Chapter 124 124 Found a Treasure

Hundreds of people first performed castration and then carried out the punishment of being torn apart by a chariot. The whole process lasted for an hour and a half.

There were constant cries and screams at the scene, as if they had gone to hell after death and endured all kinds of torture.

No!

It's a hundred times more painful than that!

In accordance with the prefect's order, they were not to be drawn and quartered immediately after castration, but to wait for an incense stick of time, allowing them to suffer excruciating pain and experience the excruciating pain of having their roots of evil severed.

Aren't they just relying on the weight of their legs to bully women?

Then cut that thing off and let them have a taste of what it feels like to be a eunuch.

Eunuchs are neither male nor female, and now they are even worse than women. Let’s see if they still dare to say that daughters are a waste of money.

The smell of blood filled the air. All the officials turned pale, squeezed their legs together and shivered. It was hard to tell whether they were cold or scared.

The villagers from other villages heard the noise and hid in the dark to watch. They were trembling like chaff and were scared out of their wits.

"Oh my god, isn't it said that the current prefect is a woman? She's so cruel!"

"My daughter can't carry on the family line, and it's just an extra mouth to feed and a waste of food. It's better to throw her away."

"Shh—keep your voice down. Be careful not to be overheard by that female Rakshasa, or she'll be dragged over and stabbed."

The man who was speaking shrank his neck, covered his mouth and dared not say a word.

After a stick of incense had passed, Du Qingtang raised his hand and continued to carry out the punishment of being torn apart by a chariot.

Ten people were divided into groups and each one was tied with a hemp rope.

There was a loud "bang", and the head rolled all over the ground, with the internal organs spilling out.

The villagers of Sanli Village who were waiting for execution were so frightened when they saw this that they defecated and urinated.

"I don't want to! I don't want to be torn into pieces!"

"My Lord, I was wrong. Please spare my life!"

"I'm right! Girls are just money-losing goods. They're good for nothing except bearing children. They deserve to die!"

After hearing this, the officials took a deep breath.

Sure enough, the next moment, he heard the prefect say in a cold voice: "Cut off his tongue for me."

"yes!"

The soldier raised his sword and slashed, half of the tongue fell to the ground, and blood gushed out.

Everyone's eyelids twitched wildly and they were silent as a mouse.

Du Qingtang looked down at the man lying on the ground like a pile of mud. "You dare to challenge me when you are about to die? It seems you haven't learned your lesson yet."

The man was shaking with pain, rolling his eyes with a look of resentment.

Du Qingtang smiled slowly. "A beast reincarnated into a human, and only then did you grow into something like this. Today, I will enforce justice on behalf of Heaven and send you back to the path of beast."

Officials: “…”

Du Qingtang pointed at the man who looked unconvinced and said calmly, "Pull someone down and let him take over."

The villagers who were replaced cried with joy and looked at the man with gratitude.

Although we all have to die sooner or later, living a little longer is better than living a little longer!

man:"......"

An hour and a half passed in a flash.

After the execution, the scene was in a mess and the soil was dyed crimson.

The young prefect sat high on his horse, clapping his palm lightly with his musket. "Please remember this scene and take it as a warning in the future. If I discover anyone neglecting their duties, abusing their public office for personal gain, or shielding a criminal..."

The cold gaze was as if it was real, sweeping across the officials of Shaoqing Prefecture one by one, like a boning knife cutting through them. Everyone's scalp tingled and they bowed their heads in respect.

"Master Zhou, send them back."

Zhou Tongzhi wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and bowed in response.

The others breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had been pardoned, and fled as if there were evil spirits chasing them.

Wan Shoubei stepped forward and said, "Sir, should we go back first or..."

Du Qingtang swept through the darkness without leaving a trace, and the villagers from other villages who were watching the excitement were shocked and dared not breathe.

Fortunately, the prefect didn't take it seriously and simply said, "Leave a team to arrest the woman involved, put her in jail, and execute her at noon tomorrow."

The principal offender is despicable, and the accomplices are equally unforgivable.

Du Qingtang looked at the ruins left by the collapsed stone tower and said, "Gather the remains and bury them in peace."

These children did not receive the love of their parents during their lifetime, so they should have a place to go after death, instead of becoming lonely ghosts with nowhere to go in the vast world.

A flash of grief flashed across Shoubei Wan's eyes. He wiped his face and agreed, "I will have them buried properly in the end."

Du Qingtang shook the reins, walked around the corpses on the ground, and rode into Sanli Village.

......

On the other side, after Du Qingtang left the city, Du Yi went to find Wang Nianci and explained his purpose as soon as he entered the door.

When the women learned the truth, they were all furious and slammed the table and stood up.

"You're worse than an animal!"

"If you can't control it, you might as well just cut it off!"

"If you only care about giving birth and not raising it, it's better not to have children at all!"

Wang Nianci's chest was rising and falling rapidly. He didn't care about anything else and walked out quickly: "There is no time to lose, let's set off quickly."

