Chapter 534: Encounter Danger 5
"No, they aren’t here!" The woman shook her head, "My husband took them all back to my mother-in-law’s house. It’s not easy to care for children in the mountains, and it’s inconvenient for them. Our third child didn’t survive because this place is too remote, and we couldn’t get medical assistance on time when he fell ill one night."
Seeing that the woman spoke about her child’s death without showing any grief, Tong Yao frowned. She quickly asked, "Why don’t you move down the mountain to take care of your children? Being pregnant and alone up here is far from ideal. Giving birth by yourself is very dangerous."
"But if I don’t stay here, who would cook for them?" The woman replied matter-of-factly.
"Uhm..." Tong Yao was left speechless by her reply.
Hu Haiyun couldn’t help being curious about the woman’s experience of giving birth on her own, so he asked her, "Did you deliver your first baby on your own too?"
"Yes!" The woman seemed to take some pride in speaking about it. "I almost lost my child and myself that time. My husband wasn’t home when I suddenly went into labor. I didn’t know what to do at first, but then the baby came out on his own. I cut the umbilical cord and found out that giving birth wasn’t so scary. The second time was faster because I had experience."
The woman spoke casually about her experience, but Tong Yao and Hu Haiyun found it frightening. Giving birth at home with a midwife was already dangerous enough, let alone without anyone’s help. It was too terrifying to imagine.
Seeing the woman’s simple, rustic demeanor, Tong Yao was filled with doubts. "After your children are born, do you immediately take them down the mountain? How did you and your husband meet?"
"How can you take them down the mountain right after they’re born!" The woman found Tong Yao’s question amusing. "My first two children were taken down the mountain after they were weaned at around one year old. The third one didn’t survive. The fourth one was taken down the mountain when he was a month old because I was out of milk by then. I was trafficked and saved by my husband. I found him a good man, so I stayed with him. I’ve given him sons with every pregnancy which is me repaying him for saving me."
"What does your husband do? Why didn’t he take you home but instead leaves you in the middle of the mountain slope?" Cheng Feng asked, frowning.