Chapter 136 City Streets 36

Chapter 136: Street Life in the Prefecture City, Part 36

Cui Lanfang had heard the commotion next door earlier, but with a fire going in her kitchen, she couldn't leave immediately. Just as she finished ladling out the long bean soup and wiped her hands to step outside, she heard Chen Qiaoyun's panicked exclamations, clapping her hands against her legs in a fluster.

"She's going into labor!"

Cui Lanfang was also startled and hurried over, trying to help Sun Yueqin, who had collapsed to the ground, to her feet. But Sun Yueqin was heavy with pregnancy, and Cui Lanfang couldn't manage to lift her alone.

With lives at stake, Liu Guyu cast aside his conflict with Li Youliang and rushed over without hesitation.

Sun Yueqin's face was deathly pale, her hands clutching her belly tightly. The trousers beneath her were wet—a clear sign her water had broken.

"Li Youliang! What are you standing there dazed for? Where do you think you're hiding now? Are you even a man?!"

He turned and shouted at Li Youliang, who stood frozen, trying to retreat. Then, looking at Qin Banban, who had followed Cui Lanfang outside, he urged anxiously, "Banban, go next door and ask your teacher to come! Aunt Chen, which midwife around here is reliable? Go quickly and bring one!"

Chen Qiaoyun, too, seemed to have lost her bearings, but Liu Guyu's reminder snapped her back to reality. She clapped her hands and said, "Right, right! The midwife! The midwife! I'll go fetch the midwife!"

Qin Banban, a young girl who had never witnessed such a scene, was already pale with fear. She ran off, her limbs all out of sync, toward Fang Liuyin's courtyard, shouting as she ran, "Teacher! Teacher, come out quickly!"

Li Youliang reluctantly stepped forward and carried Sun Yueqin inside.

Once they entered the Li household, Liu Guyu and the others realized the man of the house wasn't home—perhaps he was off tinkering with his bees again.

Yinzi was terrified, her short little legs scrambling as she chased after her parents, crying all the way. In her haste, she tripped over the doorstep and fell, unsure where she had hurt herself. Clutching her face, she wailed even louder.

Liu Guyu hurried over, picked up the little girl, and checked her over. He found no visible injuries, assuming she was just hurt from the fall.

"There, there, don't cry... don't cry..."

He held the child, soothing her while anxiously glancing toward Sun Yueqin. He saw Li Youliang carrying her into the room, with Cui Lanfang following closely behind.

The child cried loudly, her voice soon turning hoarse from the strain, her little face flushed red.

Qin Rongshi, standing beside Liu Guyu, frowned at the scene. After a moment's thought, he suddenly pulled out the chestnut biscuits Liu Guyu had given him and selected one shaped like a cute rabbit to offer to Yinzi.

Children are usually greedy for snacks, but Yinzi was too frightened and upset this time. Even the tasty biscuit couldn't calm her—she continued crying, tears streaming down her face, her sobs unwavering.

Qin Rongshi had never comforted a child before and felt awkward, his brows tightly knit as he looked at Yinzi as though she were a difficult puzzle. After a while, he awkwardly switched to offering her a peanut-sesame flavored milk candy.

Just then, Cui Lanfang called out from inside the room, "Scholar Li, go boil some water. Your wife will need it when she gives birth."

Li Youliang had carried his wife inside but then stepped out again. Now he stood dazedly under the eaves, pacing back and forth and muttering, "B-boil water? I-I... I've never done that before."

Even Cui Lanfang, who was usually patient, felt her temper flare at his words.

What nonsense is that?!

Seeing Qin Rongshi's continued awkwardness, fumbling with his clothes as if searching for a third snack to calm the child, Liu Guyu quickly took the milk candy from him and said, "You go boil some water."

Qin Rongshi nodded and headed straight for the kitchen.

Inside the room, Sun Yueqin lay on the bed, her face covered in cold sweat, her hair drenched and sticking to her pale cheeks.

"I... I think I hear my Yinzi crying... Auntie, Auntie, could you please check on her for me?"

She gasped for breath, as though even speaking was painful.

Cui Lanfang wiped her sweat with a handkerchief and comforted her, "Just focus on giving birth. Liu Guyu is holding Yinzi; she'll be fine! Once you give her a little brother or sister, she'll stop crying."

Hearing this, Sun Yueqin tried to smile, but the next moment, pain twisted her expression.

She suddenly grabbed Cui Lanfang's hand and spoke haltingly, "Auntie... my husband has wasted his education. My father-in-law... he's obsessed with beekeeping and doesn't even care about his family. It seems... only my mother-in-law is alright... but..."