But they were all weak women and had never learned riding or archery.

Fortunately, Du Yi had taken this into consideration and had already prepared a carriage. The women boarded the carriage and headed straight for Sanli Village.

When leaving the city, I met Mu Yuanzhu who was training the girls at the South Gate.

Mu Yuanzhu recognized Du Yi and stopped to say hello.

Just at this moment, the wind blew, the curtains rose, revealing the women in the carriage.

Mu Yuanzhu opened her eyes wide and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

Du Yi knew that his master intended to form a women's army and was very optimistic about Miss Wan. He did not hide anything and explained the situation in a few words.

Mu Yuanzhu and others immediately blushed with anger.

"Are you in need of help?"

"I'll beat them to a pulp!"

"I'm good with a knife. I used to help my dad with pig slaughtering. I can help with castration for free."

Du Yi: “…”

In fact, there was no need for them to take action. With their master's hatred of evil, the men of Sanli Village would have been tortured to death countless times by now.

Wang Nianci thought that since they were all women, it would be safer with more people, so she said to Du Yi, "Let them go together."

As a result, the woman's rescue team had dozens more people, and they rushed towards Qingyang County.

Before reaching Sanli Village, Mu Yuanzhu smelled a faint smell of blood.

She looked at Du Yi, who nodded.

Mu Yuanzhu rolled his eyes and turned to the women, saying, "The road ahead is blocked by government soldiers. Let's take another route."

The group changed their route and entered Sanli Village from a narrow path.

The women worked in groups of two and searched house to house.

Wang Nianci pushed open the door, but found a woman of marriageable age locked in a dark and cramped room. She was skinny, with a bulging belly, and her eyes were numb and dull.

Wang Nianci's breath hitched, and her fingertips trembled slightly, not knowing what she was thinking about.

"Who let you in? Get out of here!"

Looking back, they saw a woman rushing towards them waving a kitchen knife.

This woman looks somewhat similar to the woman in the room, so her identity is self-evident.

Wang Nianci looked at him coldly, picked up the broom beside him and went forward to beat him with it.

The woman was completely unable to fight back against Wang Nianci and was beaten so hard that she screamed and jumped up and down.

"She is your daughter, how could you bear it?"

"You are unworthy of being a mother!"

"You're the one who should get out!"

The woman screamed and ran away. Wang Nianci dropped the broom, holding her knees and gasping for breath.

Gu Ran, who came to Shaoqing Prefecture from Baoding Prefecture with Wang Nianzhi, had tears in his eyes, and it was obvious that he had the same idea as her.

Wang Nianci relaxed and smiled, "I'm fine, just... very angry, but also very grateful."

They were glad that they escaped and that they met the Du sisters.

Gu Ran agreed with this and patted Wang Nianci's back, silently comforting her.

When Wang Nianci walked into the room, the woman had come back to her senses from her daze and was looking at them timidly.

"Don't be afraid, we are here to save you."

The woman's eyes rolled, and she suddenly stood up and slammed into the yellow mud wall.

Wang Nianci's pupils suddenly shrank, and he took a step forward, standing between the woman and the yellow mud wall.

"You want me to die!"

"I don't want to live anymore!"

"I've become like this now, I might as well die..."

The woman held her head in her hands, crying and screaming. This scene was so heartbreaking that anyone who heard or saw it would cry.

Wang Nianci and Gu Ran looked at each other, put their hands on the woman's chin, and lifted her face with a little force.

"Look at me."

"Look me in the eyes."

Wang Nianci forced the woman to look into his eyes.

The woman sobbed and met Wang Nianci's gentle eyes, and for a moment she forgot to struggle.

"Let me tell you a story."

"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Ah Ci. She was betrayed by her best friend and fell into a den of thieves. She was forced to marry a man and give birth to a child."

"She was locked in a dark room for 384 days, suffering horrible torture and attempting suicide countless times."

"But she didn't."

"She wanted to escape and seek revenge."

"This belief supported her and allowed her to successfully kill the man."

"Her wish was fulfilled, her innocence was lost, she had no face to live in this world, and she decided to end her life."

"At the critical moment, someone appeared."

"She asked Ah Ci, 'You're not even afraid of death, so why are you afraid of living?'"

The woman's pupils constricted.

"She also told Ah Ci that as long as people are still alive and the sun rises and sets as usual, there is nothing in this world that cannot be overcome."

At this point, Wang Nianci chuckled: "You should have guessed it, Ah Ci is me."

The woman's lips trembled slightly.

"At that time, I was completely hopeless. I was just one step away from that boning knife piercing my chest."

"It was the prefect who stopped me and gave me the courage to live."

"Later, I was kicked out of the house by my parents and taken in by the prefect's sister. I ended up here after many twists and turns."

Wang Nianci's voice was gentle, like a trickle of water flowing through her heart: "I want to say, you are still young, you still have plenty of time, why bother to end your life hastily because of a few unimportant people."

