Chapter 21: Deciding to Stay in the Mountains

The village women spontaneously pulled out bedding to shield Zhou’s second daughter-in-law while others boiled water and shooed away the curious children. They all listened as her screams echoed through the valley, each wave of pain sharpening their concern.

Because Xia Mo had to deliver the baby through the layers of blankets, the difficulty increased significantly.

Several times, she reached into her bag to retrieve medicine, her actions drawing the curiosity of the older women nearby. They stole glances at her bag, their eyes filled with wonder.

What kind of bag is that? How does it have everything?

“Doctor Xia, it hurts,” the woman in labor whimpered.

Xia Mo responded calmly, “Childbirth always hurts. You have to bear with it.”

“I’m scared…”

A bold, outspoken woman interjected, “What’s there to be scared of? We all gave birth the same way!”

The older women chimed in, their voices overlapping as they recounted their own experiences.

“As long as you don’t make a big deal out of it, it’s no different from a hen laying eggs. Nothing to worry about.”

Before long, their conversation veered into stories of their first childbirth experiences, seemingly forgetting there was still a male doctor present.

Nevertheless, their chatter helped distract Sun-shi, easing her tension and making the ordeal slightly more bearable.

“Madam Zhou, check how many fingers dilated,” Xia Mo instructed.

She had just finished teaching them proper birthing techniques—explaining that before full dilation, the mother should refrain from screaming too much to conserve her strength. Once fully dilated, she needed to push all at once.

Despite the pain, Sun-shi was quite resilient. She had walked through the mountains for a long time the previous night, and the contractions had started then. It was only by morning, when she could no longer endure the pain, that she had someone call for Xia Mo.

About half an hour later, Madam Zhou suddenly exclaimed, “I see the baby’s head!”

Another woman leaned in and gasped, “Oh my, look at that thick, dark hair! Zhou-sao, congratulations!”

Madam Zhou beamed. “Thank you all for your help!”

Hearing this, Sun-shi sighed in relief.

Then another wave of pain hit. Xia Mo quickly urged, “No more talking—Second Sister-in-law, push!”

She had already explained that the mother should take a breath between contractions and push only when the pain surged again. They had all memorized this well.

Hopefully, what I taught them will be helpful to these women in the future.

Moments later, a baby’s cries echoed through the valley—the child was finally born.

Madam Zhou cradled the newborn as the other women eagerly crowded around for a look.

“Is it a boy?”

“It is! A boy!” Madam Zhou was so overjoyed she could hardly speak. “Er, my son, you have a son now!”

Zhou Erge, who had been kept outside, jumped up, trying to catch a glimpse.

Madam Zhou laughed. “Hold on, we’ll clean him up first.”

There was still the umbilical cord to take care of.

Everyone had been disheartened on this arduous journey of escape, but this new life brought an unexpected joy to the group.

As the temporary leader, Auntie Zhou was delighted and instructed the group to gather more firewood. They would cook the black bear they had hunted and have a proper feast to celebrate.

After all, the mountains were covered in snow, and they had no way of moving forward. They might as well stay here for a few more days.

Xiao Jingyuan and the others had set out early that morning, but they hadn’t returned the first day. Nor did they return the second. It wasn’t until the third evening that they finally made it back.

And that was only because they were young and physically strong.

With these young men exploring on foot, the group now had a rough understanding of the mountain—it was vast.

To reach the Bianzhou border, they would need several days of travel.

“You all saw the conditions,” someone said. “The mountains are buried in snow. We’re traveling with families and children. There’s no way we can move forward now. Why not rest here a bit longer?”

“It won’t be any easier in a few days either,” Brother Yang said with a heavy sigh. He then addressed the group of over a hundred people. “When we went out this time, we didn’t just sell the bear paws for grain—we also asked around. Bianzhou is in complete chaos.

“Anyone leaving or entering the city must show proof of residency. Outsiders need travel permits. Without any documents, we could easily be mistaken for enemy spies and executed on the spot. The elderly, women, and children are driven out, while the young and strong… Well, that depends on luck. If you’re lucky, you might get expelled alongside your family. If not, you’ll be taken—who knows where.”

His words sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

“Is it really that bad?”

“It is!” Zhou Dage added grimly. “Tongzhou has already fallen to the enemy. Bianzhou is terrified of suffering the same fate and is cracking down on spies. We’re too large a group—too conspicuous. We’d never make it through safely.

“We were only able to return because we were few in number, quick, and skilled enough to survive.”

Panic spread among the group.

“What should we do? If we get caught and sent back, all our efforts would have been for nothing.”

“Auntie Zhou, Tongzhou has fallen to the enemy. We have no home to return to. We can’t let them send us back!”

“That’s right! I heard the enemy is ruthless. They eat people! They call us ‘two-legged sheep’!”

Auntie Zhou rubbed his temples as the noise grew overwhelming.

“Enough! I hear you! Let me think!”

The experienced hunter, Brother Yang, spoke up. “Auntie Zhou, what’s there to think about? We’re not going anywhere. We’ll stay in the mountains. The enemy soldiers are from the plains—they won’t know their way through the mountains. They won’t come here.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Xiao Jingyuan.

After all, it was Xiao Jingyuan who had suggested this.

The group exchanged looks, considering the feasibility of staying in the mountains.

At that moment, Xia Mo finally spoke. “From what I’ve seen, there’s plenty of food here in the mountains. Brother Yang and the others are skilled hunters. Staying for now isn’t a bad idea.”

“That’s right, Auntie Zhou,” Zhou Dage added. “Even if we keep heading south, we’re still just refugees without travel permits. No matter where we go, we’ll end up hiding in another mountain.”

After selling the bear paws, they had exchanged silver for a good amount of grain. Combined with what they had already carried, they had enough to last until spring.

Everyone discussed the idea.

Winter had already set in, and after the first snowfall, the cold would only intensify.

Rather than face an uncertain and dangerous journey, it was better to stay in the mountains and wait.

Perhaps, by the time spring arrived, the kingdom’s soldiers would have reclaimed their home, and they could return.

Just the thought of going home filled them with hope.

“It’s only about a month’s journey from here to home—I’m staying!”

Once one person voiced their decision, many others followed, agreeing to temporarily settle in the massive cave.

With their plans settled, only Xia Mo and Xiao Jingyuan were left to decide.

Xiao Jingyuan kept winking at Xia Mo, urging her to seize the moment.

Xia Mo was speechless. Oh, so you get to be the hero while I do all the convincing?

“Auntie Zhou,” she finally said, “now that you’ve found stability here, I can rest easy.”