Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

"Grandma, what are you doing?" Old Mrs. Tian, ​​who was standing at the door, hurriedly stopped Yang.

Madam Yang shook her head and said, "It hasn't started yet, so I can't help you! You should hurry up and find another doctor to prescribe more labor-inducing medicine to give her. That's better than hiring any number of midwives!"

“Grandma, don’t leave. Even if you’re taking medicine, we older women will still be there to help deliver the baby. Xiaokun said you’re very skilled. With you here, we can feel more at ease!” The old woman who had been helping Caixia inside the house said as she lifted the curtain.

"What is this?" Madam Yang asked, looking at Tian Xiaokun.

Tian Xiaokun quickly introduced, "This is my aunt (mother-in-law), she also came to see Caixia in a hurry."

Caixia's mother nodded to Yang, took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and said, "Grandma, you are a mother too, please understand how this old woman feels. Childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell for a woman. If you don't give birth after the due date, the longer the baby stays in your belly, the greater the danger!"

Seeing this, Yang sighed and said, "Auntie, it's not that I don't want to help. Before I came, I told Xiaokun that if Caixia were giving birth now, I would definitely help without hesitation. But since she's not in labor, I really can't help at all!"

“Grandma, look at this…” Old Tian rubbed his hands helplessly and said, “If even you don’t have a solution, then the baby in Caixia’s belly probably won’t survive!”

"Sigh," Madam Yang sighed helplessly, "You all hurry up and find another doctor to prescribe medicine. I'm not leaving; I'll stay here and wait for Caixia to go into labor!"

Caixia's mother glanced cautiously into the room and said, "She's already taken quite a bit of medicine, and if this continues... sigh... this really can't go on."

"Grandma, let my brother Xiaokun get some castor oil and fry some eggs for my sister-in-law Caixia to try!" Ji Yongling said.

"What? Eggs fried in lamp oil? Oh, isn't lamp oil inedible?" Tian Xiaokun asked hurriedly.

Nowadays, most families in the county use castor oil as lamp oil, and his family is no exception. In fact, the last time he bought this castor oil, he bought it from his uncle's shop. But isn't it said that this oil is not edible?

Ji Yongling nodded and said, "Yes, you can't eat it normally, but it can induce labor when it's cooked until very hot. Since you've already tried other recipes, why not try this one? Remember to heat the oil until it's very hot before frying the eggs!"

"Will this work?" Caixia asked with some doubt.

Madam Yang's face fell, and she said, "If you're afraid, then don't use this prescription! If you're not afraid, then give it a try! My granddaughter must be confident to have told you this; she won't put Caixia in any danger!"

"Good, good, good!" Upon hearing this, Old Man Tian's wife quickly gave Caixia's mother a wink and immediately arranged for someone to fry eggs.

Soon, the oily scrambled eggs were served. Caixia's mother was a little worried, so she tasted them first. Seeing that apart from being a little oily, they didn't have any strange taste and she was fine after eating them, she felt relieved and brought them in for Caixia to eat.

Less than an hour after Caixia ate three eggs fried in castor oil, she began to experience contractions and labor pains.

"Quickly, quick, it's starting!" Old Mrs. Tian and Caixia's mother shouted excitedly, pulling Yang and the midwife into the house.

Although Caixia was short, her delivery was relatively quick. Two hours later, she successfully gave birth to a baby boy, and the entire Tian family was overjoyed.

Old Master Tian grinned from ear to ear, exclaiming, "Our Tian family finally has an heir!"

Caixia's mother also breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away her tears and saying, "That's great! A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders!"

When Caixia gave birth, the midwife said that there was significantly less amniotic fluid in her belly, and a lot of meconium in it. If she didn't give birth soon, the baby in her belly would definitely not survive.

As Yang came out of the house, the midwife pulled her aside and said, "Auntie, don't say that this castor oil and egg stir-fry is really effective at inducing labor. I wanted to ask if I could use it for other pregnant women in the future?"

Seeing the Tian family's joyful expression, Yang couldn't help but think of Chunxiang's childbirth, and felt extremely distressed.

At this moment, she had no intention of answering the midwife's question, so she shook her head and said, "I don't know either. Ask my granddaughter, she knows. She's the one who pressed this oil!"

The midwife quickly pulled Ji Yongling, who was standing in the courtyard, aside to ask her questions.

Ji Yongling weighed the pros and cons and said, "It's not a secret recipe that castor oil fried eggs can induce labor, so of course it can be used when needed. However, the contractions induced by this method are often irregular, and some people may experience diarrhea or nausea after taking it. You can explain this to them before using it!"

The midwife thanked her with a beaming smile, never expecting to learn a new skill while delivering a baby today.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Yang was unwilling to stay any longer and was about to leave despite Tian Xiaokun's attempts to persuade her to stay.

Seeing this, Old Mrs. Tian quickly brought out a plate with two ten-tael silver ingots and several feet of red cloth, saying, "Grandma, we owe you so much this time! This is just a small token of our appreciation, please accept it!"

Yang's face fell, and she said, "What's the point of giving me this! I don't want it, take it back!"

"Grandma, you must accept this. We don't have anything good to thank you with, so please don't look down on these." Tian Xiaokun's joy hadn't faded as he said sincerely.

Yang looked at Tian Xiaokun and suddenly got angry. She pushed the plate away and said, "Xiaokun, if you really want to thank me, then make a vow that if you have a son like this today, you will also have a son like Fusheng, who was born to Chunxiang!"

This?

Tian Xiaokun was momentarily confused about what it meant to be his maternal grandmother, and looked quite embarrassed.

Seeing Tian Xiaokun's stunned expression, Yang's face darkened, and she said, "What, you're not willing? Isn't Fusheng, the child Chunxiang gave birth to, your old Tian family's child? I don't need you to give me more, just prepare something for Fusheng when you prepare it for your son today during festivals!"

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Tian knew that Yang was standing up for Ji Shuihua and Chunxiang, so she quickly stepped forward and pulled Tian Xiaokun aside, saying, "Grandma, what are you saying? Chunxiang is also Xiaokun's wife, and Fusheng is also Xiaokun's daughter. I'll agree to this on Xiaokun's behalf! What I have for my eldest grandson today, Fusheng will have too!"

Tian Xiaokun also came to his senses and hurriedly said, "Grandma, what are you saying? How could I possibly be unwilling? I swear, whatever my child has today, Fusheng will also have!"

Madam Yang nodded in satisfaction and said, "Alright, I'll remember what you said. I hope you'll keep your word! It's getting late, so we'll head back now. Don't bother seeing us off!"

After saying this, Yang ignored the Tian family's attempts to persuade her to stay and quickly left the Tian family home with Ji Yongling and her two wives.