"You should live well and live beautifully."

"Just like me, living uprightly."

Gu Ran stepped forward and said, "Aci and I had the same experience. At that time, I felt like the sky had fallen and my life was over. Now that I think about it, that hurdle was nothing more than this."

Wang Nianci let go of the woman, palm facing upwards: "Come, walk out with me, it's bright outside."

The woman stared at Wang Nianci's hand in a daze. After a long time, she placed her hand in her palm.

Wang Nianci and Gu Ran smiled at each other, sent the woman to a safe place, and continued to rescue the trapped woman.

During the rescue process, women kept jumping out and trying to stop them.

"She's my daughter, where are you taking her?"

"She's pregnant with the Xu family's child. If she passes away, who will carry on the Xu family line?"

Mu Yuanzhu and his friends couldn't stand hearing this, so they angrily took out the long whips from their waists and chased after these annoying people who didn't speak human language and beat them up.

"Men are hateful, but they are even more hateful."

"They are women, but they pushed their own daughters and granddaughters into the fire pit. It's disgusting."

"Officials are only evaluated on their writings, and there's no guarantee of their character. The same goes for being a parent; not all parents are qualified."

There are also women who become desperate and attempt to commit suicide after being rescued.

Wang Nianci - or rather, the women who had the same experience as Wang Nianci, repeatedly opened the wounds that had long been healed, revealing their unbearable past to the other party.

"If you're not afraid of death, why would you be afraid of living?"

"As long as people are still alive and the sun rises and sets as usual, there is no obstacle in this world that cannot be overcome."

They used reason and emotion to lead one woman after another away from the place of suffering.

Wang Nianzhi also paid special attention to Xu Lianxin's sister who was beating the drum to appeal for justice.

Probably because of her pregnancy, the Xu family did not do anything to Sister Xu. They just slapped her and locked her in the house.

Wang Nianci pushed open the door and said softly, "Your sister Xu Lianxin went to the government office to report the case, and the prefect sent troops over. You are now safe."

Sister Xu was stunned at first, but after she came to her senses, she covered her face and burst into tears.

For the safety of my sister and for myself to escape from the devil's den.

From the beginning to the end of the village, almost every household has a pregnant woman, and some even have more than one.

They are still very young, with tender faces, but they are skinny and their eyes are as haggard as those of an eighty-year-old woman.

In the evening, the sky was filled with fiery clouds, which were brilliant and beautiful.

The girls looked up at the sky, tears rolling down their eyes.

They sobbed and even their cries were silent.

......

Du Qingtang knew that he was very angry, so he did not step forward. He just stood in the distance with Du Yi and watched the girls crying.

Du Yi reported: "In addition to these women, there are also many girls."

Du Qingtang hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is the carriage ready?"

Du nodded: "Waiting on another road."

Because there were so many people, in addition to his nine brothers, he also found several coachmen.

Du Qingtang ordered: "Send them to the charity hall, and take the girls with you."

Du Yi nodded in agreement, then hesitated, "There are still some boys in the village..."

Du Qingtang said without hesitation: "Send it to the charity hall in Qingyang County."

Du Qingtang never doubted the evil of human nature. Some people, although young, were full of evil intentions.

In addition to genetic inheritance, there is also the influence of years of observation and exposure.

She would never let these people have the chance to contact the victims again.

"You don't have to worry about them. The palace soldiers are in charge."

Wan Shoubei does have some foresight, and he won't let those children fend for themselves.

"yes."

Du Qingtang turned his horse around and left quietly.

On the way, they met government soldiers who were escorting a group of women towards the village entrance.

The women cursed and swore at each other, and it was really unbearable to hear.

"Your Excellency the Prefect!"

The palace guards saluted, and the women were frightened by Du Qingtang's awe-inspiring demeanor and fell silent.

Du Qingtang didn't even glance at them and returned to the city under the rosy clouds.

-

When Du Qingtang returned to the government office, it was almost midnight.

There was a light on in the west wing. Du Qingtang lowered his head and sniffed to make sure there was no smell of blood before pushing the door open and entering.

There was a kang table on the kang, and Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju sat opposite each other, one organizing the recipes and the other studying medical books.

The atmosphere was harmonious and quiet, which gradually calmed Du Qingtang's anger.

The sound of the door opening startled Zhu and Ju. They looked up and saw who was coming, then quickly lifted the blanket from their legs and got off the kang.

Du Qingzhu handed over a cup of tea: "How is it? What's the situation now?"

Du Qingtang pinched his brows and drank the tea to dispel the chill in his heart: "I had them executed and temporarily placed the victims in the charity hall."

Du Qingju keenly sensed the irritability in the youngest's tone, gently stroked her back, and whispered softly: "Don't be angry about Xianyu, and don't blame yourself. It's not your fault."

