Chapter 88: Difficult Labor

The Mistress of the Xie household, Madam Xie, personally greeted them. In her forties, she appeared weary despite the smile on her face, unable to conceal her anxiety and fatigue. She was Duke Xie’s wife, and the mother-in-law of Lady Xie.

Eldest Madam Jiang, pointing at Lu Man, said, “This is Zhanwei’s wife. She claims she can reposition the fetus and wants to help Lady Xie.”

Madam Xie regarded Lu Man with skepticism. Was this the young lady from the Lu family who attempted suicide upon entering the bridal chamber? She was stunningly beautiful, but looking so young, delicate, around fifteen or sixteen years old – how could she possibly reposition a fetus…

Forced a smile, she remarked, “Young lady, childbirth is no trivial matter. Some young daughters-in-law just listen from outside the window and end up pale with fear.”

Seeing Madam Xie’s doubt, Madam Jiang also harbored skepticism. However, since the Princess had sent Lu Man over, she couldn’t express her distrust. Pressured, she whispered, “Zhanwei’s wife is related to He Huang. Her massage techniques helped improve my father-in-law’s condition.”

Aware of He family’s expertise in gynecology, Madam Xie, considering the lack of alternatives, reluctantly decided to trust Lu Man. She smiled at Lu Man, saying, “We will rely on you, young lady.”

Lu Man respectfully acknowledged her, saying, “Rest assured, I will do my best.”

Madam Jiang was seething with anger – to think she was asked to provide reassurance. Quite audacious.

Together, they proceeded to Lady Xie’s courtyard. Lu Man was led by the Second Mistress directly to the backyard, while Madam Jiang remained in the main hall with Madam Xie, awaiting updates.

Recalling her mother-in-law’s instructions before leaving, Madam Jiang inquired, “Duke Xie hasn’t returned home yet?”

Madam Xie sighed, “My husband is extremely busy. He’s either at the palace, the government office, or the military camp. When he occasionally comes home, it’s late at night, and he leaves early the next day. He hasn’t been home for over ten days now. Sigh…”

Lady Xie was in labor in the back courtyard room. Several maids stood in the yard, while a few anxious women and a restless man paced around the corridor. Having received reports from the servants, they all watched with skepticism as the slender and beautiful young lady hurried towards the birthing room.

In Lu Man’s peripheral vision, her attention was drawn to the man who stared at her with wide eyes. He was in his late twenties, tall and handsome, with a wheat-colored complexion. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had stubble around his lips, clearly a caring and nervous husband.

He was Xie Yu, Jiang Zhanwei address him like an elder brother, who had helped Jiang Zhanwei out of predicaments multiple times. The soldier frequently mentioned by the siblings was the one he had recommended. He was admired by Jiang Zhanweii, and Lu Man had heard many legends about him from Jiang Zhankui.

Xie Yu harbored even deeper thoughts. Occasionally, he overheard Jiang Zhanwei complaining about his new wife – first about her reputation, then about her pitiful situation. Recently, she was bedridden for days due to fear upon hearing about his upcoming deployment to the battlefield…

The sounds emanating from the birthing chamber and the midwives occasionally coming out with blood-stained water were enough to make anyone anxious. How would she not be scared upon entering the birthing chamber?

Was he really going to entrust his wife and unborn child’s lives to this woman?

However, with only the midwife’s shouts heard inside the room and his wife’s silence for a long time, he had no choice but to pin his hopes on this young woman. A new arrival meant a new hope…

As Lu Man entered the room, a strong scent of blood and the foul odor of amniotic fluid assailed her senses.

Turning towards the birthing bed, Lady Xie’s eyes were half-open, unfocused, her face pale, hair drenched, and devoid of strength to even call out. Her clothing was undone, exposing her lower body, her abdomen resembling a large round ball. A midwife was loudly shouting while kneading her swollen belly, with two other women on the sidelines encouraging and boosting morale.

“Madam, hang in there…”

“Madam, don’t lose consciousness…”

It didn’t look like childbirth; it resembled a scene from an execution.

Difficult childbirth for women in ancient times was truly terrifying!

Lu Man felt some regret. She had never performed repositioning massages on a laboring woman before. What if she failed? Nevertheless, having reached this point, she had no choice but to bravely proceed.

Anxiously, Lu Man washed her hands in the copper basin, put on her work attire, and tied on a headscarf. After some contemplation, she decided not to wear a mask and approached Lady Xie’s bedside.

The midwife glanced suspiciously at Lu Man after receiving brief whispers from the overseeing maids and eventually stepped aside.

Placing her hands on the large belly, Lu Man felt for the approximate position of the fetus. This was a unique skill she had learned in her previous life, where she was the only one in the hospital who could accurately determine the fetal position without the use of ultrasound machines.

However, in the presence of advanced technology, people often preferred using machines for visualization, placing more trust in them than in her unique skill. Especially in cases of abnormal fetal positioning, surgical intervention was favored over waiting for natural repositioning, to avoid risking the mother’s life or subjecting her to unnecessary pain.

The midwife who had taught Lu Man these skills was highly respected by patients and leaders in the past when technology was less advanced. She had reaped benefits from her skills until she fell out of favor for refusing to pass on her family techniques, eventually alienating colleagues and superiors. With the arrival of advanced equipment and increasing preference for cesarean sections, her skills became outdated, leading to her being marginalized and living in discontent.

Lu Man was a well-behaved, amiable person who got along well with everyone. She had the ability to make people feel happy, without offending those who were less skilled than her. She never sought to prove her superiority and maintained good relationships from childhood to adulthood.

Her broad range of interests and wandering thoughts meant she wasn’t always the top student academically, but she was always the most beloved. She often held positions like vice monitor throughout her school years, avoiding the role of monitor. This trend continued into her professional life, where leaders, colleagues, and even patients admired her. During an anonymous evaluation in the hospital, she scored 95, the only one with a score above 90.

Lu Man was the only friend of the retired midwife who had taught her these unique skills over the years. Before retiring, she passed on these skills to Lu Man as her daughter-in-law and daughter were uninterested in the outdated techniques, pursuing different careers.

Lu Man had a strong interest in massage and took her learning seriously out of a belief in the value of having multiple skills. Surprisingly, her ability to locate the fetal position accurately through touch was exceptional, almost as accurate as ultrasound results. While she frequently utilized this skill in prenatal care, she had never before used it for repositioning during labor.