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

Zhang was relieved to see the visitor was so easy to talk to. She shouted, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and help everyone in the car. We'll drive out quickly."

"Wait a minute, tear off some strips of cloth to wrap the children around themselves, so that they won't open their eyes suddenly," said Grandpa Jinbao.

Zhang Pingan picked up an old piece of clothing, tore it into strips, and handed them to the women and children, saying, "Blindfold your eyes, we are leaving."

After everyone was blindfolded, the men helped the children and women into the car and sat them down. Qian Yongde felt his hands and feet go limp and asked, "Uncle, can I get in the car?"

Uncle Xu said angrily, "I can't pull so many people!"

My legs are still shaking!

As the carts went out one by one, the corpse driver said nothing more and just looked at everyone in silence.

Zhang Ping'an drove the mule cart with Grandpa Jinbao and Zhang, and was the last to leave.

Everything was fine and everyone had walked forward two or three hundred meters. Suddenly, San Ya's scream of "Ah" was heard in the night sky!

Everyone was frightened and Xu asked nervously, "What happened?"

Although Zhang didn't know what was going on, she immediately shouted, "Women and children, sit still and don't open your eyes!"

After hearing this, Xu didn't dare to move.

Zhang Pingan stopped the car, walked over to take a look, and came back saying, "Third sister took off the cloth herself, and then saw those... She was scared. Now her lower body is bleeding. I asked my uncle to cover her mouth with a handkerchief to avoid scaring others."

Zhang said with a stern face: "Aren't you just asking for death?!"

Zhang Ping'an was also very angry. Whether it was pretending to have a stomachache just now or secretly removing the cloth strips now, this third sister had never listened to anyone's advice.

"Who can you blame if you cry wolf too many times? Let's go and talk about it when we get to the official road," said Zhang.

Zhang Pingan nodded: "I understand!"

The car continued to move forward for another three or four miles before reaching the official road. It was already dawn. Zhang Ping'an turned around and found that the door of the corpse inn was no longer visible, only a vague outline remained.

Then he said: "Everyone can open your eyes!"

Zhang and Xu followed to the car in front to check on San Ya's condition. After all, her belly was so big, and there might be two deaths at once.

At this time, San Ya was lying on the cart, holding her stomach in pain. A lot of blood had flowed from her lower body, and the blood was dripping onto the ground through the gap of the cart, staining a small area of ​​the soil red.

Zhang had given birth to several children herself and had helped deliver several babies for her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law. She was very experienced. After taking a look at the situation and touching Sanya's belly, she said, "Your stomach is very fussy. It's time for premature birth!"

After hearing this, Li quickly said to Dazhu's young wife Meizi, "Go back to your car and don't get involved in this."

I was secretly glad that Mei Zi was an obedient person.

Qian Yongde stood aside and said anxiously: "Why is the baby coming soon? It's not even a full month yet."

"This is all your own fault. Grandma has told you several times not to open your eyes. Why did you take off the cloth strip?" Zhang Pingan said coldly.

"Brother-in-law, I feel wronged. I didn't know your third sister took the cloth strip. Who knew she was so naughty?" Qian Yongde cried out for justice.

"Alright, stop talking and stay aside," Zhang said impatiently. "Mrs. Dazhu, go and boil some water!"

Li quickly responded, "Hey!"

Xu supported her daughter, wiped her tears and said, "San Ya, what can I say to you? You have been restless since childhood, and this is what you deserve. Stop crying, save your energy, and be good later, ah!"

After saying that, he took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his daughter's face.

Zhang Pingan took out the hemostatic powder he had prepared earlier and handed it to Zhang, saying, "Grandma, this is the hemostatic powder I prepared earlier, but it's for treating external injuries. I'm not sure if it can be used during childbirth. Please use it as you see fit. I hope it can help!"

"Okay, I understand. You should leave quickly too. Men should stay away from women giving birth," Zhang nodded.

Only then did the women and children realize that they had just encountered a corpse driver, and they all restrained their children and made them sit on the cart.

Sanya's birth was extremely difficult. She had eaten too well in the first few months and the baby had grown too big. Recently, she had been sleeping outdoors and had no strength left. She was getting weaker and weaker. Zhang said, "Ping'an's mother, take Sanya's handkerchief and make her a bowl of brown sugar water."

"Oh," Xu replied with tears in her eyes.

After drinking the brown sugar water, San Ya regained some strength and cried, "Mom, I don't want to give birth anymore. It hurts too much!"

Zhang saw that Sanya's howling was not a solution. She looked around, picked up a dry branch, broke it off, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and stuffed it into Sanya's mouth: "Bite it, stop howling!"

The hemostatic powder Zhang Ping'an gave was quite effective, otherwise the bleeding alone would have been fatal. At dawn, San Ya finally gave birth to the child with great difficulty.

After hearing the child crying, Qian Yongde ran forward happily and asked, "Is it a son?"

San Ya also raised her head hopefully, waiting for the answer.

Zhang was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "It's a son!"

"Let me see," San Ya said, straining herself to death. After removing the wrapping from the child, she couldn't help but say sharply, "What an ugly thing! This is not my son!"

I was so excited that I almost hurt the child with my nails.

"What are you doing?" Zhang said coldly, "You don't know the child you gave birth to. Isn't this the child you have been waiting for for a long time?" After saying that, she wrapped the child up again.

Qian Yongde didn't care that the baby was ugly, but he wondered if he was dazzled. He rubbed his eyes and asked, "Am I dazzled? Why does the baby only have little chicks and no eggs?"

Zhang was silent again, and after a moment she said, "You are not dazzled."

Zhang Ping'an heard the child crying and came over, and then he heard his third brother-in-law say this.

He drew aside the curtain and took a closer look at the child. It was a tiny ball, not even as big as a newborn puppy, with rosy skin, and its head was covered with vernix caseosa that had not been cleaned yet. Its hair was sparse, and its facial features were blurrier than those of an average child.

Xu cried, "It will probably be difficult to support him!"