"This world exploits women under the guise of ethics, and their loved ones won't let them go either, squeezing every last drop of their blood." Du Qingzhu sighed, "Life is truly too difficult for women."

Du Qingzhu remained silent. He touched the youngest's cold cheek and felt a little distressed: "Xianyu, you have done a good job. Don't always put all the blame on yourself. We are proud of you, and so are the people of Shaoqing Prefecture."

Du Qingtang pursed his lips and said after a moment of silence, "Eighth sister, come with me to the charity hall tomorrow."

Du Qingju didn't ask any more questions, but just nodded: "Actually, I would go even if you didn't tell me."

She wanted to do her bit for those girls.

She cannot heal mental illnesses, but she can heal physical illnesses.

If women don't help women, who can help them?

Du Qingtang thought of Xu Lianxin beating the drum to protest her grievances: "How is the girl in the west wing now?"

Du Qingju replied, "When I came back from the clinic, the doctor had already treated her wound. She woke up once during the process and learned that the government had sent people to Sanli Village. She drank some medicine and fell asleep again. She is still sleeping now."

Du Qingzhu walked out, his tone pretending to be cheerful: "Xianyu, come quickly. I developed a new dish this afternoon. Xiaoba has already tasted it and said it tastes good. You should try it too."

Du Qingju took the youngest sister's arm and followed, saying with a smile: "Seventh sister is a superb cook. We are so lucky to have you as our companion."

The food was served and Du Qingtang took a bite.

Du Qingzhu asked expectantly, "How is it? Is it delicious?"

Du Qingtang paused and nodded.

Du Qingzhu smiled happily: "I'm glad you like it. I'll put it on the Shixiang Pavilion tomorrow."

After eating and drinking, the cold body gradually warmed up.

The three sisters said good night to each other and went back to their rooms to rest.

But this night, many people are destined to stay awake all night.

......

The next morning, Du Qingtang did two sets of boxing and went to the duty room to handle official business.

The entire government office was eerily quiet; you could hear a pin drop.

From the Tongzhi to the yamen runners, everyone subconsciously moved lightly, fearing that they would disturb the prefect and incur his wrath.

After Du Qingtang finished his official business, he returned to the third hall.

Xu Lianxin had already woken up, and Zhu and Ju were talking to her.

Seeing Du Qingtang, Xu Lianxin knelt down and kowtowed three times: "Thank you, Mr. Prefect!"

Du Qingtang helped her up and said slowly, "No need to thank me. This is my duty. Moreover, it is my negligence that I didn't realize there was a place like Sanli Village under the jurisdiction of Shaoqing Prefecture."

Du Qingzhu and Du Qingju looked at each other and sighed silently.

The youngest child is good in everything except that he has too much sense of responsibility.

Xu Lianxin shook her head: "They hid it too well. Even the common people didn't know about the dirty things going on in the village, let alone people outside the village."

Du Qingtang checked her wounds one by one. He had applied medicine, but the bruises were still there, and the wound on her forehead had not yet scabbed over. "The government has settled your sister and others in a charity. Do you want to go see her?"

Xu Lianxin nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

She couldn't feel at ease unless she saw her sister's condition with her own eyes.

Du Qingtang asked someone to harness the carriage and take Xu Lianxin and Zhu Ju with him.

When we arrived at the charity hall, the yard was quiet.

The children who originally lived here all went to school, leaving only the girls from Sanli Village.

They lacked a sense of security and felt very uneasy in unfamiliar places. They all hid in their houses and dared not show up.

Du Qingtang waved away the person in charge of the charity and went to meet the girls from Sanli Village.

When the girls saw strangers, they all looked wary.

“Heart!”

Xu Lianxin looked in the direction of the voice and saw Sister Xu, whose left cheek was slightly red and swollen. Her eyes lit up and she rushed over with tears in her eyes: "Sister!"

The two sisters hugged each other tightly and cried with joy.

The atmosphere infected other people, and their eyes also turned red and they lowered their heads to wipe away their tears.

After they calmed down a bit, Du Qingtang introduced himself and said bluntly: "The main culprit and the accomplice have been brought to justice. You have two choices. One is to stay at the charity and work in the garment factory, or you can work at the charity and take care of those abandoned children."

"The second is to change your name and surname and establish your own family." Du Qingtang's eyes were calm, his tone was calm, and his attitude was not very enthusiastic, but it somehow soothed the girls' anxiety. "I will arrange accommodation for you in the city. The patrol soldiers in the city patrol twelve hours a day, you will be very safe."

There was silence in the dormitory of the charity hall.

The girls sat on the kang, lost in thought.

Du Qingtang didn't urge them. He stood at the door with his hands behind his back, like a tall tree.

After a long while, Sister Xu was the first to speak: "I want to stay in the charity hall, and I also want to change my name."

She didn't want to have the surname Xu anymore, and she didn't want to be called Xu Lianhua anymore.

Du Qingtang nodded: "Okay."

