CHAPTER 268: CHAPTER 268: A NIGHT OF SHOCK AND FEAR

Elder Huang, after all, wasn’t a midwife, but he also knew the dangers of an arm coming out first.

Mrs. Gu couldn’t even spare the time to wipe the sweat from her forehead, "The situation is quite critical. If we do as I say, we might not be able to save the arm."

Under the current circumstances, there was no option for a cesarean section; even if they rushed to the hospital now, the elder sister-in-law might not be able to wait.

Among those present, Tang Chuxia had the least experience, but it was she who had seen similar cases.

That is, in her previous life, she had idly watched many obstetric videos, including cases where the arm came out first. At the time, she wondered why they didn’t simply pull the child out.

But after watching the videos, she realized just how dangerous it was when the arm came out first.

Time waited for no one, and every additional minute of waiting posed a risk.

Elder Huang opened his acupuncture kit he had brought with him and inserted a few needles into the elder sister-in-law’s head, then turned to Mrs. Gu, "You have more experience than I do, follow your expertise!"

Mrs. Gu gave a bitter smile, "The risk is too great!"

Madam Tang gritted her teeth, "If there’s no choice, save the adult. We can have more children later!"

Mrs. Gu wasn’t surprised by Madam Tang’s decision. Madam Tang wasn’t the cruel mother-in-law type; she wouldn’t mess things up when it really mattered.

Tang Chuxia thought of Lin Qingchen’s parting words to her on New Year’s Eve, not to go out and to seek help from the old monk and Third Grandpa if any problem arose. She asked Elder Huang, "Do you think Third Grandpa and the others would have a solution?"

Elder Huang was surprised but quickly said, "I’m not certain, but generally speaking, they shouldn’t have a solution. But who can say what the Xuan Sect is capable of?"

Meaning there might be help available, but not here, not now.

Tang Chuxia urged Qin Zhan to act faster and asked Mrs. Gu, "Aunt Hong, is there a way to push the child back in and then deliver it again?"

Her nephew hadn’t survived in her previous life, and the original host had been very upset about it. She was determined to help save the little one’s life.

Mrs. Gu was troubled, but the elder sister-in-law was also gathering her strength, insisting, "Save the child!"

Maternal instinct was strong; faced with life and death, few mothers would give up on their children.

Tears fell from Madam Tang’s eyes, and Tang Chuxia said to Mrs. Gu, "Aunt Hong, as long as you ensure the child is safely delivered, I have a way to keep the elder sister-in-law alive!"

She wasn’t boasting. When she last asked Lin Qingchen for medicine, she had obtained a life-saving medicine pill, but she hadn’t spoken of it. Another reason was that the medicine had side effects. It could harm the elder sister-in-law’s body, requiring a long time to recover.

If, however, they followed Mrs. Gu’s method, the child might not survive, nor might the elder sister-in-law. They all assumed that by giving up on the child, the adult would survive, but in fact, the elder sister-in-law would suffer from severe bleeding.

Tang Chuxia’s words gave Mrs. Gu confidence.

At that time, there was no need for various pre-surgery consents; as long as the family agreed, they could proceed with the procedure.

Mrs. Gu took a deep breath, sterilized her hands again, and as she began the procedure, Tang Chuxia slipped a medicine pill into the elder sister-in-law’s mouth, "Elder sister-in-law, I know you can understand me. Keep this pill under your tongue, and if you ever feel weak, swallow it."

The elder sister-in-law rolled her eyes to show understanding.

Tang Chuxia then spoke to Elder Huang, "To prevent any accidents with the elder sister-in-law later on, we should still give her another needle."

The reason why Elder Huang had bought Tang Chuxia along was not to show her how to deliver a baby, but because it was inappropriate for him to needle the elder sister-in-law’s body. Tang Chuxia was needed for this.

Tang Chuxia knew why and, listening to Elder Huang’s instructions for the acupoints, she inserted the needles. As Mrs. Gu worked to push the child back in, Tang Chuxia also helped the elder sister-in-law to relax.

After all, she estimated the pain must be unbearable for anyone.

Mrs. Gu, drenched in sweat, dared not wipe it off; instead, she focused intently on the elder sister-in-law’s abdomen.

Her fingers began to forcefully massage her abdomen, attempting to adjust the child to a birth position that would facilitate a natural delivery. The extent of the pain could be deduced from the elder sister-in-law’s screams.

Tang Chuxia didn’t dare to watch; childbirth was just too terrifying!

It was a direct challenge to her fear of childbirth.

When Mrs. Gu exhaled, her gaze was fixed solely on the child.

The elder sister-in-law had little strength left; Mrs. Gu said she needed to assist with the delivery. She told the elder sister-in-law to relax, but the screams followed immediately after.

Tang Chuxia couldn’t bear to watch, and Madam Tang’s face was also deathly pale.

Ah Duo, who was helping to hold the body, also had a very frightening look on her face.

Elder Huang had to constantly twist the needles in the elder sister-in-law’s head and couldn’t spare any attention, leaving only Tang Chuxia to assist Mrs. Gu.

She had seen the most primitive of birthing methods, and her body shuddered.

Fortunately, the child was born successfully, but the baby did not cry.

Mrs. Gu wasted no time with instructions for the elder sister-in-law and started resuscitating the child.

At this point, Tang Chuxia was completely redundant. She couldn’t help, but she saw that the elder sister-in-law had little strength left, and her state was not right.

Elder Huang, who had been taking the elder sister-in-law’s pulse, exclaimed, "The situation is not good!"

Tang Chuxia yelled, "Elder sister-in-law, swallow the medicine pills!"

But at this time, the elder sister-in-law had no strength, and Tang Chuxia had to help her swallow the pills.

Elder Huang took out a lot of silver needles, not even waiting for Tang Chuxia to perform the acupuncture, and started on his own.

The speed of the needling startled Tang Chuxia.

She had never imagined that a person could be turned into a hedgehog and still have no reaction.

Licorice kept bringing in warm water, and basin after basin of bloody water was carried out, causing Tang Jianguo to collapse on the ground.

Just as he was about to rush in, the sound of a child’s cries rose, coinciding with the sound of firecrackers outside.

It was New Year’s!

The little one was born in the early hours of the first day of the lunar year, catching the first breath of the world right at midnight.

After Mrs. Gu checked the child and confirmed there were no issues, she cleaned the baby with warm water, wrapped him in a blanket, and without time to weigh the baby, she joined in the efforts to save the elder sister-in-law.

As the elder sister-in-law’s condition worsened, the medicine pills provided by Tang Chuxia kept her vital signs going.

Qin Zhan carried Third Grandpa and the old monk into the yard. Third Grandpa cursed, pulling out many items and scattering them around the room, while the old monk broke the Buddha beads on his wrist, ground them to dust, dissolved them in warm water, and let the third sister-in-law take them in for the elder sister-in-law to drink.

When Tang Chuxia heard that Third Grandpa and the old monk had arrived, she immediately felt relieved.

She couldn’t help but feel fortunate that everyone had held up.

It wasn’t until Elder Huang said the elder sister-in-law had stabilized, five hours later, and light was breaking on the horizon, that they all breathed a sigh of relief.

The whole family was exhausted, yet no one could sleep; they would probably never forget what they had been through today.

Tang Chuxia’s legs trembled as she walked out and saw Gu Beihuai standing at the door, resting with his eyes closed.

She threw herself into Gu Beihuai’s arms, "I never want to have children in my life!!!"