The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

"Daya, the meal is ready. Please send it to your grandfather and uncle quickly," Li shouted from outside.

"I'm here, aunt!" Daya answered loudly, then turned to Xu and said softly, "Mom, I'll go deliver the meal first."

"Go." Xu now felt her stomach cramping, her brows furrowed in pain, and she didn't want to talk anymore.

Zhang scooped a bowl of prepared food and brought it over to Xu. "Second brother, eat something first so you can have more strength. Are you ready now?"

"Mom, no, I just feel pain. I can't eat anymore. You eat first!"

"You have to eat even if you can't. How can you have the strength to give birth if you don't eat? Your belly is so big that I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to give birth. You will have to do the strength later," said Zhang, and then she forced the bowl into Xu's hand.

Only then did Xu hold her waist and slowly sit up, holding the bowl and finishing her meal, then returned the bowl to Zhang.

When Zhang and Li had finished dealing with the problem, Xu happened to launch the attack.

"Oh... Mom, it hurts so much, I can't get down..." Xu said hoarsely, her clothes were soaked with sweat, and the clothes stuck to her belly, making her belly look even more frighteningly big.

It had been almost an hour since the birth, but the baby's head had not been seen yet. Zhang was a little panicked. She wondered if the second child's baby was in an abnormal position. The previous births had all been very quick, so it shouldn't have been so difficult.

Seeing that the second son is almost out of strength, this is not good, Zhang thought.

Although Zhang didn't like her second son very much, he was still her own flesh and blood. He was laughed at in the village, and she, as his mother, couldn't hold her head up. Besides, everyone said that Xu was pregnant with a son this time, and the second son valued him very much. If anything happened, he would fight with her to the death!

Zhang immediately said decisively, "Old lady, please go to the land of midwife Wang's family and look for someone. I think the baby's position is not right. We need to find a midwife to adjust the position, otherwise it will be difficult to give birth."

"Mom, I'll go right away," Li did not delay, after all, it was a matter of life and death.

Daya brought food to the field and told her father that her mother had gone back to give birth. Zhang Laoer looked up at Old Man Zhang while eating his food and said nothing. Old Man Zhang pretended not to see his second son's expression. Why should he reply when the time was right when they were busy? Besides, she had given birth several times and the old woman at home was also taking care of her.

Li ran to Wang Po's field panting and said she wanted to help with the delivery. The field was still busy. In the past, she only needed five eggs to deliver a baby, but now she wanted ten eggs and two taels of brown sugar. Li thought about it and agreed. The child was more important, and her second brother's wife did not look well.

After Wang Po came along, she washed her hands and touched Xu's belly. She had an idea in her mind, since she made a living from it. After rubbing Xu's belly a few times, she asked Xu to push. Xu felt something falling down, and Zhang also said, "I saw the baby's head."

These words gave Mrs. Xu another surge of energy. She pushed hard and felt the baby slipping out. Mrs. Zhang was a little anxious. She first spread the baby's legs to take a look. After looking at it, she froze for a moment. Then she used her hands to pick out the dirt in the baby's mouth and patted the baby's butt. The baby cried out, and the sound was very loud. It sounded very healthy.

"Mom, is it a son?" After giving birth, Xu was sweating all over and looked miserable, but she did not bother to wipe the sweat off her head. She half sat up and asked the child.

Zhang didn't say anything, and Li didn't know what to say. She had given birth to six girls in a row, and there was no other family in the area that wanted her.

When Xu saw the expressions of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she understood that this was still a girl!

In an instant, Xu didn't even have the strength to sit still. She fell down, tears silently streaming down her eyes. She stared at the ceiling and muttered, "It's obviously my son's, my son..." She looked so depressed that she had made up her mind to die!

Mrs. Wang couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Old Zhang, please stop being silent. The child has been born. There's nothing you can do about it, whether it's a boy or a girl. Make some egg soup for the woman first. She's suffered so much."

After saying that, he prepared to clean Xu's lower body. If it wasn't clean, she would easily get postpartum diseases. But when he touched Xu's belly, he found it was still hard. This was not right!

"Mr. Zhang, your second daughter-in-law is not a twin, why does she seem to be pregnant with another one and her belly is still hard?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang reached out and touched it, exclaiming in surprise, "It really is!"

Mrs. Wang quickly said to Xu: "Second wife, there is another baby in your belly, try harder."

Unexpectedly, Xu didn't react at all, and still stared at the ceiling, which made Wang Po very anxious: "Oh, my second daughter-in-law, you can't do this, the child will suffocate to death." Xu still didn't react.

Mrs. Li, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but say, "The baby hasn't been born yet. It might be twins, a boy and a girl. Sister-in-law, it's come to this point. We've already taken ninety-nine steps, so why not give it one last push?"

After hearing this, Xu finally reacted and murmured, "Twins, a boy and a girl." Then she half sat up and leaned in Wang Po's arms, pushing hard. A quarter of an hour later, the second child was finally born.

"Boy or girl," Li muttered, spreading the child's legs.

"Sister-in-law, is it a boy or a girl?" Xu asked while trying to support herself.

"Brother...sister-in-law, it's a boy, it really is a boy this time," Li said hesitantly. She had only wanted to comfort her second brother's sister-in-law because she saw that she was determined to die. Twins, a boy and a girl, are so rare, but who knew that they really happened.

"Really?! Sister-in-law, let me see it quickly," Xu said excitedly, and now she didn't seem to feel tired anymore.

Li handed it over and Xu took it carefully. She saw that the child was very small, like a kitten. She spread the legs and took a look. It was really a boy. Xu touched the child's little cheeks and burst into tears and laughter. She had been looking forward to this child for so many years. It seemed that all the grievances she had suffered in the past years were over, and her life had a purpose again.

"Okay, okay, good days are ahead. Don't cry during the confinement period," Mrs. Wang looked at Xu with emotion. She understood Xu's feelings. It was a big deal for ordinary families not to have a son in the second pregnancy, not to mention Xu had given birth so many times. It was not easy. Fortunately, she finally got her wish.

Xu cried and laughed for a while, then suddenly thought of something, "Mom, sister-in-law, why isn't the child crying?"

"Oh, look at me, I forgot to pick out the dirt from the child's mouth," said Li. After that, she took the child back and carefully picked out the dirt from his mouth. She patted the child's butt. The child seemed to feel uncomfortable. He cried softly a few times, moved his arms, and fell asleep again without even opening his eyes.

Mrs. Wang took a look and said, "It's okay. Twins are like this. One is stronger and the other is weaker. Just take good care of them." After that, she helped clean the dirt from under Xu's body.

Zhang was also happy and said happily, "Thanks to you, sister-in-law, for making this trip. You've worked so hard, otherwise who knows what would happen to the child!" After putting the child next to Xu, Zhang went to her bedroom to get a small basket filled with 20 eggs and two taels of brown sugar, and handed it to Wang Pozi, "This time, it's really thanks to you, sister-in-law. I don't have any good things, so take a few eggs back home to nourish the children."

After taking it and glancing at it, Mrs. Wang was even more satisfied. She thought that the Zhang family knew how to behave. After working so hard to deliver twins, she deserved a bigger thank you gift. After some hesitation, she happily accepted it.