38: Chapter 38: Sudden Illness 38: Chapter 38: Sudden Illness It seemed like Yang Dahai and his wife were determined to persuade her.
When she left their room, she couldn’t help feeling disheartened.
Everyone had been tired after a long day, having put away their things, they hurriedly lay down on the kang.
However, as she passed by Yang Peihua’s room, the sound of a baby’s loud cries came from inside.
Her little nephew had been discharged from the hospital a few days ago, and due to being premature, he looked thin and small.
They had been taking great care of him, not even daring to step outside the room.
Due to his nutritional needs, all the eggs and meat at home were reserved strictly for Bai Hehua, and she had even voluntarily stopped requesting her alternate day egg allowance.
The crying continued incessantly, mixed with Yang Peihua’s attempts to soothe the child.
Usually, the child would have been asleep by this time, and even if he woke up in the middle of the night for milk, he would only cry out a couple of times, never this intensely.
Yang PeiMin knocked on the door.
“What’s wrong with the second brother’s child?”
Upon hearing the noise, Zhang Minghua also came over, wrapped in her clothes, “What’s going on?”
Yang Peihua opened the door, his face filled with urgency, “Mom, I don’t know what’s wrong with Xiao Bao.
He won’t drink his milk, he hasn’t had a bowel movement, he just keeps crying nonstop.
Come and see quickly.”
Zhang Minghua hurriedly took the baby to check him, and inside the little blanket, the child’s eyes were closed, his tiny wrinkled face cried red; he looked extremely pitiful.
She reached out to touch his forehead, and exclaimed in shock, “The child has a fever, quick, go get Uncle Regan.”
The child didn’t look sturdy at all, Zhang Minghua didn’t dare to take any chances, she immediately urged Yang Peihua to find the local barefoot doctor.
How did he suddenly get a fever?
Did we not cover him properly or what?” She comforted the child and asked Bai Hehua.
“I don’t know either, Mom.
I haven’t left at all today, the relatives are bustling about, indeed a few came to see the child, and they even held him a little.
I think he must have been startled,” said Bai Hehua, still in her postpartum period.
The Yang Family was not one of those families that mistreat their daughters-in-law; they made sure she had her full confinement period.
She was sitting on the kang, craning her neck to look over at the child.
“It’s also my fault, my body isn’t strong, and there was no one here to keep a watch, couldn’t prevent it.” Actually, her family had also visited, taking advantage of coming over for Yang Peijun’s wedding celebration, they also came to see her and the baby.
The child was continuously held by Bai Hehua’s mother, who even mentioned that this child was the only male grandchild currently in the Yang Family; she played a huge role.
She urged Zhang Minghua to not hesitate to provide eggs and fine grains for Bai Hehua.
But at that moment, as Bai Hehua spoke, she cast meaningful glances at Yang PeiMin.
Yang PeiMin, who was watching over the child from a nearby position, felt this and looked up at her.
Knowing that the mother-in-law was taking care of things in the room, and not wanting to disturb their private conversation, Zhang Minghua didn’t come over.
So, she assumed it was just as Bai Hehua had described and swallowed any reprimands she had prepared.
“You’re so busy outside you can’t even make it to the toilet, it’s really up to you to be more vigilant now.
When did you notice something was wrong with the child?
Did he drink any milk?”
“He’d been sleeping before, suddenly started crying, he drank some milk around 6:30, but I don’t know if it’s because my breast milk isn’t good enough, he only had a few sips and that was it, but it’s got me very worried…
not eating properly makes it easy to get sick…”
Not good enough breast milk?
Zhang Minghua almost laughed out of frustration, seeing how the locals brought her eggs and brown sugar daily.
Her own family even slaughtered two chickens to nourish her body, constantly devising ways to feed her well.
Yet, she had never experienced the taste of going to work on an empty stomach and hurriedly running back to breastfeed her children!
However, Bai Hehua didn’t stop there.
She continued, “I heard that my brother-in-law brought some Milk Essence today, he’s really considerate.
When I don’t have enough breast milk, Xiao Bao can get some extra nutrition.” This was something she had heard from her own mother, who also knew that this future son-in-law had already been approved by the family.
Yang Peimin was indeed lucky, not yet married but already receiving such rare items like Milk Essence.
If Zhang Minghua wasn’t holding her grandson, she would have lunged over to pull Bai Hehua’s face closer to see how thick it was.
How dare she even think about it?
Don’t we have enough food for you at home?
Or is it too comfortable lying there, not digesting the eggs you saved from your sister?
I think we won’t make eggs for you tomorrow.
Eat more cornmeal instead.
I want to see if eating well has fattened your heart too.
These are things meant to nourish your sister’s body, and you dare to covet them?”
Bai Hehua pouted her lips and muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, “My poor Xiao Bao, it’s all because his mother is useless.”
Zhang Minghua was so angry she almost cursed again.
Yang Peimin held her back, “Mom, I have already talked to Brother Shen about this.
We can’t accept such valuable things; we need to find a chance to return them.
Let’s not talk about this for now; look at Xiao Bao crying.
His voice has gone hoarse.
Should we give him some water to see?”
She had been paying close attention to the child.
His voice had grown weaker, seemingly running out of energy to cry.
She had some knowledge of pharmacology but not of medicine.
She realized the child’s condition was getting worse, and it made her anxious.
“You fool, who returns gifts?” Bai Hehua rolled her eyes at her.
Zhang Minghua glared at her daughter-in-law but soon busied herself with caring for her grandson.
Yang Peimin didn’t want to waste her expressions on Xiao Bao’s indistinct mother any longer.
After helping Zhang Minghua spoon-feed the child water, she anxiously ran to the doorway to see if the doctor had arrived.
“The doctor is here!” Yang Peihua’s shout caused everyone to hurry to let the doctor in.
Zhang Minghua quickly placed her grandson on his little bed for the doctor to examine.
The rest of the family also gathered around, including the newlywed couple Yang Peijun and his wife, though he looked particularly sullen—it was, after all, their wedding night.
The barefoot doctor, Uncle Regan, leaned in to check the child’s condition.
Chen Lishu, a man in his forties, had a dark expression and angrily said, “The child has already developed a fever , why did you only call someone now?
Don’t you know this could damage his brain?”
Hearing this, everyone’s throats tightened, Zhang Minghua urgently said, “Then help him quickly, Uncle!”
“Yes, my son can’t turn into an imbecile.” Bai Hehua finally stepped into the role of a mother, hurrying off the bed to the child’s side in a flurry.
She had spent the day chatting with her family and hadn’t paid much attention to the child.
There had been many visitors coming in and out to see the child, and he hadn’t breastfed well during dinner—it must have been off then.
Bai Hehua felt incredibly guilty; it was all due to her negligence.
“We need to rush him to the clinic immediately.
Even if I want to help, I don’t have medicine.
I’ll apply a poultice on his forehead to ease the fever for now, but he needs to go to the clinic for an injection and observation.
Hurry up, quickly.” Child mortality was common these days due to lack of medical facilities, but as a doctor, he would try his utmost to save him.
However, at that moment, the child was already convulsing; this wasn’t something a simple herbal remedy could cure.
Time was of the essence.
“We need to borrow a bullock cart.”
“Pei Guo and Peihua, hurry and borrow a cart.
Elder daughter-in-law, get the child’s clothes and blankets ready.
Pei Guo, go borrow some money from your second brother’s house.
Regan, see what else you need to bring?” Yang Dahai quickly organized everyone, ensuring that in their panic, everyone busily set about their tasks.