Chapter 609: Mother and Child Perish
"Grandpa!"
Zhao Qingtang stood up. Her clear eyes looked at Zhao Xuefeng, with worry written all over her face.
She knew that the matter had been deeply buried in her grandpa’s heart for many years. It had become his heart demon, constantly troubling him, and his insomnia had been worsening.
If this were made public, with his character, how could he bear it!
Seeing his granddaughter’s concern, Zhao Xuefeng waved his hand, "Qingtang, it’s alright. Grandpa has come to terms with it. Just like Mr. Luu Xun wrote, ’True warriors dare to face the bleak life and daringly confront dripping blood.’ If I can’t even face this matter, what face would I have to be called ’sir’?"
’Sir’ is an honorific, meaning the first among equals, implying a teacher.
"Everyone faces countless hurdles in life, five years ago, I had a hurdle I couldn’t overcome..."
The matter is like this, five years ago, Zhao Xuefeng was already known as ’sir.’
As the foremost ancient physician, naturally there were many who came to him for treatment. Every day was overcrowded, those people were even more formidable than paparazzi, squatting at the doorstep like staking out.
Zhao Xuefeng, who couldn’t return home or go back to school, took leave and went traveling with Xu Wan.
The travel destination was called Ankang Mountain, a place where the old couple had gone for rural work together when they were young.
They finally got some free time and decided to visit again.
From airplane to car, the last segment was a mountain road, so they rented two bicycles for a ’self-drive tour.’
Ankang Mountain is actually a small village, with just a few dozen households settled there. There was a highway but no hospital, not even a convenience store or vegetable market. To buy things, one had to ride electric bikes or motorcycles, or wait for market days.
The old couple played for a day and paid some money to stay at a villager’s house at night.
But at midnight, suddenly all the village lights came on. It was lively, and nobody knew what had happened.
The couple threw on a coat each and went out to check, and upon enquiring, they learned that a young mother was about to give birth.
However, the village had no medical facilities. As for midwives... such ’profession’ had been phased out decades ago due to being unscientific and highly risky.
Where would girls still deliver babies now?
So they called together those older, more experienced women to help. Could the village not be lit up for this gathering?
Those women mostly delivered babies in city hospitals, with doctors and equipment. Direct midwifery wasn’t something they knew...
Someone suggested learning from television, just going for a direct birth.
It was a desperate measure after all.
Zhao outright refused to agree. Trying the methods shown on TV, who knows how many would die!
Immediately, Zhao Xuefeng rushed through the crowd, shouting, "I’m a doctor, I’ll deliver the baby!"
Suddenly, the chaotic scene gained some stability.
Following Zhao Xuefeng’s instructions, everyone went to boil hot water, the nearby households simply used instant ones.
Next, two women with stable mindsets entered the delivery room, preparing to assist in delivery.
By then, towels, candles, scissors, hot water, and other simple tools were ready.
Upon asking, Zhao Xuefeng found out that the woman was in premature labor! The pregnancy was only at 30 weeks, which was quite early.
Zhao Xuefeng was an ancient physician. After Western medicine entered the Celestial Dragon Continent, midwives gradually disappeared, how could ancient physicians still deliver babies?
With no experience, Zhao Xuefeng began to panic, but he had read medical books.
According to ancient medical procedures, he first placed a cloth in the mother’s mouth to prevent her from biting her tongue.
There were many ancient delivery methods, none of which were not simple and crude. That kind of pain was unknown compared to current childbirth.
Describing it as life and death is not an exaggeration at all, back then, childbirth was referred to as ’passing through the gate of ghosts,’ akin to a walk through the ghost gate, survival left to fate.
In historical costume dramas, doctors often asked whether to save the mother or the child in such plots. In fact, facing such dangerous situations, none can be saved!
Zhao Xuefeng never imagined that he would have a day to deliver a baby himself.
Moreover, it was a premature baby.
Premature babies were even more difficult to deliver than regular ones, especially in such conditions.
Zhao began to panic, taking deep breaths trying to calm himself. But how could one be calm at such a moment!
Zhao Xuefeng held the pregnant woman’s hand, shouting in her ear, "Push!"
It was the most common ancient method, called spontaneous labor. Of course, Zhao Xuefeng still needed to break the water and cut the umbilical cord, these things.
The amniotic fluid mixed with blood seeped out, severely affecting Zhao Xuefeng’s ability to observe, so he could only use hot water to clean. At this time, one couldn’t use cold water, because it hadn’t been disinfected, easily causing infection.
Seeing the mother sweating profusely, Zhao Xuefeng hastily had the other women in the room use hot water to wipe her body.
Hot water could make the mother feel much more comfortable, and it favored the expansion of the cervix, allowing the baby to be born.
In ancient times, premature birth was seen as adultery, a concubine in the palace would furthermore be sentenced to death. Even if not sentenced to death, she probably wouldn’t survive.
Premature babies were lighter and weaker compared to normal ones.
After trying hard for a long time, the baby didn’t come out, and the mother was already exhausted to the point of collapse. At this moment, Zhao Xuefeng was even more anxious, he checked the mother’s pulse and found it extremely weak.
She... was almost about to die from pain.
"Save my child! Please, save my child!" The mother yelled loudly, her voice almost a roar that everyone outside could hear, including the mother’s husband.
Zhao Xuefeng’s face was extremely painful, he had never encountered such a situation.
"Doctor! Doctor! You see, is little Early... dead..." asked one of the helping women.
Zhao Xuefeng looked down, seeing sweat beads all over the mother’s face, her lips pale, and her belly no longer rising.
Zhao Xuefeng panicked terribly, he checked the mother’s pulse, felt her breathing, and his whole body and mind trembled: "Dead... dead..."
This bad news quickly spread, soon the father outside was shouting, "At all costs, the child must be saved!"
Saving the child would probably be a blessing amidst misfortune.
Now the only way to save the child... cesarean section!
After much hardship, finally, a blood-covered baby was taken out.
But... the baby was dead too...