Pastoral Splendor

"Mother!" Yan Ying exclaimed in surprise. Seeing that Er Hua had already bent down to help Aunt Xiao, she calmed herself down and glared angrily at Xiao Wenhua: "Village Chief, you can't bully people like this!"

"It was your blind mother who came over here by herself!" Xiao Wenhua was also surprised to see Aunt Xiao lying on the ground. But when he saw Yan Ying questioning him so angrily, he couldn't swallow his anger. He was the village chief of Xiao Family Village, and he was being publicly scolded by a little girl. What was going on?

Hearing Xiao Wenhua curse Aunt Xiao for being blind, Yan Ying's mind went blank for a moment. She suddenly raised her leg and kicked Xiao Wenhua: "And he's the village chief! How dare he spew such vulgarities!" In her previous life, Yan Ying was a fiery and outspoken woman, a true tomboy who had always lived in the countryside, completely lacking any gentleness or refinement. Having transmigrated to this small mountain village, where the environment was somewhat restrictive, Yan Ying decided to maintain her original personality: simple, assertive, and determined not to suffer any losses!

"How can the third daughter of the Xiao family raise her leg so high!" The villagers stared in astonishment, their mouths agape as they watched Yan Ying stretch out one leg straight and kick towards Xiao Wenhua.

Seeing Yan Ying's aggressive approach, Xiao Wenhua panicked and took a step back. Unexpectedly, he missed a step and fell from the steps into the front yard, landing hard on his backside. Yan Ying landed beside him with a "whoosh," her eyes filled with anger: "I told you not to hit my mother!" She kicked Xiao Wenhua hard: "A man hitting a woman, are you even human?"

Xiao Wenhua stood up, supporting himself with one hand on the ground. He felt that his palm was a little wet. When he opened his palm, he saw a pile of black stuff in his palm. When he smelled it closely, it smelled bad. It must be chicken droppings.

"You little brat, Xiao Sanhua, how dare you lay a hand on me!" Xiao Wenhua was furious. She wiped her hands on her pants and glared at Yan Ying. "Do you know who I am? I'm the village chief. I'm the boss in this village. I keep my word. From now on, your vegetable garden belongs to Old Lady Sijin!"

Yan Ying glanced at Xiao Wenhua, then ran into the house and came out a short while later carrying a kitchen knife.

"What are you going to do?" Xiao Wenhua, intimidated by Yan Ying's fierce appearance, took two steps back. Yan Ying raised the kitchen knife: "You think you're the boss in the village? You think you can just say whatever you want? Ask this kitchen knife if it's okay with that first!" Yan Ying pointed the knife at Xiao Wenhua, then glared at the old woman standing behind her: "Old woman, you remember this, if you dare to step into my vegetable garden, next time I won't just be slaughtering sheep!"

"You...you...you're threatening me!" Xiao Wenhua trembled with rage. He had lost face big time this time, completely outmaneuvered by the third daughter of the Xiao family. She wouldn't listen to him at all, and even punched and kicked him, threatening him with a kitchen knife! If he couldn't take back her vegetable garden, Old Lady Sijin wouldn't speak up for Xiao Jingwei, and more importantly, the villagers might follow suit and stop listening to him.

"Xiao Sanhua, no matter what, you killed the sheep belonging to Old Lady Sijin, so you still have to compensate her. Don't think you can get away with it by acting like a shrew!" Xiao Wenhua mustered her courage and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Put down the cleaver!"

"I didn't say I wouldn't compensate her for her sheep, but she still has to compensate me for my vegetables and flower seedlings!" Yan Ying smiled contemptuously. "You should first find a respected elder in the village to calculate the costs. Once the accounts are settled, I will pay whatever amount I owe, not a penny less. If you're thinking of taking advantage of this to seize our vegetable garden, don't blame me, Xiao Sanhua, for being impolite!" Yan Ying forcefully slammed the kitchen knife into the door threshold. "I'd like to see who dares to try!"

"Sanhua, Sanhua, something bad has happened to Mother!" Erhua's scream came from her ear. Yan Ying turned around and saw Aunt Xiao lying there with a pool of crimson under her body, and the surrounding soil was stained dark brown.

"Oh no!" Yan Ying thought to herself, realizing the danger. Judging from Aunt Xiao's appearance, she must have been pushed down by Xiao Wenhua and hit her stomach, and was now about to give birth. "Quickly, go and get a midwife!" Yan Ying glanced at Xiao Laoda, who was anxiously supporting Aunt Xiao but looked completely helpless. She quickly nudged Erhua, "Go ask the women over there if any of them know where the midwife lives."

"Old Master Xiao looks like she's about to give birth!" someone in the crowd shouted. "Erhua, come with me quickly, let's go get a midwife for your mother. She's only eight months along, this could be dangerous."

Erhua was so shocked her face turned pale. She bit her lip tightly and followed the woman outside without saying a word. A few old women came from the crowd. They were all experienced and knew the way well. They nudged Xiao Laoda: "Don't just stand there. Hurry up and carry your man to the bed!"

"Grandma, what are we going to do?" Sihua, Wuhua, and Liuhua rushed out. Seeing the pool of blood under Aunt Xiao's body, all three of them burst into tears, sobbing and clutching the hem of the old women's clothes.

"Fourth Flower, Fifth Flower, Sixth Flower, stop making a fuss. Fourth Flower, hurry up and boil some hot water. Fifth Flower, go see how much toilet paper we have left and gather it all up. Sixth Flower, you're the best girl, come in with your third sister to take care of our mother." Yan Ying took Sixth Flower's hand and said to her with a smile, "Why are you crying? It's because the little brother in Mother's belly can't wait and wants to come out and play with his sisters as soon as possible."

