14 Chapter 14: Younger Brother is Born_1
Translator: 549690339
Zhou Family served some porridge to her sisters and Yingbao, saying, “This isn’t a baby’s kick, it’s clearly the start of labor. Good thing Sanlang was quick to fetch a midwife this morning.”
Upon hearing this, Chunniang became a little nervous, “But, my stomach doesn’t hurt at all, does it?”
Zhou Family put a chopstick in her hand, “When your stomach truly hurts, that means the baby is about to come out. What you’re experiencing now is the start of contractions.”
It was still raining, and it was getting heavier.
Jiang Sanlang borrowed a donkey cart with a canopy from Chen Village and rushed to Chuanhe Town.
When he reached the old midwife’s house, he saw two people standing at the door, wearing raincoats and conical bamboo hats. One of them was even holding an umbrella, it seemed like they were also here for medical help.
Jiang Sanlang felt a bit uneasy, fearing that the midwife would have been asked to go help someone else first.
Unfortunately, his fears were realized. As soon as the door to the midwife’s house opened, the two men were the first to walk in, asking the midwife to deliver their babies.
Jiang Sanlang’s mind was buzzing. Without caring about anything else, he quickly bowed to the midwife, “Midwife Zhang, my wife is also going into labor today. Could you please come and take a look? She’s carrying twins and it’s her first birth…”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but choke up.
Jiang Sanlang felt scared.
There’s a saying that women giving birth is like going through the Ghost Gate, if they make it through, they survive. If they can’t, well…he didn’t dare to think about it.
The two men who arrived before him immediately glared at Jiang Sanlang, “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you know there’s a line?”
Of course, Jiang Sanlang knew. But when it came to the life and death of his wife and child, what did it matter if he was the bad guy for once?
Midwife Zhang was familiar with Jiang Sanlang. After all, Chuanhe Town wasn’t that big, and there were only a dozen or so villages in it.
From the 70-year-old seniors to the three-year-old children in the village, she could at least recognize everyone.
And since she’s been providing women with medical care all year round, she knew exactly who has kids and who’s wife had been barren for many years.
“Has the bloody show started with your wife?” Midwife Zhang asked.
Jiang Sanlang paused but still answered honestly: “No.”
The man next to him was even more furious, “My wife’s water has broken, and your wife hasn’t even seen the bloody show yet.”
Midwife Zhang had no choice but to apologize to Jiang Sanlang, “His situation is more urgent. How about I come over after I finish delivering his baby?”
Jiang Sanlang dropped his head in dismay and could only nod, “Thank you, Midwife. Can I, can I wait here for you?”
Midwife Zhang nodded and left with the other man.
As they got to the door, the midwife voiced again, “Delivering a child can take a long time. You may have to wait quite a while, and I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to get to your house today.”
Jiang Sanlang sincerely said, “Midwife, no matter how long it takes, I’ll wait as long as you’re willing to come.”
“Alright then.” Midwife Zhang nodded.
Then, Jiang Sanlang used the donkey cart to take the midwife to that house, and he squatted at the door, silently waiting.
He ended up waiting for several hours.
Cold wind carried the autumn rain, pitter-pattering nonstop until late afternoon, with no sign of stopping.
Yingbao stood at the door, anxiously looking out, but her father did not return.
“Auntie, my father still hasn’t come back.” She looked pitifully at Zhou Family, “Should we send someone to the town to check?”
Zhou Family was also a little panicked.
Sanlang’s wife’s stomach was tightening more and more. The baby may come tonight.
“Yingbao, watch your mother at home. I’ll call your grandparents to decide what to do.”
“Okay, Auntie. You go first. I’ll watch over mother.” Yingbao nodded seriously.
Zhou Family went home with an umbrella and immediately told her father-in-law and mother-in-law about Chunniang’s condition.
