Chapter 60: Difficult Labor

When Qiu Yurou heard what Aunt Shuncai said, her mind instantly went blank.

Her heart was filled with disbelief, “She was fine just yesterday. You can’t say it’s difficult labor, and then suddenly she can’t make it!”

Aunt Shuncai said, “Su Shuo told me himself it’s difficult labor. It started last night, they invited the midwife and kept watch the whole night. This morning they even invited the midwife from the town, and called over her family too!”

Su Shuo was Ni Yafeng’s husband.

Qiu Yurou’s heart was in complete panic. “Did they call for a physician?”

Aunt Shuncai looked at her with full disapproval, “Child, how could a physician enter when it’s a woman giving birth!”

Qiu Yurou knew that the era she was living in was a feudal one. Usually, she felt that the shackles of feudal thinking could be endured, and she could muddle through.

But now, Aunt Shuncai’s words made her feel, for the first time, how truly murderous feudal thought could be!

Ever since she had crossed into this era, she had never once thought about changing it. But in this moment, a strong unwillingness surged in her heart.

Yet no matter how unwilling she felt, she could not shake the mindset of the masses in this era.

The only thing she could think of now was to persuade Su Yunting. He had the status of a xiucai (scholar), which carried more weight than her own words.

These thoughts flashed through Qiu Yurou’s mind in an instant. She turned toward Su Yunting. Before she could even speak, Su Yunting had already pulled her hand, “We’ll go straight to the clan elder’s house. Whatever you’re thinking, I’ll stand by your side.”

The carriage rolled past the mouth of their alley and headed directly for the clan elder’s house. Qiu Yurou clutched Su Yunting’s hand tightly, speaking in incomprehension, “I’ve read… storybooks before. In those stories about powerful households, when a woman has difficult labor, they can still summon a physician! Here in our village, I never felt such strictness about separation between men and women. So why is it, when it comes to giving birth, suddenly a physician can’t be called?”

Su Yunting, who had spent over ten years as a close attendant to the emperor, even if he had never asked deliberately, knew very well that even the concubines in the imperial harem could have physicians enter the birthing room.

So he said to his wife, “In households with power and wealth, indeed, when women give birth they can call physicians. For peasant families not to do so, I think the first reason is they don’t want to spend the money. The second reason is that village physicians rarely have expertise in obstetrics. Even if you called one, the physician might not even come. And even if he came, it would likely be in vain. Over time, it simply became the rule that women giving birth cannot call a physician. And the last reason; it’s because of those pedantic people’s way of thinking: better to die than lose one’s chastity.”

What Qiu Yurou hated most was this last reason.

Fortunately, he had said from the start that wealthy households could call physicians for childbirth. That gave her a little reassurance in her heart.

When the carriage reached the clan elder’s home, Qiu Yurou didn’t even wait for the driver to set down the footstool. She jumped straight off the carriage and ran inside.

Inside the elder’s household, the atmosphere was heavy with oppression. In the courtyard, only Ni Yafeng’s mother-in-law was there, waiting at the kitchen door for water to boil.

Since last night, no one knew how many pots of water had been boiled already.

At the start last night, Ni Yafeng’s mother-in-law had been full of hope. But as her younger daughter-in-law’s suppressed groans turned into loud cries of pain, and the midwife came out to tell her, “It’s difficult labor, not easy to deliver,” her hope had turned into worry.

They had invited the town’s midwife as well, and notified the young woman’s maternal family. A whole day had passed, the midwives had tried every method, but still the child refused to come.

The atmosphere inside the birthing room was too suffocating. Ni Yafeng’s mother-in-law couldn’t bear it anymore. She seized the task of boiling water from her eldest daughter-in-law, just to step outside and catch her breath.

When Qiu Yurou came in and saw her, she asked at once, “Madam, how is Yafeng?”

Ni Yafeng’s mother-in-law didn’t answer her question, only asked instead, “What are you doing here?”

According to the rules, women who had never given birth were not allowed to approach a birthing room.

