Chapter 7 Life

Actually, before she traveled through time, Li San Niang didn't believe in any religion.

After all, people who grow up receiving scientific education don't believe in science at all, except when they were young and watched "Journey to the West" and envied the Monkey King for being able to travel 108,000 miles in a single somersault and create countless monkeys from a single hair.

But faces are meant to be slapped, right? Slapped until they're swollen.

Time travel is something that science cannot explain, at least for the time being.

It's hard to say who's in charge of time travel, the time travel gods, perhaps?

So who's in charge of the task system, which is basically a cheat code? The main god?

Therefore, Li San Niang chose to make a wish using the local Taoism she admired before she traveled through time.

Even if we transmigrate, we're still from this small corner of the Chinese mainland. After all, the Three Pure Ones are figures from this place too.

Goodbye then, just for peace of mind, in case I really do get lucky.

Actually, before she time-traveled, Li San Niang would buy a lottery ticket on the street every year on her birthday. If she were lucky enough to win five million, could she donate half to an orphanage and keep the other half to buy a small house and live a peaceful life?

But actually, I only won five yuan once, which is only slightly better than being unlucky.

After silently reciting the command, Li San Niang pressed the button in the middle of the turntable. The turntable started to spin. There was no background music, but Li San Niang felt as if she heard a "clanging" sound. Finally, the pointer of the turntable pointed to a certain area.

After a burst of colorful firecrackers that transformed the interface into a 3D effect, a golden banner appeared that read, "Congratulations on winning a natural childbirth equipment gift pack!" Below that, in smaller print, "It has been placed in your backpack. Please collect it from your backpack."

Li San Niang's expression looked like this: ⊙︿⊙.

Li Sanniang was bewildered, thinking, "So, this is the reward I got after all that hard work..."

Li San Niang had something she wanted to say, but she didn't know where to begin.

She figured she didn't have any superpowers, but a spring, a plot of land, an old man, or a fairy godmother would be nice, or at the very least, some Coke or Sprite to reminisce about modern life would be some consolation.

That's it?!

Blinded and forced to accept the reward, Li San Niang quickly switched to the "Backpack" interface, unlocking a hundred small compartments (10 horizontal and 11 vertical), similar to the storage backpacks that players are equipped with in games.

Only the first cell has a small icon to indicate that something is there; the other ninety-nine cells are empty, appearing as gray and unclickable.

Li San Niang sat up in bed, clicked on the first small compartment, and then felt a weight on her legs covered by a thin blanket. A package resembling a dark green surgical instrument bag appeared.

Adhering to the principle of aseptic technique, Li San Niang instantly thought of "taking it back," and the package disappeared and returned to the backpack compartment.

The name "Natural Delivery Instrument Package" is quite short, so it probably only contains "one episiotomy scissors, two curved hemostats, one straight hemostat, one umbilical cord scissors, one large curved disc, one #7 puncture needle, one needle core, one needle holder, one short toothed forceps, one fetal head vacuum extractor, and one artificial membrane rupture hook needle."

It's likely that they didn't have a full set of surgical gowns, gauze, blood pads, cotton balls, and treatment towels.

So, is he going back to his old ways?

to whom?

Could it be Li Ersao?

But didn't Li's mother say that she wouldn't leave home during the days leading up to Li's second sister-in-law's possible due date? There must be some unexpected event happening then.

Just as I thought of this, a clear red ① with white text appeared in the taskbar of the virtual screen. Clicking on it, I saw a new task created under the first task, which read, "Help Wu Lan give birth smoothly, one-time use of a sterile operating room."

So, it really was to help Li Ersao have her third child.

Does "sterile operating room" mean it simulates what a hospital operating room looks like?

Having put aside the reward for the second task, Li San Niang stopped worrying about it. Now that she knew the specific task, she would deal with whatever came her way. She then fell asleep to the sound of cicadas.

The next day, Li San Niang successfully got information out of Li Er Sao and calculated her due date, which was expected to be in seven days.

Although Li Ersao was not from Chang'an City, she was the eldest granddaughter of the head of Shilipo Village outside the city, and as the eldest granddaughter, she was naturally pampered.

