Chapter 362 Obstruction

Chapter 362: Obstruction

Today, in order to show off his skills in front of the young miss, Meng Wan had walked a great deal during the day and gone most of the day without eating. When he returned home, he had three extra servings of rice, and after washing up, he collapsed onto the bed while Song Tingzhou rubbed his stomach, sighing that winter was truly the season for packing on pounds.

In the middle of the night, the couple was sleeping soundly when Zhifan knocked on the door from outside.

"My lord, young master, wake up! Qiu Ying from Lord Wu's household has come, saying Zheng Shushen is about to give birth!"

"About to give birth!"

Meng Wan jolted awake from his sweet dreams, sitting up halfway in bed.

Song Tingzhou had already rolled out of bed. "Don't worry. I'll take my token and go to the Imperial Medical Institute to fetch a physician. The wind's fierce at night—bundle up."

The Imperial Medical Institute was located outside the palace, a stone's throw from the Hanlin Academy. Wu Zhaoyuan and Zheng Shushen's home was near the academy. They'd already talked it over with Wu Zhaoyuan—no matter how the birth went, they must have a physician present to oversee things, so that everyone could rest easy.

For ordinary officials to request a physician, they had to first draft a memorial. Song Tingzhou held a special position and was highly regarded by the emperor, so the Imperial Medical Institute staff didn't dare make trouble. If he went in person, he could bring someone back.

Meng Wan was still dead tired, but his mind was razor-sharp. After Song Tingzhou dressed and left, Zhifan and Zhimao hurried in to grab Meng Wan's thick clothes, a hand warmer for the carriage, blankets, and other supplies.

The night wind crept through every crack, biting to the bone. Meng Wan pulled his fur-trimmed cloak tight and strode quickly while asking, "Is the carriage ready? You two and Huang Ye will all come with me."

Safety in numbers. The Wu household had even fewer reliable servants than theirs, so he'd bring extra hands so they wouldn't be short-staffed when it mattered.

Zhimao, holding a blanket, replied, "Everything is ready. Manager Huang is already waiting in the carriage."

Meng Wan boarded the carriage, and the bleary-eyed Chi Yu cracked the whip.

Huang Ye brought hot tea to help Meng Wan wake up. "Young master, have some tea to warm yourself."

Meng Wan took a sip, the warmth spreading down his throat to his belly. "Got another cup? Pour one for Chi Yu too—he's freezing out there driving."

"Yes, I brought several." Huang Ye pulled out a few more cups from the wooden box—plain bamboo cups that wouldn't shatter if they got knocked around in the carriage.

Huang Ye and the others, along with Chi Yu, all drank hot tea, but since they hadn't brought a brazier in the carriage, the tea went cold fast.

Outside was pitch black, and the two carriage lanterns only lit the road right below. Meng Wan handed one of the blankets to Chi Yu—no matter how tough you were, without the carriage's shelter on a night like this, you'd freeze.

Qiu Ying had dropped off the message and left—he must've hit the Song place first, then the Zheng's.

Anxious as he was, Meng Wan didn't dare push Chi Yu in the dead of night. The roads were too dark, and at alley crossings, you had to squint to make out the way. It was only because Chi Yu was a martial artist with sharp senses that they made it at all—any ordinary driver would've plowed the carriage into a shop front by now.

The ride was pretty smooth. The Wu residence's gate was hung with lanterns and stood wide open. The gatekeeper spotted Meng Wan and hurried him inside.

Lanterns hung all over the courtyard—not exactly bright as day, but a hell of a lot brighter than the pitch-black streets.

Meng Wan hurried to the main room of the back courtyard. The Wu family had turned it into a makeshift birthing room. It was meant for the mother-in-law, but since Wu Zhaoyuan's mom had died young, it sat empty. It was about the size of the main bedroom, so it worked perfectly as a birthing room.

"Wan Ge'er, you've come. Go in quickly and see your sister-in-law." Wu Zhaoyuan was pacing outside the birthing room, talking fast, looking like a wreck.

Meng Wan shot back, "My husband has already gone to fetch the physician—he should arrive shortly. Brother, keep it together and don't worry. I'm going in now!"

Zhifan, Zhimao, and Chi Yu waited outside, while Huang Ye, who'd raised plenty of kids, followed Meng Wan in.

The birthing room's windows were sealed with an extra layer of cotton, and thick curtains hung over the doors. Every oil lamp inside was lit, making the room bright as noon. Braziers sat on low tables and stools, one after another, so hot Meng Wan peeled off his cloak the second he walked in.

Shishu and the midwife were walking Zheng Shushen around the room—the baby wasn't coming for a while yet.

"Wan Ge'er, sorry to drag you out in the middle of the night, but I just don't have the nerve." Zheng Shushen's spirits were fine, though his tone carried a hint of unease.

"Don't say that. Sister-in-law, don't be scared—you've got plenty of people here with you." Meng Wan stepped in to reassure him, then told Huang Ye to pull two braziers and shift the rest to the edges so nobody'd knock them over in the chaos.

