Chapter 172 Reunion with Lateral Incision
During their journey, Li Sanniang learned from talking with the man that his surname was Yang, he came from Runan County, he was the second son in his family, and he was a merchant. He had come to Chang'an because the emperor's birthday was next month.
Yang Erlang was thinking that during Emperor Wu's birthday celebration, Chang'an would be teeming with people, and there would definitely be trade routes to be found. Whether buying or selling, he could make a good profit.
He also wanted to come to Chang'an to broaden his horizons and participate in the Emperor's birthday celebration, so he brought his female relatives with him, including his wife, Lady Yang, who was due to give birth in a few days.
They thought that in Chang'an, the most prosperous city in the Tang Dynasty, there was no reason not to worry about not finding a midwife. Besides, this was not Yang Niangzi's first child; she had already given birth to two sons. She only hoped that this third child would be a girl.
Who would have thought that Madam Yang, who felt a sudden heaviness in her lower abdomen this morning, would give birth right now, more than ten days earlier than she had anticipated.
In a panic, it was Granny Yang, who had come with them, who sternly woke up the dazed Yang Erlang. He then ran out and finally found a midwife, but Yang Niangzi had been trying to give birth from morning till late afternoon without success.
The midwife told him with a grave expression that the amniotic fluid was almost gone and the baby wouldn't be able to be born. Not only would the baby die in the womb, but Yang Niangzi might also die.
Startled, Yang Erlang heard the midwife tell him to hurry to the clinic to fetch a doctor. He took off running, entered the clinic, called out, and Li Sanniang immediately led him home.
Yang Erlang was visiting Chang'an for the first time and genuinely believed that Chang'an was different from other parts of the Tang Dynasty. It was common for medical clinics to have female doctors, and it seemed that childbirth was indeed the most important thing for female doctors to handle, second only to midwives.
Therefore, when the donkey cart stopped, Yang Erlang clasped his hands in a fist and said to Li Sanniang, "I entrust everything to the female doctor. No matter how much silver it costs, please save my wife."
Li San Niang jumped off the carriage, carrying her medical kit, and was about to go inside when Yang Erlang said, "Female doctor, if things don't go well, save the mother, do your best to save my wife. As for the child... if it's not meant to be with us, then... forget it."
As Li San Niang walked inside, she said, "Let me see what's going on first."
Once inside, Li San Niang saw Yang Niangzi lying on the bed, completely exhausted and delirious. The midwife standing to the side was startled when she saw Li San Niang come in. Why was it a woman who came?
Before the midwife could ask any questions, Li San Niang bypassed her and went to check on Yang Niangzi's condition.
Lifting Yang Niangzi's skirt, one could see that her amniotic fluid was almost completely drained. If the child wasn't born soon, it would suffocate in the womb.
Li Sanniang pulled out Yang Niangzi's arm to check her pulse, and found that she could still be saved!
"Boil water, make sure it's boiling."
Seeing that the midwife was still standing there without moving, Li Sanniang shouted at her, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!"
The midwife stamped her foot and went straight out to the kitchen to boil water.
"Qiuxiang, take the third medicine packet from the left on the second layer of the medical kit and give it to Yang Erlang. Tell him to brew it quickly over high heat. I need it in 25 minutes."
Qiu Xiang is much more capable than the midwife.
Hearing Li San Niang's words, he opened his medical kit, took out the medicine packet, and handed it to Yang Er Lang who was waiting outside. His mother snatched the medicine packet from Yang Er Lang's hand and left. Of the two young men, the older one went with Granny Yang, seemingly to help brew the medicine.
Yang Erlang was left standing in the courtyard, dumbfounded.
A young boy, about the same age as Lu Zhu'er, was left beside Yang Erlang. He probably didn't know what was going on and was just instinctively staying by the adult's side.
When Qiu Xiang returned to the house, Li San Niang had already put on the clothes prepared in the medical kit, and a cloth was laid out on the table with the tools that Li San Niang might need later.
Li San Niang pried open Yang Niangzi's mouth with a slice of ginseng and put it in her mouth, making her suck on it.
Li San Niang gestured for Qiu Xiang to come forward and whispered a few words to her.
Qiu Xiang nodded, went outside and kicked Yang Erlang, who was still standing there in a daze, and whispered the words that Li San Niang had told her to say.
Inside the room, Li San Niang raised her voice and said into Yang Niangzi's ear, "I am the female doctor your husband invited to help you give birth. I know you can hear me, and I also know you are weak right now. These ginseng slices can give you some strength." Seeing that Yang Niangzi was about to speak, Li San Niang interrupted her, "Don't speak, save your energy."
"Trust me, I can save you and your child."
After hearing Qiu Xiang enter the house, Li San Niang raised her voice so that Yang Er Lang in the courtyard could also hear it.
"Don't just think about saving the child and forget about yourself!"
Do you want another woman to grow old with your husband?
"Those two older children outside the door, and this little one in your belly—if it weren't for you, their mother, alive, do you think they could have grown up safely?"
At this moment, Yang Erlang shouted loudly from outside the door: "Qiaoya, I don't want to grow old with another woman. Our eldest son is going to the academy. Think about our eldest son and second son."
Qiaoya, you must live well.
Qiaoya…
Upon hearing Yang Erlang's shouts from outside, tears streamed down Yang Niangzi's face like a continuous stream.
Li San Niang took a cloth and wiped away Yang Niangzi's tears, "Don't cry anymore, save it for when the child is 100 days old."
"Later, when I tell you to push, then push."
A child with a mother is a treasure; a child without a mother is like a piece of grass.
Madam Yang nodded. She abandoned her previous idea of only protecting the child in her womb. She wanted to live, she had to live, because only by living could she protect her son and help him grow into adulthood.
Lady Yang closed her eyes to regain her strength.
The midwife brought over hot water, and Li San Niang washed her hands and forearms with it. Yang Niangzi's situation was because she ate too well during this pregnancy and didn't move around enough, causing the fetus to be too large. Yang Niangzi's pelvis was also narrow, which is why she couldn't give birth.
Li San Niang planned to make an episiotomy, just like when she delivered Li Er Sao's baby. With Yang Niangzi's help, she thought they could deliver the baby smoothly.
At this moment, Granny Yang knocked on the door and came in, carrying the bowl of medicinal soup that Li San Niang had asked her to brew.
Qiu Xiang took it, took the ginseng slice from Yang Niangzi's mouth, pinched her mouth, and forced her to drink the whole bowl of medicine.
At this moment, Qiu Xiang saw Li San Niang take out a cotton ball, dip it in some alcohol-smelling liquid, and first wipe a strange pair of scissors on it. Then she repeated the above action and used a new cotton ball soaked in alcohol to wipe Yang Niangzi's **.
Then Li San Niang took the episiotomy scissors, aimed carefully, and cut directly. Sure enough, with this one cut, the baby's head could already be vaguely seen.
Li San Niang shouted at Yang Niangzi, "Push harder!"
With Li San Niang's shout, Yang Niangzi mustered all her strength and pushed hard. Li San Niang then gently lifted the baby's head and delivered the infant.
Having spent quite a while in the womb, the baby's face turned bluish-purple from being constricted. Li San Niang quickly cleared the baby's mouth and nose to establish an effective airway, and gently patted his bottom twice before he finally cried.
The baby's cries brought a sigh of relief to Yang Niangzi, who was lying on the bed, and Yang Erlang, who was outside the door.
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