Chapter 340: Sudden Labor

Mother Gu was standing by another window, looking out, when she heard Su Wan’s words. She jumped in fright and rushed over to support her, flustered and alarmed. “Quick! We have to go back immediately!”

As she spoke, she shouted toward the door, “Mo Yuan, get the carriage ready! Wanwan’s going into labor!”

“Wait!” Su Wan called out, “Mo Yuan, come back!”

Mo Yuan pushed the door open and entered. “Young Lady, Qi Fifth has gone to prepare the carriage. Do you have other instructions?”

“Labor doesn’t happen that quickly. You’re not allowed to tell Huaizhi about this—don’t distract him from what he’s doing.” Su Wan endured the waves of pain. Even for a first birth, it would still take several hours, even at the fastest.

After the top scholar’s parade on horseback, he would still need to lead his fellow jinshi to the Ministry of Rites to attend the Qionglin Banquet, held in celebration of their success in the imperial examinations.

After the banquet, the zhuangyuan would lead the group to the Confucian Temple to pay respects to the Benevolent and Most Sacred Master, Confucius. Then they would proceed to the Imperial Academy to erect a stele, engraving the names of the new jinshi onto stone, completing the formal process.

If he found out she was in labor, he would surely abandon all these ceremonial rites and rush home to be with her.

But that might give others something to talk about.

Su Wan felt a warm gush of fluid flow downward. Thankfully, the contractions weren’t yet intense, and the intervals between them were still somewhat long. She quickly made her way downstairs and headed for the back door.

The front was packed and congested with people, so she had no choice but to leave through the rear, meaning the carriage would have to take a longer route around one more street.

Seeing Su Wan gasping in pain, her face tight with forbearance, Mother Gu grew anxious. “Does it hurt badly? If you’re uncomfortable, lean on me.”

“I can bear it,” Su Wan said with a faint smile. She had no idea how long labor would take. If things went smoothly, the baby could arrive in two or three hours. If not…

Mother Gu watched her lying curled up on the cushioned floor of the carriage, looking so small and delicate, her face pale from pain. She began to pace in circles with worry. “Should we call Huaizhi back? He’s already a high-ranking official. What’s becoming zhuangyuan compared to your giving birth? It’s not like Jingyun would take away his ranking.”

“It’s all right,” Su Wan said. “Though Huaizhi is already a young grand secretary, he too once studied tirelessly through bitter winters. Becoming zhuangyuan and being honored with the imperial right to parade on horseback—this only happens once in a lifetime. It’s the glory every scholar dreams of.”

She endured another wave of contractions, then exhaled a long breath. “I don’t think the baby will come out in less than three or four hours. By the time he finishes and comes home, the baby should be just born. If he were here, he’d only be pacing helplessly outside, anxious with nothing to do.”

Seeing the pain and concern on Mother Gu’s face, Su Wan reached out and held her hand. “Mother, even if he comes back, he can’t give birth in my place.”

She furrowed her brow as her belly tightened painfully—it was hard and uncomfortable. “Giving birth looks awful. I don’t want him to see me like that.”

“You silly child,” Mother Gu said softly.

The more generous Su Wan tried to be, the more it made her heart ache.

As a woman herself, she knew—deep down, every woman wished the man beside her could be present during labor.

“Mother, let me lean on you,” Su Wan murmured. She rested her head on Mother Gu’s lap, gripping her arm as she silently counted the intervals between contractions, tracking how long each one was apart.

Nearly an hour later, the carriage arrived at the residence.

Mrs. Hu and Qing Yuan had already received word and were waiting anxiously at the gates.

Mother Gu called out from the carriage, “Qing Yuan, carry Wanwan inside.”

Qing Yuan climbed aboard and carefully lifted Su Wan into her arms, swiftly heading toward the main residence.

The midwives and female doctors were already waiting inside. Seeing Qing Yuan enter with Su Wan in her arms, they quickly said, “Hurry, lay her on the bed.”