While people value a son who can become a heavy laborer and participate in the official appointment process to bring benefits to his family, they also value the eldest daughter of the eldest son. Since Li Ersao is the first child of the third generation, she is bound to receive preferential treatment.

In the countryside, it's impossible to eat all the good stuff like wheat flour, but the family's own old hen lays an egg every day, which they are willing to give to their children every day.

Not to mention that Li Ersao had been going into the mountains with her grandfather to collect herbs since she was seven or eight years old. Every time she sold copper coins, she could also get some snacks.

Not long after she came of age, she married into the Li family, and her lifestyle improved dramatically.

Therefore, Li Ersao's menstrual cycle was very regular, lasting exactly twenty-eight days.

For women with regular menstrual cycles, the due date is easy to calculate, mainly based on the first day of the last menstrual period.

The calculation is very simple: the due date is the month of the first day of the last menstrual period plus nine or minus three. The due date is the date of the first day of the last menstrual period plus seven.

For example, if Li Ersao's last menstrual period was on the seventh day of the ninth month of the first year of the Holy Calendar, then her due date would be the twentieth day of the sixth month of the second year of the Holy Calendar.

Having figured this out, Li San Niang stopped paying too much attention to Li Er Sao for the time being.

Father Li and his second brother Li went to the clinic in the front yard. The eldest brother Li had already gone to work. The four little ones had also gone to the academy. Mother Li had also arranged to meet someone who was about to give birth. Before leaving, she instructed Third Sister Li: "I have already made arrangements with Chen the broker, whom I know well in the neighborhood. He will come home at 9:00 AM to help you find a house."

Didn't Li Lingshi say that we had to go to the Ministry of Revenue to register our household within half a month? Third Sister, do you have enough money?

"Your mother has some savings. Come to the room quietly after dinner, and I'll give them all to you."

Fearing that her two daughters-in-law might overhear her saying that she wanted to give Li San Niang some private money, Li's mother looked around before getting closer and closer to Li San Niang's ear and whispering it.

“Mother, I know you care about me, but I really do have money. Before I got married, the Yiyuan Powder that I improved brought in a lot of monthly dividends.”

Mother, don't worry. We can't afford a house this big, but we can afford a smaller one, just for me and Luzhu."

Li San Niang was moved by her mother's love for her daughter, but she also thought that she still needed to increase her income. After all, the income from the twenty acres of land and the dividends from the medicinal formula were fixed. Although it would add up over time, she still had to raise Lu Zhu'er and start saving up for Lu Zhu'er's dowry when she got married.

This isn't modern times. In modern times, women have the right to choose not to marry or have children. Here, regardless of gender, not getting married by a certain age is unacceptable.

The only redeeming quality is that a young woman's dowry can be collected into three sets: one for her family, one for her husband's family, and one for the official family. In the event of a divorce, this serves as proof that she can take everything back with her, providing her with the confidence and support to survive in her husband's family.

Li San Niang then said to her mother, "Mother, I think it would be best if the house were near our home, close by, so that when I'm fully recovered, I can move there with Lu Zhu'er. It would also be cheaper."

Upon hearing this, Li's mother anxiously wanted to retort, but before she could speak, Li San Niang continued, "You don't know how good my sister-in-law is to me, Mother."

If I may say something that you won't take offense to, Mother, I deeply respect my elder sister-in-law. She was the one who took care of me when I was little.

Although my second sister-in-law came to our family two years late, she is an honest person who has never argued with anyone and is also very good to our son.

It was my son's own idea to move out. He was going to leave home after the divorce. The eldest son and the others are growing up day by day, especially the eldest son who is almost fifteen. After the New Year, he will be old enough to be matched with potential partners. It's not good to let him continue to live with the second son and the others.

"Once our son moves out, we can tidy up his room, and when matchmakers come next year, it'll be easier for us to talk to them."

“My child, your mother feels that you have been wronged.”

“What are you upset about, Mother? I am so fortunate to have such a large family like yours. I must have done a lot of good deeds in my past life to be able to be born into your womb.”

