Chapter 644 - 334: Rivals in the Same Trade (Part 2)

Chapter 644: Chapter 334: Rivals in the Same Trade (Part 2)

After struggling for what felt like an eternity, Guizhi couldn’t take it anymore and passed out.

Big Mouth Zhao had rushed over, and when he saw how critical the situation was and heard from Old Cheng’s wife that Yun Ying had been driven away, he was furious. That’s when he’d hurried back to fetch her.

When Yun Ying entered the delivery room again, Granny Ding didn’t dare to scowl at her. She just thought resentfully, ’Let’s see what great skills you have to save her now.’ That old woman was still trying to get the last word in at a time like this. It really proved the old saying: two of a trade can never agree.

Yun Ying first checked on Guizhi, then turned to Granny Ding and said angrily, "You old crone, why did you use so much force? You’ve injured the baby’s arm."

The old woman jumped in fright. She had thought no one would know, but who would have guessed this young woman would discover that she’d used too much force and injured the baby’s little arm the moment she arrived. She wanted to deny it, but once the baby was born, the pinch marks on its arm would be impossible to hide. Sweat broke out on her brow, and she avoided the furious glares of the Zhao family.

Yun Ying only said that one thing, having no time to argue with her. She quickly took out two slices of ginseng and put them in Guizhi’s mouth. Then she took out her silver needles and inserted one into the acupoint on her philtrum. When Guizhi came to, Yun Ying said to her solemnly, "Listen carefully. If you want to deliver this baby, you will do as I say. When I tell you to push, you push."

Guizhi was too weak to answer, only managing to blink. Her hair, soaked with sweat, was plastered to her forehead and cheeks. She was in a wretched state.

Yun Ying wasted no more words. She inserted several more silver needles into her body, then moved to gently help reposition the baby, constantly reminding Guizhi to coordinate her pushes with her.

An hour later, a muffled cry was heard. Guizhi had finally given birth to a plump son. However, his small right arm hung limply. Near the shoulder, two distinct finger-shaped pinch marks were visible, a shocking sight on the newborn’s body.

The Zhao family was furious. They gave Granny Ding a thorough scolding, and Big Mouth Zhao even gave her two vicious kicks. But, just as Juhua had said, even killing her now would be useless. So they turned and tearfully begged Yun Ying to help treat the baby’s little arm.

After tending to Guizhi, Yun Ying carefully examined the baby again. She blushed and said to Big Mouth Zhao, "This child is just too small, so newly born. I’m not entirely confident and don’t dare to treat him rashly. Let’s wait for my senior brother to return and have him take a look. Don’t worry, he’s still very young, so it shouldn’t be difficult to treat."

Big Mouth Zhao was confused. She said the baby was hard to treat because he was small, but she also said it was easy to treat because he was small. What was he to think? He didn’t pick up on the fact that Yun Ying felt her medical skills were inferior to her senior brother’s.

But Yun Ying didn’t dare to delay. She told him to go to the market and call Qin Feng back. If they just waited, he might not come back that night, and that would be trouble.

Big Mouth Zhao hurried off.

At dinnertime, Juhua saw that Yun Ying hadn’t returned. ’She must be eating at the Zhao family’s house,’ she thought, so she didn’t wait for her.

After eating, she ambled over to the old tree root and was relieved to see the soil around it was still moist. This spot by the wall was perfect. At night, it could catch the evening dew, and during the day, it wasn’t exposed to the hot sun for too long. In the morning, a peach tree inside the courtyard wall blocked the sun from the east; in the afternoon, a weeping willow outside the wall blocked it from the west. It only got a little bit of sun around noon.

She wandered around for a bit, then left the courtyard and slowly walked toward the river. Without lingering, she called to the ducks in the water. After about ten of them waddled ashore, she turned to head back. Halfway there, the ducks overtook her, scurrying into the courtyard on their own and raising a clamor of QUACKS at He, who was feeding the chickens.

He chided them, "You stay out all day and still want food the moment you’re back. Your stomachs are like bottomless pits that can never be filled." Grumbling, she ladled out some duck feed for them.

Seeing Juhua return, she called out, "Juhua, do you want to take a bath? You can wash up first and then go visit your brother’s family. You don’t have much to do, and it’ll keep you from getting bored at home."

With Huai Zi not at home, Juhua hadn’t been in high spirits. He was worried Juhua would feel lonely and depressed, so she encouraged her to visit her own family.

Juhua acknowledged her and was about to go inside when she saw Zhang Dashuan heading out with a hoe over his shoulder. She asked casually, "Dad, are you going to the fields this late?"

Zhang Dashuan smiled. "I’m just going to check on the soybean field, see if it’s dry and needs watering tomorrow. I also want to see if those newly planted sweet potato seedlings have taken root. I was tilling the other fields today and didn’t get a chance to look at them."

Juhua nodded. "Well, come back early, Dad. There are a lot of snakes in the grass after dark, and it wouldn’t be good to get bitten."

Zhang Dashuan chuckled and went out.

He was just like Zheng Changhe, never tiring of spending all day with his crops. He was the kind of person who would get antsy if he didn’t go to the fields for three days. On days like this, after dinner, he would wander around with his hoe, checking on the crops. He would stand at the edge of the fields chatting with people for ages about the weather, the rain, and how the crops were growing. It was his way of digesting his meal.

After her bath, Juhua brought a small stool out to the courtyard and sat idly, waiting for He to finish her own bath before she went for a stroll next door.

Listening to the rustling of the bamboo grove outside, she glanced around the clean courtyard, the house, and the trees. She felt that the farmhouse was lifeless without Huai Zi and couldn’t help but miss him.

Usually at this time, he would be by the well with her, washing clothes—to save He from having too much to wash the next day. Then he would go check on little Hulu, or head to the river, or see how many new lotus leaves had appeared in the pond. If they came back early, they would sit in the courtyard, basking in the moonlight and listening to the beautiful clamor of the spring night.

Even on rainy days, they would sit inside, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain outside and the drip-drop of water falling from the eaves and leaves, while watching Juhua sew small clothes. The sounds were clear, yet they made the rainy night feel exceptionally peaceful and serene.

The more she thought about these things, the more she missed Huai Zi. A wave of listlessness washed over her, and she no longer felt like going to her family’s house to chat.