As everyone watched helplessly as the horde of snakes surged menacingly toward the house where they were sheltering from the rain, they were terrified and bewildered, thinking that they were all going to be devoured by the snakes that day, when suddenly the horde stopped advancing.
As everyone smelled the mysterious aura that had inexplicably emanated from them, the snake tide also caught a whiff of it and became deeply wary. Their forward movement slowed slightly, and they collectively turned around and surged in the opposite direction.
On a rainy day, the entire village was shrouded in mist, with extremely low visibility. The snake tide quickly disappeared, but everyone knew that the snake tide had not gone far. The people could faintly hear the strange hissing sounds made by the snakes.
"Don't panic, everyone. The snake tide won't dare to come. Young Master Zhu and the others will administer the medicine again when the rain subsides. The snake tide will leave Stone Village quickly then. The flood has already occurred, and the snakes need to seek shelter from the rain and disaster. This is not a terrible omen, so don't overthink it." Wu Chong and Song Wu went from place to place to reassure the people and prevent any unrest.
"Just now, some people spread rumors that the current fortunes are bad and affecting the nation's destiny. That's utter nonsense. I'll reiterate: if anyone dares to spread rumors again, I'll have them thrown into a swarm of snakes and shut them up forever." Song Wu's face was grim, to show that he wasn't exaggerating. If anyone dared to offend him again, he would really take action to deal with the troublemakers.
The common people are generally honest and simple-minded, except for a few restless individuals. However, after Song Wu was intimidated, even the restless ones became obedient.
The houses in Stone Village were very sturdy, and the snake tide had been forced back. Many people were thinking, why bother going to Qingyang Prefecture? We'd have to travel even after arriving there. Wouldn't it be better to just stay in Stone Village and avoid the snakes for now?
But the government officials came several times throughout the night to remind everyone to eat more at night, prepare more dry food to take on the road the next day, not to skimp on food, to eat their fill and go to sleep quickly so they would have the energy to travel the next day.
The crowd was still confused about what was going on. The officials looked solemn, as if something big was about to happen. Could it be that the snake tide would attack them tomorrow?
In short, all sorts of speculations arose. Those with heavy hearts were filled with anxiety, constantly replaying in their minds what the officials had instructed them to do. They had done everything they were supposed to do: prepare plenty of provisions and eat their fill at night. But getting a good night's sleep was difficult. With their minds preoccupied, they couldn't sleep peacefully, and even with their eyes closed, their minds remained clear.
Some simple-minded people think that the officials just like to scare people by making them eat so much food and carry so much dry rations, just so they can keep them on the road all day long, and when they are hungry they can just take out the dry rations and stuff them in their mouths. Isn't it just because they are afraid that everyone will not be able to keep up with the speed the officials expect?
Why worry so much? If I get up tomorrow morning, I might as well not leave and just stay in Stone Village and live a miserable life.
On this side of the cave, Xingxing and Zhang Xiantao stared at each other, while Zhu Changge, Zhu Qingruo, Xiaoyuan, and Xiaohuan were busy boiling water. Inside the cave, someone was giving birth.
The pregnant woman we rescued earlier was unconscious when she was suddenly awakened by contractions. Her water broke, and she started screaming as she gave birth. Half an hour has passed, but the baby still hasn't been born.
"Giving birth is so scary. It must hurt so much to scream like that." Xingxing trembled, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, but she didn't show it.
"Hurry up and give birth! Baby, come out quickly! If you keep screaming like this all night, we won't be able to sleep at all." Zhang Xiantao was on the verge of tears. Although it was a bit unkind to say this, she was really afraid to hear the woman's screams.
"Don't overthink it, everything will be fine once the baby is born." Zhu Changge's voice was somewhat stern. The people inside were going through the ordeal of giving birth, and they couldn't afford to say anything carelessly at this time. The echoes in the stone cave were strong, and someone might overhear them.
If it affects the pregnant woman's mood and leads to complications such as difficult labor, then that would be a terrible thing.
Zhang Xiantao shrank back and didn't dare to say anything more. She covered her mouth with her hand with a bitter face. She wouldn't say anything more, she really wouldn't say anything.
"Put this in and cook it together, then bring it to her to drink. If she keeps shouting like this, she'll soon lose her strength. This will help her regain her strength." Zhu Chumo took half a ginseng and put it in the meat soup. It was a small earthenware pot that had been specially boiled for the pregnant woman. She hadn't eaten a single grain of rice or drunk any water since she fainted and woke up.
Her voice was getting weaker and weaker. If we don't feed her quickly, she might not be able to hold on and both she and her unborn child might die.
After eating, Xingxing leaned on Zhu Lin's shoulder and dozed off. Originally, she was also kept awake by the crying and shouting, but after listening for a while, she became numb and felt as if she was being hypnotized, and her eyelids began to droop.
After an unknown amount of time, Xingxing, half asleep, suddenly heard a loud cry of a baby. The little princess, without even opening her eyes, exclaimed in her babyish voice, "Oh, it's born!"
Zhu Lin glanced down and saw that her eyes were still closed, so he knew that she was not fully awake. She had called out even though she was half asleep, which showed that she had been thinking about this matter.
"The baby is born, and the child is healthy. However, the mother is not doing well and has lost a lot of blood. Fourth Junior Brother, you should go and take a look." Zhu Changge carried the baby over. Over there, the disfigured woman was still taking care of the mother. It was that woman and Zhu Changge who had helped deliver the baby.
The woman was inexperienced and only knew to tell people to push harder and then lean down to check if the baby's head had come out. It was only under Zhu Changge's guidance, with Zhu Chumo's instruction, that the woman was able to successfully give birth.
This was also the first time Zhu Changge had held such a small baby. She carefully wiped the stains off the baby's body with a handkerchief, and then asked Xiao Huan and Xiao Yuan to bring over the clean clothes they had prepared so she could wrap the baby up.
"He's so small, and a little wrinkled. Does he have little penis?" Xingxing asked earnestly.
"Yes, he's a boy," Zhu Changge replied softly.
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