Xu Lianhua took the lead, and the other women spoke one after another.

"I also want to stay in the charity hall."

"It's more lively with more people. What's the point of living alone?"

"I could make clothes when I was eight years old, so I could work in a garment factory."

"I'm not good at sewing, so I'll just work at the charity."

In fact, before yesterday, they were disheartened and extremely desperate, and had thought about escaping from it all by dying countless times.

Once you die, everything is over.

Maybe I can drag those beasts to hell with me before I die.

But after yesterday, they suddenly didn't want to die anymore.

If I die now, I might meet those beasts in the underworld.

Why bother suffering from their torture during life and being unable to escape after death?

As long as you are alive, there is no hurdle that you cannot overcome.

They have to live well.

Live happily and beautifully.

Make those beasts mad!

Du Qingtang readily agreed: "You guys come up with a name, and I'll have someone come over in a couple of days to change the name."

Xu Lianxin hugged her sister's arm tightly, bit her lip, and asked softly, "Sir, can I take your last name?"

Du Qingtang was stunned.

Looking up, Xu Lianxin looked nervous, her eyes full of intimacy and conviction.

The surname "Xu" was a disgrace to her. Now that she wanted to change her surname, the first thing she thought of was the prefect's surname.

Xu Lianxin was worried that the prefect would not agree, so she bravely asked.

The other girls exchanged glances imperceptibly and echoed the sentiment.

"We haven't been educated and don't want to continue to have the surname Xu."

"You saved me, and I just want to share your last name."

The prefect is easy-going and friendly, so he shouldn't refuse...right?

Du Qingtang glanced over and met dozens of pairs of eyes filled with hidden expectations.

If this could make them feel at ease, it was just a surname, and Du Qingtang really couldn't say no.

"Okay." Du Qingtang said, then turned around and waved. Zhu Ju and the others walked in. "This is the doctor from Xinglin Hall. She specializes in gynecology. Let her take your pulse and take care of your body before going back to work."

Du Qingju pursed her lips and smiled softly, bowing.

Du Qingzhu said nonsense seriously: "I am an apprentice of Xinglin Hall, here to help the boss."

Du Qingju was speechless and was about to go forward to check her pulse when she heard Xu Lianhua say, "Doctor, I don't want this child. Please prescribe a medicine so that I can abort it."

Du Qingju subconsciously looked at the youngest.

Du Qingtang saw the girls' disgust and resistance, but was not surprised: "Your body is your own. You have the right to decide whether the fetus in your belly stays or goes."

The other pregnant girls also made requests.

"I don't want it either."

"It's a bastard. I can't give birth to it."

"Thank you, doctor."

Du Qingju suppressed the sadness in her heart, rolled up her wide sleeves and stepped forward: "Please allow me to take your pulses, determine the month of pregnancy, and minimize the damage to the mother as much as possible."

"It doesn't matter how much it hurts. Who can I marry in my current state?"

Once upon a time, they also fantasized about what their ideal husband would look like, but everything was destroyed by those so-called blood relatives.

They cannot remarry and do not want to remarry.

There are only children and women in the charity hall, and there are no disgusting men. These women accompany each other day and night, and it is fine to be like this until death.

Du Qingju could see that these girls were pessimistic about everything, so she said gently, "Minimize the damage so you can recover as quickly as possible and do what you want to do."

The girls stopped talking and let Du Qingju take their pulses and prescribe medicine for them.

Although I have decided not to get married, life must go on.

You need money to live, you can't just eat and drink for free in a charity.

It's okay if it happens once or twice, but they don't have the nerve to do it for a long time.

......

Du Qingtang stayed in the charity hall for a while and then left, returning to the government office to continue handling official business.

At the same time, the story of Sanli Village gradually spread.

Du Qingtang ordered his men to erase all traces of the living victims and ordered officials and palace soldiers not to spread the news. Anyone who violated the order would be sentenced to death.

Having witnessed Du Qingtang's cruel methods, whenever someone asked them about it, they would simply say that the villagers of Sanli Village ignored the government's order and threw the baby girl into the stone pagoda. The prefect was furious and had them executed.

When the news spread, people had mixed reactions.

"Well done! This is what happens when you disobey the prefect!"

"I've only seen baby girls being given away, but I've never seen a newborn girl thrown into a tower. If it happens in the dead of winter, won't she freeze to death?"

"Even if it's your own child, it's still considered murder, right?"

"You can't say that. I'm his father. Without me, she wouldn't exist. Whether she lives or dies is up to me."

"But even if they did something wrong, they shouldn't have to be punished so harshly, right? They were castrated and torn apart by five horses, and not even their bodies were intact."

"Why are you pretending to be a good person? Don't those girls even have graves?"

Both sides held their own opinions, argued fiercely, and finally parted on bad terms.

After some people left, they hurried back to the village and told the eagerly awaited villagers, "It's confirmed. The female governor had the lower halves of those men chopped off and their bodies torn into pieces."

