Birthing Cloth

Liu Wenpo stepped forward to smooth things over and said to Su Li, "Madam Su, Old Midwife Zhang may be sharp-tongued, but she means well. Right now, Lady Wu is crying out loudly, which is exhausting her. When the time comes to push the baby out, she might run out of strength and not be able to muster the effort."

Wang also nodded slightly and said, "Liu Wenpo is right on point. Caiwei, you need to endure now and save your strength. Otherwise, when it's time to push, you won't have any energy left."

Su Li's complexion improved a bit. She gently patted Wu Caiwei's hand and said, "Caiwei, then bear with it a little longer, for the sake of the baby."

Wu Caiwei gritted her teeth and nodded, indeed holding back her cries and not shouting as loudly anymore.

Old Midwife Zhang rolled her eyes inwardly at Wu Caiwei's stubborn endurance, thinking to herself, "Who told you to shout so loudly and waste your strength? Maybe a difficult labor will teach you a lesson."

Su Li stayed by her side throughout the delivery. Just watching Wu Caiwei made time drag on painfully. She thought, "Childbirth is so hard for a woman. Zhang Mu, if you ever dare wrong Wu Caiwei, I'll skin you alive!"

Time passed unknowingly, from dawn to dusk outside. Wu Caiwei struggled through immense pain and finally reached the final stage of labor.

"Ah! I see the baby's head crowning!" Liu Wenpo exclaimed. "Lady Wu, listen to me: take a deep breath—exhale—and push hard!"

Wu Caiwei looked like she had been pulled out of water, drenched in sweat from the pain. Su Li held her hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead. But when Su Li turned her head for a moment, she caught a glimpse of Old Midwife Zhang placing a dark-colored cloth under Wu Caiwei.

"What are you putting under her?" Su Li stood up and looked closely. Old Midwife Zhang was spreading a dirty, tattered cloth under Wu Caiwei and said, "This is the delivery cloth. It’s to keep the blood from staining your bedding when the baby comes out."

Su Li stared at the filthy cloth, her scalp tingling. She rushed over in one step, grabbed the delivery cloth, and pulled it away.

"Ah! Why are you pulling away the delivery cloth?" Old Midwife Zhang panicked.

"I told you, everything used for my sister's delivery must be sterilized by my family. You dare to put this filthy rag under the mother?" Su Li held the cloth up to Zhang Wenpo's face, her voice cold. "Smell it—blood and dirt. How can you use this for the mother?"

Zhang Wenpo looked dismissive and snatched the cloth back. "Madam Su, let me be honest with you. You've never given birth yourself, yet you boss me around? I've had six kids, delivered around eight hundred babies with my own hands. I've always used this cloth and never had any problems. Your family has so many rules—boiling water, washing this and that—acting like you're not from the countryside. We're all peasants here. And this delivery cloth isn't just any cloth; it was offered before the Buddha in the temple. It protects mother and child. If you don't understand, don't interfere, or don't blame me if something happens to the mother."