bookrandom Chapter 357 3 year later
Chapter 357 3 year later
Since she married Xiao Shi, she has lived a hard life, but Xiao Shi has always been very attentive to her. Although her mother-in-law often makes things difficult for her and finds fault with her at every turn, Xiao Shi has always protected her.
Her only regret was that she couldn't leave Xiaoshi with a son or daughter, couldn't carry on the family line, and was causing Xiaoshi to become a widower at a young age.
Xiao Shi couldn't bear to hear his wife's last words. He couldn't accept that Ya'er had fallen and he was now without a wife and child.
He refused to accept it, saying, "Ya'er, good Ya'er, don't say anymore. You and the child will definitely be safe and sound."
He held his wife tightly in his arms, and Xiao Shi was trembling all over.
Xiaoya leaned against him, managing a weak smile, but her face was contorted with pain in her stomach, looking even worse than if she were crying. Her head grew increasingly heavy, and her eyelids felt so heavy she could barely keep them open.
Lin Qingchuan, Wu Yu, and the others felt heartbroken seeing Xiao Shi and his wife go through such a painful separation.
No one can accept losing their wife and unborn child, watching helplessly as they die.
It's true what they say: a rope always breaks at its thinnest point, and fate always seems to target those with a hard life.
Shui Sheng sighed, “Heavens above, open your eyes! Xiao Shi is such a hardworking and honest man, and his wife is such a gentle and kind woman. What bad things could this young couple have done? How could you treat them like this? Please open your eyes and give them a way out. They will definitely respect you from now on.”
Putting everything else aside, Xiaoya was so young... If she passed away at such a young age, losing both her parents, it would be a huge blow to Xiaoshi.
"Xiao Shi, you stay here and take care of Xiao Ya. We'll go and ask around some more. There must be another way."
Thinking back to when Feng'er had a difficult childbirth, he wasn't home either. By the time he got home, Feng'er had already given birth. Lin Qingchuan felt a pang of melancholy. He couldn't bear to see such things happen.
Giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell for a woman; those with good fortune will have a safe delivery, while those with bad fortune will experience a difficult childbirth.
Ugh!
If it weren't for the fact that this place is too far from Dushui County, and that the bumpy journey would be too much for Ya'er, they would definitely have driven the carriage to take Xiao Shi and Ya'er to the county to find a doctor with better medical skills.
“Let’s go and ask around to see if there are any doctors or experienced midwives who can deliver babies. Muxi Town is neither too big nor too small. Babies are born every day. I don’t believe no one has ever encountered such a dangerous situation.”
“That’s right. Let’s inquire more carefully. There might still be a glimmer of hope. We can’t give up as long as there’s even the slightest chance.”
The group couldn't bear to watch Xiao Shi and Ya'er die there, so they pulled Wu Yu away, with Shui Sheng immediately following behind.
After much inquiry, the four of them had exhausted themselves, their mouths dry, but fortunately, the result was good; they had found an elderly man with superb medical skills.
When the old man was young, he was a traveling doctor in the surrounding villages. Now that he's old and can't travel anymore, he bought a small house in this town and keeps a low profile, no longer treating patients.
A passerby pointed to the entrance of an alley and kindly told everyone, "There's a house in that alley. There's a stone tablet in front of the door. I don't recognize the words on it. You can try your luck there. The old man there has a strange temper and won't help easily. You have to be careful what you say and don't offend him."
"Okay, we'll remember that. Thank you so much. We don't have anything to repay you with, but you can take these two coins and buy yourself a cup of tea."
Lin Qingchuan took out two copper coins from his purse and handed them to the passerby. The passerby was surprised that he had received two copper coins just for pointing out the way. The money came too easily. It seemed that he would have to do more good deeds in the future.
"I didn't help you much, you're too kind."
The passerby left happily with the two copper coins in his pocket.
Lin Qingchuan, Shui Sheng, and Wu Yu immediately ran back to their original spot to tell Xiao Shi the good news.
The midwife lowered her head, not knowing how to offer any advice to Xiao Shi. When she saw Lin Qingchuan, Shui Sheng, and Wu Yu return, she immediately stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Master, how's your inquiry going? Have you found anything?"
"We've found out. We've heard of an old man who was a famous itinerant doctor in the area when he was young. He's said to be highly skilled and experienced in treating patients. We shouldn't delay, let's go there right away. Time is of the essence, and Xiao Shi's wife can't wait any longer."
"what?"