There were gasps of fear one after another.

"What should we do? What if we are discovered here too?"

"I don't want to be a eunuch!"

Finally, the village chief made the decision: "Life is more important, let's deal with it quickly."

Over the next few days, buildings containing the remains of baby girls were destroyed across Shaoqing Prefecture.

In the training room, the midwives were also discussing the affairs of Sanli Village.

"Although the prefect was a bit harsh, it had to be. Some people wanted a son but couldn't feed so many mouths. You kept it a secret for me, and I kept it a secret for you. But the poor ones are the girls who died at birth."

"I've been in this business for eighteen years and have seen all sorts of monsters and demons. Nine out of ten men who give birth to a girl change their expressions, yelling about how she's a money-loser and will be given away tomorrow or drowned."

"Oh, don't you think that they were also born from a woman's womb? Without us women, they might have been reincarnated as animals."

This made everyone laugh.

Du Qingju happened to hear it and couldn't help laughing.

The words are a bit rough, but they make sense.

When the midwives saw Du Qingju come in, they stopped talking and greeted her warmly.

"Hello, Doctor Du."

"Doctor Du, I delivered a baby yesterday and used the method you described. The baby came out with a bang."

"I also delivered a baby yesterday, but it wasn't as smooth as yours. The woman was small, and the man was as strong as a bear. The baby was too big to come out, and I was about to run out of strength, so I had to pull the baby out by hand. The blood was flowing..."

"Giving birth is like dying for a woman. It's so torn apart that it's not easy to recover. From now on, I'm afraid I'll get my pants dirty even if I sneeze."

Du Qingju frowned slightly: "If you encounter a difficult birth, you can send someone to Xinglin Hall to find me."

Even if the baby is delivered by caesarean section, it is better than a ruptured birth canal, which would leave countless sequelae.

"I understand, I understand. But there will always be times when you are too busy, Doctor Du. If necessary, you will still have to take charge."

"It would be nice if there was something to replace my hands."

“Actually, there is.”

The midwives all looked at Du Qingju who was speaking.

"Doctor Du, what did you say?"

"What is it?"

Du Qingju opened the wooden box and took out something, smiling brightly as she said, "This is it, forceps."

Everyone opened their eyes wide, staring at the small gadget that looked like fire tongs in Dr. Du's hand.

"What's the use of this?"

"You idiot, you're obviously using it to get the baby out."

"Compared to using my arms, these forceps are definitely more convenient."

Du Qingju smiled brightly upon receiving the recognition. "So far, I've only had ten forceps made. I'll distribute them to the ten people who performed best during the training."

The midwives who received forceps were overjoyed, while those who didn't were filled with regret.

"If I had known, I would have been more diligent."

Coincidentally, two days later, a woman in labor was on the verge of death because her fetus was too large and she had exhausted her strength.

The midwife was extremely anxious and was planning to find Dr. Du to perform a cesarean section on the woman. When she reached the door, she suddenly remembered the forceps she had received a few days ago.

"Give it a try, maybe it will work."

The midwife grumbled and stepped back, took out the forceps from the box, and, as instructed in the training class, soaked them in boiling water for the time it took to make a cup of tea.

At that time, the mother was already unconscious and had no strength to move.

But for safety reasons, the midwife explained the situation to her: "I'm going to use forceps to remove the baby from your belly. Don't be afraid, just try to relax."

The woman in labor nodded dazedly.

After receiving the consent, the midwife approached with forceps.

As a result, it only took a cup of tea to get the child out.

The midwife held the red-skinned baby girl in her arms and was almost going crazy with joy: "Success! She's born!"

As he said this, he slapped the red monkey's butt hard, and then a loud cry was heard.

The woman in labor listened to the crying, smiled weakly, and fell asleep peacefully.

The family members who were kept outside jumped for joy.

"You can tell at first glance that she's a big, energetic girl!"

The next day, there was another training class.

The midwife walked in with her hands on her hips like a crab and told her colleagues what had happened.

The other midwives were stunned.

"So soon?"

"It's a really good thing. With it, mothers can suffer less."

The midwife held her head high and said proudly, "I was extremely careful at the time, but the Zhang family's Xiangyun was not torn at all."

"Old sister, you are really capable."

"She's worthy of being one of the best midwives in town."

This made the midwife even more proud.

When Du Qingju arrived, everyone told her the good news.

Du Qingju was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, the curve of her mouth unable to lower itself. "It's good if it works, but it would be best if it doesn't. The mother's safety is the most important thing."

"Doctor Du is right."

"What do you call this? This is called having to do something!"

"How can you, an old woman, still be so literary?"

"I learned it from my granddaughter. She learned a lot in school and told us about it when she came back. I listened and took notes."

"It has to be the prefect. In the past, children might not even grow up, but now they can all go to school."

"That's right. Before, when I went out to deliver babies, I was afraid of being stabbed to death. Now everything is peaceful and I can sleep peacefully at night."