"Is that so?" Liu Hua looked up at Yan Ying, her eyes still glistening with tears, yet they were dark and bright, like the twinkling stars in the night sky: "Our little brother is about to be born?"

"Of course!" Yan Ying pulled Liu Hua along and followed the old women. She glanced at Aunt Xiao and saw that her face was somewhat pale, and her heart couldn't help but tremble. In her previous life, there were cesarean sections and such, so childbirth wasn't difficult. But now, in this backward Great Zhou Dynasty, childbirth was like stepping into the gates of hell for a woman. Aunt Xiao was going into premature labor, and it was uncertain whether she could give birth to her child smoothly.

At the village entrance stood several large peach trees, their golden shadows cast by the twilight making them appear even more vibrant. Several children were playing under the trees when they looked up and saw a few people hurrying towards them.

"The second daughter of the Xiao family has finally found a midwife!" a little girl clapped her hands and shouted, "Aunt Xiao can finally give birth!"

“Peach Blossom, she could have given birth even without Aunt Xiao, the midwife!” A little boy retorted, his face flushed red. “They said my mother gave birth to me in the fields, but it was during the rice planting season, so there was no midwife around.”

Meihua opened her mouth, thinking that what the little boy said made sense. At this moment, someone next to her interjected, with a hint of indignation in their voice: "It's troublesome to have no offspring. You might even have another girl!"

"Qi Mu, can you watch your mouth?" Peach Blossom glared at him with displeasure. "I think it's really time for Old Master Xiao to have a son. If it weren't for your grandmother's daily curses about the family line ending, it would be quite unpleasant to hear!"

Qi Mu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but someone nudged him: "Stop talking, Xiao Erhua is almost here, do you want to get beaten up?"

Erhua and her sisters-in-law walked over quickly, their steps light as the wind. The already short trousers were blown up high by the evening breeze, clinging to her fair calves and making them appear long and shapely.

Qi Mu turned his face away, not daring to look Er Hua in the eye. He hadn't kept an eye on the sheep today; Xiao Jia San Hua had killed them. When he got home, his grandmother had grabbed a branch from the woodpile and given him a severe beating; his buttocks still hurt. He dared not offend the Xiao sisters, Er Hua and San Hua, again. After Er Hua walked away, he could only spit at her retreating back: "No offspring, your mother must have given birth to another girl!"

When the midwife arrived at Old Master Xiao's house, she saw the bare walls and felt a pang of regret. She had come happily, hoping to get some money, but now, looking at the dilapidated house that seemed like it could be blown down by the wind, it seemed she had come for nothing. Did Old Master Xiao have any money to give her?

When Yan Ying saw Er Hua leading the midwife in, she hurried over to greet her, nodded and smiled at the midwife, and placed several dozen coins in the midwife's hand: "Thank you for your help, Auntie."

The midwife was stunned. She looked down at the large wad of coins and could hardly believe her eyes. There were at least thirty copper coins. Had she misjudged the situation and was the person deliberately pretending to be poor? She glanced around the room again but couldn't find anything of value. She found it very strange. They say you shouldn't flaunt your wealth, but this was hidden too well.

"Auntie, hurry up and help my mother give birth! She's in the inner room, in so much pain!" Yan Ying instructed Er Hua, "Second Sister, quickly go and boil two eggs for our mother to eat, to replenish her strength."

The midwife was even more puzzled. How could this family's maid be so quick-witted? She had already calculated everything before she even gave any instructions. Yan Ying, standing to the side, let out a long sigh of relief. She had received a reward at the Prince Yu's mansion today, and when she went to Yuzhou City, she specifically went to a money exchange to break open a silver ingot and exchange it for some loose silver and large coins, intending to spend them in small amounts. She never expected that they would come in handy today.

"Auntie, please come in with me." Yan Ying smiled at the midwife. "I'm sorry to have taken up your time. Please have some simple food at our house later. Please don't mind."

This little girl is only fourteen or fifteen years old, how come she speaks like an adult? The midwife thought to herself, these maids from the Xiao family are all shrewd, the one who came to fetch her just now was also quick-witted, this one is even better. She followed Yan Ying into the inner room, where she saw a pot of boiling water placed next to a basin, and a pile of straw paper on a tattered chair, obviously just found, some wrinkled, some very flat with sharp edges.

Lying on the bed was Aunt Xiao, her face sallow, with a bluish tinge underneath. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, soaking the worn pillow and leaving a large welt. The midwife went over and touched it, exclaiming in surprise, "She's not full-term yet, is she?"

"Yes, yes, my mother is only eight months pregnant, but she was just pushed." Yan Ying looked at the midwife with some anxiety, feeling uneasy. At this moment, she really regretted not being an obstetrician in her previous life so that she could deliver Aunt Xiao's baby herself.

Seeing Yan Ying's anxious look, the midwife quickly comforted her: "It's alright, seven months is enough for survival, eight months is not. The baby in your mother's belly will definitely live!"

Yan Ying rolled up her sleeves: "Auntie, just let me know if you need any help!"

The midwife looked at Yan Ying, her nose tingling with emotion. It's true what they say, poor children learn to be independent early; at such a young age, she's already managing everything inside and outside the house. She bent down and felt around under Aunt Xiao again, finding her hand wet: "Her water broke, she's about to give birth."

Yan Ying opened her eyes wide and looked at Aunt Xiao. She saw her lying on the bed, making intermittent painful groans. Her hands were tightly gripping the sheets. The coarse blue and white floral cloth was crumpled into a ball and was no longer in shape under her body.

...