That night, the darkness was as black as ink, pressing heavily over the village. Perhaps even the moon sensed the oppressive atmosphere and did not appear.
Xie Yan and Zheng Hedong stayed by the child's side, observing every slight change in the child intently.
The dim oil lamp swayed in the wind, casting flickering shadows on their faces, reflecting their tired yet focused expressions.
Based on the child's condition, Zheng Hedong carefully and slowly adjusted the treatment method. Each needle was carefully considered. After all, children are different from adults, especially newborns. Their organs and systems are not yet fully developed, their skin is delicate, and their blood vessels are small. None of these conditions are suitable for acupuncture.
If it weren't for the child's life or death, he wouldn't have used acupuncture on the baby if the condition wasn't even slightly more serious.
As time went on, Zheng Hedong's breathing became lighter and lighter, and his forehead was covered with more and more sweat. Even though he had already taken off his cotton-padded coat, large beads of sweat still seeped out of his forehead.
Xie Yan kept a close eye on him, quickly wiping away any beads of sweat that appeared.
He absolutely could not let a single drop of sweat affect his master's condition.
After each treatment, once Zheng Hedong saw that the child had recovered somewhat, he would quietly explain the procedure to Xie Yan.
Xie Yan listened attentively. Such opportunities were rare, and although it wasn't nice to say it that way, it was the truth. He didn't want to waste such a good opportunity.
After Zheng Hedong finished speaking, Xie Yan repeatedly simulated his actions in his mind, gradually digesting the knowledge while following the explanation.
They didn't close their eyes all night, and time slowly passed in tension and worry.
Midway through, I was so hungry that I only managed to grab a quick bite to eat. The food tasted like wax in my mouth, and I couldn't taste anything at all. My mind was still on the child.
By dawn, the child's condition had finally stabilized.
The two men finally relaxed a little. After guarding for another two hours, the sky began to lighten and the soft sunlight quietly streamed into the house. The child, who had looked pale and sickly yesterday, now had a healthy pinkish glow on his face. Confirming that the child had truly stabilized, the two men rubbed their heads and dragged their bodies, which felt as heavy as lead, back to their respective homes.
Xie Yan gently pushed open the door, afraid of making even the slightest noise that might wake Yu Yuehui.
He washed up very quietly, his movements were exceptionally gentle, but the sound of the water droplets falling was still particularly clear in the quiet morning.
After washing up, he went into the room and saw that Yu Yuehui had already woken up.
Xie Yan asked apologetically, "Did I wake you up?"
Yu Yuehui gently shook her head, a hint of worry in her eyes.
Perhaps because of her pregnancy, she was particularly sensitive and concerned about the child. That night, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep soundly, her mind constantly preoccupied with the child's safety.
Xie Yan saw through her thoughts and gently comforted her, "It's alright, the child's condition has stabilized. As long as the fever doesn't return, he'll be fine."
After listening back, Yu Yue's tense nerves finally relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief.
It's good that the child is alright! It's good that he's alright!
In their area, every child faces numerous hardships and obstacles to grow up safely.
During pregnancy, mothers need to be extremely careful and attentive to everything in order to ensure the safe delivery of their child.
Even after birth, babies are still incredibly vulnerable. A slight oversight, such as a fever or other illness, can easily take their lives.
Once children grow up to be able to run and jump, and feed themselves, they become particularly mischievous. Although the number of children who die at this stage is small, it does happen.
It's not easy for any child to grow up safely.
Most of this generation had several children, but not all of them survived.
Of course, this isn't just the case here; it's similar in several nearby villages.
Every village has a place where stillborn babies are dumped.
Like that big ditch in Xiliu Village, there are many dead infants, and even children who are one or two years old.
The incident involving the child seemed to have deeply frightened Yu Yuehui, and since then, she has become a different person.
The once energetic and adventurous woman has started spending more time at home.
Xie Yan, as her bedmate, quickly noticed this unusual behavior.
After a moment's thought, he realized she was terrified by what had happened. Helpless, he could only resume his little lesson and patiently explain the knowledge of pregnancy to her.
Xie Yan's knowledge about pregnant women is now arguably even more advanced than Zheng Hedong's.
Because Yu Yuehui is pregnant, he has been focusing all his attention on various pregnancy medical books lately.
When he encountered something he didn't understand, he would keep asking Zheng Hedong questions until Zheng Hedong sometimes got annoyed and even wanted to hit him.
Indeed, a disciple's diligence and eagerness to learn should be a source of pride for a master. However, Xie Yan's questions were numerous, varied, and quite tricky.
Most importantly, he only focuses on issues related to pregnant women, asking about things to pay attention to during pregnancy or inquiring about key points of postpartum care, ignoring all other knowledge and plunging headfirst into a sea of information about pregnant women from which he cannot escape.
Finally, Zheng Hedong couldn't help but scold him.
Xie Yan looked puzzled and asked Zheng Hedong confidently, "Master, do you have a prejudice against pregnant women?"
Zheng Hedong: "Bullshit!"
What kind of wretched creature is this? Get him out of here!
Xie Yan raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you still so impatient with me?"
"Shouldn't knowledge about pregnancy be of paramount importance?"
"Think about it, every woman who is pregnant and giving birth is walking through the gates of hell. They face such great dangers, shouldn't we take it even more seriously?"
Zheng Hedong was speechless for a moment after being choked by Xie Yan's words. His finger trembled as he pointed at Xie Yan and said irritably, "Am I telling you not to take this seriously?"
"I want you to learn comprehensively and become more versatile, instead of just focusing on this one thing!"
"You're already perfect in this aspect, you can look at others!!!"
Xie Yan remained adamant: "But I feel I haven't mastered this skill yet!"
Zheng Hedong was so angry that he turned his face away, not wanting to look at him anymore. It was so upsetting!
After listening to Xie Yan's systematic and authoritative explanation, Yu Yue's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and she regained her usual energy and started running around again.
Xie Yan smiled as he watched her complexion gradually improve.
He knew that some people were naturally restless, so since Yu Yuehui liked to run around, he would let her be.
Pregnant women are not all the same, and the same protective measures cannot be used for all pregnant women.
It still depends on the individual.
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