The midwife didn't explain in too much detail.
She didn't want to use this method because she was afraid that the mother would be unable to have sex after giving birth and would be disliked by her husband's family.
But we can't even survive, so why bother with anything else?
Besides, she gave birth to a boy.
Then there's even less to fear.
Zhao Xinrong wrapped the newborn baby in a tattered blanket.
Yan Xia was in charge of starting the fire and getting the fire tongs.
A moment later, the red-hot tongs were handed to the midwife.
She gritted her teeth and aimed the fire tongs directly at Zhao Yuefang's vaginal opening.
"Sizzle—"
"ah--"
Zhao Yuefang was awakened by the pain; she had bitten her tongue until it bled.
But it wasn't over yet.
At the midwife's insistence, Yan Xia held Zhao Yuefang down and stuffed a piece of wood into her mouth.
"Sizzle—"
"Sizzle—"
"Sizzle—"
After three attempts, the midwife finally stopped.
A smell of barbecue wafted into Yan Xia's nostrils. She endured the discomfort and released Zhao Yuefang.
"Alright, give her the medicine. She'll be fine in three days. Remember, don't let the wound get wet."
After the midwife finished speaking, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Xinrong was about to take out money, but Yan Xia stopped her and gave the midwife one tael of silver.
"This is too much. There's no need for it. My prices for delivering babies are always the same, just one string of cash. You can also exchange eggs for it."
The midwife didn't accept it.
"Thank you for your hard work today. Take this; you saved her life, so this money is well worth it."
Yan Xia stuffed the silver into the midwife's hand and offered a few words of advice.
The midwife finally accepted it.
"Thank you, sister. No need to see me off. I'll walk back myself. I've been to your village three times already, so I know the way. Remember, if she needs anything, just come to my village to find me. I'll head home now."
The midwife couldn't hide her joy; she pocketed the silver and left with a grin.
After drinking her medicine, Zhao Yuefang fell into a deep sleep.
She was covered in sweat.
Yan Xia helped wipe her clean and then changed her clothes.
She's no different from my own mother-in-law.
"Let's help each other out completely, Sister Zhao. You go and wash the child, and I'll bring her and the bed into the house."
"Do you need my help? This bed isn't big, but it's quite heavy, especially since she's sleeping on it."
"Don't you know how strong I am, Sister Zhao? Don't worry." Yan Xia grabbed the crossbar of the bed with one hand and pulled the bed into the room like she was pulling a chick.
It felt as smooth as if the four corners of the bed had pulleys.
If you didn't see the two deep scratches on the muddy ground.
Zhao Xinrong had already witnessed Yan Xia's strength, but every time she did, she would be so shocked that her mouth would gape open.
“This child looks really strong, not at all like a premature baby, even bigger than a full-term baby.”
By the time Zhao Xinrong realized what was happening, Yan Xia had already come out of the house.
The two looked at the baby in the swaddling clothes.
They were all amazed.
"There's still plenty of hot water left, let's give him a bath."
"OK."
I was busy from noon until evening.
Yan Xiacai left Zhao Yuefang's house.
When they left, Zhao Yuefang was still unconscious, so Zhao Xinrong took the child home to care for him.
Yan Xia didn't want to worry about the rest.
She has done a very good job with Zhao Yuefang.
He helped Zhao Yuefang not because he liked her, but because he pitied her. As a woman himself, he felt a little sorry for her when she was in such a critical condition.
In addition, helping her in front of the villagers is a way of indirectly building her reputation.
To avoid being criticized by others for being rich but heartless.
After returning home, Yan Xia quickly cooked two dishes, ate, took a shower, and went straight to bed.
I'm too tired today, so I won't go for a walk.
In the middle of the night, Zhao Yuefang developed a high fever.
She groped her way to the head of the bed and found a bamboo tube.
I carefully brought it over, took a few sips of water, and my dry throat finally felt a little better.
After I fell asleep, the fever subsided.
Although no one was taking care of her, Yan Xia and Zhao Xinrong were already considered very kind people to an outsider for helping her to this extent.
As dawn broke, Yan Xia got up, ate breakfast, and brought Zhao Yuefang a bowl of porridge. Seeing that Zhao Yuefang was out of danger, she decided not to go there anymore. After leaving Zhao Yuefang's house, she went up the mountain.
After coming down the mountain, she watered the crops in the fields and the vegetables in the backyard, cooked a few dishes and cooked rice. After lunch, she went to Sister Zhao's house to see the children, and in the afternoon she inspected the cowshed.
The new cattle have been delivered long ago, but the cowshed is not big enough to house them all.
The people who were taking care of the water buffalo simply expanded the cowshed with wood and straw so that the new buffalo wouldn't have to live in the open air.
Yan Xia simply allocated some funds to Brother Qian, instructing him to reinforce the cowshed and double its size.
Before leaving, she said goodbye to Zhao Xinrong and told her that she had planted new roses and would remind the flower growers to tend to them after they had rested.
He also left Zhao Yuefang a bag of rice, about 20 jin, and gave her an ounce of silver, enough for her to survive until Luo Bai returned home. He considered this to be more than enough.
On the fourth day, she returned to town.
In her spare time, Yan Xia came up with new names for her four children.
When she had some free time, she took her children to the county government office and asked Zuo Li to change their names.
The eldest son changed his name to Yan Changfu, and the third son changed his name to Yan Changlu, both using the character "Chang" in their names.
The following words remain unchanged; the meaning is good, so there's no need to modify them.
The second daughter, Chen Guihua, changed her name to Yan Changyu, and the fourth daughter, Chen Lamei, changed her name to Yan Changyi. Yan Xia hopes that they will always be happy and carefree.
There are acquaintances there.
The formalities were completed quickly, and Yan Xia brought Zuo Li four bags of traditional fresh milk chicken cakes.
It's both fluffy and soft.
Suitable for the elderly.
They also sell them in the store, and the price is still half a tael of silver per bag.
There are a total of 10 pieces in the bag.
Even in summer, it can be displayed for half a month.
Not only did she give him sponge cake, she also gave Zuo Li two bottles of wine, good wine that cost two taels of silver a jar, for him and his brothers to drink.
When asking for help, never be stingy.
Even the best relationships can't withstand constant demands.
Yan Xia had a very good grasp of these things.
Therefore, Zuo Li was always very efficient in helping her with tasks.
After her short break, Yan Xia got busy again. Every day after waking up, she would go to the shop and restaurant to help out. During her lunch break, she would supervise the construction progress of the pastry shop and also take a trip to Shoucheng Village. Since hiring Li Changtao from Shoucheng Village as the manager, Yan Xia had rarely come here.
Normally, Li Changtao is paid his wages.
Worried that she might forget, she simply entrusted the matter to Jinyu.
Life went on like this.
July arrived quickly.
Every household in the town hangs a red lantern outside their door. When it gets dark, the red light shines on the stone road, making it look very eerie.
Yan Xia was a little confused, so she asked Jin Yu, and then she learned that there was a folk legend that July was also called Ghost Month.
At the beginning of the month, the gates of the underworld open wide, allowing countless hungry ghosts and wronged ghosts to sneak into the human world and cause trouble. Therefore, it is not advisable to move house or get married in July.
Ordinary people with some money usually avoid this. The original owner didn't know that, simply because he was too poor to even have enough to eat, so he didn't care about ghosts or ghost months.
Of course, only a small portion of people don't believe in superstitions, and Xiao Qing is one of them.
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