On hearing this, Jiang Liu couldn’t sit still, and slapped his thigh, “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s quickly send Eldest to West Village to ask Aunt Wu for help. No matter whether Sanlang comes back or not, we can’t just sit around and do nothing. And let Second go to town to see why Sanlang has been delayed for so long.”
“All right, Mother, I’ll send Dalang to fetch Aunt Wu,” said Mrs. Zhou.
With this, Elder Brother Jiang hurried over to Xichen Village, but had just arrived at Shigong Bridge when he encountered his younger brother returning with a donkey cart.
As it turned out, there was no need to go for Aunt Wu, because Jiang Sanlang had invited Doctor Zhang.
That night, Yingbao lay on the kang in the west room, listening to the stirrings in the room to the east with her eyes closed.
First, her mother’s moans echoed through the house, and not long after, a robust cry from a baby joined them.
After a short wait, another baby’s cry followed. Aunt then exclaimed joyfully, “My, one more son! Sanlang, you will have to give out twenty red eggs tomorrow when sharing the good news with the relatives!”
Jiang Sanlang laughed heartily, “Twenty it is.”
Yingbao buried her face in her hands, her tears flowing like a rushing river.
She could see her brother again.
In this lifetime, she would protect them with all her might. She wouldn’t let her parents die early, or let her brother meet that tragic end.
After escaping from the provincial governor’s residence years ago, she eventually found her brothers after much inquiry in Qinchuan County.
They were seventeen years old and in the prime of youth. Yet, one was mentally challenged, and the other was gravely ill, eking out a living in Jiang Family Village under the care of their eldest cousin, living a harsh life.
Later, she took them to the county town, gathered a bit of silver by selling ice from the grotto in the summer, curing her brother’s illness, and purchasing a small courtyard, planning to gather some more silver to find wives for them.
Just when she thought their lives were improving and their troubles were finally behind them, the Han Couple suddenly barged into their house with a horde of people.
Those people knocked down her brothers who were protecting her and forcibly dragged her into the house.
Then, she was strangled to death by her birth parents.
She could only imagine what had happened to her two brothers after her demise; it probably wasn’t anything good.
Before her death, she saw with her own eyes the vicious force with which her brothers were beaten over their heads, blood streaming down their faces.
Every time she thought of that, it was as if her heart was being crushed.
Fortunately, she was now reborn, and none of these terrible things had happened yet.
In this life, she would do everything possible to prevent calamity from befalling her family.
She also needed to carefully plan a rich and peaceful life for her parents and brothers.
As for that family, as long as they didn’t provoke her, she would let bygones be bygones, considering it as repaying their act of giving her life.
“Yingbao, quick! Come with me to see your little brothers,”
Jiang Sanlang walked into the room holding a lamp, giddy with joy, he picked up his daughter and headed towards the eastern room.
In the eastern room, two lamps were lit, and their grandmother, their aunt, and the midwife were all there.
They were joyfully comparing the two babies wrapped in armor,
“Oh, they look alike! Look at their long eyebrows and eyes, they’ll definitely be handsome when they grow up.”
Yingbao stretched her neck to look, smiling so widely her mouth could barely close. She asked her father, “Which one is the elder brother, and which one is the younger?”
Jiang Sanlang pointed to a baby with a slightly round face and said, “This is your younger brother, and that’s your elder brother.”
Yingbao chuckled endlessly.
How wonderful, her younger brother’s face was rosy and vibrant, he certainly seemed healthy, definitely as smart as her elder brother.
In her previous life, her younger brother was mentally impaired due to asphyxiation at birth. Although he wasn’t naturally idiotic,
he was cute in his silliness, very good-looking and always fond of following her around, gifting her all the dragonflies and butterflies he caught.
When they were three years old, upon seeing the Han family pestering them, her little brother courageously stood in front of her, stretching his short arms to protect her, even used his head to hit the Han family.
Every time she recalled those past events, Yingbao couldn’t help but feel her eyes well up with tears.
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