In the four months from after New Year to now, Feng Qingxue has greeted over a hundred new lives from a number of local childbirth groups with her own hands. She has also encountered various difficulties. There were those who had no heartbeat while still in the womb. There were those whose umbilical cords were wrapped around their necks and couldn’t be saved. Some were in abnormal positions, leading to difficult childbirth. Some had a great amount of bleeding that left her vexed each time.
Although the families of the infants and mothers had no complaints, knowing the risks of childbirth, Feng Qingxue still felt unbearable watching life slip away before her eyes. She felt upset about the state of the lack of doctors, shortage of medicine, and backwardness of medical knowledge.
However, everyone respected and admired her greatly because, since she started acting as a midwife, the death rates of mothers and infants have significantly decreased.
Out of nearly two hundred births she’s assisted with, aside from female infants killed by their elders after birth, only three mothers and six infants died in Feng Qingxue’s hands. The mothers died from massive bleeding that couldn’t be stopped. Feng Qingxue felt uneasy before their births and had suggested they go to the hospital instead, but they refused, so they had to bear the consequences.
To them, this was as miraculous as divine intervention. After all, when the traditional midwives delivered babies before, almost half of them died.
In addition, Feng Qingxue could also treat various injuries and illnesses, such as sprains and colds.
There were even some who, after many years of marriage without children, sought her help. After taking several traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions given by her, they got pregnant even before they finished the medicine, overjoying the whole family.
Because of these incidents, many children that Feng Qingxue personally delivered were named after her, such as Aifeng, Jingfeng, Aixue, Jingxue, Xiaoxue, Xiaoqing, and so on. Whether boys or girls, there were many with the same names.
Knowing that Feng Qingxue was about to give birth, families who were well-off started to send her eggs that they had saved up, some three to five for each family. It might not seem much from each family but with all families combined, it was a substantial number. Some even caught a hen to give. This was because they knew that the Lu family had raised a group of chicks in the spring, but they were too young to either eat or lay eggs.
Feng Qingxue told Guan Cheng and Lu Tianjun to remember this so they could return the favor in the future.
In the season of spring, the supply in the city was extremely tight. Even with ration coupons, they might not be able to buy any eggs through Zhang Yuejin.
"Understood, Aunt, every single donation has been recorded, a full book of them!"
Hearing Guan Cheng’s words, Feng Qingxue smiled and nodded.
After a pause, she suddenly said, "Acheng, could you please boil two pots of hot water for me before you take your brother to school? I’m going to need it."
Guan Cheng nodded, and then went to boil the water with Lu Tianjun.
After the spring, Feng Qingyun, Lu Tianzhi, and Guan Yu were all sent to school. Only the too young Song Gang was left at home.
As the commune school could no longer accommodate the students, the new junior high school was opened in the Wanglou Brigade. Students from miles around came to study here. Lu Tianjun returned and, despite being a year behind, Guan Cheng who skipped a grade is still studying at home.
As Lu Tianjun and Guan Cheng walked down the road, they realized something was off. "Tianjun (Acheng), what does Aunt want the hot water for?"
The two of them asked each other at the same time, and then paused.
Guan Cheng decisively said, "Tianjun, I’m not at ease. You take them to school first, I’m going back home!"
"Okay, I will let Auntie and Auntie know on the way to go to our house!"
As soon as Guan Cheng arrived home, Miao Fengqin and Wang Fengqiao entered right after. Aunt Xu also came back, who indeed saw Feng Qingxue enduring labor pain, preparing to take the hot water into the house in a bucket. Seeing them, Song Gang immediately rang out, "Aunt is in pain, in pain!"