Chapter 399: The Woman in Labor
Chapter 399: Chapter 399: The Woman in Labor
The little boy looked utterly bewildered, failing to grasp the gravity of the situation. The little girl, however, was filled with overwhelming gratitude. She dropped to her knees right inside the carriage and kowtowed deeply, her forehead thudding against the floorboards. Her movements were so sudden that Bai Suihe didn’t even have time to stop her.
"Thank you, benefactor. I’ve listened to the Clan Leader’s stories before, so I know that life-saving medicine is very expensive.
"I, Da Ya, am willing to stay by your side and serve you to repay your immense kindness."
Seeing the profound gratitude in the little girl’s eyes and the numerous patches covering her smock, Bai Suihe gently patted her head. "There’s no need for repayment," she sighed. "Our crossing paths today is simply a matter of fate. Just focus on living a good life with your mother from now on."
Da Ya looked at her mother, who was gritting her teeth against the agonizing pain. She opened her mouth to speak but ultimately bit her lip, swallowing her questions.
She wondered if her mother, bleeding so profusely and suffering so much, would meet the same fate as Chunni’s mother next door—passing away along with the unborn sibling in her womb. With their father already dead, if they lost their mother too, their family would be utterly destroyed.
Clutching her mother’s hand tightly, her tears stubbornly refused to stop falling.
The little boy huddled close to his sister. He wanted to bawl out loud, but he didn’t dare, terrified that disturbing these noble people would get them thrown out of the carriage.
Zisu cradled her young miss, shrinking as far back into the corner as possible. She worried that the thick stench of blood in the enclosed space would make the baby uncomfortable. At the same time, she couldn’t help but fret over the pregnant woman; if the mother didn’t pull through, what would become of these two children?
Outside, Gu Kaiyuan was squeezed onto the carriage shaft. Seeing the imposing city walls looming in the distance, a spark of relief flashed in his eyes. They were almost there.
They had encountered a few travelers on the road earlier, but those people had scrambled to avoid the approaching carriage, not even giving them a chance to ask for directions. Left with no other choice, they could only rush blindly toward the county town.
It seemed the recent turmoil in Shao County had cast a long shadow, leaving even the nearby rural folk living in constant fear. Otherwise, these typically simple and honest people wouldn’t have been so cold and evasive.
The carriage sped onward. Just as they neared the gates, they saw the heavy wooden doors slowly beginning to close.
"Wait a moment!" Gu Kaiyuan shouted at the top of his lungs, abandoning all sense of decorum.
The guard shutting the gates glanced over but completely ignored the plea. It was past closing time, and he had no patience for random stragglers delaying the end of his shift.
"Wait, wait!" Gu Kaiyuan hollered. "We’re from Zhang County, friends of Head Constable Tian Zhuang! We have an emergency and need to enter the city. Please, do us a favor!"
Without another word, Gu Kaiyuan tossed a gleaming ingot of silver through the air. The guard deftly snatched the flashing silver and raised an eyebrow. Not bad. It was a generous sum, making today’s shift more than worth the trouble.
He quickly shoved the silver into his robes and swiftly pulled the gates back open, allowing the carriage to barrel through.
"Many thanks." Knowing that greasing the wheels was a necessary evil, Gu Kaiyuan cupped his hands in gratitude. "Could you point us to the nearest medical clinic?"
Having reaped a handsome reward, the guard was in excellent spirits and readily pointed them in the right direction.
As the carriage galloped away, the guard turned back to close the gates. Just then, he spotted another figure sprinting toward the city from afar. Noting the person’s tattered clothes, the guard sneered. Ignoring the man’s frantic shouts, he slammed the gates shut, locked them, and headed off to hand over his keys for the shift change.
Upon arriving at the clinic, Gu Kaiyuan and the others unloaded the pregnant woman, paid the silver for her treatment, and prepared to leave.
They had done everything they could. As for the mother’s fate, it was now in God’s hands.
Before leaving, Bai Suihe made sure to stroke the heads of the two children reassuringly. "I just asked the doctor. Although your mother is in a dangerous condition, this isn’t her first child, so she should be fine. Don’t be too anxious."
The doctor here seemed quite competent. He had administered acupuncture to stabilize the woman and had already sent for a renowned local midwife. With their combined efforts, the situation was looking optimistic.
"Benefactors, thank you so much," Da Ya said, moving to kneel once again. This time, Bai Suihe caught her by the arm before she could drop to the floor.
"I accept your gratitude. Just take good care of your mother from now on."
Da Ya nodded solemnly. She fully intended to. She had seen her benefactor hand over a large sum of silver for the treatment. Though she had offered to serve her as a maid and was politely turned down, Da Ya vowed to carve her benefactor’s face into her memory. She would definitely find a way to repay this debt in the future.
After settling into their inn, Bai Suihe finally let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness we were quick enough. If we had been locked out of the city, that poor woman would have been in grave danger."
She was also thankful that the two children had been clever enough to seek help on the road when things took a turn for the worse.
Gu Kaiyuan, deciding to omit the part about bribing the guard, simply nodded in agreement.
"They were blessed by fortune." And indeed they were. They were lucky to cross paths with his soft-hearted wife. Had Gu Kaiyuan been traveling alone, he certainly wouldn’t have bothered to meddle in other people’s business.
As coincidence would have it, they bumped into Tian Zhuang and his men at this very inn. Since they had run into each other, Gu Kaiyuan stayed behind to chat with them while Bai Suihe returned to their room first.
When Gu Kaiyuan finally returned, he relayed the news: Xu Zitian’s injuries had fully healed a long time ago. In fact, he hadn’t been as critically injured as the rumors suggested. He had simply been too busy cleaning up the local mess to bother dispelling the gossip. Now that matters here were mostly resolved, County Magistrate Xu was preparing to head back the following day.
"Xu Zitian truly is a good official," Bai Suihe remarked. Having mingled extensively with the local madams over the past few days, she had learned quite a bit about the County Magistrate.
He was known to be fair and forgiving. Rumor had it that he once caught someone badmouthing him right behind his back, yet he chose not to pursue the matter. He reportedly mentioned in a later conversation that no one could be perfect enough to be universally liked; as long as he did his best and maintained a clear conscience, it was enough.
This display of magnanimity only earned him more widespread admiration. Privately, people were praising Grand Tutor Lu for his exceptional ability to teach his disciples. Many hoped the Grand Tutor would take on more students to cultivate better officials for the common folk.
Hearing this had given Bai Suihe a deeper understanding of the era she was in. There was a profound reason why ancient society placed such immense value on reputation. Even though Xu Zitian was the one putting in all the hard work, his mentor was reaping the benefits and basking in the ensuing praise.
In this world, social relationships were inextricably intertwined. Ties couldn’t just be severed merely because one wished to be free of them. It was exactly like their relationship with the Gu Family. No matter how hostile things became, whenever the topic arose in the future, both sides would have to acknowledge each other’s existence. It was an unchangeable reality.
The rest of the night passed quietly. Early the next morning, Gu Kaiyuan met with several property brokers to discuss buying and selling land, while Bai Suihe took Gu Xingyang out for a stroll around Shao County.
The temperature here was noticeably higher. Once the sun rose, it grew so warm that Bai Suihe had to change into lighter clothes before heading out.
This county town appeared significantly larger than Zhang County, yet it felt much quieter. Many of the storefronts had their doors tightly shut, and the narrow alleys were entirely deserted. Wooden "For Sale" signs hung from numerous buildings, giving the town a distinctly desolate atmosphere.