The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 154

 

| TBBOTOF | 154

She’s almost due.

It has been two years since she married Liu San. They have been living their own life, and everything seemed fine, but Liu Qiaoniang was very uncomfortable with how things were.

Later, even Liu San’s parents came to her, insisting that the Liu family needed to have descendants, and questioned why she wasn’t pregnant.

At that time, Old Master Xu was often around, so Liu Qiaoniang and Liu San went to the town to see a doctor. They had her pulse checked, and the doctor prescribed some medicines to regulate her body, but there was no noticeable effect.

Liu Qiaoniang became quite depressed, seldom smiling, and Liu San also felt a lot of pressure. For a while, they hardly spoke at home.

Later, when Old Master Xu opened a small clinic nearby, Liu Qiaoniang came to see him several times in secret. 

The old man checked her pulse again and found that her body was actually quite good, but she had insufficient qi and blood. The previous medicines had not been taken consistently—such things need to be taken for at least a month, but the couple probably thought it was a waste of money, so they only took one dose and stopped.

The fact that Liu Qiaoniang came to see Old Master Xu indicated that she was determined to get better. The old man advised her to continue the treatment for at least a month and to come back for another check-up after that to see if any adjustments were needed.

After a lot of effort, Liu Qiaoniang finally received good news. However, she miscarried after four months of pregnancy, not due to her health but because she fell while working.

Afterward, she took more time to recover before becoming pregnant again.

To put it simply, Liu Qiaoniang’s ability to conceive was due to the couple's genuine effort and also to Old Master Xu’s effective treatment. If it had been delayed for a few more years, it would have been even harder to conceive due to age.

“She’s nine months pregnant. Recently, when I checked her, I found that her pregnancy wasn’t very stable. I’ve been feeling uneasy for the past two days. Yesterday afternoon, Liu San came to tell me she had started spotting, but her abdomen didn’t hurt. I told him to have her lie down and rest. If there’s anything more, she should come to me. Since he didn’t come back last night, I need to go check on her to feel at ease.” The old man finished speaking and gestured for Wei Dong to get the cart ready.

Old Master Wen also came out of the house. Empty-handed, he followed with a smile, “I’m going too.”

“Why should you go along?” Old Master Xu turned and frowned.

Old Wen huffed, walking forward with his hands behind his back, “Why can you go and I can’t? I’m more experienced in these matters.”

“The villagers can’t let you, an old man, handle this. If there’s any complication, it’s best to have a midwife,” Old Master Xu replied, and didn't say anything to drive him away.

He was also worried; if there was a difficult childbirth situation, he might not be able to handle it.

Tang Xu came out of the kitchen, saw them heading to the backyard, and asked, “Liu Qiaoniang’s health isn’t an issue, right?”

“She was fine before, and the symptoms for nine months is normal.” Old Xu waved him off, as he knew about Tang Xu and Liu Qiaoniang’s relationship from living in the village for so long. He wasn’t surprised by Tang Xu’s concern.

Tang Xu nodded and didn’t delay, watching them leave.

Outside Liu San’s house, Wei Dong stayed by the cart after sending the two old men, waiting in case he was needed to help.

No matter what, Liu Qiaoniang was related by blood to his family. Even though his mind might sometimes be unclear, he couldn’t just ignore things. If there was anything he could help with, he would.

As expected, not long after the two old doctors went inside, the noise from the house indicated that something was happening. Liu San rushed out in a panic. Seeing the mule cart at the door, he hesitated for a moment.

Wei Dong looked up and greeted him, “Where are you going?”

“Qiaoniang’s in labor, I need to find a midwife!” Liu Meng, unable to chat with Wei Dong due to his anxiety, turned and started to run in the opposite direction.

Wei Dong reached out to stop him, “I’ll take you.”

“Okay, okay, thank you, thank you.” Liu San, feeling extremely anxious and pale, climbed onto the cart.

Wei Dong took a look at him, noticing his shivering and understood that he was extremely nervous. He offered some comfort, “You don’t need to worry so much. When Xu Ge’er’s child was born, it was Old Xu and Old Wen who helped. They’re very skilled, so your wife will definitely be fine.”

Liu San nodded, trying to convince himself that everything would be okay.

Inside the house, Liu Qiaoniang was already experiencing labor pains. Every time her abdomen hurt, she would instinctively curl up. Old Wen spoke in a deep voice, “You can’t hunch over too much; it might harm the baby.”

Old Xu added, “When the midwife arrives, just let her help you. I checked your abdomen earlier, and the baby is in a good position. You shouldn’t have too much difficulty, so don’t be afraid.”

Liu Qiaoniang was sweating profusely. Although she felt somewhat reassured by their words, she still couldn’t fully relax her body. She followed Old Master Wen’s advice to breathe deeply and try to ease the pain and anxiety, which seemed to help a little.

Liu San quickly returned with the midwife. As soon as the midwife entered, the two old doctors moved from the main room to the hall. They needed to stay close by in case any emergencies arose, as being too far away could lead to problems in a rush.

Liu San, consumed with anxiety, was no longer concerned with formalities.

“Don’t just stand there. Quickly boil some hot water and also prepare the ginseng slices I brought. If she gets too weak later, she can drink a bowl to boost her strength,” Old Xu said, handing Liu San a bag of medicine. “Boil more hot water.”

