someone else's daughter at all. He always gave her a lot of good things every time he came.
Mingzhu was surprised where he got the money. Her memory always lingered on the days when Wei Chiyu had to make a living by selling calligraphy. She had forgotten that now he was no longer the poor and desolate young man he was before, but was now showing his talents as a magistrate. I have to give way to men who have three points.
Speaking of Wei Chiyu, Hongling felt that she was more anxious than Mingzhu herself, "When will you two get married?"
"Don't talk nonsense."
"Don't think I didn't see that last time Wei Chiyu pushed you to the door and kissed you!"
Hong Ling, a yellow-flowered girl, accidentally bumped into her and her face turned red. Mr. Wei was so forceful and pressed her to kiss her!
She turned around and ran away, but she couldn't help her inner curiosity. When she turned back, she found a place where she couldn't easily be seen and took a peek.
"I just pretended not to know anything at the time, but I just watched it."
"Ouch." Mingzhu looked down at her daughter's little face and gently pinched her fleshy cheeks in an attempt to avoid Hongling's questioning.
Wei Chiyu was still very kind to her, and his meticulous consideration always reminded her of the days before the two were about to get married. It's so beautiful that I almost want to cry.
Mingzhu felt like she was slowly falling in love with him again.
At that time, although Wei Chiyu didn't have much money, he really treated her well. He spent a lot of money on her and never forced her to do anything she didn't want to do.
Don't make promises easily, but as long as you say it, you will definitely keep it.
He even wrote a wedding note for her in advance, with elegant handwriting and beautiful prints. He brought the wedding sticker to her, showed it to her, held her in his arms and vowed to only be good to her for the rest of his life.
Wei Chiyu is a shy and reserved person, and it is rare for him to say such things in front of her.
"The man is unmarried and the woman is unmarried. You two should get things done quickly, so that Xiaoman will have a father."
"What are you in a hurry for?"
"I'm not afraid that you will be gossiped about. None of these neighbors are gossipy."
"Let them be."
A major life event like getting married is nothing to play with.
Mingzhu continued to tease the little girl in her arms. Hongling looked at her with hatred, but she was so angry that she ran out to buy chicken drumsticks to eat.
…
The little girl seems to have grown up in the blink of an eye.
Xiaoman is a very quiet girl. This kind of quietness is only in front of Mingzhu. In front of other people, she is particularly shy. She ignores her and won't be hugged.
Mingzhu foolishly thought that her daughter had inherited her good temper.
When I was two years old, the yard was not big enough for her to run around. When she got tired of running, she would go to her mother on her short legs, stretch out her fleshy little arms, and say in a sweet voice: "Mom, I want a hug. .”
Mingzhu couldn't spare her hands to hug her, and patted her little head, "You go and play with Sister Hongling first."
Xiaoman was not happy, but still said: "Mom, Xiaoman wants a hug."
Mingzhu almost gave in, but Hongling came out of nowhere and picked her up, "Sister, I'll take you out to buy sweets."
Hongling carried her to the street. Vendors buying sugar paintings could be seen everywhere on the streets, but Xiaoman didn't like sugar paintings. She was also picky, and the candies she liked to eat were all expensive.
Hongling walked for a while, and her arms were sore. She put Xiaoman on the ground, held her hand and walked forward, and finally found the stall where Xiaoman loved to eat.
When I paid, I found that the price had increased again.
Hong Ling immediately became angry, "Your business is too shady!"
The stall owner is also a fierce person. He relies on the deliciousness of the candies he makes and doesn't take anyone seriously. "If you want to buy it, buy it. If it's too expensive, leave."
If you can't afford it, leave.
How could Hong Ling endure this kind of situation? Did she lack money? ! She put her hands on her waist and started to argue with the stall owner. The quarrel was so loud that people around her raised eyebrows.
In the middle of the quarrel, Hongling realized something was wrong. She lowered her head and saw that the child was gone!
Hongling's face suddenly turned pale, "Where is my child?"
The lively people didn't pay attention and asked: "Have you lost your child?"
"Oh, hurry up and report it to the official! Losing a child is no small matter."
"Yeah, yeah, go ahead."
Hong Ling's legs were weak and she was so panicked that she could hardly walk. She panicked and started looking for the child on the street.
Xiaoman was squeezed out by the crowd, and when he raised his head, he couldn't see Sister Hongling. She didn't cry, she stood quietly where she was lost, and didn't move.
A carriage was not paying attention and almost hit the little girl in the middle of the road.
Xiaoman was frightened by the horse's neighing and sat down on the ground.
The coachman hurriedly got down, holding the small dumplings as delicate as jade, not daring to touch them. No matter what he asked, the little girl just looked at him and said nothing.
The driver had no choice but to take him back to his master's yard.
Zhao Shi comes to Yangzhou every year at this time to light the ever-burning lanterns in the temple. There is a two-year-old girl in the yard, which is a big deal.
The servant couldn't make up his mind, so he could only carry the little girl to him, "Your Highness, this child is lost. What do you think we should do?"
Zhao Shi's cold eyes glanced at the child in his arms without paying attention, "Let the people from the government go ask who has lost their child."
Xiaoman hated others hugging her the most. She twisted her little body, bared her teeth and said to him fiercely: "Don't hug me! Put me down!"
The dark eyes were round and glaring, and they were very powerful and arrogant.