Because Xiaocao, Madam Zhen and a few other people knew the reason for the child's deformity, but others didn't know. If this matter were to be made public, the child would inevitably be called a monster, and the woman who gave birth to the "monster" would become a sinner, and her fate afterwards could be imagined. There would be all kinds of divine punishment and sins, which were enough to drive a person to death.
At that time, even if I wanted to explain, no one would believe me. It would only be maliciously considered as an excuse. If I met someone with ulterior motives, they would make the matter even bigger, implicating the entire Wang family and even spreading it to the married Wang daughters.
Madam Zhen hasn't even handed the child over to her parents yet. To be on the safe side, it would be best to burn the child directly. Now she has her trusted ones watch over the child carefully and deal with it later.
"Sister-in-law, although there is only one child left, it is still a happy event. Why are you looking so sad? Be happy." Madam Zhen said calmly. She was afraid that others would not suspect her.
"Yes, yes, you should be happy. - Rewards, everyone will be rewarded." Mrs. Wang forced herself to cheer up, looking at the kitten-like child in her arms. She felt so miserable that she didn't think she could raise him. If she had found him earlier, she would have had a pair of children. But now one of them has become a "monster", and this one...
"Sister Xuan, is it a boy or a girl?"
"Boy..." Xiaocao opened her mouth and wanted to say something else, but this child was much weaker than the one in their family. There was no incubator, no suitable medicine - the decoction was obviously difficult for the child to swallow - so, some things could not be retained just by trying hard enough. It would be a real miracle if this child could survive.
The woman in labor had already been cleaned up in the room, and food had been prepared in the kitchen, but she had no appetite and could not eat. She kept crying silently - why was her life so miserable
Madam Zhen silenced the maid and midwife in the delivery room and replaced them with other maids. She stood in front of the woman in labor and looked down at her. "Now that things have come to this, what's the point of crying? You just gave birth, and you don't eat, and you keep crying. It will damage your body. Do you want to have another baby in the future? If it weren't for Sister Xuan today, you would have cried when you had a natural attack in the future. Even if you cried to death, no one would care about you. I'm afraid they would strangle you to death. You should be thankful for your good fortune now. Sister Xuan has been running around for you for so long, have you ever said thank you? First she comforted you, and now she's busy going to see your child, and you don't even say a word. How shameless!"
Madam Zhen did not speak harshly, but her tone was still calm. However, it was obviously quite effective. The woman in labor shuddered a little due to her instinctive fear of Madam Zhen, "Aunt..."
They all knew very well that if it weren't for Xiaocao, the mother herself would think it was her fault that she gave birth to a monster. She must have wanted to die. How could she still be in this state? How could she have a future
"Eat well and take good care of yourself, so that Sister Xuan's hard work will not be in vain." The child hopes that everyone will be well, but there are some people who don't know what is good for them and treat themselves badly.
The woman wiped away her tears and said, "Aunt, I know I was wrong."
Madam Zhen watched her eat the food before turning around and leaving.
As for the child, Xiaocao used silver needles to stimulate the child's functions, but the effect was not obvious. The child was too weak, and Xiaocao did not dare to use too much force. The child reluctantly drank a little bit of milk, and only took a few drops of the prepared medicine.
Although this was not the first time she had encountered such a thing, Xiao Cao was still a little depressed. When facing Madam Zhen, she said, "Madam, whether the child can survive really depends on God's will. I'm sorry..."
"What nonsense are you talking about? If it weren't for you, who knows what would have happened in the future. You have done a great job. No one can do better than you. Not only should you say sorry, but all of us should thank you. Sister Xuan has saved many people and is a good child." Mrs. Zhen said in a gentle voice.
Xiaocao laughed. Madam Zhen treated her like a child. She was just emotional at the moment.
It was already late. Xiaocao ate something with Madam Zhen and the others, and then was about to visit Madam Zhen's mother, Old Madam Wang. Another woman who had gone to the Zhen family with them before, the daughter-in-law of Madam Zhen's brother's sister-in-law, came to Xiaocao hesitantly, wanting Xiaocao to take her pulse.
"You're pregnant too?" Mrs. Zhen's sister-in-law asked excitedly. After all, today was a gloomy day, and if there could be another happy event to offset the mood, that would be great.