Liu San quickly took the bag, thanked him repeatedly, and rushed to the kitchen to boil water.

It wasn’t until later that he wondered why Wei Dong was waiting outside his house. Even if he was here to drop off the two old doctors, there was no need for him to wait outside. After all, childbirth could take several hours, and it wasn’t an urgent matter.

Could it be that Wei Dong was waiting for him to leave?

The more Liu San thought about it, the more he felt it was likely. He had also noticed that Liu Qiaoniang paid special attention whenever there was news about Wei Dong or his family. When Tang Xu gave birth to his eldest son, Liu Qiaoniang had even made two small clothes for the child. 

Later, when the twins were born, she had sent a red envelope.

At that time, Liu San had asked why they were sending gifts when there was no real relationship between the two families. Liu Qiaoniang’s response had been that she wanted to borrow some of their good fortune. 

After all, despite being known for having difficulty giving birth, Wei Dong’s family had already had three children in two years, which seemed more impressive than the fertility goddess in the temple.

Liu San thought it made sense and didn’t question it further.

Now, thinking back, he realized that there was actually no direct connection between their family and Wei Dong’s. Even if they wanted to borrow some good fortune, making and giving clothes for the children was not appropriate; such personal items should come from close relatives or elders.

Yet, Liu Qiaoniang had made the clothes and sent them over without hesitation, and they had accepted them directly.

Now, thinking back, Liu San’s doubts grew more intense. However, the continuous cries of pain from inside the house made him restless, and these small doubts were pushed aside as he anxiously hoped that the baby in his wife’s womb would come out soon.

After an anxious wait, with basin after basin of hot water being brought into the house, three hours passed. Finally, as the sun reached its zenith, a heart-wrenching scream echoed from inside, followed by the cries of a baby. The Liu family welcomed a new life.

The moment Liu San heard the baby’s cries, he collapsed in relief, kneeling on the ground.

Thank heavens, the baby had finally arrived.

“Qiaoniang! How are you?” He pressed against the door, trying to look inside.

Both old doctors in the hall were somewhat exhausted, their age made such prolonged labor particularly draining. 

Thankfully, they had managed through, with Old Xu giving Liu Qiaoniang ginseng tea three times, while Old Wen directed the midwife outside on what to do. The baby was quite large, making the delivery difficult.

The midwife, having finished tidying up both the mother and the baby, came out with a cheerful smile to report, “Congratulations! It’s a big baby boy! He weighs at least eight pounds.”

Liu San hurried to his feet, almost moved to tears.

The man wiped his face and went to receive the baby wrapped in a swaddling cloth, glancing at it before asking, “How is my wife? Is she alright?”

“She’s fine. I’ll just give her a thorough wash and she’ll be good,” the midwife said, waving him off before returning to the room.

Liu San held his heavy son with a beaming smile on his face.

“Take him to the hall and wait there, don’t let him catch a chill,” a gentle voice said from behind. Liu San turned around to see Tang Xu, recognized in the village as the most beautiful ger, approaching.

What was he doing here?

Tang Xu was holding a bamboo basket. Seeing Liu San’s surprised expression, he guessed that Liu San might not know about his relationship with Liu Qiaoniang. 

Therefore, he didn’t elaborate but simply said, “I’m here to bring some food for the two old gentlemen and a nourishing soup for Auntie.”

After speaking, Tang Xu confidently entered the courtyard, followed by Wei Dong, who was also carrying a basket.

Liu Sam quickly led them to the hall but was met with the smell of blood as soon as they entered. He retreated, saying, “Let’s go to the side room; I usually have my meals there.”

Tang Xu didn’t mind and handed the basket to Wei Dong before going over to help the two old doctors.

Feeling stiff and sore from sitting, Old Xu stood up and stretched his back, grumbling, “Are you here to take us home?”

“No, I’m here to bring you some food,” Tang Xu said with a smile, helping Old Xu outside and glancing back at Old Wen.

The difference in age showed, and Old Wen’s health was much better. He waved his hand to indicate that Tang Xu should go ahead and do what he needed.

In the side room, Wei Dong placed the two bamboo baskets on the table. Since Liu San was holding the baby, he couldn’t help with the food. 

Tang Xu went ahead and poured water for the two old doctors to wash their hands and then brought out the food from the baskets.

There was a spread of vegetables, meat, and steamed buns. Due to their old age and poor teeth, the two old men mostly ate buns instead of rice.

“Eat up. After you finish, we’ll head back once Auntie wakes up,” Tang Xu said, handing them chopsticks. He then turned to Liu San and said, “Uncle, you should eat too. I’ll hold the baby for now.”

Liu San was both surprised and grateful.

“There’s food for me too?” he asked, astonished.

Tang Xu took the baby from Liu San, noting to himself that the child looked quite plump and well-nourished.

“Ah Dong, there’s some nourishing soup in that small jar. I’ll take it into the room,” Tang Xu said, balancing the baby in one arm and carrying the jar with the other.

Inside the room, Liu Qiaoniang was slowly waking up from the bed, still somewhat disoriented. The midwife had called her several times before she came to her senses.

“My baby, where is my baby?” Liu Qiaoniang asked anxiously.

“Here,” Tang Xu said as he entered the room. He placed the jar down and handed the baby to her. “I’ve made some nourishing soup for you. Drink it when you’re ready.”

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