Chapter 11 Production
After absorbing the dewdrop for a while, Li San Niang, feeling fully recharged, led the dewdrop outside.
Today, Li's mother and second brother were urgently summoned to the countryside, and this afternoon, the boss and Li's eldest sister-in-law helped Li's second sister-in-law deliver a baby. It's almost dark, and the Li family still hasn't decided on dinner.
After entrusting Little Dewdrop to Li Silang for a while, I went to the kitchen to help Sister-in-law Li prepare dinner. Judging from the state of things today, I guess I'll have to leave some food for Mother Li, Second Brother Li, and Eldest Brother Li. I wonder if Eldest Brother Li will be able to come back on time today.
In the kitchen, seeing that it was getting late, Sister-in-law Li used the mixed flour that Sister-in-law Li had bought a couple of days ago to make a pot of soup noodles. She also made a sauce with green beans, cracked a few eggs, and made a separate bowl to keep warm in the pot so she could take it to Sister-in-law Li later.
Because of the birth of Kogoro today, Sister-in-law Li finally decided to use a mixture of flour, water, and rice flour to make soup noodles. However, she didn't want to make a really big enough portion for everyone, so she also cooked a pot of sweet potatoes. With some homemade side dishes, it was a pretty good meal.
By the time they brought everything out, there was hardly any light. Li Dalang had gone to fetch his mother and second brother, but they hadn't returned yet. Li Dalang hadn't finished his shift particularly late today and had already come back. He went to find lanterns and lit two, and the family relied on that little light to avoid getting the soup dumplings up their noses.
Sister-in-law Li helped feed Xiao Wulang rice and oil again. Sister-in-law Li Er had already woken up from her nap and finished the soup with egg. However, Mother Li, Second Brother Li, and Eldest Brother Li still hadn't returned.
At this moment, Li San Niang quietly gave Li Er Sao a couple of instructions. First, the wound needed to be cleaned daily, preferably with liquor even if it hurt, to prevent infection. She suggested that Li Er Xiong help with the cleaning daily. She also advised that if the sutures were absorbed, great; if not, she should come and remove them herself. Second, she stressed that this childbirth had been very painful, and sexual intercourse was prohibited during the 42-day postpartum period to avoid damaging her still-recovering body and causing postpartum complications.
Li Ersao listened carefully with a blush on her face, and nodded in agreement.
What Li San Niang found adorable was that even after having three children, she was still so shy.
Later, Li San Niang wanted to talk to her mother and ask her to give Li Er Sao a double postpartum period so she could recover properly. Also, since Li Er Ge and Li Er Sao already had three sons, it was really not advisable for Li Er Sao to have children consecutively. It would be best if she wanted to have another child in two years, and they could try to avoid having any more in between.
In fact, people in ancient times already had methods of contraception.
This method is known to very few people, because before Emperor Wu ascended the throne, the most important function of women was to bear children, especially sons.
However, after Emperor Wu ascended the throne, although there was still a great need for people, some families had too many children and could not afford to raise them, and they still drowned, even male infants.
However, Emperor Wu also issued an edict forbidding the drowning of infants, and thus the method of calculating ovulation period was transmitted from the Daming Palace to Chang'an and even the entire Tang Dynasty through the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Those who want children can use this method to increase their chances of getting pregnant. Those who don't want children, or those who feel they have enough children at home, can also use this method to avoid intercourse and reduce the chances of having sex.
Wealthy families also used sheep intestine membranes, but at this time, the status of women was still lower than that of men. Therefore, wealthy families also had a trick: to ask a familiar doctor to prescribe medicine that could both nourish the body and prevent pregnancy. However, it was usually given to women to drink.
Poor families had little choice. So, although the social customs weren't particularly strict, it was common for wealthy women to go out shopping or even play polo, while poor women could set up small stalls to sell their own produce. Some women could even establish their own households and enjoy their own property. However, they were still ashamed to talk about matters of the bedroom.
Although people don't talk about it openly, they pay close attention to the chapters on essential matters for couples in the "Important Matters for the People of the Tang Dynasty" provided by the Imperial Medical Bureau. Those who can read will read it themselves, while those who cannot will have their documents delivered by the local branches under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Medical Bureau in cooperation with the local government.
For example, during a woman's ovulation period, she should drink water that has been boiled and ginger soup to prevent catching a cold.
