Chapter 61

Night fell, and Changle Town was shrouded in darkness. Every household lit their lamps, but the Wang family’s lights were noticeably brighter than usual.

Wang Yuan’er squatted beneath the lattice window of the east room, her legs long since numb, her gaze empty, with all her focus on the room behind her.

Creak!

The door of the east room opened and then quickly closed again. Inside, Madam Liang’s groans resumed, though her voice was now even weaker than before.

“Doctor, how is she?” Little Uncle and Grandpa Wang crowded around Dr. Ma as he stepped out of the room, their faces full of urgency.

“I’ve applied the needles. Now, it’s up to her.” Dr. Ma’s voice was dry, and when he glanced at the sisters huddled beneath the window, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

How pitiful.

Grandpa Wang and Little Uncle, seeing his expression, felt a growing sense of foreboding. The two men escorted the doctor to the side to wait.

Inside the east room, Madam Liang’s cries alternated between sharp and faint, each sound cutting into everyone’s ears like a dull knife through flesh—painful and relentless.

Madam Zhang stood with her arms crossed at the kitchen door, chilled to the bone. Though she was not one to pray, she silently began pleading with Bodhisattva in her heart, hoping Madam Liang could safely deliver her child. If anything were to go wrong, wouldn’t Grandma Wang and the others tear her apart?

“Mother, I’m hungry!” Fuduo tugged at her skirt and softly called.

“Eat, eat, eat. Are you some kind of reincarnated starving ghost?” Madam Zhang, already irritable, slapped his shoulder at the sound of his plea.

Fuduo burst into tears with a loud wail.

At his cry, everyone looked over. Grandpa Wang’s face darkened as he glared at his daughter-in-law.

“Why hit him?” Wang Er, catching his father’s glare, hurriedly stepped forward to scold them. “If he’s hungry, make him something to eat. Everyone’s hungry by now. Go quickly.”

Madam Zhang dared not retort and dragged her son into the kitchen, where the sounds of chopping and cooking soon echoed.

Time seemed to pass both swiftly and slowly. The aroma of cooked food wafted out from the kitchen, but no one had the appetite to eat.

Then, a baby’s cry broke the tension. Wah, wah!

He was born!

Hearing the baby’s cries, Wang Yuan’er jumped to her feet, only to nearly collapse due to her numb legs. She was saved from falling by Wang Chun’er, who quickly supported her.

As they reached the doorway, Aunt Tie Zhu rushed out with a panicked expression, calling for the doctor with trembling lips, “Dr. Ma, quickly! The bleeding won’t stop.”

“What does ‘won’t stop bleeding’ mean?” The little ones didn’t understand, but Wang Yuan’er did.

Hemorrhaging?

Her vision blackened as she knelt to the ground. The little ones didn’t know what was happening, but sensing their mother might not be alright, they began to cry in unison.

Time passed like sand in an hourglass, either dragging on or slipping away instantly. Dr. Ma soon emerged, looking at the sisters crying at the door. He sighed and turned to Grandpa Wang, saying, “Go to the Fushou Store and prepare the necessary items.”

The Fushou Store sold items for the dead, such as burial clothes. This meant that Madam Liang wasn’t going to make it.

The sisters wailed loudly.

Grandpa Wang was shocked, his face pale. His eldest son was gone, and now even his eldest daughter-in-law. He turned and nodded at Wang Er, who, with a grim expression, left to make the arrangements.

Little Uncle grabbed Dr. Ma’s hand and shouted, “What herbs do you need? Just tell me!”

It was just childbirth—how could it cost a life?

“Beyond the power of medicine.” Dr. Ma shook off his grip and walked away, shaking his head.

Little Uncle stood stunned, his hands falling limply to his sides. He turned to Wang Yuan’er.

Wang Yuan’er, now utterly numb, gazed back at him with lifeless eyes.

“Yuan’er.” The east room’s door opened, and Aunt Tie Zhu came out wiping her tears. She said to Wang Yuan’er, “Yuan’er, come inside first.”

How pitiable. How will these young girls live in the future?

Chapter 62

Wang Yuan’er had walked past the east room door countless times, but at this moment, standing by it, her hand hesitated, unable to move, and her feet felt as heavy as lead, too heavy to lift.

“Yuan’er, hurry it up!” Auntie Tie Zhu urged her, wiping away her tears again.

Startled, Wang Yuan’er pushed the door open with all her might and entered the room. Behind her, Wang Chun’er and a few others were crying in a chorus.

The thick, bloody smell filled the air, stifling and nauseating. Her gaze fell on a water basin not far from the bedside, filled entirely with bright red blood, shocking to behold, like vivid red flowers on the mountain.

“Is that Yuan’er?” Madam Liang’s voice came from the bed.

Wang Yuan’er looked over. Madam Liang was smiling, her once prominent belly now deflated, her hair wet. Beside her lay a quiet, bundled baby.

“Mother.” Wang Yuan’er uttered the word hoarsely, her throat parched after a day without water, her voice unrecognizable even to herself.

Madam Liang struggled to extend her hand towards her. Wang Yuan’er rushed over, gripping that hand tightly, fearing it might leave them at any moment.

Tears fell in rapid succession. Wang Yuan’er wiped them away randomly but couldn’t stop the fresh ones from falling.

New mothers typically looked pale, but Madam Liang’s face was unusually flushed. Wang Yuan’er knew this was what people called the “final radiance of a dying flame.”

Panic-stricken, Wang Yuan’er wiped her tears with her elbow, unable to speak through her sobs.

“Yuan’er, look, it’s your little brother.” Madam Liang squeezed her hand, her eyes tenderly resting on the baby by her side, filled with love and reluctance. “Now you have a younger brother—someone to rely on in the future.”

“Mother…” Wang Yuan’er’s heart broke.

“Don’t be afraid; Mother is here.” Madam Liang caressed her face, gently wiping away her tears. “Yuan’er said the baby is a treasure. Now that he’s here, let’s call him Baolai (Treasure’s Arrival), okay?”

Wang Yuan’er nodded hurriedly. “Mother, don’t talk. Rest.”

Madam Liang smiled and shook her head. “Mother cannot rest.” She knew her condition well—afraid that if she closed her eyes, she might never wake again. But what about her children? How could they manage?

She couldn’t bear it, but what could she do?

“Yuan’er, you’re the eldest daughter. From now on, your siblings will have to depend on you. Mother has been useless and has failed you all. In the future, you must take care of them. The eldest sister acts as a mother—it will be tough on you…”

Madam Liang began explaining everything in detail while Wang Yuan’er cried uncontrollably. On the side, Grandma Liang was already heartbroken beyond words, and even Grandma Wang, who had always been distant towards Madam Liang, couldn’t stop her tears.

“Mother, please don’t! Father abandoned us; you can’t leave us, too.” Wang Yuan’er clung to her hand, pleading through her tears.

“Silly child, life and death are beyond human control.” Madam Liang forced a smile.

“Mother…”

“Remember, Mother doesn’t wish for you to become rich and powerful in the future. All I hope for is that you can have three meals a day, live safely and soundly, and avoid unnecessary conflicts. Take a step back, leave a path, walk one step, and think three steps ahead. Do you understand? As the eldest daughter, you must discipline your siblings. Got it?” Madam Liang suddenly gripped her hand tightly, giving her final instructions.

Wang Yuan’er nodded.

Only then did Madam Liang let out a breath of relief. She struggled to sit up, looking solemnly at Grandma Wang. “Mother-in-law, I have one dying wish!”

“Tell me!” Grandma Wang responded immediately.

“I want to separate the family, now.” Madam Liang said, enunciating each word clearly.