Chapter 98 - 098 Postpartum Hemorrhage
"It’s born, it’s here!" Bai Yihong exclaimed eagerly, gripping tightly the hand of Ruozhu’s mother, Lin Pinger. They were so absorbed in the moment that neither noticed their display of intense emotion, or the fact that they had squeezed each other’s arms blue. They only realized it later and had a good laugh about it.
Bai Ruozhu heaved a great sigh of relief in the room. Although she felt weak and didn’t want to move at all, the abrupt cessation of labor pains relaxed her immensely. Particularly comforting was the loosening of her belly, which made her feel much better.
For some reason, she felt a surge of resentment. It seemed as though she had suffered tremendously, enduring pain bordering on unbearable, and was close to risking her life. Fortunately, her child didn’t inherit the surname of the man who got her pregnant, otherwise she couldn’t let go of her anger.
"It’s a boy, chubby and healthy-looking," Hao Baishuang said out loud, her tone carrying a hint of laughter.
Oddly enough, Bai Ruozhu felt a dash of indignation towards her baby, accusing him of being unsympathetic. She was in so much pain, but he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to come out. Also, how could Hao Baishuang say he was chubby when he was all wrinkled and red? Hao Baishuang surely loved to exaggerate things.
Fortunately, the baby’s cries weren’t as loud as she’d imagined, probably because she was utterly exhausted.
Holding the bawling baby, Hao Baishuang called Lin Pinger in to help, for she needed to cut the umbilical cord. Bai Ruozhu felt an inexplicable sense of awe when she saw the baby lying on his stomach with a twisting cord connecting them.
Just then, the little one suddenly jerked his neck around, seemingly gazing at Bai Ruozhu with one eye slightly open.
Bai Ruozhu was thrilled, exclaiming, "Look, he opened an eye to look at me!" For some reason, her resentment vanished completely, leaving no trace behind.
While wiping the baby clean, Hao Baishuang said with a smile, "This baby is extraordinary! Many newborns don’t open their eyes for three days after birth, but this one knows to look at his mother right away. He’ll certainly be a dutiful son in the future."
Bai Ruozhu felt a surge of joy and her spirits lifted, even feeling a touch of excitement.
"My dear, you should rest now. Doctor Hao is looking after things here," Lin Pinger, more concerned about her daughter than ever, touched Bai Ruozhu’s forehead affectionately, saying.
Bai Ruozhu nodded faintly, "Alright, I’ll have a nap."
Bai Ruozhu fell asleep after the initial excitement, aching all over as if she had an out-of-body experience. Hao Baishuang and Lin Pinger wrapped the baby up and took him outside to show to the family members, and then warmed some water to wash the baby.
The baby’s arrival brought immense joy to the entire family. Those who were unable to visit Bai Ruozhu stayed in the main hall, remarking on how the baby resembled Bai Ruozhu as a child.
"The baby is a spitting image of my little sister, surely he will grow up to be a handsome young man," Bai Zehao praised joyfully, as he too was now an uncle.
The others agreed unanimously until Xiaosi wormed his way in and coldly said, "He’s not good-looking, looks like a sunburnt radish."
Everyone burst out in laughter - Xiaosi, the youngest child in the old mansion, had never seen a newborn before, how was he to know that all newborns look that way?
Within Bai Ruozhu’s room hung a strong smell of blood. She was tossing and turning restlessly in her sleep, her brow slightly furrowed in discomfort. But she was too exhausted to be aware that her bleeding had suddenly increased.
"What? A uterine hemorrhage?" Jiang Yichun, who had been hiding out in the backyard all night and was about to leave, halted. Pitying her unfortunate fate, he wondered how she could have possibly had a postpartum hemorrhage after a smooth delivery. All the more unlucky was the fact that there were no doctors in the room.
He possessed the means to stop the hemorrhage, but...
Jiang Yichun hesitated for a moment, then decided that saving a life was far more important than any formality or customary restrictions. Since she was unconscious and didn’t know he was helping her, there was no violation of the decorum between men and women.
One of the reasons why he was trusted by Shangfeng was exactly this – he was not one for staid convention and did not stand on ceremony.
He climbed in through the rear window, keenly attuned to the sounds outside while rapidly administering acupuncture to halt Bai Ruozhu’s hemorrhage. Thanks to his quick action, Bai Ruozhu’s blood flow had already stopped by the time he removed the needles and fled without looking back.
Bai Ruozhu stirred and slowly opened her eyes - she felt as if someone had visited her room. Apart from the smell of blood, there seemed to be an unfamiliar scent in the room, which reminded her of...
After some thought, she suddenly remembered - it smelled like the Painted Immortal!
Laughing at her own imaginings, she thought to herself, "How could the Painted Immortal possibly visit me?" She shifted slightly and then fell back asleep.
A while later, Hao Baishuang returned to the room with the baby, who had also fallen asleep. Hao Baishuang noticed nothing unusual about Bai Ruozhu, thinking both mother and child were in good health, she heaved a sigh of relief.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t sleep long before she woke up, Hao Baishuang gave her water to drink. Soon after, Bai Ruozhu urinated without any complications, prompting Hao Baishuang to finally let her guard down. She too was completely worn out.
"Now that both mother and child are safe, I’ll take my leave," Hao Baishuang said, her eyes bloodshot after pulling an all-nighter.
Lin Pinger quickly thanked her and handed her five taels of silver. Hao Baishuang paused for a moment and glanced at Du Zhongshu.
She had originally received two taels as a down payment; an additional three taels would have been enough. While the Bai family’s generosity was appreciated, their connection to Du Zhongshu made her hesitate to accept the extra money.
Du Zhongshu nodded subtly. He knew that the additional two taels would not impose a financial burden on the Bai family. Aware that he wouldn’t be able to see Bai Ruozhu, he left ten taels of silver, saying, "This was entrusted to me by Chang Sheng. I forgot to give it to you in all the commotion."
Bai Yihong promptly pushed the silver back. "You gave us an old mountain ginseng, which is already worth quite a sum. We can’t accept this silver!"
Du Zhongshu gave a bitter smile, saying, "Ruozhu has helped me earn a lot of money. Enough to buy ten mountain ginsengs."
Hearing this, Lin Pinger was taken aback. Hadn’t Ruozhu informed the Du family to keep their partnership confidential? Why had Du Zhongshu disclosed it to Hao Baishuang?
Before she could give it much thought, Du Zhongshu said to Hao Baishuang, "Auntie, let me escort you home."
Hao Baishuang gave him an annoyed look. If it weren’t for this young lad pestering her, would she need to expend so much energy?
"Alright, but don’t forget to treat me to a nice meal afterward," Hao Baishuang said casually, and then walked out of the house.
Once they had left, the Bai family seemed to come back to their senses. Bai Yihong expressed his gratitude, "It seems like Master Du has done us a great favor."