Seeing that they had brought a lot of things, the village chief's wife asked several of the village's more approachable women to help.
Seeing this, Liu Huan said, "Thank you for your help, aunties. Please see if there's anything you need in the house. We don't need it anyway, so please take it if you don't mind."
The women were overjoyed to hear this; as farmers, they wouldn't care about such things.
They happily brought all the furnishings and bedding from inside to the yard, thinking that since they didn't want the things, they should at least wipe them down before moving in.
Then an auntie fetched water and wiped down all the large items in the house before putting in the things Liu Huan and the others had brought.
Not for any other reason than for those quilts, cotton wadding, pots and pans; if we were to buy them, where would we find the money to buy such good ones?
Now you can have it just by cleaning your room; people are really meticulous.
While everyone was tidying up inside, Liu Huan chatted with the village chief's wife in the courtyard.
The village chief's wife said warmly, "Just call me Aunt Zhang. Now that you're in Heshui Village, treat this place as your home. If you need anything, just go to your uncle. As for your household registration, I'll have your uncle take care of it for you tomorrow."
Liu Huan thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Auntie."
The village chief's wife said generously, "No need to thank me, it was just a small favor."
Seeing everyone working so hard to clean the house for her, Liu Huan asked, "Auntie, may I ask how much you get paid for a day's work?"
"Oh dear, why would you need money? These things are enough to pay the wages." The village chief's wife was embarrassed; she hadn't even considered asking for money.
"Yes, yes, aunties, you've worked so hard, and the things in the house are just gifts from your own hands. How can I let you work for me for nothing?"
Liu Huan's thinking was simple: pay people to do things so you don't owe them favors.
Seeing that she didn't seem to be joking, the village chief's wife said, "Carrying things at the dock costs 50 coins a day, and working in the county costs 30 coins. Your job doesn't pay much. If you really want to pay, just give me 10 coins."
Seeing that Liu Huan's belly was so big, she said, "You're probably about to give birth. Granny Cao in the east of the city is the best at delivering babies. You can ask her to come in advance."
Liu Huan had already heard people praise Granny Cao twice, so she explained, "I'm carrying twins, and they're not full-term yet."
The village chief's wife was surprised to hear this: "No wonder they're so big. I've never seen twins before. Mrs. Su is a lucky woman."
Liu Huan sighed. Whether she would be blessed or not was a matter for the future. All she knew was that she would suffer during the birth of these two children. In her previous life, she had never heard of any twins being born naturally; they were all delivered by cesarean section.
As they chatted, the aunties who had gathered everything up came out with smiles on their faces. "Madam Su, everything inside is ready. Please go in and rest."
Liu Huan thanked them and then had Qiu Rong pay the wages. Everyone's faces were full of smiles. "It's only a small amount of work, and you're already paying us so much."
"Whether it's big or small, it's still work. Aunts, please call me by my name. My name is Liu Huan, and my husband's surname is Su."
"Yes, yes, it's good to call them by their names; it's more affectionate."
Seeing that there were many weeds in the yard, an aunt said, "Since we've already received the money, let's clean up the yard together."
Without further ado, the group called Liu Huan into the house and cleared away the weeds in the yard, even cleaning up the vegetable garden next door. Before leaving, they said they had some vegetable seeds and would bring them over to plant sometime.
Qiu Rong took out the prepared pastries. "Miss, have something to eat first. Er Mo has already gone to buy groceries with the village chief's wife."
Liu Huan ate a little something and then lay down. She vowed never to have another child in her life, even though she hadn't had one with anyone.
Her belly grew bigger and bigger every day, like a ball. Liu Huan insisted on going for a walk in the village every day, and everyone in the village knew that she was pregnant with twins.
The doctor checked her pulse every seven days. Two midwives were hired: one was Granny Cao, and the other was a midwife recommended by the villagers from the next village.
The delivery room was prepared well in advance, and because it was twins, everything needed for the babies was prepared in duplicate.
As the day drew closer, Liu Huan became afraid to go anywhere and only dared to wander around the yard. Her legs were swollen like pig's trotters, and she would cramp up in the middle of the night. Qiu Rong and Qiu Ju had to massage her every day.
In mid-June, Liu Huan finally started bleeding. She was scared but also relieved. Since it was going to be a C-section anyway, she might as well give birth sooner to avoid worrying and not being able to sleep.
She simply underestimated the pain of the knife; she didn't know it was this kind of pain—a sharp, intense pain that would subside briefly before starting again.
She was in pain for a whole day and night and had no strength left. The midwife said that her cervix was only dilated a little bit.
The doctor said, "Madam, this pregnancy is dangerous. It would be best to prepare some precious medicinal herbs in case of emergency."
Qiu Rong asked, "What does the doctor need?"
"Ginseng and Ganoderma lucidum are the best, as are Bletilla striata..."
Before the doctor could finish speaking, Qiu Rong went into the room and brought out the medicinal herbs that had been prepared beforehand. "Doctor, is this what you're looking for?"
The doctor examined the herbs and found ginseng, lingzhi, dendrobium, golden thread lotus, and Paris polyphylla... some of which his clinic didn't even have.
For example, this ginseng that's as thick as a baby's hand is at least several hundred years old, if not a thousand.
"Doctor, are these alright?" Qiu Rong asked anxiously as she watched the doctor gently touch each of the items, wondering what he was thinking.
The doctor nodded and said, "Yes, yes. I didn't expect the lady's family to have such good things. But these things must be kept out of sight of outsiders, lest they attract the covetous eyes of those with ulterior motives."
Qiu Rong said, "Thank you for the reminder, doctor. But how should I use these medicines? My wife is too weak to continue."
The doctor quickly took out his medicine box and began preparing the medicine. Ermo had already started boiling the water in the medicine pot, just waiting for the doctor to bring the medicine so he could brew it.
Inside the room, Liu Huan was covered in sweat, half asleep and half asleep. She was in so much pain that she couldn't scream, only tears kept flowing from the corners of her eyes into her pillow.
Qiuju felt extremely distressed; she knew that her young mistress missed her master.
The thought of how heartless the adult made her curse him a thousand times in her heart.
"Miss, you must be strong, the young master needs you."
Liu Huan couldn't hear what she was saying. She only felt that she was going to die. She thought that it would be good to die. If she died, she would not think about the sadness and happiness that Su Yi had brought her. She would not struggle with whether she should hate him, the grudges between the original owner and the Su family, or her entanglement with the Su family. This life would be over.
Qiu Rong brought in the medicine, breaking her reverie. "Master, the doctor said that taking this medicine will give you strength."
After taking the medicine, Liu Huan pulled Qiu Rong aside and instructed her, "If I die, these two children will take the surname Liu and have no relation to the Su family in this life. This is my only wish."
Qiu Rong shook her head with red eyes: "Miss, you will be alright."
Liu Huan held her hand tightly, hoping she would give him an answer.
Qiuju, who was standing nearby, leaned over and swore, "This servant promises Miss, if... this servant will raise the young master to adulthood, and will never set foot in the Su family again in this life."
Hearing this, Liu Huan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that life and death were no longer important.
I don't know how much time passed, but I heard the midwife say, "Madam, your cervix is dilated. Follow me and push slowly, don't be afraid."
Gradually, she heard her child cry, and as her stomach eased, her consciousness became increasingly blurred.
"Oh no! The lady has suffered a postpartum hemorrhage..."
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