Her question unanswered, Qiu Yurou instead heard Ni Yafeng’s faint moans from within. She didn’t answer the mother-in-law either, and headed straight toward Ni Yafeng’s room.

Ni Yafeng’s mother-in-law hurried to pull her back, “Child, that room is not a place you can enter. Go back home quickly. When the child is born, I’ll send Yafeng’s sister-in-law to notify you.”

Ni Yafeng’s mother-in-law usually lived in comfort and had little strength. But Qiu Yurou dared not struggle hard against her pull, afraid of knocking her down.

She could only call out toward Ni Yafeng’s room, “Sister-in-law, how is Yafeng? Come out and tell me!”

Ni Yafeng’s sister-in-law came out from the birthing room, pulled her aside, opened her mouth, but couldn’t say a word.

Qiu Yurou seized her hand urgently, “Sister-in-law, call a physician for Yafeng! Get a physician, there might still be a sliver of hope. Just letting it drag on like this won’t work!”

Ni Yafeng’s sister-in-law burst into tears, “How can a man physician examine a woman giving birth!”

Qiu Yurou said, “It’s only poor households that don’t call physicians. Yunting said those high-ranking noble families can call physicians for childbirth. Our little commoner household can’t be more fastidious than those grand mansions right!”

When Qiu Yurou finished speaking, not only did Ni Yafeng’s sister-in-law’s spirit jolt, but inside the main hall, Ni Yafeng’s husband, who had been kneeling, suddenly raised his head.

He said anxiously to his grandfather, “Grandfather, it’s true that women in childbirth can call physicians. Please let me go!”

The clan elder looked at the grandson who carried the greatest hope of elevating their family’s status, sighed, and said, “Do you think the physicians in town are the same as those summoned by noble families? The physicians who treat nobles when they enter a birthing room, they only need to take the pulse, prescribe medicine, at most insert a few needles on the head or hand. But the physicians in town, do they have that ability? Who knows if their prescriptions are accurate? Most importantly, their needles are not only for the head and hands! Shuo’er, if your wife’s chastity is ruined, she cannot be buried in the Su family’s ancestral tomb. Even if she survives, she cannot remain your wife! Just let her go in purity!”

On the bamboo curtain hanging over the hall’s doorway, the voices inside could be heard clearly in the courtyard. Standing in the yard, Qiu Yurou could vaguely hear what they were saying inside.

Hearing the clan elder’s words, all she wanted was to rush in and scold him.

But scolding people couldn’t solve the problem right now. Forcing herself to calm down and steady her emotions, Qiu Yurou asked Ni Yafeng’s sister-in-law, “Is Yafeng’s mother inside the birthing room?”

Ni Yafeng’s sister-in-law nodded.

Qiu Yurou released her hand and ran straight into the birthing room.

Her sister-in-law said aloud, “You can’t go in there!”

But her steps deliberately slowed for half a beat, so that by the time she gave chase, Qiu Yurou had already pushed open the tightly closed door and gone inside.

Dodging past the midwife who tried to block her, she went directly to Ni Yafeng’s mother and asked urgently, “Madam, if we get a physician for Yafeng, she may yet have a sliver of life. But once she is examined by a physician, she will almost certainly be repudiated. Are you willing to let her see a physician?”

Ni Yafeng’s mother immediately stood up. In her heart she couldn’t even bother to scold herself for being muddleheaded. A widow or a divorced woman, who among them hadn’t experienced two men or even more? As long as her daughter could live, so what if she were repudiated! She had heard of men too poor to marry wives, but never of a woman who couldn’t find another husband!

She seized Qiu Yurou’s hand at once, “Girl, I can’t leave here. Please, go and get a physician quickly.”

When Qiu Yurou came in and spoke with Ni Yafeng’s mother, she had already prepared herself to face retaliation from the clan elder.

She had never wanted to become an enemy of this era. But survival had its conditions. Some things could be endured, but others, if she did not act today, the rest of her life would be spent in pain, regret, and self-reproach.

Qiu Yurou answered firmly, “Alright!”

She turned to leave. Ni Yafeng’s mother also came out with her, saying, “They don’t need to repudiate her, I’ll have Su Shuo divorce my daughter right now.”