"Master, you said you've found a doctor who can save Ya'er, is that true?"
Upon learning that his wife could be saved, Xiao Shi's eyes, which had been dull and lifeless, suddenly lit up. Just moments before, his heart had felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar, but now it seemed as if he had come back to life.
He wiped away his tears forcefully, choking back sobs that he could barely speak. "Let's go, let's find a doctor to save Ya'er right now."
Everyone got into the carriage and drove quickly toward the alley that the passerby had pointed out.
After searching around in a winding path, the carriage finally stopped in front of a gate with an inscribed stone tablet. Looking at the dilapidated gate and the mottled walls, the group felt a little worried.
It's hard to tell whether what the passerby said was true or false. If the owner of this house was indeed a traveling doctor in his youth who saved countless lives, he must have earned some money. He wouldn't be living in such a dilapidated house. The front door looks like it could be kicked to pieces with one kick.
Xiao Shi was an impatient person; he jumped off the carriage and went to knock on the door first.
"Bang bang bang..."
"Is anyone there? Excuse me, is anyone there?"
The door was opened from the inside, and an old man dressed in coarse cotton clothes came out. The old man had white hair and a youthful face. Although he looked old, he was radiant and looked both young and old, which was strange.
As soon as he came out, the smell of medicine wafted into everyone's noses on the wind. Only after smelling the faint medicinal fragrance did everyone confirm the old man's identity.
Just as the passerby had said, this old man was indeed a traveling doctor in his youth.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the old man walked with a slight limp.
The old man glanced at the group of men warily, but he was not afraid of them at all.
"Who are you looking for?"
Xiao Shi was extremely anxious. The longer he dawdled, the more suffering Ya'er would endure, and the less chance Ya'er and the child would have of surviving.
He pleaded impatiently, "Old man, please save my wife and child! They're dying! You're a highly skilled doctor, you must have a way, right?"
Qingchuan was about to speak in agreement when the old man suddenly seemed to have gone mad. He roared menacingly, "I don't welcome dignitaries here. You'd better go somewhere else. Go, go away..."
Without even giving them a chance to speak, the old man unhesitatingly chased them out.
Wu Yu frowned, but still patiently explained to the old man, "Old man, you misunderstand. We are not high-ranking officials or nobles. We are just farmers who do some small business. We bought a couple of decent clothes because we made some money. If we were really high-ranking officials or nobles, how could we have squeezed into one carriage without any servants?"
"Yes, please calm down and take a good look at us. No high-ranking officials or nobles are as dark-skinned as us. Those people all have delicate skin. We are all tanned from being out in the wind and rain." The group explained earnestly.
The old man squinted, then calmed down and carefully looked everyone over.
Lin Qingchuan hesitated for a moment before revealing his identity to the old man, "We are the ones who grow medicinal herbs nearby. We grow thousands of acres of medicinal herbs. Doctor, please rest assured, everything I said is true."
You have a faint herbal scent about you. It seems that although you no longer practice medicine, you still maintain the habit of collecting herbs and researching medicinal formulas. You are welcome to visit our herb garden; we won't charge you. If there are any herbs you'd like to cultivate, just tell us, and we'll try our best to grow them for you. How about that?
Upon hearing the words "medicine field," the doctor stroked his beard, and the disdain and wariness on his face lessened slightly.
He inherited his ancestors' medical skills and possessed the ability to save lives. In his youth, he traveled extensively and treated patients wherever he went.
Unexpectedly, a wealthy family claimed that he was a highly skilled doctor who could bring the dead back to life, even though his family members had already died. They dragged him along to treat people who had already passed away. He was just a better doctor; he had no ability to bring the dead back to life.
Of course, he couldn't bring the dead man back from the brink of death. The family couldn't accept the death of their only son and vented all their anger and resentment on him, beating him half to death. More than a dozen servants surrounded him and beat him.
His lame leg was broken by that family!
They fought from day to night. The servants were exhausted, and he was on the verge of death. The family was afraid that his death in the house would bring bad luck, so they threw him out.
Fortunately, he survived, but after that, he never treated high-ranking officials or wealthy families again.
Composing himself, the old man thought to himself that he had lived in this town for quite some years and had indeed heard in the last two years that someone in the west of the town was cultivating medicinal herbs, expanding from a few hundred acres to over a thousand acres.
The people who cultivate these medicinal herbs are either rich or powerful, and they must have considerable resources. Otherwise, where would ordinary farmers get so much capital?
