Chapter 278 Midwife Examination
The day after tomorrow is Li San Niang's ten-day rest day, but in order to take the midwife exam for her own alliance, Li San Niang asked the medical hall for a day off in advance.
Manager Gao was easy to talk to. After hearing that Li San Niang was asking for leave because she was going to take the midwife exam, he encouraged her and readily approved her leave.
"Is one day enough? If not, we can ask for another day."
"Thank you, Steward. It just so happens that I have a two-day break the day after tomorrow, so I have more than enough time to work."
...
The tenth day of the tenth lunar month is auspicious for praying for blessings, offering sacrifices, and taking exams.
As dawn broke, the elderly and children of Sun's family gradually got up.
"What time did they say it started?"
"It will officially begin at 9:00 AM."
Sun Aweng nodded, put on his shoes, and went to the back yard to water the donkey.
After Chunlan's mother finished preparing breakfast, she cooked a chicken just for Chunlan. After watching her eat it, she thought of asking Granny Sun when the midwife's exam would be held today.
Unexpectedly, Grandpa Sun, dressed neatly, came up from behind driving a donkey.
"Ah? What is this?"
“I’ll take care of my work later. I’ll take your mother and Chunlan there. Make sure to bring a water bag for the child, otherwise he’ll get thirsty.”
The head of the household's words carry weight. Chunlan's mother turned and went to the kitchen, where she used a ladle to pour the cooled boiled water into the only sheepskin water bag that the family would take on long trips.
Chunlan felt a slight warmth in her heart. Because of her illness, she could never get married in this life. From her grandparents to her younger brother, no one in her family had ever said they disliked her. They even paid for her to study and learn to read. It truly made her heart feel like it was being soaked in hot water in winter.
...
Those rushing to the Li family to take the midwife exam were all busy, and the Li family was naturally even busier.
Fortunately, it happened to be the four kids' ten-day break. On this day, apart from Brother Li not being home, the old doctor Liang who lived in the third courtyard next to the Li family and the young boy from Shaoyang came to help.
Li's mother was a woman of principle; after breakfast, she began assigning tasks.
"Tiger Head, take your brothers and take out all the signposts that your mother and I made a couple of days ago, and lock them with stone locks."
Erlang, go help your wife and Qiaolan set up the table, chairs, stove, hot tea, and snacks.
Bao Ya, please help look after Xiao Wulang and Lu Zhu'er, and keep an eye on our Xiao Huang so that no one takes him away.
Dalang's wife will go to the alliance to keep an eye on things first. If any of you need anything, go find her.
Our family clinic still needs to stay open, so I'll trouble Dr. Liang and my husband to go and oversee things there. Shaoyang, you…”
Looking at Shijiu, Qiuxiang, and the young boy from Shaoyang, Li's mother didn't know what to do.
The fact that Li's mother was able to ask Dr. Liang to help with her practice at the clinic was because Dr. Liang himself had already agreed to it beforehand.
It was because Dr. Liang and Mr. Li had been exchanging medical knowledge. Recently, whenever they had free time, Mr. Li would go to Dr. Liang's courtyard to drink tea and chat. Their relationship progressed rapidly, and they really felt like close friends.
This young man from Shaoyang is Li San Niang's junior brother. He seems to be a person of high status and wealth, and based on their recent interactions, Li's mother also knows that the young man from Shaoyang is an arrogant person.
Nineteen and Qiu Xiang were bodyguards specially sent by the Bad People to protect Li San Niang, not to be used for chores.
Seeing this, Li San Niang knew that Li's mother was in a dilemma, so she said, "Little senior brother, come with me and help answer the questions of those ladies who come to take the exam."
Qiu Xiang is with me; she can help me if anything happens.
"Nineteen, go with Tiger Head and the others."
Li San Niang looked at Shi Jiu and said, "Anyway, we're at home, so we should be safe. If there are any bad guys, Qiu Xiang can deal with them first, and you can come over in time."
Nineteen thought about it and decided it was a good idea, so he nodded in agreement.
With this arrangement, everyone had something to do, and they dispersed to do their own things.
As the sun rose higher and it got closer to 9 AM, the number of carriages and people arriving at the entrance of the Women's Aid Association increased.
No one expected that the first person to arrive would be Yao Qingqing!
It was Yao Qingqing from Yong'an Ward who had gone to the Li family to inquire about matters earlier, along with midwife Ding, midwife Cen, midwife Sun, and Yulian from the same ward as the Li family.
Yao Qingqing arrived in a carriage, and she wasn't alone; she was accompanied by a woman who seemed to be an elder of hers.
Li's mother, sister-in-law Li, and second sister-in-law Li, who were waiting at the entrance of the alliance, rushed to greet the people as soon as they saw them.
"This is my mother. I asked for an extra registration form earlier because of my mother."
After Yao Qingqing finished speaking, Yao's mother bowed and greeted her.
As soon as Yao Qingqing announced her name, Li Dalang, who had been sitting behind a chair and table set up at the door, picked up a pen, found Yao Qingqing's and Su Hui's names in the previously collected registration forms, and, following the method given by Li Sanniang, ticked them in the lower right corner with red cinnabar.
Then Li Erlang stepped forward and gave the two people two small wooden tags, which were labeled "Number One" and "Number Two" respectively.
Sister-in-law Li stepped forward to explain: "The number plates are issued according to the order of arrival, and the exam will be conducted in the order shown on these number plates."
Yao Qingqing and her mother exchanged a glance while holding their number plates, their faces filled with curiosity. They thought to themselves that the Li family's examination process was indeed well-organized and methodical.
It looks quite legitimate, somewhat like the imperial examinations that have recently become very popular in Chang'an, which are only open to men.
Then, Li Ersao led the two inside and sat down in one of the rooms with tea and snacks to wait.
"It was agreed beforehand that the exam would be held at 9:00 AM. Since you two arrived early, please sit here and wait a while. Once most people have arrived and the time has come, the exam will begin."
The tea and snacks are served casually. If you need to use the restroom, there's a sign at the entrance indicating that it's in the room around the corner.
If you can't find it, just ask the woman in the green dress at the door.
Wu Qiaolan walked over at the opportune moment, bowed, and smiled shyly at Yao Qingqing and her mother.
After the first person arrived, more and more women got off the carriages and horses.
Grandpa Sun drove the donkey cart and took Midwife Sun and Chunlan to the street corner on the Li family's side. Grandpa Sun turned to Midwife Sun and said, "There are carts all ahead. If we want to get there, it will probably take at least half an hour."
"It would be cheaper if you got off the bus with Chunlan and walked over."
Midwife Sun lifted the curtain and peered ahead. Sure enough, there were more cars than people. How could the road not be congested?
Midwife Sun got out of the car with Chunlan, waved to Grandpa Sun, and the two walked hand in hand toward the Li family's alliance meeting.
Before Sun the midwife and Chunlan arrived, Ding the midwife and Cen the midwife came first. The two of them greeted Li's mother warmly, saying "Old sister, you've come!" as they entered the door.
There were too many people, so Li San Niang and Qiu Xiang came out to guide them inside.
Midwife Sun and Chunlan also arrived, along with Yulian, a young midwife who lived in the same neighborhood as Li's mother.
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