When Qiu Yurou stepped out of the room, she happened to see Ni Yafeng’s husband, Su Shuo, coming out of the main hall.

Seeing his mother-in-law, Su Shuo said, “Mother-in-law, please continue watching over Yafeng. I’ll go to the town right now to fetch a physician.”

Ni Yafeng’s mother relaxed a little at that. “Good, hurry then.”

Since his mother-in-law didn’t need further convincing, Su Shuo was about to go to the back courtyard to harness a cart.

But Su Yunting, who had just settled accounts with the coachman, told him, “There’s already a carriage waiting at the gate. Just hire it straight to the town.”

Su Shuo had no time for thanks and rushed out at once.

With her son-in-law gone to get the physician, Ni Yafeng’s mother turned back, preparing to keep watch over her daughter. Ni Yafeng’s sister-in-law followed closely. Just before going in, she said quietly, “Aunt, Grandfather has a root of ginseng.”

When she spoke, she didn’t even look at her aunt. After speaking, her steps didn’t pause and she continued on inside.

But Ni Yafeng’s mother froze in place. She turned to look back at her in-law, still standing at the kitchen door, and said, “Sister, whether or not your family still acknowledges Yafeng as your daughter-in-law, she is my daughter, and I must save her. There’s no other grudge between our two families. For the sake of that, could you go ask around in the village for some ginseng rootlets or anything similar, just to keep her alive for now? I’ll repay double in the future.”

Ni Yafeng’s mother-in-law was unsure how to answer when the clan elder’s voice came from inside the main hall, “No need to search outside. Use the life-saving ginseng I’ve put away.”

His grandson had already gone to fetch a physician. The granddaughter-in-law’s chastity could no longer be preserved. Since things had reached this point, it was better that she live rather than die.

So Ni Yafeng’s mother-in-law went into the elder’s room to retrieve the ginseng, while Ni Yafeng’s mother stayed outside, insisting on seeing the ginseng decoction boiled with her own eyes.

Watching Ni Yafeng’s mother handle everything with such care, Qiu Yurou felt relieved that her friend had a mother who truly cherished her.

If Ni Yafeng’s mother had thought like the clan elder, then no matter how much Qiu Yurou wanted to save her, she would have had neither the standing nor the means.

Only when she saw her in-law enter the main hall did Ni Yafeng’s mother turn to Qiu Yurou and say,
“Girl, could I trouble you to go to my house and summon Yafeng’s three brothers?”

She regretted not bringing her niece-in-law with her. Among her three sons, only the youngest was unmarried; her eldest son’s wife had returned to her family for family matters, and her second son’s wife was pregnant and couldn’t come along.

At the time she thought bringing more people would be useless. But now that manpower was needed, she could only rely on Qiu Yurou.

Qiu Yurou knew that Ni Yafeng’s family lived in Ni Village, three miles away. As soon as Ni Yafeng’s mother finished speaking, she agreed without hesitation.

Leaving the clan elder’s house, Su Yunting said, “Let’s borrow Brother Su Huai’s mule cart. Driving there will be much faster than walking.”

Through his steady actions, Su Yunting had constantly shown his support for his wife. Because of his support, the heaviness in Qiu Yurou’s heart eased slightly.

If he had suggested borrowing anyone else’s cart, Qiu Yurou would not have agreed, not because she didn’t want the cart, but because she feared the clan elder might later retaliate against them.

But Su Huai was different. He was one of the rare truly righteous men, unbound by pedantic rules. What’s more, his son was Qiu Yurou’s student. To outsiders, their two families were already of one mind. If the clan elder truly wanted to take revenge later, it would make no difference whether they used Su Huai’s cart or not.

When Su Huai heard the reason they needed the cart, he said angrily, “This clan elder of ours! When they called the town midwife this morning, they should have called the physician straight away!”

Cultural Notes

• Repudiation: repudiation/divorce by the husband, often written into clan rules as a punishment if a wife “lost chastity.”
• mutual divorce: usually more acceptable for women than being repudiated, but still damaging to reputation.