"But... but... she's the hardest to deal with in our family. They say 'a Buddha's mouth but a viper's heart'—that's exactly what she's like. As a daughter-in-law, I shouldn't speak ill of her... but I know you're a good person. Don't be fooled by her."

"Auntie... I have no other choice. I can't find anyone else... I can only beg you."

"My family is in Wuxi County, at the Golden Water Bridge market... the most popular Sun Family Mutton Soup shop in the market—that's my father's. Please... please send someone to take a message for me. Tell them... tell them I want to go home."

Cui Lanfang, soft-hearted by nature, was both heartbroken and anxious hearing Sun Yueqin's plea.

"Good girl, save your strength now!"

"I promise you, Auntie promises you!"

...

Just then, Qin Banban arrived with Fang Liuyin, who looked serious and had rushed over carrying his medical kit.

As soon as they arrived, they saw Li Youliang pacing back and forth in front of the door, muttering incoherently about bodhisattvas, Buddha, and the Jade Emperor.

He paced relentlessly, blocking the way. Qin Banban moved left, and he moved left; she moved right, and he moved right. Infuriated, Qin Banban glared up at him and shoved Li Youliang hard.

"Are your eyes covered in shit?! If you can't help, at least don't cause trouble!"

The young girl, surprisingly strong for her age, pushed the taller, stronger man back several steps, nearly causing him to stumble down the porch steps.

Fang Liuyin also gave the man a cold glance and said, "It's your wife giving birth, not some celestial deity. What good will praying to them do?"

With that, the teacher and student entered the room.

Cui Lanfang was momentarily taken aback upon seeing Qin Banban and instinctively said, "Doctor Fang, my Banban isn't married yet. Isn't this inappropriate? If you need an assistant, I can help. I've given birth to three children—I know more than a young girl like her."

Fang Liuyin didn't respond, only glanced at Qin Banban, seemingly leaving the decision to her.

Qin Banban widened her eyes and said very seriously, "Mother, I can do this."

Cui Lanfang wanted to say more, but Fang Liuyin, understanding Qin Banban's resolve, turned and said, "Auntie, could you please go check if the water is boiling?"

Cui Lanfang hesitated, then glanced at her daughter, who gave her a firm nod.

She sighed, silently conceding.

As she went out to fetch the water, Chen Qiaoyun returned with the midwife she had gone to find, and they hurried inside.

Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi waited outside for what felt like an eternity, watching as basin after basin of bloody water were carried out, accompanied by the woman's agonized cries from within the room.

Late into the night, the faint, kitten-like cry of a baby finally echoed from the room.

"She gave birth!"

"She gave birth!"

Chen Qiaoyun's voice rang out, full of surprise.

Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi both let out a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, the midwife emerged a moment later.

She cracked open the door and stuck her head out, showing little joy—her brows were tightly furrowed—but she still congratulated Chen Qiaoyun, saying, "Congratulations, it's a little girl."

The smile on Chen Qiaoyun's face suddenly froze, as if a perfect mask had cracked and shattered instantly.

She rushed over, in disbelief, and asked, "A girl? It's a girl?!"

"How could that be? How could it be a girl? My daughter-in-law consulted a doctor, and they all said it was a boy! They even prescribed medicine to guarantee a boy—how could it be a girl?"

Her face was full of disbelief as she grabbed the midwife and asked anxiously, "Are you mistaken? You must have seen wrong! Go back and take a closer look—how could it possibly be a girl?"

Li Youliang, who had been squatting under the eaves, had already composed himself. He didn't say a word; after receiving the news, he simply flicked his sleeve dismissively and walked out of the courtyard, without even checking on the mother or child, and left directly.

Liu Guyu frowned and exchanged a glance with Qin Rongshi. Both were deep in thought.

The midwife, having delivered babies for decades, had seen such scenes many times. She impatiently shook off Chen Qiaoyun's hand and said unhappily, "My eyesight's just fine—I can still tell the difference between a boy and a girl!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Banban's panicked voice came from inside the room.

"The mother—the mother is bleeding heavily!"

The midwife hesitated for a moment, then pushed Chen Qiaoyun aside, sighed, closed the door, and went back inside.

Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi both turned pale and instinctively stood up.

The child that Liu Guyu had been holding earlier was now in Qin Rongshi's arms. The little one, only two years old, had cried herself out and was now asleep in Qin Rongshi's embrace, her flushed cheeks still wet with tears.

Startled, she let out a few whimpers, as if trying to open her eyes.

