Chapter 279 Only Accepts Female Maidens?
As the sun climbed higher, the exact hour of Si (9-11 AM) mentioned earlier drew ever closer.
Because of the midwife exam being held today by the Li family's Women's Aid Association, the area at the entrance of Li Family Street was congested with vehicles and people.
This alarmed the local constables who came to maintain order.
But as time went by, Li Ersao began to sense that something was amiss.
"Sister-in-law, I remember we only sent out more than fifty registration forms, right?"
But by now, I feel like we've already received seventy or eighty people.
Li Ersao's words jolted Li Dasao, who was so busy she was dizzy, to her senses. She quickly went to look at Li Dalang, who was standing at the table set up at the door, using a cinnabar pen to tick off attendance and help distribute number cards.
When Li Dalang received his mother's questioning gaze, he lowered his head and carefully counted the registration forms he had stacked in his hands. Li Dalang was not slow, and after a moment he raised his head and said to his sister-in-law decisively, "Mother, forty-eight numbers have been issued, and they have been matched with the people on the registration forms."
Li's mother walked over from behind, glanced at the street patrol officers maintaining order ahead, and then said to Li's sister-in-law and the others, "There are those who didn't submit their registration forms, but came with those who did."
There are definitely more people inside now than the number of registrations we received.
After a pause, Li's mother said with a hint of doubt, "This is really strange. We never expected so many old people to come."
"Mother, what should we do with all these extra people? Should we let them take a look as well?"
After thinking for a moment, Li's mother shook her head and said to Li's second sister-in-law, "Third Sister said that we have to follow the rules. We said before that only filling out the registration form would count."
However, since they're here, we can't very well send them away.
They're only allowed to observe from the sidelines; it's also a way to prove that our exam is legitimate.
After saying this, Li's mother looked up at the sky and felt that it was about time, so she planned to have Li Dalang clear the table and take Li Dasao and Li Ersao back to the alliance meeting place.
Just as Li's mother was about to speak, she saw a man in a dark brown shirt jogging towards them from not far away.
At first, Li's mother thought that some young man had come to the wrong place. Just as she was about to ask, she heard the man stop three steps away, bow to Li's mother and Li's sister-in-law standing to the side, and ask in a very fast voice, "Are you the manager of the Women's Assistance Association?"
As he spoke, the man looked up at the plaque behind Li's mother, where the words "Women's Assistance Association" came into view.
Knowing he hadn't gone to the wrong place, the man finally relaxed and breathed heavily.
Li's mother and sister-in-law exchanged a glance, puzzled. Why would a young man be brought in for the midwife exam at the Women's Assistance Association?
"This is the gathering place of the Women's Helping Association. Are you here to find the women who have come for reference today, young master?"
"Tell me your name, and I'll be in charge of this alliance. I can help you get inside to search."
Li's mother's question gave the man enough time to catch his breath. He immediately shook his head and explained, "No, I'm not here to find someone. I'm here to take the midwife exam."
Good heavens! The man's words not only made Li's mother's jaw drop, but even Li Dalang, who had been sitting in the back, was so shocked by the man's words that he was there to take the midwife exam that he was completely at a loss for words.
The most exaggerated one was Li Ersao. At first, she thought she was so busy that she hadn't stopped to rest and had misheard. She even reached out and rubbed her ears. Then she looked at Li Dasao, wanting to ask her to confirm that she had misheard.
Li Dasao, a woman from a military family who had seen much of the world since childhood, was now at a loss for words when faced with the question from Li Ersao.
Sister-in-law Li knew she couldn't have misheard, but how could she not have misheard?
In this day and age, I've never heard of a man acting as a midwife!
Seeing the reactions of the people opposite him, the man knew perfectly well that it was his words that had surprised them so much that they couldn't believe it.
"My surname is Xu, and I am the eldest son in my family."
"It's not that I've lost my mind; it's that I truly learned from elsewhere that there would be a midwife exam at this alliance meeting today, and that a female physician named Li San Niangzi from Chang'an City was recruiting apprentices, which is why I rushed here."
As soon as Xu Dalang finished speaking, Li's mother and the others realized with a start, good heavens, there really was a man who wanted to be a midwife!
Before the group could properly discuss the man's words, Li Sanniang, along with the young boy from Shaoyang and Qiu Xiang, walked over from behind.
“Mother, I think it’s almost time, no one else should be coming. We should…”
When Li San Niang reached the door, she noticed Xu Da Lang standing opposite her mother and the others. A hint of doubt flashed in Li San Niang's eyes, but she didn't pay much attention, assuming that Xu Da Lang was a relative of the woman who had come earlier and had come to see her.
Then Li San Niang continued to say to Li's mother, "Mother, we should close the door and prepare for the opening ceremony of the examination."
Li's mother, who was in her fifties, suppressed her urge to complain and turned to Li San Niang, saying blankly, "Wait a minute, this young master Xu wants to take a look."
Let's deal with this first before we talk about the opening ceremony.
Speaking at the entrance of the alliance was not a proper thing, so Xu Dalang was still led into the alliance. However, they arrived at a room that was originally used to store goods, but now there were only a few chairs and stools, not even a table, and it was empty.
After inviting Xu Dalang to sit down, there wasn't even time to serve tea. Li Sanniang and the others listened as Xu Dalang explained why he, a young man, wanted to take the midwife exam.
Xu Dalang came from a small merchant family in Qizhou. Before he reached adulthood, his father was on his way back home with his companions who were selling goods. He encountered a rainstorm and, for reasons unknown, the rainstorm made the mountain road rugged. He slipped and tumbled down the mountain. When his companions went to look for him after daybreak, they found only his cold body covered in mud.
Before Xu Dalang could recover from the grief of losing his father, his pregnant mother heard the devastating news and went into premature labor.
Xu's mother was pregnant with a child late in life. When she gave birth, Xu Dalang was out handling Xu's father's funeral arrangements. In addition, Xu Dalang was not married at the time. Xu's mother, who was alone at home, fainted on the spot after hearing the messenger's words.
When Xu Dalang finished his business and returned home, he only saw the old woman next door holding her newborn baby brother and his mother lying on the bed, barely alive.
Xu's mother suffered from persistent postpartum bleeding and ultimately passed away before her younger brother's one-month celebration.
Less than a month after holding his father's funeral, Xu Dalang had to hold his mother's funeral on his younger brother's back.
In order to take care of his younger brother, Xu Dalang asked a matchmaker to find him a wife as soon as possible.
Because of the high bride price and the lack of requirements, Xu Dalang quickly found a wife, and his younger brother was also taken care of.
After that, good things happened one after another. The younger brother grew up healthily under the careful care of his new wife. Every time Xu Dalang returned from his business trip, he looked different. He looked stronger and stronger, and he was no longer as weak as when he was born.
Moreover, in just six months, the new bride became pregnant, and after ten months, the Xu family would have another member, which would be a great joy.
In order to provide a better life for his child, Xu Dalang started a business from dawn till dusk.
He was calculating the days, wanting to find a reliable midwife for his new wife so that she could stay home and watch over her when she gave birth.
Things went as he expected, but plans don't always go as expected.
The new bride suffered a difficult childbirth, unable to deliver the baby. She screamed weakly in the room, and by the time Xu Dalang was urged by the midwife to fetch a doctor, the baby had died in the womb, resulting in the deaths of both mother and child.
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