Du Qingju listened quietly, her heart filled with pride.

She waited until the conversation was over before she began teaching.

......

When she returned to the government office in the evening, Du Qingju couldn't wait to share the good news about the forceps with her sisters.

Du Qingzhu smiled and said, "Since it's effective, we can mass produce it and distribute it to midwives for emergency use."

Du Qingju nodded: "That's exactly what I meant."

Du Qingtang took a sip of tea and said, "Eighth sister, I'll sort out some data later. After the New Year, I'll submit a memorial to His Majesty proposing the widespread use of forceps."

Du Qingju was delighted, but also a little worried: "Will His Majesty agree to the widespread use of forceps?"

Previously, she developed the Tianju Drink, but for such a great contribution she was only rewarded with the title of Bald Village Chief.

Many people think that the delivery room is a dirty place and are even ashamed to mention the matter of childbirth. Moreover, the role of forceps is more private. Your Majesty may not take it seriously, and it may also cause the youngest child to be attacked.

Du Qingtang gave her a soothing smile: "Your Majesty is a wise ruler, and women are also his subjects."

Although Emperor Qingyuan was suspicious by nature, he would accept any measure that benefited the people.

Only then did Du Qingju feel relieved.

After dinner, Zhu and Ju sat under the lamp and knitted woolen sweaters.

"The Chinese New Year is just a month away. I'll send this sweater to my elder sister and the others as a New Year gift."

It takes about twenty days to get from Shaoqing Prefecture to Baoding Prefecture, and it will definitely be delivered before New Year's Eve.

"But there should be woolen sweaters for sale in Baoding Prefecture by now, right?"

Du Qingtang met Du Qingzhu's inquiring gaze, nodded, lowered his eyes and turned the page of the book: "I have already signed a contract with the clothing store in Baoding Prefecture."

Du Qingju pulled the woolen thread and rolled the ball around: "No matter whether Baoding Prefecture has it or not, this is our gift. The gift may be small, but the sentiment is great."

Du Qingzhu nodded and said, "I plan to embroider a kitten on Jun Jie'er's sweater. She will definitely like it."

Du Qingtang didn't knit a woolen sweater. She planned to go to the market in a couple of days to buy some rare little things and send them to Baoding Prefecture.

-

On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, the girls living in the charity hall changed their names.

After registering his name and changing his place of origin from Qingyang County, Shaoqing Prefecture to the prefectural capital, the clerk specially sent it to Du Qingtang for review.

Looking around, all you see are "Du xx".

The clerk smiled and said, "Several girls have already gone to work in the garment factory. They have asked me to tell you that when they learn to crochet, they will make you a woolen sweater."

Du Qingzhu smiled. Although she didn't lack woolen sweaters, the girls' kindness was very precious, so she didn't say no.

——She couldn’t repay the life-saving favor, and only if she accepted it would those girls feel at ease.

In the afternoon, Du Qingtang finished his official business in advance and went to the market.

The market had been open for several days, but due to her busy work schedule, she had not been there properly.

We arrived at the market on horseback, and it was crowded and noisy.

Du Qingtang was wearing casual clothes, so the clerks and palace soldiers did not notice her. After entering the market, she started to wander around.

There are currently 6,000 stalls in the market, and all of them have been rented out.

The vendors were vying to sell their wares, and the sounds of shouting were endless.

"Food Fragrance Pavilion snacks! Freshly cooked sausages, four cents each!"

"Selling porcelain! Sir, please take a look at the porcelain."

"Fortune-telling! Asking about marriage and an auspicious date, you can't ask for money!"

Du Qingtang passed by a bookstall and bought a few books, which were just right for Du Qingmei, Du Qinglan and Ruan Ran.

Afterwards, I bought New Year gifts for my other four sisters and nephews and nieces. They were all clothes and daily necessities with very foreign characteristics.

Du Qingtang threw the things he bought to Du Yi and Du Er who were accompanying him, intending to give each of his nephews who were already studying a set of imperial examination questions so that they could study and do the questions at the same time.

Stopping and walking along the way, Du Qingtang bought some things and sent them to Yao Xuan, Fu Ci and Yao Jingzhou.

I almost forgot, there are several brothers-in-law.

After walking around a quarter of the market, Du Yi and Du Er were holding it in their hands, in their arms, and almost in their mouths.

The two looked at each other and grinned.

Du Qingtang unknowingly came to the stall of foreigners. He took a glance out of habit and suddenly stopped.

Du Yi and Du Er also stopped and glanced at the things on the stalls, which were selling flowers and vegetables.

There are flowers on the left and vegetables on the right.

Du Er spotted a few lumps of dirt in the right corner, chuckled, and whispered to his eldest brother, "That thing is ugly, only a fool would buy it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw his master pointing at the ugly lump of earth and asking: "How much is this?"

Du Er: “?”