"Mom, there is that sign. The nanny beside me also took my pulse and it was a slippery pulse. I originally wanted to ask a doctor to confirm it in two days and then tell you the good news. But as for my sister-in-law... I thought of asking Miss Wenren to help me confirm it." The woman said a little embarrassedly.
"Okay, okay, well, Miss Wenren, I'll trouble you for a moment."
"It's a small matter, no trouble." It's just taking a pulse, such a simple thing.
Madam Zhen, who was standing by, glanced at her nephew's wife and said that she would ask a doctor to confirm the situation in two days. She was afraid that she wanted to reveal some clues at the wedding banquet of Duke Cheng'en's mansion tomorrow, so she would ask a doctor again. Who doesn't know about her little trick? Now she was frightened by her brother's sister's condition and was worried about other doctors, so she spoke up.
The woman felt uncomfortable being looked at by Mrs. Zhen, and always felt that no matter what she was thinking, she would not escape the eyes of this aunt.
Xiaocao took the man's pulse while asking various questions. The woman knew that her brother's wife had experienced this before, so she naturally answered all the questions without hiding anything.
When Xiao Cao stopped, many people looked at her expectantly. Xiao Cao did not hide it, "I'm not pregnant, it's just because..."
"How could I not be pregnant? My period has always been normal. This time it's been delayed for more than half a month. The other symptoms are clearly the same as the last time I was pregnant. How could I not be pregnant--" The woman seemed very excited and stared at Xiaocao, as if Xiaocao wanted to harm her and said this on purpose.
"What are you yelling about? Sister Xuan's abilities are obvious. She can't make a mistake in such a small matter as whether or not a woman is pregnant." Madam Zhen scolded. If one still underestimated Sister Xuan's abilities based on what happened before, one would be very stupid.
Mrs. Wang beside her also went from being excited to disappointed. "Next time, make sure you tell us first, so as not to disappoint others."
"But, but..." The woman was about to cry.
"Ma'am, it's because you want a child too much that you have caused a false pregnancy. In fact, this situation is not good for your pregnancy. There is nothing wrong with your body. You have given birth before. Children are a matter of fate. Stay calm. The child will come when it is time. There is no need to worry too much." Xiaocao comforted her.
The woman just covered her face and ran away. She felt embarrassed and didn't want to accept this fact.
Madam Zhen looked at her sister-in-law. Madam Wang felt very uncomfortable being looked at by her. "She thinks she is a newly married young wife. She is so unruly. I will have to give her a good talk later." There was a hint of flattery in her tone. In her heart, she scolded her daughter-in-law severely, saying that she was a disgrace.
Madam Zhen withdrew her gaze and ignored him.
Xiaocao was no longer interested in this situation. She went back to give Madam Wang the first round of acupuncture, then prescribed some medicine and gave her some other instructions. There were more people surrounding the old lady, including the concubine's sons, daughters-in-law, grandsons-in-law, a few male children, and a bunch of people. Of course, most of them were outside during Xiaocao's treatment.
The old lady fell asleep again at this moment.
Besides Madam Zhen, the one who always accompanied her was Madam Zhen's youngest sister-in-law. This woman was less than 30 years old and was quite enthusiastic. She held Xiao Cao's hand and was affectionate with her. She seemed to know Madam Zhen better than the cold and serious one.
Then, as if jokingly, she asked Xiaocao to take her pulse as well, saying that she had been feeling a little weak in the past two days and had just consulted a doctor yesterday. However, since Miss Wenren was a miracle doctor, it would be her honor to have the miracle doctor take a look at her.
Xiao Cao was also amused by her. He felt her pulse and calmly restrained his emotions. "What did the doctor who treated you say?"
"Just say that it hurts the spleen and stomach, has a bit of a cold, and is a bit tired, nothing serious."
Xiaocao rubbed his eyebrows and said, "Madam, you are not sick, you are pregnant. You should take medicine to preserve the pregnancy now." Xiaocao already knew that the overall medical skills level was not that high, and simply taking the pulse was not as mysterious as in TV dramas. But wasn't the doctor a little too careless, was it just because he didn't find the slippery pulse
"What?" The person who was originally chatting and laughing was shocked and covered her belly in disbelief. "Pregnant?"