Su Wan lay down, and the contractions were becoming more frequent and far more intense. The pain was growing harder and harder to endure.

One of the midwives washed her hands thoroughly, then removed Su Wan’s trousers and took a thin wooden stick, placing it gently in her mouth for her to bite down on. “Don’t scream yet, and don’t push either. Save your strength for when the baby is really about to come.”

Su Wan nodded, removed the stick, and asked the nearby female doctor, “The emergency procedures I taught you—did you all remember them?”

The female doctor was filled with unease. From the moment Su Wan’s pregnancy had been confirmed, she had chosen the two of them and, without fail, taught them every day how to handle emergencies such as abnormal fetal positioning.

How to respond to retained placenta, or partial placental separation leading to massive hemorrhage, uterine inertia, severe tearing and bleeding of the birth canal—these were all situations Su Wan had drilled into them.

This knowledge was entirely unheard of in their circles. They studied with full dedication, knowing that if they truly mastered it, the benefits would be endless.

But in the end, it had all been theory—until now.

Even though Su Wan had personally delivered other women’s babies to provide them with hands-on teaching, and even let them assist when conditions allowed, she had always been there to guide them through it.

This time, however, it was their turn to take the lead—and the pressure was real.

“Y-yes… we remember,” the doctor stammered, twisting her fingers tightly, her eyes darting nervously toward the table where an array of life-saving tools Su Wan had prepared for emergencies were neatly laid out.

Su Wan withdrew her gaze, pressing both hands against her tailbone. The child was pushing down hard—it hurt.

She had taken great care of her body throughout this pregnancy. Surely those unlucky complications wouldn’t happen to her now.

Su Wan didn’t want to drag this out. She focused on controlling her breathing and began to try pushing.

“Young Madam, please move your hands. Let me check,” the midwife said gently, soothing Su Wan’s tension with a soft voice. “If all goes well, you might deliver in just two or three hours. Not long ago, I heard of a woman six months along who gave birth only two hours after labor began.”

She gently bent Su Wan’s legs to begin examining—and in that instant, the baby surged downward.

The midwife was completely stunned.

The female doctor was equally dumbfounded.

That… that was it??

Everyone had been on high alert, mentally prepared for a long, drawn-out battle after all of Su Wan’s careful training and preparation. But before they had even gotten fully into position, the baby was already out?

They quickly snapped out of their daze and scrambled to respond.

The midwife lifted the newborn, its skin bright red and wrinkled.

One of the doctors grabbed the scissors and cut the umbilical cord.

Another had already prepared warm water and began unfolding a clean swaddling cloth.

Everyone sprang into action, busily tending to their tasks.

Outside the door, Mother Gu paced back and forth, then leaned against the door panel to listen. Not a single sound came from inside. When she had given birth to her first child, the pain had made her wail like a ghost.

She immediately felt even more heartache for Su Wan. The girl must be holding in her cries so they wouldn’t worry.

If the baby didn’t come within another hour, she would send Mo Yuan to fetch Gu Huaizhi back.

Thinking of Su Wan’s slender arms and legs, Mother Gu turned to head to the ancestral hall to offer incense to the forebears.

“Qing Yuan, stay by the door. If anything happens, tell me immediately!”

She instructed Mrs. Hu, “Go to the kitchen and steam two poached eggs. Keep them warm on the stove—Wanwan will need to eat right after giving birth…”

“Waa—!”

The baby’s loud, piercing cry echoed in everyone’s ears.

For a moment, even the air seemed to freeze.

Mother Gu didn’t react right away. “Was that… was that the baby crying just now?”

Mrs. Hu and Qing Yuan nodded dumbly, still stunned. That cry—so strong and full of breath!

“She gave birth? Just like that?” Mother Gu’s face went blank for a beat, then her expression lit up with excitement. “Wanwan gave birth! That’s wonderful—less suffering for her!”

The tightly closed door opened, and the midwife stepped out holding a bundled infant in her arms, her face beaming. “Congratulations, Madam. The Young Madam has given birth to a healthy baby girl.”