As Chen Liru ran out after receiving instructions, Wu Chunmei felt a warmth beneath her. Having given birth seven times before, she knew exactly what that meant. Thinking of a possible outcome, Wu Chunmei's face instantly paled, and at the same time, she dared not move a muscle.
By the time Chen Mantun was called back and went to the team to harness the horses, Wu Chunmei's face was deathly pale from the pain, and her breathing had become faint.
"Your father, our son..."
"My dear in-law, don't think about anything else right now. We're going to the town hospital immediately. Everything will be fine," Li Xiulan reassured her as she helped her onto the horse-drawn carriage, holding her hand.
Although Li Xiulan didn't show it outwardly, she felt sorry for Chen Mantun and his wife. Seeing the large bloodstain on Wu Chunmei's pants, she knew the child was surely lost.
"What, what should we do now?" Chen Mantun looked at Wu Chunmei's condition, clutching his head, unsure of what to do.
"My dear in-law, hurry up and get in the carriage. Old man, take all the money you have in your pocket." At this critical moment, Li Xiulan remained calm, directing someone to go back into the house to fetch another quilt for Wu Chunmei to lie on. This way, if the carriage jolted later, she wouldn't be bumped around too much.
"Mom, I still have ten yuan in my pocket. You can take it too." Seeing Gu Shoufou search his pockets and find only five yuan, Zhang Qin quickly took out ten yuan from her own.
Normally, everyone was afraid of losing money accidentally while working, so they didn't carry much on them.
"Mom, I have two yuan here too." Seeing her elder sister-in-law contribute money, Liu Yuemin hesitated for a moment before also taking out two yuan.
There was no time to go home and get more money. Li Xiulan took the money and jumped onto the carriage, accompanying Chen Mantun to the town hospital.
"Brother, please hurry the horse a bit more. I've laid a thick quilt underneath, and looking at Lishu's mother, I'm afraid it's not good."
Women in the countryside were tough. She had seen many births in the fields and ditches, so she knew a thing or two. Li Xiulan's heart churned as she looked at the quilt, now stained a large patch of red. Could this be a massive hemorrhage?
Chen Mantun's entire face turned pale at Li Xiulan's words. He parted his lips, but couldn't speak for a long time.
What if the child's mother...
Chen Mantun glanced at Wu Chunmei, who had her eyes closed, his heart panicking and his eyes unfocused.
When they finally arrived at the hospital, the doctor immediately pushed her into the operating room without a word.
By the time Chen Lishu received the news and rushed over, Wu Chunmei had just been wheeled out of the operating room. Lying on the hospital bed, Wu Chunmei's eyes were tightly shut, her face pale and weak.
"Doctor, how is my mother?"
"For a woman of her age to be pregnant was already extremely dangerous. Moreover, she took medication containing safflower, which led to severe bleeding. Fortunately, she was sent in time. We have stopped the bleeding, and the patient is not in life-threatening danger for now."
"Doctor, what about the child..." Chen Mantun asked with difficulty.
The doctor frowned and glanced at him. "It's already a great fortune that the adult's life was saved. The child is gone. Furthermore, due to this severe bleeding, the patient's uterus has been damaged, and she will not be able to conceive again in the future."
Chen Mantun staggered upon hearing this.
Chen Lishu quickly stepped forward and supported him. "Dad, Mom is okay, isn't that better than anything? Besides, don't we still have you?"
"Yes, yes, as long as your mother is alright, I still have you," Chen Mantun repeated numbly, following Chen Lishu as they pushed Wu Chunmei towards the ward with the doctor.
Seeing them leave, Li Xiulan also got up and followed.
Wu Chunmei was still asleep after the effects of the surgery.
Chen Lishu got up to check that the medicine in the IV drip was flowing normally. Thinking of the doctor's words, she looked at Chen Mantun by the bedside. "Dad, the doctor said Mom took medicine containing safflower. Has Mom been taking any medicine recently?"
She clearly remembered reminding them of the precautions before. She couldn't understand how they could have made such a simple mistake.
Upon hearing her words, Chen Mantun's eyes instinctively flinched. Chen Lishu stared at him, and seeing his reaction, she immediately guessed that there was something fishy going on.
"Dad, it's like this, and you still don't plan to say? I specifically told you before that if you feel unwell, come to the hospital, and don't take any medicine yourself at home."
Meeting her daughter's sharp gaze, Chen Mantun mumbled and finally recounted the matter of Widow Liu.
Hearing Chen Mantun's words, Chen Lishu's head buzzed, and she felt a surge of anger erupt from her heart to the top of her skull.
"You believe such a clumsy lie?" Concerned about Wu Chunmei, Chen Lishu suppressed her voice and roared.
Li Xiulan, who was beside them, was also shocked. Were these two desperate for a son? Everyone in the village knew what kind of person Widow Liu was, and they believed her words? And they gave her over two hundred yuan without a second thought. She really didn't know what to say about the couple.
"At first, your mother and I didn't really believe it, but later your mother really got pregnant, and she said she could transform the fetus..."
"Do you know where she got that medicine from?" Chen Lishu interrupted him and asked in a deep voice.
"I, she knows a barefoot doctor from the neighboring village. Your mother and I had heard before that this person had a secret remedy for wishing for a son. Otherwise, without any basis, we wouldn't have bought it."
Chen Lishu nodded, trying hard to suppress the anger in her heart. She glanced at the time and then turned to Li Xiulan. "Mom, I'll have to trouble you to watch her here for a while longer. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go back and make something for my parents to eat, and I'll come back to relieve you later."
Li Xiulan nodded. "I'm not very hungry. Don't worry, be careful on your way."
"I know, Mom." Chen Lishu said, then walked out of the ward. The moment she closed the ward door, her dark eyes instantly turned frosty.
Good Widow Liu, how dare she scheme against her parents! She would definitely make her pay a heavy price.
However, Wu Chunmei's health was the priority. She would let her frolic for a couple more days.
Before returning home, Chen Lishu went to the black market to buy an old hen to make soup for Wu Chunmei. She also had eggs at home and dried wood ear mushrooms that Li Xiulan had given her. Upon arriving home, Chen Lishu first killed and cleaned the chicken and put it in a clay pot to stew. Then she steamed the rice. When the rice was cooked, she stir-fried eggs with wood ear mushrooms and shredded potatoes.
While she was busy, Gu Xingping returned from school. Hearing that Wu Chunmei was hospitalized, she also became worried.
"Third sister-in-law, let me help you."
Gu Xingping said as she went back into the house to get an aluminum lunchbox. After washing it clean, she helped pack the dishes into it.
Since she couldn't prepare chicken soup, Chen Lishu simply filled a thermos bottle with it. Once everything was packed, she ate a simple bite herself before taking the items to the hospital.
As soon as she reached the ward door, she heard Wu Chunmei crying, interspersed with Li Xiulan's comforting words. Chen Lishu pushed the door open. Upon seeing her, Wu Chunmei's crying instinctively lessened a bit.