Song Tingzhou stayed in the front courtyard. When the physician showed up with Zheng Shushen's mother, Meng Wan stepped out to swap a quick word with Song Tingzhou, then went back in to give Wu Zhaoyuan an update—though it didn't do much to calm him.

"Physician Wang, please go in and check my sister-in-law's pulse." Zheng Shushen hadn't made any progress for a long time. Though the midwife said all was well, Meng Wan remained uneasy.

At least half the Imperial Medical Institute's physicians had plenty of experience taking pregnancy pulses for the palace ladies. Physician Wang heard that, grabbed his medical case, and got ready to go in.

"Absolutely not!" Old Madam Zheng was horrified and rushed forward to block him.

"How can an outside man go in during childbirth?"

Meng Wan almost laughed out of sheer frustration. "Physician Wang is a highly skilled doctor. He's going in to take my sister-in-law's pulse. Shishu and the midwife are both in the birthing room, and there's a screen separating the outer area. Why wouldn't that work?"

"The birthing room is a place of blood and filth. Wouldn't an outside man going in violate all decency? Besides, the midwife said everything is fine—why must we have a physician take a pulse?" Old Madam Zheng had her own arguments.

Meng Wan paid her no heed. Childbirth was a matter of life and death. The midwife indeed had rich experience delivering babies, and in ordinary households, outside men were only called into the birthing room in life-threatening situations. But midwives didn't understand pathology—if all was well, they could deliver smoothly, and they could assist with malpresentation. A physician, however, could directly assess the mother's condition. How could those be the same?

Meng Wan always preferred to prepare in advance. If they waited until the midwife inside said things were dire before letting a physician in, it would be far too late.

"Mother-in-law, please go rest in the main courtyard. Once Shen Ge'er has news, your son-in-law will send someone to fetch you."

Wu Zhaoyuan was usually emotionally restrained, but now his breathing was ragged and his words were curt. After speaking, he personally escorted Physician Wang into the birthing room and followed him inside.

Old Madam Zheng stared at his retreating back in disbelief—was her son-in-law dismissing her?

Before she could grieve, she saw Wu Zhaoyuan step into the birthing room and grew even more frantic. "Zhao Yuan! How can you go in there!" In the freezing courtyard, she broke out in a thin sweat—clearly her anger had reached its peak, breaking through decades of her "rules."

But no one paid her any mind. Old Madam Zheng tried to follow them in to protest, but Qiuse blocked her way. "Old Madam, let's go rest in the front. As soon as there's news, I'll come notify you immediately."

Old Madam Zheng angrily pointed at Meng Wan, clutching her handkerchief. "I am Shen Ge'er's own mother! Would I ever harm him? If word of this gets out, and people learn that a physician and Zhao Yuan entered the birthing room while Shen Ge'er was in labor, what will others say about him? The rumors would hound him to death!"

Meng Wan gave a sardonic smile. "The laws of Yu comprise four hundred and sixty articles, and not a single one says physicians and husbands may not enter a birthing room. What others say is their business—their mouths are on their own faces. Those who are hounded to death by gossip aren't killed by the words themselves, but by their own disheartening family."

Old Madam Zheng trembled with rage. "You... how dare you speak to an elder like that!"

Since she was Zheng Shushen's own mother after all, Meng Wan feared truly angering her into a fit, so he simply entered the birthing room himself.

The physician took Zheng Shushen's pulse through the gauze curtain. His expression remained fairly calm, but his words were somewhat alarming. "The fetus is stalled and won't descend. The pulse is deep and choppy, thin and weak... We can't delay any longer. We must administer medicine to induce labor."

Wu Zhaoyuan was thrown into complete disarray. Seeing him pale with fear at the critical moment, Meng Wan had him accompany the physician outside and called Huang Ye to decoct the medicine, while he and Shishu stayed with Zheng Shushen.

At this point, Meng Wan didn't forget to consult the midwife. "Granny Li, in your opinion, what's going on with my sister-in-law's pregnancy?"

Granny Li had been delivering babies for years and was no stranger to anxious relatives, but having the husband's family enter the birthing room was a first. Knowing how much they cared, she spoke with extra caution. "Zheng Shushen is past his due date by my count. I'd thought the baby would come by morning, but since the physician says we need to induce, perhaps the child has urinated or defecated inside. In that case, we do need to speed things up—otherwise the baby will be suffocated."

A bowl of labor-inducing medicine took effect, and pained cries began to echo from within the room. Meng Wan stayed by his side without leaving for a moment. Huang Ye was extremely steady, bustling about directing the young servants.

In the latter half of the night—thump, thump-thump-thump—the sound of the night watchman's rattle, four beats with one slow and three quick, pierced through the walls. As the watchman's call faded, a faint cry sounded from within the birthing room.

Wu Zhaoyuan was numb. He stood frozen outside the door, hot tears spilling from his eyes before he realized he was crying. No one paid him any mind. He wiped his tears and tried to laugh, but couldn't manage it.

"Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, Lord Wu! Your honored husband has given you a son!" The midwife emerged beaming, holding a swaddled infant, her voice booming.

But as she reached the door, Meng Wan grabbed her. "Brother, come to the doorway and look. It's too cold—the baby might catch a chill."