Although it's not appropriate for a sister-in-law to interfere in her brother and sister-in-law's private affairs, as an obstetrician and gynecologist, I still have to say this.
However, we can only hint at it to Li's mother indirectly. Li's mother isn't that harsh; she'll probably talk to Li's second brother and sister-in-law.
Brother Li wasn't idle either. Since Li Dalang, the main water carrier, wasn't around, Brother Li took Li Erlang and Li Sanlang to do the work.
Father Li set up two small stoves at the kitchen door to brew medicine. One portion was for Second Sister-in-law Li, to promote lactation and nourish her; the other portion was for Third Sister-in-law Li, to replenish her qi and blood after her miscarriage.
Li Da Sao was helping take care of the baby in Li Er Sao's room, and Li San Niang, wanting to avoid infection, wiped the baby with liquor again.
Finally, just as Li Ersao and Li Sanniang were drinking their medicine, Li's mother, Li Erxiong, and Li Dalang returned.
Luckily it's summer now, so the nights aren't cold. It's actually a bit humid at this time of year. When Sister-in-law Li saw that they had returned, she wanted to go out and get them some food. She had already prepared their meals in advance and put them in a pot to keep them warm, since she had expected them to come back late.
Li San Niang waved her hand, indicating that she would go get it herself and let Li Da Sao rest.
Li's mother and second brother were genuinely surprised, a mixture of joy and astonishment.
The surprise of having a grandson and a young son upon returning from a trip to the countryside is truly indescribable.
When Li San Niang asked Li Er Xiong to carry Li Er Sao to bed to rest, she should be careful. If she wanted to carry Xiao Wu Lang, she should change his clothes and wash his hands and face first. This was written in a medical book recently published by the Imperial Medical Academy.
Li Erxiong was very obedient. He first washed his hands and face in the yard with the water poured by his nephew and son before going back into the house to see Li Ersao.
After eight or nine hours, Li Ersao was finally freed from the ground and moved to the bed.
Sister-in-law Li wanted to help tidy up the pile of blood-stained bedding and straw on the ground, but Brother Li waved his hand and said, "Thanks to you and Third Sister-in-law today, I won't trouble you with these small things. You've been busy all afternoon and most of the night. Sister-in-law, please rest. I'll tidy up later."
Li's mother, who was holding Xiao Wulang nearby, shared the same sentiment. Li's second sister-in-law had given birth to another son for Li's second brother, and had suffered greatly as a result, so he deserved to be punished.
After watching Kogoro for a while, everyone dispersed.
Li San Niang asked Li Da Xiong to help carry two large buckets of hot water. That evening, she played with Xiao Luzhu for a while, washing away the blood and stickiness. After drying her hair properly, she finally coaxed Luzhu to sleep.
Another unfortunate aspect of ancient women's lives was that, except for young children, they all had to keep their hair long, which was truly a terrible ordeal.
It's not a problem to have long hair, the key issue is that long hair can't be kept clean, and you can't keep up with the frequency of washing!
Firstly, it's too long, making it troublesome to wash; secondly, fuel costs money in ancient times, so washing hair required boiling water, which wasted firewood; and thirdly, since it's too long and there's no hair dryer, wringing out the water and letting it air dry takes too long, which is inconvenient.
Therefore, you can't wash your hair frequently, so you'll just end up looking dirty. Wealthy people can buy scented hair oil to apply, otherwise you'll really be waiting to get lice.
Li San Niang was a little envious of Xiao Lu Zhu'er. Although the middle part was shaved off and only the two sides were short enough to tie into a small bun, it was convenient and cool.
With an excited heart and trembling hands, Li San Niang opened the quest system and claimed the reward for the second quest: "Use of a sterile operating room once." Her 100-grid backpack now had a second small compartment with an icon.
This reward is probably not needed for now, but I believe there will be opportunities to use it in the future.
Having gained experience, Li San Niang was no longer excited when she saw ① in the task bar. She calmly opened the interface to see what task three was.
"Successfully registering a household with a female member will entitle you to a cesarean section delivery kit."
Looking at this reward, and thinking back to the "one-time use of a sterile operating room" reward she received today, and combining it with the requirements of the three tasks, Li San Niang pondered for a while, thinking, this task system is here to help her step out of the inner quarters, promote obstetrics and gynecology knowledge and technology, and help women in the Tang Dynasty, right?!
That's a pretty high-class goal!
