The Siheyuan of the Young Educated Youth

Captain Qu's wife was lying on the kang, covered with a quilt. Her face was pale, but she was suffering from a stomachache, her brows were furrowed, and she cried out,

"Great wisdom."

He handed the key in his pocket to his eldest son, Dazhi took the key, climbed onto the stool and unlocked the box.

Dazhi was about seven or eight years old, and there was also a little girl of five or six years old in the room. Both children were dressed quite warmly.

Dazhi climbed onto the stool and the little girl supported him.

She whispered softly, "Brother, brother, brother." and glanced at her mother secretly.

Dazhi quickly pinched a soybean-sized piece of sugar and stuffed it into his sister Xiaomei's mouth.

The little girl closed her mouth tightly and smiled with her eyes curved.

Dazhi added half a spoonful of sugar to the water cup, put the sugar jar back into the box, locked it, and went to the outer room with the enamel pot to heat water.

Su Xiaorou was not polite. She had only eaten one steamed bun today and was now cold and hungry. She really needed this cup of hot sugar water to warm her body and cheer herself up so that she could help with the delivery.

Su Xiaorou took off her coat, went to the brazier to warm herself, drank some hot sugar water, and the cold air in her body dissipated. She no longer felt so cold, and then she went into the house.

Captain Qu's wife said, "Sister Su, thank you for your hard work. I made you make this trip in such weather."

There was really nothing she could do about it. Normally, after giving birth to several babies, she would be able to deliver them herself. But when she gave birth to her third child, she didn't know what happened. The baby's face was blue and she was not breathing when the baby was born.

This time she didn't dare to be careless, so she asked Captain Qu to go find people in the heavy snow.

There is also a team doctor in this company, but he is a man and she doesn't want to use him. It just so happens that Su Xiaorou used to be the head nurse and has worked in a large hospital for many years. This year, many children in the team were delivered by Su Xiaorou.

Su Xiaorou has always been very serious and responsible at work, and she is very willing to have the opportunity to display her abilities here.

"You're welcome. Giving birth is a big deal and can't be taken lightly. How do you feel now?"

Su Xiaorou rubbed her hands vigorously to warm them up, then reached into the quilt to touch her belly.

"The baby's head has entered the pelvis, head down, it's normal, don't be afraid."

There were no B-ultrasounds in those days, so everything depended on experience. Su Xiaorou was sure, so Captain Qu's wife felt relieved and hoped that the child could be born smoothly.

Captain Qu was familiar with the things needed to prepare for giving birth. He was boiling water and ironing scissors in the outer room.

But the man did not go into the delivery room. He stayed in the outer room. Captain Qu also called the two children out.

Captain Qu's wife was not very good at giving birth. She had a small bone mass and pelvis, so it was quite difficult for the baby to pass through.

Su Xiaorou cheered her up and pushed her belly. She was so tired and sweaty that it was around eight or nine o'clock in the evening before she finally saw the baby's head.

Su Xiaorou decisively performed an episiotomy on her, fearing that if she continued to hold it in, the baby would be harmed.

When the baby was born, his face was purple and he didn't cry. Captain Qu's wife was very worried. Could it be another stillbirth?

"Sister Su, are you okay?"

Even when I asked this, my voice was trembling. Although I already had children, I had gone through so much hardship carrying them for ten months, so I always hoped that they would be good.

Su Xiaorou grabbed the child's calf and slapped his butt three times. The child made a few "click" sounds like a cat.

Su Xiaorou quickly washed the child and wrapped him up. It was too cold that day and the child's skin was all purple.

"Congratulations, it's your first son."

Su Xiaorou weighed it and found it was about five kilograms. Her little face was red and wrinkled like a little old man.

It was a living, healthy son. Captain Qu's wife was completely relieved. She was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

Su Xiaorou helped to bathe the child, wipe the body of Captain Qu's wife, clean up the blood stains, and scrub the kang mat. By the time everything was ready, it was already late at night.

The two children were sleeping together, sitting on a wooden board on the floor of the outer room, with Captain Qu's coat covering them.

Su Xiaorou, "Hurry up and take the two children in to sleep."

If you sleep on the ground in such a cold day, you will probably catch a cold.

Captain Qu scooped a bowl of noodle soup from the pot for Su Xiaorou, which contained an egg.

"You've worked really hard today. Have a bowl of noodle soup and stay here for the night. The strong wind outside hasn't stopped yet."

Su Xiaorou was really hungry, so she didn't hesitate and started eating from the bowl, taking big mouthfuls. She no longer had the elegance and grace she had when she was an official's wife.

She hasn't eaten white flour for a year.

Although she helped deliver babies for other families and they would sometimes invite her to dinner, the food she got from ordinary people was cornmeal cakes, large pancakes and the like. Occasionally, someone would make her some egg custard or boil a salted duck egg.

This is the first time to eat instant noodles. Ordinary people don’t have them, but it’s not that they are stingy.

Su Xiaorou felt very comfortable in her stomach after eating a big bowl of hot noodle soup. Her body felt warmer and her panic caused by low blood sugar also improved.

Captain Qu carried both children into the house, covered them with quilts, and returned to the kitchen with his coat.

"Go inside and squeeze in with them for a while, and I'll take you back tomorrow."

Su Xiaorou stayed at Captain Qu's house for one night. During the night, Captain Qu's wife and child woke up once. Su Xiaorou got up to help serve Captain Qu's wife food and changed the child's diaper.