Jin Shanyao returned to the deserted Anzhi Hall and stared at Meng Anzhi.
"Auntie, even the best wine needs advertising, let's make the announcement," Meng Anzhi suggested.
"Fine, let's try contacting him for two days. I refuse to believe that not a single person will come to our door for a consultation."
Jin Shanyao up, pulled out a bronze gong, and walked into the street with it.
Meng Anzhi quickly grabbed her, "Auntie, let me go," she said, she was young and not afraid of being embarrassed.
"No need, Auntie has a loud voice, I guarantee that every corner of the city can hear me," she said, striking the gong heavily with her drumsticks, making a loud thud.
" Anzhi Hall offers consultations and pulse diagnosis for five copper coins... They buy herbs at high prices and sell medicinal materials at low prices."
People on the street all looked at Jin Shanyao, wondering if this girl was a fool; who does business like this?
The gong rang again, announcing, " Anzhi Hall, free medical consultation on the first day of the lunar month!"
Today happens to be the first day of the lunar month, and many people stopped to look around. Those with good intentions stepped into the Anzhi Hall first and saw Meng Anzhi sitting behind the consultation table.
His face suddenly turned cold, and he went outside shouting, "This family is a fraud! There's only an eight or nine-year-old girl inside, and no doctor!"
Jin Shanyao quickly interjected, "I'm a doctor, and that's my apprentice."
As they were talking, a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the Jin Shanyao his arm.
"Panting heavily, 'It's the first day of the lunar month, can you make a house call for free today?'"
"On house call, is someone in your household sick?"
"My wife is having a difficult childbirth, come with me quickly."
Upon hearing that it was a delivery, Jin Shanyao called Meng Anzhi, and together with the man, they took their medicine kit and went home.
The man's house was located in a remote area, and the surrounding area was chaotic.
As soon as she and Meng Anzhi reached the door, they heard angry curses coming from inside, "How could my family have married such a jinx? Even carrying a bucket of water can cause a miscarriage!"
The man stepped forward and knocked on the door, "Mother, Mother, the doctor is here."
"Pah... you coward! What woman doesn't need a doctor when she gives birth? How many coins do you have to waste like this?"
Before the words were finished, the door was pushed open, and an elderly woman with gray hair came out.
Her gaze swept over Jin Shanyao. "Let's go inside."
"Where are you going?" The old woman grabbed Meng Anzhi.
Meng Anzhi said coldly, "Delivering a baby..."
"What do you know, you little kid? Don't go and make things worse..."
Jin Shanyao stopped and looked at the man. "Are you still delivering babies?"
Fearing that Jin Shanyao her mind, the man quickly spoke up, "Take it, take it..." He pulled the old woman away, "Mother, what are you doing? This is Doctor Anzhi Hall, free on the first day of the lunar month."
Upon hearing that it was free, the old woman beamed with joy and patted the man on the shoulder, "You're such a good son! Remember, we need to spend our money wisely."
Jin Shanyao, too lazy to listen to their conversation, strode into the house with Meng Anzhi. A strong smell of blood assaulted their nostrils, and a woman with blood on her hands sat by the kang (a heated brick bed).
On the kang (a heated brick bed), the woman in labor lay with her head turned inward. She was covered in sweat, with a large pool of blood beneath her. Her hair was stuck to her face, obscuring her features. Her pregnant belly swelled and contracted with each breath, and she groaned in pain.
The midwife saw Jin Shanyao enter, her eyes filled with contempt and mockery. " Old Woman Cai, you don't need two masters for one matter. You don't trust me, do you?"
Old Woman Cai hurried into the house, "Sister-in-law, look at what you're saying! This doctor was found by my son. Aren't you worried about Chunniang getting into trouble?"
The midwife chuckled, "They didn't even bother to find a proper doctor; a baby this young can already be in the delivery room."
She walked to the basin to wash her hands, her tone smug, "I'm not bragging, but people from all around come to me to deliver babies. Your daughter-in-law won't be able to give birth this time."
