As the mother deer licked and nudged the fawn with her head, she called out in distress when she saw the fawn still lying on the ground, showing no sign of standing up after several attempts to nudge it.
It's trouble brewing when you're holding your breath too hard!
Han Cheng didn't have time to catch his breath and quickly went over, crouching beside the fawn.
The mother deer, protective of her child, showed maternal vigilance when she saw Han Cheng but then relaxed slightly.
Han Cheng gently lifted the wet head of the fawn with one hand while using the other to pry open its mouth and remove some sticky strings with his fingers.
He had seen similar things in his past life but with the last-born lamb. After birth, it looked like it was about to die, so family members removed mucus from its mouth and throat, turned it over, and poured water over it upside down, ultimately saving a life on the brink of death.
The situation was very similar now, so Han Cheng improvised accordingly.
He called out to Liang for help.
The fawn had already emerged from the mother deer's belly, so there was no need to worry about the mother's emotional state.
Liang came over and, under Han Cheng's direction, supported the fawn's head with one hand while prying open its mouth with the other. Meanwhile, Han Cheng reached into the fawn's mouth and removed the obstructing material.
It was strange how, in the womb, there was no need for air, yet once born, if unable to breathe air, death would come swiftly.
At this moment, Han Cheng suddenly realized that being small had advantages; at least in midwifery, he had the upper hand.
He remembered hearing somewhere that women with small hands were the best midwives, especially adept at handling difficult births. Even with breech births, they could be delivered smoothly. They were called "small-handed midwives," capable of saving countless lives.
Han Cheng and Liang worked vigorously around the fawn, and the anxious mother deer became increasingly restless. After circling the fawn for a while, she suddenly lowered her head and charged at Liang, who was holding the fawn's head and mouth.
Liang was caught off guard and stumbled back, barely managing to stay upright by propping himself up with his elbow while the fawn was well protected.
Though women may be weak, they become firm when protecting their offspring. This sentiment applied to the mother deer as well. Despite her usual docility, she showed aggressiveness when her offspring were in danger.
But this was a time to save the fawn, and they couldn't accommodate her protective instincts.
"Pull her aside!" Han Cheng ordered Senior Eldest Brother and others.
Following Han Cheng's command, the Senior Eldest Brother and the others, who had been waiting on the sidelines, came over to drive away the fiercely protective mother deer temporarily.
But before the Senior Eldest Brother and the others could approach, Deer Lord took the initiative!
With a sudden leap, he kicked the mother deer's body on the front side with a hoof, then called out to her with a "yo-yo," exuding the authority of the family patriarch…
Under the pain, the mother deer cried out, "yo-yo." Although she desperately wanted to rush over to protect her child, she dared not approach under the intimidation of the elder deer, only anxiously calling out from the sidelines.
This scene left Han Cheng dumbfounded, secretly praising Deer Lord as formidable!
After his thorough cleaning, some of the mucus blocking the fawn's mouth and throat had been removed. With fresh air entering its stomach, the fawn became more spirited.
Thinking that he wasn't cautious enough, Han Cheng had the Senior Eldest Brother and others, who had come over, hold the fawn's hind legs together with him, lift its body, and turn it upside down for the water trick.
After a while, some mucus flowed out of the fawn's mouth. Han Cheng asked Liang to pry open the fawn's mouth again, then reached in to clean it up. Seeing the fawn struggling more vigorously, Han Cheng let the Senior Eldest Brother and others put it down.
The fawn struggled to stand up as soon as it touched the ground, ready to leave the cruel and frightening bipeds as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, being just born, its body was still weak. Before it could stand up, it fell again.
Seeing the pitiful sight of the newborn fawn, the fawn who often had been robbed of milk by its father and the bipeds imitated its father's sneer, revealing its incisors and straightening its neck, looking very cunning.
The fawn was now out of danger, so Han Cheng instructed the senior brother and others to walk towards the fire pit. Firstly, he needed to warm himself up as it was getting cold, and secondly, he wanted to free up some space for the mother deer and the fawn to enjoy family time.
When Han Cheng and the others left, the anxious mother deer rushed over, licking and nudging the fawn.
The Deer Lord seemed to have become indifferent, strolling to its usual resting place without paying attention to the negligent mothers at home or Han Cheng. It lay down contentedly, displaying an air of detachment as if brushing off all concerns without seeking recognition.
With the help of the mother deer, the fawn struggled to practice standing up, falling seven or eight times before finally standing up.
Although its four legs trembled severely, and it stumbled after taking a few steps, unable to control its body, it finally managed to stand up.
Han Cheng warmed himself by the fire for a while before using a ceramic basin brought by the tribe to wash the dirt off his arms. The water had cooled significantly, making Han Cheng shiver uncontrollably when it touched his body. With hardly any sleepiness left, he felt even colder.
Liang, the Senior Eldest Brother, and the others who had extended their hands also followed suit and washed themselves.
Han Cheng wrapped himself in fur and roasted by the fire for a while, still feeling cold. He sent someone to the cave to fetch a ceramic pot for boiling soup, filled it with clean water, and placed it on the fire to boil. It was unbearable to go through the night without drinking some hot water to warm up.
While boiling water and roasting by the fire, Han Cheng twisted his head to watch the fawn staggering around like it was drunk, practicing walking with its four thin legs in extreme disarray.
The fawn's progress was rapid; it could already run a few steps gleefully, although it accidentally bumped into its father's raised hindquarters once…
The water in the pot boiled, and each person held a large bowl of steaming hot water to their lips, slurping it down as if it were more delicious than milk.
Seeing the greedy fawn drinking milk, everyone felt pleased. The birth of a new life always brought joy, especially since this fawn had been rescued by the shaman's intervention and had undergone many difficulties, making its survival gratifying.