As she listened, Li's mother's maternal love welled up, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing this, Li San Niang quickly said, "Mother, wait here. I'll go get you some pastries, wrap them up, and put them in your basket. If you get hungry while waiting for the women to start their business, you can have a bite to tide you over."

Although Emperor Wu's policies after ascending the throne included encouraging people to separate their families and live separately as soon as possible, the impact of parents not separating their families could not be changed on a large scale in just five or six years.

Moreover, living together as a family is also a way for people to stick together and survive, helping each other to get by.

Emperor Wu also reduced many taxes, and in the last two years he has been conscripting soldiers on his own instead of forcibly conscripting them, but the people are still used to living together as a large family.

Unless it's a business family, they wouldn't separate from their children as soon as they get married.

Because Emperor Wu did not suppress commercial development but rather encouraged it with many preferential policies, splitting up businesses was the best way to maximize profits, which led to more merchant families splitting up.

Brother Li is in the Jinwu Guard, guarding the Jinguang Gate. Living in Chang'an City is the most convenient for him, since he goes to work before dawn and can leave whenever he needs to on his days off.

Living in Chang'an is not easy.

Brother Li grew up with his father from a young age. His biological father had passed away many years ago, and being from the border region, he had no paternal relatives to find.

So, even after getting married and having two sons, they still lived in the east wing behind the clinic.

If the Li family could own such a sizable property in Chang'an, Li San Niang, while reviewing her memories at night, felt that Li's father must be a man with a story.

After all, judging from what Li's mother had told Li San Niang since she was young, Li's father must have had a tough time when he was young. There must have been some hardships and something must have happened for him to have such a place to live in Changshoufang.

The Li family, naturally, were now focused on running the medicine cabinet. Li's father no longer cared about the cabinet; he only focused on seeing patients. The Li family managed all the trivial matters of the clinic and the medicine cabinet.

Furthermore, both families are concerned about the future of their four children, so living in the city would be the most convenient and ideal option.

Although it is a fairly large property, a large portion of it is occupied by the front row of clinics and pharmacies.

Li's parents wanted to preserve Li San Niang's room from before her marriage, so the four children had to live together in a rather unfortunate situation.

Fortunately, all four little ones are young men, so they can all sleep together.

If there were a female mother, this room, which is used as a study for the four little ones, would probably have to be dismantled and a walled courtyard built for the young lady to live in.

After seeing Li's mother off, Chen Yalang arrived at the door shortly afterward.

Li San Niang explained her requirements to Chen Ya Lang: the house should be in Changshoufang, close to the Li family, preferably with a well, and the size doesn't matter, as long as it can accommodate herself and Lu Zhu'er. As long as the house can be handed over and the contract signed within half a month, the price can be increased slightly, and she is also willing to give Ya Lang more brokerage fees.

Li San Niang asked Li Er Sao to help her collect the dew for a while, and then went to the kitchen to prepare lunch with Li Da Sao.

Yes, it's steamed sweet potatoes again, but since we have leftovers from last night's meal, it's not bad.

After finishing their meal, they chatted for a while under the jujube tree in the yard, thinking they would take a nap later, when Li's father brought over a bowl of herbal soup.

"Third Sister, please hold out your hand. Father will take a look and see if the prescription needs to be changed."

As she spoke, Li San Niang obediently reached out her hand to Li's father. After carefully taking his pulse for a moment, Li's father said, "You have a good constitution and have not suffered any hidden ailments. Drink this bowl of medicine first, and I will prepare another bowl for you tonight with a different prescription."

"It's all thanks to Father's excellent medical skills that my son recovered so quickly." Li San Niang quickly flattered the head of the Li family, knowing that flattery always works.

There is no one in this world who doesn't like to hear nice things, not to mention that Li's father, as the patriarch of this era, really treated Li San Niang, his daughter, very well.

Although Li San Niang had a good constitution since childhood, and the miscarriage was early, the damage to her body was not as serious as that of a pregnancy that lasts for several months. Moreover, she returned to the Li family as soon as possible after the miscarriage and received good care.

In short, Li San Niang is in excellent health. A good rest over the next month will not significantly impact her health or lifespan.