Qin Rongshi quickly imitated Liu Guyu's earlier way of soothing the child, gently rocking her while patting her back with his large hand, humming softly:

"Moon sways, sways, over the Milky Way bridge, little treasure, little treasure, sleep well... In your dreams, spring butterflies flutter, summer cicadas chirp, autumn brings a bounty of rice, and we'll make you a warm winter coat..."

Liu Guyu's eyes widened slightly, looking at Qin Rongshi in surprise. Seeing that the child had fallen back asleep after whimpering twice, he said quietly, "I never would have guessed... Qin Rongshi, you'll be a good father when you have children someday."

Qin Rongshi didn't stop patting the child's back, nor did he look up, only asking calmly, "Who's going to bear them for me?"

Liu Guyu was still frowning, clearly worried about the situation inside the room, but he tried to lighten the mood with casual conversation.

He scratched his nose awkwardly and said, "...Well, your future wife, of course."

Qin Rongshi frowned and replied, "I don't like women."

Liu Guyu played dumb and said, "Then it'll be your future husband."

Only then did Qin Rongshi turn his head to look at Liu Guyu, staring at him for a long time until Liu Guyu grew uneasy, feeling too uncomfortable to stand or sit, as if he was sitting on pins and needles.

After a while, Qin Rongshi finally looked away, frowning as he gazed at the half-open door. Soon, they carried out another basin of bloody water.

He watched for a long time before saying with a furrowed brow, "Giving birth is hard. I don’t insist on having children. If I ever have a husband, I only hope to be a good husband to him."

Liu Guyu continued to scratch his nose, quietly shifting to the left, then further left, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Qin Rongshi, muttering under his breath, "So young, already talking about husbands and partners..."

They stood there for a long time before the people inside finally came out.

Chen Qiaoyun was still moaning, "My grandson, my grandson," not even noticing that someone had emerged.

Liu Guyu was the first to step forward, asking urgently, "How is the mother?"

The midwife, utterly exhausted, just waved a hand wearily and sighed.

Liu Guyu's expression changed, and he quickly turned to look at Fang Liuyin and Qin Banban behind her.

Banban, perhaps having witnessed such a bloody scene for the first time, was as pale as a sheet and couldn't speak for a long time.

It was Fang Liuyin who sighed and said, "She’s been through hell and back. We managed to save her, but her body is badly weakened. It’s unclear if she’ll ever fully recover. And as for children... she likely won’t be able to have any more."

"What?!"

Chen Qiaoyun, who had been sitting on the stone steps like a statue, finally stood up. She panicked, rushing over and grabbing Fang Liuyin's hand, crying bitterly with tears streaming down her aged face.

"She can’t have any more children? Doctor Fang, is that true?"

"Oh my god! What are we going to do now? The Li family line will end with us!"

At that moment, Cui Lanfang entered carrying a bowl. As soon as she stepped in, she heard those words. She glared at Chen Qiaoyun disapprovingly and, for the first time, spoke to her coldly: "Keep your voice down. Sun Yueqin can hear you from inside."

Then she turned to Fang Liuyin and asked again, "Doctor Fang, I went back and made a bowl of brown sugar egg drop soup. Can she eat this?"

Fang Liuyin glanced at it and nodded, but after a moment's thought, she sighed and said, "Her condition is beyond what brown sugar and eggs can fix. She’ll need chicken soup or pigeon soup every few days, and astragalus and donkey-hide gelatin (traditional Chinese medicines) should be prepared daily."

As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Chen Qiaoyun, clearly intending the message for her. But Chen Qiaoyun acted as if she were deaf, seemingly struck by a great blow as she slumped to the ground, muttering to herself, "My grandson... my precious grandson is gone..."

Fang Liuyin withdrew her gaze, shaking her head with a sigh. Cui Lanfang was also angered and ignored Chen Qiaoyun, taking the brown sugar egg drop soup back into the room.

Seeing Chen Qiaoyun in such a state, it was clear she wouldn’t be paying the medical fee. Fang Liuyin didn’t press her for it, simply sighed, picked up her medical kit, and headed out. Before leaving, she glanced at Qin Banban, who looked utterly shaken, and felt a pang of sympathy.

"Take a couple of days off at home. No need to rush back to the clinic. I’ll head back first."

Qin Banban, pale-faced, nodded and saw Fang Liuyin out.

Cui Lanfang fed Sun Yueqin a bowl of brown sugar egg drop soup, which included two poached eggs, red dates, goji berries, and plenty of brown sugar. Sun Yueqin was too weak to do much; after eating, she took one look at the baby and fell into a deep sleep.

Cui Lanfang also sighed as she left, taking the children home with her.