Zhang Zhaoci touched Xu Zhi's face with a stern expression and said, "Good child, thank you, Mother. You must be careful and protect your life no matter what. As long as you are alive, there is hope. Remember Mother's words."
Xu Zhi nodded. Granny Lu called the two people beside her to Qingmiao, gave them some simple instructions, and then, along with Li Yanxia and three others, followed He Ergou toward the campsite on the nearby mountain.
Since this place was chosen as a campsite, it was naturally located near a water source. It not only had simple wooden huts, but also simple cooking utensils such as stoves. Normally, this place was used as a simple accommodation for people who came to the mountains for training. Now that it was wartime, the soldiers were all guarding the pass or helping to defend the city in Hexi, so there were naturally no people here.
He Ergou brought the people over here and said to Granny Lu, "Granny, the water in this water vat was brought back by us a few days ago. There are usually no people here, so you can use it without worry. Military orders are like mountains, and I can't stay here for too long."
Granny Lu quickly thanked her, saying, "We are very grateful that you helped us find this place. You can go about your business."
After He Ergou left, Granny Lu quickly found some bedding. The three guards had already laid a thick layer of dry grass on the ground. Granny Lu put the bedding on it and arranged for Li Yanxia to go to the stove to boil water. The three guards then patrolled and guarded the area.
Zhang Zhaoci lay on the mattress. After checking her over, Granny Lu said, "I can see the baby's head now. Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Zhang Zhaoci was pale, covered in sweat, and panting heavily. She said, "Granny, I've already given birth to two babies, and I'm a doctor. Plus, you're here with me. I have nothing to be afraid of. I checked myself, and the baby's position is correct."
Granny Lu touched Zhang Zhaoci's belly and said, "I'm checking you. When I tell you to push, you should push. Our little young master is definitely a mischievous boy. He chose this time to come. In the future, he will definitely be a fearless person."
Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "We don't want to raise a naughty monkey; it's hard to manage someone who's too mischievous."
Zhang Zhaoci knew that it wasn't time to give birth yet, so she needed to shift her focus. Otherwise, if she kept focusing on having a baby, the time would feel unbearable, and the pressure on her would increase.
Li Yanxia had already boiled the water. Granny Lu handed her the scissors used to cut the umbilical cord, told her to boil them in the pot, and then checked them before saying, "Let's start pushing now."
Zhang Zhaoci gripped the mattress beneath her with both hands, breathing in and out in rhythm with Granny Lu, then straining. The overwhelming pain made Zhang Zhaoci feel like a small boat adrift at sea, unable to break free. Zhang Zhaoci had been busy all morning and was already exhausted. She had walked more than ten miles and now had to exert herself to give birth, gradually becoming powerless.
Looking at Zhang Zhaoci, whose consciousness was somewhat blurred, with tears in her eyes, Granny Lu pulled out the hairpin from the head wound and used the head of the hairpin to stab Zhang Zhaoci's fingertip hard. Then a bead of blood the size of a bean appeared, and Zhang Zhaoci's mind immediately cleared up.
Granny Lu said, "Madam, I know you are very tired, but now is not the time to rest. You still have the baby in your belly. Let's hang in there a little longer, it will be over soon."
Zhang Zhaoci knew she needed to clear her head, and weakly said to Granny Lu, "Your method was good. If I want to sleep some more, please continue."
With tears in her eyes, Granny Lu said, "Come on, let's keep trying!"
Zhang Zhaoci didn't know how many times she was stabbed by Granny Lu. When she felt a loosening down below and her stomach was no longer so tight, she vaguely heard a loud cry of a baby, and then she lost consciousness.
Granny Lu handed the baby to Li Yanxia, ​​who gave the baby a quick wash, and then rushed over to take care of Zhang Zhaoci. Although the baby had been born, the placenta had not yet been delivered.
With her massaging Zhang Zhaoci's belly and urging the unconscious woman to push harder, Granny Lu was sweating profusely. Finally, she managed to deliver the placenta.
Granny Lu felt extremely exhausted and said to Li Yanxia, ​​"Miss Li, you take the young master and go to Yanmen Pass first. We'll follow later."
Upon hearing this, Li Yanxia asked in surprise, "Granny, why is that?"
Granny Lu looked at the already dark sky outside and said, "It's too close to Hexi from here. It's not safe for us to stay here. You take the young master to Yanmen Pass to find Qingmiao and the others. Take good care of the young master. I'll bring him over to meet you when Madam wakes up."
Li Yanxia nodded and said, "Granny, don't worry, I will definitely bring the young master there safely. You all need to be careful too."
After seeing Li Yanxia off, Granny Lu called the three guards over and said, "I know you came not only to protect me, but also to protect Lord Xu's family. Madam has just given birth. When she wakes up, one of you should carry her towards Yanmen Pass. Don't worry about anything else. The other two of you should take me and continue running north. We can't all run in one direction; that would be too dangerous."
The three guards had already seen that after the Northern Di people came out of the west gate, they not only pursued along that road, but also searched along the mountains and forests. Some of the civilians who were slow to run away had already been killed by the Northern Di people. Moreover, it was unclear whether the Northern Di people knew that Madam Xu was about to give birth, as there was even a group of Northern Di people walking this way with torches.
The three men accepted the order. Granny Lu glanced at the approaching torches, gritted her teeth, dressed Zhang Zhaoci, draped a thick cloak over her, and handed her over to one of the guards who was best at running. She then put on Zhang Zhaoci's red cloak and, escorted by two guards, headed north along the mountain forest.
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