He looked at him with disbelief, "Don't try to fool me. You're from farming backgrounds, running a small business. Where would you get the capital? Thousands of acres of land without capital? Medicinal herb seeds without capital? Hiring workers to manage the medicinal herb fields without capital?"
Lin Qingchuan hurriedly explained, "Old man, I know I can't gain your trust in a short time. You'll doubt whatever I say. Let me put it this way: I dug up some medicinal herbs on the mountain and successfully cultivated them. I kept all the seeds myself, so the scale of cultivation naturally grows bigger every year."
Later, I opened a restaurant, and the money I earned from it was reinvested in my medicinal herb fields. I bought a lot of herbs from pharmacies to plant, and now I'm growing different kinds. Naturally, my capital has increased. You can come and see for yourself at my medicinal herb fields, and you'll understand everything.”
The old man was obsessed with medicine. If his leg hadn't been broken a few years ago, he wouldn't have suddenly stopped treating patients.
He had naturally heard about the medicinal herb fields on the west side of the town, but he never expected that the owner of those fields would actually come to his door.
Even if they are not high-ranking officials or nobles, but have made their fortune by growing medicinal herbs and opening restaurants, they are still farmers. He could consider it.
Judging from the woman's painful screams on the carriage, her voice was hoarse and her breath was getting weaker, she must have been on the verge of death.
Having practiced medicine for many years, he always felt compelled to help those in need, adhering to the principle of saving lives.
Seeing that his expression softened, Lin Qingchuan quickly explained, "Old man, I am the owner of the medicinal herb field. Xiao Shi is a worker who works with me in the field. His family is of modest means. Xiao Shi's wife is about to give birth and he was still busy in the yard. That's why he accidentally fell and caused the baby to be born prematurely. You are a doctor with the heart of a parent, you certainly don't want to see two lives lost, right?"
Xiao Shi, with red eyes, was anxious as an ant on a hot pan when he saw that the old man was reluctant to give in. He knelt down and kowtowed to the old man with a thud.
"Old man, please, please save my wife and child."
After saying that, he kowtowed three times on the ground with great force, breaking his forehead and drawing blood.
The old doctor frowned slightly as he looked at Xiao Shi. Xiao Shi's face was full of sorrow, and his eyes were filled with tears, despair, and pleading.
A doctor with a compassionate heart cannot refuse someone who has begged so humbly.
Ya'er's voice was weak, and her cries of pain never stopped.
The old man's heart sank upon hearing this. Although he had not yet taken the pulse of the woman in labor in the carriage, he could tell from her coughing that something was wrong.
If this drags on any longer, I'm afraid it will really mean the death of both mother and child.
He relented and said, "Fine, bring the person in, but be careful."
The old man turned around, limped, and walked into the yard.
Xiao Shi was kneeling on the ground, not quite able to react for a moment. He hadn't expected the old man to actually agree to help him. That was wonderful.
"Stop standing there! Let's quickly take Ya'er down from the carriage and bring her inside."
Seeing that Ya'er was about to die, the midwife immediately urged Xiao Shi to hurry up.
Overjoyed, Xiao Shi jumped up onto the carriage and carefully carried Ya'er down.
“Ya’er, did you hear that? The old man is willing to help. This time, you and the child are saved. Just hang in there a little longer, and you will be able to give birth to the child soon. We will raise the child together and hear the child call us Dad and Mom.”
At this moment, Ya'er was already in a daze, but she heard her husband speaking in her ear, and she nodded in a daze.
"Ah."
The old man instructed, "Put the person inside on the bed, then everyone go outside and wait."
Although he guessed that the woman's condition was not good, the old man still frowned deeply when he saw her condition with his own eyes.
The situation was even more dangerous than he had anticipated.
Lin Qingchuan, Shui Sheng, and Wu Yu are both grown men, and even if the doctor forbids them from waiting outside, they will understand.
Xiao Shi felt sorry for Ya'er and couldn't bear to see her struggling to give birth alone in the room. In addition, he wanted to stay with Ya'er and help her through this difficult time. So he immediately said, "Grandpa, please let me stay. I promise I will only stay in the room and will not delay your treatment of Ya'er."
He was uneasy, as if his feet were firmly planted on the ground.
The old man had a fiery temper, and he immediately glared at her angrily, saying, "The delivery room is a restricted area. How can just anyone walk in? You say you'll stay out of my way and not bother me, but how can you not be nervous when you see her crying and screaming in pain? Don't cause me any trouble. She only has one life, and we can't afford to be careless."