Chapter 277 Preparation

Chunlan's self-disclosure of her shortcomings filled Li's mother and the other two with respect and sympathy for this young girl.

However, Li's mother could tell that Chunlan was not the kind of girl who needed pity, and simply said to her, "Good child, Grandma knows."

Don't worry, when Third Sister comes back tonight, I'll ask her, and I'll send someone to tell you when I have news by tomorrow morning."

After repeating the same things over and over, Sister-in-law Li gently comforted Midwife Sun, causing tears to fall continuously from the woman's eyes.

Even Li's mother couldn't stand it anymore, and said to the midwife Sun with a smile, "You old woman, you're so ignorant."

Chunlan can accept herself with equanimity, so as her grandmother, you should naturally set an example for her, stand up for her, and do your best.

Why are you still crying?

Chunlan will never go hungry in the future, thanks to her ability to read and write.

Now that you have a backup plan, why are you crying and complaining about how it's not worth it for her? Aren't you just adding to the child's distress?

Wipe away your tears, take care of yourself. With such a granddaughter, you'll have a long and happy life ahead of you.

These words, firm yet gentle, filled Chunlan with gratitude. After bowing to Mother Li, Chunlan turned and nestled beside Granny Sun: "Grandma, don't worry, I have my own plans. I will definitely make sure you live a life of happiness in the future."

Fifteen minutes later, Li's mother and the other two saw Sun the midwife and Chunlan off at the Li family's door.

It was quite a coincidence that no sooner had the midwife and her granddaughter left than Li San Niang and Qiu Xiang returned in a carriage driven by the Nineteenth Prince.

Li San Niang first washed her hands, then squatted down, picked up her daughter Lu Zhu'er, and kissed her affectionately. She then played Cuju (ancient Chinese football) with Lu Zhu'er and Xiao Huang for a while. As it got dark, she washed Lu Zhu'er's hands and waited for her father and second brother Li to come and close the door of the clinic so they could have dinner together.

Although Brother Li still couldn't return home in time for the Li family's dinner, he no longer had to come home in the middle of the night every time.

Based on the timing of Li Daxiong's return home, Li Sanniang deduced that Chang'an City was relatively peaceful recently, and at least those people from the Temple Gate wouldn't show their faces for a while.

Li San Niang only thought to herself, "I hope that everything can be peaceful and safe until the Lantern Festival."

When the family members each had a small bowl of hot red bean soup and were sitting in the main hall chatting, Li's mother told Li San Niang about the midwife Sun bringing Chunlan home.

"That child is unlucky; she got that kind of illness and will never be able to get married."

However, if you agree to let this child take the exam, it would perfectly match your admission requirements of being young, literate, and open to new ideas.

Li San Niang never expected that she would actually encounter a woman with this kind of illness. She felt a little regretful, as surgery was the only option for this disease.

Even if Li San Niang dared to perform such an operation on her own, how could it be possible under the current conditions?

Li San Niang took a sip of the hot red bean soup and looked at Li's mother, replying, "Alright, since that's the case, then let's go."

Being literate is already quite remarkable. Even if she can't become a midwife in the future, serving as a clerk in our alliance to help my elder sister-in-law and second sister-in-law would be good enough.

Li Ersao slapped her thigh: "Oh dear, how come I didn't think of that!"

"Yes, just like Third Sister said, it's rare to find someone who can read and write. I think it would be suitable for them to be a minor manager in our alliance!"

After putting Lu Zhu'er to sleep, Li San Niang stayed up late again, pondering her report on how to inoculate people with smallpox, which she would be submitting to Mr. Bu Ke in a few days.

...

The next day, Li San Niang found that the temperature had dropped quite a bit. When she got up to open the door to fetch hot water from the kitchen, she yawned and felt a lot of white steam coming out, and she could smell the cool air in her nostrils.

When we got to the yard, we saw that the yellowish grass on the ground was covered with frost, which meant the temperature had dropped a bit.

After carrying water back to the house, Li San Niang shared some with Qiu Xiang next door, and then found out Lu Zhu'er's thicker padded jacket.

I was wearing a thin jacket a few days ago, but now this thick padded jacket that Sister-in-law Li made for me can finally come in handy.

Li San Niang went to her shift, while Li's mother and the others stayed home with Wu Qiaolan and Bao Ya to prepare for the midwife exam in a few days.

According to Li Sanniang, although she wanted younger women who were more receptive to innovation and new things, she did not completely deny opportunities to older midwives.

For example, Midwife Sun, although not young, has a heart for progress and learning, which makes her better than many others.

Therefore, the content of this exam was based on the method of the physician qualification exam under the Medical Alliance that Li San Niang participated in.

The first step is to test physical strength, since Li San Niang's teaching is actually training specialized midwives.

Naturally, one needs to be in good physical condition throughout the entire process.

The second step is to refer to the question-and-answer model of the medical alliance, where Li San Niang, Li Mu, Li Da Sao, and Li Er Sao will ask questions to the women who come to participate in the consultation face-to-face.

In fact, if women back then could attend compulsory education like modern people and be literate, they would only need to take written exams.

However, at this time, very few women were literate, so face-to-face questioning was the most convenient method.

The problems were all discussed and decided by Li San Niang and her mother, which allowed them to indirectly select the kind of ambitious, willing to improve their midwifery skills, and studious midwives that Li San Niang wanted.

The final step is a self-introduction, which is an opportunity for those who did not score well in the first two steps to make up for it.

Talk about how many babies you've delivered in the past, what delivery techniques you know, and what kind of problems you can handle.

Even unmarried women, like Bao Ya who is already betrothed and Chun Lan who is here for reference, can talk about what they know and how they plan to become good midwives after learning this skill.

Bao Ya and Wu Qiaolan were not included in the ten people admitted after passing the exam; they were pre-selected because of Li's mother.

Bao Ya's mother didn't intend for her to become a midwife before marriage. Li's mother's intention was to train her to be a clerk in the alliance, helping Li's eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law with their affairs.

Li's mother and the others are currently busy in the courtyard next door, where the "Women's Assistance Association" plaque has been hung up.

This used to be the house of Master Zhou. It has three courtyards, with the first courtyard being the largest, which can easily accommodate dozens of people at the same time.

Li's mother and the others came to clean and dust, check the tables, chairs, and benches, and make a few of the kind of signs that Li San Niang mentioned.

In order to give the test takers a good experience, Li's mother and the others came early to prepare.

"Should we prepare some tea and snacks?"

There will be at least a dozen or twenty people taking the exam. We'll be asking around in this courtyard, and in this second round, we can only ask five people at a time. As Third Sister said, we need to ask for at least a quarter of an hour, so some people will definitely be waiting.”

Li Ersao held the sleeping Xiao Wulang in her arms with a cloth wrapped around him, straightened Xiao Wulang's tiger-head hat, looked at Li's mother and asked.

“What Lan Niang said makes sense. Then we’ll set up two stoves inside and outside this room, boil water, and prepare some of the common snacks from the street.”

Li's mother pointed to a room on the east side of the courtyard and said.

"This third round, according to Third Sister, has to be heard in full view of everyone. So it's not appropriate to do it indoors. Even the biggest room would be too crowded if there were a dozen or twenty people standing there. So what will we do then, Mother?"

Sister-in-law Li was also considering how to handle this situation.

“Don’t worry, Da Lang’s wife. I’ve calculated the time. It will be around noon by then, and the temperature will be high. We can set up chairs and benches in the yard and have someone stand there in the middle to talk.”