"I don't want to think about it anymore. Let's take it one step at a time. What if the reward for mission four is a superpower?" Li San Niang cleared her mind of all the random thoughts and, amidst the cicadas' chirping, cuddled her precious baby and fell asleep.
The next day, probably because she was tired from the previous day, Li San Niang was woken up by Lu Zhu'er's little hands.
After playing a tickling game with Little Dewdrop for a while before getting up, Li San Niang wondered if she should get Little Dewdrop a puppy or kitten for company.
Of the four children, only Li Silang and Lu Zhu'er are six years apart. As they grow older, the difference between boys and girls will become apparent, and it will probably be even harder for them to play together in the future.
Newborn Kogoro is still a baby nursing; it will take him at least two or three years before he can talk, run, jump, and play with Dewdrop.
Therefore, Li San Niang considered getting a puppy or kitten for Lu Zhu'er as companionship, since who doesn't love something fluffy!
Okay, it's just that Li San Niang personally has a particular fondness for fluffy things! She loves anything long-haired, whether it's a cat or a dog!
Look back and see if any family in the alley has any puppies, then trade one for one and raise it well.
I got up just in time to run into the four little ones who were going to school. It seems that I and Luzhu'er missed having breakfast with everyone.
Sure enough, there was a meal that Sister-in-law Li had prepared for the mother and daughter in the kitchen steamer. It was millet porridge, side dishes, and eggs. It was probably extra food specially made for Sister-in-law Li, and I and Luzhu'er benefited from it.
After they had finished eating, they were about to take Lu Zhu'er to Li Ersao's room when Li Gui, the medicine shop assistant, led Chen Yalang in.
It turns out that there's been news about the house that Li San Niang asked Chen Ya Lang to look at a couple of days ago.
Chen Yalang didn't stand on ceremony anymore. He thanked her for the tea and started talking to Li Sanniang.
We should thank Emperor Wu. After he ascended the throne, he expanded Chang'an three times. Each time, many people moved out, leaving many houses in the inner city vacant.
Even if it remains vacant, the housing prices in the political, economic, and cultural center will never be cheap. It's really not easy to buy a house there. Even officials of the seventh or eighth rank live in the suburbs because they can't afford to rent a house in the city.
Chen Yalang introduced three places this time:
One place is Fengyi Lane next to Changshou Lane. Although it is not in Changshou Lane, it is still a good place to live. It has three rooms and a well in the courtyard, so it is convenient to get water. The surrounding area is full of wealthy people, so it is safe and secure. The price is higher, 1,600 taels. The owner of the house has moved out of the inner city, but he has left a document with the official broker. The broker can handle the formalities, which is very convenient.
The other place is in Changshoufang, inside the blacksmith alley. There are two small houses, but no well in the courtyard, so you have to buy water for drinking. Because there is a blacksmith's shop two houses away, where they do hammering and forging, the house is cheaper, 700 taels, no bargaining.
The last place is Four Seasons Alley, yes, the Four Seasons Alley where the Qinglian Academy, where the four little ones went to school, is located.
It was purchased by a wealthy family in the south to be used in Chang'an for their nephews and nieces who would be coming to the capital to order goods. There was a young man living there, but his grandfather suddenly passed away, and he had just been preparing to return to the south two days ago.
The owner only intended to rent out the property, not sell it. Because the original owner ate out regularly, there was no well in the house, but there were two large jujube trees and a flower garden with many flowers and plants. There were only two rooms, or rather three, with a small additional room built near the entrance for servants to take care of daily needs.
Because it's near Qinglian Academy, it's a good place. If Chen Yalang hadn't been so quick and accurate, he might not have made it in time.
The original owner wasn't asking for much, just the market price of five taels of silver a month, but the lease was only for six months because another young man was coming to the capital next year and needed to live there himself, so he was only renting it out for six months.
The original owner only said to keep an eye on the two jujube trees to prevent them from getting infested with insects, and to take good care of the flowers and plants in the flowerbed in the yard so that they don't go to waste.
After listening to Chen Yalang's introduction, Li Sanniang thought about her wallet and hesitated between the second and third places.
First, establishing a household with a daughter requires a property deed. Of these three properties, only the second one is affordable for Li San Niang with the money she has on hand.
Secondly, if I buy a second house, I won't have much spare money left, and I'll have many other expenses in the future. What should I do?
So, how do you choose a good house?
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