"Madam has irregular periods and a cold uterus. She does have a bit of a cold, and her pulse isn't slippery. The doctor probably didn't pay much attention to it and didn't think about it in that regard, so it's not too strange."
Madam Zhen beside her was also quite surprised, "Sister Xuan, is it possible that a pregnant woman doesn't have slippery pulses?"
"Yes, but it's not a slippery pulse, which means it's a sign of miscarriage, so you should take medicine to preserve the pregnancy now."
The woman was startled and covered her belly, "This, this..." She had never thought of such a thing before, the surprise came too suddenly. However, the thought that something might happen to the child made her heart tighten.
"It's okay, it's just a symptom. I'll prescribe some medicine for you to take for three to five days. It's best to stay in bed and rest for a while. After all, it's not easy for Madam to be pregnant with a baby."
"Yes, yes, I have a serious uterine cold. I gave birth to a baby a few years ago and it hurt my body. The doctor said I couldn't have another baby. I was sad at first, but then I didn't take it seriously. Who would have thought, who would have thought..."
"Luckily, it was Sister Xuan who discovered it. Otherwise, if you weren't careful, you might not realize it until the child is gone. Just do whatever Sister Xuan says, and don't be careless." Mrs. Zhen reminded.
"Don't worry, aunt. I know."
After going outside, everyone asked about the old lady's condition. The old lady had been like that for many years, and it was impossible for her to get better all of a sudden, so everyone didn't react too much.
However, the cautious look of this young lady Wang attracted everyone's attention, and people couldn't help but ask one more question.
This question led to a happy event.
However, some people's faces were not so good, such as the mother-in-law who was sure that her pregnancy was a false pregnancy, and her mother-in-law who had a "monster" grandson who might die at any time. She didn't get the child she wanted so much, and she got pregnant even though she was sure she would not have another one. God really likes to play tricks on people.
Other unrelated people didn't react much. After all, the Wang family generally had no shortage of children, so they just said congratulations.
After the matter was completely settled, Madam Zhen prepared to take Xiao Cao back home. Based on her understanding of her daughter, she was probably getting quite impatient with waiting. Madam Wang was hit hard today, but she still had to muster up the courage to see the guest off.
As soon as she walked out of the second door, a man chased after her aggressively, "It's you? Where did you come from, little girl? My wife was fine, but you gave her drugs to induce labor and killed my child..." He became more and more fierce as he spoke, as if he wanted to eat her, and he couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to attack Xiaocao.
"Pa—" Madam Zhen slapped him, "Asshole, dare you say nonsense again?"
It has been said that Madam Zhen had hit Zhen Muyao before, and she didn't just slap him, she used a whip. This nephew was definitely the first person she had "slapped in the face", and the force was definitely not light.
The person who was beaten sobered up a little after being slapped. He covered his face with his hands and said with some fear, "Aunt..."
"Who are you listening to? I'm here with your mother, and you're just giving your wife drugs to induce labor? Do you think we're dead? The brain is a good thing, don't always put it on a woman's belly and forget to bring it. - Someone, show the child to him, take a good look at him, and see how we harmed him."
A mother following beside was holding a basket in her hand. Everyone knew what was inside, but no one mentioned it. Even Mrs. Wang was eager for Mrs. Zhen to take it away, and she didn't have the courage to take a look.
The mother handed it over without hesitation. After all, he was the child's father, so she should at least take a look at him.
He knew that his wife had given birth to two children, one of whom died. Who would want to see a dead baby? However, under the gaze of his aunt, he had to look. He reached out his hand carefully, quickly opened the swaddling clothes and retracted his hand. Then, "Ah, monster..." he stepped back in shock.
Even Madam Zhen, who was present, had never seen this child before. But now she saw it clearly. The facial features were almost invisible, and the hands and feet were twisted and folded upwards. Caught off guard, it was quite terrifying. Madam Wang also stepped back in fear. She didn't scream, but she couldn't help but cover her heart and turned her face to one side, "What a sin, what a sin..."
The mother's hands trembled, but she remained calm and quickly covered the child.
Xiao Cao was the one who had the least reaction. However, her reaction was bizarre. She suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the man by the back of his neck, and dragged him to the side of the basket with force, and opened the swaddling clothes...