Du Yi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Du Er: “…”

The foreigners chattered away, and the translator said, "These are yams. They're very cheap, four coins a pound."

It’s really cheap, one sausage can buy a pound of sweet potatoes.

Yes, the yam that foreigners refer to is the sweet potato that can produce 2,000 kilograms per mu.

Sweet potatoes can be eaten in a variety of ways and are extremely delicious. They can also be used as a staple food in years of famine. No more children will die from bloating due to eating too much Guanyin soil.

Du Qingtang suppressed his excitement and said without showing any emotion: "Is the sweet potato delicious?"

The translator relayed: "It can be eaten roasted, which is sweet and soft, and eaten raw, it is crispy and sweet."

Du Qingtang asked the outsider, "How many sweet potatoes do you have?"

The translator relayed: "He only brought two kilograms, but he has a lot in the cellar at home."

Du Qingtang decisively took out the silver and placed a silver ingot on the stall: "This is the deposit. I will buy everything in your house."

The foreigner was shocked, then moved to tears and chattering.

The translator relayed, "He said you're a good person, and he's giving you these two pounds of sweet potatoes. Please leave your address, and he'll deliver all the sweet potatoes you have in your home tomorrow."

Du Qingtang casually gave an address, which was a three-courtyard house under Zhou Wei's name.

The foreigner took note and grinned with a simple smile.

Du Qingtang smoothed his wind-blown hair and asked nonchalantly, "Except for the sweet potatoes, send over everything you have at home."

The foreigners stood up and bowed repeatedly.

Du Qingtang waved his hand: "It's a business where you pay for the goods."

To be honest, it is this foreigner who suffers more.

It was evening when Du Qingtang returned to the government office carrying two kilograms of sweet potatoes.

The sky was filled with rosy clouds, dyeing every blade of grass and tree in the inner house orange-red.

Du Qingzhu was busy in the kitchen and Du Qingju was helping her.

Du Qingtang walked into the kitchen with three palm-sized sweet potatoes. The two heard footsteps and turned around at the same time.

"Yeah, Xianyu is back."

"We're having pot tonight. It'll be ready soon."

"What's that in your hand?"

Du Qingtang deliberately kept it a secret and buried the sweet potato in the stove: "It's delicious."

Du Qingzhu wrinkled his nose, suppressed his curiosity, and quickened his movements.

After the ingredients were prepared, the three sisters sat in the kitchen and ate from the pot.

The door was closed, the ingredients were put into the pot, and the food was bubbling. The three people ate until they were sweating and their cheeks were flushed.

About half an hour later, Du Qingtang drank a sip of sour plum soup, peeled out the sweet potatoes, and gave one to each of them.

Zhu Ju and the others looked at the black lump in front of them, their eyes confused: "What is this? Is it really edible?"

"sure."

Du Qingtang peeled off the charred outer skin, revealing the golden inner flesh, which was steaming hot and fragrant.

The two people opposite opened their eyes wide at the same time, their noses twitched, swallowed twice, and then did the same thing, peeling their own roasted sweet potatoes.

It smells delicious just by smelling it. When you take a bite, the sweet taste spreads in your mouth. It is so soft and glutinous that it melts on the tip of your tongue with just a light sip.

"tasty!"

"Sweet and sticky, I love it!"

Du Qingtang smiled as he savored the roasted sweet potatoes that he hadn't tasted in decades.

On the other side, people were also eating hotpot in the charity hall of Shaoqing Prefecture.

Young and old girls gathered together, sat around several large round tables, and ate their food in a lively atmosphere.

Someone pushed the door open and walked in. A gust of wind rushed in, causing the people in the room to scream.

"Close the door quickly, my sister can't be exposed to the wind!"

Xu Lianxin of the past, now Du Minjing, quickly turned sideways to block the wind for her sister Du Wanqing.

A few days ago, Du Wanqing took medicine to abort the fetus in her womb that was less than two months old, and is now in confinement.

Du Minjing ran around to serve her sister, and even three meals a day were delivered to her on the kang.

If everyone hadn't eaten pot together today, she wouldn't let her sister get out of bed.

Doctor Du said that one must be careful and cautious during the confinement period to avoid developing any underlying illness.

There's a draft here. What if I get a headache in the future?

"Sorry." Chen Wenxiu quickly closed the door, cupped her hands, and pointed at the snowflakes on her eyebrows. "It's snowing outside. It's snowing heavily!"

The little girls were a little tempted to go out and play in the snow, but they were worried about their older sisters who were in confinement at home and couldn't see the wind, so they could only turn their grief into appetite and eat a lot.

"The snow fell quite early this year."

"They say auspicious snow indicates a good harvest, so next year will definitely be a bumper year."

"It's not only a year of good harvest, but also an auspicious year. May everyone have good luck and may all their wishes come true!"

The pot was bubbling happily, with mist rippling out and fragrance filling the air.

Everyone was smiling, their eyes filled with ease and joy.