Instead of wasting time looking for a doctor, you should be thinking about saving the mother and the baby.
Without the slightest hesitation, Old Woman Cai said resolutely, "Save the child, save the child..."
She looked at the woman in labor, " Chunniang, don't blame your mother for being heartless. You know the Cai Household has only had one son for three generations, this pregnancy is extremely important to our family."
When Chunniang heard her mother-in-law say this, tears streamed down her face. She had married into the Cai Household at the age of fifteen and started having children at sixteen.
The first two were secretly killed by their mothers-in-law simply because they were girls, and the truth was that they were stillborn. Now... Chunniang's eyes were filled with a deathly stillness.
None of this family cared about the mother's condition; they were either discussing the consultation fee or asking whether to save the mother or the baby, making Jin Shanyao ache from the noise.
"Shut up! If you utter another sound, don't blame me for slapping you across the face."
The midwife screamed, "You dare..." Before she could finish the word "dare," Jin Shanyao grabbed her by the Jin Shanyao and slapped her across the face, knocking her unconscious on the spot.
Just as Old Woman Cai was about to curse when she met Jin Shanyao Jin Shanyao's icy gaze, she let out a shiver of fear.
Do you still need me to deliver the baby?
"Yes... yes..." Old Woman Cai dared not utter a single word of dissent, cowering in the corner like a quail.
You get what you pay for. Doctors who don't charge consultation fees aren't exactly skilled either. If they kill her grandson, they'll surely extort her money until she's bankrupt.
Jin Shanyao beckoned Meng Anzhi to her side, "You will deliver the baby."
Meng Anzhi nodded, stepped forward and touched Chunniang's belly, "Auntie, the baby is breech, we need to help her turn."
Old Woman Cai didn't care about her daughter-in-law's life or death, but she was afraid that something might happen to her grandson.
So, mustering his courage, he began to say, "Protect..." but was stopped by a sharp glare from Jin Shanyao Shan.
Old Woman Cai cursed inwardly, thinking, "These fools are courting death!" She would stand there and wait, and if anything went wrong, she would send the master and apprentice out of the house.
An eerie silence filled the air.
Human life is at stake, so Meng Anzhi dared not be careless. With the help of Jin Shanyao, she straightened the baby's position.
Meng Anzhi, "Give her a slice of ginseng and let her put it in her mouth."
Jin Shanyao and did as instructed.
Meng Anzhi said to Chunniang, "I told you to use more force, so use more force, understand?"
Chunniang nodded, gritting her teeth and gathering all her strength to cooperate with Meng Anzhi's delivery, which took about an hour and a half.
A cry echoed throughout the room.
Meng Anzhi carefully wrapped the newborn and placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed).
While helping Chunniang clean up, I caught a glimpse of Old Woman Cai picking up the baby and peeking inside through the blanket with delighted eyes.
He was immediately frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.
"A girl... another girl..."
When Chunniang heard it was a girl, her face turned deathly pale. She struggled to her feet, crying, "Mother, Mother, give my child back to me!"
Before she could finish speaking, Old Woman Cai shoved the baby into the basin of water.
Meng Anzhi reacted quickly, snatching the child from her and patting his back repeatedly.
"Wah..." The child's cries rang out again. Meng Anzhi had never encountered anything like this before, and her little face turned ashen with anger. "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"
Old Woman Cai said fiercely, "Give me back my child and get out of my house."
Meng Anzhi dared not give the child to her, and turned around to hand the child over to Chunniang.
Chunniang held her child and wailed, "Mother, you've already strangled two of my children, can't you let her go?"
"Pah, you jinx! Our Cai Household is doomed to have married you."
"If it's a girl, if it's a girl, why not kill her and keep her around to eat rice?"
Chunniang pleaded tearfully, "Mother, I can wash her clothes and support her; it won't cost you a single penny."
"Bullshit! Every penny you earned belongs to the Cai Household!" he said, reaching out to snatch the child, but was slapped unconscious by Jin Shanyao Shan.
Jin Shanyao wiped her hands in disgust. "So noisy."