Wu Zhaoyuan snapped back to reality and hurried forward to peer at the tiny bundle in the swaddling clothes. "This... this is a child?"

The young servants who had worked all night laughed. Seeing that he seemed still dazed, Meng Wan said helplessly, "What else would it be? Look, he looks just like you."

The reward money had been prepared long ago. After Wu Zhaoyuan gave the gratuity, Meng Wan escorted the midwife and the imperial physician out, handing each a thick red envelope. "Thank you both for your hard work last night. We are deeply grateful. My elder brother and sister-in-law are deeply devoted to each other—please excuse their display."

The midwife secretly pinched open a corner of the red envelope and saw a fifty-tael banknote inside. She drew in a sharp breath, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Meng Wan. "Oh my, Meng, the husband, is far too generous! This is all our duty. If your household welcomes another happy occasion, do come find this old woman."

The imperial physician was shrewder, clasping his hands in salute. "Rest assured, Meng, the husband. It is a fine thing that Lord Wu's spouse has delivered safely. I won't speak a word of it."

The midwife was sent off in the Wu family carriage, and the imperial physician in the Song family carriage. As he alighted, he was given two jars of preserved fruit. The Song household had plenty of these—Meng Wan often used them as gifts.

In the morning, Wu Zhaoyuan took leave from work, and Meng Wan stayed until the early morning hours before preparing to depart.

In front of her own mother, Zheng Shushen said weakly, "Wan, my dear, I heard everything you said outside last night. You saved this child's life. Zhaoyuan and I will remember this debt of gratitude."

Shishu, Zheng Shushen's trusted confidant, disregarded Madam Zheng's sour expression and chimed in, "Indeed! I saw it with my own eyes—the baby's afterbirth was purplish!"

Meng Wan noticed that Zheng Shushen did not even glance toward Madam Zheng, and understood that she and her mother-in-law had likely fallen out. He was not one to stir up trouble deliberately, but Madam Zheng's actions were truly stubborn and foolish.

"It was all Imperial Physician Wang's doing. I merely came to keep you company."

With that, he did not linger and went to the front courtyard to find Song Tingzhou. Dawn had not yet broken, and Song Tingzhou needed to return home, wash up, change clothes, and head to the morning court session.

"Can't you take a single day off?" Though Meng Wan had dozed briefly in the Wu family guest room, he doubted Song Tingzhou had slept well. He felt sorry for him, knowing he'd barely slept and still had to rise before dawn for court.

Song Tingzhou kissed his slightly damp hair. "There are many vacancies among the court officials and not enough hands. His Majesty relies on me heavily—I haven't a moment's rest. I'll come back early this afternoon to catch up on sleep. It's fine."

He would not let Meng Wan see him off, tucking him back into the blankets before wrapping his cloak around himself and striding out the door.

Zhifan crept in quietly, laying out his own bedding on the low couch in the outer room. Zhimao and the others had gone back to their rooms to sleep, but he stayed in the outer room so that if Meng Wan grew thirsty or hungry, he would not be left searching for someone.

"Zhifan, sleep on the heated bed (kang). The low couch is cold."

Meng Wan's drowsy voice came from the inner room. Zhifan acknowledged, and inside, Meng Wan turned over and fell into deep sleep.

He slept until noon. While eating, he heard that Miss Gu had come by to return a book but left upon learning Meng Wan was still asleep, saying she would come again in a few days.

The Wu family spread the happy news, and Fang Jinrong, a close friend of Meng Wan, also received word. He was carefree by nature and did not think to prepare a gift for the newborn. Meng Wan prepared one on his behalf, telling him to bring it to the Wu residence at the one-month celebration.

The closer to year's end, the busier Meng Wan became. Fortunately, the Lingnan accounts would not arrive until after the new year; otherwise, he would be overwhelmed.

The Shijian Cotton Mill began recruiting workers, but with little success. Most people thought the condition of hiring only women and young men was a scam—that the mill's name was a front for some shady business. Even those tempted were dissuaded by their families.

Shengjing was not Lingnan. Back then, Lingnan had no other choice—people would risk anything to fill their stomachs. But Shengjing was different: propriety was paramount, and moral codes ruled.

Meng Wan had no choice but to first recruit a batch of women and young men from Muquan Manor, and write to Tang Jinshuang in Xiwu Prefecture and Bi Yun, asking them to help recruit workers from Songyun College.

He also wrote to the charity schools in Changping Prefecture. His cotton mill offered excellent conditions and pay—he only needed workers nearby for the initial phase. In the future, his enterprises would prioritize Songyun College and the charity schools; ordinary people would not even be considered.

As the new year approached, Nie Zhiyao and Lezheng Qi were due to return. Meng Wan, thinking of them traveling with children in the bitter cold, made time to visit their home. The servants of the Nie household all recognized him, and his words carried weight. He had them sweep the house inside and out, air the bedding, stock up ample firewood and charcoal, and even prepared a batch of new year goods in advance.

After the new year, butchers didn't slaughter pigs. In the north, people bought pork before the new year and froze it in vats over the winter—it would not spoil.