Yang Atuo carefully felt Qiu Zhen's belly and was so frightened that sweat broke out.
"Genfa! Quick! Go to the next village and call Grandma Zhou over. The baby is face up. It's a difficult birth!"
When Liang Genfa heard this, his legs suddenly became as soft as noodles and he had no strength at all.
"What are you still standing there for! Go quickly!" Yang Atuo slapped his thigh anxiously, then realized something was wrong and shouted, "You can't go. You have to make the decision if anything happens. Qiuhua, you go, run quickly!"
Qiuhua had never run so fast in her life, as if she was risking her life.
Grandma Zhou walked slowly, so Qiuhua and Hehua took turns carrying her. Qiuhua felt that the journey was too long, as she had never walked such a long distance before.
She thought about what Yang Atuo had said about needing his father to make the final decision. What was he talking about? Qiuhua didn't dare to think about it. Her mind was blank.
Finally, they rushed home with Grandma Zhou. She touched Qiu Zhen's belly carefully again and found that what Yang Atuo said was right. The baby was face up and it was a difficult birth.
At this time, Qiu Zhen was already very weak. Long-term malnutrition made her skinny, with a protruding big belly embedded in her abdomen. She lay on the bed, breathing lightly. The pain of more than five hours had brought her to the brink of collapse.
"The fetus is in an abnormal position," Grandma Zhou muttered, adding, "How come you're so skinny? You don't have an ounce of flesh on your body. How could you possibly have the strength to give birth?"
Liang Genfa stood by and nodded woodenly, his mind blank, completely unaware of the fire in the stove and the water in the pot.
Qiuhua felt very uncomfortable when she saw her mother suffering. She ran behind the stove, picked up some dead branches and stuffed them in. She couldn't help but cry when she heard the noise inside. Xiaohua also cried when she saw her sister crying.
Zhou Hehua saw her little sister crying, and her heart ached. She also started crying. She pulled Qiuhua and said, "My good mother-in-law is capable. Don't be afraid."
"Xiaohua, you are so noisy! All you do is cry!" Liang Erhua staggered in from outside and saw three people crying together by the stove. He immediately realized what had happened.
Erhua rushed to the door, but his father pushed it open and stopped him.
"What's wrong with Mom? I want to see Mom!"
"You're a grown man, what are you doing here when your mom is giving birth? Go, go, go!"
Qiuhua was furious. She rushed over and punched Erhua in the chest, crying, "Where have you been? I called for the doctor and for grandma. Where have you been?"
Liang Erhua didn't dare to curse back this time and let Qiuhua beat him. He also realized that he was too careless this time!
Grandma Zhou has been a midwife for decades. She learned the craft from a master and has some real skills. She has experienced this kind of situation before, but not often.
She put one hand in from below and slowly groped her belly with the other hand. Qiu Zhen felt something strange in her stomach. The pain came more and more frequently and lasted longer and longer. She breathed heavily in the ten or so seconds in between.
"Breathe in slowly, it's too fast, you'll have to hold your breath! Take a longer breath!"
Grandma Zhou's face was solemn, and her hands were constantly groping. Liang Gen was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, but his back felt cold.
"Is Grandma Zhou okay?" Yang Atuo was also anxious. "If not, quickly ask Dahua to find a tractor to take her to the hospital!"
Another wave of severe pain came. The worn sheets under Qiu Zhen had been twisted together. Her eyes were wide open and veins on her forehead were bulging. She looked like a yellow leaf making its last struggle under the heavy autumn rain.
"Go, go call Dahua, call all the children..."
Qiu Zhen weakly raised her hand to signal Genfa to go find the children. His heart sank and tears welled up in his eyes.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Why are you looking for children? I'm not looking for them. I just want to have a child!"
Grandma Zhou didn't bother to talk to anyone. She pursed her thin lips, afraid of making any mistakes, and her wrinkled face was covered with sweat.
After being busy for a while, a relaxed expression finally appeared on her face.
Liang Genfa looked at the old lady's expression and suddenly felt refreshed and his mind came back to its senses.
A few minutes later, a crisp cry was heard, and the little girl was born!
Dad came out of the inner room joyfully and told Qiuhua, "Mom has given birth to a little girl! Hurry, make some rice porridge!"
"Okay!" Qiuhua wiped away her tears, the haze in her heart swept away, and joy suddenly rose.
She deftly opened the rice jar. There was not much left in it. She reached in with her whole arm and grabbed two handfuls of rice and put them into the wooden basin for washing rice.
Liang Erhua quickly ran to the well and drew two buckets of water. When Qiuhua came over, he said flatteringly, "Don't be angry, sister. I'll help you and light the fire for you."
After saying that, he carried a bundle of firewood from the yard and went into the house to start a fire.
Qiuhua rolled her eyes at him, turned around and burst out laughing again.
The danger has passed, how could a family really have any grudges against each other?
Qiuhua squatted down and poured a little water into the wooden basin. She put her hand into the rice and rubbed it clockwise for a few circles, then counterclockwise for a few circles. The water immediately turned white with some rice stalk fragments floating on it. She tilted the wooden basin and carefully poured out the white water, for fear of wasting a grain of rice.
After washing the rice for the second time, Qiuhua was reluctant to pour out the water. She carefully skimmed off the dirt floating on the surface, and then poured the rice and water into the pot together.
The fire in the stove was burning brightly. Qiuhua covered the pot with a lid. A wisp of white smoke slipped out of the stove and slowly rose along the edge of the pot. She felt relieved when she smelled the smell of firewood.
The rice soup was boiled for two hours. Qiuhua stirred the pot until the white soup became delicate and sticky. A layer of transparent porridge appeared at the junction of the iron pot and the rice soup. Qiuhua reached out and tore off a large piece and put it in her mouth. It smelled so good!
She licked her lips, and Xiaohua stuck her head out from behind, swallowing her saliva and shouting, "Sister, I want to eat too."
Qiuhua tore off another piece and stuffed it into his wide-open mouth. He immediately closed his mouth and chewed it. His mouth was empty, and he only felt something sticky on his tongue.
Qiuhua served the porridge and soup bowl by bowl, quickly cleaned the pot while it was still hot, and poured in a full pot of water.
It was already dark at this time, and Dahua came back from outside with a paper bag in his hand.
"Sister, the team knew that Mom was giving birth today, so they gave it to you specially."
Qiuhua took it and opened it. There were four white steamed buns! Each one was as big as two fists!
She quickly took one and brought a bowl of rice soup into the house. Her mother was lying on the bed. Her weak breathing and the gentle rise and fall of her chest told Qiuhua what a tragic battle it was.
Next to the mother was a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, but the mother did not look at her. Instead, she closed her eyes and looked to the other side.
After drinking the warm rice soup and eating the soft steamed buns, Qiu Zhen suddenly felt her body full and warm. Her dry and hoarse throat was healed, and her ten fingers, which had exerted too much force, regained their strength.
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